阅读说明：本技术 检查装置及检查方法 (Inspection apparatus and inspection method ) 是由 金弘基 金玟奎 皇甫旼怜 于 2017-05-12 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开一种检查装置。检查装置包括平台部和探测部,探测部包括光学拍摄部、光干涉检测部及光诱导部。平台部承载检查对象物,探测部通过光学拍摄部及光干涉检测部,获得检查对象物的光学影像及光干涉数据。平台部或探测部可以移动,使得检查对象物的选择的区域位于光学拍摄部及光干涉检测部的视野内。光诱导部使得来自光学拍摄部的照明光与来自光干涉检测部的测量光可以同轴照射于检查对象物。可以追加照射用于显示正在测量的区域的引导光束。包括用于调整对测量的影像的倍率的倍率变更部。倍率变更部中,随着透镜的变更,为了补正光路径差,光干涉检测部包括的基准镜的位置一同变更。(An inspection apparatus is disclosed. The inspection device includes a stage unit and a detection unit including an optical imaging unit, an optical interference detection unit, and an optical induction unit. The platform part bears an object to be inspected, and the detection part obtains an optical image and optical interference data of the object to be inspected through the optical shooting part and the optical interference detection part. The stage unit or the probe unit is movable so that a selected region of the inspection object is positioned within the visual fields of the optical imaging unit and the optical interference detection unit. The light induction unit allows illumination light from the optical imaging unit and measurement light from the light interference detection unit to be coaxially irradiated to the inspection object. A guide beam for displaying the area being measured may be additionally irradiated. Includes a magnification changing unit for adjusting the magnification of the measured image. The magnification changing unit changes the position of a reference mirror included in the optical interference detecting unit in accordance with the change of the lens to correct the optical path difference.)

1. An inspection apparatus, wherein,

the method comprises the following steps:

a platform part for bearing the inspection object, and

a detecting unit for obtaining an optical image of the inspection object and for obtaining optical interference data of the inspection object in a region selected in the optical image;

the probe section or the stage section is movable so as to obtain optical interference data of the inspection object of the selected region;

the detection section includes:

an optical imaging section for obtaining the optical image,

an optical interference detecting section for obtaining the optical interference data, an

The light induction part comprises a magnification change part.

2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1,

the light induction unit forms a first light path for inducing the illumination light emitted from the illumination light source and reflected by the inspection object to the optical imaging unit, and forms a second light path for allowing the measurement light required for obtaining the light interference data to enter the inspection object, in order to obtain the optical image.

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the illumination light source is provided in the detection section.

4. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the illumination light source is provided outside independently of the detection section.

5. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the light induction part includes a light path control element,

the first optical path and the second optical path are coaxial and overlap in an interval between the optical path control element and the inspection object.

6. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5,

the light path control element is a semi-transmissive mirror,

the semi-transmission mirror refracts the measuring light after the illuminating light passes through the semi-transmission mirror, or reflects the measuring light after the illuminating light is refracted.

7. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the magnification changing unit includes a variable-magnification objective lens,

the first optical path and the second optical path pass through the variable power objective lens.

8. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the magnification changing unit includes a plurality of fixed magnification objective lenses,

one of the plurality of fixed-magnification objective lenses passes the first optical path and the second optical path.

9. The inspection apparatus according to claim 8,

the optical interference detection unit includes:

an interference light source for irradiating near infrared light,

a beam splitter for optical interferometry for splitting near-infrared light from the interference light source into the measurement light and reference light, an

A reference mirror for reflecting the reference light.

10. The inspection apparatus according to claim 9,

the reference mirror moves based on a thickness of a fixed-magnification objective lens through which the second optical path passes.

11. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the detection section further includes a guide beam irradiation section that irradiates a guide beam with an irradiation point located within a field of view of the optical pickup section,

the optical imaging unit obtains the optical image so that an irradiation point of the guide beam can be visually recognized in the optical image,

the irradiation point of the guide beam is included in the selected region.

12. The inspection apparatus according to claim 11,

the guide beam irradiation section irradiates the guide beam along the second optical path.

13. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the probe unit or the stage unit can adjust a position in the z-axis so that the surface of the inspection object can be located within a measurement range in the z-axis direction of the optical interference detection unit.

14. The inspection apparatus according to claim 13,

the position adjustment in the z-axis is performed after the optical interference detection section obtains the optical interference data of the inspection object of the selected region.

15. The inspection apparatus according to claim 13,

the position adjustment in the z-axis is performed when the optical interference detection unit obtains the optical interference data of the inspection object in the selected region.

16. The inspection apparatus according to claim 13,

the probe unit further includes a distance measuring unit that measures a distance between the probe unit and a surface of the inspection object;

the position adjustment in the z-axis is based on the distance measured by the distance measuring section.

17. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2,

the detection unit or the stage unit can adjust a position on an x-axis or a position on a y-axis or positions on the x-axis and the y-axis so that the region selected from the optical image is included in a field of view of the optical imaging unit or a field of view of the optical interference detection unit.

18. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1,

the inspection apparatus further includes:

a display section for displaying the optical image, an

An input for receiving a user's selection of a portion of the area of the optical image.

19. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1,

the optical image and the optical interference data are transmitted to the outside by the transmission part so as to be shared in real time.

