Patents by Inventor Soichiro KOSHIKA

Soichiro KOSHIKA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11054565
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus including: an optical fiber that is configured to guide light from a light source to emit the light from a distal end thereof; a driver that is configured to oscillate the distal end of the optical fiber at a driving frequency in a direction intersecting a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber; a resonance-frequency detector that is configured to detect a resonance frequency of the distal end of the optical fiber; and a driving-frequency adjustor that is configured to adjust the driving frequency so that the ratio between the resonance frequency detected by the resonance-frequency detector and the driving frequency becomes constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuyoshi Shimamoto, Soichiro Koshika
  • Patent number: 10765296
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope system includes an optical fiber configured to guide illumination light, and to emit the illumination light from an end portion, an actuator configured to shift an irradiation position of the illumination light, by swinging the end portion of the optical fiber, a drive signal generator configured to generate and supply a drive signal for driving the actuator, a current measurement section configured to measure, as a current measurement value, a current value of the drive signal supplied to the actuator, and a scan control section configured to perform control such that an amplitude value of the drive signal is switched, and to switch a threshold for detecting the current measurement value from a first threshold to a second threshold, when detecting that the current measurement value gradually changes and reaches the first threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Soichiro Koshika
  • Patent number: 10606067
    Abstract: A drive-condition setting device applied to an optical scanning apparatus having a fiber and an actuator that vibrates a distal end of the fiber, the drive-condition setting device detects a scan pattern of the illumination light output from the fiber, measures resonance frequencies in the x direction and the y direction of the fiber, sets a drive frequency and a drive voltage based on the resonance frequencies such that conditional expressions below are satisfied: when fx>fy, fd<fy and Vx?Vy (1) or fd>fx and Vx?Vy (2), and when fx?fy, fd<fx and Vx?Vy (3) or fd>fy and Vx?Vy (4) where fd denotes the drive frequency, Vx denotes a maximum voltage of a X direction drive signal, and Vy denotes a maximum voltage of a y direction drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuyoshi Shimamoto, Masashi Yamada, Soichiro Koshika
  • Publication number: 20190004233
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus including: an optical fiber that is configured to guide light from a light source to emit the light from a distal end thereof; a driver that is configured to oscillate the distal end of the optical fiber at a driving frequency in a direction intersecting a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber; a resonance-frequency detector that is configured to detect a resonance frequency of the distal end of the optical fiber; and a driving-frequency adjustor that is configured to adjust the driving frequency so that the ratio between the resonance frequency detected by the resonance-frequency detector and the driving frequency becomes constant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuyoshi SHIMAMOTO, Soichiro KOSHIKA
  • Publication number: 20180344135
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope system includes an optical fiber for guiding illumination light, an actuator configured to displace an irradiation position of the illumination light emitted through the optical fiber, and a controller. The controller generates a driving signal having periodicity for driving the actuator and supplies the driving signal via a predetermined signal line connected to the actuator, determines presence or absence of occurrence of a trouble in the predetermined signal line based either on a current value of an electric current flowing in the predetermined signal line at predetermined timing in a period for one cycle of the driving signal or a voltage value of a voltage applied to the actuator at the predetermined timing, and obtains a determination result that a trouble has occurred in the predetermined signal line when detecting that the current value continuously deviates predetermined times from a predetermined threshold range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro KOSHIKA, Kazuma KANEKO
  • Patent number: 10126121
    Abstract: A method of measuring scanning characteristics of an optical scanning apparatus allows measurement of scanning characteristics of an actuator. The method includes bringing a tip of the optical scanning apparatus and a chart for measuring scanning characteristics closer together and irradiating illumination light with the actuator in a non-driven state, separating the tip and the chart for measuring scanning characteristics by a predetermined distance while maintaining the relative orientations thereof, and adjusting a drive signal of the actuator so that a scanning area of the illumination light on the chart for measuring scanning characteristics can form a desired shape. At least one of an angle of deviation and a viewing angle is measured using an irradiation position of the illumination light on the chart for measuring scanning characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Yamada, Atsuyoshi Shimamoto, Soichiro Koshika
  • Publication number: 20180289247
    Abstract: An endoscope system includes: a light source that generates red, green, and blue laser lights; a light-guiding section including a first end portion into which the laser lights enter, and a second end portion from which the laser lights are applied to the subject; a light detection that detects reflection light from the subject, and outputs a detection signal according to the reflection light; a memory that stores a plurality of color correction parameters, each of which is set for each subject; and an image processing section that generates an observation image based on the detection signal, and performs color correction on the observation image based on at least one of the plurality of color correction parameters, which is selected according to the subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Soichiro KOSHIKA
