Image processing unit whose ability to process endoscopic image signal can be expanded, and endoscopic imaging system

• US 20040141054A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Tsunakawa, Makoto, Mochida, Akihiko, Ogasawara, Kotaro, Saito, Katsuyuki, Kusamura, Noboru, Tashiro, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 6,873,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/76
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0004 for electronic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00105 characterised by modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00286 with studio circuitry, devices or equipment, e.g. television cameras television studio circuitry, devices or equipment per se H04N5/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

When an endoscopic imaging system is employed in, for example, the department of otorhinology, a color processing expansion substrate, a still image production expansion substrate, and a still image compression/recording substrate are stacked on an expansion connector formed on a main substrate and are thus connected to the main substrate. A data bus and an address bus extending from a control unit mounted on the main substrate are linked to the expansion substrates. A sync signal generator outputs various kinds of sync signals including a clock signal CLK, a horizontal sync signal HD, a vertical sync signal VD, a field identification signal FLD, and a composite sync signal CSYNC to the expansion substrates.

Claims

1. An image processing unit, comprising:

a main substrate having a basic processing circuit, which performs predetermined basic processing on endoscopic images, mounted thereon; and

an expansion substrate connected to said main substrate so that it can be disconnected freely, and having an expansion processing circuit, which performs predetermined expansion processing on the endoscopic images subjected to the basic processing by said basic processing circuit, mounted thereon,

wherein said expansion substrate has an identification data memory circuit, in which identification data used to identify said expansion substrate is stored, mounted thereon; and

said main substrate has a control circuit, which controls the contents of expansion processing to be performed using said expansion substrate according to the identification data read from said identification data memory circuit, mounted thereon.

3. An image processing unit according to claim 1, wherein:

said expansion substrate has an expansion processing circuit, which performed expansion processing, a program storage circuit, in which a program for producing control parameters used to control the contents of expansion processing is stored, and an expansion processing control circuit, which has the control parameters stored therein and controls said expansion processing circuit according to the control parameters, mounted thereon; and

said control circuit produces the control parameters according to the program and outputs them to said expansion processing control circuit.

4. An image processing unit according to claim 3, wherein said program storage circuit has a plurality of programs stored therein.

6. An image processing unit according to claim 1, wherein:

said expansion substrate has an expansion processing circuit, which performs expansion processing, a control information storage circuit, in which control information is stored, and an expansion processing control circuit, which has the control parameters stored therein and controls said expansion processing circuit according to the control parameters, mounted thereon; and

said control circuit produces the control parameters according to the control information and outputs them to said expansion processing control circuit.

7. An image processing unit according to claim 6, further comprising a display input unit for use in designating the control parameters with the control information displayed in a designation screen under the control of said control circuit.

2. An image processing unit according to claim 23, wherein:

said control circuit outputs control parameters, which are used to control the contents of expansion processing, to said expansion substrate; and

said expansion substrate has an expansion processing circuit, which performs expansion processing, and an expansion processing control circuit, which has the control parameters stored therein and controls said expansion processing circuit according to the control parameters, mounted thereon.

5. An image processing unit according to claim 2, further comprising an input unit for use in designating the control parameters so that the contents of control will be input.