20. An inspection method is performed using an inspection apparatus including a stage part and a probe part, wherein,

the inspection method comprises the following steps:

a step of obtaining an optical image of an inspection object by the inspection apparatus,

a step in which the inspection device selects a partial region in the optical image, and

a step in which the inspection device acquires optical interference data of an inspection object in a region selected in the optical image;

the probe section or the stage section is movable so as to obtain optical interference data of the inspection object of the selected region;

the detection section includes:

an optical imaging section for obtaining the optical image,

an optical interference detecting section for obtaining the optical interference data, an

The light induction part comprises a magnification change part.

21. The inspection method according to claim 20,

further comprising a step of adjusting a position on the z-axis of the probe section or the stage section so that the surface of the inspection object is located within a measurement range in the z-axis direction of the optical interference detection section.

22. The inspection method according to claim 21,

the step of adjusting the position on the z-axis is performed after the step of obtaining the optical interference data of the inspection object of the selected region.

23. The inspection method according to claim 21,

the step of adjusting the position on the z-axis is performed at the time of the step of obtaining the optical interference data of the inspection object of the selected region.

24. The inspection method according to claim 20,

further comprising the step of adjusting the position on the x-axis or the position on the y-axis or the positions on the x-axis and the y-axis of the probe section or the stage section so that the selected region is included in the field of view of the optical pickup section or the optical interference detection section.

25. The inspection method according to claim 20,

the method further includes the step of changing the magnification of the detector to obtain the optical image or the optical interference data.

26. The inspection method according to claim 20,

further comprising the step of correcting the color of the optical image.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an examination apparatus, and more particularly, to a biological tissue examination apparatus and a method thereof for examining a biological tissue using an optical technique.

Background

In order to diagnose diseases occurring in the human body, a diagnosis of diseases is being made by using a tissue examination, that is, by extracting and examining a tissue of a part suspected of a disease.

For the tissue examination, a method is used in which after a tissue is removed by a method such as cell aspiration, gun biopsy, incisional biopsy, or excisional biopsy, the removed tissue sample is sliced, and the slice is prepared, stained, and observed with a microscope. The process of preparing the section is carried out by solidifying the section by fixing, dehydrating or the like, cutting the section, staining the section, and covering with a cover glass.

After the sections are thus produced, the physician in charge of pathological diagnosis and judgment can make an accurate diagnosis decision by observing the tissue sections through a microscope.

Disclosure of Invention

Solves the technical problem

Modern people suffer from various diseases, and various diseases including cancer are treated by removing a problematic organ by surgery. However, when a surgical operation is performed for removal, the position and the range of a site to be removed, such as an organ of a human body or a tumor tissue in an affected part, are generally determined depending on the visual observation and experience of a surgical operator. Therefore, the range of tumor tissue for ablation is limited to a range that can be visually observed by a doctor, and it is difficult to determine whether or not the corresponding tissue is a tumor in a region that is too small to be visually observed. As a result, for example, when removing a tumor tissue for cancer surgery, it is generally necessary to remove a wider region of the tumor tissue than that observed by visual observation in order to prevent the tumor from remaining, which imposes an additional burden on the recovery of the patient. Although a wider area than a tumor tissue is removed, there is still a problem that a tumor that is not exposed on the surface cannot be confirmed.

If the wide area is removed in this way compared with the actual removal of the object, there is also a dangerous situation. For example, when performing a thyroidectomy, the parathyroid sites that exert actions such as calcium metabolism or hormone secretion are not functionally resectable. However, it is not easy to clearly distinguish normal thyroid tissue, a parathyroid region, lymph, or adipose tissue that may be cut off by visual observation, and in this case, it is impossible to perform the operation itself of a method of widely removing a portion including a tumor, as in the previous cancer tissue removal method.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the tissue examination described above is used to grasp which tissue and which state the removed tissue belongs to. However, in general, tissue examination requires a process of fixing a tissue sample with a fixing solution to prepare a section, or requires several days or more until the result is grasped due to overstock of pathological examination, and in reality, it is difficult to determine a tissue in an operation. In frozen specimen examination or frozen section examination used to solve such a problem, a tissue is frozen instead of a fixed tissue, and the frozen tissue is sliced to produce a section. However, this procedure also requires at least about 30 minutes, which is a large burden for both the surgeon and the patient who perform the operation.

Technical scheme

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described technical problems, and more particularly, an object of the present invention is to provide a biological tissue examination apparatus and method which can quickly observe and determine a tissue of a subject during surgery when urgent tissue examination is required during the surgery. A biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including: a platform part for bearing the inspection object; a detector that obtains an optical image of the inspection target and obtains optical interference data of the inspection target in a region selected in the optical image; the probe section or the stage section is movable so as to obtain optical interference data of the inspection object of the selected region.

A biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the probe unit includes: an optical imaging unit that obtains the optical image; a light interference detecting unit that obtains the light interference data; and a light-inducing portion; the light induction part forms a first light path for inducing the illumination light emitted from the illumination light source and reflected on the inspection object to the optical shooting part in order to obtain the optical image, and makes the measurement light required for obtaining the light interference data enter the inspection object to form a second light path.

The biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the illumination light source is provided in the probe section.