  • Patent number: 10034599
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope apparatus is provided that includes: an endoscope having a light guide portion configured to guide and emit an illuminating light for illuminating a subject, and an actuator configured to oscillate the light guide portion; a storage portion configured to store a resonance frequency at a time when the light guide portion is caused to oscillate in a resonant state; an application portion configured to sequentially apply a plurality of signals having different frequencies to the actuator; a signal monitoring portion configured to monitor signals that are applied to the actuator; and a determination portion configured to compare a frequency of a signal which is smallest in a case where the actuator is taken as a load with the resonance frequency stored in the storage portion to determine whether or not the endoscope is abnormal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Soichiro Koshika
  • Patent number: 9974432
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope apparatus includes: a light source unit; an illumination fiber inserted inside an insertion portion of an endoscope, the illumination fiber being configured to guide illuminating light from a proximal end to a distal end; an actuator configured to drive the distal end of the optical fiber so that the illuminating light outputted from the illumination fiber is scanned on a subject; a memory configured to store correlation coefficient information on a correlation coefficient between a drive signal for driving the actuator and a displacement amount of the actuator; and a controller, and the controller detects a current of the drive signal for driving the actuator and corrects the drive signal for driving the actuator based on the correlation coefficient information and a value of the detected current so that the displacement amount of the actuator becomes a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro Koshika, Kazuma Kaneko, Masanori Sumiyoshi, Wataru Ono
  • Publication number: 20180129032
    Abstract: An endoscope observation system includes: a scanning type endoscope including an emission optical fiber configured to emit emission light from an emission end, an actuator configured to cause the emission end to swing, a protection pipe with the emission optical fiber and the actuator attached inside, and a light receiving portion positioned at a distal end portion; an insertion guide configured to guide insertion of the scanning type endoscope into the object along a guide wall; and a holding member arranged between the scanning type endoscope and the guide wall and configured to hold the scanning type endoscope so that a position of the scanning type endoscope is not displaced by swinging of the emission optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2016
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daiki ARIYOSHI, Atsuyoshi Shimamoto, Soichiro Koshika
  • Patent number: 9962065
    Abstract: An optical scanning observation system includes: an endoscope having an optical scanning portion for scanning an object; a drive signal generation portion configured to generate a drive signal and supply the signal to the optical scanning portion; an electric-current measurement portion configured to measure an electric current value of the drive signal; a first storage portion in which a measured electric current value when the temperature of the optical scanning portion is a predetermined temperature is stored; a second storage portion in which a plurality of parameters that are set according to the size of the measured electric current value are stored; and a correction processing portion configured to correct a scanning range of the endoscope by reading in from the second storage portion a parameter that corresponds to the size of the measured electric current value read in from the first storage portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Soichiro Koshika
  • Publication number: 20180110400
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope system includes an optical fiber configured to guide illumination light, and to emit the illumination light from an end portion, an actuator configured to shift an irradiation position of the illumination light, by swinging the end portion of the optical fiber, a drive signal generator configured to generate and supply a drive signal for driving the actuator, a current measurement section configured to measure, as a current measurement value, a current value of the drive signal supplied to the actuator, and a scan control section configured to perform control such that an amplitude value of the drive signal is switched, and to switch a threshold for detecting the current measurement value from a first threshold to a second threshold, when detecting that the current measurement value gradually changes and reaches the first threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Soichiro KOSHIKA
  • Publication number: 20180113298
    Abstract: A drive-condition setting device applied to an optical scanning apparatus having a fiber and an actuator that vibrates a distal end of the fiber, the drive-condition setting device detects a scan pattern of the illumination light output from the fiber, measures resonance frequencies in the x direction and the y direction of the fiber, sets a drive frequency and a drive voltage based on the resonance frequencies such that conditional expressions below are satisfied: when fx>fy, fd<fy and Vx?Vy (1) or fd>fx and Vx?Vy (2), and when fx?fy, fd<fx and Vx?Vy (3) or fd>fy and Vx?Vy (4) where fd denotes the drive frequency, Vx denotes a maximum voltage of a X direction drive signal, and Vy denotes a maximum voltage of a y direction drive signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuyoshi SHIMAMOTO, Masashi YAMADA, Soichiro KOSHIKA
  • Patent number: 9894258
