Television – Special applications – With endoscope
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-27
2001-06-12
Harvey, David E. (Department: 2614)
Television
Special applications
With endoscope
C348S705000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246432
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video signal switching device for an endoscope system connected to plural video processor devices for an endoscope and capable of selectively outputting a video signal inputted from each of these video processors. The present disclosure related to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-137159 (filed on May 27, 1997), No. 9-153590 (filed on Jun. 11, 1997), No. 9-153589 (filed on Jun. 11, 1997), No. 10-76227 (filed on March 24) and No. 10-76228 (filed on March 24), which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image processing circuit is built in a video processor device used in an endoscope system. The image processing circuit converts a CCD output signal outputted from a video endoscope of a RGB field sequential system or a color mosaic filter system to a video signal such as an RGB component signal, Y/C signals, an NTSC composite signal, etc. Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 63-200735, there is a known video processor device which has two connector sockets respectively connectable to the video endoscope of the RGB field sequential system and the video endoscope of the color mosaic filter system, a signal processing circuit to process the CCD output signal in the RGB field sequential system, a signal processing circuit to process the CCD output signal in the color mosaic filter system, a video signal switching device to select one of video signals respectively outputted from these signal processing circuits and to output the selected video signal to an external monitor device, etc.
Such a video processor device installed with the video signal switching device is excellent in that the video endoscopes of two kinds can be simultaneously connected to the video processor device and images photographed by these two video endoscopes can be selectively displayed on one monitor. However, such a video processor device installed with the video signal switching device forces an overladen cost if an user already has a video processor device dedicated for the RGB field sequential system and installed with only an image processing circuit for processing the CCD output in the RGB field sequential system and also has a video processor device dedicated for the color mosaic filter system and installed with only an image processing circuit for processing the CCD output in the color mosaic filter system, which makes these existing video processor devices useless. Further, for example, when a video endoscope of a new system such as a 3CCD system is developed, no conventional video processor device can cope with this new system. In such a case, user must use both the conventional video processor device installed with the video signal switching device and a video processor device dedicated for the new system in parallel, and connect monitor devices to these video processor devices respectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a video signal switching device of an endoscope system which can receive video signals respectively outputted from plural video processor devices irrespective of the system of a CCD output signal processed by the processor devices, and select any one of these inputted video signals to output through the same output terminal.
To achieve this object, a video signal switching device of the present invention selectively outputs video signals received from plural video processor devices for endoscopes. The video signal switching device is separated from said video processor devices. This video signal switching device comprises plural video signal input terminals to be connected to respective video signal output terminals of the video processors, a video signal output terminal through which a video signal is outputted, and a connecting change-over switch to select any one of the plural video signal input terminals to connect the selected input terminal to said video signal output terminal in accordance with a control signal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4853773 (1989-08-01), Hibino et al.
patent: 5412478 (1995-05-01), Ishihara et al.
patent: 5583566 (1996-12-01), Kanno et al.
patent: 63-200735 (1988-08-01), None
patent: 3-159490 (1991-07-01), None
patent: 4-1123382 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 8-107878 (1996-04-01), None
English language abstract of JP 8-107878.
English language abstract of JP 7-112382.
Iketani Kohei
Takahashi Akemi
Takahashi Noriaki
Takami Satoshi
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Harvey David E.
Takahashi Akemi
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