Endoscope System Automatic Still Image and Video Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscope systems lack the capability to automatically acquire and store a second still image or video associated with a first still image, limiting diagnostic support during re-diagnosis and other medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope system is enhanced with a display control unit and selection unit to display and store multiple still images side by side, allowing for the automatic acquisition and association of a second still image or video with the first still image, enabling improved re-diagnosis support by displaying selected images and videos on a monitor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only a first still image is acquired and stored when the freeze button is pressed, then the storage capacity is saved and the system remains simple, but the diagnostic support for re-diagnosis is insufficient due to lack of additional visual data
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically acquires and stores a second still image or video segment immediately after the first still image is captured, before the diagnostic process is completed. This preliminary action ensures that additional visual data is available for re-diagnosis without requiring manual intervention later, thereby improving diagnostic support while maintaining system simplicity through automated operation
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscope system performs self-service by automatically determining when to acquire the second still image or video based on the detection of the first still image acquisition, and automatically storing both images/videos in association with each other. This eliminates the need for additional manual operations or complex external equipment, improving diagnostic capability while keeping the system relatively simple
2Loss of information
If a second still image or video is automatically acquired and stored in association with the first still image, then re-diagnosis support is improved with additional visual data, but the storage requirements and data management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and stores only the essential additional visual data (second still image or video segment) that is directly associated with the first still image acquisition event. By selectively extracting only the necessary supplementary information rather than storing all possible data, the system improves diagnostic information availability while controlling data volume growth
Solution Approach 2:
The second still image or video is nested in association with the first still image in the storage unit, creating a hierarchical data structure where the second image/video is logically contained within the context of the first image. This nesting approach organizes the increased data volume in a structured manner, making data management more efficient despite the increased quantity of stored information
3Ease of operation
If multiple still images and videos are displayed side by side on the monitor, then the ease of comparison and re-diagnosis is improved, but the display complexity and selection requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display control unit segments the multiple still images and videos by displaying them side by side on the monitor rather than requiring complex layered or overlapping arrangements. This segmentation into separate visible regions simplifies the display control mechanism while still enabling easy visual comparison between the first and second images/videos, improving ease of operation without significantly increasing display complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
The endoscope (12) system includes an image signal acquisition processing unit (61) and an image generation unit (62) that acquire a first still image (94A) and either a video (99) before and after or a second still image after acquisition of the first still image based on an image signal obtained by imaging an observation target using an image sensor (48, 604), an association unit (566, 66) that associates the first still image with the video or associates the first still image with the second still image, and a storage unit (67) that stores the first still image and the video associated with each other or stores the first still image and the second still image associated with each other.