Auto zoom for video camera

• US 9,060,674 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karl Storz Imaging, Inc (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Original Assignee: Karl Storz Imaging, Inc (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Inventors: Amling, Marc R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P
• Application Number:
  US13/649,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 600/118, 600/168, 348/65, 348/74
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000095 for image enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00011 characterised by signal transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00078 with stiffening means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0661 Endoscope light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• 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 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An endoscope, endoscopic system and method for filling a medical display with a medical image involving sizing the medical image so that it covers at least one of the dimensions of the medical display. Automatically sizing the medical image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the surgical display, the sizing of the image involving adjusting the image size to account for changing zoom factors, endoscopes and imaging conditions.

Claims

1. A method for filling a medical display with a medical image, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a medical display, the medical display having dimensions for displaying an image;

receiving the medical image from an imager; and

sizing the medical image via software executing on the medical display, the step of sizing involving;

determining pixels of the medical display that do not have the medical image,

determining a demarcation point between the image and the pixels that do not have the medical image, and

optimizing, either vertically, horizontally, or corner-to-corner in the medical display to fit the dimensions of the display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the medical display to fit the dimensions of the display,

wherein the sizing of the medical image is controlled by gesture detection or voice control.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a user can select a region of interest in the medical display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sizing the medical image is automatic.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing image navigation software, the image navigation software executing on the medical display to perform the steps of receiving and sizing the medical image.

5. A method for sizing an endoscopic image to fit a display comprising:

providing an endoscope, the endoscope associated with an imager;

capturing an image with the imager;

providing a display, the display being in communication with the imager;

conveying the image from the imager to the display; and

sizing the image, the step of sizing involving;

determining pixels of the medical display that do not have the image,

determining a demarcation point between the image and the pixels that do not have the image, and

optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the display to fit the dimensions of the display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the display to fit the dimensions of the display,

wherein the sizing of the image is controlled by gesture detection or voice control.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sizing of the image is automatic.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the imager includes zoom factors and wherein the sizing of the images adjusts the zoom factors of the imager.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the endoscopic imager is a solid state imager.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the method is performed on an endoscopic video system, CCU, proximal camera, distal imager on a rigid endoscope, distal imager on a flexible endoscope, videoscope, and endoscope with an embedded imager.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the sending the image from the imager to the display involves sending an electronic signal.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the sizing of the image to fit the dimensions of the display involves software executing on the display.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising processing the image prior to sizing the image.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising resizing the image to adjust for changing zoom factors, endoscopes and imaging conditions.

14. An endoscopic surgical system comprising:

an endoscope, the endoscope comprising;

a housing having an imaging module,

an objective lens disposed in the imaging module,

an imager disposed in the imaging module,

a light source, and

a camera control unit in communication with the imaging module, the camera control unit including image navigation software in communication with the imager;

a display; and

software executing on the display for automatically sizing an endoscope image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the display, the step of sizing the endoscope image involving;

determining pixels of the medical display that do not have the endoscope image,

determining a demarcation point between the endoscope image and the pixels that do not have the endoscope image, and

optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the display to fit the dimensions of the display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the display to fit the dimensions of the display,

wherein gesture detection or voice control controls the optimization of the endoscope image.

15. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the imager is disposed in the distal end of the housing.

16. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the imager captures a field of view.

17. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the objective lens is a wide-angle lens.

18. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the software for sizing an endoscope image involves sizing the image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the display.

19. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the software for sizing an endoscope image adjusts for changing zoom factors, endoscopes and imaging conditions.

20. The endoscopic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the software for sizing the image adjusts for imaging conditions.

21. A method for sizing an endoscopic image to fit a surgical display comprising:

providing an imager;

capturing an image with said imager;

conveying the image from the imager to a surgical display in communication with the imager;

automatically sizing the captured image to fit either the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner dimensions of the surgical display, the sizing of the image involving

determining pixels of the surgical display that do not have the image,

determining a demarcation point between the image and the pixels that do not have the medical image, and

optimizing, either vertically, horizontally or corner-to-corner in the surgical display to fit the dimensions of the surgical display based upon adjustment of the demarcation point either at the vertical, horizontal, or corner-to-corner edge of the surgical display to fit the dimensions of the surgical display,

adjusting the image size to account for changing zoom factors, endoscope and imaging conditions,

wherein the captured image is vertically optimized, horizontally optimized or corner-to-corner optimized in the surgical display, and

wherein the sizing of the captured image is controlled by gesture detection or voice control.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the automatic sizing the captured image adjusts for magnification factors used to capture the captured image.