ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS

• US 20090043162A1
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, Tomoya
• Application Number:
  US12/175,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043162A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/06 with illuminating arrangements

Abstract

An endoscope apparatus according to this invention has a connector portion to which an endoscope having a CCD can be connected, a light source device having a light source portion which applies illumination light to an object to be observed by the CCD, an illumination time variator unit which changes an illumination time for illumination light from the light source portion, a storage portion provided in the endoscope and storing illumination time information for illumination light suitable for the endoscope, and a utilization factor controlling portion which, upon connection of the endoscope, reads out the illumination time information stored in the storage portion and controls the illumination time variator unit such that the illumination time for the light source portion is consistent with the read-out illumination time information.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

a connection portion to which medical equipment having an image pickup portion can be connected;

a light source portion which applies illumination light to an object to be observed by the image pickup portion;

an illumination time changing portion which changes an illumination time for illumination light from the light source portion;

a storage portion provided in the medical equipment and storing illumination time information for illumination light suitable for the medical equipment; and

a control portion which, upon connection of the medical equipment, reads out the illumination time information stored in the storage portion and controls the illumination time changing portion such that the illumination time for the light source portion is consistent with the read-out illumination time information.

2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

if the control portion cannot read out the illumination time information from the storage portion, the control portion determines a type of a CCD of the image pickup portion in the connected medical equipment and controls the illumination time changing portion to change the illumination time for the light source portion based on a determination result.

3. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control portion determines a type of a lamp used as the light source portion and controls the illumination time changing portion to change the illumination time for the light source portion based on a determination result.

4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the medical equipment is an endoscope capable of switching between a plurality of observation modes, and the control portion changes the illumination time for the light source portion upon switching between the observation modes in the endoscope.

5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the illumination time changing portion changes the illumination time for the light source portion by controlling a rotational phase difference between a plurality of rotating filters arranged in an optical path of the light source portion.

6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light source portion is a stroboscopic light source which emits strobe light for a set time, and

the illumination time changing portion changes the illumination time for the light source portion by controlling light emission timing for the stroboscopic light source.

7. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the storage portion is provided in a light source device having the light source portion.

8. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the image pickup portions are provided in the medical equipment, and

the storage portion stores illumination time information corresponding to each of observation modes for the plurality of the image pickup portions.