Multipurpose imaging and display system

Abstract

A multi-purpose imaging and display system includes a display; a detector coupled to the display and having a field of view; and a filter communicating with the detector. The field of view is imaged by the detector through the filter, the filter configured to be sensitive to a first frequency spectrum, so the detector displays only objects within the field of view on the detector that emit one or more frequencies within the first frequency spectrum. The detector and filter can work together in different operational states or modes for acquiring image data of a target object under investigation. A computing device can be included to process acquired image data, and communication interfaces can be employed to achieve networking of multiple systems. A peripheral interface allows a plurality of peripheral devices to be selectively added to tailor the data acquisition and display capabilities of the imaging and display system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for capturing images of a target of interest associated with a patient and displaying the captured images to a user that is engaging the target of interest associated with the patient, comprising:
 a wearable display that is worn on a head of the user as the user engages the target of interest associated with the patient and is configured to display a portion field of view to the user as the user engages the target of interest associated with the patient via the wearable display, wherein the portion field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display is less than a total field of view of the user;   a detector that is coupled to the wearable display and is configured to capture an imaging field of view of the target of interest associated with the patient; and   a computing device configured to:
 select a portion field of view level from a plurality of portion field of view levels that image data is to be filtered from the imaging field of view of the target of interest associated with the patient that is within the selected field of view level, 
 filter image data from the imaging field of view of the target of interest associated with the patient that is included in the selected portion field of view level, 
 adjust the imaging field of view of the target of interest associated with the patient as captured by the detector to the selected portion field of view level of the target of interest associated with the patient thereby adjusting the image data that is filtered from the imaging field of view of the target of interest associated with the patient to that is within the selected portion field of view level as displayed to the user by the wearable display based on the filtered image data as included in the selected portion field of view level, and 
 instruct the wearable display to display to the user the selected portion field of view level based on the filtered image data, wherein the selected portion field of view level that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display is less than the total field of view of the user. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 filter image data from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within a zoom level associated with a zoom field of view, wherein the zoom level indicates the image data that is to be filtered from the imaging field of view to generate the zoom field of view that encompasses image data that is within the zoom level;   adjust the imaging field of view of the target of interest as captured by the detector to the zoom level field of view of the target of interest based on the filtered image data that is within the zoom level; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the zoom level field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display, wherein the zoom level field of view is less than the imaging field of view of the detector.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 select a zoom level from a plurality of zoom levels that image data is to be filtered from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within the selected zoom level; and   adjust the zoom level to the selected zoom level thereby adjusting the image data that is filtered from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within the selected zoom level.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 filter image data from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within a resolution associated with a resolution field of view, wherein the resolution indicates the image data is to be filtered from the imaging field of view to generate the resolution field of view that encompasses image data that is within the resolution;   adjust the imaging field of view of the target of interest as captured by the detector to the resolution field of view of the target of interest based on the filtered image data that is within the resolution; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the resolution field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display, wherein the resolution field of view is less than the imaging field of view of the detector.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 select a resolution from a plurality of resolutions that image data is to be filtered from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within the selected resolution; and   adjust the resolution to the selected resolutions, thereby adjusting the image data that is filtered from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within the selected resolution.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 filter image data from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within a working distance associated with a working distance field of view, wherein the working distance indicates the image data that is to be filtered from the imaging field of view to generate the working distance field of view that encompasses image data that is within the working distance;   adjust the imaging field of view of the target of interest as captured by the detector to the working distance field of view of the target of interest based on the filtered image data that is within the working distance; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the working distance field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display, wherein the working distance field of view is less than the imaging field of view of the detector.   
     
