Endoscope apparatus in which image pickup means and signal control means are connected to each other by signal transmitting means

• US 5,585,840 A
• Filed: 03/02/1995
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Kenichi, Komatsu, Yasuo, Watanabe, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US08/397,728
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 348/65, 348/67, 348/68, 348/69, 348/70, 348/66
• US Class Current: 348/65
• 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 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A detection signal of an image pickup device is inputted to a gate circuit to open the gate circuit by a gate signal from a drive-signal generating circuit during a period of time of a phase regulating signal section of a drive signal, to thereby output the detection signal during the period of time, to a reference reset generating circuit. The reference reset generating circuit generates a reference reset signal on the basis of the detection signal during a period of time of the inputted phase regulation signal section. The reference reset signal and a basic clock signal are inputted to a timing-pulse generating circuit for generating various kinds of timing pulses which are used in an image-pickup-signal processing circuit for processing in signal the image pickup signal.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope provided with an inserting section inserted into a lacuna;

image pickup means for image-picking-up an observing part within said lacuna; and

signal processing means for driving said image pickup means and for processing an image pickup signal from said image pickup means;

wherein said signal processing means comprises;

timing-pulse generating means for generating a timing pulse signal for processing said image pickup signal output from said image pickup means;

drive-signal generating means for generating a drive signal for driving said image pickup means without receiving an external timing control signal from other parts, said drive-signal generating means being independent of said timing pulse signal;

signal superimposing means for superimposing a control signal upon said drive signal supplied to said image pickup means, said superimposing means being generated from said drive-signal generating means;

separating and extracting means for separating and extracting said control signal from said image pickup signal output from said image pickup means,

wherein said control signal is superimposed upon said drive signal; and

reference reset generating means separate from said drive-signal generating means for generating a reference reset signal for resetting timing pulse generating means for generating a timing pulse signal for processing said image pickup signal in response to an output from said separating and extracting means and said drive-signal generating means.

2. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

first transmitting means for transmitting a signal from said signal processing means to said image pickup means; and

second transmitting means for transmitting said image pickup signal from said image pickup means, to said signal processing means,

wherein said image pickup means and said signal processing means are physically independent.

3. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said timing pulse generating means is provided with a PLL circuit for generating a reference clock on the basis of said control signal separated and extracted by said separating and extracting means.

4. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal processing means is provided with sampling means for sampling said image pickup signal by said timing pulse, and wherein said separating and extracting means separates and extracts said control signal in response to an output from said sampling means.

5. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said endoscope is an electronic endoscope in which said image pickup means is arranged adjacent to a forward end of said inserting section.

6. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal superimposing means superimposes said control signal during a period of time corresponding to non-image information transmitting portion of said image pickup signal.

7. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said drive-signal generating means drives said image pickup means by at least a drawing signal for drawing said PLL circuit into a PLL during a predetermined period of time from start of generation of said drive signal.

8. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said drive-signal generating means drives said image pickup means by at least a drawing signal for drawing said PLL circuit into a PLL when a PLL lock of said PLL circuit is off.

9. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said signal processing means is provided with sampling means for sampling said image pickup signal by said timing pulse, and wherein said image pickup means is driven by at least a drawing signal for drawing said PLL circuit into a PLL on the basis of said image pickup signal which is sampled by said sampling means.

10. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said drive-signal generating means drives said image pickup means by at least a drawing signal for drawing said PLL circuit into a PLL, during a predetermined period of time until peak-value correction of said drive signal is ended.

11. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said sampling means is a correlation double sampling circuit.

12. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 11, including a plurality of electronic endoscopes different in inserting length of said inserting section from each other, wherein said signal control means controls said plurality of electronic endoscopes.