MEDICAL APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MARKER DISPLAY IN MEDICAL IMAGE AND MEDICAL PROCESSOR

• US 20130158352A1
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: IMAIZUMI, Katsuichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,876,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/111
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00006 of control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000094 extracting biological structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0002 provided with data storages
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0004 for electronic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00114 Electrical cables in or with an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00117 Optical cables in or with an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00124 electrical, e.g. electrical plug-and-socket connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00126 optical, e.g. for light supply cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0019 characterised by variable lenses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/043 for fluorescence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0669 at proximal end of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/041 : Controlled or regulated

Abstract

A processor of an endoscope apparatus that is a medical apparatus generates two images that are a normal-light observation image and a special-light observation image that are obtained by picking up a return light, determines matching of observation fields of view with respect to the two images, generates a marker M that indicates a position on a living tissue for at least one of the two images based on the determination result, causes the generated two images to be displayed within a screen of a monitor, and displays the generated marker M by superimposing the marker M on at least one of the two images.

Claims

1. A medical apparatus, comprising:

an imager that picks up an image of a light from a living tissue;

an image processor that generates a first image picked up in a first observation field of view in the imager, and a second image picked up in a second observation field of view in the imager;

a discriminator that determines matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view;

a processor that performs processing for displaying markers indicating same positions for the first image and the second image when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other in the discriminator; and

a display that simultaneously displays the first image and the second image processed in the processor.

2. The medical apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illuminator that is capable of irradiating the living tissue with a light for normal-light observation and a light for special-light observation as the light,

wherein the first image is an image that is obtained by picking up an image of a return light in a case of the living tissue being irradiated with the light for normal-light observation, in the imager, and

the second image is an image that is obtained by picking up an image of a return light in a case of the living tissue being irradiated with the light for special-light observation, in the imager.

3. The medical apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the processor performs processing for displaying the markers by superimposing the markers on each of the first image and the second image when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other by the discriminator, and displays the marker by superimposing the marker on one of the first image and the second image when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view do not match each other by the discriminator.

4. The medical apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the processor performs processing for displaying the markers by superimposing the markers on each of the first image and the second image when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other by the discriminator, and performs processing for displaying markers different from each other by superimposing the markers on the first image and the second image, when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view do not match each other by the discriminator.

5. The medical apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the discriminator determines matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view based on identification information of an endoscope having the imager.

6. The medical apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the imager has a zoom lens that makes an observation field of view range variable, and

the discriminator determines matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view based on zoom information of the zoom lens.

7. The medical apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the zoom information is information at a time of the first image or the second image being picked up.

8. The medical apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the imager has a zoom lens that makes an observation field of view range variable, and

the discriminator determines matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view based on identification information of an endoscope having the imager and zoom information of the zoom lens.

9. The medical apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the zoom information is information at a time of the first image or the second image being picked up.

10. The medical apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the imager has a first imager that picks up an image of a return light of the light for normal-light observation and a second imager that picks up an image of a return light of the light for special-light observation.

11. A method for controlling marker display in a medical image, comprising:

picking up an image of a light from a living tissue, and generating a first image picked up in a first observation field of view, and a second image picked up in a second observation field of view;

determining matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view;

performing processing for displaying markers indicating same positions for the first image and the second image when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other; and

simultaneously displaying the first image and the second image for which the processing is performed.

12. The method for controlling marker display in a medical image according to claim 11, further comprising:

irradiating the living tissue with a light for normal-light observation and a light for special-light observation as the light,

wherein the first image is an image that is obtained by picking up an image of a return light in a case of the living tissue being irradiated with the light for normal-light observation, and

the second image is an image that is obtained by picking up an image of a return light in a case of the living tissue being irradiated with the light for special-light observation.

13. The method for controlling marker display in a medical image according to claim 11,

wherein processing for displaying the markers by superimposing the markers on each of the first image and the second image is performed, when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other, and processing for displaying the marker by superimposing the marker on one of the first image and the second image is performed, when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view do not match each other.

14. The method for controlling marker display in a medical image according to claim 11,

wherein processing for displaying the markers by superimposing the markers on each of the first image and the second image is performed, when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other, and processing for displaying markers different from each other by superimposing the markers different from each other on the first image and the second image is performed, when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view do not match each other.

15. The method for controlling marker display in a medical image according to claim 11,

wherein matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view is determined, based on identification information of an endoscope having an imager that picks up the first image and the second image.

16. The method for controlling marker display in a medical image according to claim 11,

wherein an imager that picks up the first image and the second image has a zoom lens that makes an observation field of view range variable, and

matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view is determined based on zoom information of the zoom lens.

17. A medical processor that processes an image picked up by an imager that picks up an image of a light from a living tissue, comprising:

an image processor that generates a first image picked up in a first observation field of view in the imager, and a second image obtained by being picked up in a second observation field of view in the imager;

a discriminator that determines matching of the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view;

a processor that performs processing for displaying markers indicating same positions for the first image and the second image when it is determined that the first observation field of view and the second observation field of view match each other in the discriminator; and

an output section that outputs a signal for simultaneously displaying the first image and the second image processed in the processor.