Method for capturing and displaying endoscopic maps

1. A method of obtaining endoscopic maps, the method comprising:

providing an endoscope having a view vector with an attendant view;

programming a scan trajectory along which the view vector travels to provide a predefined sequence of overlapping views of an interior surface;

capturing a sequence of overlapping images corresponding to the predefined sequence of overlapping views as the view vector travels along the scan trajectory;

associating a set of endoscope configuration coordinates with each of the captured images;

using the captured images and the configuration coordinates associated therewith to create a map of the interior surface larger than the view that attends the view vector; and

selecting a location on the map and automatically moving the view vector to the orientation of the view vector when the image corresponding to the selected location was captured.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map comprises a mosaic of the overlapping images.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the view vector travels along the scan trajectory at a speed that is adjustable.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration coordinates are stored in a frame-indexing array that correlates image information with viewing position.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the view vector has three degrees of freedom and the endoscope configuration data associated with each of the captured images represents the orientation of the view vector with respect to the three degrees of freedom.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the orientation of the view vector is known relative to the direction of gravity as the view vector travels along the scan trajectory.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the orientation of the view vector is known relative to the direction of gravity as the view vector travels along the scan trajectory.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scan trajectory is a spiraling path.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scan trajectory is circular.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the scan trajectory is a first scan trajectory, further comprising the steps of:

programming a second scan trajectory along which the view vector travels to provide a second predefined sequence of overlapping views of the interior surface;

capturing a second sequence of overlapping images corresponding to the second predefined sequence of overlapping views as the view vector travels along the second scan trajectory; and

associating a set of endoscope configuration coordinates with each of the images captured as the view vector travels along the second scan trajectory;

wherein the map of the interior surface is created using the captured images from the first and second scan trajectories.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the scan trajectory is a first scan trajectory, further comprising the steps of:

programming a second scan trajectory along which the view vector travels to provide a second predefined sequence of overlapping views of the interior surface;

capturing a second sequence of overlapping images corresponding to the second predefined sequence of overlapping views as the view vector travels along the second scan trajectory; and

associating a set of endoscope configuration coordinates with each of the images captured as the view vector travels along the second scan trajectory;

wherein the map of the interior surface is created using the captured images from the first and second scan trajectories.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein portions of the map fade in brightness as the time elapsing since the capture of the images corresponding to those portions increases.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the endoscope has a variable direction of view.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map comprises a mosaic of the overlapping images.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the view vector travels along the scan trajectory at a speed that is adjustable.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration coordinates are stored in a frame-indexing array that correlates image information with viewing position.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the view vector has three degrees of freedom and the endoscope configuration data associated with each of the captured images represents the orientation of the view vector with respect to the three degrees of freedom.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scan trajectory is a spiraling path.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scan trajectory is circular.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the endoscope has a variable direction of view.

21. A method of obtaining endoscopic maps, the method comprising:

providing an endoscope having a view vector with an attendant view;

programming a scan trajectory along which the view vector travels to provide a predefined sequence of overlapping views of an interior surface;

capturing a sequence of overlapping images corresponding to the predefined sequence of overlapping views as the view vector travels along the scan trajectory;

associating a set of endoscope configuration coordinates with each of the captured images; and

using the captured images and the configuration coordinates associated therewith to create a map of the interior surface larger than the view that attends the view vector,

wherein portions of the map fade in brightness as the time elapsing since the capture of the images corresponding to those portions increases.