Abstract: This endoscope system comprises an endoscope and a washing apparatus. The endoscope is provided with an elongate insertable part having an observing window and illuminating window in the tip part, an observing system receiving the returning light from an object entering through the observing window, an illuminating light output system emitting an illuminating light from the illuminating window and a memorizing device capable of memorizing information relating to washing. The washing apparatus is provided with a read-out device reading out information memorized in the memorizing device of the endoscope and a control device controlling the conditions of washing the endoscope by the information read out by the read-out device.

Abstract: When a Japanese or Korean bunsetsu-phrase lattice, that is, a set of linguistic units called bunsetsu-phrases each element of which having various starting and ending positions, and numerical values representing the reliability of each bunsetsu-phrase are given, optimum sequences of bunsetsu-phrases as Japanese or Korean clauses or sentences are selected under a criterion of degree of acceptability of a clause or sentence with considerably small amount of computation; the syntactic structures and the degree of acceptability of the optimum sequences are calculated simultaneously; the gist of the invention residing in that processing proceeds from shorter sequences to longer sequences storing the results for shorter sequences and utilizing later the results in calculating for longer sequences thus systematically avoiding the repeated calculation of partially the same quantity.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus for use in an electronic endoscope or the like is provided with a mechanically driven light-shielding plate, wherein imaging is effected by using a solid-state imaging device starting from a time when an amount of light shielded by this light-shielding plate becomes minimal, or imaging is effected repeatedly during a short exposure time within a transient period during which the amount of light shielded becomes minimal, and when an signal level of each image reaches a reference level, that signal is stored in a memory.