Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus has a light source, a luminance calculator, a controller, and a brightness adjuster. The light source illuminates an object. The luminance calculator calculates a luminance level indicating a brightness of an object image on the basis of image-pixel signals corresponding to the object image. The controller calculates and outputs a manipulated value in accordance with a luminance-difference between the luminance level and a reference luminance level indicating a standard brightness of the object image. The controller sets a non-sensitive band including a standard point corresponding to the reference luminance level. The brightness adjuster adjusts the brightness of the object image in accordance with the manipulated value. When the manipulated value is inside the non-sensitive band, the controller outputs a non-activating manipulated value so as not to activate the brightness adjuster.

Abstract: An image capturing system is provided with an illuminating unit configured to emit intermittent light that periodically illuminates an object, an image capturing element configured to capture an image of the object illuminated by the illuminating unit, and a control unit that controls the image capturing element to execute an image capturing operation. A period during which the object is periodically illuminated by the intermittent light includes an unstable starting period, a stable period and an unstable ending period, a timing at which the illuminating unit starts illuminating the object varying in the unstable starting period, a timing at which the illuminating unit stops illuminating the object varying in the unstable ending period. Further, the control unit controls the image capturing element to start and finish the image capturing operation within the stable period.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus has a moving-image displayer that reads image-pixel signals from an image sensor at predetermined time intervals to display a moving-image, a light-amount adjuster that adjusts an amount of light for illuminating a subject, and a still-image recorder that performs a series of actions for recording a still image. The still-image recorder is capable of reading the image-pixel signals at a still-image electronic shutter speed, which corresponds to a reading time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval. When the series of actions is started, the still-image recorder controls the light-amount adjuster such that the light-amount becomes a standard light-amount corresponding to the recording of the still image. Then, the still-image recorder performs a recording process in accordance with the still-image electronic shutter speed when the light-amount becomes the standard light-amount.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope has a video-scope with an image sensor and a video-processor. The video-scope has an objective lens and an illuminating lens in a tip portion. Further, the electronic endoscope has a luminance calculator and a light-amount adjuster. The luminance calculator divides the total area of a subject image into a plurality of division areas, defines weighted areas from the plurality of division areas in accordance with the tip characteristics of the video-scope, and calculates a total luminance value of the subject image by putting priority on predetermined weighted areas relative to the other areas. The light-amount adjuster adjusts the quantity of light illuminating the subject in accordance with the total luminance value.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope includes a video-scope with an image sensor and a video-processor, to which the video-scope is detachably connected. The electronic endoscope has a light source that emits illuminating light for illuminating a subject, a color adjuster that performs a color adjustment process for color image signals read from the image sensor, which include a plurality of color signal components corresponding to a plurality of color elements, and a light source detector that detects the type of the light source. The color adjuster performs the color adjustment process in accordance with the type of the light source such that color in displayed subject image is properly reproduced.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus has a light source, a luminance calculator, a controller, and a brightness adjuster. The light source illuminates an object. The luminance calculator calculates a luminance level indicating a brightness of an object image on the basis of image-pixel signals corresponding to the object image. The controller calculates and outputs a manipulated value in accordance with a luminance-difference between the luminance level and a reference luminance level indicating a standard brightness of the object image. The controller sets a non-sensitive band including a standard point corresponding to the reference luminance level. The brightness adjuster adjusts the brightness of the object image in accordance with the manipulated value. When the manipulated value is inside the non-sensitive band, the controller outputs a non-activating manipulated value so as not to activate the brightness adjuster.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope apparatus has a moving-image displayer that reads image-pixel signals from an image sensor at predetermined time intervals to display a moving-image, a light-amount adjuster that adjusts an amount of light for illuminating a subject, and a still-image recorder that performs a series of actions for recording a still image. The still-image recorder is capable of reading the image-pixel signals at a still-image electronic shutter speed, which corresponds to a reading time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval. When the series of actions is started, the still-image recorder controls the light-amount adjuster such that the light-amount becomes a standard light-amount corresponding to the recording of the still image. Then, the still-image recorder performs a recording process in accordance with the still-image electronic shutter speed when the light-amount becomes the standard light-amount.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope has a video-scope with an image sensor and a video-processor. The video-scope has an objective lens and an illuminating lens in a tip portion. Further, the electronic endoscope has a luminance calculator and a light-amount adjuster. The luminance calculator divides the total area of a subject image into a plurality of division areas, defines weighted areas from the plurality of division areas in accordance with the tip characteristics of the video-scope, and calculates a total luminance value of the subject image by putting priority on predetermined weighted areas relative to the other areas. The light-amount adjuster adjusts the quantity of light illuminating the subject in accordance with the total luminance value.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope includes a video-scope with an image sensor and a video-processor, to which the video-scope is detachably connected. The electronic endoscope has a light source that emits illuminating light for illuminating a subject, a color adjuster that performs a color adjustment process for color image signals read from the image sensor, which include a plurality of color signal components corresponding to a plurality of color elements, and a light source detector that detects the type of the light source. The color adjuster performs the color adjustment process in accordance with the type of the light source such that color in displayed subject image is properly reproduced.

Abstract: In a lightguide connector joint for an endoscopic system, the shape and dimensions of a lightguide connector (3) are determined in accordance with the size of the entrance end face (4a) of a lightguide (4) such that the smaller the size of the entrance end face (4a), the closer to the converging position of the rays of illuminating light is the position of the entrance end face (4a) that is established when the lightguide connector (3) is connected to a connector receptacle (20).

Abstract: The endoscopic light source apparatus has an illuminating light converging mechanism (20) in which a lightguide connector (3) to be connected displaces a condenser lens (22) in a direction parallel to the optical axis of illuminating light so that irrespective of the length of the lightguide connector (3), the illuminating light entrance end face (4a) of the lightguide connector (3) is located near the position in which the rays of illuminating light converge, and a filter inserting and retracting mechanism (30) which moves in operative association with the illuminating light converging mechanism (20) such that a light attenuating filter (31) is inserted into or retracted from the rays of illuminating light depending upon the length of the lightguide connector (3).