Patent · US Expired

Electronic endoscope system with color-balance alteration process

US6879339B2 · kind B2 · utility

46Cited by
9References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 22, 2002
Grant dateApr 12, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 17, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B1/045
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electronic endoscope system with a color-balance alteration system includes a video scope having a CCD image sensor for producing a frame of color image-pixel-signals composed of frames of red, green, and blue image-pixel-signals. In the color-balance alteration system, nine red signals are extracted from the frame of red image-pixel-signals, and the nine signals form a 3×3 matrix including a central signal, and the eight circumferential signals. All four sets of three signals are selected from the nine signals, and each set of three signals is composed of the central signal, and two neighbouring signals aligned with each other such that the central signal lies therebetween. When a signal level of the central signal is smaller than both signal levels of the two circumferential signals with respect to even one set of three signals, the signal level of signal is decreased.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.