JP2000237122A - Display switching device for endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To invariably display character information on a screen in a coherent alignment when the character information such as patient names is displayed on the screen in a list. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a CPU 22 and a CRTC 26 in a processor 10, and a keyboard 21 and a monitor 23 are connected to the processor 10. The image of a body cavity S is photographed by an electronic endoscope 30 and is displayed on the monitor 23 via the processor 10. The character information related to the image of the body cavity S is displayed on a screen together with the image of the body cavity S. The number of characters capable of being displayed on the screen of the monitor 23 is set to 35 characters and 26 characters for one line and for one row, and the register in the CRTC 26 is set accordingly. When patient names or doctor names in the character information are displayed on the monitor 23 in a list, the number of characters is set to 43 characters and 32, characters for one line and for one row, and the content of the register in the CRTC 26 is set accordingly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus which inserts an endoscope (scope) into a body cavity such as the stomach and projects an image of the body cavity on a screen of a monitor to examine the condition of an affected part. Related to the display of character information such as a patient name displayed on the screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional endoscope apparatus, an image of a body cavity is displayed on a monitor screen, and character information such as the name of a patient to be examined, the name of a doctor in charge of the examination, and the type name of the endoscope are also combined. Displayed on the screen. Then, when a list of patient names or physician names registered in the endoscope device and stored as data is displayed on the screen, the normal display screen on which body cavity images and character information are displayed is switched to a list display screen, Patient names or doctor names are displayed side by side on the entire screen. In particular, in the case of a list display of patient names, patient information such as an ID number, age, and gender corresponding to each patient name is also displayed in each column according to the patient name.

[0003]

The number of characters that can be displayed on the screen, specifically, the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column of the screen, depends on the characteristics of the character display processing in the endoscope apparatus. Of the body cavity image displayed on the screen or the normal / enlarged display. Therefore, when displaying a list of patient names in a display state in which the number of characters that can be displayed on one line is small, patient information such as a patient name and an ID number cannot all be displayed in one line, and is displayed over two lines. Must be done. In addition, since the number of lines on which the patient names are displayed is small on the screen, all registered patient names may not be displayed on the same screen. Like this one
If the number of characters that can be displayed per row and column is small, character information such as patient names will not be displayed in an ordered list, making it difficult for the operator to recognize the character information.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope apparatus capable of displaying character information such as a patient's name on the screen in a list at a time when the information is displayed in a list.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A display switching device of an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention displays character information on a screen together with a subject image picked up by an endoscope and can switch a display state of the screen. A mirror device, on a screen,
Normal display means for displaying character information together with the subject image,
Among character information, a list display means for displaying a list of specific character information on the screen, and a character number switching means for switching the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen to a predetermined number of characters when displaying the specific character information on the screen by the list display means. It is characterized by having.

The specific character information is preferably a patient name or a doctor name registered in the memory. In this case, it is desirable that the list display means displays the patient name or the doctor name in a line on the screen. Furthermore, when the list display means displays a list of patient names on the screen, it is desirable to also display character information including an ID number, age, and gender corresponding to each patient name.

It is desirable that the number-of-characters switching means switches the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen by setting the number of characters that can be displayed per row and column of the screen to the maximum number of characters for the screen in the case of list display. Thus, even if the display is switched from the normal display to the list display, the patient names or the doctor names can be displayed in a coherent arrangement.

It is desirable that the subject image is not displayed on the screen while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means.

It is desirable that the image-related processing for the subject image by key operation or switch operation cannot be executed while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means.

It is desirable that the character information displayed on the screen together with the subject image by the normal display means is not displayed on the screen while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means.

In the character information, the date, time, image processing information or operation information is displayed at a position different from the display position determined by the normal display means while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means. It is desirable to be done.

It is desirable that the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen be changed by changing the type of the endoscope or the normal / enlarged display of the subject image displayed on the screen.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit of the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in this endoscope apparatus, an electronic endoscope 30 is inserted into a body cavity S, and an image of the body cavity S is processed by a processor (image processing device) 10.
This is a device for displaying the image on the monitor 23 through the.

The light emitted from the light source 19 is converged by the condenser lens 20 and is provided with a light guide fiber bundle (hereinafter referred to as LCB) 32 provided in the electronic endoscope 30.
Is incident on the incident surface 32a. The LCB 32 is a path for transmitting light, and the light incident on the LCB 32 is emitted from the emission surface 32b, and thereby the body cavity S is irradiated with the light. At this time, the amount of light applied to the body cavity S is adjusted by opening and closing the diaphragm 18.

The light illuminating the body cavity S is reflected, so that an image of the body cavity S is transmitted through the lens L to the image pickup device C.
An image is formed on CD31. Red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color mosaic filters are provided on the upper surface of the imaging element 31, and an image signal for the body cavity S corresponding to each color is generated by photoelectric conversion. The image signals corresponding to these colors are sequentially swept out of the CCD 31 and sent to the processor 10.