The biological tissue inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the illumination light source is provided outside independently of the probe portion.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the light induction portion includes a light path control element, and the first light path and the second light path are coaxial and overlap in a section between the light path control element and the examination object.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the light path control element is a semi-transmissive mirror that refracts the measurement light after passing the illumination light therethrough, or reflects the measurement light after refracting the illumination light.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the light induction unit includes a magnification changing unit including a variable-magnification objective lens, and the first optical path and the second optical path pass through the variable-magnification objective lens.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the light induction unit includes a magnification changing unit including a plurality of fixed magnification objective lenses, and one of the plurality of fixed magnification objective lenses passes through the first optical path and the second optical path.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the optical interference detection unit further includes: an interference light source that irradiates near-infrared light; a beam splitter for optical interference measurement that splits near-infrared light from the interference light source into the measurement light and reference light; and a reference mirror for reflecting the reference light.

The biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the reference mirror is moved based on a thickness of a fixed-magnification objective lens through which the second optical path passes.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the probe unit further includes a guided light beam irradiation unit that irradiates a guided light beam so that an irradiation point is located within a Field of view (FOV) of the optical imaging unit, and the optical imaging unit obtains the optical image so that the irradiation point of the guided light beam is visually recognized within the optical image, and the irradiation point of the guided light beam is included in the selected region.

The biological tissue inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the guided light beam irradiation section irradiates the guided light beam along the second optical path.

The biological tissue inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the probe section or the stage section is capable of adjusting a position on a z-axis corresponding to a height direction of the inspection object so that a surface of the inspection object is located within a z-axis direction measurement range of the optical interference detection section.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the position adjustment in the z-axis is performed after the optical interference detection unit obtains the optical interference data of the examination object in the selected region. In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the position adjustment in the z-axis is performed together with the optical interference data of the examination object in the selected region obtained by the optical interference detection unit.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the probe unit further includes a distance measuring unit that measures a distance between the probe unit and a surface of the examination object, and the position adjustment in the z-axis is based on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit.

In the biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the probe unit or the stage unit may adjust positions on an x-axis, a y-axis, or both the x-axis and the y-axis so that the corresponding region is included in a FOV of the optical imaging unit or a field of view of the optical interference detection unit.

A biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by further comprising: a display unit that displays the optical image; and an input unit that accepts input of a user selection for selecting a partial region of the optical image.

The biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a transmission unit that transmits the optical image, the optical interference data, or the optical image and the optical interference data to the outside so as to be shared in real time.

A biological tissue examination method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a biological tissue examination method using a biological tissue examination apparatus including a stage unit and a probe unit, the biological tissue examination method including: a step of obtaining an optical image of an inspection object by the biological tissue inspection apparatus; selecting a partial area in the optical image; and a step of obtaining light interference data of the inspection object of a selected region in the optical image, the probe section or the stage section being movable so as to obtain the light interference data of the inspection object of the selected region.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the biological tissue examination method is characterized in that the probe unit includes an optical imaging unit and an optical interference detection unit, and further includes: and a step of adjusting a position on the z-axis corresponding to a height direction of the inspection object with respect to the probe unit or the stage unit so that a surface of the inspection object is included in a z-axis direction measurement range of the optical interference detection unit.

In the biological tissue examination method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of adjusting the position on the z-axis is performed after the step of obtaining the optical interference data of the examination object in the selected region by the optical interference detection unit.

In the biological tissue examination method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of adjusting the position on the z-axis is performed together with the step of obtaining the optical interference data of the examination object in the selected region by the optical interference detection unit.

In the biological tissue examination method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the probe unit includes an optical imaging unit and an optical interference detection unit, and the method further includes a step of adjusting a position of the probe unit or the stage unit on an x-axis, a y-axis, or an x-axis and a y-axis so that the selected region is included in a field of view of the optical imaging unit or the optical interference detection unit.

A biological tissue examination method according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by further comprising: and a step in which the detection unit changes a magnification required for obtaining the optical image and the optical interference data.

A biological tissue examination method according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by further comprising: and correcting the color of the optical image.

Effects of the invention

The examination device and method of the present invention provide support so that a surgeon performing a surgical operation can accurately grasp the region of a tissue to be operated such as an ablation in real time during the operation, thereby improving the rapidity, accuracy and stability of the operation.

According to the examination apparatus and method of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the optical image of the examination object and quickly select a region to be examined for the tissue.

According to the examination apparatus and method of the present invention, tissue examination can be performed in real time without a conventional biopsy procedure such as section preparation, and in the case of thyroid surgery, since resection is not required over a wide range, the parathyroid gland can be protected.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a biological tissue examination apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a probe portion of the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates an optical imaging section of the probe section of the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates an optical interference detecting section of the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a light induction unit of the biological tissue examination apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows a mode in which the optical interference detecting unit operates in accordance with the operation of the magnification changing unit in the biological tissue examination apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates the constitution of the optical path formed in the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the configuration and operation of the guided light beam irradiation section of the biological tissue examination apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates the movement of the stage part of the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention in the x and y axis directions.

Fig. 10 illustrates the z-axis direction movement of the stage part of the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 11 illustrates a biological tissue examination method of the present invention.

(reference numerals)

10 biological tissue examination device 20 Probe

30 platform part 100 optical shooting part

200 optical interference detecting part 300 optical induction part

400 guiding beam irradiation part 500 distance measuring part

Detailed Description

The following examples disclose the explanation relating to the biological tissue examination apparatus and the method thereof according to the present invention.

