Capsule Endoscope Pre-Exposure Brightness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional capsule endoscopes face challenges in maintaining optimal brightness for image acquisition due to variations in light emission time and intensity, especially when the capsule moves within the body, leading to inconsistent image quality and limited frame rates.
Innovation Solution
The capsule endoscope employs a pre-exposure process to measure and set light emission time and intensity for a subset of pixels, adjusting these parameters for the main exposure to ensure consistent brightness, using a control unit to manage the light emitting and imaging units, and processing image signals to achieve suitable brightness for observation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the light emission time is adjusted based on brightness feedback, then image brightness suitability is improved, but the frame rate is reduced due to the additional measurement and adjustment cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs a pre-exposure measurement of light emission time and intensity before the main image capture. This preliminary action allows the system to determine appropriate exposure parameters in advance, enabling the main exposure to proceed efficiently without requiring additional adjustment cycles that would reduce frame rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the pixel array into multiple regions, with only a subset of pixels performing pre-exposure measurements while others perform main exposure simultaneously. This segmentation allows parallel processing of measurement and capture operations, maintaining high frame rates while still obtaining brightness feedback for optimization.
2Measurement precision
If pre-exposure measurement is performed for all pixels, then brightness accuracy is improved, but the processing time increases reducing frame rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pixel array into multiple regions and performs pre-exposure measurements on only a subset of pixels rather than all pixels. This selective measurement approach maintains sufficient brightness measurement accuracy while reducing the total processing time, thereby preserving high frame rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs pre-exposure measurements on a partial set of pixels that is sufficient to determine overall brightness conditions without requiring complete pixel array measurement. This partial action provides adequate measurement precision while avoiding the time penalty of measuring every pixel.
3Illumination intensity
If the light emission intensity is increased to compensate for motion blur, then image brightness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback from pre-exposure measurements to determine the optimal light emission time and intensity for the main exposure. This feedback mechanism allows the system to achieve adequate image brightness with minimal energy consumption by avoiding excessive light emission that would waste power.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts light emission parameters (time and intensity) based on measured brightness conditions and capsule motion state. By changing these parameters adaptively rather than using fixed high-intensity emission, the system maintains image brightness while reducing energy consumption.
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
This approach reduces the difference between set and actual light emission times, enabling high frame rates and consistent image brightness, thereby improving the quality of captured images.
Implementation Method 1
the capsule endoscope is provided with an illumination device such as an LED
Implementation Method 2
a solid state image sensor such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A capsule endoscope includes: a light emitting unit; an imaging unit; an image signal processing unit; and a setting unit that controls the light emitting unit and the imaging unit to perform pre-exposure, measures at least one of a light emission time and a light emission intensity, sets the measured time or intensity for a main exposure process when the measured time or intensity is within a predetermined acceptable range, and sets at least one of the preset light emission time and light emission intensity for the main exposure process when the measured time or intensity is out of the acceptable range, wherein an acquisition process of an image is performed in accordance with the set light emission time or the set light emission intensity.