An image signal for one screen sent from the electronic endoscope 30 is separated into image signals corresponding to respective colors (R, G, B) in the CCD process circuit 11, respectively.
Amplified. The amplified image signal is supplied to the A / D converter 12
Is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal, and sent to the signal processing circuit 13. In the signal processing circuit 13, image processing such as contour correction processing is performed on the image of the body cavity S, and the processed image signal is sent to the white balance adjustment circuit 14.

The white balance adjustment circuit 14 performs a color temperature correction process (white balance adjustment) based on the image signal corresponding to each color (R, G, B). here,
When a white subject is imaged, the value of the image signal corresponding to each color is adjusted so that the ratio of the R, G, and B image signals in all the pixels constituting the image becomes 1.

The image signal whose white balance has been adjusted is
The signal is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 15 and sent to the video processing circuit 16. In the video process circuit 16, a character signal corresponding to the character information displayed on the monitor 23 is added to the image signal at a predetermined timing and sent to the monitor 23. Thus, the image of the body cavity S is displayed on the monitor 23, and the character information is also displayed at a predetermined position. Here, the character information is character information related to the image of the body cavity S, such as a patient name and a doctor name. When a list of patient names or doctor names is displayed on the monitor 23, the image of the body cavity S is erased from the monitor 23 by setting the CRTC 26 to hide the image of the body cavity S.

A signal generated by a switch operation on the operation panel 24 or an operation of the keyboard 21 is input to the CPU 22. When the electronic endoscope 30 is connected to the processor 10, data on the characteristics of the electronic endoscope 30 is stored in C
The data is read from the EEPROM 33 as a read-only memory provided in the electronic endoscope 30 by the PU 22. Then, an image of the body cavity S is displayed on the monitor 23 based on the data on the characteristics of the electronic endoscope 30.
In the RAM 25 in the CPU 22, character information such as a patient name and a doctor name is read or written. A battery (not shown) is connected to the RAM 25, and data recorded in the RAM 25 is stored even when the power is turned off.

The panel switch 24 is provided with a print switch 24a for enabling printing, a white balance adjustment switch 24b, an outline correction switch 24c, and the like. The print switch 24a is operated to be turned on. Then, the monitor 23 by the printer 27
Screen printing is possible. Further, when the contour correction switch 24c is operated and turned on, the contour correction processing for the image of the body cavity S is executed.

In the CPU 22, a drive signal for operating the diaphragm 18 and the light source 19 is sent to the diaphragm control circuit 17 and the light source 19, thereby turning on the light source 19 and opening and closing the diaphragm 18. Further, in the CPU 22, a signal relating to the contour correction processing of the body cavity S is sent to the signal processing circuit 13, whereby the contour portion of the image of the body cavity S displayed on the monitor 23 is emphasized. RTC (Real Time) in the CPU 22
In the clock 28), the date and time are read, and the date and time are displayed on the monitor 23.

A CRTC (CRT Controller) 26 is an element for controlling the monitor 23. A character signal corresponding to character information is sent to the video processing circuit 16 by the CRTC 26. The setting of a register (not shown) in the CRTC 26 corresponds to the number of characters of character information that can be displayed on the monitor 23, and the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column on the monitor 23 is changed by switching the display state of the screen. Then, the register is set accordingly.

When character information such as a patient name is displayed in a list on the monitor 23, the CRTC 26 is set so as to hide the background of the character information, that is, the image of the body cavity S, so that the image of the body cavity S is not displayed on the monitor 23. Is sent from the CPU 22 to the CRTC 26. Specifically, in the register that determines the background color (color) of the monitor 23 in the CRTC 26, a color is set so as to hide the image of the body cavity S, and thereby the state is substantially the same as the state where the image of the body cavity S is erased. State.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a screen on the monitor 23 in a normal display state. However, the normal display state is
This is a display in which the image of the body cavity S and the character information related to the image are displayed on the screen.

In the normal display state, the image of the body cavity S is displayed on the screen W
Is displayed in the range of the area A. Then, character information related to the image of the body cavity S is displayed in a range other than the region A. In the present embodiment, as the character information, the patient name T1 being examined, the patient ID number T2, and the patient age T
3, the patient's gender T4, the date T5 and the time T6 at the time of the examination, the name of the doctor T9 in charge of the patient, the operation information T7b indicating the operable state for peripheral devices such as the printer 27, and the contour of the image of the body cavity S The image processing information T7a for notifying the correction processing state and the model name T8 of the electronic endoscope 30 connected to the processor 10 are displayed on the screen W
Will be displayed.

