Video endoscopic system

• US 10,783,626 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 09/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: Mihalca, Gheorghe, Tran, Baoduy, Rodriguez, Carlos A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caschera, Antonio A
• Application Number:
  US15/474,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20170202443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00029 externally powered, e.g. wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00103 designed for single use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00124 electrical, e.g. electrical plug-and-socket connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00135 Oversleeves mounted on the endoscope prior to insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/044 for absorption imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0669 at proximal end of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/317 for bones or joints, e.g. osteoscopes, arthroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2469 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30008 Bone
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 : involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 : Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 : relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6008 : with primary colour signals, e.g. RGB or CMY(K)
• 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

Abstract

Image data representing an image captured by a video endoscopic device is converted from a first color space to a second color space. The image data in the second color space is used to determine the location of features in the image.

Claims

1. A video endoscopic device, comprising:

a video camera assembly extending along an axis and including a camera interface and a first coil; and

a proximal body extending from the video camera assembly along the axis and including;

an illumination post extending transverse to the axis having one or more light sources configured to emit a visible light having a visible wavelength within a visible light range and an excitation light having an excitation wavelength shorter than the visible wavelength operable to excite tissue of interest using autofluorescence, and

a second coil electrically coupled to the one or more light sources,

wherein the video camera assembly is coupleable to the proximal body,

wherein the camera interface is operative to provide power for transmission to the first coil,

wherein the first coil is operative to transmit the power, through inductive coupling, to the second coil, and

wherein the visible light is broadband light and the excitation light is narrowband light.

2. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the first coil is further operative to transmit the power, through the inductive coupling, to the second coil for transmission to the one or more light sources.

3. The video endoscope device of claim 1 wherein the first coil is operative to transmit the power to the second coil through near-field coupling.

4. The video endoscope device of claim 1 wherein the first coil is operative to transmit the power to the second coil through far-field coupling.

5. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the video camera assembly and the proximal body are free to rotate around the axis, thereby providing optical focusing and direction of view changes during use of the video endoscopic device.

6. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the one or more light sources comprises a tunable light emitting diode configured to selectively emit the visible light and the excitation light.

7. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the one or more light sources comprises a first light source configured to emit the visible light and a second light source configured to emit the excitation light.

8. The video endoscopic device of claim 7 further including:

a first fiber bundle abutting the first light source and configured for light transmission in the visible light range from the first light source through the proximal body; and

a second fiber bundle abutting the second light source and configured for light transmission of light having a shorter wavelength than the visible light range from the second light source through the proximal body.

9. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the video camera assembly includes a charge coupled device with a Bayer pattern configuration to deliver red, green, and blue image data.

10. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the second coil is disposed in the illumination post.

11. The video endoscopic device of claim 1 wherein the visible light is a white light and the excitation light has a wavelength of 395 nanometers.