< biological tissue examination apparatus >

Fig. 1 illustrates a biological tissue examination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The biological tissue examination apparatus 10 of one embodiment of the present invention includes a probe section 20 and a stage section 30. The platform unit 30 carries an inspection object 50 (e.g., a biological tissue), and the probe unit 20 obtains an optical image and optical interference data of the inspection object 50 through an objective lens disposed on the inspection object 50 side. The biological tissue examination apparatus 10 may further include an area selection unit 40. The region selecting unit 40 may provide a selection interface to the user with respect to the inspection object 50 so as to obtain the light interference data of a specific region desired by the user.

< detection section >

Fig. 2 illustrates the configuration of the probe section 20. The probe section 20 includes: an optical imaging unit 100 for obtaining an optical image of the inspection object 50; an optical interference detection unit 200 for obtaining optical interference data of the inspection object 50; and a light induction unit 300 for inducing the illumination light and the measurement light so that the optical imaging unit 100 and the light interference detecting unit 200 can obtain an optical image and light interference data of the inspection object 50.

< optical imaging Unit >

The optical imaging unit 100 shown in fig. 3 obtains an optical image of the inspection object 50. The optical image may be a normal two-dimensional image of the inspection object 50, but another image, for example, a three-dimensional image may be obtained as necessary. For convenience of description, a case where the optical imaging unit 100 obtains a normal two-dimensional image will be described below.

As shown in fig. 3, the optical imaging section 100 includes: an illumination light source 110 for improving the quality of an image by irradiating an inspection object 50 with illumination light 115; and a light sensor 120 for sensing light reflected by the inspection object 50 and converting the light into an electrical signal. As shown in fig. 3, when the illumination light source 110 is attached to the side of the light sensing part 120, the illumination light 115 may be converted into the direction of the inspection object 50 by the beam splitter 130, and pass through the light sensing part 300 to be irradiated to the inspection object 50. The light of the illumination light 115 reflected by the inspection object 50 passes through the light induction portion 300 again, and then reaches the light sensing portion 120.

On the other hand, the path of the illumination light 115 described above is merely an example. As another example, the illumination light 115 may be irradiated in a straight line and irradiated to the inspection object 50 through the light induction unit 300. Alternatively, as described below with reference to fig. 7, a separate external illumination light source 170 is disposed, and the external illumination light source 170 directly irradiates the inspection object 50 with illumination light without passing through the light induction unit 300.

The illumination light 115 irradiated by the illumination light source 110 may be a visible ray. The light sensing part 120 may be a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor capable of sensing light in a visible ray region. The light sensing unit 120 may convert the sensed light into an electrical signal and transmit the electrical signal to the processing unit 140. The processing unit 140 may generate an image of the inspection object 50 based on the electric signal transmitted from the light sensing unit 120.

The optical image of the inspection object 50 obtained by the optical imaging unit 100 can be used as data required for observing the inspection object 50. In addition, the optical image may be used for the movement and operation of the stage part 30 and the probe part 20. In addition, the optical image may be used to confirm a region to be measured by the optical interference detection unit 200.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, an optical image may be provided at the area selection part 40. As will be described again below, the user can select the region to be confirmed by the region selection section 40. The biological tissue examination apparatus 10 may obtain optical interference data for a region selected by a user.

The optical imaging unit 100 described above has been described taking as an example a configuration for obtaining a two-dimensional image of the surface of the inspection object 50 using visible light as a light source. However, a configuration for taking a desired optical image may be included as necessary so that a three-dimensional image can be generated. For example, as a method of generating a three-dimensional video image based on the interocular parallax, a three-dimensional video image can be generated by synthesizing a two-dimensional video image obtained by providing a difference of a predetermined angle with respect to the inspection target 50. In order to obtain a three-dimensional image in this way, the optical pickup section 100 may include 2 cameras configured to set a difference of a predetermined angle with respect to the inspection object 50. Alternatively, the optical imaging section may include a camera and a transfer section that can move the camera. At this time, since the camera is moved by the transfer unit, two-dimensional images of the inspection object 50 can be obtained at different angles from each other. Alternatively, a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 50 may be generated by using the pattern light. That is, the inspection apparatus of the present invention may apply a method of irradiating a pattern light having a predetermined period while changing the phase to obtain an image of a pattern formed in the inspection object 50 by the phase-shifted pattern light, and then processing the pattern image to generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 50. In order to apply this method, the optical pickup unit 100 may additionally include: pattern light irradiation means for irradiating pattern light; and a camera for obtaining an image formed in the inspection object 50 by the pattern light; and a processing unit that generates a three-dimensional image from the measured pattern image.

< optical interference detecting section >

The optical interference detector 200 may obtain optical interference data in order to generate a three-dimensional image of the entire or a part of the inspection object 50. In addition, the optical interference detecting unit 200 can obtain optical interference data on a specific region selected by the user in the inspection object 50. The optical interference detecting section 200 of fig. 4 illustrates, as an example, a case of using a michelson interferometer. The optical interference detecting part 200 may include: an interference light source 210 for irradiating near infrared light; a beam splitter 220 for separating near infrared light from the interference light source 210 into measurement light 215 and reference light 225; a reference mirror 230 that reflects the reference light 225 split by the beam splitter 220; the interference light sensor 240 senses the interference light 235 formed by the measurement light 215 and the reference light 225, and generates light interference data. The optical interference detection unit 200 may further include a processing unit 250 that generates a three-dimensional image from the optical interference data.

