The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 18, 2005
Filed:
Sep. 26, 2002
Mitsuru Higuchi, Saitama, JP;
Daisuke Ayame, Saitama, JP;
Kazunori Abe, Saitama, JP;
Shinji Takeuchi, Saitama, JP;
Keiichi Negishi, Yokohama, JP;
Mitsuru Higuchi, Saitama, JP;
Daisuke Ayame, Saitama, JP;
Kazunori Abe, Saitama, JP;
Shinji Takeuchi, Saitama, JP;
Keiichi Negishi, Yokohama, JP;
Fujinon Corporation, Saitama, JP;
Abstract
The apparatus according to the present invention includes a level adjusting circuit that increases a gain of a G (or B) signal output from a color conversion circuit, a binarization circuit that forms a binarized image from this G signal and an edge detection circuit that extracts blood vessel position signals through edge detection based on this binarized signal. Then, the apparatus extracts RGB color signals making up a blood vessel image by using the above-described blood vessel position signals, increases the gains of these blood vessel color signals and then adds the blood vessel color signals to the color signals of an original image. This allows blood vessels to be displayed in high contrast to mucous membranes, etc. Furthermore, the apparatus can also amplify the R signal and B signal by using a signal obtained by differentiating the above-described G signal as a gain signal to highlight blood vessels.