Electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit for isolating a patient circuit from a secondary circuit

• US 4,931,867 A
• Filed: 02/28/1989
• Issued: 06/05/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US07/316,906
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 358/98, 358/93, 358/100, 128/4-6
• US Class Current: 348/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• 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 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/136 using complementary colours

Abstract

The electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit of the present invention is provided with an endoscope provided with an imaging device converting the photoinformation of an object to an electric signal and a video signal processing device processing the output signal of the imaging device to be a video signal. An isolation circuit separates and isolates the circuit forming the video signal processing device into a patient circuit including the imaging device and a secondary circuit which is a circuit not included in the patient circuit. A signal producing circuit makes either one of the patient circuit and secondary circuit a transmitted side circuit and produces a signal required by the transmitted side circuit on the basis of a signal forming a video transmitted to the transmitted side circuit through the isolation circuit from the transmitting side circuit.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit comprising:

an endoscope provided with an imaging means converting the photoinformation of an object into an output electric signal;

a video signal processing means processing the output electric signal of said imaging means into a video signal;

an isolating means for separating and for isolating said video signal processing means into a) a patient circuit including said imaging means and b) a secondary circuit which is a circuit not included in said patent circuit; and

a signal producing means for making either one of said patient circuit and said secondary circuit a transmitted side circuit and the other a transmitting side circuit and for producing a signal required by said transmitted side circuit based upon a signal forming an image transmitted to the transmitted side circuit through said isolating means from the transmitting side circuit.

2. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 1 wherein said signal forming the image is at least either one of a synchronized signal and video signal.

3. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting circuit has a reference clock oscillator producing a reference clock and a timing signal generator generating at least a horizontal synchronized signal and vertical synchronized signal from said reference clock.

4. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 3 wherein said isolating means isolates said vertical synchronized signal and horizontal synchronized signal and transmits said vertical and horizontal synchronized signals to said transmitted side circuit.

5. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 3 wherein said signal producing means has a phase synchronizing circuit to which said vertical synchronized signal and horizontal synchronized signal isolated from each other by said isolating means are input, a phase of said vertical synchronized signal is synchronized and a synchronized signal synchronized in said phase is output.

6. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 1 wherein said transmitted side circuit has a reference clock oscillator producing a reference clock and a timing signal generator generating at least a composite synchronized signal from said reference clock.

7. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 6 wherein said isolating means isolates said composite synchronized signal and transmits said to said transmitted side circuit.

8. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 6 wherein said signal producing means has a synchronization signal separator circuit in which the vertical synchronized signal and horizontal synchronized signal are separated from said composite synchronized signal isolated by said isolating means and a phase synchronizing circuit to which said vertical synchronized signal and horizontal synchronized signal separated by said synchronization signal separator circuit are input, a phase of said vertical synchronized signal is synchronized and the synchronized signal synchronized in said phase is output.

9. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 5 or 8 wherein said phase synchronizing circuit comprises a voltage controlling oscillator as a secondary side reference oscillator, a secondary side timing signal generator generating at least a horizontal synchronized signal based upon the reference clock from said voltage controlling oscillator and a phase comparator comparing the phases of the horizontal synchronized signal from said isolating means and the horizontal synchronized signal of said secondary side timing signal generator.

10. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 5 and 8 wherein said signal producing means further has a secondary side process circuit producing said video signal based upon the synchronized signal from said phase synchronizing circuit.

11. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting side circuit has a sequentializing circuit sequentializing a color difference signal.

12. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 11 wherein said isolating means isolates said sequentialized color difference signal and a luminance signal.

13. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 12 wherein said signal producing means has a secondary side process circuit producing said video signal from the color difference signal and the luminance signal from said isolating means.

14. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting side circuit has a sequentializing circuit sequentializing a color difference signal and a superimposing circuit superimposing said sequentialized color difference signal and a luminance signal.

15. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 14 wherein said isolating means isolates said superimposed color difference signal and said luminance signal.

16. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 15 wherein said signal producing means has a separating means separating a color difference signal and a luminance signal from the signal from said isolating means.

17. An electronic endoscope apparatus having an isolation circuit according to claim 16 wherein said signal producing means further has a secondary side process circuit producing a video signal from said separated color difference signal and said luminance signal.