Patent Document ID: 9299137
Application ID: 13617365
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An image processing device for an endoscope, comprising: a processor comprising hardware, the processor being configured to implement: a candidate abnormal region determining unit that calculates a color feature data by using pixel values of an intra-luminal image captured by the endoscope and determines a candidate abnormal region from the intra-luminal image by comparing the calculated color feature data with a first determination criterion; a bubble region detecting unit that detects a bubble region from the intra-luminal image, wherein the bubble region is a region on which a bubble comprising a body of gas within a liquid is captured in the intra-luminal image; a bubble inside determining unit that determines whether the candidate abnormal region is present inside the detected bubble region based on a detection result of the bubble region; and an abnormal region determining unit that determines whether the candidate abnormal region is an abnormal region using an amount of red in the calculated color feature data and a second determination criterion less inclusive with respect to the amount of red than the first determination criterion when the candidate abnormal region is determined to be present inside the detected bubble region; wherein portions in the intra-luminal image that are determined to be abnormal region by satisfying the second determination criterion are fewer than portions in the intra-luminal image that are determined to be the candidate abnormal region by satisfying the first determination criterion; and wherein the bubble region detecting unit detects, as the bubble region, a region having an arc-shaped region and a halation region from the intra-luminal image.