Electronic endoscope apparatus

• US 7,683,927 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iketani, Minoru, Higuchi, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/959,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/74
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An electronic endoscope apparatus, comprising a media drive unit for recording image data, which is given digital processing, in a recording medium, judges a recordable amount of images by the detection of a free space of the above-mentioned recording medium, and displays a message, prompting the replacement of the recording medium in a monitor when this recordable amount becomes zero. Then, when the recording medium is replaced during the examination of the same patient, the electronic endoscope apparatus automatically creates a folder for a patient in this recording medium, and records remaining image data in this folder for a patient. In addition, also when the recordable amount becomes zero after the examination end switch was pushed, the electronic endoscope apparatus automatically creates a folder for the patient in a replaced recording medium, and records remaining image data in this folder.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus, comprising:

a recording medium which records image data of an object which is formed on the basis of an output of a solid state image pickup device mounted in an electronic scope;

judging unit which judges a recordable amount of the image in the recording medium during an examination;

a display processing circuit which displays a recording medium exchange message on a display unit when the recordable amount becomes zero; and

a control circuit which

performs control so as to automatically create a folder for a patient in this recording medium and record image data in this folder for the patient, and

when the record of the image data under one examination of the same patient in the recording medium is not completed and the recording medium is replaced with another recording medium, while said electronic scope is functioning performs control so as to transfer patient data to said another recording medium and automatically create another folder for said patient in said another recording medium and record remaining image data in said another folder.

2. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display processing circuit displays a recordable amount, which is judged by the judging unit, on a display unit.

3. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image memory which once stores image data of an object obtained by the solid state image pickup device and has the capacity of being able to save image data in at least one examination of the same patient.

4. An electronic endoscope apparatus, comprising:

a recording medium which records image data of an object which is formed on the basis of an output of a solid state image pickup device mounted in an electronic scope;

judging unit which judges a recordable amount of the image in the recording medium during an examination;

a display processing circuit which displays a recording medium exchange message on a display unit when the recordable amount becomes zero;

an examination end switch which terminates a function of the electronic scope;

image storage memory which saves image data in at least one examination of the same patient; and

a control circuit which

performs control so as to automatically create a folder for a patient in this recording medium and record image data in this folder for the patient, and

when the transferring of the image data to the recording medium from the image storage memory is not completed and the examination end switch is pushed to terminate the activity of the electronic endoscope and when the recording medium is replaced with another recording medium, performs control so as to transfer patient data to said another recording medium and automatically create another folder for said patient in said another recording medium and record remaining image data in said another folder.

5. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display processing circuit displays a recordable amount, which is judged by the judging unit, on a display unit.

6. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the examination end switch turns off only a power supply of the electronic scope, and a power supply of a processor unit which processes image data of an object maintains an ON state.