Image processing unit with expandable signal processing capability and endoscopic imaging systems

• US 7,542,069 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Tashiro, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US10/746,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20040135883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 348 65- 76, 439 67- 72
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0004 for electronic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• 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: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00286 with studio circuitry, devices or equipment, e.g. television cameras television studio circuitry, devices or equipment per se H04N5/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

When an endoscopic imaging system is employed in, for example, the department of otorhinology, a color processing expansion substrate, a still image production expansion substrate, and a still image compression/recording substrate are stacked on an expansion connector formed on a main substrate and are thus connected to the main substrate. A data bus and an address bus extending from a control unit mounted on the main substrate are linked to the expansion substrates. A sync signal generator outputs various kinds of sync signals including a clock signal CLK, a horizontal sync signal HD, a vertical sync signal VD, a field identification signal FLD, and a composite sync signal CSYNC to the expansion substrates.

Claims

1. An adaptive endoscopic imaging system, comprising:

an endoscope having an insertion unit and having an imaging device, configured for producing a motion picture signal, provided at a distal end of the insertion unit;

a signal processor to which the endoscope is connected;

a main substrate provided to the signal processor to which the endoscope is connected, the signal processor being configured for processing the motion picture video signal, produced by said imaging device, and producing a digital motion picture signal; and

an expansion substrate connected to said main substrate, provided to the signal processor so that it can be disconnected freely, and the expansion substrate having;

a processing circuit, mounted on the expansion substrate, which includes a digital motion picture compression circuit configured for compressing a digital motion picture signal produced by said signal processing means, and

a compression signal output circuit, mounted on the expansion substrate, configured for outputting a compression signal produced by said digital motion picture compression circuit.

4. An adaptive endoscopic imaging system according to claim 1, wherein said digital motion picture compression circuit compresses a digital motion picture signal into a digital video motion picture signal or compresses a digital motion picture signal in conformity with the MPEG2 standard, and said compression signal output circuit outputs a compression signal formatted according to the IEEE 1394 standard to a recording member.

2. An adaptive endoscopic imaging system, comprising:

an endoscope having an insertion unit and an imaging device, configured for producing a motion picture signal, provided at the distal end of the insertion unit;

a signal processor to which the endoscope is connected;

a first processing circuit provided to the signal processor, to which the endoscope is connected, and the first processing circuit being configured for processing the video signal by an imaging means into a digital motion picture signal; and

a second processing circuit connected to the first processing circuit, provided to the signal processor, and configured for compressing the digital motion picture signal produced by said first processing circuit, and a third processing circuit configured for outputting a compression signal produced by said digital motion picture compression circuit.

3. An adaptive endoscopic imaging system according to claim 2, wherein:

said first processing circuit is mounted on a main substrate; and

said second processing circuit and said third processing circuit are mounted on an expansion substrate which is connected to said main substrate so that it can be disconnected freely.