The interference light source 210 may irradiate light while varying a wavelength (tunable) so that human tissue can be tomographically photographed by depth. As light used for imaging an object in light interference measurement, a laser having a wavelength in the infrared region in the range of 750 to 1300nm can be used. In particular, since the longer the wavelength, the deeper the depth that can penetrate into the human tissue, the interference light source does not irradiate only laser light of a single wavelength, but irradiates laser light while changing the wavelength from a short wavelength to a long wavelength, and thereby a three-dimensional interference signal from the surface of the inspection object 50 to a predetermined depth can be obtained.

The path of the measurement light 215 split by the beam splitter 220 is changed by a light induction unit 300 described later, and the measurement light can be irradiated to the inspection object 50 placed on the stage unit 30. The measurement light 215 irradiated toward the inspection object 50 is reflected on the surface of the inspection object 50 or is scattered backward deep into a predetermined depth depending on the wavelength. Then, the reflected measurement light or the measurement light scattered rearward returns to the optical interference detection section 200 through an opposite path. The measurement light 215 and the reference light 225 interfere with each other at the beam splitter 220 to form interference light 235, and the interference light 235 is sensed by the interference light sensor 240. The interference light sensing unit 240 generates light interference data from the interference light 235 and transmits the light interference data to the processing unit 250. The processing unit 250 can generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 50 by generating a tomographic image of the inspection object 50 from the light interference data. For the sake of explanation, the case where both the interference light sensing unit 240 and the processing unit 250 are included in the optical interference detecting unit 200 is exemplarily illustrated, but the interference light sensing unit 240 and the processing unit 250 may be separately separated from the optical interference detecting unit 200 and may be connected to the optical interference detecting unit 200 by a communication means such as an optical cable, if necessary.

The beam splitter 220 splits the light from the interference light source 210 into measurement light 215 and reference light 225. As described above, the measurement light 215 is irradiated on the inspection object 50 through the light induction unit 300, reflected on the surface of the inspection object 50, or transmitted through a predetermined depth, and then scattered backward, and the return light interferes with the detection unit 200. The reference light 225 is reflected by the reference mirror 230, returns to the beam splitter 220 again, interferes with the measurement light 215 returning to the light interference detection unit 200 to form interference light 235, and the formed interference light 235 is sensed by the light interference sensing unit 240.

The reference mirror 230 reflects the reference light 225 split by the beam splitter 220, and forms interference light 235 together with the measurement light 215 reflected or backscattered from the inspection object 50. At this time, when the path difference between the measurement light 215 and the reference light 225 is within the coherence length (coherence length) of the light irradiated from the interference light source 210, the interference light sensor 240 can sense the path difference, and thus the position of the reference mirror 230 can be moved to appropriately adjust the path difference. The detailed description thereof will be described later.

< light-inducing section >

The light induction unit 300 shown in fig. 5 can function to induce the illumination light 115 from the optical imaging unit 100, the measurement light 215 from the optical interference detection unit 200, or both the illumination light 115 and the measurement light 215 to the inspection object 50 on the stage unit 30. The light induction part 300 may include a light path control element 310 and a magnification change part 320.

Light path control element 310 may control the path of illumination light 115, measurement light 215, or both illumination light 115 and measurement light 215. The illumination light 115 and the measurement light 215 are incident on the light induction unit 300 as described above, and reach the light path control element 310. As shown in fig. 5, the light path control element 310 may directly transmit the illumination light 115 and irradiate the inspection object 50. The optical path control element may adjust the path of the measurement light so that the measurement light 215 is coaxial with the illumination light 115 and is irradiated to the inspection object 50. Further, the illumination light 115 'and the measurement light 215' reflected or scattered backward from the inspection object 50 are returned to the optical imaging unit 100 and the optical interference detection unit 200, respectively, and an optical image and optical interference data can be obtained.

As the light path control element 310, a semi-transmissive mirror such as a dichroic filter may be used. As described above, when the optical imaging unit 100 obtains a two-dimensional image of the inspection object 50 using the visible light illumination light and the optical interference detecting unit 200 obtains the optical interference data required for obtaining a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 50 using the measurement light as the near infrared light, the optical paths of the two light beams having different wavelengths can be individually controlled if the dichroic filter is used. Therefore, when the property of the illumination light 115 used by the optical imaging unit 100 is a region of invisible light, or when the optical image to be obtained by the optical imaging unit 100 changes, or when the property of the measurement light 215 used by the optical interference detection unit 200 to obtain the optical interference data changes, optical components suitable for this change may be used instead.

The light induction part 300 may include a magnification change part 320. The magnification changing unit 320 is a component for changing the magnification of the captured image. As the magnification changing unit 320, a plurality of fixed magnification objective lenses that can be changed from one lens to another are arranged, and by changing the lenses, an enlarged image of the inspection object 50 can be obtained. Alternatively, a single variable magnification objective lens with variable magnification may be used as the magnification changing unit 320. In fig. 5, the mode in which the objective lenses are arranged on the rotating plate is shown for the sake of example, but other equivalent configurations in which a plurality of lenses are arranged and can be changed from one to another may be used. Alternatively, a single variable power objective lens may be disposed at the lower end of the optical path control element 310. As described above, when the illumination light 115 and the measurement light 215 are irradiated with light having different optical axes, a plurality of sets of lenses of the magnification changing unit 320 may be arranged according to the irradiation.

