Abstract: A display device includes a main LCD, a sub LCD, and a backlight. The main LCD displays information. The sub LCD is arranged to make its rear surface oppose that of the main LCD to display information different from that of the main LCD. The backlight illuminates the main LCD and sub LCD. A portable terminal apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A light transmitting part is formed on a second rotary shutter to intermittently transmit excitation light emitted from an excitation light source, which has a circumferential length substantially equal to a half of the entire periphery of the second rotary shutter in order to extend the period during which excitation light is emitted through a light distribution lens. As a living tissue is irradiated with excitation light, it generates autofluorescence. Although the autofluorescence is weak, a CCD can convert the image of the object under examination formed from the autofluorescence into a fluorescence video signal of a sufficient intensity level because excitation light is irradiated for an extended period of time. The obtained fluorescence video signal does not need to be amplified to an undesirable extent and hence can be processed with a high S/N to provide an appropriate diagnostic video signal that is free from noise.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope system, a scope has an image sensor provided at a distal end thereof to generate image-pixel signals. A proximal end of the scope is connected to an image-signal processing unit, in which the image-pixel signals are processed to produce a video signal. A light source device is provided in the processing unit. An optical light guide extends through the scope. When the connection is established between the scope and the processing unit, the light guide is optically connected to the light source device. The light source device includes a white light lamp, and an ultraviolet lamp, and a mirror for selectively introducing either the white light or the ultraviolet light into the light guide.

Abstract: A fiber bundle for image transmission includes pluralities of first optical fibers and a plurality of second optical fibers. Both pluralities of optical fibers being tied at their distal ends to form a composite bundle portion. The first optical fibers being tied at their proximal ends to form a first branched bundle portion and the second optical fibers being tied at their proximal ends to form a second branched bundle portion.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope system with a color-balance alteration system includes a video scope having a CCD image sensor for producing a frame of color image-pixel-signals composed of frames of red, green, and blue image-pixel-signals. In the color-balance alteration system, nine red signals are extracted from the frame of red image-pixel-signals, and the nine signals form a 3×3 matrix including a central signal, and the eight circumferential signals. All four sets of three signals are selected from the nine signals, and each set of three signals is composed of the central signal, and two neighbouring signals aligned with each other such that the central signal lies therebetween. When a signal level of the central signal is smaller than both signal levels of the two circumferential signals with respect to even one set of three signals, the signal level of signal is decreased.

Abstract: An endoscope system capable of obtaining a normal light image and/or fluorescent light image is further provided with an a low-coherent light source arranged on a proximal end side of one of first and second light guides. A scanning unit is provided to cause the low-coherent light beam emerged from a tip of the first light guide to scan on the object. The low-coherent light reflected by the object is directed to the first light guide by the scanning unit as detecting light. A mirror is provided to reflect the low-coherent light beam emerged from a tip of the second light guide. A detector is arranged on a proximal end side of the other of the first and second light guides to detect interference fringe pattern generated by interference between the detecting light and the reference light.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope system includes a video scope having a solid-state image sensor for successively producing a frame of color image-pixel signals, and an image-signal processor for producing a color video signal based on the frame of color image-pixel signals. A calculation system calculates a difference value between a value of a central single-color image-pixel signal and an average of values of one selected from single-color image-pixel signals surrounding the central single-color image-pixel signal. A color-balance alteration system alters the value of the central single-color image-pixel signal based on the difference value calculated by the calculation system. A selection system performs the selection of the circumferential image-pixel signals such that the circumferential image-pixel signals to be selected are farther from the central image-pixel signal, as a spatial frequency of an endoscope image to be reproduced based on the color video signals is lower.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope system including a video scope having a solid-state image sensor that successively produces a frame of red, green, and blue image-pixel signals, a difference value is calculated between a value of each of corresponding central red, green, and blue image-pixel signals and an average of values of circumferential image-pixel signals surrounding the central image-pixel signal. When the respective values of the central red and green image-pixel signals are smaller than the corresponding averages of values, they are decreased in proportion to the absolute values of the corresponding difference values. When the value of the central blue image-pixel signal is smaller than the corresponding average of values, it is increased in proportion to the absolute value of the corresponding difference value.