The contour correction is an image processing for enhancing a contour portion with respect to a blurred image. In the present embodiment, a contour correction process for enhancing a contour more strongly with respect to the image of the body cavity S;
Either of the contour correction processes that do not emphasize the contour so strongly can be selected. This contour correction processing is turned on by operating the contour correction switch 24c of the panel switch 24.
Executed when the state is reached. The degree of contour emphasis is switched by operating the function key F9 on the keyboard 21, and the image processing information T7a indicates “Enhance.H” when the contour is strongly emphasized, and “Enhance.H” when the contour is not emphasized much. .L "is displayed on the screen W for a predetermined time (7 seconds).

Similarly, when the print switch 24a of the panel switch 24 is operated and turned on, the printer 27 is ready for printing, and accordingly the operation information T7b is displayed on the screen W in a display form of "Print ON". Will be displayed. In the screen W of FIG.
7 indicates that printing is possible, and that the image of the body cavity S has been subjected to the contour correction processing for further enhancing the contour.

When the screen W is in the normal display state, the screen W
Is 35 × 26 = 910 characters. That is, 35 characters can be displayed per line,
26 characters can be displayed per column. Here, the row indicates the horizontal direction of the screen W, and the column indicates the vertical direction of the screen W.

FIG. 3 shows a screen W on which a list of patient names T1 is displayed. In this endoscope device,
When registering the patient name T1, the examined patient name T1 is C
The data is recorded as data in the RAM 25 in the PU 22. Then, when the screen W is switched to the list display, the image of the body cavity S projected in the area A and the character information displayed outside the area A are deleted. Then, the registered patient names T1 are displayed side by side in the order of registration or alphabetical order (for initials of names) for each line. At this time, the ID number T2 corresponding to each patient name T1,
The age T3 and the gender T4 are also displayed in the same line as the patient name T1. When one patient name T1 is selected from the list of patient names T1, the screen W is switched to the normal display state, and the image of the electronic endoscope 30 is displayed. Note that an asterisk is displayed at the beginning of the character for the currently selected patient name T1.

When the screen W is switched to the list display state, the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen W is changed from the number of characters normally displayed (35 × 26) to the number of characters of 43 × 32 = 1376. That is, 43 characters per line and 32 characters per column can be displayed on the screen W. As described above, when the screen W is in the list display state, the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column is larger than in the normal display state. Therefore, patient name T1, ID number T2, age T3,
Even the character information of gender T4 represented by a large number of characters is entirely displayed in one line. In this embodiment, the maximum number of characters that can be displayed per line on the screen W is determined by the processor 3 and the CCD 3 in the electronic endoscope 30 in this embodiment.
The number of characters that can be displayed per column is 32 characters, similarly, from the characteristic of 1 to 43 characters.

In this embodiment, not only the patient name T1, but also the doctor name T9 can be displayed in a list in the same manner as the patient name T1. However, only the doctor name T9 is displayed on the screen W in a line-by-line order of registration or alphabetical order. The number of patients and doctors that can be displayed on one screen is 27.

As described above, when the screen W is switched from the normal display state to the list display state, the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column is newly set.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a main routine showing main operations of the entire endoscope. The operation of the entire endoscope apparatus is controlled by the CPU 22. When the power of the endoscope apparatus is turned on, a series of operations of the entire endoscope apparatus is started. In this main routine, a loop process is performed, and is repeatedly executed every 1/1000 second.

In step 101, when the power is turned on, initialization is performed. For example, the light source is turned on, and the aperture 18 is adjusted to a predetermined position. In step 101, variables relating to the normal display and the list display of the screen W are set to initial values. When each variable is set to the initial value, the process proceeds to step 102.

In step 102, endoscope related processing is executed. Here, the electronic endoscope 30 is newly connected to the processor 10, or the image of the body cavity S is displayed on the screen W
If you can't switch to normal view / enlarged view in,
The process proceeds to step 103 without any execution.

In this embodiment, two types (type E and type F) of electronic endoscopes 30 are applicable, and an image of the body cavity S is displayed on the screen W in accordance with each of the electronic endoscopes 30.
The classification of the electronic endoscope 30 is based on the difference in the number of pixels of the CCD 31 provided in the electronic endoscope 30.
When the electronic endoscope 30 is newly connected to the processor 10, the model name T8 of the connected electronic endoscope 30 is displayed on the screen W. Conversely, when the electronic endoscope 30 is removed while the screen W is in the normal display, the model name T8 of the electronic endoscope 30 is deleted from the screen W together with the image of the body cavity S.

When the screen W is switched from the normal display to the enlarged display, as shown in FIG. 5, the image of the body cavity S is displayed in the enlarged area A '. However, in FIG. 5, a screen W displayed by the type E electronic endoscope 30 is displayed.
Is shown. With this enlarged display, the display position of each character information is changed so that it is displayed on the screen W other than the image area A ′. In general, when the display is switched from the normal display to the enlarged display, the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen W is changed accordingly, and in the type E electronic endoscope 30, the number of characters that can be displayed on one line and one column on the screen W is:
They are changed to 43 and 32 characters, respectively (the number of characters in normal display is 35 and 26, respectively). Also,
When the type F electronic endoscope 30 is connected to the processor 10, the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column is 35 characters and 26 characters for normal display, and 37 characters and 32 characters for enlarged display, respectively. The number of characters that can be displayed per line and column also changes depending on the type of the electronic endoscope 30.