When the magnification changing unit 320 changes the magnification, the position of the reference mirror 230 of the optical interference detecting unit 200 may need to be changed according to the characteristics of the lens, for example, the thickness and the focal length of the lens. Fig. 6 illustrates the principle of movement of the reference mirror 230 when multiple fixed-magnification objective lenses 322, 324, 326 are used. The optical interference data obtained by the optical interference detecting unit 200 can be obtained from interference due to a difference in optical path between the measurement light 215 and the reference light 225, and in this case, a path difference in the optical path is additionally generated depending on the thickness of the lens used by the magnification changing unit 320. That is, if the thicknesses L1, L2, and L3 of the lenses are different, the distance of the free space through which the measurement light 215 passes and the focal length of the lenses change WD1, WD2, and WD3, and thus the path difference that the measurement light 215 travels is additionally generated. Therefore, in order to sense the interference between the measurement light 215 and the reference light 225 by reflecting the path difference thus changed, the optical path taken by the reference light 225 is changed, and therefore, it is necessary to match the change of the optical path taken by the measurement light 215 in accordance with the change of the lens, and therefore, the positions P1, P2, and P3 of the reference mirror 230 can be changed.

The following describes a first optical path formed by the light induction unit 300 to induce the illumination light 115 from the optical imaging unit 100 and the measurement light 215 from the optical interference detection unit 200 to the inspection object 50. Fig. 7 shows a state in which the illumination light 115 from the optical imaging unit 100 is irradiated to the inspection object 50 through the first optical path 1115 via the light induction unit 300. Illumination light 115 required to obtain an optical image travels along first optical path 1115. That is, the illumination light 115 is first emitted from the illumination light source 110, enters the light induction portion 300 through the beam splitter 130, the illumination light 115 entering the light induction portion 300 passes through the light path control element 310 of the light induction portion 300, is then irradiated onto the inspection object 50 through the magnification changing portion 320, and the illumination light 115 irradiated onto the inspection object 50 is reflected from the inspection object 50 and directed to the optical imaging portion 100, thereby forming the first light path 1115.

On the other hand, first optical path 1115 of illumination light 115 as described above is merely an example, and those skilled in the art may adopt other schemes for illuminating illumination light 115. For example, the illumination light applied to the inspection object 50 from the illumination 170 at different positions may be applied through different light paths 1715. At this time, the illumination light traveling along the different light path 1715 may be directly irradiated to the inspection object 50 without passing through the light induction unit 300. Even in this case, the illumination light irradiated to the inspection object 50 through the different light path 1715 is reflected from the inspection object 50 and directed toward the optical imaging section 100 through the light induction section 300 along the same path as the first light path 1115.

The measurement light 215 from the optical interference detecting part 200 may be guided to the inspection object 50 by the light guiding part 300 along the second light path 1215. As described above, the light emitted from the interference light source 210 is split by the beam splitter 220, and the measurement light 215 transmitted through the beam splitter 220 enters the light path control element 310 of the light induction unit 300. The light path control element 310 changes the path of the measurement light 215 so that the measurement light 215 is directed toward the inspection object 50.

The first optical path 1115 for obtaining an optical image and the second optical path 1215 for obtaining optical interference data share a part of the section 1315 by the optical path control element 310 of the light induction section 300. That is, as shown in fig. 7, the optical path between the optical path control element 310 in the first optical path 1115 required to obtain an optical image and the inspection object 50 overlaps with the optical path between the optical path control element 310 in the second optical path 1215 required to obtain optical interference data and the inspection object 50. Alternatively, instead of the optical paths overlapping in this manner and irradiating coaxially, the light induction unit 300 may induce the illumination light 115 and the measurement light 215 to irradiate the inspection object 50 with light having different optical axes. The Field of view (FOV) of the optical imaging unit 100 is wide, and on the contrary, the Field of view of the optical interference detection unit 200 is narrower, so that when the optical interference detection unit 200 is to be used to perform measurement on various portions of the optical image obtained by the optical imaging unit 100 with respect to the inspection object 50, it is necessary to perform irradiation with different optical axes as described above. In particular, the light inducing section 300 may induce the measurement light 215 so that light interference data is obtained for the region selected by the user by means of the region selecting section 40.

< guiding light beam irradiation part >

As shown in fig. 8, a guided light beam irradiation unit 400 may be additionally provided in the biological tissue examination apparatus 10. The guided light beam irradiation unit 400 may be disposed together with the optical imaging unit 100 or the optical interference detection unit 200, or may be disposed at another position of the detection unit 20. For convenience of description, the following description will be made with reference to a case where the guided light beam irradiation portion 400 is disposed together with the optical interference detection portion 200.

