Endoscope Video Processor Aligning Forward and Lateral Images
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscope systems face challenges in simultaneously observing a wide field of view, particularly in navigating complex body cavities like the large intestine, where lesions may be overlooked due to limited forward visibility, and struggle to accurately align and display forward and lateral field of view images.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope system with separate forward and lateral image acquisition portions, an image pickup device to capture both views, and a video processor that detects positional relationships between image forming areas to generate aligned image signals, ensuring accurate display of both views on a monitor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a single forward-view image is captured, then the image acquisition structure is simple, but the field of view is limited and lesions may be overlooked
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope divides the imaging function into multiple independent image pickup portions: a forward-view image pickup portion and lateral-view image pickup portions. Each portion captures images from different directions, allowing comprehensive observation of the large intestine while maintaining relatively simple individual component structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from single-direction (forward view only) to multi-directional imaging by adding lateral-view image pickup portions. This dimensional expansion allows simultaneous capture of forward and lateral fields of view, preventing lesions from being overlooked while managing structural complexity through modular design.
2Loss of information
If forward and lateral images are captured simultaneously, then comprehensive visualization is achieved, but accurate alignment and display become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment by detecting the positional relationship between forward-view and lateral-view image forming areas before final image display. This pre-processing step establishes reference positions and transformation relationships, enabling accurate composite display without requiring complex real-time processing during observation.
Solution Approach 2:
The image processing apparatus acts as an intermediary that receives images from multiple pickup portions, detects their positional relationships, performs coordinate transformations, and generates aligned composite images. This intermediary processing layer manages the complexity of multi-image alignment while preserving the simplicity of the endoscope structure.
3Measurement precision
If multiple image pickup portions are used, then wide field of view is achieved, but positional alignment between images becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where the image processing apparatus continuously detects the positional relationship between image forming areas from different pickup portions. Based on this detected information, the system automatically performs coordinate transformations and alignment adjustments, ensuring high positional accuracy without requiring manual calibration or complex mechanical positioning mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope system has an insertion portion, a forward observation window configured to acquire a forward-field-of-view image, a lateral observation window configured to acquire a lateral-field-of-view image, an image pickup device and a video processor. A positional displacement correcting portion of the video processor detects a positional relationship between a portion where the forward-field-of-view image is formed and a portion where the lateral-field-of-view image is formed, on the image pickup device, and generates displacement amount data. A boundary correcting portion generates an image signal in which the forward-field-of-view image and the lateral-field-of-view image are arranged with an image center point provided in the portion and an image center point provided in the portion caused to correspond to each other, based on the displacement amount data.