Operational interface in a multi-viewing element endoscope

• US 10,499,794 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2018
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EndoChoice Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EndoChoice Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Gilreath, Mark, Parks, Will, Levy, Avi, Ashery, Yoram, Kirma, Yaniv, Shimony, Anat, Jacobs, Charlie, Wieth, Stephan, Ladd, Doug, Gershov, Yuri, Krivopisk, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Nguyen T
• Application Number:
  US15/965,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20180310802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 348 74
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00048 Constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00091 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00098 Deflecting means for inserted tools
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• 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 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/053 being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/126 provided with means for cleaning in-use
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/24 Instruments or systems for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2461 Illumination
• 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: H04N 5/268 : Signal distribution or switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor

Abstract

The present specification describes an endoscopy display system including an endoscope with a distal tip having at least three image capturing components, and a handle with an actuator that, when activated, generates a video processing command; a controller including a video processing system adapted to transmit commands to the three image capturing components and receive an image feed from each of said three image capturing components; and a display system, including at least one monitor that concurrently receives and concurrently visually displays each of said processed image feeds, where the video processing system is adapted to process each of said image feeds in accordance with the video processing command to cause at least one of changing a position of, zooming into or out of; recording; freezing; highlighting; or superimposing a navigation indicator upon the at least one of the processed image feeds.

Claims

1. An endoscopy display system, comprising:

an endoscope, comprising;

a distal tip, wherein said distal tip has at least one image capturing component, and

a handle, wherein said handle has at least one actuator that, when activated, generates a video processing command;

a controller external to said endoscope, wherein said controller comprises a video processing system adapted to;

transmit at least one command to said at least one image capturing component,

receive at least one image feed from the at least one image capturing component, and

process said at least one image feed; and

a display system, wherein said display system comprises a single monitor adapted to;

receive at least one processed image feed from the video processing system, and

concurrently visually display a plurality of portions of the at least one processed image feed, wherein said plurality of portions of the at least one processed image feed are displayed separately on the single monitor, with at least one of the displayed plurality of portions being angled relative to another of the displayed plurality of portions;

wherein, in response to said video processing command, the video processing system concurrently causes a zoom into two of said plurality of portions of the at least one processed image feed.

2. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein said monitor displays three processed image feeds with a first image feed being centrally positioned on said monitor, a second image feed being on a right of said centrally positioned image feed, and a third image being on a left of said centrally positioned image feed, and wherein, when the actuator generates said video processing command, positions of each image feed changes resulting in the second image feed being centrally positioned, the first image feed being on the right, and the third image feed being on the left.

3. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein said monitor displays three processed image feeds with a first image feed being centrally positioned on said monitor, a second image feed being on a right of said centrally positioned image feed, and a third image being on a left of said centrally positioned image feed, and wherein, when the actuator generates said video processing command, positions of each image feed changes resulting in the third image feed being centrally positioned, the first image feed being on the left, and the second image feed being on the right.

4. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein the zoomed portions of the at least one processed image feed are highlighted during zoom.

5. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein, in response to said video processing command, the video processing system records only one portion of said at least one processed image feed.

6. The endoscopy display system of claim 5, wherein the recorded portion is highlighted during recording.

7. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein, in response to said video processing command, the video processing system freezes only one portion of said at least one processed image feed.

8. The endoscopy display system of claim 7, wherein the frozen portion is highlighted during freezing.

9. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein both zoomed portions of the at least one processed image feed are highlighted during zoom.

10. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein, in response to said video processing command, the video processing system concurrently records only two of said portions of the at least one processed image feed.

11. The endoscopy display system of claim 10, wherein the two recorded portions of the at least one processed image feed are highlighted during recording.

12. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein the displayed plurality of portions of the at least one are separated by a black stripe.

13. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein the distal tip comprises a plurality of image capturing components;

wherein each of the plurality of image capturing components have their own image feed.

14. The endoscopy display system of claim 1, wherein a top edge of at least one of the displayed plurality of portions of the at least one processed image feed is angled relative to a top edge of another of the displayed plurality of portions of the at least one processed image feed.