Electronic endoscope

• US 7,907,170 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yasuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEGURA, CYNTHIA
• Application Number:
  US11/365,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20060198620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 348/220.1
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• 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

Abstract

An electronic endoscope has a light source that radiates illuminating light, a movie-image processor, a still-image processor, an image-change processor, and provisional image displayer. The still-image processor that alternately reads odd-line image-pixel signals and even-line image-pixel signals over two field interval to generate a still image on the basis of one frame worth of image-pixel signals generated by a one-time still image exposure. The illuminating light being blocked for a latter filed interval in the two field interval. The image change processor switches between a performance of the movie-image processor for displaying the movie-image and a performance of the still-image processor for displaying the still-image. While the still-image processor reads the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals, the provisional image displayer displays a provisional image on the basis of at least one of odd-field image-pixel signals and even-field image-pixel signals, which are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope, comprising:

a light source that radiates illuminating light;

a movie-image processor that alternately reads odd-field image-pixel signals corresponding to an odd-field and even-field image-pixel signals corresponding to an even-field to generate a movie-image;

a still-image processor that alternately reads odd-line image-pixel signals and even-line image-pixel signals over two field intervals to generate a still image on the basis of one frame worth of image-pixel signals generated by a one-time still image exposure, the illuminating light being blocked for a latter field interval in the two field intervals;

an image change processor that switches between an operation of said movie-image processor for displaying the movie-image and an operation of said still-image processor for displaying the still-image; and

a provisional image displayer that displays a provisional image on the basis of at least one of odd-field image-pixel signals and even-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure for recording a still image, while said still-image processor reads the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals,

wherein, when the operation of the still-image processor is started, the provisional image displayer displays, in order, a first provisional image based on even-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure and subsequently a second provisional image based on odd-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure, until the still-image processor finishes reading the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals.

2. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, further comprising:

a rotary shutter that has an aperture and a shading portion that are formed so as to alternately pass and block the illuminating light, and that rotates to adjust an exposure-time.

3. The electronic endoscope of claim 1,

wherein one field worth of image-pixel signals are temporarily stored in a memory as image data and are updated in each filed interval, and

wherein said provisional image displayer changes an update interval of the image data from one field interval to two field intervals when the performance of the still image processor is started.

4. The electronic endoscope of claim 1,

wherein one field worth of image-pixel signals are temporarily stored in a memory as image data and are updated in each filed interval, and

wherein said provisional image displayer stops an update of the image data while the one frame worth of pixel-image signals, generated by the still image exposure, is read over the two field intervals.

5. An apparatus for displaying an observed image associated with an electronic endoscope, comprising:

a still-image processor that alternately reads odd-line image-pixel signals and even-line image-pixel signals over two field interval to generate a still image on the basis of one frame worth of image-pixel signals generated by a one-time still image exposure, illuminating light being blocked for a latter filed interval in the two field interval;

an image change processor that switches a performance of a movie-image processor for displaying a movie-image and a performance of said still-image processor for displaying the still-image; and

a provisional image displayer that displays a provisional image on the basis of at least one of odd-field image-pixel signals and even-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure for recording the still-image, while said still-image processor reads the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals,

wherein, when the performance of the still-image processor is started, the provisional image displayer displays, in order, a first provisional image based on even-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure and subsequently a second provisional image based on odd-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure, until the still-image processor finishes reading the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals.