Fluorescence Endoscope Image Division Weighting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Fluorescence endoscope apparatuses struggle to accurately identify diseased portions due to background interference from healthy tissues, which is exacerbated by observation conditions and the complex shape of examination targets, leading to inappropriate threshold settings and poor precision in distinguishing diseased areas.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a light source for excitation and reference light, generating fluorescence and reference images, and a division-image generating portion that corrects images by emphasizing regions with high luminance common to both the fluorescence and division images, using weighting processing and threshold settings to enhance contrast and suppress background influence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fluorescence image is divided by a reference image to correct observation distance and angle effects, then the influence of observation conditions is reduced, but the image is affected by absorption characteristics and shape factors causing background amplification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a weighting coefficient as an intermediary factor that mediates between the fluorescence image and reference image during the division process. This weighting coefficient, determined by absorption characteristics of the examination target, suppresses the amplification of background signals caused by absorption variations, while still allowing correction of observation distance and angle effects in the fluorescence intensity measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of image division by introducing a weighting coefficient that modifies the division operation. Instead of simple division, the corrected fluorescence image is obtained by multiplying the divided image by the weighting coefficient, thereby adjusting the influence of absorption characteristics on the final image
2Measurement precision
If a threshold is set to distinguish diseased portions from healthy portions, then diseased areas can be identified, but the threshold becomes inappropriate when observation conditions change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the corrected fluorescence image (which accounts for observation conditions through division and weighting) to dynamically determine the threshold for diseased portion identification. This feedback mechanism ensures that the threshold adapts to changing observation conditions, maintaining accurate diseased portion identification across different scenarios
3Device complexity
If simple division by reference image is used, then the process is simple, but the diseased portion cannot be reliably identified with high precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating the weighting coefficient based on absorption characteristics before performing the final image correction. This preliminary preparation allows the subsequent disease identification process to focus solely on accurate thresholding without needing to reprocess absorption effects, maintaining simplicity while improving precision
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 approach allows for precise identification of diseased portions by reducing the impact of observation distance, angle, and absorption characteristics, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of distinguishing diseased areas from healthy tissue backgrounds.
Implementation Method 1
an observation target site that is administered with a fluorescent reagent that preferentially accumulates in a diseased portion, such as cancer cells or the like, is irradiated with excitation light that excites the fluorescent reagent, generating fluorescence
Implementation Method 2
a reference image, which is based on the intensity of return light returning from the same observation target site irradiated with reference light
Data Source
AI summary
A fluorescence endoscope apparatus includes a light source that radiates excitation light and reference light onto an examination target; a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a fluorescence image by capturing fluorescence generated at the examination target due to irradiation with the excitation light; a reference-image generating portion that generates a reference image by capturing return light that returns from the examination target due to irradiation with the reference light; a division-image generating portion that generates a division image by dividing the fluorescence image generated by the fluorescence-image generating portion by the reference image generated by the reference-image generating portion; and a corrected-image generating portion that generates a corrected image based on the division image and the fluorescence image, wherein the corrected-image generating portion generates a corrected image in which a region that has relatively high luminance and that the division image and the fluorescence image have in common is emphasized.