Endoscope apparatus using programmable integrated circuit to constitute internal structure thereof

• US 5,868,666 A
• Filed: 05/06/1996
• Issued: 02/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Yoshihiro, Ito, Mitsuhiro, Noguchi, Toshiaki, Uchimura, Sumihiro, Taniguchi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/643,562
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 600/118, 600/178, 600/180, 348/68, 348/69, 348/72, 348/74, 348/76, 606/142, 369/17
• US Class Current: 600/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0646 with illumination filters
• 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 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

An endoscope apparatus including an endoscope, a supply portion for supplying a required signal or energy to a peripheral unit relating to the endoscope; and a control portion for controlling the supply portion, wherein the control portion is constituted to have at least one field programmable gate array and a function required by at least either of the endoscope or the peripheral unit relating to the endoscope is realized by receiving circuit information for constituting a control circuit for controlling the supply portion to selectively write the circuit information on the field programmable gate array so that the control circuit is constituted.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope;

at least one peripheral unit connected to said endoscope having a function relating to an operation of said endoscope;

supply means for supplying a required signal or energy to said peripheral unit; and

control means for controlling said supply means,

wherein said control means includes at least one field programmable gate array, and a function required by said peripheral unit is realized by receiving circuit information from an external source, said circuit information being selectively written on said field programmable gate array to form said control circuit for controlling said supply means to supply said required signal or energy to said peripheral unit,

wherein said peripheral unit includes a light guide cable of said endoscope,

said supply means includes a light source portion for supplying irradiation light to said light guide cable, and

said control means includes light quantity adjustment means that controls quantity of light emitted from said light source portion to adjust brightness of an image obtainable by said endoscope,

wherein said light quantity adjustment means has image brightness detection means for detecting brightness of an image obtained by said endoscope, a diaphragm for adjusting quantity of light emitted from said light source, and diaphragm drive control means for controlling drive of said diaphragm in accordance with said brightness detected by said image brightness detection means, and said diaphragm drive control means includes said field programmable gate array to form an automatic light adjustment circuit by selectively setting loop gain characteristics to have response characteristics of an adequate light adjustment operation to be adaptable to a unit or an apparatus to be combined;

wherein said endoscope apparatus further comprises;

calculation circuit data storage means forming and storing a calculation circuit for calculating loop gain of an automatic light adjustment circuit corresponding to each diaphragm position of said diaphragm; and

automatic light adjustment circuit data storage means forming and storing an automatic light adjustment circuit that drives said diaphragm to control a predetermined light quantity,

wherein said diaphragm drive control means forms a calculating circuit and an automatic light adjustment circuit in accordance with said calculation circuit stored in said calculating circuit data storage means and said automatic light adjustment circuit stored in said automatic light adjustment circuit data storage means in said field programmable gate array, said diaphragm drive control means further including a correction value storage means for storing a correction value of a loop gain obtained by said calculating circuit when said calculating circuit is formed, and has correction means for correcting said loop gain at each diaphragm position in accordance with said correction value stored in said correction value storage means when said automatic light adjustment circuit is formed so that an automatic light adjustment circuit is formed.

2. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said diaphragm drive control means of said light quantity adjustment means constitutes said calculating circuit in accordance with said circuit information stored in said calculating circuit data storage means and then constitutes said automatic light adjustment circuit in accordance with said circuit information stored in said automatic light adjustment circuit data storage means in the same field programmable gate array.

3. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope;

at least one peripheral unit connected to said endoscope having a function relating to an operation of said endoscope;

supply means for supplying a required signal or energy to said peripheral unit;

control means for controlling said supply means and including at least one field programmable gate array, and

memory means for storing circuit information for constituting a control circuit for controlling said supply means,

wherein said control means realizes a function required by said peripheral unit by receiving said circuit information from said memory means to selectively write said circuit information on said field programmable gate array so that said control circuit is constituted,

wherein said memory means stores a plurality of circuit information items for constituting a digital circuit having a predetermined function.

wherein said control means has circuit information selection means for selecting data corresponding to setting a predetermined operation of said peripheral unit from said plurality of circuit information items in said memory means, and circuit constituting means that writes said selected data on said field programmable gate array to constitute said digital circuit,

wherein said memory means stores said circuit information for a plurality of functions for constituting said digital circuit having said predetermined function, and

wherein said control means further includes circuit information synthesizing means that synthesizes data selected by said circuit information selection means for each of said plurality of functions to supply said data to said circuit constituting means.

4. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope;

at least one peripheral unit connected to said endoscope having a function relating to an operation of said endoscope;

supply means for supplying a required signal or energy to said peripheral unit; and

control means for controlling said supply means,

wherein said control means includes at least one field programmable gate array and a function required by said peripheral unit is realized by receiving circuit information from an external source, said circuit information being selectively written on said field programmable gate array to form said control circuit for controlling said supply means to supply said required signal or energy to said peripheral unit,

wherein said control means comprises memory means for storing circuit information for defining a circuit function for determining each operation of a plurality of operations that are processed time-sequentially in a control circuit constituted by said field programmable gate array, buffer means for storing input/output data to be processed to and from said field programmable gate array for a predetermined time, and circuit constituting means for selecting circuit data for each said operation from circuit information for determining a plurality of operations stored in said memory means to sequentially supply said circuit data to said field programmable gate array to sequentially rewrite said circuit function in accordance with a time sequential process so as to constitute said control circuit.

5. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means includes a plurality of field programmable gate arrays, and

wherein said control means rewrites a functional structure of said plurality of field programmable gate arrays sequentially and alternately by said circuit constituting means, thereby rewriting said circuit function of one of said plurality of field programmable gate arrays during operation of a circuit constituted by another one of said plurality of field programmable gate arrays.

6. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an endoscope;

an electric knife connected to said endoscope for performing excision;

supply means for supplying a required signal or energy to said electric knife; and

control means for controlling said supply means,

wherein said control means includes at least one field programmable gate array and the function of excision provided by said electric knife is realized by receiving circuit information from an external source, said circuit information being selectively written on said field programmable gate array to form said control circuit for controlling said supply means to supply said required signal or energy to said electric knife.