Systems and methods for medical imaging

Abstract

The disclosed technology relates to high resolution imagery for a medical environment. Various embodiments provide for a surgical camera, such as an endoscopic camera, comprising an array of image sensors. The array of image sensors may be configured to capture static images or video, may be configured to capture imagery of biological tissue (e.g., surfaces), and may be specifically configured to capture imagery within a surgical environment. For some embodiments, the array of image sensors multiplies the number of available pixels by the number of image sensors, thereby facilitating high resolution image data (e.g., one or more static images or video). The collected image data may be processed at or near real-time to provide very high-quality imagery (e.g., images or video) that can be enhanced or magnified for medical purposes, which can provide a medical care giver (e.g., surgeon) better visibility during medical procedures.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The preset application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 709,241, filed May 11, 2015, which claims the benefit of claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 991,406, filed May 9, 2014, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The technology disclosed herein relates to imaging tools and, in particular, some embodiments relate to systems and methods for imaging a selected subject matter (e.g., tissue, organs or a body cavity) in a medical environment, such as a surgical environment.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART[0003]Minimally invasive medical procedures have been increasing in popularity and have become commonplace inpatient care. For instance, endoscopes and other types of medical imaging devices are indispensable tools in patient care, especially in in-patient and out-patient surgical environments. Advantages of using endoscopes inc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]The image processing system can include logic for compressing high resolution images to a format suitable for display on display devices that have lower resolutions. The image processing system can further include logic for different types of image enhancement to improve image quality or visibility of important details (e.g., reducing blurriness or smoke). These and other image processing techniques can be used, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 7,092,582 and 8,107,760, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0015]Some embodiments enable capture of high resolution imagery that can be magnified to reveal increasing detail. For some embodiment

Problems solved by technology

While this brings many benefits to patients, it presents a number of challenges for the surgeon who must work within a very confined surgical compartment.

In particular, surgeons must deal with poor visibility, limited lighting and a narrow viewing angle.

Because of their size, conventional endoscopes (and the like) tend to have limited imaging resolution and often fail to provide more than one perspective of biological tissue.

However, image resol

Images