System and method for concurrent transfer and processing and real time viewing of in-vivo images

• US 8,369,589 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Davidson, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, David E
• Application Number:
  US12/065,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20080260223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,340 Days
• Field of Search: 382128-133, 600/371, 600/476
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for a concurrent transferring of an image stream gathered by an in-vivo sensing device, including creating a plurality of segments from at least a portion of the image stream and concurrently transferring the created segments. Other embodiments of the present invention provide and system and method for a concurrent processing of an image stream gathered by an in-vivo sensing device, including creating a plurality of segments from at least a portion of the image stream and concurrently processing the created segments.

Claims

1. A method for processing of an image stream gathered by an in-vivo sensing device, the image stream comprising a plurality of images of a gastrointestinal tract, the method comprising:

partitioning, by a processor at least a portion of the image stream into a plurality of segments, each segment including a plurality of images;

conducting a preliminary analysis to determine segments of interest which are likely to include an image of a pathological structure or bleeding;

determining a priority order of processing said plurality of segments, wherein at least one segment of interest is processed first;

processing said plurality of segments by a processor, according to the determined priority order of processing; and

displaying said processed segments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of segments comprise at least a plurality of images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of segments are substantially uniform in size.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning comprises partitioning at least a portion of the image stream according to anatomical structures being imaged.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of segments comprises images of a different anatomical region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of segments are non-consecutive in the image stream.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining which of said plurality of segments are likely to include an image of bleeding or a pathology.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring said plurality of segments to a display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining which of said segments to concurrently transfer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising concurrently fetching recorded data from storage.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein processing said segments comprises analyzing one or more of the plurality of images in said segments.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein processing said segments comprises at least one operation selected from the group consisting of:

feature detection, feature extraction, making diagnoses, deriving location, image clean-up or clarification, noise reduction, adjusting color, adjusting contrast, and determining a size of the segments.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein processing said segments comprises processing raw image stream data.

21. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying the at least one segment of interest is review by a clinician, while other segments are being processed.

11. A system for expediting processing of a raw image stream gathered by an in-vivo sensing device, the image stream comprising a plurality of images of a gastrointestinal tract, the system comprising:

a plurality of processors configured to;

partition at least a portion of the image stream into a plurality of segments, each segment including a plurality of images from the image stream;

conduct a preliminary analysis to determine segments of interest which are likely to include an image of a pathological structure or bleeding;

determine a priority order of processing said plurality of segments, wherein at least one segment of interest is processed first;

process said segments according to the determined priority order of processing; and

produce a combined image stream from the processed segments; and

a display to display the combined image stream.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of said segments that is processed is processed by a different one of said plurality of processors.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said segments are non-consecutive in the image stream.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said plurality of processors determine which of said segments to process.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said plurality of processors concurrently transfer said segments.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said processors are components of a receiver, a workstation or an in-vivo sensing device.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising an external receiver, wherein the in vivo sensing device comprises a transmitter to wirelessly transmit the image stream to the external receiver.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one segment of interest is displayed for review by a clinician, while other segments are being processed.