System and Method of Scanning a Body Cavity Using a Multiple Viewing Elements Endoscope
First Claim
1. A method of scanning a patient'"'"'s body cavity using an endoscope having multiple viewing elements, wherein said endoscope is controlled by a control unit, the method comprising:
- selecting a reference frame, having a shape and a scale, from a plurality of reference frames corresponding to the body cavity and to at least one attribute of the patient, wherein said reference frame comprises a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of regions of an internal wall of the body cavity;
acquiring a plurality of images, each of said plurality of images corresponding to each of said plurality of regions and to each of said plurality of locations on said reference frame, and wherein each of said plurality of images has an associated quality level; and
mapping, in real time, each of said plurality of images, corresponding to each of said plurality of locations, on said reference frame, wherein said mapping is done in a sequence in which said plurality of images are acquired.
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Abstract
A method for scanning a body cavity by using an endoscope for capturing images of internal walls of the body cavity is provided. The method includes providing a two dimensional model of the internal walls of the body cavity, the model being used as a reference frame, capturing a sequence of images of the internal walls of the body cavity, associating a plurality of information with at least one of the captured images, and mapping each captured image on a corresponding pre-defined location on the reference frame in real time, in the order of capture, until no portion of the reference frame remains unmapped or until all acquired images are mapped.
118 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of scanning a patient'"'"'s body cavity using an endoscope having multiple viewing elements, wherein said endoscope is controlled by a control unit, the method comprising:
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selecting a reference frame, having a shape and a scale, from a plurality of reference frames corresponding to the body cavity and to at least one attribute of the patient, wherein said reference frame comprises a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of regions of an internal wall of the body cavity; acquiring a plurality of images, each of said plurality of images corresponding to each of said plurality of regions and to each of said plurality of locations on said reference frame, and wherein each of said plurality of images has an associated quality level; and mapping, in real time, each of said plurality of images, corresponding to each of said plurality of locations, on said reference frame, wherein said mapping is done in a sequence in which said plurality of images are acquired. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of scanning a patient'"'"'s body cavity using a tip of a multiple viewing elements endoscope associated with a control unit for executing the method, the method comprising the steps of:
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automatically recording a start time corresponding to a beginning of an insertion process of said tip within said body cavity; acquiring a plurality of images of an internal wall of said body cavity during said insertion process; identifying at least one anomaly within at least one of said plurality of images; recording and associating a plurality of information with at least one of said plurality of images in real time, wherein at least one of said plurality of information is a first time stamp corresponding to a time taken by said tip to reach proximate said at least one anomaly during said insertion process; automatically recording an end time corresponding to an end of said insertion process and a beginning of a withdrawal process of said tip from said body cavity; automatically recording a second time stamp corresponding to a time elapsed during said withdrawal process; and generating an alert corresponding to said at least one anomaly when said second time stamp is approximately equal to a difference between said end time and said first time stamp. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of scanning a patient'"'"'s body cavity using a tip of a multiple viewing elements endoscope associated with a control unit for executing the method, the method comprising the steps of:
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selecting a reference frame, of a shape and a scale, from a plurality of reference frames corresponding to the body cavity and to at least one attribute of the patient, wherein said reference frame comprises a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of regions of an internal wall of the body cavity; automatically recording a start time corresponding to a beginning of an insertion process of said tip within said body cavity; acquiring a plurality of images during said insertion process, each of said plurality of images corresponding to each of said plurality of regions and accordingly to each of said plurality of locations on said reference frame, and wherein each of said plurality of images has an associated quality; identifying at least one anomaly within at least one of said plurality of images; recording and associating a plurality of information with at least one of said plurality of images in real time, wherein at least one of said plurality of information is a first time stamp corresponding to a time taken by said tip to reach proximate said at least one anomaly during said insertion process; mapping, in real time, each of said plurality of images to corresponding each of said plurality of locations on said reference frame, wherein said mapping is done in a sequence in which said plurality of images are acquired and wherein said mapping includes said plurality of information; automatically recording an end time corresponding to an end of said insertion process and a beginning of a withdrawal process of said tip from said body cavity; automatically recording a second time stamp corresponding to a time elapsed during said withdrawal process; and generating an alert corresponding to said at least one anomaly when said second time stamp is approximately equal to a difference between said end time and said first time stamp. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification