Endoscopic photographing apparatus

• US 4,646,724 A
• Filed: 01/09/1986
• Issued: 03/03/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Hattori, Shinichiro, Kato, Shinichi, Takahashi, Yutaka, Sato, Ken, Tsukaya, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max F.
• Application Number:
  US06/817,168
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 128/4-8, 354/62, 358/98, 358/901
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• 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 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

An endoscopic photographing apparatus has a TV camera with a CCD image sensor which is mounted on an eyepiece section of an endoscope, a light flash source for supplying a light flash as photographing light to the endoscope, and an observation light source for supplying observation light. The light flash source is turned on in synchronism with a release signal and a transfer gate pulse for the video signal, at the time of still image photographing. The photographic field of view of the TV camera is darkened for at least one-field scanning period, before the light flash source is turned on.

Claims

1. An endoscopic photographing apparatus including an endoscope having a distal portion adaptable for placement adjacent to a given object, said apparatus comprising:

light source means coupled to said endoscope having a distal portion, for selectively providing observation light and photographing light to the endoscope, said light source means comprising an observation light source for normally continuously emitting an observation light through said endoscope and out of said distal end toward said given object and a photographing light source for selectively generating the photographing light through said endoscope and out said distal end toward said object;

photographing means coupled to the endoscope and comprising a solid state image sensor for converting an optical image obtained from the distal portion of the endoscope to a video signal, and means coupled to said image sensor for generating a synchronous signal component to be associated with said video signal;

releasing means, operable in a still photographing mode, for generating a release signal; and

light source energizing means coupled to said releasing means for preventing the observation light source from emitting light toward said given object in response to said release signal and for energizing said light source means in timed response to the release signal and the synchronous signal component of the video signal to generate the photographing light, including means for causing the light source means to provide said photographing light, after the observation light has been prevented from emitting light toward said given object, in response to a synchronous signal component generated only after lapse of at least one field scan period following generation of the next previous synchronous signal component which is generated immediately after generation of said release signal.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said observation light source comprises a halogen lamp.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said photographing light source comprises an electronic flash tube.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing the video signal obtained on the basis of the observation light at the time of generation of the release signal in response to the release signal from said releasing means; and

displaying means for displaying the video signal stored in said storage means until at least the still image is photographed.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a video recorder for recording the video signal of said photographing means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further said solid state image sensor comprises a CCD image sensor.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said photographing means comprises a television camera mounted on an eyepiece section of the endoscope.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said solid state image sensor is provided in the distal portion of said endoscope.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light source means comprises a short arc xenon lamp for selectively generating the observation light and photographing light.

10. An endoscopic photographing apparatus including an endoscope having a distal portion adaptable for placement adjacent to a given object, said apparatus comprising:

light source means adapted to be coupled to said endoscope having a distal portion, for selectively providing observation light and photographing light to the endoscope;

photographing means adapted to be connected to the endoscope and comprising a solid state image sensor for converting an optical image obtained from the distal portion of the endoscope to a video signal having image information components, and means coupled to said image sensor for generating a synchronous signal component to be associated with said video signal;

releasing means operable in a still photographing mode for generating a release signal;

light source energizing means coupled to said releasing means for energizing said light source means in timed response to the synchronous signal component and the release signal to cause said light source means to generate the photographing light;

detecting means for detecting an end of emission of the photographing light; and

reading means for reading out the image information components of the video signal from said solid state image sensor immediately after said detecting means completes the detecting operation.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said light source means comprises an observation light source for continuously emitting the observation light and a photographing light source for generating the photographing light.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said observation light source comprises a halogne lamp.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said photographing light source comprises an electronic flash tube.

14. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

storage means for storing the video signal obtained on the bassis of the observation light at the time of generation of the release signal in response to the release signal from said releasing means; and

displaying means for displaying the video signal stored in said storage means until at least the still image is photographed.

15. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a video recorder for recording the video signal of said photographing means.

16. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said solid state image sensor comprises a CCD image sensor.

17. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said photographing means comprises a television camera mounted on an eyepiece section of the endoscope.

18. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said solid stage image sensor is provided in the distal portion of said endoscope.

19. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said light source means comprises a short arc xenon lamp for selectively generating the observation light and photographing light.