Abstract: An endoscope system has a light source system configured to emit illumination light on a target area, a scanner configured to periodically scan the illumination light over a target area at predetermined time intervals, and an imager configured to receive the illumination light reflected from the target area and to acquire in succession a sequence of image-pixel signals. Further, the endoscope system has a luminance detector that detects in succession a sequence of luminance data of the object image from the sequence of image-pixel signals; and a brightness adjuster that adjusts the brightness of an observed image on the basis of the sequence of luminance data. Then, the brightness adjuster adjusts an amount of illumination light in accordance with a scanning position of the illumination light.

Abstract: An endoscope processor including a receiver and a correction circuit block is provided. The receiver receives an image signal. The image signal corresponds to a captured subject. The image signal is generated by an imaging device. The image signal comprises a plurality of pixel signals corresponding to a plurality of pixels. A plurality of pixels forms an optical image of the subject. The correction circuit block carries out first signal processing on the pixel signals so that a representative value matches a standard value when the image signal received by the receiver is a fluorescence image signal. The representative value is calculated on the basis of a plurality of chrominance difference values corresponding to a plurality of pixel signals. The fluorescence image signal is generated when the subject is illuminated with excitation light. The excitation light makes an organ fluoresce.

Abstract: An optical observation system is provided that includes a vibrator vibrating an emission end of an optical fiber such that light emitted from the emission end is scanned to depict a scanning trajectory having a distribution, within a predetermined scanning range on a subject, which distribution varies in response to a predetermined operation of an operation unit, a reflected light detector detecting reflected light from the subject scanned with the light emitted from the emission end, an image signal detector detecting image signals generated based on the reflected light at respective detection moments, a pixel allocation unit allocating pieces of image data created from the detected image signals into pixel addresses based on the detection moments, respectively, and an image generator generating the image of the subject with the pieces of image data allocated into the respective pixel addresses.

Abstract: An endoscope system has an optical fiber configured to transmit illumination light emitted from a light source to the tip portion of a scope; a scanner configured to spirally scan a target area with illumination light by vibrating the tip portion of said optical fiber; and an image generator configured to generate image data from image-pixel signals obtained from the light reflected from the target area. Then, the scanner scans the illumination light in a circular motion midway through a spiral scanning procedure.

Abstract: An endoscope system is equipped with a light source system configured to emit illumination light, a scanner configured to periodically scan the illumination light over a target area at predetermined time intervals by vibrating the tip portion of a scanning fiber, and an imager configured to receive the illumination light reflected from the target and to acquire image data corresponding to an observation image. The endoscope system further has an illumination controller that controls the light source system to emit first illumination light having a first spectrum characteristic during a scan interval, and to emit a second illumination light having a second spectrum characteristic during a return interval.

Abstract: An endoscope system has a light source system configured to emit illumination light on a target area, a scanner configured to periodically scan the illumination light over a target area at predetermined time intervals, and an imager configured to receive the illumination light reflected from the target area and to acquire in succession a sequence of image-pixel signals. Further, the endoscope system has a luminance detector that detects in succession a sequence of luminance data of the object image from the sequence of image-pixel signals; and a brightness adjuster that adjusts the brightness of an observed image on the basis of the sequence of luminance data. Then, the brightness adjuster adjusts an amount of illumination light in accordance with a scanning position of the illumination light.

Abstract: An endoscope processor including a receiver and a correction circuit block is provided. The receiver receives an image signal. The image signal corresponds to a captured subject. The image signal is generated by an imaging device. The image signal comprises a plurality of pixel signals corresponding to a plurality of pixels. A plurality of pixels forms an optical image of the subject. The correction circuit block carries out first signal processing on the pixel signals so that a representative value matches a standard value when the image signal received by the receiver is a fluorescence image signal. The representative value is calculated on the basis of a plurality of chrominance difference values corresponding to a plurality of pixel signals. The fluorescence image signal is generated when the subject is illuminated with excitation light. The excitation light makes an organ fluoresce.

Abstract: An image-signal transmission system comprising an imaging device, a transmitter, and a determination block, is provided. The imaging device outputs first pixel signals at a first frequency. The first pixel signals vary according to the amount of light received by pixels. A plurality of the pixels are arranged in two dimensions on a light-receiving surface of the imaging device. The transmitter transmits the first pixel signal copies separately, several times at a second frequency. The second frequency is two or more times higher than the first frequency. The determination block receives the first pixel signal copies from the transmitter. The determination block determines whether noise is mixed into the received first pixel signals by comparing the first pixel signal copies.