System and method for displaying an image stream

• US 8,045,000 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Davidson, Tal, Krupnik, Hagai, Iddan, Gavriel J., Horn, Eli, Rabinovitz, Raphael, Skala, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILIPPE, GIMS S
• Application Number:
  US12/323,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 348/77, 348/45, 348/46, 348/131, 370/366, 600/109, 600/424, 600/476, 386/46
• 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. The images may be displayed fused. The images may be collected from an ingestible capsule traversing the GI tract.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an image stream obtained from a swallowable capsule as a stream of fused images, the method comprising:

creating an original image stream from images received from the swallowable capsule; and

displaying images from the original image stream across a plurality of consecutive time slots;

wherein in each time slot a set of consecutive images from the original image stream is displayed, each image within the set being displayed at the same time;

wherein the set of consecutive images displayed in each time slot is immediately consecutive, in the original image stream, to the set of consecutive images in the immediately previous time slot; and

wherein the set of images displayed in each time slot is fused together;

thereby increasing the rate at which the original image stream can be reviewed without reducing image display time.

2. The method according to claim 1 comprising generating at least one substantially fused image from at least two images.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the at least two images appear consecutively in the original image stream.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the at least two images share at least one spectral characteristic.

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

square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, and circle.

6. The method according to claim 1 comprising performing on at least one section of one image a process selected from the group consisting of:

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

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein consecutive images from the original image stream are displayed side by side.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising displaying at least two images from the original image stream substantially simultaneously and at least partially overlapping.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein each image displayed simultaneously is displayed with a pre-defined space between the images.

10. The method according to claim 1 comprising:

performing fade-out in intensity substantially near juxtaposed edges of images from the original image stream which are displayed substantially;

at least partially overlapping the images displayed simultaneously, thereby obtaining at least one overlapping region; and

normalizing intensity in said overlapping region.

11. The method according to claim 1 comprising:

mirroring juxtaposed edges of images displayed simultaneously from the original image stream.

12. A system for displaying an image stream as a stream of fused images, the system comprising:

a swallowable capsule;

a display; and

a processor to create an original image stream from images received from the swallowable capsule, to display on the display images from the original image stream across a plurality of consecutive time slots, wherein in each time slot a set of consecutive images from the original image stream is displayed, each image within the set being displayed at the same time, wherein the set of consecutive images displayed in each time slot is immediately consecutive, in the original image stream, to the set of consecutive images in the immediately previous time slot, and wherein the set of images displayed in each time slot is fused together, thereby increasing the rate at which the original image stream can be reviewed without reducing image display time.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is to generate at least one substantially fused image from at least two images.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least two images appear consecutively in the original image stream.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least two images share at least one spectral characteristic.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the images in the original image stream have a shape selected from the group consisting of square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, and circle.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is to perform on at least one section of one image a process selected from the group consisting of:

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

18. The system of claim 12 wherein consecutive images from the original image stream are displayed side by side.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is to display at least two images substantially simultaneously and at least partially overlapping.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is to mirror juxtaposed edges of the consecutive images from the original image stream which are displayed substantially simultaneously.