Patent ID: 9603508
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A method of obtaining endoscopic maps with an endoscope having a longitudinal axis and a view vector with an attendant view that pivots relative to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope, the method comprising: programming a scan trajectory along which the view vector moves relative to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope to provide a predefined sequence of overlapping views of a surface; capturing a sequence of overlapping images corresponding to the predefined sequence of overlapping views as the view vector moves along the scan trajectory; associating a set of configuration coordinates with each of the captured images; using the captured images and the configuration coordinates associated therewith to create a map of the surface larger than the view that attends the view vector; and selecting a location on the map and automatically moving the view vector to an orientation of the view vector when an image corresponding to the location was captured.