Abstract: A fluorescence imaging apparatus including: a processor comprising hardware, configured to: specify a processing condition to be used to process a fluorescence image in accordance with treatment-details information indicating specifics of a treatment to be performed on a biological tissue; in a case where a first processing condition is specified, identify a first fluorescence region in the fluorescence image having a predetermined first fluorescence intensity based on the first processing condition; in a case where a second processing condition is specified, identify a second fluorescence region in the fluorescence image having a predetermined second fluorescence intensity based on the second processing condition; and generate a superimposed image by superimposing the first fluorescence region or the second fluorescence region that is identified, with a return-light image at a region in the return-light image corresponding to the first fluorescence region or the second fluorescence region, respectively, that

Abstract: An image processing device including: a luminance obtaining unit that obtains the luminance values of pixels in a region of interest that is at least part of an input image; and a luminance correcting unit that corrects the luminance values of the pixels on the basis of the luminance values obtained by the luminance obtaining unit, such that the distribution range of the luminance values of the pixels in the region of interest is narrowed while maintaining the magnitude relationship between the luminance values in the image.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes: an illumination unit that sequentially radiates illumination light of three colors of RGB onto a subject; an image acquisition unit that captures the illumination light reflected at the subject; a control unit that controls the image acquisition unit so as to sequentially capture the illumination light of the three colors and so as to capture the illumination light of at least one color other than G, a plurality of times for different exposure times, thereby causing the image acquisition unit to acquire component images of the three colors; a dynamic-range expanding unit that generates an expanded component image by compositing the plurality of component images of the at least one color; and an image generating unit that generates a colored endoscope image by compositing the expanded component image of the at least one color and the component images of the other colors.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorescence observation apparatus including: a fluorescence image acquisition section and a reference image acquisition section that acquire a fluorescence image and a reference image of a subject, respectively; a division image generation section that generates a division image by dividing an image based on the fluorescence image by an image based on the reference image; a display section that displays a corrected fluorescence image based on the division image; a correction processing section that applies correction processing to at least one of the reference image and the fluorescence image and/or to the division image prior to the generation of the division image or prior to the display of the corrected fluorescence image; an observation condition determination section that determines observation conditions of the subject; and a correction condition setting section that sets parameters regarding the correction processing according to the observation conditions.

Abstract: A fluorescence endoscope apparatus includes a light source that radiates excitation light and reference light onto an examination target; a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a fluorescence image by capturing fluorescence generated at the examination target due to irradiation with the excitation light; a reference-image generating portion that generates a reference image by capturing return light that returns from the examination target due to irradiation with the reference light; a division-image generating portion that generates a division image by dividing the fluorescence image generated by the fluorescence-image generating portion by the reference image generated by the reference-image generating portion; and a corrected-image generating portion that generates a corrected image based on the division image and the fluorescence image, wherein the corrected-image generating portion generates a corrected image in which a region that has relatively high luminance and that the division image

Abstract: The invention provides a fluoroscopy apparatus including an image-capturing device that acquires a fluorescence image of a subject; a sensitivity adjusting portion that sets a sensitivity of the image-capturing device to fluorescence on the basis of a gradation value of the fluorescence image; a notifying portion that extracts a lesion part from the fluorescence image acquired by the image-capturing device with the sensitivity set by the sensitivity adjusting portion and presents it to an operator; and a display switching portion that displays the fluorescence image on a display unit when the sensitivity in the image-capturing device is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold and that presents information showing the existence of the lesion part on the notifying portion when the sensitivity is greater than the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Fluorescence generated at a lesion is distinguished from fluorescence generated at portions other than the lesion, and thus, observation is performed by using only the fluorescence generated at the lesion. Provided is a fluorescence observation apparatus including a light radiating portion that radiates excitation light onto an examination subject; a fluorescence-distribution acquiring portion that acquires an intensity distribution of fluorescence generated at the examination subject due to irradiation with the excitation light from the light radiating portion; and a non-target-region excluding portion that, in the fluorescence-intensity distribution acquired by the fluorescence-distribution acquiring portion, excludes regions in which a spectrum in a specific wavelength band has changed due to a specific biological component whose concentration in a lesion is lower than in other portions.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorescence observation apparatus including a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a plurality of fluorescence images by capturing fluorescence from an observation subject at a time interval; a position identifying portion that, in the individual fluorescence images generated by the fluorescence-image generating portion, identifies high-luminance positions having gradation values equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; a storage portion that stores the high-luminance positions identified by the position identifying portion; a track-image generating portion that generates a track image that has gradation values at the plurality of high-luminance positions stored in the storage portion; and a display portion that displays the track image generated by the track-image generating portion.

