Abstract: An endoscopic system comprises a light source for continuously irradiating an object to be photographed; a solid-state camera element for obtaining image signals from the object; a memory for storing a predetermined unit of the image signals obtained from the solid-state camera element; a display converting device for reading out a unit image under a freezing state from the memory; and a intercepting device for intercepting continuous light of the light source when the display converting device reads out a frozen unit image from the memory, such that pulsed light is irradiated onto the object in synchronous with a timing of transferring a unit image from the solid-state camera element.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes a solid-state image pickup device, a memory, a display, and an illumination system. The solid-state image pickup device is mounted at the distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted in a body cavity and picks up an image of the body cavity. The image pickup device forms a one-frame image by a plurality of fields. The memory stores the one-frame image formed from an image signal of succeeding fields obtained from the image pickup device. The display displays the image stored in the memory. The illumination system illuminates an object portion for the image pickup device with at least one light pulse in units of fields. The illumination system sets radiation phases of the light pulses in the first and last ones of the major fields constituting the one-frame image to be close to each other.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes a solid-state image pickup device, a video processor, a light source, a rotating shutter, a light transmission unit, and a display. The solid-state image pickup device for picking up an image of a body cavity is mounted at the distal end of an insertion portion inserted in the body cavity. A signal from the solid-state image pickup device is converted into a video signal by the video processor. An effective transmission interval of light from the light source for emitting continuous illumination light is controlled by a rotating shutter with a shutter blade rotated in synchronism with the video signal. Light transmitted through the rotating shutter is guided to the photographing portion for the solid-state image pickup portion. The video signal from the video processor is displayed at the display.

Abstract: In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the center frequency of the spectrum of the received echo signal is decreased, depending upon the penetration depth of the patient. This phenomenon is noticeable when the frequency of the excited ultrasonic waves is selected to a higher range. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus employs an STC circuit, a gain of which is varied in accordance with the penetration depth of the patient.