As described above, in step 102, processing for switching between normal / enlarged display of the image of the body cavity S,
Alternatively, when a process for newly connecting the electronic endoscope 30 to the processor 10 is executed, step 10 is executed.
Move to 3.

In step 103, the panel switch 24
The process corresponding to the operation is performed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 103.

In step 201, it is determined whether or not the display state variable vk is 0. This display state variable vk
Is a variable indicating the display state on the screen W, and vk =
When 0, normal display (or enlarged display), when vk = 1, a list display of patient names T1, and when vk = 2, doctor name T9
Represents a list display. However, in step 101 in FIG. 4, the display state variable vk is set to 0. If it is determined that the display state variable vk is 0, that is, if the screen W is in the normal display (or enlarged display) state, the process proceeds to step 202. If it is determined that the display state variable vk is not 0, the processing for the panel switch operation is not executed, and the subroutine ends.

In step 202, the panel switch 24
It is determined whether any of the switches has been operated. If it is determined that any switch has been operated, the process proceeds to step 203. If it is determined that none of the panel switches 24 has been operated, the processing for the panel switch operation is not executed, and the subroutine ends.

In step 203, the panel switch 24
The processing for the switch operated in is performed.
For example, when the print switch 24a is operated, a state occurs in which the image of the entire screen W can be printed by the printer 27. At this time, the operation information T7 is displayed on the screen W in a display form of "Print ON" to indicate that printing is possible. When the processing for the operated switch is executed, this subroutine ends, and the routine goes to Step 104 in FIG.

In step 104, a date and time display process for displaying the date T5 and the time T6 on the screen W is executed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 104.

In step 301, it is set whether or not the display state variable vk is 0. If it is determined that the display state variable vk is 0, the process proceeds to step 302. If it is determined that the display state variable vk is not 0, the date and time display process is not performed, and this subroutine ends.

In step 302, the RT in the CPU 22
The current date T5 and time T6 are read from C28, and it is determined whether or not the read time T6 is the same as the time T6 read in the previous date and time display processing. That is, it is determined whether or not the current date and time display process has changed in time (one second has elapsed) from the previous date and time display process. If it is determined that the time has changed, step 303
The subroutine ends when it is determined that the time has not changed.

In step 303, as shown in FIG.
The date T5 and the time T6 are displayed on the screen W. Date T
When 5 and time T6 are displayed on the screen W, the subroutine ends, and the routine goes to step 105 in FIG.

At step 105, monitor display processing is performed. The monitor display process is a process of displaying on the screen W that printing by the printer 27 is possible and switching of the strength of the contour correction for the image of the body cavity S by operating the function key F9, as shown in FIG. The processing information T7a and the operation information T7b are displayed on the screen W.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 105.

In step 401, it is determined whether the display state variable vk is 0, that is, whether the screen W is in a normal display (or enlarged display) state. Display state variable v
If it is determined that k is 0, the process proceeds to step 402.
If it is determined that the display state variable vk is not 0, the monitor display process is not performed, and the subroutine ends.

In step 402, it is determined whether or not the measurement time variable vc is larger than 0. The measurement time variable vc is a variable provided for displaying the operation information T7a and the image processing information T7b on the screen W for a predetermined time. In Step 101 of FIG.
Is set to When the contour correction switch 24c is ON,
When the function key F9 on the keyboard 21 is operated, the strength of the contour is switched in the contour correction processing, and at this time, the value of the display time constant VC1 is substituted for the measurement time variable vc. In the present embodiment, the image processing information T7 is changed according to the switching of the strength of the contour correction processing.
Is set to 7 seconds, and the main routine of FIG. 4 is repeated every 1/1000 second. Therefore, the display time constant VC1 is set to 7000. If it is determined that the measurement time variable vc is larger than 0, the process proceeds to step 403. Measurement time variable v
If c is equal to or less than 0, that is, if it is determined that the contour correction processing is switched by the operation of the function key F9 or the contour correction switch 24c is turned on and the contour correction processing is not executed, the monitor display processing is performed. This subroutine ends without being executed.

In step 403, 1 is subtracted from the measurement time variable vc, and the time during which the image processing information T7b is displayed on the screen W is counted. 1 from the measurement time variable vc
Is moved to step 404.

In step 404, it is determined whether or not the measurement time variable vc is equal to or less than 0. That is, it is determined whether seven seconds have elapsed since the image processing information T7 for the contour correction processing was displayed on the screen W. If it is determined that the measurement time variable vc is equal to or less than 0, the process proceeds to Step 405. If it is determined that the measurement time variable vc is not less than 0, step 405 is not executed, and this subroutine ends.

