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US 2011/0237940 A1Published application
Medical Imaging Apparatus and Method
AssigneeHeadwater Partners II LLC
InventorGregory G. Raleigh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical device is used to image a body cavity using a plurality of axially and angularly spaced imaging sensors. Each i generates an image that is distinct from one another due to distinct fields of vision. Each image includes an overlapping zone with commonalities that are used to extrapolate a greater calibrated image.
Claims41
A method comprising:
- imaging a first cavity portion of a greater body cavity using a first imaging sensor of a catheter to generate a first digital image;
- imaging a second cavity portion of the greater body cavity using a second imaging sensor of the catheter to generate a second digital image;
- wherein the first and second cavity portions are contiguous portions of the greater body cavity, and wherein first and second images partially overlap in an overlap portion;
- and
- generating a greater image of the greater body cavity from at least the first and second digital images;
- the generating including identifying the overlap portion in the first image, identifying the overlap portion in the second image, and using the identified overlap portion to combine the first and second images to generate the greater image.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- inserting a catheter having a plurality of angularly and axially separated imaging assembly into a calibration subject assembly having a plurality of calibration references, wherein each imaging sensor has a distinct field of view of at least one calibration reference of the plurality of calibration references;
- generating a plurality of images of the calibration references using the plurality of imaging sensors;
- determining imaging accuracy for the plurality of imaging sensors based on dimensional aspects of the plurality of imaged calibration references;
- and
- determining an imaging correction factor for the catheter based on the determined imaging accuracy.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- imaging an interior portion of a balloon having distortable reference markings using a plurality of optical imaging signals that are received and digitized to produce an uncalibrated composite image;
- and
- generating a calibrated image from the plurality of optical images by calibrating imaged distortions of the reference markings with known physical properties of the reference markings, wherein a correction factor is applied during generation to reduce errors in the calibrated image, wherein the balloon is of a catheter that is inserted into a body cavity.
An apparatus comprising:
- an elongated catheter having a distal portion;
- and
- a plurality of imaging sensors coupled to the distal portion,
- wherein the plurality of imaging sensors are axially and angularly spaced apart from one another, wherein the plurality of imaging sensors have distinct and partially-overlapping fields of view with respect to one another.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- an elongated catheter comprising:
- a balloon coupled to a distal portion of the elongated catheter;
- a plurality of imaging sensors coupled to the catheter within the balloon,
- wherein the balloon has a plurality of distortable reference markings;
- and
- an image processing device coupled to receive signals from the imaging sensors of the elongated catheter, the image processing device comprising a processor coupled to memory having instructions executable by the processor to perform a method, wherein the method comprises:
- imaging an interior portion of the balloon using the plurality of imaging sensors to produce a respective plurality of optical images;
- and
- generating a calibrated image from the plurality of images by calibrating imaged distortions of the reference markings with known dimensions of the reference markings.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.