DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DISPLAYING IN-VIVO IMAGES AT VARIABLE RATE

• US 20140022367A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: KRUPNIK, Hagai
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/68
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods for displaying in-vivo images at variable rate. For example, a system includes a processor to gradually increase a frame display rate of an in-vivo image stream based on a similarity among two or more in-vivo frames of the in-vivo image stream.

Claims

1. A system for viewing an in-vivo image stream of a body lumen, the system comprising:

an in-vivo device comprising an imager, an illumination source and a transmitter to transmit a stream of in vivo images captured by the imager, wherein the stream of in-vivo images comprises static image stream portions in which the images of the in-vivo image stream remain substantially non-changing and dynamic image stream portions in which the images of the in-vivo image stream change, wherein each of said static and dynamic image stream portions comprises multiple in-vivo image frames;

a receiver configured to receive the transmitted stream of in vivo images;

a processor configured to increase a frame display rate of the in-vivo image stream of said static image stream portions based on a similarity among multiple in-vivo images of said static image stream portions; and

a monitor configured to display an indication that a static image stream portion or a dynamic image stream portion is about to be displayed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the monitor is further configured to display an indication that a static image stream portion or a dynamic image stream portion is being displayed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the similarity based on a comparative analysis of two or more of the in-vivo images.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to gradually increase a frame display rate of the in-vivo image stream over multiple in vivo image frames, from an initial frame display rate to a maximum frame display rate.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to, upon detection of a difference between the two or more in-vivo frames, non-gradually decrease the frame display rate.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein non-gradually decreasing the frame display rate is by immediately resetting the frame display rate to a normal or slow frame display rate.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the frame display rate is immediately reset to the initial frame display rate.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to reset the frame display rate from an accelerated frame display rate to a non-accelerated frame display rate in response to a command to begin displaying the in-vivo image stream from a selected point.

9. The system of claim 4 comprising a user interface which allows a user to set the value of the initial frame display rate.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically calculate the maximum frame display rate based on the value of the initial frame display rate.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the monitor is further configured to display an indication of the current frame display rate being used, and an indication of the relative acceleration of the current frame display rate compared to the initial frame display rate.