At step 405, the execution processing information T7 for the contour correction is deleted from the screen W, and the monitor display processing ends. Upon completion of the monitor display process, the process proceeds to a step 106 in FIG.

In step 406, other processes, for example, automatic adjustment of the amount of light applied to the body cavity S by opening and closing the diaphragm 18 are performed. When other processing is executed, step 102
The main routine is repeatedly executed until the power is turned off.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an interrupt routine for the operation of the keyboard 21. This interrupt routine is executed by operating any key on the keyboard 21.
Is an interrupt routine for the main routine.

In step 501, the display state variable vk =
0, that is, whether the screen W is in the normal display (or enlarged display) state is determined.

In step 501, the display state variable v
If it is determined that k = 0, the process proceeds to step 502.
In step 502, processing for the operation of the keyboard 21 when the screen W is in the normal display is executed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 502.

At step 601, it is determined whether or not the function key F1 on the keyboard 21 has been operated. The function key F1 is a key operated to switch the screen W from a normal display (or an enlarged display) to a list display of the patient names T1.

If it is determined in step 601 that the function key F1 has been operated, step 614 is performed.
Move on to In step 614, the display state variable vm is set to 1 and, at the same time, the list display variable vm is set to 0. However, the list display variable vm will be described in detail later in the description of processing in list display. Then, in step 615, a process for switching the screen W to the list display state is performed on the CRTC 26. That is, the register in the CRTC 26 is set so as to correspond to the number of characters (43 × 32) that can be displayed in the list display, and the image of the body cavity S is set so as not to be displayed on the screen W.

In step 616, all the character information (patient name T1 to doctor name T9) displayed on the screen W in the normal display (or enlarged display) state is deleted. Then, in step 617, the image of the body cavity S is deleted from the screen W. When the character information and the image of the body cavity S are erased,
Move to step 618.

In step 618, as shown in FIG.
The registered patient names T1 are listed and displayed in the order of registration or alphabetical order on the screen W, and the ID number T2, age T3, and gender T4 corresponding to each patient name T1 are displayed.
Are also listed. At this time, the patient name T1, the ID number T2, the age T3, and the sex T4 are read from the RAM 25 in the CPU 22. When a list of the patient names T1 and the like is displayed, this subroutine ends.
The interrupt routine for the keyboard 21 ends.

If it is determined in step 601 that the function key F1 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step 602. In step 602, the keyboard 21
It is determined whether or not the function key F2 in is operated. The function key F2 is a key operated to switch the screen W from a normal display (or an enlarged display) to a list display of doctor names T2.

If it is determined in step 602 that the function key F2 has been operated, step 609 is performed.
Move on to In step 609, the display state variable vk is set to 2. Then, in steps 610 to 612, the same processing as in steps 615 to 617 is performed.

At step 613, the doctor name T9 is displayed on the screen W
Are displayed side by side. At this time, the registered doctor name T9 is read from the RAM 25 in the CPU 22. When the list of doctor names T9 is displayed on the screen W, this subroutine ends, and the interrupt routine for the operation of the keyboard 21 in FIG. 9 ends.

If it is determined in step 602 that the function key F2 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step 603. In step 603, it is determined whether the function key F9 has been operated. The function key F9 is a key operated to switch the strength of the contour correction in the contour correction processing for the image of the body cavity S.

If it is determined in step 603 that the function key F9 has been operated, step 605 is performed.
Move on to In step 605, the contour correction execution switch 2
It is determined whether 4c is in the ON state. If it is determined that the contour correction execution switch 24c is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step 606. The contour correction execution switch 24c is set to O
If it is determined that the state is not the N state, steps 606-6
08 is not executed, and this subroutine ends.

In step 606, the process is switched to a process for enhancing the contour more or a process for enhancing the contour less. Then, in step 607, the display time constant VC1 (= 7000) is substituted for the measurement time variable vc. In step 608, “Enhance.
H ”or“ Enhance.L ”, the image processing information T7 is displayed on the screen W. However, when the contour is to be further emphasized, “Enha
nce. H ”, when the contour is not emphasized much,“ E
nhance. L ”in the image processing information T7.
a is displayed on the screen W. When the image processing information T7 is displayed on the screen W, this subroutine ends.
The interrupt routine for the operation of the keyboard 21 is terminated.

If it is determined in step 603 that the function key F9 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step 604. In step 604, the keyboard 23
, A process is performed when a key other than the function keys F1, F2, and F9, for example, a character key is operated. When the processing for another key is executed, this subroutine ends, and the interrupt routine for the operation of the keyboard 21 in FIG. 9 ends.

If it is determined that the display state variable vk is not 0 in step 501 of FIG.
Move to 3. In step 503, a process for the operation of the keyboard 21 when the screen W is in the list display state is executed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 503.

