Endoscope system and method of unifying picture images in an endoscope system
First Claim
1. An endoscope system in which the displayed image is unified comprising:
- a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, each having an elongate insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means imaging an object image formed by said image forming optical system, at least one type of said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses being different from the other types in respect to whether the object image formed by said image forming system is a right image or a mirror image;
a signal processing apparatus, used in common with said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, said signal processing apparatus using a same process in response to the type of the endoscope apparatus with respect to an inversion between the right image and the mirror image and said signal processing apparatus processing an output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal; and
a first unifying means for unifying the picture image in the signal output from said plurality of endoscopes to be the right image or the mirror image and for inputting the unified picture image into said signal processing apparatus, said first unifying means formed as counterparts to each of said endoscope apparatuses to unify the picture image in the signal output by the endoscope apparatuses and the first unifying means.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This endoscope system comprises a plurality of types kind of endoscope apparatuses, a signal processing apparatus used in common with the plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses and which processes the output signal of the imaging apparatus of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal and an apparatus for unifying the picture image in the signal output from the plurality of kinds of endoscope apparatus to be a right image or a mirror image and inputs the unified signal into the signal processing apparatus. The plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses have each an elongate insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in the tip part of the insertable part and an imaging apparatus imaging the object image formed by the image forming optical system. At least one endoscope is different from the other endoscopes in whether the image formed by the image forming optical system is a right image or a mirror image. A method of unifying the picture image in the signal output from the signal processing apparatus to be a right image or a mirror image includes unifying the picture image in the signal output from the endoscope apparatus into a right image or a mirror image before it is input into the signal processing apparatus.
82 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. An endoscope system in which the displayed image is unified comprising:
-
a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, each having an elongate insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means imaging an object image formed by said image forming optical system, at least one type of said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses being different from the other types in respect to whether the object image formed by said image forming system is a right image or a mirror image; a signal processing apparatus, used in common with said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, said signal processing apparatus using a same process in response to the type of the endoscope apparatus with respect to an inversion between the right image and the mirror image and said signal processing apparatus processing an output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal; and a first unifying means for unifying the picture image in the signal output from said plurality of endoscopes to be the right image or the mirror image and for inputting the unified picture image into said signal processing apparatus, said first unifying means formed as counterparts to each of said endoscope apparatuses to unify the picture image in the signal output by the endoscope apparatuses and the first unifying means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20)
-
-
14. An endoscope system in which the displayed picture image is unified comprising:
-
a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses each having an elongate insertable part, an imaging forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means using a solid state imaging device imaging an object image formed by said image forming optical system, at least one type of said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses being different from the other types in size of said solid state imaging device; a signal processing apparatus, used in common with said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, said signal processing apparatus using a same process in response to the type of endoscope apparatus with respect to an inversion between a right image and a mirror image and said signal processing apparatus processing an output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal; and a first unifying means for unifying a picture image in the signal output from said plurality of endoscopes to be a right image or a mirror image and said first unifying means for inputting the picture image into said signal processing apparatus, said first unifying means formed as counterparts to each of said endoscope apparatuses to unify the picture image in the signal output from the endoscope apparatus and first unifying means.
-
-
15. In an endoscope apparatus comprising a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses each having an elongate insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means imaging the object image formed by said image forming optical system, including at least one type of endoscope being a different type in which said image formed by said image forming optical system is a right image or mirror image, and a signal processing apparatus processing an output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal, a method of unifying the picture image in the signal output from said signal processing means to be a right image or mirror image including unifying the picture image in the signal output from said plurality of types of endoscope apparatus with a unifying means to be a right image or a mirror image before said picture image is input into said signal processing apparatus, said unifying means formed as counterparts to each of said endoscope apparatuses.
- 16. In an endoscope system comprising a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses each having an elongate insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means imaging an object image formed by said image forming optical system, including at least one type of endoscope apparatus in which the image formed by said image forming optical system is different from the other types of endoscope apparatuses with respect to whether the image is a right image or a mirror image, and a signal processing apparatus processing an output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal, a method for unifying a picture image in the signal output from said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses and input into said signal processing apparatus to be a right image or a mirror image including making a scanning direction different when reading out the signal of said imaging means from said endoscope apparatus which is different from said other types of endoscope apparatuses.
-
18. In an endoscope system comprising a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, each having an elongate insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means imaging an object image formed by said image forming optical system, including at least one type of endoscope apparatus in which the image formed by said image forming optical system is different from the other types of endoscope apparatuses with respect to whether the image is a right image or a mirror image, a signal processing apparatus processing an output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal, a method of unifying a picture image in the signal output from said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses and input into said signal processing apparatus to be a right image or a mirror image and unifying a position of a rotating direction including the steps of:
-
making a transferring direction of a horizontal transferring part of said solid state imaging device different from said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses in order to unify the picture image to be the right image or the mirror image; and arranging said solid state imaging device in a same direction with respect to a vertical direction of the image formed by said image forming optical system in order to unify a position of the rotating direction of the picture image.
-
-
21. An endoscope system in which a displayed image is unified comprising:
-
a plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, each having an elongated insertable part, an image forming optical system provided in a tip part of said insertable part and an imaging means using a solid state imaging device imaging an object image formed by said image forming optical system, at least one type of said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses being different from the other types in size of said solid state imaging device; a signal processing apparatus used in common with said plurality of types of endoscope apparatuses, said signal processing apparatus having a same process in response to the type of the endoscope apparatus with respect to a positional alignment of a rotating direction of the picture image, and said signal processing apparatus processing the output signal of said imaging means of each endoscope apparatus to be a video signal; and unifying means for unifying the position of the rotating direction of the picture image in the signal output from said plurality of endoscopes and input into said signal processing apparatus, said unifying means formed as counterparts to each of said endoscope apparatuses to unify the rotating direction of the picture image in the signal output from said endoscope apparatus and said unifying means.
-
Specification