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US 9,492,060 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.
Claims37
A method for adjusting fixed pattern noise in a digital imaging process for use with an endoscope in ambient light deficient environments comprising:
- controlling emissions of electromagnetic radiation using a controlled source of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the controlled source of electromagnetic radiation is an emitter that pulses a plurality of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation;
- continuously focusing a scene onto a pixel array;
- sensing reflected electromagnetic radiation with said pixel array to create an image frame;
- providing at startup a cap that fits over a lumen of the endoscope such that the cap is blocking external illumination to each pixel in said pixel array;
- automatically initiating a calibration procedure by a camera control unit and performing correction steps at startup when the endoscope is connected to the camera control unit;
- sensing the pixel array while the cap is in place with no applied electromagnetic radiation;
- creating a dark frame reference for use in removing fixed pattern noise;
- comparing the dark frame reference to the image frame;
- and
- correcting the image frame by removing fixed pattern noise from an image using the dark frame reference.
7 more elements
A system for digital imaging for use in ambient light deficient environments comprising:
- a camera control unit;
- a controlled source of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the controlled source is an emitter that emits a plurality of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation;
- an endoscope comprising a lumen and a CMOS image sensor, wherein the image sensor comprises a pixel array and that senses reflected electromagnetic radiation with said pixel array;
- optics for continuously focusing a scene onto said pixel array;
- a cap configured to cover a distal end of the lumen such the camera control unit initiates a calibration procedure for adjusting fixed pattern noise and white balance at startup when the endoscope is connected to the camera control unit.
2 more elements
A method for adjusting white balance in a digital imaging process for use with an endoscope in ambient light deficient environments comprising:
- illuminating a scene using a controlled source of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the controlled source of electromagnetic radiation is an emitter that pulses a plurality of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation;
- continuously focusing the scene onto a pixel array;
- sensing reflected electromagnetic radiation with said pixel array;
- providing at startup a cap that fits over a lumen of the endoscope, such that the cap is blocking external illumination to each pixel in said pixel array;
- automatically initiating a calibration procedure by a camera control unit and performing correction steps at startup when the endoscope is connected to the camera control unit;
- sensing the pixel array while the cap is in place with applied electromagnetic radiation;
- measuring a response from the pixel array with applied electromagnetic radiation and outputting a result in memory;
- using the result to compute white balance coefficients;
- and
- white balancing the system using the white balance coefficients.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.