IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

• US 20070216781A1
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: MIYANOHARA, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,045,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.990
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000095 for image enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• 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 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An image-pickup apparatus includes: an image-pickup device for converting light into an electric signal and outputting a first image data; a transmitting unit for successively transmitting the first image data to an apparatus in the exterior of the image-pickup apparatus; and a storage unit for storing a second image data extracted from the first image data per frame unit under a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. An image-pickup apparatus comprising:

an image-pickup device for converting light into an electric signal and outputting a first image data;

a transmitting unit for successively transmitting the first image data to an apparatus in the exterior of the image-pickup apparatus; and

a storage unit for storing a second image data extracted from the first image data per frame unit under a predetermined condition.

2. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a data-amount-reducing unit for reducing the data amount associated with the first image data, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the fist data reduced data amount to the exterior apparatus.

3. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a frame-extracting unit for extracting the second image data per frame unit from the fist image data under the predetermined condition.

4. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the frame-extracting unit extracts the second image data in accordance with an instruction supplied from the exterior apparatus.

5. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an information-obtaining unit for obtaining characteristic information which characterizes the first image data, wherein the frame-extracting unit extracts the second image data based on the characteristic information.

6. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an image-analyzing unit for analyzing the first image data, wherein the frame-extracting unit extracts the second image data based on the analysis result obtained by the image-analyzing unit.

7. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

an information-maintaining section for maintaining first characteristic information corresponding to a preceding frame of the first image data; and

an arithmetic-analyzing section for generating a signal corresponding to the varying state of characteristic information between frames and outputting the analysis result, the generation of the varying-state signal being based on the first characteristic information maintained in the information-maintaining section and the second characteristic information corresponding to a succeeding frame of the first image data.

8. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information-maintaining section maintains the frame associated with the first image data;

and

the arithmetic-analyzing section calculates a motion vector between the frames based on the preceding frame maintained in the information-maintaining section and the succeeding frame;

generates a signal corresponding to the varying state of the motion vector, and outputs the analysis result.

9. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an image-compressing section for compressing the frame associated with the first image data under a predetermined compressing condition, wherein

the information-maintaining section maintains a coded amount associated with the compressed and encoded first data;

and

the arithmetic-analyzing section calculates a difference value between the coded amount of the preceding frame maintained in the information-maintaining section and the coded amount associated with the compressed and encoded succeeding frame;

generates a signal corresponding to the varying state of the difference value; and

outputs the analysis result.

10. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the arithmetic-analyzing section further has a threshold-value-maintaining section for maintaining a predetermined threshold;

generating a signal corresponding to the varying state of the inter-frame characteristic information based on the threshold maintained by the threshold-value-maintaining section; and

outputting the analysis result.

11. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the frame-extracting unit extracts the preceding frame of the first image data as the second image data while the succeeding frame associated with the first image data does not extract.

12. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an image-trimming section for trimming a region corresponding to a center of the first image data extracted as the second image data.

13. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 6, the frame associated with the second image data and extracted by the frame-extracting unit is a frame succeeding the frame corresponding to the first image data associated with the analysis result.

14. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number of frames with respect to the second image data is set, and the frame-extracting unit extracts the successive frames of first image data corresponding to the number of frames set with respect to the second image data based on the setting.

15. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a data-amount-reducing unit for reducing a data amount from a frame corresponding to the second image data, wherein the storage unit stores the second image data reduced data amount.

16. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data-amount-reducing unit is adaptive to set a plurality of methods for reducing the data amount.

17. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an information-obtaining unit for obtaining characteristic information which characterizes the first image data, wherein the data-amount-reducing unit sets the method for reducing the data amount based on the characteristic information.

18. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information-obtaining unit for obtaining characteristic information which characterizes the first image data, wherein the storage unit stores the second image data to which the characteristic information is added.

19. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the first image data having a flag indicating that the second image data exists in the storage unit.

20. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the second image data stored in the storage unit instead of the first image data.

21. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the second image data stored in the storage unit instead of the first image data based on an instruction supplied by the exterior apparatus.

22. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an information-obtaining unit for obtaining characteristic information which characterizes the first image data, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the second image data stored in the storage unit instead of the first image data based on the characteristic information.

23. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an image-analyzing unit for analyzing the first image data, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the second image data stored in the storage unit instead of the first image data based on the analysis result obtained by the image-analyzing unit.

24. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the second image data stored in the storage unit instead of the first image data based on the remaining capacity of the storage unit.

25. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information-generating section obtains at least characteristic information associated with temperature information, pH information, blood information, time information, and positional information.

26. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the information-generating section obtains at least characteristic information associated with temperature information, pH information, blood information, time information, and positional information.

27. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the information-generating section obtains at least characteristic information associated with temperature information, pH information, blood information, time information, and positional information.

28. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the information-generating section obtains at least characteristic information associated with temperature information, pH information, blood information, time information, and positional information.

29. The image-pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output-controlling unit for controlling the output of the second image data from the storage unit to the exterior apparatus.