Endoscope Color Balance Correction via Dual LED Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopes with multiple LEDs at the distal end often experience variations in color temperature due to LED characteristics and driving conditions, leading to inconsistent illumination and color reproduction issues.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope apparatus employs a system with multiple LEDs, a color-balance measuring section, and a color-balance correcting section to set predetermined color balances by calculating and adjusting RGB values for each illumination region, ensuring consistent color reproduction across the image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple LEDs are provided at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section, then illumination coverage is improved, but color temperature variation occurs due to LED characteristic variations
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope illumination system is segmented into multiple independent LED units (first LED, second LED, etc.), each with its own color-balance measuring section. This segmentation allows individual color balance measurement and correction for each LED, resolving the color temperature consistency issue while maintaining multiple illumination sources for comprehensive coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback mechanism is implemented where the color-balance measuring section measures the actual color balance of light from each LED, and the color-balance correcting section adjusts the illumination based on these measurements. This closed-loop feedback system compensates for LED characteristic variations, ensuring consistent color temperature across multiple illumination sources.
2Measurement precision
If color-balance measuring and correcting sections are added for each LED, then color reproduction accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The color-balance measuring section and color-balance correcting section are merged into an integrated system that processes illumination from multiple LEDs through a unified control architecture. This merging reduces the overall system complexity compared to having completely separate systems for each LED, while still achieving accurate color balance measurement and correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The color-balance measuring and correcting system is designed with multi-functionality to handle illumination from multiple different light sources (multiple LEDs with potentially different color temperatures). This universal system can adapt to various LED configurations without requiring separate dedicated systems for each LED, thereby reducing device complexity.
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 solution effectively reduces the conspicuousness of color differences caused by variations in LED characteristics, achieving more accurate and consistent color reproduction in endoscopic images.
Implementation Method 1
a first light emitting element that generates first illumination light for the subject
Implementation Method 2
a second light emitting element that generates second illumination light for the subject
Implementation Method 3
an image pickup section that picks up an optical image of the subject illuminated by the first and second illumination lights
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope apparatus includes a CCD disposed at a distal end portion of an endoscope insertion section, a first LED and a second LED functioning as illumination-light emitting unit, a region setting section that sets a first region where illumination by the first LED is predominant on an endoscopic image and a second region where illumination by the second LED is predominant on the endoscopic image, and a white balance circuit that respectively calculates color balance values corresponding to the first and second regions and applies correction processing to a color balance value of a video signal of the entire endoscopic image on the basis of results of the respective calculations.