CCD breakage prevention system

• US 7,593,051 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Suda, Tadaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tuan V
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, KENT F
• Application Number:
  US11/346,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20060176386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 348294-324
• US Class Current: 348/311
• 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 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

An electronic endoscope is provided with a CCD control system which can prevent CCD breakage caused by a latchup, etc. by detecting a Vsub output error and a Vsub supply error without placing any device near the CCD. The endoscope system has a scope including a CCD placed at the scope'"'"'s distal end, a driving section that supplies a drive signal to a CCD and drives the CCD and a bias voltage generation that generates a substrate bias voltage, a processor, a voltage monitoring section that monitors the voltage value of the substrate bias voltage, a current consumption monitoring section that monitors the current consumption corresponding to the substrate bias voltage, a drive stopping section that stops supplying the drive signal to the CCD when the voltage monitoring section or the current consumption section determines an error occurs.

Claims

1. A CCD control system comprising:

a driving section that supplies at least one drive signal to a CCD to drive the CCD;

a bias voltage generation section that generates a substrate bias voltage;

a voltage monitoring section that monitors the voltage value of the substrate bias voltage;

a current consumption monitoring section that monitors the current consumption corresponding to the substrate bias voltage which is supplied to the CCD; and

a drive stopping section that stops supplying the drive signal to the CCD at least one of when the voltage monitoring section determines a first error occurs and when the current consumption monitoring section determines a second error occurs,

wherein the driving section, the bias voltage generation section, the voltage monitoring section, the current consumption monitoring section and the drive stopping section are located apart from the CCD.

2. The CCD control system according to claim 1,

wherein the voltage monitoring section determines that the first error occurs when the substrate bias voltage generated by the bias voltage generation section is equal or less than a first predetermined threshold value.

3. The CCD control system according to claim 1,

wherein the current consumption monitoring section determines that the second error occurs when the current value corresponding to the substrate bias voltage is equal or less than a second predetermined threshold value.

4. The CCD control system according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the voltage monitoring section and the current consumption monitoring section is configured to transmit an error detection signal when the monitoring section detects the error.

5. The CCD control system according to claim 1,

wherein the drive stopping section is configured to transmit a predetermined signal from at least one of the voltage monitoring section and the current consumption monitoring section to the driving section in order to stop supplying the drive signal to the CCD.

6. An electronic endoscope system comprising:

a scope including a CCD placed at the distal end of the scope;

a driving section that supplies at least one drive signal to the CCD and drives the CCD and a bias voltage generation section that generates a substrate bias voltage;

a processor;

a voltage monitoring section that monitors the voltage value of the substrate bias voltage;

a current consumption monitoring section that monitors the current consumption corresponding to the substrate bias voltage which is supplied to the CCD; and

a drive stopping section that stops supplying the drive signal to the CCD in both cases that the voltage monitoring section determines a first error occurs and the current consumption monitoring section determines a second error occurs,

wherein the driving section, the bias voltage generation section, the voltage monitoring section, the current consumption monitoring section and the drive stopping section are located apart from the CCD.

7. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 6,

wherein the voltage monitoring section determines that the first error occurs when the voltage generated by the bias voltage generation section is equal or less than a first predetermined threshold value.

8. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 6,

wherein the current consumption monitoring section determines that the second error occurs when the current value corresponding to the substrate bias voltage is equal or less than a second predetermined threshold value.

9. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 6,

further comprising an error detection noticing section that notifies a user when the voltage monitoring section or the current consumption monitoring section detects the error.

10. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 6,

wherein the drive stopping section is configured to transmit a predetermined signal from at least one of the voltage monitoring section and the current consumption monitoring section to the driving section in order to stop supplying the drive signal to the CCD.

11. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 6,

wherein the driving section, the bias voltage generation section, the voltage monitoring section, the current consumption monitoring section and the drive stopping section are located near the proximal end of the scope where the scope is connected to the processor.