Medical wireless imaging device

• US 7,559,892 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: C2Cure Inc., Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Zaretski, Alex, Adler, Doron
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker; John P
• Application Number:
  US11/298,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20060183976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 600/179, 600/180, 348/68, 348/69, 348/70, 362/555, 362572-575
• US Class Current: 600/180
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00194 adapted for three-dimensional imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0275 using tracers, e.g. dye dilution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/047 using multispectral pick-up elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

A medical wireless imaging device comprises an image sensor, a transmitter, a receiving device, and a plurality of light sources. The transmitter transmits data through a wireless communication link to a processing device. The receiving device wirelessly receives control data from a control unit. Each light source is configured to be individually controlled according to the control data. A reference image is stored for each light source. Intensities of each light source are calculated based on a reference image and on an input image.

Claims

1. A system for medical imaging, the system comprising:

a wireless imaging device, said imaging device comprising a plurality of light sources and a transmitter to transmit data through a wireless communication link;

a processing device to process said data received from said transmitter, and to calculate intensities of each individual light source based on a reference image and on an input image received from said transmitter; and

a control unit to wirelessly control each individual light source of said plurality of light sources based on the calculated intensities of each individual light source.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit controls the intensity of individual light sources.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit controls the light pulse width of individual light sources.

4. The system according to claim 1, comprising a monitor.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit is an external unit.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit is to post-process the data to reconstruct a natural look of the image, thereby to compensate for brightness non-uniformities.

7. A method for medical imaging, the method comprising:

imaging interior spaces of a body to obtain an input image of an object;

operating individual light sources during an imaging period;

generating a reference image to be stored for each light source;

based on the reference image and on the input image, calculating intensities of each light source;

wirelessly controlling the intensity of each individual light source based on the calculated intensities; and

wirelessly transmitting data of the object.

8. The method according to claim 7 comprising displaying transmitted data.

9. The method according to claim 7 comprising post-processing the data to compensate for uneven illumination intensity in an image.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the reference image is generated based on a substantially homogeneous white object.

11. The method according to claim 7 comprising post-processing the data to reconstruct a natural look of the object being viewed, thereby to compensate for brightness non-uniformities.

12. The method according to claim 7 wherein a reference image is used to calculate a reference matrix.