Endoscope LED Timing Control for Color Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Frame-sequential endoscope apparatuses face challenges in reducing color misregistration and image blurring due to overlapping irradiation time periods and cycles of different color lights, which affect the quality of endoscopic images.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope apparatus incorporates a timing generator and an illumination control section that sequentially drives multiple illumination sections, ensuring non-overlapping driving time periods for LEDs within an image pickup cycle, with at least one LED's driving time referenced to an earlier driven LED, to adjust exposure periods and minimize overlap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple illumination sections with different colors are driven simultaneously, then the brightness of the endoscopic image is improved, but color misregistration and image blurring occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by sequentially driving multiple illumination sections with different colors (R, G, B LEDs) in alternating time periods rather than simultaneously. The illumination control section controls each illumination section to emit light in separate time periods within one image pickup cycle, creating a periodic illumination pattern that prevents color misregistration while maintaining adequate brightness through temporal multiplexing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the illumination process by dividing one image pickup cycle into multiple time periods, with each illumination section (R, G, B LEDs) assigned to a specific time period. This temporal segmentation ensures that only one color illuminates the object at a time, eliminating color misregistration issues that would occur with simultaneous multi-color illumination
2Illumination intensity
If the illumination time period is extended to improve image brightness, then the brightness is improved, but the exposure time period must be adjusted and color misregistration may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the illumination control adaptive and variable. The illumination control section dynamically adjusts the time period for driving each illumination section based on observation conditions, allowing flexible optimization of both brightness and color registration accuracy. The system can change illumination patterns in real-time to match different imaging requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameters of illumination by controlling the duration and timing of each illumination section's operation. By adjusting the time period for each LED color within the image pickup cycle, the system optimizes the balance between total illumination time (affecting brightness) and individual color exposure timing (affecting color registration accuracy)
3Speed
If the image pickup cycle is shortened to reduce motion blur, then image blurring is reduced, but the exposure time period for each color is reduced, affecting brightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic action to maintain adequate brightness despite shorter image pickup cycles. By implementing a structured periodic illumination pattern where multiple LED colors are sequentially activated within each cycle, the system ensures that the total cumulative illumination time remains sufficient for image brightness while the overall cycle duration is shortened to reduce motion blur
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 configuration reduces color misregistration and image blurring, enabling the capture of high-quality endoscopic images with improved brightness and reduced power consumption, while allowing for both normal and special-light observations.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of illumination sections which each have one or a plurality of light-emitting devices and emit illuminating light
Implementation Method 2
photoelectrically converting the return light
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope apparatus according to a present embodiment has a CCD and an LED control section which controls LED1 and LED2. The LED control section sequentially drives the two LEDs, LED1 and LED2, on the basis of an image pickup start timing signal corresponding to each image pickup cycle S for the CCD within the image pickup cycle S such that driving time periods for LED1 and LED2 do not overlap. The LED control section also variably controls the driving time periods for LED1 and LED2 to adjust an amount of exposure within the image pickup cycle S and performs control so as to conduct, within the image pickup cycle S, at least a first drive within the image pickup cycle S of LED2 that is a second or subsequent one to be driven with reference to a timing for driving of LED1 that is driven earlier.