Dissimilar endoscopes usable with a common control unit

• US 5,614,943 A
• Filed: 04/25/1995
• Issued: 03/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Yoshihiro, Nakajima, Shigeru, Sasa, Hiroyuki, Yamaguchi, Seiji, Nakamura, Kazunari, Yabe, Hisao, Saito, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, BRYAN T
• Application Number:
  US08/428,833
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 358/98, 128/6, 128/4, 348/72, 348/65, 348/74, 348/75, 348/458
• US Class Current: 348/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00105 characterised by modular construction
• 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 23/665 involving internal camera communication with the image sensor, e.g. synchronising or multiplexing SSIS control signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An endoscope system comprises an endoscope control unit provided with an image signal generating circuit for signal processing an image pickup signal from an endoscope to generate an image signal, and a drive-signal generating circuit for generating a drive signal for driving an image pickup element provided on the endoscope; a first endoscope capable of being connected to the endoscope control unit and provided with a first image pickup element for image pickup of a subject image; a second endoscope capable of being connected to the endoscope control unit and provided with a second image pickup element different from the first image pickup element, for picking up the subject image; and a signal rationalizing circuit for rationalizing a form of a signal exchanged between at least one of the first endoscope and the second endoscope, and the endoscope control unit.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

an endoscope control unit provided with image signal generating means for signal processing an image pickup signal having fixed specifications from an endoscope to generate a standard image signal, and a main signal generating means for generating a main synchronizing signal for driving image pickup means provided on said endoscope;

a first endoscope connectable to said endoscope control unit and provided with high resolution first image pickup means having a large number of pixels, and capable of picking up an image pickup signal having higher resolution than said image pickup signal having said fixed specifications;

a second endoscope connectable to said endoscope control unit and provided with low resolution second image pickup means being miniaturized and capable of picking up an image pickup signal having a lower resolution than an image pickup signal of said fixed specifications;

first signal rationalizing means for rationalizing a form of a signal exchanged between said first endoscope and said endoscope control unit, said first signal rationalizing means including a first subsidiary synchronizing signal generator circuit for detecting the phase of said main synchronizing signal generated from said main synchronizing signal generator circuit to generate a first subsidiary synchronizing signal which is synchronized with said main synchronizing signal, a first drive pulse generator circuit for signal processing said first subsidiary synchronizing signal which is generated from said first subsidiary synchronizing signal generator circuit to generate a first drive signal used for said high resolution first image pickup means, and two-line adding means for simultaneously reading and adding together two lines of the image pickup signal from said high resolution first image pickup means on the basis of said first subsidiary synchronizing signal to provide high-speed reading, said two-line adding means outputting an image pickup signal of said fixed specifications to said image signal generating means; and

a second signal rationalizing means for rationalizing a form of a signal exchanged between said second endoscope and said endoscope control unit, said second signal rationalizing means including a second subsidiary synchronizing signal generator circuit for detecting the phase of said main synchronizing signal generated from said main synchronizing signal generator circuit to generate a second subsidiary synchronizing signal which is synchronized with said main synchronizing signal, a second drive pulse generator circuit for signal processing said second subsidiary synchronizing signal from said second subsidiary synchronizing signal generator circuit to generate a second drive signal used for said low resolution second image pickup means, and interpolation enlargement means for interpolation processing an image pickup signal from said low resolution second image pickup means on the basis of said second subsidiary synchronizing signal to provide enlargement of said image pickup signal, said interpolation enlargement means for outputting an image pickup signal of said fixed specifications to said image signal generating means.

2. An endoscope system comprising:

a first endoscope provided with high resolution first image pickup means having a large number of pixels for picking up a subject image as a high resolution image;

a second endoscope smaller in size than said first image pickup means and provided with low resolution second image pickup means;

an endoscope control unit provided with image signal generating means for signal processing an image pickup signal from said low resolution second image pickup means to generate an image signal, and a main drive pulse signal generating means for generating a main drive pulse signal for driving said second image pickup means; and

signal rationalizing means for rationalizing a form of a signal exchanged between said first endoscope and said endoscope control unit when said first endoscope is combined with said endoscope control unit, said signal rationalizing means including a subsidiary drive pulse signal generating circuit for detecting the phase of said main drive pulse signal generated from said main drive pulse signal generating means to generate a subsidiary drive pulse signal which is synchronized with said main drive pulse signal and which is used for simultaneously generating two lines of the image pickup signal from said high resolution first image pickup means, and two-line adding means for detecting the phase of said main drive pulse signal and adding together two lines of the image pickup signal simultaneously generated from said high resolution first image pickup means on the basis of said detection of the phase, said two-line adding means outputting the signals added together to said image signal generating means.