Ophthalmic Image Tone Mapping for Real-Time Surgical Contrast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imaging systems during surgical procedures, such as cataract surgery, face challenges in processing and enhancing image frames quickly enough for real-time display to medical practitioners, leading to sub-optimal surgical outcomes due to lag in capturing, processing, and enhancing current frames.
Innovation Solution
The system processes preceding frames to identify enhancement parameters, which are then applied to subsequent frames, enabling real-time or near real-time enhancement and display by utilizing image processing systems and devices that analyze and enhance image streams based on static content between consecutive frames.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If real-time processing of current frames is performed, then image enhancement detail is improved, but processing speed deteriorates due to computational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary processing on preceding frames to extract enhancement parameters (such as histogram statistics, contrast metrics, and tone mapping data) before they are needed for current frame display. This allows the computationally intensive analysis to be completed in advance, so that when current frames need enhancement, only parameter application is required, not full re-analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a representation of enhancement characteristics from preceding frames and applies this copied information to current frames. Instead of re-processing current frames to extract enhancement parameters, the system copies the enhancement profile from the preceding frame context and reuses it, significantly reducing computational load while maintaining enhancement quality.
2Measurement precision
If enhancement parameters are calculated for each frame, then image quality is improved, but processing time increases leading to lag
Solution Approach 1:
Enhancement parameters are calculated in advance from preceding frames during periods when the current frame is being captured or is not yet displayed. This preliminary calculation ensures that when the current frame requires enhancement, the parameters are already ready, eliminating processing delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temporal distribution of parameter calculation, moving from synchronous calculation (done at the moment of display need) to asynchronous calculation (done in advance during idle processing windows). This parameter change in processing timing allows quality enhancement without real-time processing bottlenecks.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive image analysis is performed on current frames, then detail visibility is improved, but processing lag increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system copies enhancement characteristics (such as contrast distribution, brightness profiles, and feature prominence metrics) from the analysis of preceding frames and applies them to current frames. This avoids repeating the comprehensive analysis on each current frame while still achieving detailed visibility enhancement through parameter transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
Comprehensive image analysis is performed in advance on preceding frames to extract detailed enhancement parameters before current frames need to be displayed. This preliminary comprehensive analysis ensures that when current frames are processed, only lightweight parameter application is needed, maintaining detail visibility without processing lag.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an ophthalmic imaging device for enhancing images. The device comprises an image capture component configured to generate an image stream comprising a first frame preceding a second frame, both capturing a branch of veins in an eye. The device further comprises an image processor configured to calculate first order statistics for a plurality of blocks for the first frame and to interpolate first order statistics for the first frame based at least in part on the branch of veins. The image processor is also configured to generate a tone mapping function and calculate tone mapping values for individual pixels of the second frame based on the tone mapping function. The image processor is additionally configured to generate an enhanced frame based on the calculated tone mapping values for individual pixels of the second frame to the pixels of the second frame.