System and method for displaying an image stream

• US 7,474,327 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2003
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Krupnik, Hagai, Iddan, Gavriel J., Horn, Eli, Rabinovitz, Raphael, Skala, Michael, Davidson, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe; Gims S
• Application Number:
  US10/610,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20040027500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 348/77, 348/45, 348/46, 348/131, 348/809, 348/564, 348/565, 715/838, 600/424, 600/476, 386/46, 382/128
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• 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

Abstract

A system and method may display an image stream, where an original image stream may be divided into two or more subset images streams, each subset image stream being displayed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously. Post processing may be used to fuse images shown simultaneously or substantially simultaneously. The images may be collected from an ingestible capsule traversing the GI tract.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an image stream obtained by an in-vivo swallowable device, the method comprising:

receiving an original image stream obtained by said in-vivo device;

displaying simultaneously a plurality of subset image streams, at least one of the plurality of subset image streams including at least a portion of the original image stream, wherein said plurality of subset image streams are displayed as a stream of substantially fused images, each fused image includes at least two images each from another subset image stream of said plurality;

wherein fusing comprises;

defining a relative position of at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams displayed substantially simultaneously;

defining at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images;

performing a smoothing convolution on the at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images; and

wherein displaying comprises displaying the at least two images with the smoothing convolution.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

generating the stream of substantially fused images from the plurality of subset image streams.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the stream of substantially fused images comprises at least one substantially fused image.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the at least one substantially fused image has a shape selected from the group including:

square, rectangle, cross, and honeycomb structured, flower shaped.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

generating at least one substantially fused image from at least two images.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the at least two images appear consecutively in the original image stream.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the at least two images share at least one spectral characteristic.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the spectral characteristic is selected from a group including;

hue, saturation, and intensity.

9. The method according to claim 5 wherein the at least two images appear in at least two different original image streams.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the images in the original image stream have a shape selected from the group including:

square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, and circle.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of performing post-processing on at least one section of one image in the plurality of subset image streams.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the post processing is selected from a group including:

mirroring, overlapping, linear fade-out fade in, non-linear fade-out fade-in, truncation, linear shape distortion, and non-linear shape distortion, normalization on intensity.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams are displayed substantially simultaneously and side by side.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams are displayed substantially simultaneously and at least partially overlapping.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams are displayed substantially simultaneously and with a pre defined space between said at least two images.

16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of filling the space between said at least two images with the at least one color.

17. The method according to claim 1 comprising defining a frequency of the stream of substantially fused images.

18. The method according to claim 1 comprising streaming the stream of substantially fused images.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein streaming the stream of substantially fused images is selected from a group including;

video streaming, horizontal scrolling, and vertical scrolling.

20. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

performing fade-out in intensity substantially near the at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images;

at least partially overlapping the at least said two images, thereby obtaining at least one overlapping region;

defining the overlapping region as a sum of at least two juxtaposed edges; and

normalizing intensity in said overlapping region.

21. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

mirroring the juxtaposed edges;

performing fade-out in intensity on the said mirroring regions thereby obtaining faded-out mirroring regions;

overlapping the said faded-out mirroring regions; and

defining overlapping as a normalized sum of the faded-out mirrored regions.

22. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

generating at least two hexagonal images from the plurality of subset image streams.

23. The method according to claim 22 wherein the step of generating at least two hexagonal images includes at least truncating at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams so as to obtain at least two hexagonal images.

24. The method according to claim 22 wherein the step of generating at least two hexagonal images comprises distorting at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams so as to obtain at least two hexagonal images.

25. The method according to claim 22 wherein the stream of substantially fused images comprises at least one hexagonal image.

26. The method according to claim 25 comprising displaying the plurality of subset image streams as a stream of images fused in a honeycomb structure.

27. The method according to claim 1 comprising obtaining an image stream containing circular images;

and defining hexagonal areas inside at least two circular images.

28. The method according to claim 27 comprising positioning the at least two circular images so that at least two edges of the hexagonal areas touch.

29. The method according to claim 27 comprising positioning the at least two circular images so that at least two edges of the hexagonal areas overlap.

30. The method according to claim 1 comprising:

obtaining an image stream containing at least one circular image; and

generating an at least partially shape-distorted image from at least one circular image.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the shape-distorted image is selected from a group including:

square, hexagonal, octagonal, sector-shaped, and near-sector-shaped image.

32. The method according to claim 30 wherein the shape-distorted image is generated from a group consisting of:

liner shape distortion, non-linear shape distortion, and truncation.

34. The method according to claim 30 comprising:

defining at least one array of image data along at least one radius of the circular image; and

re-mapping the at least one array of image data along at least one direction of the at least one radius.

35. The method according to claim 30 comprising displaying the plurality of subset image streams as a stream of substantially fused images.

36. The method according to claim 35 wherein the stream of substantially fused images comprises at least one substantially fused image.

37. The method according to claim 36 comprising generating the at least one substantially fused image from at least two images.

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein one of the at least two images is an at least partially shape-distorted image.

33. The method according to 30 comprising:

defining at least one circular image as a function in Cartesian coordinates;

transforming the function to a polar coordinate function;

defining a ring with image data along an outer perimeter of the circular image; and

re-mapping image data from the ring.

39. A system for displaying an image stream obtained by an in-vivo swallowable device, the system comprising:

an image capture device;

an image storage means for receiving an original image stream obtained by said in-vivo device;

a processing means for generating a plurality of subset image streams, at least one of the plurality of subset image streams including at least a portion of the original image stream, and fusing said subset image streams into a fused image stream of substantially fused images, each fused image includes at least two images each from another subset image stream of said plurality; and

an image display means for displaying said fused image stream;

wherein fusing comprises;

defining a relative position of at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams;

defining at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images;

performing a smoothing convolution on the at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images; and

wherein displaying comprises displaying the at least two images with the smoothing convolution.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the image capture device is configured for capturing images in a shape selected from the group consisting of:

circle, square, rectangle, hexagon, and octagon.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein the image capture device is an ingestible capsule.

42. The system of claim 39 wherein the images are images from a body lumen.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein the images are images from a gastrointestinal tract.

44. A display system comprising:

a controller to display simultaneously a plurality of subset image streams, at least one of the plurality of subset image streams including at least a portion of an original image stream, wherein the plurality of subset image streams are displayed as a stream of substantially fused images, each fused image includes at least two images each from another subset image stream of said plurality;

wherein the images are fused by a process comprising;

defining a relative position of at least two images from the plurality of subset image streams displayed substantially simultaneously;

defining at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images; and

performing a smoothing convolution on the at least juxtaposed edges of the at least two images; and

wherein displaying comprises displaying the at least two images with the smoothing convolution.

45. The display system of claim 44, comprising an in-vivo image capture device.

46. The display system of claim 44, wherein the controller is to generate the stream of fused images from the plurality of subset image streams.

47. The display system of claim 44, wherein the controller is to generate at least one fused image from at least two images.

48. The display system of claim 47, wherein the at least two images appear consecutively in the original image stream.

49. The display system of claim 47, wherein the at least two images share at least one spectral characteristic.