Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus including: a first endoscope having a first imaging device; and a second endoscope having a second imaging device with a different pixel density and a second drive pulse generation circuit, wherein a processor unit, which connects the two endoscopes, comprises: a first drive pulse generation circuit for driving the first imaging device, a synchronization circuit for generating a synchronizing signal synchronous with the signal of the second drive pulse generation circuit, a switching circuit for activating the synchronization circuit when the second endoscope is connected, and a signal processing circuit for processing the signals obtained by the first imaging device and for processing the signals obtained by the second imaging device based on the synchronizing signal. By this configuration, a single processor unit will suffice even when employing an imaging device with a different pixel density.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus comprises: a processor unit; and an electronic endoscope having a solid-state pickup element, the electronic endoscopes being capable of connecting to the processor unit, so as to generate digital picture signals, wherein the processor unit comprises a differential signal outputting portion that generates digital picture signals corresponding to a pixel number of the solid-state pickup element and corresponding to a display standard for an external computer, parallel-serially converts the digital picture signals, and outputs the converted signals as differential signals, and wherein the electronic endoscope apparatus further comprises a high-definition television system converter that detects the pixel number of the digital picture signals based on the differential signals, converts the digital picture signals to high-definition television signals based on the detected number of pixels and outputs the high-definition television signals, the high-definition television system c

Abstract: The apparatus according to the present invention includes a level adjusting circuit that increases a gain of a G (or B) signal output from a color conversion circuit, a binarization circuit that forms a binarized image from this G signal and an edge detection circuit that extracts blood vessel position signals through edge detection based on this binarized signal. Then, the apparatus extracts RGB color signals making up a blood vessel image by using the above-described blood vessel position signals, increases the gains of these blood vessel color signals and then adds the blood vessel color signals to the color signals of an original image. This allows blood vessels to be displayed in high contrast to mucous membranes, etc. Furthermore, the apparatus can also amplify the R signal and B signal by using a signal obtained by differentiating the above-described G signal as a gain signal to highlight blood vessels.

Abstract: With a device that connects a processor device to electronic endoscopes having CCDs with different numbers of pixels, for example, 410, 270, or 190 thousand pixels mounted thereon, all the CCDs are driven at a frequency corresponding to 410 thousand pixels. Further, an information amount converting circuit enlarges an image obtained by the CCD with 270 or 190 thousand pixels in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction by using pixel interpolation. That is, data on a pixel to be interpolated is calculated by averaging pixels around this pixel, and enlarged binary data on this target pixel is obtained. A weighting factor is applied to this binary data, and the resultant data is added to the target pixel data. This process forms an image with an aspect ratio of 4:3.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus has an endoscope that is arranged to be connectable to a processor unit, and has a first, second and third operation switches provided on an operation section of the endoscope for operating various functions. The endoscope is provided with a rotary switch that is used to select one of combinations of predetermined functions allocated to the first, second and third operation switches. This allows any switch functions to be altered and defined only by the endoscope without cumbersome operations.

Abstract: To provide a first memory for storing an odd field data, a second memory for storing an even field data acquired in an NTSC system, a third memory for storing the same video data stored in the first and second memories, and a TV standard conversion circuit. For the data in a period for which a writing of a next data overtakes reading of the data from the first memory or the second memory, a writing into the third memory is inhibited, and the data is read from the third memory, whereby the signal of the NTSC system is converted into the signal of a PAL system. In this manner, an excellent video is displayed on a PAL monitor without any the bar noise.

