Electronic endoscope

• US 20010030684A1
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Naoki, Nakashima, Masaaki
• Application Number:
  US09/826,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20010030684A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An electronic endoscope having an image pickup portion which converts an object image formed by an objective lens system to an electrical image signal, includes a solid-state image pickup device having an image sensor, a controller for controlling the horizontal and vertical scan direction of an image portion of the image sensor, and a scan control device which controls the scanning operation of the image sensor. The image sensor and either the scan control device or the controller are integrated on a common chip.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope having an image pickup portion which converts an object image formed by an objective lens system to an electrical image signal, comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device having an image sensor;

a controller for controlling the horizontal and vertical scan direction of an image portion of said image sensor; and

a scan control device which controls the scanning operation of said image sensor;

wherein

said image sensor and one of said scan control device and said controller are integrated on a common chip.

2. An electronic endoscope having an image pickup portion which is provided at a distal end of a tubular member of said electronic endoscope;

and

wherein the image pickup portion is provided with a solid-state image pickup device having an image sensor; and

wherein said image sensor and one of a controller, for controlling the horizontal and vertical scan direction of an image portion of said image sensor, and a scan control device, for controlling the scanning operation of the image sensor, are integrated on a common chip.

3. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 2

, wherein said image pickup portion comprises an A/D converter for carrying out A/D conversion of an output signal of the image sensor, an image processing device for processing the A/D-converted output signal, and a D/A converter for carrying out D/A conversion of the processed image signal;

wherein at least one of the A/D converter device, the image processing device, and the D/A converter is integrated in the solid-state image pickup portion.

4. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 3

, wherein said image processing device has an automatic white balance function to carry out a white balance operation.

5. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 2

, further comprising a scan direction changing device, wherein said scan direction changing device causes the controller to change the scan direction of the image sensor.

6. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 5

, wherein said scan direction changing device comprises a vertical scan direction changing member to change the scan direction of the image sensor in the vertical direction, and a horizontal scan direction changing member to change the scan direction of the image sensor in the lateral direction.

7. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 5

, wherein said scan direction changing device is provided with a horizontal/vertical scan switching member to switch the horizontal scan and the vertical scan of the image sensor.

8. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 2

, wherein said image sensor is a MOS type image sensor having a horizontal scan register and a vertical scan register.

9. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 5

, wherein said scan direction changing device is provided at the other end of the tubular member.

10. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 5

, further comprising an image monitor in which an image picked-up by the image pickup portion is indicated.

11. An electronic endoscope having an image pickup portion which is provided at a distal end of a tubular member of said electronic endoscope, comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device in which an image sensor and a scan control device for controlling the scanning operation of the image sensor are integrated on a common chip; and

a scan direction changing device which changes the scan direction of the image sensor.

12. The electronic endoscope according to

claim 11

, wherein said scan direction changing device is provided at the other end of the tubular member.