Television – Special applications – With endoscope
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-11
2002-07-16
Le, Vu (Department: 2613)
Television
Special applications
With endoscope
C348S069000, C348S076000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06421078
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic endoscope system.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, as schematically shown in
FIG. 2
, an electronic endoscope system comprises an electronic endoscope
101
which is inserted into a human body, a processing unit
102
and a monitor television (not shown). Such an electronic endoscope
101
has an objective lens
104
disposed at a distal end thereof, a solid state image pickup element
105
disposed in a focal position of the objective lens
104
and a light guide
103
which guides light from light source outside the electronic endoscope from one end to another end thereof and directs the light toward the inside of an organ of a human body. The processing unit
102
includes therein an illumination device comprising an illumination lamp
108
and energizing means
109
for the illumination lamp
108
, an iris
107
operative to limit the diameter of the bundle of light rays, i.e. the quantity of light, emanating from the illumination lamp
108
or shut off the bundle of light rays emanating from the illumination lamp
108
, and a focusing lens
106
operative to focus the light rays passing through the iris
107
at an end of the light guide
103
. The light rays emanating from the illumination lamp
108
and focused on the end surface of the light guide
103
are transmitted by the light guide
103
and directed toward an object to illuminate it. Light rays reflected by the object are focused on the solid state image pickup element
105
by the objective lens
106
so as to form an optical image of the object on the solid state image pickup element
105
.
The processing unit
102
includes a drive signal generating circuit
112
, a black balance adjusting circuit
113
, a white balance adjusting circuit
114
, a video signal processing circuit
115
and a display control circuit
116
therein. Specifically, the drive signal generating circuit
112
generates a drive signal with which the solid state image pickup element
105
is driven and controlled to photo-electrically convert the optical image thereon into image signals. The image signals provided by the solid state image pickup element
105
are adjusted in black and white balances by the black balance adjusting circuit
113
and the white balance adjusting circuit
114
, respectively. The adjusted image signals are subsequently processed for gamma correction etc. by the video signal processing circuit
115
and then converted to television signals Sv through the display control circuit
116
and transmitted to the monitor television to display an image of the object on the screen.
When a black balance adjusting command
18
is entered, an iris drive circuit
110
drives the iris
107
to close. While the iris
107
remains closed, the black balance adjusting circuit
113
is actuated to perform black balance adjustment for a specified period of time. Similarly, when a white balance adjusting command is entered, the iris drive circuit
110
drives the iris
107
to close. While the iris
107
remains closed, the white balance adjusting circuit
114
is actuated to perform black balance adjustment for a specified period of time.
In the electronic endoscope system, it is necessary to isolate the distal end portion, more specifically at least the solid state image pickup element, of the electronic endoscope from ambient light while completely closing the iris so as to prevent illumination light emanating from the lamp from reaching the light guide during performing black balance adjustment of the electronic endoscope
101
, which is always troublesome adjustment operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an electronic endoscope system which has no necessity of closing an iris so as to shut off illumination light from an endoscope nor necessity of isolating an solid state image pickup element from ambient light during performing black balance adjustment.
The foregoing object of the present invention is accomplished by an electronic endoscope system comprising an electronic endoscope unit equipped with a photoelectric conversion element as an image pickup element for photo-electrically converting light from an object to electric signals and a signal processing unit for processing the electric signals to video signals, the processing unit comprising drive signal generating means for generating vertical and horizontal transfer signals as drive signals with which the photoelectric conversion element is driven, color balance adjusting means for adjusting at least black balance of the photoelectric conversion element, and transfer signal interruption means for interrupting the vertical transfer signals from the photoelectric conversion element and admitting the horizontal transfer signals to the solid state image pickup element so as to cause the photoelectric conversion element to perform horizontal transfer only while the balance adjusting means is actuated.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5333010 (1994-07-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 5339159 (1994-08-01), Nakamura et al.
Akai Nobuyuki
Yajima Kaneo
Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
Le Vu
Young & Thompson
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