US 12,081,858 B2
Imaging system for identifying a boundary between active and inactive portions of a digital image
Jonathan Bormet, Goleta, CA (US)
Assigned to KARL STORZ Imaging, Inc.
Filed by KARL STORZ Imaging, Inc., Goleta, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/352,645.
Application 17/352,645 is a continuation of application No. 15/040,688, filed on Feb. 10, 2016, granted, now 11,044,390.
Prior Publication US 2021/0314470 A1, Oct. 7, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04N 5/225 (2006.01); G06T 7/12 (2017.01); G06T 7/35 (2017.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/69 (2023.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01); H04N 23/50 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/56 (2023.01) [G06T 7/12 (2017.01); G06T 7/35 (2017.01); H04N 23/69 (2023.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01); G06T 2207/10068 (2013.01); H04N 23/555 (2023.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An imaging system, comprising:
a light source configured to illuminate an object with light;
an imaging scope that captures light returning from the object and transmits the captured light in the form of a captured light beam having a cross-sectional shape that is at least partially circular;
a camera configured to receive the captured light from the imaging scope and generate a digital image representative of the captured light, the camera including a zoom device and a light sensor, the zoom device configured to receive the captured light from the imaging scope before the captured light is received by the light sensor, the zoom device is selectively adjustable between a low magnification configuration and a high magnification configuration, wherein in the low magnification the zoom device magnifies the captured light such that the captured light occupies only a portion of the light-sensitive surface when received thereon, and in the high magnification the zoom device magnifies the captured light such that the captured light occupies all of the light-sensitive surface of the light sensor when received thereon;
an image processor configured to receive the digital image from the camera, detect boundary points each corresponding to at least one pixel of the digital image, using a random sample consensus (RANSAC) technique to (i) process the boundary points to determine a shape and a position of a boundary between an active portion and an inactive portion of the digital image, the shape of the boundary being at least partially circular and (ii) generate a boundary data indicative of the shape and the position of the boundary, the image processor further including an error and reasonableness detector configured to receive the boundary data and a curve from the determined shape and determine whether or not a number of the boundary points lying within the curve satisfies a predetermined confidence measure and when the boundary points lying within the curve does not satisfy the predetermined confidence measure, the image processor is further configured to detect the boundary points again and update the detected boundary points with a minor perturbation until the boundary data satisfies the predetermined confidence measure; and
a system controller configured to receive the boundary data that has satisfied the predetermined confidence measure from the image processor, and use said boundary data to select and/or adjust a digital zooming on the digital image.