The guided beam irradiation section 400 may include a guided beam light source 410 and a beam splitter 420 that irradiate a guided beam 415 coaxially with the measurement light 215 of the optical interference detection section 200. The guide beam irradiation unit 400 irradiates the guide beam 415, thereby assisting the user in grasping for which region the optical interference data is obtained. That is, since the measurement light 215 used to obtain the optical interference data is a laser beam in the infrared or near-infrared region, it is visually impossible to grasp which part of the inspection object 50 the optical interference data has been obtained. Therefore, the guided light beam 415 corresponding to the visible light region is irradiated to the inspection object 50 coaxially with the measurement light, so that the user can grasp where the region where the optical interference data is currently obtained with respect to the inspection object 50. A configuration such as a beam splitter 420 for irradiating the guided light beam 415 coaxially with the measurement light 215 may be added to the inspection apparatus. For example, it can be shown that the specific region of the inspection object 50 selected by the user through the region selection unit 40 is irradiated with the guide beam 415, and the light interference data on the region selected by the user is obtained. The guided light beam 415 may not be illuminated coaxially with the measurement light 215, if desired.

< distance measuring section >

The distance measuring unit 500 may be disposed at one end of the probe unit 20, specifically, at the end of the light induction unit 300, more specifically, together with the magnification varying unit 320. The distance measuring unit 500 may measure the distance between the surfaces of the inspection objects 50 from the magnification changing unit 320. The distance measuring unit 500 may use infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, laser light, or the like, for measuring the distance. The distance measured by the distance measuring unit 500 can be used to solve the problem that the z-axis direction cannot be accurately measured when the optical interference detecting unit 200 obtains the optical interference data of the inspection object 50. The details will be described later.

< area selection section and transmission section >

As described above, the biological tissue examination apparatus according to the present invention can obtain the optical interference data with respect to the region desired by the user with respect to the optical image of the examination object 50 obtained by the optical imaging unit 100. For this reason, the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention may additionally include a region selection unit 40. The region selection part 40 may include: a display unit 42 for displaying an optical image obtained by the optical imaging unit 100; an input portion 44 for receiving user input to select a specific region in the optical image displayed on the display portion 42. The display unit 42 and the input unit 44 may be specifically configured by a conventional technique.

The biological tissue examination apparatus 10 of the present invention may further include a transmission section 70 in addition thereto. The present invention has been developed to quickly perform a biological tissue examination during an operation, but in some cases, in order to improve the accuracy of the examination, it is necessary to perform an examination on the same tissue in real time in a clinical department of a hospital. In order to perform such examination, the biological tissue examination apparatus 10 may transmit and receive the optical image and the optical interference data obtained by the transmission unit 70 or the three-dimensional image data generated therefrom, and further the data related to the patient in real time during the operation.

< tissue examination method >

Referring to fig. 9, the tissue examination method of the present invention will be described.

An inspection object 50 as a sample collected from a human tissue may be located in the platform part 30. The optical imaging unit 100 can obtain an optical image of the inspection object 50. The optical interference detector 200 can obtain optical interference data for a region of the inspection object 50 corresponding to all or a part of the optical image. The field of view of the optical imaging unit 100 and the optical interference detection unit 200 is limited, and a problem occurs in that accurate optical interference data cannot be obtained due to a staggered layer on the surface of the inspection object 50, and in order to solve this problem, the stage unit 30 may be moved in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions. Wherein the z-axis represents an axis corresponding to the height direction of the inspection object 50.

For example, as shown in fig. 9, the inspection object 50 is positioned on the stage 30, and the stage 30 may be moved in the x and y directions dx and dy so that the region 54 in which the three-dimensional image of the inspection object 50 is to be obtained is moved within the field of view 52 of the optical interference detecting unit 200. The movement in the x and y directions as described above can be realized based on the optical image obtained by the optical imaging unit 100 or the interference signal obtained by the optical interference detection unit 200. For example, when an examination is to be performed on a specific region selected by a user in an optical image by a three-dimensional image, the stage 30 may be moved in the x-axis and y-axis directions so that a region corresponding to the selected region in the examination object 50 is included in the field of view 52 of the optical interference detecting unit 200. On the other hand, the platform unit 30 does not move, and the probe unit 20 moves instead, so that the region of the inspection object 50 included in the field of view 52 can be changed similarly.

On the other hand, when the surface of the inspection object 50 has a large number of staggered layers, the optical interference data obtained to generate the three-dimensional image of the inspection object 50 is distorted. The depth to which the measurement light 215 can penetrate from the surface of the inspection object 50 is on the order of several mm from the surface due to factors such as the frequency of the measurement light 215, and the characteristics of the lens of the optical system. If the section of several mm is defined as the "z-axis direction measurement range" of the optical interference detector 200, the dislocation layer existing on the surface of the inspection object 50 exceeds the z-axis direction measurement range of the optical interference detector 200. In other words, the inspection object 50 has a staggered layer on the surface, and the staggered layer on the surface of the higher height region and the lower height region is larger than the z-axis direction measurement range. At this time, when compared with light interference data obtained from reflected light of the measurement light 215 reflected from a high-height region on the surface of the inspection object 50 or backscattered light of the measurement light 215 which is deep below the surface of the high-height region and backscattered, light interference data obtained from the reflected light of the measurement light 215 reflected from a low-height region and backscattered light of the measurement light 215 deep below the surface of the low-height region appears in a distorted form. Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of such distorted data, or to remove the distorted data and obtain accurate data, it is necessary to move the position of the inspection object 50 in the z-axis direction.