     
         7 . A system for capturing images of a target of interest and displaying the captured images to a user that is engaging the target of interest, comprising:
 a wearable display that is worn on a head of the user as the user engages the target of interest and is configured to display to the user an image of the target of interest as the user engages the target of interest;   a detector that is coupled to the wearable display is configured to capture a field of view of the target of interest;   a light source that includes a plurality of individual light sources with each individual light source spaced a part from each other individual light source and is configured to project light onto the target of interest and prevent a shadow cast by an intervening object onto the target of interest due to the spacing of the individual light sources; and   a computing device configured to instruct the wearable display to display to the user the image of the target of the interest as captured in the field of view of the detector, wherein the shadow cast by the intervening object onto the target of interest is eliminated from the image displayed to the user.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each individual light source is further configured to:
 project light onto the target of interest based on the spacing of each individual light source relative to each other individual light source; and   negating by each individual light source that projects light onto the target of interest that is not obstructed by the intervening object the shadow cast by the intervening object obstructing light projected by each other light source that projects light onto the target of interest that is obstructed by the intervening object.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as the plurality of light sources with each LED spaced apart from each other individual light source and is configured to emit white light; and   a spectral filter that is positioned so that the white light emitted by the LEDs is propagated through the spectral filter and is configured to block a wavelength of an emission spectra that the image is to be displayed to the user to prevent the white light emitted by the LEDs from interfering with an observance of the emitted wavelength by the user as the image is displayed to the user.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the detector is further configured to:
 capture a first image in the field of view of the target of interest that is generated from an illumination of the target of interest by the white light emitted by the LEDs and a second image in the field of view of the target of interest that is generated by fluorescence illumination of the target of interest.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 prevent a first frequency range associated with the first image captured by the detector that is generated from the illumination of the target of interest by the white light emitted by the LEDs from overlapping with a second frequency range associated with the second image captured by the detector that is generated from the fluorescence illumination of the target of interest; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the first image captured by the detector that is generated by white light emitted by the LEDs and the second image captured by the detector that is generated by the fluorescence illumination simultaneously, wherein the shadow cast by the intervening object onto the target of interest is eliminated from the image displayed to the user.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a plurality of notch filters with each notch filter aligned with each LED and configured to reject frequencies of the second frequency range associated with the second image captured by the detector that is generated from the fluorescence illumination of the target of interest that overlap with frequencies of the first frequency range associated with the first image captured by the detector that is generated from the illumination of the target of interest by the white light emitted by the LEDs.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 overlay the first image captured by the detector that is generated from the illumination of the target of interest by the white light emitted by the LEDs with the second image captured by the detector that is generated by the fluorescence illumination; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the first image captured by the detector that is generated from the illumination of the target of interest by the while light emitted by the LEDs that is overlaid with the second image captured by the detector that is generated by the fluorescence illumination.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the detector is further configured to:
 capture the first image that is generated from the illumination of the target of interest by the white light emitted by the LEDs with a first sensor element; and   capture the second image that is generated by the fluorescence illumination with a second sensor element.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 filter image data from an imaging field of view of the target of interest that is included in the portion field of view;   adjust the imaging field of view of the target of interest as captured by the detector to the portion field of view of the target of interest as displayed to the user by the wearable display based on the filtered image data as included in the portion field of view; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the portion field of view of the user based on the filtered image data, wherein the portion field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display is less than the total field of view of the user.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each individual light source is further configured to pulse the projected light to illuminate the target of interest. 
     
     
         17 . A system for capturing images of a target of interest and displaying the captured images to a user that is engaging the target of interest, comprising:
 a wearable display that is worn on a head of the user as the user engages the target of interest and is configured to display a portion field of view to the user as the user engages the target of interest via the wearable display, wherein the portion field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display is less than a total field of view of the user;   a detector that is coupled to the wearable display is configured to capture an imaging field of view of the target of interest that is within a first frequency spectrum;   a filter configured to filter image data that is generated from the imaging field of view of the target of interest as captured by the detector to image data that is within the first frequency spectrum; and   a computing device configured to:
 filter image data from the imaging field of view of the target of interest that is included in the portion field of view and within the first frequency spectrum, 
 adjust the imaging field of view of the target of interest as captured by the detector to the portion field of view of the target of interest as displayed to the user by the wearable display based on the filtered image data as included in the portion field of view and in the first frequency spectrum, and 
 instruct the wearable display to display to the user the portion field of view of the user based on the filtered image data and in the first frequency spectrum, wherein the portion field of view that is thereby displayed to the user by the wearable display is less than the total field of view of the user. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a peripheral interface that is configured to receive peripheral image data from a peripheral device that is capturing peripheral image data independent from the image data that is captured by the detector.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 integrate the peripheral image data captured by the peripheral device with the filtered image data that is within the first frequency spectrum; and   instruct the wearable display to display to the user the portion field of view of the user integrated with the peripheral image data captured by the peripheral device to display to the user the portion field of view and the peripheral image data simultaneously.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the first frequency spectrum is a near infrared frequency.