Abstract: A scanning type endoscope includes a light guide section configured to guide illumination light, a ferrule provided along the light guide section, an actuator configured to vibrate the ferrule to thereby swing a distal end of the light guide section, a cylindrical member configured to include a space containing the light guide section, the ferrule and the actuator and being provided along the light guide section, and a damping section configured to fix the ferrule to the cylindrical member and absorb vibration of the ferrule, in which the damping section is formed of a ferrule holding member configured to hold a proximal end of the ferrule and a ring-shaped member configured to fix the ferrule holding member to the cylindrical member, be disposed near a joint in the cylindrical member connected to holding member and be made of a material that absorbs vibration of the ferrule.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an endoscope configured to have an image pickup section in which a plurality of pixels are provided, and a storage section configured to store scope individual information, a binning processing section configured to split an image into a plurality of regions so that one region includes a plurality of pixel signals, and add up the pixel signals for each region to obtain a binning pixel signal, a binning brightness detection section configured to detect brightness of the region, a blend processing section configured to set a weight in the region on the basis of the brightness, and weight and composite the pixel signals and the binning pixel signal to generate a composite image, and a control section configured to control the binning processing section in accordance with the scope individual information.

Abstract: A scanning endoscope includes: an optical fiber that guides light emitted from a light source section, and emits the light from a distal end; an actuator that expands and contracts to scan with the light emitted from the distal end of the optical fiber; a ferrule that transmits, to the optical fiber, force corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the actuator; a ferrule holding part that holds the ferrule; a lens holding part that is formed of a cylindrical member provided outside the optical fiber along the optical fiber, and holds a lens, the lens receiving the light emitted from the distal end of the optical fiber; and an absorption part that absorbs vibration, in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member, of at least one of the ferrule holding part and the lens holding part.

Abstract: A scanning type endoscope includes a light guide section configured to guide illumination light, a ferrule provided along the light guide section, an actuator configured to vibrate the ferrule to thereby swing a distal end of the light guide section, a cylindrical member configured to include a space containing the light guide section, the ferrule and the actuator and being provided along the light guide section, and a damping section configured to fix the ferrule to the cylindrical member and absorb vibration of the ferrule, in which the damping section is formed of a ferrule holding member configured to hold a proximal end of the ferrule and a ring-shaped member configured to fix the ferrule holding member to the cylindrical member, be disposed near a joint in the cylindrical member connected to holding member and be made of a material that absorbs vibration of the ferrule.

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.

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.

Abstract: A scanning-type endoscope includes: a scanning portion including a light guiding portion and an actuator configured to oscillate a distal end of the light guiding portion; a cylindrical member provided along the light guiding portion; and a holding portion provided on the cylindrical member and configured to hold the scanning portion at a predetermined position on a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member and configured so that the scanning portion is slidable in the longitudinal direction.

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.

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.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus has an illuminating unit that performs illumination with a first light once and performs illumination with a second light a plurality of times within a predetermined time period, an image pickup unit that outputs a first image pickup signal based on the illumination with the first light and a second image pickup signal based on the illumination with the second light, a clipping processing unit that clips the first and the second image pickup signals, a brightness calculating unit that calculates a first brightness, a composite ratio calculating unit that calculates a composite ratio according to a brightness target value and the first brightness, a composite processing unit that combines the first and the second image pickup signals according to the composite ratio, and a setting unit that sets a clip level according to the composite ratio.

Abstract: A scanning endoscope includes: an optical fiber that guides light emitted from a light source section, and emits the light from a distal end; an actuator that expands and contracts to scan with the light emitted from the distal end of the optical fiber; a ferrule that transmits, to the optical fiber, force corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the actuator; a ferrule holding part that holds the ferrule; a lens holding part that is formed of a cylindrical member provided outside the optical fiber along the optical fiber, and holds a lens, the lens receiving the light emitted from the distal end of the optical fiber; and an absorption part that absorbs vibration, in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member, of at least one of the ferrule holding part and the lens holding part.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an endoscope configured to have an image pickup section in which a plurality of pixels are provided, and a storage section configured to store scope individual information, a binning processing section configured to split an image into a plurality of regions so that one region includes a plurality of pixel signals, and add up the pixel signals for each region to obtain a binning pixel signal, a binning brightness detection section configured to detect brightness of the region, a blend processing section configured to set a weight in the region on the basis of the brightness, and weight and composite the pixel signals and the binning pixel signal to generate a composite image, and a control section configured to control the binning processing section in accordance with the scope individual information.

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.

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.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus has an illuminating unit that performs illumination with a first light once and performs illumination with a second light a plurality of times within a predetermined time period, an image pickup unit that outputs a first image pickup signal based on the illumination with the first light and a second image pickup signal based on the illumination with the second light, a clipping processing unit that clips the first and the second image pickup signals, a brightness calculating unit that calculates a first brightness, a composite ratio calculating unit that calculates a composite ratio according to a brightness target value and the first brightness, a composite processing unit that combines the first and the second image pickup signals according to the composite ratio, and a setting unit that sets a clip level according to the composite ratio.