ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND INFORMATION STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20150363929A1
• Filed: 08/25/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: HIGUCHI, Keiji
• Application Number:
  US14/834,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20150363929A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0646 with illumination filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/273 for the upper alimentary canal, e.g. oesophagoscopes, gastroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1032 Determining colour for diagnostic purposes measuring colour in general G01J3/46
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2469 using optical fibres
• 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 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30028 Colon; Small intestine
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30096 Tumor; Lesion
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/564 from contours
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/64 of convexity or concavity
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 : Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/672 : based on the phase difference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 : based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/702 : SSIS architectures characterised by non-identical, non-equidistant or non-planar pixel layout

Abstract

The image processing device includes an image acquisition section, a distance information acquisition section, a known characteristic information acquisition section that acquires known characteristic information that is information that represents known characteristics relating to an object, and an enhancement processing section that performs an enhancement process that corresponds to distance information. The enhancement processing section performs a first enhancement process as the enhancement process on a concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when the enhancement processing section has determined that an observation state is a screening observation state, and performs a second enhancement process as the enhancement process on the concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when the enhancement processing section has determined that the observation state is a zoom observation state.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition section that acquires a captured image that includes an image of an object;

a distance information acquisition section that acquires distance information based on a distance from an imaging section to the object when the imaging section captured the captured image;

a known characteristic information acquisition section that acquires known characteristic information, the known characteristic information being information that represents known characteristics relating to the object; and

an enhancement processing section that performs an enhancement process that corresponds to the distance information based on the known characteristic information,

the enhancement processing section determining an observation state with respect to the object, performing a first enhancement process as the enhancement process on a concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when the enhancement processing section has determined that the observation state is a screening observation state, and performing a second enhancement process as the enhancement process on the concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when the enhancement processing section has determined that the observation state is a zoom observation state.

2. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 1,

the known characteristic information acquisition section acquiring the known characteristic information that is information that represents known characteristics relating to a structure of the object, and

the enhancement processing section performing the enhancement process on the concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information.

3. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 2,

the enhancement processing section calculating a representative distance that represents the distance to the object based on the distance information, performing the enhancement process on the concave-convex part that has been determined to have a size larger than a first size threshold value when the representative distance is longer than a threshold value, and performing the enhancement process on the concave-convex part that has been determined to have a size smaller than a second size threshold value when the representative distance is shorter than the threshold value.

4. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 1,

the known characteristic information acquisition section acquiring the known characteristic information that is information that represents known characteristics relating to a color of the object.

5. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 4,

the enhancement processing section performing the enhancement process that corresponds to the distance information on a target, the target being the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information.

6. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 5,

the enhancement processing section calculating a representative distance that represents the distance to the object based on the distance information, performing the enhancement process that enhances a color of the target when the representative distance is longer than a threshold value, and performing the enhancement process that enhances at least a structure of the target when the representative distance is shorter than the threshold value.

7. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 6,

the known characteristic information being information that represents known characteristics relating to a color of a reddened part for which a red component is larger than that of a normal mucous membrane, and

the enhancement processing section performing the enhancement process that enhances the red component of the reddened part that has been determined to be the target when the representative distance is longer than the threshold value.

8. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 1,

the enhancement processing section calculating a representative distance that represents the distance to the object based on the distance information, and performing the enhancement process that corresponds to the representative distance on a target, the target being the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information.

9. The endoscope apparatus as defined in claim 8,

the enhancement processing section performing a first enhancement process on the target as the enhancement process when the enhancement processing section has determined that the representative distance falls under a distance that corresponds to screening observation that is performed on the object, and performing a second enhancement process on the target as the enhancement process when the enhancement processing section has determined that the representative distance falls under a distance that corresponds to zoom observation that is performed on the object, the second enhancement process differing from the first enhancement process.

10. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring a captured image that includes an image of an object;

acquiring known characteristic information, the known characteristic information being information that represents known characteristics relating to a structure of the object; and

determining an observation state with respect to the object, performing a first enhancement process as an enhancement process on a concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when it has been determined that the observation state is a screening observation state, and performing a second enhancement process as the enhancement process on the concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when it has been determined that the observation state is a zoom observation state.

11. A non-transitory information storage device storing an image processing program that causes a computer to perform steps of:

acquiring a captured image that includes an image of an object;

acquiring known characteristic information, the known characteristic information being information that represents known characteristics relating to a structure of the object; and

determining an observation state with respect to the object, performing a first enhancement process as an enhancement process on a concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when it has been determined that the observation state is a screening observation state, and performing a second enhancement process as the enhancement process on the concave-convex part of the object that agrees with the characteristics represented by the known characteristic information when it has been determined that the observation state is a zoom observation state.