Method for estimating stone size

A method for estimating a stone size, the method being performed for estimating the stone size by a control unit analyzing an image acquired through a camera, the method comprising:

• (a) acquiring an original image of a stone by using the camera mounted on an end portion of an endoscope;
• (b) holding the stone with a basket of the endoscope;
• (c) adjusting a distance between the camera and the basket;
• (d) acquiring an original image containing the stone held with the basket, the original image acquired through the camera mounted on the end portion of the endoscope;
• (e) acquiring an object extraction image from the original image containing the stone held with the basket or the original image of the stone acquired in the process (a);
• (f) acquiring a contour of the stone from the acquired object extraction image;
• and
• (g) estimating an actual stone size by calculating a length of a major axis from pixels corresponding to the acquired contour.

A method for estimating a stone size, the method being performed for estimating the stone size by a control unit analyzing an image acquired through a camera, the method comprising:

• (a) acquiring an original image of a stone by using the camera mounted on an end portion of an endoscope;
• (b) holding the stone with a basket of the endoscope;
• (c) extracting a stone portion image by using a first image acquired at a first position and a second image acquired at a second position, the first position being a position at the time when the stone is held with the basket and the second position being a position after the basket is moved;
• (d) acquiring a maximum number of pixels corresponding to a maximum major axis length of the stone from the stone portion image acquired from the first image and the second image and then calculating a change rate of the number of pixels;
• (g) acquiring a change rate of the maximum number of pixels for a distance between the camera and the stone;
• and
• (h) calculating an actual stone size on the basis of a value calculated in the process (g).

A method for estimating a stone size, the method being performed for estimating the stone size by a control unit analyzing an image acquired through a camera, the method comprising:

• (a) acquiring an original image of a stone by using the camera mounted on an end portion of an endoscope;
• (b) moving the endoscope in a direction toward the stone or pulling the endoscope in a direction opposite to the stone;
• (c) acquiring an original image of the stone by using the camera mounted on the end portion of an endoscope after the process (b);
• (d) acquiring an object extraction image from the original image acquired in the process (a);
• (e) acquiring an object extraction image from the original image acquired in the process (c);
• (f) calculating the number of horizontal pixels and the number of vertical pixels of the stone from the results acquired in the process (d) and the process (e);
• and
• (g) calculating a distance between the camera and the stone by using values calculated in the process (f).