Automatic exposure control for endoscopic imaging
US10609291B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 17, 2015 |
| Grant date | Mar 31, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 22, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N23/555
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An endoscopic apparatus and method to capture an image of in-vivo tissue with automatic exposure control. For example, the method includes capturing image data on an image sensor and analyzing an indication of brightness of each pixel to determine whether the captured image data is saturated. When the image data is saturated, the method includes reducing the exposure period by a first increment, and repeating the capturing and analyzing steps until the captured image data is not saturated. When the captured image data is not saturated, in some embodiments, the method includes analyzing the indication of brightness of each pixel compared to a threshold indicative of use of a proportion of an available dynamic range of the image sensor, and when it is determined that the threshold has not been reached, increasing the exposure period by a second increment that has a magnitude relative to the first increment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.