Method and apparatus for wide-band imaging based on narrow-band image data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10021356-B2
Application number	US-201615068122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2016
Priority date	Sep 21, 2009
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

In one embodiment, an imaging method may include receiving an intensity value of a first spectral channel associated with a pixel location. The intensity value of the first spectral channel may be based on electromagnetic radiation reflected from an object after being emitted from a narrow-band electromagnetic radiation source. The method may further include defining an intensity value of a second spectral channel based on the intensity value of the first spectral channel. The second spectral channel may be associated with a spectral region of electromagnetic radiation different from a spectral region of electromagnetic radiation associated with the first spectral channel. The method may also include associating the intensity value of the second spectral channel with the pixel location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging system, comprising:
an electromagnetic radiation source configured to emit a first electromagnetic radiation emission;
a detector configured to receive a reflection of the first electromagnetic radiation emission from an object, the reflection of the first electromagnetic radiation emission from the object having a first set of characteristics; and
a processor operatively coupled to the detector and configured to determine one or more of a second set of characteristics, associated with a reflection of a second electromagnetic radiation emission from the object, based at least in part on the first set of characteristics, wherein the reflection of the first electromagnetic radiation emission covers a narrower band of an electromagnetic radiation spectrum than a band of the electromagnetic spectrum covered by the reflection of the second electromagnetic radiation emission, and wherein the processor determines one or more of the second set of characteristics in the absence of receipt of the reflection of the second electromagnetic radiation emission by the detector.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is a light source, and the light source is the sole light source of the imaging system.

3. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first electromagnetic radiation emission is a light emission, and the light emission is the sole light emission of the imaging system.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 , further including an endoscope, wherein at least the electromagnetic radiation source and the detector are mounted on the endoscope.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first electromagnetic radiation emission is an emission of light of a first color, and the second electromagnetic radiation emission includes an emission of light of a second color different from the first color.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the detector includes a plurality of pixel sensors, and at least one pixel sensor of the plurality of pixel sensors is configured to generate a signal upon receiving the reflection of the first electromagnetic radiation emission, the signal being received by the processor.

7. An imaging system, comprising:
a light source for emitting a first type of light;
a detector for receiving a reflection of the first type of light off of an object, and sending a signal indicative of a characteristic of the reflection of the first type of light off of the object; and
a processor, operatively coupled to the detector, configured to determine a signal indicative of a characteristic of a reflection of a second type of light off of the object, based at least in part on the signal indicative of the characteristic of the reflection of the first type of light, wherein the reflection of the first type of light is from a narrower band of an electromagnetic radiation spectrum than a band of the electromagnetic spectrum covered by the second type of light, and wherein the processor determines the signal indicative of the characteristic of the reflection of the second type of light in the absence of receipt of the reflection of the second type of light by the detector.

8. The imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the light source is the only light source in the imaging system.

9. The imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the first type of light is the only type of light emitted by the imaging system.

10. The imaging system of claim 7 , further including an endoscope, wherein at least the light source and the detector are mounted on the endoscope.

11. The imaging system of claim 7 , further including a display, operatively coupled to the detector, for displaying an image based at least in part on the signal indicative of the characteristic of the second type of light.

12. The imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the first type of light is light of a first color, and the second type of light includes light of a second color different from the first color.

Assignees

• Boston Scient Scimed Inc

Inventors

• He Zhihua
• Mccaffrey Nathaniel
• Sproul Jason

Classifications

• H04N25/11

  Arrangement of colour filter arrays [CFA]; Filter mosaics · CPC title

• G01J2003/2826

  Multispectral imaging, e.g. filter imaging · CPC title

• H04N5/30

  Transforming light or analogous information into electric information (scanning details H04N3/00; cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00; circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS] or control thereof H04N25/00) · CPC title

• G01J3/28

  Investigating the spectrum (using colour filters G01J3/51) · CPC title

• H04N2209/045

  using mosaic colour filter · CPC title