Electronic endoscope

• US 8,007,433 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Iketani, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, III; Henry M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROANE, AARON F
• Application Number:
  US11/464,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 600101-112
• US Class Current: 600/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00186 with imaging filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/043 for fluorescence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0646 with illumination filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0071 by measuring fluorescence emission
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2461 Illumination
• 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

Abstract

An electronic endoscope according to the present invention has a video-scope that has a first image sensor and a second image sensor, and a light supplier that selectively irradiates white light and excitation-light on an observed portion. The electronic endoscope further has a first color filter that has spectral transmitting characteristics, such that light having a first wavelength range corresponding to blue color is transmitted, and a second color filter that has spectral transmitting characteristics, such that light having a second wavelength range corresponding to green and red colors is transmitted. The electronic endoscope has a first signal processor, a second signal processor, and a third signal processor. The first signal processor generates normal image video signals. The second signal processor generates narrow-band video signals. The third signal processor generates auto-fluorescent video signals.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope comprising:

a video-scope that has a first image sensor and a second image sensor;

a light supplier that selectively irradiates white light and excitation-light on an observed portion;

a first color filter that is positioned on said first image sensor, is disposed along a light-path oriented toward said first image sensor, and has spectral transmitting characteristics that transmit light having a first wavelength range corresponding to blue color;

a second color filter that is positioned on said second image sensor, is disposed along a light-path oriented toward said second image sensor, and has spectral transmitting characteristics that transmit light having a second wavelength range corresponding to green and red colors;

a first signal processor that generates normal image video signals corresponding to a normal observation image on the basis of image-pixel signals that are read from said first and second image sensors by the white light;

a second signal processor that generates narrow-band video signals corresponding to a narrow-band image on the basis of image-pixel signals that are read from said first image sensor by reflected light of the excitation-light; and

a third signal processor that generates auto-fluorescent video signals corresponding to an auto-fluorescent image on the basis of image-pixel signals that are read from said second image sensor by auto-fluorescent light emitted from the observed portion.

2. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, wherein the first wavelength range is set to a range that does not exceed a boundary wavelength in a range between 450 nm and 550 nm, said second wavelength range being set to a range that exceeds the boundary wavelength.

3. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, wherein said first color filter comprises a first plurality of color elements that have different spectral peak levels in a plurality of distributed curved lines defined by said plurality of color elements.

4. The electronic endoscope of claim 3, wherein said first color filter comprises three color elements that have spectral peak levels distributed at even intervals.

5. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, wherein said second color filter comprises a second plurality of color elements that have different spectral peak levels in a plurality of distributed curved lines defined by said plurality of color elements.

6. The electronic endoscope of claim 5, wherein said second color filter comprises two or three color elements that have spectral peak levels distributed at even intervals.

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

one objective optical system that forms an object image; and

a beam splitter that divides light passing through said objective optical system into light having the first wavelength range and light having the second wavelength range, an object image being formed on said first image sensor by the light having the first wavelength range, an object image being formed on said second image sensor by the light having the second wavelength range.

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

a first objective optical system that faults an object image on said first image sensor; and

a second objective optical system that forms an object image on said second image sensor.

9. The electronic endoscope of claim 8, further comprising a cut-off filter that is disposed at the front of said second objective optical system, and that blocks the light having the first wavelength range.

10. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, wherein said light supplier comprises:

a light source that emits white light having spectral transmitting characteristics in which spectrum is distributed over wavelengths of visible light;

an excitation-light color filter that transmits light having a wavelength range corresponding to the excitation-light; and

a color filter driver that selectively positions said excitation-light color filter on a light-path and off the light-path.

11. The electronic endoscope of claim 10, wherein said color filter driver positions said excitation-light color filter off a light-path when a normal observation mode for displaying the normal observation image is set, and positions said excitation-light color filter on the light-path when a special observation mode for displaying the auto-fluorescent image and the narrow-band image is set.

12. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, wherein said light source comprises:

a white light source that emits white light having spectral transmitting characteristics in which spectrum is distributed over wavelengths of visible light;

a laser that emits the excitation-light;

an optical system that directs the excitation-light to a light-path of the white light; and

a laser driver that turns said laser ON/OFF.

13. The electronic endoscope of claim 12, wherein said laser driver turns said laser OFF when a normal observation mode for displaying the normal observation image is set, and turns said laser ON when a special observation mode for displaying the auto-fluorescent image and the narrow-band image is set.

14. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a fourth signal processor that processes the auto-fluorescent video signals and the NBI video signals so as to display the auto-fluorescent image and the narrow-band image on a monitor simultaneously and separately.

15. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a fifth signal processor that selectively outputs one of the normal image video signals and a set of the NBI video signals and auto-fluorescent video signals.

16. The electronic endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a change member that is operated to set a normal observation mode for displaying the normal observation image or the set a special observation mode for displaying the auto-fluorescent image and the narrow-band image.

17. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, said first signal processor, said second signal processor and said third signal processor being configured to process the image pixel signals by an on-chip color filter method.