Abstract: An endoscope includes a red component cut optical filter having a characteristic that a spectral transmittance becomes half at 630 nm and zero at 670 nm, for example between a light source and an infrared cut filter, to remove a long wavelength component mainly in a red band of illumination light. This restrains scattering of light on a long wavelength side of red light, and allows taking images of mucosa, blood vessels, and other tissue in good contrast in an object to be observed and satisfactorily observing them on a monitor. Further, reduction in light amount resulting from cutting a red component with the filter is eliminated by light amount control with an aperture and gain control of a signal.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope system which is largely composed of a scope and a processor. The processor includes a primary or patient's circuit and a secondary circuit which are so connected as to be able to communicate with each other for data transmission in an electrically insulated state. The secondary circuit on the side of the processor includes first MPU and first rewritable ROM which is connected with the first MPU through a first bus, a PC card slot connected to said first bus. In addition to data of picture images captured by an image sensor device mounted on a fore distal end portion of an insertion tube of a scope, a PC card stores a firmware version-up program to be executed for updating a firmware in the first ROM as soon as PC card is booted, starting from an address described in MBR of PC card. An update program of the firmware version-up program is transferred to and written into the first ROM at a high speed depending upon a clock speed of the first bus.

Abstract: A processor device having electronic endoscopes having different number of pixels of CCDs is provided with a DVI circuit for generating a digital video signal of display standard of a personal computer, etc. and outputting it as a differential signal, and a high vision system converter is connected to and arbitrarily removed from the output side of the DVI circuit. In the high vision system converter, a video signal having different number of pixels is electronically scaled to a number of display pixels of, for example, an SXGA standard by detecting the number of pixels of the input digital video signal, and is displayed on a high vision screen. Thus, the resolution of the image of the CCD can be maintained.

Abstract: A DVI circuit for generating a digital video signal in accordance with a display standard of a personal computer, etc. is provided for a processor device to which an electronic endoscope is connected. On the output side of the DVI circuit, a high vision system converter which is an adapter unit is connected as arbitrarily attached and removed using a connector. In the processor device, when the fixed state of a fixing screw is detected by a detection switch SW1, and it is determined that the power supply line connected using a connector to the high vision system converter is in the energized state, a live line processing circuit activates a signal line of the connector. Thus, the adapter unit can be easily attached and removed without turning off the processor device.

Abstract: This application provides an electronic endoscope system allowing an accurate delay time corresponding to a length of an electronic scope to be set and allowing a configuration to be simplified. The electronic endoscope system is configured by connecting electronic endoscopes different in length to a processor unit and provided with a reference-delay-time generation circuit for generating a signal having a rough reference delay time and a short-delay-time generation circuit for generating a signal having a delay time shorter than the reference delay time by using a gate delay device or the like. A microcomputer in the processor unit reads delay-time-designation control data D1 and D2 from a ROM in an electronic scope, generates a delay drive clock signal by the two delay-time generation circuits in accordance with the control data D1 and D2, and executes preferable image processing in accordance with the delay signal.

Abstract: An electronic endoscopic apparatus having various sorts of electronic endoscopes mounting a CCD with a different number of pixels, for example, 410,000 pixels, 270,000 pixels or 190,000 pixels that are connectable to a processor. A CCD drive and signal processing circuit drives all the CCDs at a frequency set up for the CCD with 410,000 pixels, and an information quantity conversion circuit expands an image acquired by the CCD with 270,000 pixels or 190,000 pixels by pixel interpolation in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction to form an image with an aspect ratio of 4 to 3. Also, a video signal acquired in an NTSC system is converted into a video signal of a PAL system by using a television standard conversion circuit, thereby displaying an excellent PAL video without any bar noise.

