Method and System for Eliminating Image Motion Blur in A Multiple Viewing Elements Endoscope

摘要

In a multiple viewing elements endoscope, fuzziness and blur in the images due to movement of the endoscope is reduced by using flashing illuminators instead of continuous illumination. In one embodiment, LED illuminators are flashed at high intensity and for a very short duration. To address interlacing artifacts, LEDs are flashed once at the end of a field and again at the beginning of the following field to minimize the time difference between the capture of the two fields. In another embodiment, the LEDs are flashed once wherein the single flash overlaps the end of a field and the beginning of the following field. In some embodiments, still images may be captured with fine detail by pressing a button on the endoscope handle which activates the LEDs to flash along with the capture of an image. In one embodiment, pressing a button for still image capture results in the capture of two fields, each accompanied by a flash, which are interlaced to form a single still image frame.

主权项

1. An endoscope system comprising:
an endoscope having a tip; one or more viewing elements positioned in said tip, wherein each viewing element comprises an image sensor and lens assembly; one or more discrete illuminators positioned in said tip to illuminate the fields of view of said viewing elements; and a controller external to said endoscope for concurrently controlling the viewing elements and the illuminators, wherein the controller is configured to flash the illuminators in a pair of flashes for a pre-set duration relative to a single interlaced image frame comprising a first integration frame having a first length, a first beginning, and a first end and a second integration frame having a second length, a second beginning, and a second end, wherein a first flash of said pair of flashes is configured to have a first pre-set duration beginning after said first beginning and ending before or at said first end of said first integration frame and wherein a second flash of said pair of flashes is configured to a have a second pre-set duration beginning at or after said second beginning and ending before said second end of said second integration frame.