Synchronizing Camera Sensitivity with Display Color Pulses
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Solution Overview
Problem
In surgical microscopes, the high brightness of the display image leads to a short time window for camera sensitivity, resulting in incomplete or poor detection of the displayed image by the camera, causing chromatic aberrations due to mismatched sensitivity with the display's color pulse sequence.
Innovation Solution
An optical viewing system with a display unit generating a color pulse sequence train and a camera unit with adjustable light sensitivity, ensuring the camera detects at least two pulses of different colors from the display segment, and optionally using a neutral density filter or diaphragm to synchronize the image sensor with the display's pulse sequence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the display brightness is increased to improve visibility, then the display image becomes more visible, but the camera sensitivity time window becomes too short to detect the display image completely
Solution Approach 1:
The camera sensitivity time window is made dynamically adjustable to match the display pulse sequence. The control unit synchronizes the camera's light sensitivity timing with the display's color pulse sequence, allowing the camera to detect display images at optimal moments without requiring reduced brightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameters of camera sensitivity to match the display refresh rate and pulse sequence. By adjusting the camera's integration time and sensitivity window to coincide with the display's active pulse periods, the system captures complete color information while maintaining high display brightness for visibility.
2Measurement precision
If the camera exposure time is extended to improve image detection, then more light is captured, but color information becomes distorted due to capturing multiple color pulses
Solution Approach 1:
The display operates with a periodic color pulse sequence (e.g., RGB alternating pulses), and the camera exposure is synchronized to capture only the relevant color pulse period. This periodic synchronization ensures that each color channel is captured during its designated time window, preventing color distortion while maintaining adequate light capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives feedback about the display's pulse sequence timing and adjusts the camera exposure timing accordingly. This closed-loop synchronization ensures that the camera captures each color pulse at the correct moment, preventing color information loss while maintaining accurate color representation in the captured image.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the display uses a color pulse sequence to improve color efficiency, then energy consumption is reduced, but the camera cannot detect all colors simultaneously causing chromatic aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit preliminarily synchronizes the camera exposure timing with the anticipated color pulse sequence before the pulses occur. By pre-configuring the camera's sensitivity window to match the upcoming color pulse timing, the system ensures accurate color detection without requiring simultaneous multi-color capture, maintaining energy efficiency while achieving color accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and complete detection of the superposed image with good contrast and correct color representation, minimizing color information loss during image recording.
Implementation Method 1
a camera unit which is supplied with an image of display unit and object region superposed by the superposition unit. The camera unit has an image sensor whose light sensitivity is adjustable as a function of time
Data Source
AI summary
An optical viewing system (100) for viewing an object region has a display unit (105) which has a plurality of controllable display segments which make available color pulse sequences in order to generate a display image which is built up of a plurality of image points. The optical viewing system (100) includes a superposition unit (110) which superposes an image, which is made available by the display unit (105), onto the image of an object region (104). The optical viewing system has a camera unit (111, 113) to which the superposed image of display unit (105) and object region (104) is supplied. The camera unit (111, 113) has image sensors (112, 114) whose light sensitivity is adjustable as a function of time. The light sensitivity of the image sensors (112, 114) is matched to the color pulse sequence in such a manner that the image sensor (112, 114) can detect at least two light pulses of different color from the color pulse sequence from a display segment.