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US 11,950,006 B2Granted
White balance and fixed pattern noise frame calibration using distal cap
AssigneeDePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
InventorLaurent Blanquart
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for producing an image in light deficient environments and correction of white balance and/or fixed pattern noise at startup or at any other time during a procedure.
Claims27
A method for adjusting white balance in a digital imaging process for use with an endoscope in ambient light deficient environments comprising:
- providing, during a training period, a cap that selectively covers a distal end of a lumen of the endoscope such that the cap is blocking external illumination to each pixel in a pixel array;
- illuminating, during the training period, an interior of the cap using a controlled source of electromagnetic radiation;
- determining, after the endoscope reaches its operating temperature during the training period, white balance coefficients while the cap is covering the distal end of the lumen and while illuminating the interior of the cap by the controlled source of electromagnetic radiation;
- removing the cap from the distal end of the lumen at the operating temperature for the endoscope;
- in response to removing the cap from the distal end of the lumen, sensing electromagnetic radiation with the pixel array to create an image frame;
- and
- correcting white balance of the image frame using the white balance coefficients.
4 more elements
A system for digital imaging for use in ambient light deficient environments comprising:
- an endoscope comprising a lumen and an image sensor, wherein the image sensor comprises a pixel array that senses electromagnetic radiation;
- a cap configured to selectively cover a distal end of the lumen to block external illumination to each pixel in the pixel array;
- a camera control unit in electrical communication with the image sensor;
- and
- a controlled source of electromagnetic radiation;
- wherein, during a training period, an interior of the cap is illuminated by the controlled source of electromagnetic radiation;
- wherein the image sensor determines, after the endoscope reaches its operating temperature during the training period, white balance coefficients while the cap is covering the distal end of the lumen and while illuminating the interior of the cap by the controlled source of electromagnetic radiation, and, in response to removing the cap from the lumen at the operating temperature, senses electromagnetic radiation with the pixel array to create an image frame;
- and
- wherein the camera control unit corrects white balance of the image frame using the white balance coefficients.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.