Endoscope processor and endoscope system

• US 8,223,198 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Shibasaki, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Hee Soo
• Application Number:
  US12/468,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20090290017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 348575-577, 348/582, 348/587, 348/592, 348/599, 348/65
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• 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 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

An endoscope processor including a receiver and a correction circuit block is provided. The receiver receives an image signal. The image signal corresponds to a captured subject. The image signal is generated by an imaging device. The image signal comprises a plurality of pixel signals corresponding to a plurality of pixels. A plurality of pixels forms an optical image of the subject. The correction circuit block carries out first signal processing on the pixel signals so that a representative value matches a standard value when the image signal received by the receiver is a fluorescence image signal. The representative value is calculated on the basis of a plurality of chrominance difference values corresponding to a plurality of pixel signals. The fluorescence image signal is generated when the subject is illuminated with excitation light. The excitation light makes an organ fluoresce.

Claims

1. An endoscope processor, comprising:

a receiver that receives an image signal, the image signal corresponding to a captured subject, the image signal being generated by an imaging device, the image signal comprising a plurality of pixel signals corresponding to a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels forming an optical image of the subject; and

a correction circuit block that carries out first signal processing on the plurality of pixel signals so that a representative value matches a standard value when the image signal received by the receiver is a fluorescence image signal comprising the plurality of pixel signals, the representative value being calculated on the basis of a plurality of chrominance difference values corresponding to the plurality of pixel signals, the fluorescence image signal being generated when the subject is illuminated with excitation light, the excitation light making an organ fluoresce, wherein

the correction circuit block comprises a first generation circuit block, a first calculation circuit block, and a main correction circuit block,

the first generation circuit block generates chrominance difference signal components corresponding to the chrominance difference values on the basis of the pixel signal,

the first calculation circuit block calculates the representative value on the basis of the chrominance difference signal components corresponding to a plurality of the pixels of a single image signal, and

the main correction circuit block corrects the chrominance difference signal components of all the pixels so that the representative value matches the standard value.

2. An endoscope processor according to claim 1,

wherein the representative value is a signal level of the chrominance difference signal component whose frequency is highest among a plurality of the chrominance difference values, or an average value of a plurality of the chrominance difference values.

3. An endoscope processor according to claim 1,

wherein the color corresponding to a chrominance difference value that matches the standard value is an achromatic color.

4. An endoscope processor according to claim 2, further comprising:

a second generation circuit block that generates luminance signal components corresponding to the pixel signals on the basis of the pixel signals;

a second calculation circuit block that calculates luminance differences, the luminance differences being difference between first and second luminance values for the same pixel, the first luminance value corresponding to a luminance signal component based on a reference image signal, the reference image signal being generated when the subject is illuminated with reference light, a wavelength band of the reference light being broader than that of the excitation light, the second luminance value corresponding to a luminance signal component based on the fluorescence image signal; and

a color-enhancement circuit block that generates color-enhanced pixel signals by adjusting corrected pixel signals on the basis of the luminance differences, the corrected pixel signals being the pixel signals, on which the correction circuit block carries out first signal processing.

5. An endo scope processor according to claim 4,

wherein the color-enhancement circuit block adjusts the corrected pixel signals so that an adjusted difference is increased, the adjusted difference being a difference between the chrominance difference value corresponding to the corrected pixel signal and the standard value.

6. An endoscope processor according to claim 5,

wherein the color-enhancement circuit block increases the adjusted difference in proportion to the luminance difference.

7. An endoscope processor according to claim 6, further comprising:

an input apparatus to which a command for changing an increasing rate of the adjusted difference by the color-enhancement circuit block is input.

8. An endo scope processor according to claim 4,

wherein the color-enhancement circuit block finely adjusts the color-enhanced pixel signals using the luminance difference of surrounding pixel(s), the surrounding pixel(s) being a pixel(s) surrounding a focused pixel which is selected for focus, for the purpose of fine adjustment.

9. An endoscope processor according to claim 8,

wherein the color-enhancement circuit block finely adjusts the color-enhancement pixel signals by adjusting the corrected pixel signals on the basis of the luminance difference of the focused pixel having undergone one of differential filtering processing, laplacian filtering processing, and median filtering processing using the luminance difference of the surrounding pixel.

10. An endo scope processor according to claim 8,

wherein the color-enhancement circuit block finely adjusts the color-enhancement pixel signals according to a gap between an order in a luminance value of the focused pixel and a median order of luminance values among a group of the surrounding pixel(s) and the focused pixel.

11. An endoscope processor according to claim 7,

wherein the number of the surrounding pixel(s) for fine adjustment of the color-enhancement pixel signals can be changed.

12. An endoscope system, comprising:

an excitation-light source that supplies a subject with excitation light, the excitation light making an organ fluoresce;

an electronic endoscope that generates an image signal, the image signal corresponding to a captured subject, the image signal comprising a plurality of pixel signals corresponding to a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels forming an optical image of the subject; and

a correction circuit block that carries out first signal processing on the plurality of pixel signals so that a representative value matches a standard value when the image signal generated by the electronic endoscope is a fluorescence image signal comprising the plurality of image signals, the representative value being calculated on the basis of a plurality of chrominance difference values corresponding to the plurality of pixel signals, the fluorescence image signal being generated when the subject is illuminated with excitation light, wherein

the correction circuit block comprises a first generation circuit block, a first calculation circuit block, and a main correction circuit block,

the first generation circuit block generates chrominance difference signal components corresponding to the chrominance difference values on the basis of the pixel signal,

the first calculation circuit block calculates the representative value on the basis of the chrominance difference signal components corresponding to a plurality of the pixels of a single image signal, and

the main correction circuit block corrects the chrominance difference signal components of all the pixels so that the representative value matches the standard value.