Endoscope system

• US 10,349,814 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Takahashi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Neal, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Jae
• Application Number:
  US15/147,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0002 provided with data storages
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00057 provided with means for testing or calibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0014 Fastening element for attaching accessories to the outside of an endoscope, e.g. clips, clamps or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00181 for multiple fixed viewing angles A61B1/00193 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2057 Details of tracking cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/24 Instruments or systems for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2423 of the distal end
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations

Abstract

An endoscope system has an insertion portion, a front-view observation window that acquires a first object image, a side-view observation window that is provided in the insertion portion, and acquires a second object image, a video processor that generates a signal of an image, a setting storage section that records information on a deviation amount concerning a deviation, and an image processing section that performs, for the image, processing of changing disposition of at least either the image of the object in the first object image or the image of the object in the second object image in accordance with the deviation amount, and aligning a position of the image of the object in the first object image, and a position of the image of the object in the second object image with each other.

Claims

1. An endoscope system, comprising:

an insertion portion that is inserted to an inside of an object;

one or more image sensors configured to generate one or more image signals based on a first object image obtained through one region of the insertion portion and a second object image obtained through another region of the insertion portion, the first object image including a first region of the object and the second object image including a second region of the object, the second region at least partially differs from the first region; and

a processor comprising hardware, the processor being configured to;

generate image data based on the one or more image signals to have the first object image and the second object image disposed to be adjacent to each other;

calculate a deviation amount between a rotation orientation of a first image of the object included in the first object image and a rotation orientation of a second image of the object included in the second object image; and

process the image data to change at least one of the rotation orientation of the first image of the object included in the first object image and the rotation orientation of the second image of the object included in the second object image based on the calculated deviation amount and align the first image of the object in the first object image with the second image of the object in the second object image.

2. The endoscope system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a first center axis of the first image of the object included in the first object image and a second center axis of the second image of the object included in the second object image; and

process the image data to change rotation orientation with respect to at least one of the first object image and the second object image so that the first and the second center axes substantially correspond to each other.

3. The endoscope system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to process the image data to rotationally move at least one of the first object image and the second object image.

4. The endoscope system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate an opening angle between the first center axis and the second center axis; and

process the image data to rotationally move either the first object image or the second object image so that the first and the second center axes substantially correspond to each other.

5. The endoscope system according to claim 2, wherein the first image of the object included in the first object image and the second image of the object included in the second object images are images of a treatment instrument that is protruded from a distal end of the insertion portion.

6. The endoscope system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to process the image data:

to further perform parallel translation or change of a magnification ratio with respect to at least one of the first object image and the second object image; and

align an end portion of the first image of the object in the first object image and an end portion of the second image of the object in the second object image with each other.

7. The endoscope system according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more displays for displaying an image including the first object image and the second object image.

8. The endoscope system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to output respective image signals from which duplicate regions of an image signal based on the first object image and an image signal based on the second object image are removed, to the one or more displays.

9. The endoscope system according to claim 1,

wherein the first object image is an object image in the first region including a frontward side of the insertion portion substantially parallel with a longitudinal direction of the insertion portion,

the second object image is an object image in the second region including a sideward side of the insertion portion in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion.

10. The endoscope system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to process the image data to change at least a rotation direction of the entire first and second object images, with a center of the first object image as a reference.

11. The endoscope system according to claim 1,

wherein the another region of the insertion portion is disposed in plurality at substantially equal angles in a circumferential direction of the insertion portion, and

the processor is further configured to generate the image data, based on the one or more image signals, to have the first object image disposed in a center and to have the second object image in plurality disposed at substantially equal angles in a circumferential direction of the first object image.

12. The endoscope system according to claim 1,

wherein the one region of the insertion portion is disposed at a distal end portion in a longitudinal direction of the insertion portion to face a direction in which the insertion portion is inserted,

the another region of the insertion portion is disposed at a side face of the insertion portion to face a circumferential direction of the insertion portion, and

wherein a first image sensor of the one or more image sensors photoelectrically converts the first object image and a second image sensor of the one or more image sensors photoelectrically converts the second object image, and the first image sensor and the second image sensor are electrically connected to the processor.

13. The endoscope system according to claim 1,

wherein the one region of the insertion portion is disposed at a distal end portion in a longitudinal direction of the insertion portion, in a direction in which the insertion portion is inserted, and

the another region of the insertion portion is disposed to surround a circumferential direction of the insertion portion,

the one or more image sensors photoelectrically convert the first object image and the second object image to be on a same plane, and the one or more image sensors are electrically connected to the processor.

14. The endoscope system according to claim 13, wherein the processor generates the image data to have the first object image formed in a substantially circular shape and the second object image formed in a substantially circular ring shape surrounding a circumference of the first object image.