Electronic endoscope selector and electronic endoscope system

• US 20010007468A1
• Filed: 01/03/2001
• Published: 07/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Koike, Makoto, Sugimoto, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 6,937,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An electronic endoscope selector that is used in an electronic endoscope system which shares peripheral devices, such as a TV monitor, VCR etc., among a plurality of electronic endoscopes. The electronic endoscope selector comprises switching circuits for switching and selecting video signals and synchronization signals fed from one of the plurality of electronic endoscopes. The selector also comprises amplifiers, gamma correction circuits, a system control circuit and memory. The amplifiers and gamma correction circuits are for adjusting gains and gamma correction of RGB video signals fed from the selected electronic endoscope. Parameters for appropriate gains and gamma correction corresponding to each endoscope are stored in the memory. The system control circuit controls the amplifiers and gamma correction circuits in accordance with the parameters that correspond to the selected electronic endoscope.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope selector comprising:

a video signal switching processor that selects one electronic endoscope unit among a plurality of electronic endoscope units and feeds video signals obtained by the selected electronic endoscope unit to an image indicating device, said selected electronic endoscope unit being switchable to another;

a video-signal processor that processes said video signals, which are fed to said image indicating device, to adjust a color tone of an image displayed on said image indicating device;

an image-state parameter storing processor that stores image-state parameters by which said color tone is adjusted and which correspond to each of said plurality of electronic endoscope units; and

an image-state parameter setting processor that is used to set said image-state parameters.

2. A selector according to

claim 1

, wherein said video-signal processor adjusts said color tone by adjusting gains and gamma factors of said video signals and said image-state parameters correspond to said gains and gamma factors.

3. A selector according to

claim 2

, wherein said video signals comprise red, green and blue component video signals and said gains are adjusted relative to each said red, green and blue video signals.

4. A selector according to

claim 1

, wherein said video-signal processor starts to process video signals fed from an electronic endoscope unit, that is newly selected by said video signal switching processor, in accordance with said image-state parameters which correspond to the newly selected electronic endoscope unit, when a selected electronic endoscope unit is switched to said newly selected electronic endoscope unit.

5. An electronic endoscope system comprising:

a plurality of electronic endoscope units;

an image indicating device;

an electronic endoscope selector; and

wherein said electronic endoscope selector comprises;

a video signal switching processor that selects one electronic endoscope unit among said plurality of electronic endoscope units and feeds video signals obtained by the selected electronic endoscope unit to said image indicating device, said selected electronic endoscope unit being switchable to another;

a video-signal processor that processes said video signals fed to said image indicating device, to adjust a color tone of an image displayed on said image indicating device;

an image-state parameter storing processor that stores image-state parameters which correspond to each of said plurality of electronic endoscope units and by which said color tone is adjusted; and

an image-state parameter setting processor that is used to set said image-state parameters.