At step 701, it is determined whether or not the function key F9 has been operated on the keyboard 21. If it is determined that the function key F9 has been operated, steps 702 to 720 are not executed, and this subroutine ends. As a result, the contour correction process cannot be executed while the screen W is in the list display.
If it is determined that the function key F9 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step 702.

At step 702, it is determined whether or not the display state variable vk is 1, that is, whether or not the screen W is in a list display state of the patient names T1.

At step 702, the display state variable v
If it is determined that k is 1, the process proceeds to step 703.
In step 703, Esc
It is determined whether the (escape) key has been operated.
The Esc key is a key operated to switch the screen W from a list display to a screen W on which an image of the body cavity S is projected, that is, a normal display or an enlarged display.

If it is determined in step 703 that the Esc key has not been operated, the process proceeds to step 704. In step 704, it is determined whether or not the list display variable vm is 0. The list display variable vm is a variable indicating that the screen W is in a state where the patient name T1 or the doctor name T9 is registered or selected.
When vm = 0, the screen W is in a state of selecting the patient name T1, and when vm = 1, the screen W is in a state of registering the patient name T1. When the screen W is in the list display state of the patient name T1, when the function key F1 is repeatedly operated, the registration state and the selection state of the patient name T1 are alternately switched on the screen W, and the list display variable vm is also changed accordingly. Is switched to either 0 or 1.
Similarly, when the screen W is in the list display state of the doctor name T9, the list display variable vm is alternately switched to 0 or 1 by repeatedly operating the function key F2.

In step 704, the list display variable v
If it is determined that m is 0, the process proceeds to step 705. In step 705, when an arrow (↑) key on the keyboard 21 is operated, the patient name T1 is selected. Further, when the function key F1 is operated, the list display variable vm is switched, and the selection processing is switched to the registration processing state. When the selection process of the patient name T1 is executed, the subroutine ends.

At step 704, the list display variable v
If it is determined that m is not 0, the process proceeds to step 706. In step 706, for example, when the enter (execute) key on the keyboard 21 is operated, the patient name T1
, Ie, a recording process to the RAM 25 in the CPU 22 is executed. When the function key F1 is operated, the list display variable vm is switched, and the registration processing is switched to the selection processing state. When the registration processing of the patient name T1 is performed, the subroutine ends.

At step 703, the keyboard 21
If it is determined that the Esc key has been operated, the process proceeds to step 707. In step 707, the display state variable vk is set to 0. Then, in step 708,
Processing for returning to the display state of the screen W before switching to the list display is performed. That is, the register in the CRTC 26 is set to correspond to the number of characters to be displayed (35 × 26), for example, when the screen W is returned to the normal display.

At step 709, the patient names T1 listed on the screen W are deleted. And step 7
At 10, an image of the body cavity S is displayed on the screen W. At step 711, character information (patient name T1 to doctor name T9) is displayed.
Is displayed on the screen W. Thus, the screen W returns to the display state (normal display or enlarged display) before being set to the list display. When the screen W returns to the display state before the list display,
This subroutine ends.

If it is determined in step 702 that the display state variable vk is not 1, the process proceeds to step 712. If it is determined in step 712 that the Esc key has not been operated, the process proceeds to step 713. Step 713-
Execution of 715 is the same as execution of steps 704-706. However, here, the doctor name T9 is selected or registered instead of the patient name T1. The list display variable vm is switched by operating the function key F2. When the registration process or the selection process for the doctor name T9 is performed, this subroutine ends.

If it is determined in step 712 that the Esc key has been operated, the process proceeds to step 716.

The execution of steps 716 to 720 is the same as the execution of steps 707 to 711. Then, when step 720 is executed, this subroutine ends, and the interrupt routine for the operation of the keyboard 21 in FIG. 9 ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the screen W is switched from the normal display (or the enlarged display) to the list display state, the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen W is changed. It is changed to the maximum number of characters that can be displayed per column (43 × 32). Alternatively, if the screen W is switched to the list display state even if the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen W (per one row and one column) changes depending on the switching of the normal display / enlarged display on the screen W or the type of the electronic endoscope 30 It is possible to always display 43 characters and 32 characters per line and column. As a result, even in a list display in which a large amount of character information is displayed, the character information of the patient name T1, the ID number T2, the age T3, and the sex T4 are displayed in one line, and further, the patient names T1 for 27 persons are displayed. Can all be displayed on the same screen.
Therefore, the operator can easily read the character information.

When the screen W is in the list display state, the image of the body cavity S is not displayed on the screen W. This makes the character information easier for the operator to read and there is no risk of misreading.

As a result of the execution of step 701, while the screen W is in the list display state, the contour correction processing for the operation of the contour correction switch 24c and the function key F9 is not executed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing for the image from being switched without the operator noticing.

