Endoscope system and method for operating endoscope system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9801531-B2
Application number	US-201314086330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2013
Priority date	May 27, 2011
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

An endoscope system includes an image acquisition section, an attention area setting section, and a dimming control section. The image acquisition section acquires a captured image that includes an object image. The attention area setting section sets an attention area within the captured image based on information from the endoscope system. The dimming control section performs a dimming control process that controls the intensity of illumination light based on the attention area set by the attention area setting section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An endoscope system comprising:
an image acquisition section that acquires a captured image that includes an object image, the object image being obtained by applying illumination light emitted from a light source section to an object; and
a control device which comprises a processor and which includes a control section and an image processing section;
wherein:
the image processing section performs an attention area setting process that sets an attention area within the captured image based on information from the endoscope system;
the control section performs a dimming control process that controls an intensity of the illumination light based on the attention area set by the attention area setting process;
the captured image is an in vivo image;
the image processing section performs a contact state information acquisition process that acquires contact state information about a contact state between an end of a scope and tissue based on the captured image;
the contact state information acquisition process detects a specific color area of the captured image that has a color within a specific color range, and determines a contact area based on the specific color area, the contact area being an area in which an optical system provided to the end of the scope comes in contact with the tissue;
the specific color range is a color range of a portion of the captured image corresponding to the contact area; and
the attention area setting process sets, based on the contact state information, an area other than the contact area to be the attention area.

2. The endoscope system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the attention area setting process sets the attention area using the captured image as the information from the endoscope system.

3. The endoscope system as defined in claim 2 , wherein the attention area setting process calculates a feature quantity based on the captured image, and sets the attention area based on an area having a given feature quantity.

4. The endoscope system as defined in claim 3 , wherein:
the captured image comprises a special light image in which the object image having information within a specific wavelength band is captured, and a normal light image in which the object image having information within a wavelength band of white light is captured, and
the attention area setting process sets the attention area based on the special light image.

5. The endoscope system as defined in claim 4 , wherein the control section performs the dimming control process on the normal light image based on the attention area set by the attention area setting process.

6. The endoscope system as defined in claim 4 , wherein the specific wavelength band is narrower than the wavelength band of the white light.

7. The endoscope system as defined in claim 6 , wherein:
the normal light image and the special light image are in vivo images, and
the specific wavelength band included in the in vivo images is a wavelength band of light absorbed by hemoglobin in blood.

8. The endoscope system as defined in claim 4 , wherein:
the normal light image and the special light image are in vivo images, and
the specific wavelength band included in the in vivo images is a wavelength band of fluorescence emitted from a fluorescent substance.

9. The endoscope system as defined in claim 4 , wherein:
the normal light image and the special light image are in vivo images, and
the specific wavelength band included in the in vivo images is a wavelength band of infrared light.

10. The endoscope system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the contact state information acquisition process converts an image of the specific color area into spatial frequency components, and sets the specific color area to be the contact area when a highest frequency of the spatial frequency components at which an amplitude value is equal to or larger than a given value is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value, or when a sum of amplitude values of the spatial frequency components is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value.

11. The endoscope system as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
the contact state information acquisition process sets a circle that encloses the specific color area, and sets an area enclosed by the circle to be the contact area, and
the control section performs the dimming control process on an area outside the circle.

12. The endoscope system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the contact state information indicates a position and a size of the contact area.

13. The endoscope system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the control device further includes:
a state information acquisition section that acquires state information about the endoscope system,
wherein the attention area setting process sets the attention area using the state information as the information from the endoscope system.

14. The endoscope system as defined in claim 13 , wherein:
the state information acquisition section acquires distance information based on an intensity of emitted light from the light source section, the distance information indicating a distance between the object and an end of the scope, and
the attention area setting process sets the attention area using the distance information as the state information.

15. The endoscope system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the attention area setting process sets the attention area when it has been determined that the distance is smaller than a threshold value.

16. The endoscope system as defined in claim 14 , wherein:
the control section performs a mode setting process that sets a photometric mode to one of a first photometric mode and a second photometric mode,
the control section controls the intensity of emitted light by controlling an aperture area of an aperture of the light source section,
the distance information is the aperture area controlled by the control section,
the attention area setting process sets an area of the captured image that corresponds to a front field of view to be the attention area when it has been determined that the aperture area is smaller than a threshold value in the first photometric mode, and sets an area of the captured image that corresponds to a side field of view to be the attention area when it has been determined that the aperture area is smaller than the threshold value in the second photometric mode, and
the control section controls the aperture area based on a brightness of the attention area set by the attention area setting process.

17. The endoscope system as defined in claim 13 , wherein:
the scope is removably attached to the endoscope system,
the state information acquisition section acquires identification information that indicates the attached scope as the state information, and
the attention area setting process sets the attention area based on the acquired identification information.

18. The endoscope system as defined in claim 17 , wherein:
the optical system comprises an objective optical system that forms an image of a front field of view and a side field of view, and
the attention area setting process sets an area of the captured image that corresponds to the side field of view to be the attention area when the identification information indicates a lower gastrointestinal scope.

19. The endoscope system as defined in claim 17 , wherein:
the optical system comprises an objective optical system that forms an image of a front field of view and a side field of view, and
the attention area setting process sets

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Morita Yasunori
• On Seigo
• Takahashi Jumpei
• Kuriyama Naoya
• Higuchi Keiji

Classifications

• A61B1/00177

  for 90 degrees side-viewing · CPC title

• A61B1/00181

  for multiple fixed viewing angles (A61B1/00193 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B1/0646

  with illumination filters · CPC title

• A61B1/273

  for the upper alimentary canal, e.g. oesophagoscopes, gastroscopes · CPC title

• A61B1/2736

  Gastroscopes · CPC title