System and method for editing an image stream captured in-vivo

• US 8,682,142 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Horn, Eli, Krupnik, Hagai, Boskovitz, Victor, Rosenfeld, Stas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams, Eileen
• Application Number:
  US13/051,229
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/278
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A system and method may allow editing of an image stream, which may be produced by, for example, an ingestible capsule. A workstation accepts images acquired by the capsule and displays the images on a monitor as a moving image. The editing method may include, for example, selecting images which follow or conform to a combination of a plurality of predetermined criteria. A shortened movie may thus be created.

Claims

1. An editing system to edit an initial image stream, the system comprising:

a storage unit to store the initial image stream captured from a body lumen, the initial image stream comprising image frames;

an editing filter processor to evaluate each image frame based on a combination of a plurality of predefined criteria, detect entrances and exits to organs reflected in images within the image stream, assign a combined score to each image frame based on the evaluation, divide the initial image stream into a plurality of segments wherein each segment is defined by a detected entrance and exit to an organ in the body lumen, produce an edited image stream by automatically selecting a number of image frames for each segment defined by a detected entrance and exit to an organ, each image frame being selected based on the combined score; and

a display to display the edited image stream.

2. The editing system of claim 1, wherein image frames are displayed which have a combined score above a threshold or within a threshold value range.

3. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the criteria are selected from the group consisting of:

pathology detected, capsule location, anatomical region being imaged, capsule motion, capsule orientation, frame capture or transmission rate, and similarity between consecutive frames.

4. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the combined score for a frame is a weighted average of values respectively associated with each criterion.

5. The editing system of claim 1, wherein frames selected are added to a second edited image stream to fill in gaps between the frames thereof.

6. The editing system of claim 5, wherein the second edited image stream is generated using frames selected by a second editing filter.

7. The editing system of claim 5, wherein additional frames are added from a segment of the first edited image stream when the number of frames in a corresponding segment of the second edited image stream is below a predetermined number.

8. The editing system of claim 5, wherein a number of frames are added so that the maximum gap in the capture time between consecutive images of the second edited image stream is below a predetermined threshold.

9. The editing system of claim 1, wherein a frame is removed based on the combined score for the frame.

10. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the segments are divided along natural transitions between anatomical regions.

11. The editing system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the segments may be edited in a different manner based on a different set of criteria.

12. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the editing filter processor is to evaluate each image frame based on compressed data of a frame header associated with the frame.

13. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of image frames is determined by:

Nout=Nbase+(Nin−

Nbase)*(beta)

where Nbase is the predetermined number of image frames, Nin is the number of image frames of the initial image stream, and beta is a scaling factor.

14. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the editing filter is to produce an edited image stream by automatically selecting a predetermined number of image frames for each segment.

15. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the editing filter is to produce an edited image stream by automatically selecting, from each segment defined by a detected organ, a percentage of image frames from a total number of frames captured in that segment of the initial image stream for each segment.

16. The editing system of claim 1, wherein the editing filter is to produce an edited image stream by maintaining a consistent frame density among different segments, wherein the frame density is a number of frames selected from a segment in the edited image stream relative to a total number of frames in a corresponding segment of the initial image stream.

17. A method for editing an initial image stream, the method comprising:

capturing an initial image stream from a body lumen, the initial image stream comprising image frames;

detecting entrances and exits to organs reflected in images within the image stream,

evaluating each image frame based on a combination of a plurality of predefined criteria;

assigning a combined score to each image frame based on the evaluation;

dividing the initial image stream into a plurality of segments wherein each segment is defined by a detected entrance and exit to an organ in the body lumen;

producing an edited image stream by automatically selecting a predetermined number of image frames for each segment defined by a detected entrance and exit to an organ, each image frame being selected based on the combined score; and

displaying the edited image stream.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising displaying image frames which have a combined score above a threshold or within a threshold value range.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria are selected from the group consisting of:

pathology detected, capsule location, anatomical region being imaged, capsule motion, capsule orientation, frame capture or transmission rate, and similarity between consecutive frames.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the combined score for a frame is a weighted average of values respectively associated with each criterion.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein frames selected are added to a second edited image stream to fill in gaps between the frames thereof.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein a frame is removed based on the combined score for the frame.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein additional frames are added from a segment of the first edited image stream when the number of frames in a corresponding segment of the second edited image stream is below a predetermined number.