ENDOSCOPE SYSTEM

• US 20170205619A1
• Filed: 04/05/2017
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: HAMADA, Toshihiro, SUZUKI, Takeo
• Application Number:
  US15/479,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20170205619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00087 Tools A61B17/00234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• 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 23/56 provided with illuminating means

Abstract

An endoscope system includes: an insertion portion configured to be inserted into an inside of an object; a forward observation window configured to acquire a forward field-of-view image; a lateral observation window configured to acquire a lateral field-of-view image; and a control portion. The control portion detects an amount of change in an image signal in a predetermined judgment area in at least one of the forward field-of-view image and the lateral field-of-view image within a predetermined time period, judges a use state of the insertion portion based on a result of the detection, and controls an image signal of the forward field-of-view image and an image signal of the lateral field-of-view image to be outputted to a monitor capable of displaying the forward field-of-view image and the lateral field-of-view image, according to the judged use state.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

an insertion portion configured to be inserted into an inside of an object;

a first object image acquiring portion provided on the insertion portion and configured to acquire a first object image from a first area of the object;

a second object image acquiring portion provided on the insertion portion and configured to acquire a second object image from a second area of the object different from the first area;

an image change amount detecting portion configured to detect an amount of change in an image signal in a predetermined area of at least one of the first object image and the second object image within a predetermined time period; and

an image signal generating portion configured to generate an image signal based on the first object image and generate an image signal obtained by changing a display information amount of the second object image according to the amount of the change in the image signal detected by the image change amount detecting portion.

2. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the image change amount detecting portion detects the amount of the change in the image signal of the predetermined area in at least one of the first object image and the second object image in a state of being displayed on a display portion within the predetermined time period.

3. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the image change amount detecting portion detects the amount of the change in the image signal of the predetermined area in at least one of the first object image and the second object image in a state of not being displayed on the display portion within the predetermined time period.

4. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the image change amount detecting portion detects the amount of the change in the image signal in the predetermined area based on at least one of a luminance value of each pixel, a pixel value, color and saturation of at least one of a plurality of color pixels, and a magnitude of an edge component.

5. The endoscope system according to claim 1, further comprising a use state judging portion configured to judge which one is a use state among:

a state of an insertion operation of the insertion portion being performed, a screening state in which an operation speed is slower than an operation speed of the insertion operation, a state of using a treatment instrument from a distal end of the insertion portion, and a state of suction in the object, based on a result of the detection by the image change amount detecting portion.

6. The endoscope system according to claim 5, wherein the use state judging portion judges the use state of the insertion portion based on a detection result obtained by weighting the amount of the change detected by the image change amount detecting portion.

7. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein

the first object image is an object image of the first area that includes a forward direction of the insertion portion substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the insertion portion;

and

the second object image is an object image of the second area that includes a lateral direction of the insertion portion in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the insertion portion.

8. The endoscope system according to claim 1, further comprising an image pickup portion configured to photoelectrically convert the first object image acquired by the first object image acquiring portion and the second object image acquired by the second object image acquiring portion, on one image pickup surface.

9. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein

the first object image acquiring portion is arranged on a distal end portion of the insertion portion in a longitudinal direction so as to acquire the first object image from the first area that is in a direction in which the insertion portion is inserted;

and

the second object image acquiring portion is arranged along a circumferential direction of the insertion portion so as to acquire the second object image from the second area.

10. The endoscope system according to claim 9, wherein

the first object image is in a substantially circular shape;

and

the second object image is in a substantially annular shape surrounding at least a part of a circumference of the first object image.

11. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the image signal generating portion performs any one of a masking process, an enlargement/reduction process and a hiding process for a display portion, for the second object image according to the amount of the change in the image signal detected by the image change amount detecting portion.

12. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the image signal generating portion generates an image signal in which the second object image is arranged so as to be next to the first object image.

13. The endoscope system according to claim 12, wherein

the second object image includes object images acquired from two directions;

and

the image signal generating portion generates an image signal in which the first object image is arranged in a center, and the second object image acquired from the two directions is arranged so as to sandwich the first object image.

14. The endoscope system according to claim 13, further comprising two image pickup portions for acquiring the second object image acquired from the two directions;

wherein

the two image pickup portions are arranged at substantially equal angles in a circumferential direction of the insertion portion.

15. The endoscope system according to claim 1, comprising:

a first image pickup portion configured to pick up the first object image; and

a second image pickup portion configured to pick up the second object image, the second image pickup portion being different from the first image pickup portion;

wherein

an image signal of the first object image is generated from an image obtained by the first image pickup portion; and

an image signal of the second object image is generated from an image obtained by the second image pickup portion.