Endoscope apparatus

• US 7,551,196 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Murata, Masanao, Ono, Mitsunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, SHAWN S
• Application Number:
  US11/157,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20050243169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 348/65, 348/69, 348/68, 348/71, 348/76, 348/74, 348/77, 600/118, 600/109, 600/160, 600/117, 600/122, 600/114
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A drive signal from an SSG drives a CCD through a delay circuit and the like. An imaging signal from the CCD is converted to a video signal in a CDS circuit, which is driven by a sample hold signal given through the delay circuit, and is converted to a video signal that can be displayed on a monitor through an A/D converter circuit, a video signal processing circuit and a digital encoder to be output. Here, by correcting phases of the imaging signal and the sample hold signal, length of a signal line is corrected. Also, since the delay circuit is constructed by being incorporated in a DSP for video signal processing, which includes a video signal processing circuit and the like, the construction is simplified. Thus, the number of parts is reduced, and it can be constructed inexpensively.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for imaging an object image;

a drive signal generator portion for generating a drive signal to drive the imaging device;

a video signal extracting portion for extracting a video signal from an imaging signal obtained by the imaging device;

an A/D converter portion for converting the video signal extracted by the video signal extracting portion to a digital signal;

a control portion which operationally controls at least one of a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a normal exposure mode and a long time exposure mode and the second mode being a normal dynamic range mode and a dynamic range extension mode;

a drive signal timing converter portion capable of converting timing of the drive signal supplied to the imaging device in response to controls provided by the control portion;

a memory for at least temporarily storing the video signal while the video signal is processed; and

a memory control signal generator portion for generating a control signal which controls the operation of the memory in response to the controlling provided by the control portion.

2. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control portion controls the normal exposure mode and the long time exposure mode, and

the drive signal timing converter portion includes a read-out pulse timing converter portion in which timing of vertical transfer signals among drive signals is converted and timing of other drive signals is not converted.

3. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the memory includes a set of field memories and a frame memory, the memory serving to interpolate given video signals by the set field memories and the frame memory when the control portion operates the long time exposure mode.

4. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control portion controls the normal dynamic range mode and the dynamic range extension mode, and

the drive signal timing converter portion converts timing of electrical shutter signals for controlling an electrical shutter function of the imaging device among drive signals and does not convert timing of other drive signals in the dynamic range extension mode.

5. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the memory includes a set of field memories, an operation processing portion, and a field memory.

6. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the operation processing portion includes two multipliers through which video signals read out from the set of field memories are multiplied by a correction factor provided by the control portion respectively and an adder in which the video signals output from the two multipliers are added.

7. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the correction factor given from the control portion is controlled to be a function for the measured level of the video signal.

8. An endoscope apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the function is the one having a function of the correction factor for the high level component of the video signal and a function of the correction factor for the low level component superimposed.

9. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

imaging means for imaging an object image;

drive signal generator means for generating a drive signal to drive the imaging means;

video signal extracting means for extracting a video signal from an imaging signal obtained by the imaging means;

an A/D converter circuit for converting the video signal extracted by the video signal extracting means to a digital signal;

control means capable of operationally controlling at least one of a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a normal exposure mode and a long time exposure mode and the second mode being a normal dynamic range mode and a dynamic range extension mode;

drive signal timing converter means capable of converting timing of the drive signal supplied to the imaging means in response to controls by the control means;

a memory for at least temporarily storing the video signal while the video signal is processed; and

memory control signal generator means for generating a control signal which controls the operation of the memory in response to the controlling provided by the control means.

10. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an imaging device for imaging an object image;

a drive signal generator portion for generating a drive signal to drive the imaging device;

a video signal extracting portion for extracting a video signal from an imaging signal obtained by the imaging device;

an A/D converter portion for converting the video signal extracted by the video signal extracting portion to a digital signal;

a control portion capable of operationally controlling a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a normal exposure mode and a long time exposure mode and the second mode being a normal dynamic range mode and a dynamic range extension mode;

a drive signal timing converter portion capable of converting timing of the drive signal supplied to the imaging device in response to controlling by the control portion;

a memory for at least temporarily storing the video signal while the video signal is processed; and

a memory control signal generator portion for generating a control signal which controls the operation of the memory in response to the controlling by the control portion.