Note that the list display target is not limited to the patient name T1 and the doctor name T9. Also, the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column of the screen W in the list display is not limited to 43 characters or 32 characters.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, even when the screen W is in the list display state,
The date T5, time T6, and operation information T7b are displayed at predetermined positions in the character information. However, the configuration of the entire endoscope apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description of the block diagram is omitted.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the date and time display processing in the second embodiment, and corresponds to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 in the first embodiment.

In step 801, RT in the CPU 22
The current date and time are read from C28, and it is determined whether there has been a time change since execution from the previous date and time display process, that is, whether or not 1 second has elapsed. If it is determined that there has been a time change since the previous date and time display process was performed, the process proceeds to step 802. If it is determined that no time change has occurred since the previous date and time display process was performed, this routine ends.

In step 802, it is determined whether the display state variable vk is 0, that is, whether the screen W is in a normal display state.

At step 802, the display state variable v
If it is determined that k is 0, the process moves to step 803.
In step 803, the date T5 and the time T6 are displayed on the screen W at positions displayed in the normal display state. When the date T5 and the time T6 are displayed at normal positions, the date and time display processing ends.

At step 802, the display state variable v
k is not 0, that is, patient name T1 or doctor name T
If it is determined that 9 is listed on the screen W, the process proceeds to step 804. In step 804, as shown in FIG. 13, the date T5 and the time T6 are displayed at the upper right position of the screen W different from the display position in the normal display corresponding to the list display. However, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen W on which a list of doctor names T9 is displayed.

Further, the operation information T7b is also displayed at the upper left position of the screen W different from the normal display when the screen W is a list display, similarly to the date T5 and the time T6. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process for a panel switch operation in the second embodiment. FIG.
This corresponds to the flowchart of FIG. 6 in the first embodiment.

In step 901, it is determined whether or not the display state variable vk is 0, that is, whether the screen W is in a normal display state. If it is determined that the display state is the normal display state, steps 902 and 903 are executed, and the operation information T7 is displayed.
b is displayed at the position shown in FIG. Step 9
In 01, when it is determined that the display state variable vk is not 0, that is, the screen W is in the state of the list display, steps 904 and 905 are executed, and the operation information T7b is
It is displayed at the position shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the date T5, the time T6, and the operation information T7b in the character information are displayed on the screen W even while the screen W is in the list display state. . This allows the operator to check the operating status of peripheral devices such as the printer 27 and the current time.

Note that not only the operation information T7b but also the image processing information T7a may be displayed at the corner of the screen W in the list display state.

[0100]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a list of character information such as patient names is displayed on the screen, the character information can always be displayed on the screen in a coherent arrangement.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit of an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a screen in a normal display state.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen in a list display state.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the entire endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen in an enlarged display state.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 103 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 104 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 105 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an interrupt routine for a keyboard operation.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 502 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step 503 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a date and time display process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a screen in a list display state according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing for a panel switch operation according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 processor 13 signal processing circuit 21 keyboard 22 CPU 23 monitor 24 panel switch 24a print switch 24c contour correction switch 25 RAM (memory) 26 CRTC 27 printer 28 RTC 30 electronic endoscope (endoscope) S body cavity S T1 patient name T2 ID number T3 Age T4 Gender T5 Date T6 Time T7a Image processing information T7b Operation information T8 Model name of electronic endoscope T9 Doctor name vk Display state variable W screen

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 20, 1999 (1999.12.
20)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 20, 1999 (1999.12.
20)

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0023

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The CRTC (CRT Controller) 26 isCharacter table
ShowThis is an element for controlling the
The lacquer signal is transmitted to the video process circuit by the CRTC 26.
It is sent to the road 16. Register in this CRTC 26
The settings of (not shown) can be displayed on the monitor 23.
It corresponds to the number of characters of character information, and switches the screen display state.
One row and one column
Number of characters that can be displayed When changing, Accordingly
The register is set.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0026

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In the normal display state, the image of the body cavity S is displayed on the screen W
Is displayed in the range of the area A. Then, character information related to the image of the body cavity S is displayed in a range other than the region A. In the present embodiment, as the character information, the patient name T1 being examined, the patient ID number T2, and the patient age T
3, the patient's gender T4, the date T5 and the time T6 at the time of the examination, the name of the doctor T9 in charge of the patient, the operation information T7b indicating the operable state of peripheral devices such as the printer 27, and the contour of the body cavity S image. The image processing information T7a for notifying the correction processing state and the model name T8 of the electronic endoscope 30 connected to the processor 10 are displayed on the screen W
Will be displayed.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0053