Abstract: Provided is a fluoroscopy apparatus including a light source that irradiates an observation target with reference light and excitation light; a fluorescence-image generating unit that captures fluorescence emitted from the observation target X irradiated with the excitation light to generate a fluorescence image; a reference-image generating unit that captures return light returning from the observation target irradiated with the reference light to generate a reference image; an image-combining unit that superimposes the fluorescence image on the reference image to generate a combined image; a determining unit that determines whether there is a position with a luminance at or below a predetermined threshold in the reference image; and a notifying unit that, if the determining unit determines that there is a position with a luminance at or below the predetermined threshold, provides notification thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a fluoroscopy apparatus including a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a fluorescence image; an identifying portion that identifies a position of a high-luminance region in the fluorescence image; a storage portion that stores the position of the high-luminance region; a detecting portion that detects an amount of change in a physical quantity, which can possibly act as a cause of changes in a property of the high-luminance region, starting from a time at which the position of the high-luminance region is identified by the identifying portion; a confidence-level calculating portion that calculates a confidence level of the property of the high-luminance region based on the detected amount of change; and a display-image generating portion that generates a display image in which the display mode at the position of the high-luminance region is set in accordance with the confidence level.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorescence observation device comprising an illuminating section that emits excitation light and illumination light onto a subject; a fluorescence-image capturing section that acquires a fluorescence image by image-capturing fluorescence generated in the subject by irradiation with the excitation light from the illuminating section; a return-light-image capturing section that acquires a return-light image by image-capturing return light that returns from the subject by irradiation with the illumination light from the illuminating section; a region extracting section that extracts a high-luminance region in which the fluorescence image acquired by the fluorescence-image capturing section has a gradation level higher than or equal to a set threshold value; and a threshold setting section that sets the threshold value higher as the gradation level of the return-light image acquired by the return-light-image capturing section increases.

Abstract: An observation apparatus including a light source that irradiates a subject with illumination light and special light that acts on a specific region of the subject; and a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to implement: a return-light-image generating portion that generates a return-light image based on captured return light coming from the subject due to irradiation with the illumination light; a special-light-image generating portion that generates a special-light image based on captured signal light coming from the subject due to irradiation with the special light; an extraction portion that extracts the specific region from the special-light image; and an enhancement processing portion that performs enhancement processing, which is based on return-light image information, on the return-light image, in a region corresponding to the extracted specific region.

Abstract: The invention provides a fluoroscopy apparatus including an image-capturing device that acquires a fluorescence image of a subject; a sensitivity adjusting portion that sets a sensitivity of the image-capturing device to fluorescence on the basis of a gradation value of the fluorescence image; a notifying portion that extracts a lesion part from the fluorescence image acquired by the image-capturing device with the sensitivity set by the sensitivity adjusting portion and presents it to an operator; and a display switching portion that displays the fluorescence image on a display unit when the sensitivity in the image-capturing device is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold and that presents information showing the existence of the lesion part on the notifying portion when the sensitivity is greater than the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Fluorescence generated at a lesion is distinguished from fluorescence generated at portions other than the lesion, and thus, observation is performed by using only the fluorescence generated at the lesion. Provided is a fluorescence observation apparatus including a light radiating portion that radiates excitation light onto an examination subject; a fluorescence-distribution acquiring portion that acquires an intensity distribution of fluorescence generated at the examination subject due to irradiation with the excitation light from the light radiating portion; and a non-target-region excluding portion that, in the fluorescence-intensity distribution acquired by the fluorescence-distribution acquiring portion, excludes regions in which a spectrum in a specific wavelength band has changed due to a specific biological component whose concentration in a lesion is lower than in other portions.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorescence observation apparatus including: a fluorescence image acquisition section and a reference image acquisition section that acquire a fluorescence image and a reference image of a subject, respectively; a division image generation section that generates a division image by dividing an image based on the fluorescence image by an image based on the reference image; a display section that displays a corrected fluorescence image based on the division image; a correction processing section that applies correction processing to at least one of the reference image and the fluorescence image and/or to the division image prior to the generation of the division image or prior to the display of the corrected fluorescence image; an observation condition determination section that determines observation conditions of the subject; and a correction condition setting section that sets parameters regarding the correction processing according to the observation conditions.

