Signal processing circuit for a simultaneous electronic endoscope apparatus

• US 5,440,341 A
• Filed: 05/18/1994
• Issued: 08/08/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shigeo, Okada, Fujio
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Application Number:
  US08/245,483
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 348/256, 348/45, 348/65, 348/70, 348/71, 348/270, 348/625, 348/629, 348/630
• US Class Current: 348/256
• 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 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/136 using complementary colours

Abstract

A simultaneous electronic endoscope apparatus which is capable of preventing the deterioration of the picture quality due to the difference of the saturation property in mixture signals. The apparatus comprises a charge coupled device provided with a plurality of color filters. Upper and lower pixel signals are mixed in a charge coupled device so as to form mixture signals. When the saturated state of a mixture signal is detected, the gain of the mixture signal is multiplied by a preset coefficient so as to apparently cancel the saturated state. Alternatively two types of luminance signals may be formed by combining the plurality of mixture signals formed on each horizontal scanning line. When the saturated state of a luminance signal is detected, the gain of the luminance signal is amplified so that the level thereof is the same as that of the other luminance signal, thereby apparently cancelling the saturated state.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising:

a simultaneous electronic endoscope apparatus having a color filter for each pixel

an image pickup device circuit for forming a plurality of mixture signals by combining different pixel signals;

a sampling circuit for sampling a predetermined mixture signal out of said plurality of mixture signals;

a saturation state detection circuit for judging whether or not the predetermined signal is saturated;

a gain control circuit for controlling the gain of the predetermined mixture signal so as to be amplified when the sampled signal is saturated, and

wherein each of said mixture signals is formed by mixing upper and lower pixel signals in a charge coupled device, and said gain control circuit amplifies said predetermined mixture signal by a preset coefficient greater than 1 when the sampled signal is saturated.

2. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising:

a simultaneous electronic endoscope apparatus having a color filter for each pixel

an image pickup device circuit for forming a plurality of mixture signals by combining pixel signals obtained through color filters;

a luminance signal forming circuit for forming two types of luminance signals by combining said plurality of mixture signals formed on each horizontal scanning line;

a saturation state detection circuit for judging whether or not one of said luminance signals is saturated;

and a gain control circuit for controlling the gain of said luminance signal so as to adjust the level of said one of said luminance signals to the level of the other of said luminance signals on another horizontal scanning line when in a saturated state.