Image capture and video processing systems and methods for multiple viewing element endoscopes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11082598-B2
Application number	US-201916525143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2019
Priority date	Jan 22, 2014
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A multiple sensor endoscope system and a video processing method, wherein the system includes an endoscope having a plurality of daisy chained image sensors and a central control unit, is described. At least one daisy-chained image sensor includes a sensor array for capturing images and generating video packets from the captured images, a video compression unit configured to compress the video packets, a self-packet buffer configured to store the video packets, a serial-to-parallel de-serializer input unit configured to convert serialized input video packets to parallel data, a chain packet buffer configured to store the video packets received from previous-in-chain image sensors, an arbitration unit configured to interleave the stored video packets, and a serial output unit configured to output serially the interleaved video packets. The central control unit is configured to de-interleave the video packets and regenerate separated images as captured by the plurality of daisy chain image sensors.

First claim

I claim:

1. An endoscope system comprising:
a first illuminator and a second illuminator connected in parallel to a power supply;
at least one camera sensor configured to capture images;
a control circuit configured to generate encoded control signals, wherein the encoded control signals include specific encoded control signals for each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator and/or common encoded control signals for both of the first illuminator and the second illuminator;
a first illuminator control circuit associated with the first illuminator, wherein the first illuminator control circuit is configured to decode the encoded control signals and send first decoded control signals to the first illuminator;
a second illuminator control circuit associated with the second illuminator, wherein the second illuminator control circuit is configured to decode the encoded control signals and send second decoded control signals to the second illuminator; and
a remote sense line connected to the first illuminator and the second illuminator, wherein the remote sense line is separate from the power supply line and is configured to convey a signal used to measure an actual voltage applied on each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator;
wherein each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator is configured to illuminate a plurality of fields of view of the at least one camera sensor according to the first and second decoded control signals, respectively; and
wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically adjust the encoded control signals according to image processing of at least one image captured by the at least one camera sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator is configured to independently vary its illumination intensity relative to the other of the first illuminator and the second illuminator; and wherein the control circuit is configured to independently vary each of the illumination intensity of the first illuminator and the illumination intensity of the second illuminator based on the image processing of the at least one image captured by the at least one camera sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to vary an illumination intensity of each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator automatically using an image processing software program code or hardware circuit.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit encoded control signals and power to each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit via a single power line.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol encoded instructions over a single power line.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit is configured to use the universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol to decode the encoded control signals communicated in parallel to each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol is a 9,600 bits per second protocol and includes a start bit, one even parity bit, and one stop bit added to each transmitted byte.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the encoded control signals include instructions for each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator, and wherein the instructions include a first illuminator identification number associated with the first illuminator and a second illuminator identification number associated with the second illuminator.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator includes at least one light-emitting diode (LED) with a wavelength range different from the at least one light-emitting diode in the other of the first illuminator and the second illuminator.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) pin count of two.

11. An endoscope system comprising:
a first illuminator at a distal end of an endoscope and connected in parallel to a single power supply line;
a second illuminator at the distal end of the endoscope and connected in parallel to the single power supply line;
a control circuit configured to generate encoded control signals, wherein the encoded control signals include specific encoded control signals for each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator and common encoded control signals for both of the first illuminator and the second illuminator, wherein the encoded control signals include illuminator identification numbers;
a first illuminator control circuit associated with the first illuminator and configured to decode the encoded control signals and send first decoded control signals to the first illuminator;
a second illuminator control circuit associated with the second illuminator and configured to decode the encoded control signals and send second decoded control signals to the second illuminator; and
a remote sense line connected to the first illuminator and the second illuminator, wherein the remote sense line is separate from the power supply line and is configured to convey a signal used to measure an actual voltage applied on each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator;
wherein the first illuminator and the second illuminator are configured to illuminate a field of view of at least one camera sensor according to the first decoded control signals and the second decoded control signals, respectively; and
wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically adjust the encoded control signals according to image processing of at least one image captured by the at least one camera sensor.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator is configured to independently vary its illumination intensity relative to the other of the first illuminator and the second illuminator.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit encoded control signals and power to each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit via a single power line.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol encoded instructions over a single power line.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit is configured to use the universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol to decode the encoded control signals communicated in parallel to each of the first illuminator control circuit and the second illuminator control circuit.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) protocol is a 9,600 bits per second protocol and includes a start bit, one even parity bit, and one stop bit added to each transmitted byte.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of the first illuminator and the second illuminator includes at least one light-emitting diode (LED) with a wavelength range different from the other at least one light-emitting diode in the other of the first illuminator and the second illuminator.

Assignees

• Endochoice Inc

Inventors

• Sidar Itay

Classifications

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• H04N23/45

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• A61B1/045 Primary

  Control thereof · CPC title

• A61B1/00009

  of image signals during a use of endoscope · CPC title