Endoscope Image Compression via Dynamic Block Parameter Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Endoscope systems face challenges in balancing image data compression rates to minimize data transmission and storage while maintaining image quality, as high compression rates degrade image quality and can lead to transmission interruptions due to limited data transfer and storage capacities.

Innovation Solution

An endoscope apparatus with an image compression device that divides image data into unit areas and uses compression parameters to generate multiple compressed data items, selecting parameters that minimize total and maximum data amounts to match transferable data limits and storage capacity, ensuring stable transmission and storage without degrading image quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the compression rate of image data is increased to reduce data amount, then the image data can be transmitted wirelessly with reduced power consumption, but the image quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata amountVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The image data is divided into multiple blocks, and compression processing is performed for each block independently. This allows different compression parameters to be applied to different regions, enabling selective compression that maintains quality in important areas while reducing overall data amount.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different compression parameters are applied to different blocks of image data based on their importance. High-quality compression is applied to blocks containing important diagnostic information, while lower-quality compression is applied to less critical areas, thus maintaining overall image quality while reducing total data amount.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the compression rate is increased to ensure stable wireless transmission within transferable data amount, then power consumption is reduced, but image quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission stabilityVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The compression parameters are dynamically adjusted based on the content of each image block. The system automatically selects appropriate compression levels for different regions, ensuring that transmission stability is maintained while minimizing quality deterioration in critical areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Different compression parameters are used for different blocks of image data. By changing compression parameters locally rather than applying a uniform compression rate, the system achieves stable transmission while preserving image quality in important regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If the compression rate is decreased to maintain high image quality, then image quality is preserved, but the data amount increases causing transmission and storage issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoiddata amount

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The image is segmented into multiple blocks, allowing selective application of compression rates. This enables the system to maintain high quality where needed while applying higher compression to less critical areas, thus preserving overall image quality without excessively increasing total data amount.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different compression quality levels are applied to different blocks based on their diagnostic importance. Critical areas maintain high quality with low compression, while non-critical areas use higher compression, achieving an optimal balance between overall image quality and data amount.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Quantity of substance

If high compression rate is applied to reduce data amount, then transmission and storage constraints are met, but transmission interruptions may occur due to limited transferable data amount

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata amountVSAvoidtransmission continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts compression parameters to ensure that the total compressed data amount remains within the transferable data amount limit. This dynamic adjustment prevents transmission interruptions while minimizing quality loss through selective compression.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11786107B2Endoscope apparatus, compression method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

Publication Date: 2023.10.17 OLYMPUS CORPORATION(JP)

AI summary

An image compression device of an endoscope apparatus includes a compression processing control unit, a storage unit, a first compression parameter generating unit, a second compression parameter generating unit and a compression parameter determining unit. The first compression parameter generating unit generates a first tentative compression parameter based on a transferable data amount. The second compression parameter generating unit generates a second tentative compression parameter based on a storage capacity of the storage unit. The compression parameter determining unit compares the first tentative compression parameter and the second tentative compression parameter to select a parameter with which a data amount after compression becomes smaller as a selected parameter. The compression processing control unit updates a compression parameter with the selected parameter and performs compression processing using the updated compression parameter.