Endoscopic apparatus

• US 4,746,974 A
• Filed: 02/05/1987
• Issued: 05/24/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US07/011,113
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 358/98, 358/1, 358/29
• US Class Current: 348/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/90 using coding techniques not provided for in groups H04N19/10-H04N19/85, e.g. fractals
• 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

Abstract

A endoscopic apparatus according to the present invention having a solid state image pickup elements to obtain an image data, which comprises: rewritable regulation memory circuits for memorizing the image data, the color balance of which is regulated; a counter which counts the image data from the memory circuits and is shifted UP/DOWN to regulate the counted image data; and a feedback circuit for supplying the regulated image data again to the memory circuits from the counter.

Claims

1. An endoscopic apparatus having a solid state image pickup elements to obtain an image data and a white balance circuit for adjusting a white balance of the obtained image data, comprising:

means for memorizing a correction data for the obtained image data corresponding to a predetermined white balance;

means for varying the correction data from said memory means and supplying the varied correction data to the white balance circuit; and

means for feeding back the varied correction data to the memory means to thereby start the various correction data in the memory means.

2. The endoscopic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said correction data varying means comprises an UP/DOWN counter.

3. The endoscopic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data varying means includes operator controlled input devices.

4. The endoscopic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said memory means comprises a plurality of rewritable color regulation memory circuits and wherein the varied correction data is stored in the rewritable color regulation memory units.

5. The endoscopic apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

means for selecting one of the plurality of color regulation memory circuits.

6. The endoscopic apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the selection means comprises a first and second electronic switch for selecting one of the plurality of color regulation memory circuits in accordance with a memory selection signal.

7. The endoscopic apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the memory selection signal is generated by an operator controlled switch.

8. An endoscopic apparatus having a solid state scope unit to obtain image data and a white balance circuit for adjusting a white balance of the obtained image data, the endoscopic apparatus comprising:

a. first and second memory units for storing data;

b. a memory selection circuit, coupled to the first and second memory units, that selects data stored in at least one of the first and second memory units;

c. a variation circuit, coupled to the memory selection circuit, that receives the data selected by the selection vircuit, varies the data in response to input signals received from an operator controlled input device, and supplies the data to the white balance circuit;

d. a feedback circuit, coupled to the variation circuit and the second memory, that supplies the data varied by the variation circuit to an address of the second memory unit designated by a scope unit ID signal which is supplied to the second memory unit.

9. The endoscope apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said variation circuit comprises an UP/DOWN counter.

10. The endoscope apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the data stored in the first memory unit is preset correction data corresponding to a predetermined white balance.