Patent ID: 8638360

Claim:
A method for adjusting the sensitivity of an image sensor of videoendoscopic probe, the method comprising: adjusting an integration duration of the image sensor between a minimum integration duration and an image frame duration, receiving from the image sensor a frame signal, amplifying the frame signal by applying an adjusted amplification gain between different minimum and maximum gain values, for each frame of the frame signal, determining an average value of the frame signal, calculating a new integration duration as a function of the average value, determining whether the new integration duration is comprised between the minimum integration duration and a maximum integration duration higher than the frame duration, in response to determining that the new integration duration is comprised between the minimum integration duration and the maximum integration duration, establishing the integration duration at the new integration duration and maintaining the amplification gain at a fixed value, determining whether the new integration duration is higher than the maximum integration duration, and in response to determining that the new integration duration is higher than the maximum integration duration, maintaining the integration duration at the maximum integration duration and adjusting the amplification gain between the fixed and maximum gain values as a function of the average value of the frame signal.