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 402, it is determined whether or not the measurement time variable vc is larger than 0. The measurement time variable vc is the operation information T7b and the image processing information T7a a variable that is provided for displaying a predetermined time by the screen W, in step 101 of FIG. 4, the measuring time variable vc is 0
Is set to When the contour correction switch 24c is ON,
When the function key F9 on the keyboard 21 is operated, the strength of the contour is switched in the contour correction processing. At this time, the value of the display time constant VC1 is substituted into the measurement time variable vc. In the present embodiment, the image processing information T 7
Is set to 7 seconds, and the main routine of FIG. 4 is repeated every 1/1000 second. Therefore, the display time constant VC1 is set to 7000. If it is determined that the measurement time variable vc is larger than 0, the process proceeds to Step 403. Measurement time variable v
If c is equal to or less than 0, that is, if it is determined that the contour correction processing is switched by the operation of the function key F9 or the contour correction switch 24c is turned on and the contour correction processing is not executed, the monitor display processing is performed. This subroutine ends without being executed.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0054

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 403, 1 is subtracted from the measurement time variable vc, and the time during which the image processing information T7a is displayed on the screen W is counted. 1 from the measurement time variable vc
Is moved to step 404.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0055

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 404, it is determined whether or not the measurement time variable vc is equal to or less than 0. That is, it is determined whether seven seconds have elapsed since the image processing information T7a for the contour correction processing was displayed on the screen W. If it is determined that the measurement time variable vc is 0 or less, step 405
Move on to If it is determined that the measurement time variable vc is not less than 0, step 405 is not executed, and this subroutine ends.

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0056

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 405, an image for contour correction is obtained.
The image processing information T7a is deleted from the screen W, and the monitor display processing ends. Upon completion of the monitor display process, the process proceeds to a step 106 in FIG.

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0057

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 106 , other processing, for example, automatic adjustment of the amount of light applied to the body cavity S by opening and closing the aperture 18 is performed. When other processing is executed, step 102
The main routine is repeatedly executed until the power is turned off.

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0079

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 704, the list display variable v
If it is determined that m is 0, the process proceeds to step 705. In step 705, when an arrow (↑) key on the keyboard 21 is operated, the patient name T1 is selected. Further, when the function key F1 is operated, the list display variable vm is switched, and the selection processing is switched to the registration processing state. This subroutine ends when the selection process of the patient name T1 is executed.

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0080

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

At step 704, the list display variable v
If it is determined that m is not 0, the process proceeds to step 706. In step 706, for example, when the enter (execute) key on the keyboard 21 is operated, the patient name T1
, Ie, a recording process to the RAM 25 in the CPU 22 is executed. When the function key F1 is operated, the list display variable vm is switched, and the registration processing is switched to the selection processing state. Patient name T1
When the registration process is performed, this subroutine ends.

[Procedure amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0088

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The actual result of step 201 and step 701
According to the row , while the screen W is in the list display state, the contour correction processing for the operation of the contour correction switch 24c and the function key F9 is not executed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing for the image from being switched without the operator noticing.

[Procedure amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0091

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the date and time display processing in the second embodiment, and corresponds to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 in the first embodiment.

[Procedure amendment 13]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0092

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In step 801, RT in the CPU 22
The current date and time are read from C28, and it is determined whether there has been a time change since the previous date and time display process was executed, that is, whether or not one second has elapsed. If it is determined that there has been a time change since the previous date and time display process was performed, the process proceeds to step 802. If it is determined that there has been no change in time since the previous date and time display process was performed,
This routine ends.

[Procedure amendment 14]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 10

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope apparatus capable of displaying character information on a screen together with a subject image picked up by an endoscope and switching a display state of the screen, wherein the screen displays the text together with the subject image. Normal display means for displaying information, among the character information, list display means for displaying a list of specific character information on the screen, and when the list of the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means, A display switching device for an endoscope device, comprising: a number-of-characters switching means for switching the number of characters that can be displayed on a screen to a predetermined number of characters. 2. The display switching device according to claim 1, wherein the specific character information is a patient name or a doctor name registered in a memory. 3. The display switching device for an endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the list display means displays the patient name or the doctor name side by side on the screen. 4. When the list display means displays a list of the patient names on the screen, the list display means also displays character information including an ID number, age, and gender corresponding to each of the patient names. The display switching device for an endoscope device according to claim 3. 5. The character number switching means switches the number of characters that can be displayed on the screen by setting the number of characters that can be displayed per line and column of the screen to the maximum number of characters for the screen in the case of list display. The display switching device for an endoscope device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: 6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the subject image is not displayed on the screen while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display unit. Display switching device. 7. An image-related process for the subject image by a key operation or a switch operation, while the specific character information is displayed in a list on the screen by the list display means.
The display switching device for an endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein the display switching device cannot be executed. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the character information displayed on the screen together with the subject image by the normal display means is not displayed on the screen while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means. The display switching device for an endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 9. The display, wherein the date, time, image processing information or operation information in the character information is determined by the normal display means while the specific character information is displayed on the screen by the list display means. The display switching device for an endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display is displayed at a position different from the position. 10. The number of characters that can be displayed on the screen is:
The display switching device of the endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display switching device is changed by switching between a type of the endoscope or a normal / enlarged display of the subject image projected on the screen.