Abstract: An endoscope system is provided with a normal light image capturing system, a fluorescent light image capturing system, and an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) image capturing system. The normal light image, the fluorescent light image and the OCT image are displayed on a screen of a display device simultaneously. Optionally, one of the normal light image or the fluorescent light image is displayed as an animated image, and the OCT image is also displayed as an animated image. A cursor indicating a scanning position corresponding to the OCT image is indicated on one of the normal light image and the fluorescent light image displayed as the animated image.

Abstract: A fiber bundle for image transmission includes pluralities of first optical fibers and a plurality of second optical fibers. Both pluralities of optical fibers being tied at their distal ends to form a composite bundle portion.

Abstract: An endoscope system is provided with first and second light guides, which are optically coupled by an optical coupler. A low-coherent light source is provided, and the light emitted therefrom is incident on the first or second light guide. Further provided is a scanning unit that causes the light beam emerged from the first light guide to scan on a predetermined surface of the object. The light beam reflected by the object is directed, by the scanning unit, to the first light guide as a detection light beam. A light beam emerged from the second light guide is reflected by a reflector and returned to the second light guide as a reference beam. By varying the optical path length of the reference beam relative to that of the detection beam, two beams interfere. A signal processing system generates OCT image based on the signal detected by a light detecting device which receives the interfering beams.

Abstract: A fiber bundle consists of first optical fibers and second optical fibers. At the distal end of the fiber bundle, the first and second optical fibers are bundled in a square close-packed array or a hexagonal close-packed array. The first and second optical fibers are separated from each other at the proximal end of the fiber bundle so that the first optical fibers are tied as a first branch bundle and that the second optical fibers are tied a second branch bundle.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope, a flexible scope has an image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, and an optical light guide extending therethrough. The scope is detachably connectable, at a proximal end thereof, to a processing unit, which processes image-pixel signals successively read from the image sensor. A light source is provided in the processing unit such that light, emitted from the light source, is guided through the guide and radiates from the distal end of the scope. An aperture-stop is associated with the source that regulates the radiation of light from the distal end of the scope. A histogram generator generates a luminance-signal-histogram based on the processed signals. An average luminance level-value is approximately calculated based on luminance signals exhibiting thinned luminance levels extracted from the histogram.

Abstract: A light transmitting part is formed on a second rotary shutter to intermittently transmit excitation light emitted from an excitation light source, which has a circumferential length substantially equal to a half of the entire periphery of the second rotary shutter in order to extend the period during which excitation light is emitted through a light distribution lens. As a living tissue is irradiated with excitation light, it generates autofluorescence. Although the autofluorescence is weak, a CCD can convert the image of the object under examination formed from the autofluorescence into a fluorescence video signal of a sufficient intensity level because excitation light is irradiated for an extended period of time. The obtained fluorescence video signal does not need to be amplified to an undesirable extent and hence can be processed with a high S/N to provide an appropriate diagnostic video signal that is free from noise.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope system, a scope has a CCD image sensor provided at a distal end thereof to generate image-pixel signals, an image-signal processing unit produces a video signal based on the image-pixel signals, and a monitor displays an endoscope-image according to the video signal output from the processing unit. A scene-changing system changes a scene on the monitor between an endoscope-image-display scene and a patient-data-list-display scene. A storage system stores patient data forming a patient list which should be displayed on the monitor when the scene on the monitor is changed from the image-display scene to the list-display scene by the scene-changing system. A selection system selects individual patient data from the patient data list displayed on the monitor.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope has an image sensor for converting an optical image into analog electric image-pixel signals, and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog electric image-pixel signals into digital electric image-pixel signals on the basis of a first series of clock pulses. A number of the converted digital electric image-pixel signals included in a one-horizontal-scanning-line being is based upon a frequency of the first series of clock pulses. The endoscope has a pixel-number converter for converting the number of the converted digital electric image-pixel signals into another number of digital image-pixel signals so as to enable the digital electric image-pixel signals to be externally outputted on the basis of a second series of clock pulses having a frequency different from that of the first clock pulses.

Abstract: In an electronic endoscope system for detecting an image of an object using a CCD, a brightness signal is generated based on the output of the CCD, and a histogram processing is applied to the brightness signal. An aperture size for regulating the amount of light emitted to an object to be viewed is controlled in accordance with the calculation based on the histogram data.