Television – Special applications – With endoscope
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-07
2003-07-22
Kelley, Chris (Department: 2613)
Television
Special applications
With endoscope
C348S068000, C348S069000, C348S071000, C600S101000, C600S109000, C600S160000, C382S103000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06597390
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 11-3954 and 11-3955 filed on Jan. 11, 1999, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope apparatus, particularly to a configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus capable of selectively and easily using an all-pixel reading system for reading all pixels in addition to a conventional pixel mixing and reading system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the case of a solid-state image pickup device used for an electronic endoscope apparatus such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a video signal is obtained by reading electric charges accumulated in pixels by a photoelectric conversion device. In the case of this type of the CCD used for a simultaneous-type electronic endoscope apparatus, color filters of Mg (magenta), Cy (cyan), G (green), and Ye (yellow) are arranged on the upside of the CCD and thereby, a color image is formed.
Moreover, according to a conventional color difference line successively mixing and reading (pixel-mixing-and-reading) system, accumulated electric charges of pixels on upper and lower horizontal lines are added, mixed, and read out of a CCD and thereby, video signals of an odd field and an even field are successively formed at a timing of, for example, {fraction (1/60)} sec. Thereafter, these odd-field signal and even-field signals are interlace-scanned and formed as an image for one frame, and the image is displayed on a monitor as a dynamic image.
Moreover, in the case of this type of the electronic endoscope apparatus, a freeze switch is set to an operating section and when the freeze switch is pressed, the then static image is formed and displayed.
However, in the case of the above pixel mixing and reading system, there is a time lag of {fraction (1/60)} sec between an odd field image and an even-field image (between two times of exposure) for forming one frame image. Therefore, if an endoscope moves or an object to be observed moves in the above period, a problem occurs that the image quality is deteriorated.
Moreover, an electronic endoscope apparatus uses various electronic shutter functions for changing signal accumulation times and thereby, it is possible to improve the image quality by decreasing the accumulation time at a near bright place. However, a trouble also occurs that the advantage of decreasing the accumulation time cannot be sufficiently given to a static image or the like because of the above time lag of {fraction (1/60)} sec.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made to solve the above problem and its object is to propose an all-pixel reading system capable of obtaining a high-quality image instead of a conventional pixel mixing and reading system and provide an electronic endoscope apparatus capable of selecting one of these systems in accordance with a state of a user or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To attain the above object, an electronic endoscope apparatus of the present invention comprises a pixel mixing and reading system circuit section of mixing pixel signals between upper and lower horizontal lines and reading them out of an image pickup device, an all-pixel reading system circuit section of reading all pixel signals generated by the image pickup device while using a predetermined opaque period (light shading period), and a control circuit for controlling these circuit sections, wherein one of the pixel mixing and reading system and all-pixel reading system circuit sections is normally set, the other is constituted so that it can be selectively set, and the control circuit judges whether a circuit section which can be selectively set is present and when the presence of the circuit section is detected, controls the circuit section so as to execute the circuit-section-type operation. The control circuit can judge whether a circuit section is present by detecting the change of output states of a predetermined terminal of a connector connected with each circuit section.
According to the present invention, a pixel mixing and reading system circuit board is normally used and an all-pixel reading system circuit board is constituted so that it can be set by a connector or the like. Moreover, when a set state of the all-pixel reading system circuit board is judged by the control circuit but the presence of the circuit board is not detected, pixel-mixed signals of two horizontal lines are read out of a solid-state image pickup device by a conventional pixel mixing and reading system and dynamic and static images are formed in accordance with the pixel mixed signals.
However, when the presence of the all pixel reading system circuit board is detected, all pixel signals are read out of the solid-state image pickup device by the all pixel reading system. That is, signals of all pixels obtained through one-time exposure are extracted by reading odd-line signals in the next opaque period (light-interrupted by opaque means) and even-line signals at the next period (exposure period) from the electric charges accumulated through exposure (exposure time is optional) every {fraction (1/60)}-sec period (vertical sync period).
Then, the above odd-line and even-line signals are later mixed between upper and lower lines, finally formed into mixed signals same as conventional ones, and serve as odd-field and even-field signals and thus, a dynamic image is formed in accordance with these signals. Moreover, though a static image is also displayed in accordance with a freeze signal, a static image is formed in accordance with video data obtained through one-time exposure by the all-pixel reading system and the static image has a high image quality compared to the case of the pixel mixing and reading system.
Further, for example, “H” is displayed on a monitor screen while an operation of the all-pixel reading system is executed, and “L” is displayed on a monitor screen while an operation of the pixel mixing and reading system is executed, so that the system operated can be easily confirmed by the display of these characters.
Furthermore, it is preferable to use a memory for temporarily storing odd-line data and even-line data generated by an image pickup device and adjusting phases of these data values as a circuit section of the all-pixel reading system and set a through-line not passing the memory, and supply an optical black pulse for clamping a black level of a video signal to a signal processing section at the subsequent stage via the through-line.
Another aspect of the present invention comprises an electronic endoscope apparatus provided with an image pickup device, a processor unit connecting with the electronic endoscope apparatus, switches for various operation, a pixel mixing and reading system circuit for mixing pixel signal between upper and lower horizontal lines and reading them out of the image pickup device, an all-pixel reading system circuit for reading all pixel signals generated by the image pickup device through the same exposure while using a predetermined opaque period, and a control circuit for performing the control for selectively operating either of the pixel mixing and reading system and the all-pixel reading system, judging whether a predetermined switch other than a power-supply switch among the above switches at power-on, and executing either of the above systems when detecting that the predetermined switch is pressed.
It is preferable that the predetermined switch uses an operation switch of an electronic endoscope apparatus.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, when a pixel mixing and reading system circuit and an all-pixel reading system circuit are provided for an electronic endoscope apparatus and, for example, an all-pixel reading system is set so as to be preferentially executed, and a power supply is turned on while pressing a freeze switch (or other existing switch) of an electronic endoscope, operations of the all-pixel reading system are executed by control-circuit's detecting a freeze-switch-pres
An Shawn S.
Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
Kelley Chris
Snider Ronald R.
Snider & Associates
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