Electronic endoscope

• US 4,894,715 A
• Filed: 09/14/1988
• Issued: 01/16/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Jun, Uchikubo, Akinobu, Saito, Katsuyuki, Sasaki, Masahiko, Kanno, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US07/244,215
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 358/98, 358/22, 358/183, 358/180, 358/160, 358/140, 128/6
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• 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 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An electronic endoscope apparatus whereby a picture image can be displayed at any desired displaying view angle irrespective of the pixel formation of a solid state imaging device, the picture image magnification rate and contraction rate of an observed object and the television broadcasting system comprises an imaging apparatus having a solid state imaging device outputting an object image as an electric signal and a video signal processing circuit driving the solid state imaging device and processing the read out electric signal to produce a video signal. The object image imaged by the solid state imaging device will be magnified or contracted by a picture image displaying magnification rate varying apparatus which can either magnify or contract the object image in at least one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction. The object image either magnified or contracted by the picture image displaying magnification rate varying apparatus will be displayed by a monitor. The view angle of the picture image displayed in the monitor will be adjusted by a picture image displaying magnification rate controlling apparatus which can control the magnification rate independently in at least one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction. The picture image displaying magnification rate controlling apparatus has a sensing and instructing apparatus sensing or instructing the factor varying the displaying view angle and outputting a signal relating to the picture image displaying magnification rate to the picture image displaying magnification rate controlling apparatus.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising:

an imaging means having an elongated insertable part to be inserted into a body cavity and a solid state imaging device outputting as an electric signal an object image obtained through an observing window provided in the tip part of said insertable part;

a video signal processing means driving said solid state imaging device and processing said read out electric signal to produce a video signal;

a picture image displaying rate varying means capable of either magnifying or contracting in at least one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction said object image imaged by said solid state imaging device on the basis of the picture image displaying rate by inputting said video signal;

a monitor means displaying said object image magnified or contracted by said picture image displaying rate varying means;

a picture image displaying rate controlling means capable of controlling independently in at least one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction the picture image displaying rate of said picture image displaying rate varying means adjust the view angle of the picture image displayed by said monitor means; and

a sensing and instructing means sensing or instructing the factor varying said displaying view angle and outputting a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate to said picture image displaying rate controlling means.

2. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said imaging means is an electronic endoscope electrically converting and outputting an object image.

3. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said imaging means is formed of an optical endoscope having an image guide means transmitting an object image and a television camera capable of being fitted to said optical endoscope and imaging an object image.

4. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said picture image displaying rate varying means comprises a horizontal picture image magnifying means magnifying a picture image in the horizontal direction and a vertical picture image magnifying means magnifying a picture image in the vertical direction.

5. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said picture image displaying rate varying means comprises a horizontal picture image contracting means contracting a picture image in the horizontal direction and a vertical picture image contracting means contracting a picture image in the vertical direction.

6. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said horizontal picture image magnifying means produces new video data by multiplying adjacent video data respectively by interpolating coefficients in the horizontal direction and adding said interpolated video data.

7. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said horizontal picture image magnifying means is provided with a plurality of horizontal interpolating coefficients corresponding to the picture image displaying rates.

8. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said vertical picture image magnifying means produces new scanning line data by adding synchronized scanning line data of two adjacent lines multiplied respectively by vertical interpolating coefficients.

9. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said vertical picture image magnifying means is provided with plurality of vertical direction interpolating coefficients corresponding to the picture image displaying rates.

10. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said vertical picture image contracting means produces new scanning line data by multiplying at least two nearby scanning line data for each of a plurality of scanning lines determined by contraction rates respectively by vertical direction interpolating coefficients and adding said interpolated scanning line data.

11. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said vertical picture image contracting means is provided with a plurality of vertical direction interpolating coefficients corresponding to picture image displaying rates.

12. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said horizontal picture image contracting means produces new pixel data by multiplying at least two nearby pixel data for each of a plurality of pixels determined by the contraction rate of the picture image by horizontal direction interpolating coefficients and adding said interpolated pixel data.

13. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said horizontal picture image contracting means is provided with a plurality of horizontal direction interpolating coefficients corresponding to the picture image displaying rates.

14. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said picture image displaying rate controlling means can output a coefficient switching signal selecting said vertical and horizontal direction interpolating coefficients to at least one of said horizontal picture image magnifying means and vertical picture image magnifying means.

15. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said picture image displaying rate controlling means can output a coefficient switching signal selecting said vertical and horizontal direction interpolating coefficients to at least one of said horizontal picture image contracting means and vertical picture image contracting means.

16. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sensing and instructing means senses the pixel formation of said solid state imaging device and outputs a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate corresponding to said pixel formation to said picture image displaying rate controlling means.

17. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sensing and instructing means externally inputs a signal selecting the size of the displayed picture image of said monitor means and outputs a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate corresponding to said signal to said picture image displaying rate controlling means to adjust the view angle of said monitor means.

18. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sensing and instructing means senses the broadcasting system corresponding to said video signal processing means and outputs a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate corresponding to said broadcasting system to said picture image displaying rate controlling means.

19. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sensing and instructing means inputs a control signal which can set a magnification rate or contraction rate of a continuous numerical value into said picture image displaying rate limiting means.

37. An imaging apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said vertical picture image contracting means is to thin the scanning lines determined by the picture image displaying rate and can select the scanning lines to be thinned in response to the picture image displaying rate.

38. An imaging apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said horizontal picture image contracting means is to thin the pixel data determined by the picture image displaying rate and can select the pixels to be thinned in response to the picture image displaying rate.

20. An imaging apparatus processing an electric signal obtained from an electronic endoscope comprising;

a video signal processing means processing an electric signal output from a solid state imaging device as an imaging means to produce a video signal;

a picture image displaying rate varying means capable of either magnifying or contracting in at least one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction an object image imaged by said solid state imaging device;

a picture image displaying rate controlling means capable of controlling independently in the vertical direction and horizontal direction the picture image displaying rate of said picture image displaying rate varying means to adjust the view angle of the picture image displayed by said object image; and

a sensing and instructing means sensing or instructing the factor varying said displaying view angle and outputting a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate to said picture image displaying rate controlling means.

21. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said picture image displaying rate varying means comprises a horizontal picture image magnifying means magnifying a picture image in the horizontal direction and a vertical picture image magnifying means magnifying a picture image in the vertical direction.

22. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said picture image displaying rate varying means comprises a horizontal picture image contracting means contracting a picture image in the horizontal direction and a vertical picture image contracting means contracting a picture image in the vertical direction.

23. An imaging apparatus according to claim 21 wherein said horizontal picture image magnifying means produces new video data by multiplying adjacent video data respectively by interpolating coefficients in the horizontal direction and adding said interpolated video data.

24. An imaging apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said horizontal picture image magnifying means is provided with a plurality of horizontal interpolating coefficients corresponding to the picture image displaying rates.

25. An imaging apparatus according to claim 21 wherein said vertical picture image magnifying means produces new scanning line data by adding synchronized scanning line data of two adjacent lines multiplied respectively by vertical interpolating coefficients.

26. An imaging apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said vertical picture image magnifying means is provided with a plurality of vertical direction interpolating coefficients corresponding to the picture image displaying rates.

27. An imaging apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said vertical picture image contracting means produces new scanning line data by multiplying at least two nearby scanning line data for each of a plurality of scanning lines determined by contraction rates respectively by vertical direction interpolating coefficients and adding said interpolated scanning line data.

28. An imaging apparatus according to claim 27 wherein said vertical picture image contracting means is provided with a plurality of vertical direction interpolating coefficients corresponding to picture image displaying rates.

29. An imaging apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said horizontal picture image contracting means produces new pixel data by multiplying at least two nearby pixel data for each of a plurality of pixels determined by the contraction rate by horizontal direction interpolating coefficients and adding said interpolated pixel data.

30. An imaging apparatus according to claim 29 wherein said horizontal picture image contracting means is provided with a plurality of horizontal direction interpolating coefficients corresponding to the picture image displaying magnification rates.

31. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said picture image displaying rate controlling means can output a coefficient switching signal selecting said vertical and horizontal direction interpolating coefficients to at least one of said horizontal picture image magnifying means and vertical picture image magnifying means.

32. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said picture image displaying rate controlling means can output a coefficient switching signal selecting said vertical and horizontal direction interpolating coefficients to at least one of said horizontal picture image contracting means and vertical picture image contracting means.

33. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said sensing and instructing means senses the pixel formation of said solid state imaging device and outputs a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate corresponding to said pixel formation to said picture image displaying rate controlling means.

34. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said sensing and instructing means externally inputs a signal selecting the size of the displayed picture image of said monitor means and outputs a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate corresponding to said signal to said picture image displaying rate controlling means to adjust the view angle of said monitor means.

35. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said sensing and instructing means senses the broadcasting system corresponding to said video signal processing means and outputs a signal relating to the picture image displaying rate corresponding to said broadcasting system to said picture image displaying rate controlling means.

36. An imaging apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said sensing and instructing means inputs a control signal which can freely set a magnification rate or contraction rate into said picture image displaying rate limiting means.

39. An imaging apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said vertical picture image contracting means is to thin the scanning lines determined by the picture image displaying rate and can select the scanning lines to be thinned in response to the picture image displaying rate.

40. An imaging apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said horizontal picture image contracting means is to thin the pixel data determined by the picture image displaying rate and can select the pixels to be thinned in response to the picture image displaying rate.