YCBCR pulsed illumination scheme in a light deficient environment

• US 9,516,239 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Blanquart, Laurent, Richardson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael
• Application Number:
  US13/952,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20140160318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 348/65, 348/68, 348/208.99, 348/234, 348/241, 348/294
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000095 for image enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/063 for monochromatic or narrow-band illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/041 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6016 Conversion to subtractive colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/12 with one sensor only
• 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 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/11 Arrangement of colour filter arrays [CFA]; Filter mosaics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/70 SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/646 for image enhancement, e.g. vertical detail restoration, cross-colour elimination, contour correction, chrominance trapping filters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/77 : Circuits for processing the brightness signal and the chrominance signal relative to each other, e.g. adjusting the phase of the brightness signal relative to the colour signal, correcting differential gain or differential phase circuits for matrixing H04N9/67

Abstract

The disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for digital imaging in an ambient light deficient environment. The disclosure includes an imaging sensor that comprises an array of pixels for sensing electromagnetic radiation. The disclosure includes an emitter that is configured to emit a pulse of electromagnetic radiation and a control unit that comprises a processor. The control unit is in electrical communication with the imaging sensor and the emitter. The control unit is configured to synchronize the emitter and the imaging sensor so as to produce a plurality of image reference frames. The plurality of image reference frames comprise a luminance frame comprising luminance image data and a chrominance frame comprising chrominance data, wherein the plurality of image reference frames are combined to form a color image.

Claims

1. A system for digital imaging in an ambient light deficient environment comprising:

an imaging sensor comprising an array of pixels for sensing electromagnetic radiation;

an emitter configured to emit a pulse of electromagnetic radiation; and

a control unit comprising a processor and wherein the control unit is in electrical communication with the imaging sensor and the emitter;

wherein the control unit is configured to synchronize the emitter and the imaging sensor so as to produce a plurality of image reference frames; and

wherein the plurality of image reference frames comprise a luminance frame comprising luminance image data and a chrominance frame comprising chrominance data that are combined to form a color image;

wherein the image sensor comprises pixels having a plurality of pixel sensitivities;

wherein the pixel sensitivities comprise a long exposure and a short exposure; and

wherein the image sensor is configured to produce a sequence of frames comprising;

a luminance frame of long exposure pixel data and short exposure pixel data,

a red chrominance frame of long exposure pixel data and short exposure pixel data,

and

a blue chrominance frame of long exposure pixel data and short exposure pixel data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter comprises a plurality of sources that each emits a pulse of a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sources are configured to be actuated simultaneously.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sources are configured to produce a pulse of a predetermined interval.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulse of electromagnetic radiation is modulated to provide luminance information according to color transformation coefficients that convert light energy from red, green, blue light energy space to luminance, chrominance blue, and chrominance red light energy space.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulse of electromagnetic radiation is modulated to provide chrominance information according to color transformation coefficients that convert light energy from red, green, blue light energy space to luminance, chrominance blue, and chrominance red light energy space.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the chrominance information is blue.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the chrominance information is red.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter produces a pulsing pattern of luminance, chrominance blue, luminance, chrominance red.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter produces a pulsing pattern of luminance;

chrominance blue combined with chrominance red;

luminance; and

chrominance blue combined with chrominance red.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to use chrominance frames more than once to reconstruct resultant frames.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a luminance coefficient is added to chrominance frames by an image signal processor and wherein the luminance coefficient is an integer that is a multiple of (½

)ⁿ, where n is a final system frame rate.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor comprises

uniform, monochromatic pixels configured to be read individually.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the uniform, monochromatic pixels can be read after exposure to a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the plurality of pulses have a long exposure and a short exposure.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the imaging sensor is a monochrome sensor.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the pixels are sensitive to different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter emits a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation that comprise luminance, chrominance red, and chrominance blue, such that luminance is represented in the pattern twice as often as red chrominance and blue chrominance.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein a pulse of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter is of a wavelength that is not visible to humans.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulse of electromagnetic radiation comprises a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation that comprise wavelengths that are visible to humans and that are not visible to humans.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulse of electromagnetic radiation comprises a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation that are emitted at differing magnitudes.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the differing magnitudes correspond to the imaging sensor'"'"'s sensitivity to differing wavelengths.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising an endoscope for accessing the ambient light deficient environment having a hand piece attached to said endoscope and wherein said endoscope is maneuvered by manipulation of the hand piece.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the imaging sensor is disposed within the endoscope at a distal portion thereof relative to the hand piece.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the imaging sensor is disposed within the hand piece.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the pulses of electromagnetic radiation are transmitted through fiber optics from the emitter to a tip of the endoscope.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter comprises light emitting diodes.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein said pixel array comprises a plurality of subsets of pixels, wherein the plurality of subsets of pixels each have different sensitivities.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein variations in sensitivity for different subsets of pixels are accomplished by separate, global exposure periods.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitter is laser.