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a light source apparatus emitting a first or a second illumination light to an object, an image pickup device acquiring an image of the object, and a CPU switching between a first mode where the image is picked up with the first illumination light and a second mode where the image is picked up with the second illumination light, being able to set at least one of a processing parameter for processing an image and a brightness control parameter before switching the illumination light to the illumination light corresponding to the mode or after switching to the corresponding illumination light is completed, and controlling whether the processing parameter is set before switching of the illumination light is started or after switching is completed according to the mode switching from the first to the second mode or from the second to the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoki Iwasaki, Kazuma Kaneko, Susumu Hashimoto, Yuji Kutsuma, Soichiro Koshika
  • Publication number: 20180038686
    Abstract: A method of measuring scanning characteristics of an optical scanning apparatus allows measurement of scanning characteristics of an actuator. The method includes bringing a tip of the optical scanning apparatus and a chart for measuring scanning characteristics closer together and irradiating illumination light with the actuator in a non-driven state, separating the tip and the chart for measuring scanning characteristics by a predetermined distance while maintaining the relative orientations thereof, and adjusting a drive signal of the actuator so that a scanning area of the illumination light on the chart for measuring scanning characteristics can form a desired shape. At least one of an angle of deviation and a viewing angle is measured using an irradiation position of the illumination light on the chart for measuring scanning characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi YAMADA, Atsuyoshi SHIMAMOTO, Soichiro KOSHIKA
  • Publication number: 20180028062
    Abstract: An endoscope processor is an endoscope processor used in combination with a scanning type endoscope capable of scanning an object by displacing an irradiation position of illumination light to be radiated to the object, and includes: an image generation portion configured to respectively generate a plurality of color images according to return light of the illumination light radiated to the object; a correction processing portion configured to perform processing of acquiring a correction magnification for correcting a scanning width or a view angle of the scanning type endoscope in accordance with a reference value; and an image correction portion configured to perform magnification chromatic aberration correction processing for correcting a magnification chromatic aberration among the plurality of color images uniformly scaled according to the correction magnification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro KOSHIKA, Kazuma KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20180014719
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope system includes an endoscope that includes an illumination fiber that is configured to guide illumination light for illuminating a subject and to emit the illumination light from an emitting end, and an actuator section that is configured to swing the emitting end of the illumination fiber according to a voltage or a current of an electrical signal that is applied to cause the illumination light to scan the subject, and a driver unit configured to apply, to the actuator section, the electrical signal that takes, as a drive frequency, a frequency at which an amount of change in amplitude at a time of swinging of the emitting end of the illumination fiber is at or below a predetermined value even when frequency characteristics of the amplitude are changed due to a change in a use condition of the endoscope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro KOSHIKA, Atsuyoshi SHIMAMOTO, Masashi YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20180013999
    Abstract: An endoscope processor includes: an image generation portion that generates a picked-up image of a subject, an image of which is picked up by an endoscope; a correction information acquisition portion that acquires correction information corresponding to magnification chromatic aberration of the endoscope from a scope memory in the endoscope; and an image correction portion that corrects the magnification chromatic aberration in the picked-up image based on the correction information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro KOSHIKA, Masanori SUMIYOSHI
  • Patent number: 9835845
    Abstract: A scanning endoscope includes: a light guide portion configured to guide an illuminating light that is emitted from a light source portion and irradiate an object with the illuminating light; an actuator configured to drive so as to cause a distal end of a light guide portion to scan, in order to scan the guided illuminating light over an object; a holding portion configured to hold the actuator; a rigid tubular member having a space that encloses the light guide portion, the actuator and the holding portion; and a connection portion that is interposed between the tubular member and the holding portion, and is configured to hold the holding portion at a prescribed position within the tubular member and to change shape in a circumferential direction that takes a longitudinal direction of the light guide portion as an axis when the tubular member or holding portion receives a force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro Koshika, Yuji Sakai, Hiroyuki Takizawa, Daiki Ariyoshi
  • Patent number: 9820639
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for scanning endoscope includes: a number-of-interpolations determination section that receives detection signals from a detector for sequentially sampling return light from a subject and determines a number of detection signals used in an interpolation process by an interpolation section based on distances between a coordinate position of a predetermined lattice point in pixel data of a raster scan system and sampling coordinate positions of the detection signals around the coordinate position of the predetermined lattice point; and the interpolation section that generates pixel data of the predetermined lattice point by using signals of the sampling coordinate positions, wherein a number of the signals is equal to the number of detection signals determined by the number-of-interpolations determination section near the sampling coordinate position corresponding to the coordinate position of the predetermined lattice point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro Koshika, Kazuma Kaneko, Masanori Sumiyoshi, Jun Hasegawa