Endoscope system

• US 8,167,791 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colque, Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US12/782,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20100298641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 600/117, 600/424, 600/118, 600/109, 600/921, 600/146, 600/150, 382/128
• US Class Current: 600/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00147 Holding or positioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances

Abstract

An endoscope system of the present invention includes an image pickup section that picks up an image of an object, a position detection section that detects a position indicating a predetermined object in the image of the object obtained by the image pickup section and a probability calculation section that calculates a probability value as a degree indicating accuracy of the position being the predetermined object using first information obtained from the image and second information on a condition of the object whose image is picked up by the image pickup section.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

an image pickup section that picks up an image of an object inside a subject to be examined;

a position detection section that detects a position of a predetermined object in the image of the object obtained by the image pickup section;

a probability calculation section that calculates a plurality of kinds of probability values which are different from one another, at least based on a result of extraction of a dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section and a result of calculation of a moving speed of the image pickup section; and

a calculation section that obtains a value indicating accuracy of the position of the predetermined object detected by the position detection section by performing calculation for integrating the plurality of kinds of probability values calculated by the probability calculation section.

2. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the probability calculation section calculates a plurality of kinds of probability values which are different from one another based on the result of extraction of the dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section the result of calculation of the moving speed of the image pickup section, and a result of detection of posture of the object to be examined.

3. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the position detection section corrects the position of the predetermined object based on the value obtained as a result of the calculation by the calculation section.

4. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the position of the predetermined object is a passage target position of the image pickup section.

5. An endoscope system comprising:

an endoscope provided with an insertion portion inserted into a body cavity of a subject to be examined and an image pickup section provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion;

a position setting section that sets a target position through which the distal end portion is made to pass in the image of an object obtained by the image pickup section;

a probability calculation section that calculates a plurality of kinds of probability values which are different from one another, at least based on a result of extraction of a dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section, a result of calculation of a moving speed of the image pickup section, and a result of a detection of a position and an orientation of the distal end portion in the body cavity; and

a calculation section that obtains a value indicating accuracy of the target position set by the position setting section by performing calculation for integrating the plurality of kinds of probability values calculated by the probability calculation section.

6. The endoscope system according to claim 5, wherein the probability calculation section calculates a plurality of kinds of probability values which are different from one another, based on the result of extraction of the dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section, the result of calculation of the moving speed of the image pickup section, the result of detection of the position and the orientation of the distal end portion in the body cavity, and a result of detection of posture of an object to be examined.

7. The endoscope system according to claim 5, wherein the position setting section corrects the target position based on the value obtained as a result of the calculation by the calculation section.

8. The endoscope system according to claim 5, further comprising a drive control section that drives and controls the endoscope based on the value obtained as a result of the calculation by the calculation section.

9. The endoscope system according to claim 5, wherein the position setting section sets, among pixels of the image, a pixel position at which the value obtained as a result of the calculation by the calculation section is the highest, as the target position.

10. An endoscope system comprising:

an image pickup section that moves inside an object to be examined and acquires an image of an object in the object to be examined;

a position setting section that sets a passage target position of the image pickup section as one pixel position in a dark region of the image corresponding to the image of the object;

a state variable calculation section that calculates a first state variable by applying an average of pixel values in the dark region to a first membership function, calculates a second state variable by applying an average of pixel values of an edge image in a boundary section of the dark region to a second membership function, and further calculates a third state variable indicating a degree of truth and falsehood of the dark region, based on a result obtained by applying the first state variable and the second state variable to a fuzzy set created according to a predetermined rule; and

a probability calculation section that calculates a probability value indicating accuracy of the passage target position based on the state variable.

11. An endoscope system comprising:

an endoscope provided with an insertion portion inserted into a body cavity of an object to be examined and an image pickup section provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion to acquire an image of an object in the body cavity;

a position setting section that sets a passage target position of the distal end portion as one pixel position in a dark region of the image corresponding to the image of the object;

a state variable calculation section that calculates a first state variable by applying an average of pixel values in the dark region to a first membership function, calculates a second state variable by applying an average of pixel values of an edge image in a boundary section of the dark region to a second membership function, and further calculates a third state variable indicating a degree of truth and falsehood of the dark region, based on a result obtained by applying the first state variable and the second state variable to a fuzzy set created according to a predetermined rule; and

a probability calculation section that calculates a probability value indicating accuracy of the passage target position based on the third state variable.

12. The endoscope system according to claim 11, wherein an amount of movement when the distal end portion is brought closer to the passage target position is set as one according to a magnitude of the probability value.

13. The endoscope system according to claim 12, wherein the amount of movement is an amount of bending per unit time of the insertion portion.

14. An endoscope system comprising:

an image pickup section that moves inside a subject to be examined and acquires an image of an object in the subject to be examined;

a probability calculation section that calculates, for each pixel of the image, a plurality of kinds of probability values accuracies of which as a passage target position of the image pickup section are evaluated based on viewpoints different from one another, at least based on a result of extraction of a dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section and a result of calculation of a moving speed of the image pickup section; and

a position setting section that performs calculation for integrating the plurality of kinds of probability values calculated by the probability calculation section, for each pixel of the image, and further sets a pixel position at which a value obtained by the calculation is the highest, as the passage target position.

15. The endoscope according to claim 14, wherein the probability calculation section calculates, for each pixel of the image, a plurality of kinds of probability values accuracies of which as a passage target position of the image pickup section are evaluated based on viewpoints different from one another, based on the result of extraction of the dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section, the result of calculation of the moving speed of the image pickup section, and a result of detection of posture of the object to be examined.

16. An endoscope system comprising:

an endoscope provided with an insertion portion inserted into a body cavity of a subject to be examined and an image pickup section provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion to be acquire an image of an object in the body cavity;

a probability calculation section that calculates, for each pixel of the image, a plurality of kinds of probability values accuracies of which as a passage target position of the distal end portion are evaluated based on viewpoints different from one another, at least based on a result of extraction of a dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section, a result of calculation of a moving speed of the image pickup section, and a result of a detection of a position and an orientation of the distal end portion; and

a position setting section that performs calculation for integrating the plurality of kinds of probability values calculated by the probability calculation section, for each pixel of the image, and further sets a pixel position at which a value obtained by the calculation is the highest, as the passage target position.

17. The endoscope system according to claim 16, wherein the probability calculation section calculates, for each pixel of the image, a plurality of kinds of probability values accuracies of which as a passage target position of the distal end portion are evaluated based on viewpoints different from one another, based on the result of extraction of the dark region in the image picked up by the image pickup section, the result of calculation of the moving speed of the image pickup section, a result of detection of posture of the object to be examined, and the result of the detection of the position and the orientation of the distal end portion.

18. The endoscope system according to claim 16, further comprising a bending control section that performs control for allowing the distal end portion to pass the passage target position set by the position setting section by bending the insertion portion.