Abstract: A light source device for a medical endoscope system comprises a lamp unit including a xenon lamp and a heat sink, a lamp housing in which the lamp unit is removably set which is provided with first power electrodes and discharge electrodes of a discharge circuit. These first power electrodes and discharge electrodes are biased in a direction of removal of the lamp unit. The first power electrodes are brought into contact with the heat sink and thrust back by the heat sink when the lamp unit is set in the lamp housing. The discharge electrodes are thrust back away from the discharge circuit by the heat sink on the way of insertion of the lamp unit into the lamp housing and allowed to return to electric coupling to the discharge circuit on the way of removal insertion of the lamp unit from the lamp housing.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus has a single coaxial cable which combines a power line and signal line installed between a scope and a processor unit. A waveform superimposing circuit of the scope superimposes a video signal on power transmitted through the coaxial cable and superimposes scope-side reference pulses on a blanking period of the first horizontal line signal in the first field of the video signal. On the other hand, the processor unit superimposes processor-side reference pulses on a blanking period of the first horizontal line in the second field of the video signal. Then, the scope and the processor unit perform video processing based on timing signals synchronized with the reference pulses. Alternatively, an electromagnetic coupler may be installed instead of the coaxial cable and the video signal and reference pulses may be superimposed on AC power supplied electromagnetically.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus has a single coaxial cable installed between a scope A and a processor unit B. Waveform superimposing circuits superimpose a video signal on power transmitted through the coaxial cable and sequentially superimpose scope-side reference pulses and processor-side reference pulses alternately on horizontal scanning blanking periods in one field of the video signal. At the same time, the scope A and processor unit B generate reference signals and various timing signals synchronized with the reference pulses of the counterpart and perform video processing based on them. This enables accurate sampling even when scopes with different pixel counts are used. Also, a scope information signal and electronic shutter control signal may be superimposed on a predetermined blanking period in the video signal.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope adopting a two-microcomputer system, an operating program for the two microcomputers can be updated easily and with certainty, and the number of photocouplers for isolation can be reduced substantially. A patient-side circuit has a patient-side processing unit and a ROM installed in a socket. An IO-side circuit has an IO-side processing unit, a flash ROM and a RAM for storing a program-rewriting program transferred from the patient-side processing unit. The both processing units adopt a start-stop synchronization communication method and are connected to each other by two signal lines via signal conversion circuits and an isolation circuit. Upon updating a program in the microcomputer in the IO-side circuit, the patient-side processing unit reads the program-rewriting program and the update operating program from the ROM and transfers to the IO-side processing unit.

Abstract: This electric mask generating apparatus reads mask bit string generation data, which has a configuration of one pixel per bit and is set in ROM, by a microcomputer, develops the mask bit string generation data in RAM, and thereafter writes the mask bit string generation data in mask generation memory. This electric mask generating apparatus reads a mask signal in this mask generation memory by a microcomputer, and mixes an image signal of an object with the above-described mask signal by using a shift register or the like in a mask-mixing circuit. According to the mask signal having this configuration of one pixel per bit, since it is possible to write the mask signal in the above-described mask generation memory during the time that is one-eighth of conventional write time, it becomes possible to quickly display an image to which a normal mask or a scaled mask is given.

Abstract: When a new processor is connected to an old electronic endoscope provided with a memory storing B data for image processing specific to the scope, white balance control is carried out by a microcomputer. That is, at the time when power is turned on, this microcomputer determines whether or not image processing data compatible with the new processor is present in the old electronic endoscope. If the compatible data are not present, the microcomputer carries out white balance control based on the image of white board picked up by the user, and additionally writes new C data for image processing at the time of white balance control in a memory of the old electronic endoscope together with data identification information. Thereby, the compatibility with an old type of electronic endoscope is maintained.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus has an endoscope that is arranged to be connectable to a processor unit, and has a first, second and third operation switches provided on an operation section of the endoscope for operating various functions. The endoscope is provided with a rotary switch that is used to select one of combinations of predetermined functions allocated to the first, second and third operation switches. This allows any switch functions to be altered and defined only by the endoscope without cumbersome operations.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, a micromirror device reflects light from a light source to allow it to enter a light guide. A light blocking period is set by driving the polarization angles of micromirrors of the micromirror device to a light guide non-incident angle &thgr;s. This light blocking period is utilized to read signals for all pixels for one frame stored in a CCD by the same exposure. Thus, the light blocking period can be promptly set to obtain a stably bright motion picture not affected by any motions, or the like. Further, the quantity of light can be controlled by controlling the polarization angles in the micromirror device. Furthermore, desired white light is obtained.