Auto zoom for video camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9687140-B2
Application number	US-201514744102-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2015
Priority date	Oct 11, 2012
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

An endoscope, endoscopic system and method for filling a medical display with a medical image involving sizing the medical image so that it covers at least one of the dimensions of the medical display. Automatically sizing the medical image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the surgical display, the sizing of the image involving adjusting the image size to account for changing zoom factors, endoscopes and imaging conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for filling a medical display with a medical image, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a medical display, the medical display having dimensions for displaying an image;
receiving the medical image from an imager; and
sizing the medical image via software executing on the medical display, the step of sizing involving:
determining pixels of the medical display that do not have the medical image,
determining a demarcation point between the image and the pixels that do not have the medical image, and
optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the medical display to fit the dimensions of the display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the medical display to fit the dimensions of the display.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a user can select a region of interest in the medical display.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sizing the medical image is automatic.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing image navigation software, the image navigation software executing on the medical display to perform the steps of receiving and sizing the medical image.

5. A method for sizing an endoscopic image to fit a display comprising:
providing an endoscope, the endoscope associated with an imager;
capturing an image with the imager;
providing a display, the display being in communication with the imager;
conveying the image from the imager to the display; and
sizing the image, the step of sizing involving:
determining pixels of the medical display that do not have the image,
determining a demarcation point between the image and the pixels that do not have the image, and
optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the display to fit the dimensions of the display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the display to fit the dimensions of the display.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the sizing of the image is automatic.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the imager includes zoom factors and wherein the sizing of the image adjusts the zoom factors of the imager.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the endoscopic imager is a solid state imager.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method is performed on an endoscopic video system, CCU, proximal camera, distal imager on a rigid endoscope, distal imager on a flexible endoscope, videoscope, and endoscope with an embedded imager.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the sending the image from the imager to the display involves sending an electronic signal.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein the sizing of the image to fit the dimensions of the display involves software executing on the display.

12. The method of claim 5 , further comprising processing the image prior to sizing the image.

13. The method of claim 5 , further comprising resizing the image to adjust for changing zoom factors, endoscopes and imaging conditions.

14. An endoscopic surgical system comprising:
an endoscope, the endoscope comprising:
a housing having an imaging module,
an objective lens disposed in the imaging module,
an imager disposed in the imaging module,
a light source, and
a camera control unit in communication with the imaging module, the camera control unit including image navigation software in communication with the imager;

a display; and
software executing on the display for automatically sizing an endoscope image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the display, the step of sizing the endoscope image involving:
determining pixels of the medical display that do not have the endoscope image,
determining a demarcation point between the endoscope image and the pixels that do not have the endoscope image, and
optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the display to fit the dimensions of the display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the display to fit the dimensions of the display.

15. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the imager is disposed in the distal end of the housing.

16. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the imager captures a field of view.

17. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the objective lens is a wide-angle lens.

18. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the software for sizing an endoscope image involves sizing the image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the display.

19. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the software for sizing an endoscope image adjusts for changing zoom factors, endoscopes and imaging conditions.

20. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the software for sizing the image adjusts for imaging conditions.

21. A method for sizing an endoscopic image to fit a surgical display comprising:
providing an imager;
capturing an image with said imager;
conveying the image from the imager to a surgical display in communication with the imager;
automatically sizing the captured image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the surgical display, the sizing of the image involving
determining pixels of the surgical display that do not have the image,
determining a demarcation point between the image and the pixels that do not have the medical image, and
optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the surgical display to fit the dimensions of the surgical display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the surgical display to fit the dimensions of the surgical display,
adjusting the image size to account for changing zoom factors, endoscope and imaging conditions,

wherein the captured image is vertically optimized, horizontally optimized or corner-to-corner optimized in the surgical display.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the automatic sizing the captured image adjusts for magnification factors used to capture the captured image.

Assignees

• Amling Marc R
• Storz Karl Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Amling Marc R

Classifications

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/555

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

• A61B1/00045 Primary

  Display arrangement · CPC title

• A61B1/000095

  for image enhancement · CPC title

• A61B1/005

  Flexible endoscopes · CPC title