A method for making full use of effective pixels of an image sensor

Abstract

A method for fully utilizing the effective pixels of an image sensor. When two optical lenses simultaneously image on different photosensitive regions of an image sensor, if the size of the image is larger than the corresponding photosensitive region of the image sensor, the two images formed by the two lenses will overlap on the image sensor; if the size of the image is smaller than the corresponding photosensitive region of the image sensor, the effective pixels of the image sensor will not be fully utilized. When designing the lenses, an aperture can be added at a specific position in the optical path, so that each lens forms a rectangular image, and the size of the image is consistent with the size of the photosensitive region of the image sensor. In this way, two images can be formed on the image sensor at one time, and the effective pixels of the image sensor are maximally utilized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Optical imaging. Background Technology

[0002] A medical endoscope is a medical device that enters the body through natural cavities or tiny incisions for observation, diagnosis, or treatment. It consists of a lens, light source, and image processing system, and can transmit in-body images in real time. It is widely used in disease examination and minimally invasive surgery in fields such as thoracic surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, and urology. The image sensors of medical endoscopes are relatively small, especially those of disposable medical endoscopes. The smaller the image sensor, the fewer the effective pixels, making the efficient use of each pixel particularly important. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The light rays emitted from an optical lens typically form a circular image on the optical imaging surface, while the pixels of an image sensor are usually arranged in a rectangle. When the light rays from one optical lens form an image on a photosensitive area of ​​an image sensor, to fully utilize each pixel of the image sensor, the image size is usually larger than the photosensitive area; the portion exceeding this area is not imaged on the image sensor. When two optical lenses simultaneously image on different photosensitive areas of an image sensor, if the image size is larger than the corresponding photosensitive area, the two images formed by the two lenses will overlap on the image sensor; if the image size is smaller than the corresponding photosensitive area, the effective pixels of the image sensor will not be fully utilized. When designing lenses, an aperture stop can be added at a specific position in the optical path so that each lens forms a rectangular image, and the size of the image is consistent with the size of the photosensitive area of ​​the image sensor. This allows two images to be formed on the image sensor at the same time, and these two images maximize the utilization of the effective pixels of the image sensor. Attached Figure Description

[0004] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the placement of an aperture stop in an optical system; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the aperture. Detailed Implementation

[0005] An aperture (3) is placed at a specific position P (2) in the optical system (1). Position P (2) must satisfy the condition that light rays emanating from a point on the surface of the object entering the optical system (1) converge at position P (2). The aperture (3) has a light-passing hole (4) which restricts the light beam.

Claims

1. A method for fully utilizing the effective pixels of an image sensor, characterized in that: An aperture is placed at a specific position P in the optical system; The location P is characterized in that: light rays emitted from a point on the surface of the object being photographed and entering the optical system converge at a point at location P. The aperture is characterized by having a light-transmitting hole, which can be circular, rectangular, or other shapes.

Images