CONTROL APPARATUS AND IMAGING SYSTEM

• US 20140198249A1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: TANAKA, Satoshi, OGASAWARA, Kotaro, TAKAHASHI, Tomoya, YABE, Yusuke, HASHIMOTO, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00006 of control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0661 Endoscope light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS

Abstract

A control apparatus includes a control unit configured to control a cycle from a first irradiation start timing to a second irradiation start timing to be shorter than a cycle of each of first and second picture periods. The first irradiation start timing is a timing at which a light source device starts radiating pulsed illumination light in the first picture period in which an image pickup device performs reading. The second irradiation start timing is a timing at which the light source device starts radiating the illumination light in the second picture period succeeding the first picture period and having the same cycle as the first picture period.

Claims

1. A control apparatus which is communicably connected to each of an image pickup device and a light source device and collectively controls an operation of the image pickup device and the light source device,

the control apparatus comprising a control unit configured to control a cycle from a first irradiation start timing to a second irradiation start timing to be shorter than a cycle of each of first and second picture periods, the first irradiation start timing being a timing at which the light source device starts radiating pulsed illumination light in the first picture period in which the image pickup device performs reading, and the second irradiation start timing being a timing at which the light source device starts radiating the illumination light in the second picture period succeeding the first picture period and having the same cycle as the first picture period, wherein

the image pickup device is configured to read out an imaging signal generated by a plurality of pixels for each horizontal line, the plurality of pixels being arranged in two dimensions to generate the imaging signal by performing photoelectric conversion on an optical image of a subject, and

the light source device includes a light source configured to generate the pulsed illumination light with which the subject is irradiated at a timing overlapping with a readout period that is a period in which the imaging signal is read out for each horizontal line from the image pickup device.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a correction unit configured to generate a corrected image of an image corresponding to the imaging signal being read out in the second picture period by replacing the image in the second picture period with a corresponding image in a readout period that is determined based on an irradiation timing of the illumination light in the first picture period.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit is configured to set a cycle from a first irradiation starting point of the illumination light in the first picture period to a next irradiation starting point of the illumination light to be shorter than the cycle of each of the first and second picture periods by a readout period of one horizontal line, and

the correction unit is configured to replace the image in the second picture period by the corresponding image being read out after an irradiation end point of the illumination light in the first picture period.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit is configured to set a cycle from a first irradiation end point of the illumination light in the first picture period to a next irradiation end point of the illumination light to be shorter than the cycle of each of the first and second picture periods by a readout period of one horizontal line, and

the correction unit is configured to replace the image in the second picture period by the corresponding image being read out after an irradiation starting point of the illumination light in the first picture period.

5. An imaging system comprising:

an image pickup device in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in two dimensions to generate an imaging signal by performing photoelectric conversion on an optical image of a subject and which is configured to read out the imaging signal generated by the plurality of pixels for each horizontal line;

a light source device which includes a light source configured to generate pulsed illumination light with which the subject is irradiated at a timing overlapping with a readout period that is a period in which the imaging signal is read out for the each horizontal line from the image pickup device; and

a control unit which is communicably connected to each of the image pickup device and the light source device and configured to control a cycle from a first irradiation start timing to a second irradiation start timing to be shorter than a cycle of each of first and second picture periods, the first irradiation start timing being a timing at which the light source device starts radiating the illumination light in the first picture period in which the image pickup device performs reading, and the second irradiation start timing being a timing at which the light source device starts radiating the illumination light in the second picture period succeeding the first picture period and having the same cycle as the first picture period.

6. The imaging system according to claim 5, further comprising a correction unit configured to generate a corrected image of an image corresponding to the imaging signal being read out in the second picture period by replacing the image in the second picture period with a corresponding image in a readout period that is determined based on an irradiation timing of the illumination light in the first picture period.