Electronic endoscope apparatus having magnification changing function

• US 6,425,858 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2000
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Minami, Itsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): MULCAHY, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/526,874
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 600/109, 600/160, 600/168, 600/178, 600/180-181, 348/65, 348/68, 348/69, 348/240, 348/296, 348/358
• US Class Current: 600/168
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• 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 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic endoscope apparatus which prevents a picked up image from being blurred utilizing an optical magnification change mechanism. A viewing distance is changed by moving a movable lens with an actuator, magnification changing location of the movable lens is detected with an encoder and a shutter speed for a CCD which is shorter than an exposure time while the optical magnification changing mechanism is not operating is set with a CPU dependently on the magnification changing location. It is possible to prevent an image from being blurred, for example, by storing various patterns which provide higher electronic shutter speeds as an image magnification ratio is enhanced in a ROM and controlling an electronic shutter speed with these patterns. Furthermore, a variable width of a stop is limited to a predetermined width as the electronic shutter speed is enhanced and a gain of a video signal is enhanced with an AGC circuit when image brightness is insufficient due to limitation of a variable width of the stop. When an electronic magnification changing circuit is provided, a displacement speed of optical magnification change is detected on the basis of magnification changing data detected with the encoder, and control is performed at the same speed as this speed so that a shift is made to an electronic magnification changing operation.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function, comprising:

an optical magnification changing mechanism which is capable of optically magnifying an image to be observed with an objective optical system;

a solid-state image pickup device which picks up an image of an object to be observed using rays incident from said objective optical system; and

an electronic shutter control circuit, which controls an electric charge accumulating time of the solid-state image pickup device and sets a high shutter speed which is shorter than an exposure time while the magnification changing mechanism is not operating during an operation of said optical magnification changing mechanism;

wherein various kinds of patterns which provide higher electronic shutter speeds as an image magnification ratio is enhanced by said optical magnification changing mechanism are stored in a memory and the electronic shutter speed is controlled by reading data of a pattern selected from the memory.

2. The electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function according to claim 1, wherein said optical magnification changing mechanism comprises a motor and a linear transmission member which transmits a driving force of the motor, and a movable lens is moved to change a magnification with the driving force from the motor disposed at a distant location.

3. The electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function according to claim 1, wherein a shutter speed set by said electronic shutter control circuit is displayed on a monitor.

4. An electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing functions comprising:

an optical magnification changing mechanism which is optically magnifying an image to be observed with an objective optical system;

a solid-state image pickup device which picks up an image of an object to be observed using rays incident from said objective optical system;

an electronic shutter control circuit which controls an electric charge accumulating time of the solid-state image pickup device and sets a high shutter speed which is shorter than an exposure time while the magnification changing mechanism is not operating during operation of said optical magnification changing mechanism;

a stop mechanism which varies and controls rays output from a light source with a stop member; and

a control circuit which limits a variable width of said stop mechanism to a predetermined width as said electronic shutter speed is enhanced while said optical magnification changing mechanism is operative.

5. The electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function according to claim 4, wherein said electronic endoscope apparatus comprises a gain control circuit which controls a gain of an image signal output from said solid-state image pickup device and image brightness is maintained constant by adjusting the gain of the image signal with said gain control circuit when predetermined brightness is not obtained even by light quantity control with said stop mechanism.

6. An electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function, comprising:

an optical magnification changing mechanism which is capable of optically magnifying an image to be observed with an objective optical system;

a solid-state image pickup device which picks up the image to be observed using rays incident from said objective optical system;

an electronic magnification changing circuit which processes an image signal obtained with the solid-state image pickup device and forms a magnified image and a contracted image of an image formed at an operation end of the electronic magnification change; and

a magnification change speed control circuit which detects a displacement speed of the magnification change in said optical magnification changing mechanism and controls to match a magnification changing displacement speed of the electronic magnification change operation with a magnification changing displacement speed of an electronic magnification change operation at a switching point;

wherein said optical magnification changing mechanism comprises a movable lens which is movably built in to change a magnification and a detector which detects a magnification changing location of the movable lens, and said magnification change speed control circuit determines a displacement speed from magnification change location data of said movable lens sampled at predetermined counts.

7. The electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function according to claim 6, wherein said optical magnification changing operation, said electronic magnification changing operation and switching between both the operations are controlled with a magnification changing switch.

8. The electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function according to claim 6, wherein a displacement speed detected with said magnification changing speed control circuit is displayed on a monitor.

9. The electronic endoscope apparatus having a magnification changing function according to claim 7, wherein an image which is currently formed is optically magnified or electronically magnified and is displayed on a monitor.