Electronic endoscope apparatus which stores image data on recording medium

• US 7,420,586 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Higuchi, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US10/973,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20050093972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 348/61, 348/65
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• 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 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An electronic endoscope apparatus uses an image storage memory capable of storing image data of one or more examinations and records the image data on a recording medium. In response to a redisplay command, it judges whether the image size for a connected electronic scope matches the image size of the data in the image storage memory. If no match is found, the electronic endoscope apparatus changes the clock signal generated by a timing generator to the one suitable for the image size in the image storage memory and redisplays the image data read out of the image storage memory using the clock signal with this frequency on the monitor screen. This makes it possible to redisplay images of a finished examination easily in a constant screen display size.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus, comprising:

various electronic scopes each equipped with a solid state image pickup device with a different image size;

a processor unit which is removably connected with the electronic scopes and records, on a recording medium, image data of an object under observation formed based on output from the solid state image pickup device;

a clock signal generator circuit which is mounted on the processor unit and generates clock signals with a plurality of frequencies according to image sizes obtained by the electronic scopes;

an image storage memory which is mounted on the processor unit, stores image data in response to an image capture command, and transfers the image data to the recording medium; and

a processor-side control circuit which judges in response to a redisplay command whether the image size for the connected electronic scope matches the image size of the data in the image storage memory, changes the clock signal generated by the clock signal generator circuit to the one suitable for the image size in the image storage memory if no match is found, and redisplays the image data read out of the image storage memory using the clock signal with this frequency on the display device.

2. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit erases the image data stored in the image storage memory, at the time of the first image capture during the next examination.

3. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor unit comprises an examination start/stop switch which turns on and off the electronic scope separately from a processor main power switch;

and a power supply control circuit which turns on and off power supply to the electronic scope through operation of the examination start/stop switch.