Parent-and-son type endoscope system for making a synchronized field sequential system illumination

• US 5,178,130 A
• Filed: 01/29/1991
• Issued: 01/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaiya, Haruhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US07/647,622
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 128/6, 128/4, 128/634, 358/98, 358/42, 606/46
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0125 Endoscope within endoscope
• 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 5/0733 for distributing synchronisation pulses to different TV cameras

Abstract

An endoscope system wherein a first electronic endoscope apparatus and second electronic endoscope apparatus are used as combined characterized in that a field sequential illuminating system forming a first electronic endoscope apparatus and a field sequential illuminating system forming a second electronic endoscope apparatus are synchronized by a synchronizing signal to make an illumination so that neither apparatus may produce such deterioration of the picture quality as the break of the color balance and a smear or the like.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

a first electronic endoscope comprising an elongate insertable section, a first light guide inserted through said insertable section, transmitting an illuminating light fed on one end surface and emitting the illuminating light from the other end surface, a first objective optical system provided on the tip side of said insertable section and a first solid state imaging device photoelectrically converting an optical image based on said first objective optical system;

a second electronic endoscope comprising an elongate insertable section, a second light guide inserted through said insertable section, transmitting an illuminating light fed on one end surface and emitting the illuminating light from the other end surface, a second objective optical system provided on the tip side of said insertable section and a second solid state imaging device photoelectrically converting an optical image based on said second objective optical system;

first and second light source apparatus respectively sequentially feeding as a first and second field sequential illuminating lights a plurality of illuminating lights different in the wavelength range to the end surfaces on one side of said first and second light guides;

first and second driving circuits outputting respectively first and second image signals photoelectrically converted by applying respectively first and second driving signals to said first and second solid state imaging devices;

first and second video signal processing circuits processing respectively said first and second image signals to produce respectively standard first and second video signals;

first and second monitors displaying respectively said first and second video signals; and

a synchronization controlling means synchronizing the illuminating periods of the respective wavelength ranges of said first and second field sequential illuminating lights by said first and second light source apparatus.

2. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein said first electronic endoscope has a channel through which a treating instrument is to be passed and said second electronic endoscope has an insertable section of a small diameter which can be passed through said channel.

3. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein, in said first driving circuit, a synchronizing signal is applied from said synchronization controlling means and the timing of said first driving signal is controlled by said synchronizing signal.

4. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein, in said second driving circuit, a synchronizing signal is applied from said synchronization controlling means and the timing of said second driving signal is controlled by said synchronizing signal.

5. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein, in said second driving circuit, the timing of said second driving signal is controlled by the output of a means for detecting means of the illuminating period of said second field sequential illuminating light by said second light source apparatus.

6. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein, in said first light source apparatus, when a rotary filter fitted in the peripheral direction with a plurality of filters respectively different in the wavelength range to be passed is rotated and driven by a motor for the light generated from a lamp, said first field sequential illuminating light will be emitted through the filter in the position opposed to said lamp.

7. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein, in said second light source apparatus, when a rotary filter fitted in the peripheral direction with a plurality of filters respectively different in the wavelength range to be passed is rotated and driven by a motor for the light generated from a lamp, said second field sequential illuminating light will be emitted through the filter in the position opposed to said lamp.

8. An endoscope system according to claim 6 wherein said first light source apparatus has a means for detecting the emitting period of said first field sequential illuminating light, has a PLL circuit for synchronizing the output of said detecting means and the synchronizing signal output from said synchronization controlling means and the rotation of said motor is controlled by the output of said PLL circuit.

9. An endoscope system according to claim 7 wherein said second light source apparatus has a means for detecting the emitting period of said first field sequential illuminating light, has a PLL circuit for synchronizing the output of said detecting means and the synchronizing signal output from said synchronization controlling means and the rotation of said motor is controlled by the output of said PLL circuit.

10. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein said synchronization controlling means feeds a synchronizing signal to said first video signal processing circuit to process a signal synchronized with said synchronizing signal.

11. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein said synchronization controlling means feeds a synchronizing signal to said second video signal processing circuit to process a signal synchronized with said synchronizing signal.

12. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein said synchronization controlling means is provided in a first camera controlling unit, housing said first driving circuit and said first video signal processing circuit.

13. An endoscope system according to claim 1 wherein said second driving circuit and said second video signal processing circuit have a synchronizing circuit provided within the second camera controlling unit, synchronized with a synchronizing signal output from said synchronization controlling means and controlling said second driving circuit and said second video signal processing circuit.

14. An endoscope system according to claim 13 wherein said second camera controlling unit further has a synchronizing signal generating means and a switching means selecting the synchronizing signal outut from said synchronizing signal generating means and the synchronizing signal output from said synchronization controlling means and inputting them into said synchronizing circuit.