Endoscope Light Source Control for Simultaneous Brightness Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope technologies face challenges in adjusting normal light and fluorescence images to proper brightness, leading to difficulties in identifying normal and lesion tissues due to varying fluorescence intensity among patients and the need for separate light sources, which increases apparatus size and complexity.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope apparatus with a first image pickup unit for normal light observation and a second for fluorescence, along with a light source control system that generates dimming signals, amplifies signal intensities, and controls electronic shutters to adjust the amount of light and amplification factors based on comparison with reference levels, allowing for simultaneous adjustment of both image types to proper brightness using a single light source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a single light source is used for both normal light and fluorescence observation, then the apparatus size is reduced, but it becomes difficult to adjust both images to proper brightness simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the light source intensity adjustable and controllable. The light source section includes a light source intensity adjusting section that can dynamically change the intensity of illumination light and excitation light independently, allowing the system to adapt to different observation modes and achieve proper brightness for both normal light and fluorescence images simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters by introducing independent intensity control for the light source. By adjusting the intensity parameters of illumination light and excitation light separately, the system can optimize brightness for each observation mode without requiring separate light sources, thus reducing apparatus size while maintaining ease of operation.
2Reliability
If fluorescence intensity is allowed to vary among patients, then the natural fluorescence signal is preserved, but it becomes difficult to identify lesion tissue and normal tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by using a fluorescence enhancement section that adjusts the hue of the fluorescence image. The enhancement section can change the color representation of fluorescence signals to improve contrast between lesion tissue and normal tissue, making it easier to identify different tissue types while preserving the authentic fluorescence intensity variations among patients.
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
Enables easy and cost-effective adjustment of normal light and fluorescence images to proper brightness, facilitating better tissue identification without the need for separate light sources, thus improving image quality and reducing apparatus size.
Implementation Method 1
a second image pickup unit for fluorescence observation which irradiates the subject with excitation light to pick up an image of fluorescence from the subject
Implementation Method 2
an image pickup element having a sensitivity, which can be changed by multiplying generated charges by supplied pulse-type signals
Data Source
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Figure 4
AI summary
A normal light image and a fluorescence image are adjusted to proper brightness with a simple and inexpensive configuration. A processor 4 includes a comparison section 103 for comparing an output (dimming signal) of a dimmer circuit 40 and a predetermined reference value, a setting section 102 for setting a gain of an AGC 33, a shutter control parameter (charge storage time) in an electronic shutter control section 101, and an opening area of a light source diaphragm 13 in a light source device 3 based on a comparison result of the comparison section 103, and the electronic shutter control section 101 for controlling an electronic shutter function of a CCD driving circuit 31 under control of the setting section 102.