In the medical world, endoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that incorporates a flexible tube with an attached camera inserted through a small cut or opening in the body. Specialized instruments also can be used on the endoscope to operate on internal organs and vessels. Although the procedure offers a much lower risk of bleeding and infection than open surgery, complications such as organ perforation or other types of damage are possible.

A new platform from OmniVision Technologies Inc., a developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, and Lighthouse Imaging, a medical contract manufacturer and product development firm, is designed to lower the risk potential of endoscopic surgery. It enables medical device manufacturers to integrate stereoscopic 3D imaging into endoscopes, providing depth information that is unavailable in traditional, single-camera devices. The platform was announced at the MD&M West trade show, which is running from Feb. 5-7 in Anaheim, California.

OmniVision’s two CMOS image sensors and image signal processor (ISP), plus Lighthouse’s light control board for LED illumination and camera control unit are incorporated into the platform. The two OH02A image sensors provide 1.4-micron pixel technology in a 1/6-in optical format, and support alternate-row high dynamic range (HDR) for high-quality imaging of both bright and dark areas. The sensors drive the LEDs at the distal tip of the endoscope through on-chip pulse width modulation, while anti-reflective coating on the cover glass removes ghosting. According to OmniVision, the sensors are “stereo-ready” with technology allowing accurate synchronization; they come in compact chip-scale packages (CSPs) with two-lane MIPI output, offering low power consumption for low heat at the distal tip.

In addition, the compact form factor of the ISP back-end processor fits inside the camera control unit (CCU) or video processor unit (VPU). It supports an integrated design including analog-to-digital converter, and dual-channel ISP and PC interface. An input interface is provided for dual OmniVision image sensors, and video is output via a dual-USB2.0 interface. The predefined GPIO pins connect to buttons to control the system. The processor also has a fast response time of less than 100 ms. A software development kit (SDK) and API are provided, with software compatible with the Windows operating system.

With their 2-megapixel, 1080 pixel (p) resolution, the image sensors support streaming video at 60 frames per second (fps); this can enable an entire medical team to view high-quality images on a large television monitor. The Lighthouse platform also can be adapted to use OmniVision sensors with 720p or 4K/2K resolution, depending upon whether cost or resolution takes priority for a medical device manufacturer. The system is also fully customizable for optimization of system-level architecture for specific applications.

For more information, visit the websites for OmniVision or Lighthouse Imaging.