In connection with this, if referring to fig. 10, in the case where the inspection object 50 to be measured has a surface dislocation layer and the surface of the region 55 to be measured exceeds the z-axis direction measurement range 53, the stage part 30 or the probe part 20 may be moved in the z-axis direction for the measurement of the corresponding region. As one method, after all the optical interference data is obtained for the inspection object 50, the optical interference data is obtained again for the region where the optical interference data is determined to be distorted due to the surface dislocation. That is, there is a method in which the stage section 30 or the probe section 20 is moved in the z-axis direction so that the surface of the region determined as the distortion of the optical interference data is included in the z-axis direction measurement range 53, and then the acquisition of the optical interference data is performed again. As another method, when obtaining the optical interference data with respect to the inspection object 50, the platform part 30 or the probe part 20 is moved in real time in the z-axis direction while measuring the height on the surface of the inspection object 50, so that the surface of the inspection object 50 is always included in the z-axis direction measurement range 53.

On the other hand, when the stage unit 30 or the probe unit 20 moves in the z-axis direction, the movement width thereof can be automatically realized based on the distance between the lens of the magnification varying unit 320 and the inspection object 50 measured by the distance measuring unit 500. Alternatively, the platform part 30 or the probe part 20 may include an operation part operable by a user, and the platform part 30 or the probe part 20 may be movable in the z-axis direction as the user operates the operation part. This configuration may be used for other purposes than to include the surface of the inspection object 50 in the z-axis direction measurement range described above. For example, when the optical imaging unit 100 is configured to obtain a two-dimensional image of the inspection object 50, the user may move the stage unit 30 or the probe unit 20 by operating the operation unit to focus the image while observing the two-dimensional image.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention has a configuration in which the optical imaging unit 100 is located at the upper end of the stage unit 30 in the vertical direction, and the optical interference detection unit 200 is disposed on the side surface of the light induction unit 300. In this configuration, the path of the measurement light 215 from the optical interference detecting unit 200 is changed by the light path control element 310 of the light induction unit 300. However, this configuration is merely an example, and those skilled in the art can configure the present invention so that the same function as the inspection apparatus is performed even if the configurations of the optical pickup unit 100, the optical interference detection unit 200, and the light induction unit 300 are different from those of the above-described embodiment. For example, the light interference detecting unit 200 may be disposed vertically above the light induction unit 300, and the optical imaging unit 100 may be disposed laterally. Alternatively, the optical pickup unit 100 and the optical interference detection unit 200 may be all located at the upper end of the light induction unit 300. In this case, the light path control element 310 may be configured with a single beam splitter, dichroic filter, a plurality of beam splitters, dichroic filters, or a combination thereof, and may guide the illumination light and the measurement light toward the inspection object 50, thereby performing the same function as the inspection device as in the previous embodiment.

The optical image and the three-dimensional image generated by processing the optical interference data can be displayed on the display unit 60. The user can plan or perform the subsequent surgical procedure by examining and judging what tissue and what state the target region corresponds to from the image displayed on the display unit.

Fig. 11 illustrates a sequence of an inspection method using the biological tissue inspection apparatus of the present invention. The biological tissue inspection method of the present invention includes a step (S100) of obtaining an optical image by means of the optical imaging unit 100 and a step (S200) of obtaining optical interference data by means of the optical interference detection unit 200. In addition, after obtaining the optical image, before obtaining the optical interference data, a step (S150) of the user selecting a region where the optical interference data is to be obtained may be performed. As described above with respect to the biological tissue examination apparatus 10, the steps of changing the positions of the probe unit 20 or the stage unit 30 in the x, y, and z axes (S220, S240) may be further included before the step of obtaining the optical image and the optical interference signal so that the region to be measured of the examination object 50 is included in the fields of view of the optical imaging unit 100 and the optical interference detecting unit 200, and particularly, the step of changing the position in the z axis may be performed using the information of the distance between the probe unit 20 and the examination object 50 which is measured independently by the distance measuring unit 500 (S242).

On the other hand, a step (S120) of changing the magnification for obtaining an image may be added before obtaining an optical image. Alternatively, although not shown in the figure, the magnification may be changed before obtaining the optical interference data after obtaining the optical image so that the magnification when obtaining the optical image and the magnification when generating the optical interference data are different from each other. At this time, as described above, when the acquired and measured images are displayed on the display unit 42, the images are displayed at the same magnification by performing a mark representing a difference in magnification or by processing images having different magnifications. The light path control element 310 of the light induction unit 300 can separate the illumination light 115 reflected from the inspection object 50, the measurement light 215, and the guide light beam 415. In the process of separating the guided light beam 415 belonging to the visible ray region, a part of the wavelength of the measurement light 215 including the visible ray region is also removed. Therefore, in the step of measuring the two-dimensional image, color correction may be additionally performed on the optical image in order to restore a part of the wavelengths thus removed (S140).

The examination method of biological tissue of the present invention may be stored in a mechanical or computer-readable storage medium and executed as a program command. The program command may include a program command for embodying operations of the optical pickup unit, the optical interference detection unit, the detection unit, and the stage unit. The program may be executed by a computer or a processing device included in the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention, and on the other hand, may be executed by a remote server or a computer capable of communicating with the biological tissue examination apparatus of the present invention. The biological tissue examination method according to the present invention may be executed by a remote server or a computer, and the remote server or the computer may transmit a command to the biological tissue examination apparatus, transmit the result of the execution of the method by the biological tissue examination apparatus according to the command to the remote server or the computer, and the remote server or the computer may analyze the result again and transmit an additional command.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.