Endoscope Processor Depth Data Enhancement

Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic endoscope devices face challenges in enhancing shallow concave portions of living tissue surfaces without deteriorating the three-dimensional effect of surface irregularities, as existing enhancement methods rely heavily on signal level value differences between pixels, leading to loss of detail when adjusting for both shallow and deep concave features.

Innovation Solution

A processor for electronic endoscopes that generates depth data and undulation-enhanced data to adjust signal levels of captured images, allowing for targeted enhancement of concave portions while maintaining the three-dimensional effect by adding or subtracting values based on depth and undulation data, ensuring that shallow concave portions are enhanced without losing the depth contrast with deeper features.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If enhancement processing is performed by reducing the signal level value of the focused pixel based on the difference with adjacent pixels, then the visibility of concave portions is improved, but the three-dimensional effect of surface irregularities deteriorates when adjusting for both shallow and deep concave features

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility of concave portionsVSAvoidthree-dimensional effect of surface irregularities

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the enhancement processing based on the depth category of each pixel. Shallow concave portions (first category) receive one type of enhancement processing while deep concave portions (second category) receive another type. This allows each region to be enhanced appropriately according to its specific characteristics, preventing the loss of three-dimensional effect while improving visibility of concave portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the pixel array into multiple categories based on the depth of concave portions. By dividing pixels into first category (shallow concave portions) and second category (deep concave portions), the system can apply different enhancement strategies to each segment, thereby maintaining the three-dimensional effect across different depth levels while enhancing visibility of concave structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If the signal level value of the focused pixel is reduced to enhance shallow concave portions, then the contrast between shallow and deep features is lost, but if enhancement is applied uniformly then shallow concave portions remain invisible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenhancement of shallow concave portionsVSAvoiddepth contrast information

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the enhancement processing based on the depth category of each pixel. Shallow concave portions (first category) receive one type of enhancement processing while deep concave portions (second category) receive another type. This allows each region to be enhanced appropriately according to its specific characteristics, preventing the loss of three-dimensional effect while improving visibility of concave portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic adjustment of enhancement strength based on the depth category of each pixel. The enhancement processing unit dynamically selects different processing strengths for shallow versus deep concave portions, allowing the system to adapt the enhancement level to the specific depth characteristics of each region, thereby maintaining depth contrast while enhancing visibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11010895B2Processor for electronic endoscope and electronic endoscope system

Publication Date: 2021.05.18 HOYA CORPORATION

AI summary

A processor for an electronic endoscope includes an enhancement processing unit that includes: a depth data generation unit configured to generate depth data D of the entire captured image by generating, a data value representing information on a depth of a concave portion of the living tissue in each pixel; an undulation-enhanced data generation unit configured to generate a value of undulation-enhanced data S, which has information with a steeply inclined change of a signal level value at a boundary between a concave portion and a convex portion of surface irregularities of the living tissue, from the depth data D; and an enhancement processing execution unit that generates an enhanced image by adding or subtracting at least a value to or from a signal level value of the processing target pixel on which the enhancement processing of the captured image is performed.