Electronic endoscope system

• US 6,690,409 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, RICHARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/396,374
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 345/156, 345/858, 348/65, 348/68-76, 600/101, 600/109, 600/117, 600/118, 600/168, 600/587
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

In an electronic endoscope system, a flexible scope has a solid image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, to generate image-pixel signals. A proximal end of the scope is detachably connected to a video-signal processing unit, which produces a video signal based on the image-pixel signals. A monitor reproduces an image in accordance with the video signal. A displaying-size changer changes a size of a displaying-area of the image on a screen of the monitor to another size and vice versa. A pointer-image generator generates a pointer image on the monitor screen. A pointer-image controller controls a shifting of the pointer image on the monitor screen, and includes a pointer-image-position converter that converts a position of the pointer image on the monitor screen in accordance with the size-change of the displaying-area of the image on the monitor screen, such that two positions, indicated by the pointer image on the two-sized displaying-areas, correspond to each other.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope system, comprising:

an elongated scope having a solid state image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, to generate image-pixel signals;

a video-signal processing unit, to which said elongated scope is detachably connected at a proximal end thereof, to produce a video signal on the basis of the image-pixel signals;

a monitor that reproduces an image in accordance with the video signal;

a displaying-size changer that changes a size of a displaying-area of the reproduced image on a screen of said monitor to another size;

a pointer-image generator that generates a pointer image on the screen of said monitor; and

a pointer-image controller that controls a shifting of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor,

wherein said pointer image controller includes a pointer-image-position converter that converts a position of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor in accordance with the size change of the displaying-area of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor, such that two positions, indicated by said pointer image on two-sized display-areas, correspond to each other.

2. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of the two-sized display-areas.

3. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to one of the two-sized display-areas, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to another-sized display-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, in accordance with the size change of the displaying-area of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor.

4. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pointer-image-position converter comprises:

a two-dimensional coordinate system defined with respect to the screen of said monitor;

a two-dimensional coordinate generator that generates two-dimensional coordinates representing the position of said pointer image; and

a proportional position-converter that proportionally converts a set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a position of said pointer image on one of the two-sized display-areas, into another set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a corresponding position of said pointer image on another-sized display-area.

5. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of the two-sized display-areas.

6. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to one of the two-sized display-areas, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to another-sized display-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, in accordance with the size-change of the displaying-area of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor.

7. An electronic endoscope system, comprising:

an elongated scope having a solid state image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, to generate image-pixel signals;

a video-signal processing unit, to which said elongated scope is detachably connected at a proximal end thereof, to produce a video signal on the basis of the image-pixel signals;

a monitor that reproduces an image in accordance with the video signal;

a displaying-size changer that changes a displaying-area of the reproduced image on a screen of said monitor between a first-sized displaying-area and a second-sized displaying-area;

a pointer-image generator that generates a pointer image on the screen of said monitor; and

a pointer-image controller that controls a shifting of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor,

wherein said pointer image controller includes a pointer-image-position converter that converts a position of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area, such that a position, indicated by said pointer image on said first-sized displaying-area, corresponds to a position, indicated by said pointer image on said second-sized displaying area.

8. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of said first-sized and second-sized displaying-areas.

9. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said first-sized display area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said second-sized displaying-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, and in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area.

10. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said pointer-image-position converter comprises:

a two-dimensional coordinate system defined with respect to the screen of said monitor;

a two-dimensional coordinate generator that generates two-dimensional coordinates representing the position of said pointer image; and

a proportional position-convertor that proportionally converts a set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a position of said pointer image on said first-sized displaying-area, into another set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a corresponding position of said pointer image on said second-sized displaying-area.

11. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of said first-sized and second-sized displaying-areas.

12. An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said first-sized displaying-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said second-sized displaying-areas, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area.