Abstract: A fluorescence endoscope apparatus includes a light source that radiates excitation light and reference light onto an examination target; a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a fluorescence image by capturing fluorescence generated at the examination target due to irradiation with the excitation light; a reference-image generating portion that generates a reference image by capturing return light that returns from the examination target due to irradiation with the reference light; a division-image generating portion that generates a division image by dividing the fluorescence image generated by the fluorescence-image generating portion by the reference image generated by the reference-image generating portion; and a corrected-image generating portion that generates a corrected image based on the division image and the fluorescence image, wherein the corrected-image generating portion generates a corrected image in which a region that has relatively high luminance and that the division image

Abstract: Provided is a fluorescence observation apparatus including a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a plurality of fluorescence images by capturing fluorescence from an observation subject at a time interval; a position identifying portion that, in the individual fluorescence images generated by the fluorescence-image generating portion, identifies high-luminance positions having gradation values equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; a storage portion that stores the high-luminance positions identified by the position identifying portion; a track-image generating portion that generates a track image that has gradation values at the plurality of high-luminance positions stored in the storage portion; and a display portion that displays the track image generated by the track-image generating portion.

Abstract: Provided is a fluoroscopy apparatus including a light source that irradiates an observation target with reference light and excitation light; a fluorescence-image generating unit that captures fluorescence emitted from the observation target X irradiated with the excitation light to generate a fluorescence image; a reference-image generating unit that captures return light returning from the observation target irradiated with the reference light to generate a reference image; an image-combining unit that superimposes the fluorescence image on the reference image to generate a combined image; a determining unit that determines whether there is a position with a luminance at or below a predetermined threshold in the reference image; and a notifying unit that, if the determining unit determines that there is a position with a luminance at or below the predetermined threshold, provides notification thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a fluoroscopy apparatus including a fluorescence-image generating portion that generates a fluorescence image; an identifying portion that identifies a position of a high-luminance region in the fluorescence image; a storage portion that stores the position of the high-luminance region; a detecting portion that detects an amount of change in a physical quantity, which can possibly act as a cause of changes in a property of the high-luminance region, starting from a time at which the position of the high-luminance region is identified by the identifying portion; a confidence-level calculating portion that calculates a confidence level of the property of the high-luminance region based on the detected amount of change; and a display-image generating portion that generates a display image in which the display mode at the position of the high-luminance region is set in accordance with the confidence level.

Abstract: Provided is a fluoroscopy apparatus including a fluorescence imaging portion that acquires a fluorescence image of biological tissue; a return-light imaging portion that acquires a return-light image of the biological tissue; a fluorescence-region identifying portion that identifies a fluorescence region in the fluorescence image by using a processing condition specified from among a plurality of processing conditions; a superimposed-image generating portion that generates a superimposed image by superimposing the identified fluorescence region on a corresponding position in the return-light image; a treatment-information acquisition portion that acquires treatment-details information indicating the specifics of treatment to be applied to the biological tissue; and an image switching portion that specifies the processing condition to be used by the fluorescence-region identifying portion in accordance with the treatment-details information acquired by the treatment-information acquisition portion.