JP2002000561A - Electronic endoscopic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic endoscopic system capable of displaying an endoscopic observation image at the most suitable position on a television monitor even by changing characteristics of a solid stage imaging element built in the endoscope or changing a synchronous timing of a processing circuit built in a video processor. SOLUTION: A synchronizing signal for driving the solid state imaging element 3 and a synchronizing signal for processing a video in a video signal processing circuit 15 are separated at the endoscope 1 side, and synchronous timing of the signal for processing the video is variably set by an input from the video processor 20 side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope apparatus which displays an endoscope observation image picked up by a solid-state image sensor provided in an endoscope on a television monitor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electronic endoscope apparatus, generally, video signal data sent from an endoscope is written to a specific address of a memory of a video processor and read at a timing synchronized with scanning of a television monitor. Output to a TV monitor.

[0003]

In an electronic endoscope apparatus, an endoscope observation image is usually displayed on the entire monitor screen so that more observation information can be displayed on a television monitor. is there.

Therefore, the characteristics of the solid-state image pickup device incorporated in the endoscope are changed, and the synchronization timing of the processing circuit incorporated in the video processor is changed. If the synchronization signal does not match the synchronization signal for video display, the display position of the endoscope observation image 32 on the monitor screen 31 is shifted as shown in FIG. The phenomenon occurs.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a method for observing an endoscope even if the characteristics of a solid-state image pickup device incorporated in an endoscope or the synchronization timing of a processing circuit incorporated in a video processor is changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic endoscope apparatus capable of displaying an image at a most appropriate position on a television monitor.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention converts a solid-state imaging device and an imaging signal output from the solid-state imaging device into a video signal and outputs the video signal. An endoscope provided with a first video signal processing circuit; and the endoscope is detachably connected to the endoscope. The video signal output from the first video signal processing circuit is converted into a signal for displaying on a television monitor. In an electronic endoscope apparatus having a video processor provided with a second video signal processing circuit for converting and outputting, a synchronization signal for driving a solid-state imaging device and a video signal processing circuit The synchronizing signal and the synchronizing signal are separated on the endoscope side, and the synchronization timing of the synchronizing signal for video processing is made variable by input from the video processor side.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus, in which an endoscope observation image is captured by a solid-state imaging device 3 disposed at the distal end of an insertion section 2 of an endoscope (electronic endoscope) 1.
An imaging signal is output from the solid-state imaging device 3 and the connector 10
Sent to

A connector 10 of the endoscope 1 detachably connected to a video processor 20 in which a light source device is incorporated has a first system control for controlling signals input / output to / from the solid-state imaging device 3 and the like. The circuit 11 and other electronic circuits, and the incident end of the illumination light guide 4 are arranged, and exchange of an electronic signal such as an endoscope image signal and illumination light with the video processor 20 are performed.

A television monitor 30 for displaying an endoscopic observation image is connected to the video processor 20, and a second video signal processing circuit 22 arranged in the video processor 20 is arranged in the connector 10. The video signal sent from the first video signal processing circuit 15 is changed in color balance and output to the television monitor 30.

The second system control circuit 21 arranged in the video processor 20 includes a front panel 2
6, a signal manually input from a keyboard or the like (not shown), and a lamp controller 23 for controlling the operation of the light source lamp 24, in addition to the second video signal processing circuit 22, and a light source lamp The aperture 25 and the like disposed on the side of the exit light path 24 are controlled by a signal output from the second system control circuit 21.

An imaging signal of an endoscope observation image output from the solid-state imaging device 3 to an electronic circuit in the connector 10 is converted into a video signal in a first video signal processing circuit 15 via a sample-and-hold circuit 14, and is converted into a video signal. The signal is output to the second video signal processing circuit 22 of the processor 20.

A timing control circuit 12 disposed in the connector 10 is connected to a drive circuit (driver) 13 for driving the solid-state image pickup device 3 and a first video signal processing under the control of the first system control circuit 11. Circuit 1
5 and outputs the synchronization signal.

That is, while the synchronization signal output from the timing control circuit 12 to the drive circuit 13 is fixed, the synchronization timing of the synchronization signal output to the first video signal processing circuit 15 is video. Processor 20
From the second system control circuit 21 to the connector 1
The variable is set by a signal sent to the first system control circuit 11 of 0, and the variable setting can be arbitrarily performed by manual input from the front panel 26 (or a keyboard).

FIG. 2 shows a timing control circuit 12.
A predetermined synchronization signal is generated in a TV synchronization signal generator 122 that receives a reference pulse from the oscillation circuit 121, and the synchronization signal is output to the drive circuit 13.

When the connector 10 is connected to the video processor 20, the first system control circuit 11 obtains position information for displaying an image from the second system control circuit 21 of the video processor 20, and the position information is obtained. The data is converted into comparison data in the comparison data conversion circuit 123 and output to the comparison circuit 124.

In comparison circuit 124, TV
The solid-state imaging device 3 sent from the synchronization signal generator 122
And the position data sent from the comparison data conversion circuit 123 to generate a reset signal to generate a V / H counter 125 of a synchronization signal generation circuit for video signal processing. Output to V and H mean vertical and horizontal.

The V / H counter 125 creates a counter value for video signal processing, and
, And is reset by a reset signal input from the comparison circuit 124.

In the program device 126, a synchronizing signal for video signal processing is generated based on the counter value input from the V · H counter 125 and sent to the first video signal processing circuit 15. Note that the counter value is written in, for example, a PROM arranged in the program device 126, and thereafter is read continuously.

FIG. 3 shows a first system control circuit 11 and a timing control circuit 12 of the connector 10.
Is a control processing flow for generating a synchronizing signal for video signal processing performed in step (1), where S indicates a step.

First, the connector 10 is connected to the video processor 20.
When the connection is recognized (S1), the correction value information of the display position of the endoscope observation image 32 on the monitor screen 31 is transferred from the second video signal processing circuit 22 to the first system control circuit 11. Then, it is stored in the memory of the connector 10 (S2).

Then, the correction value information is sent to the comparison data conversion circuit 123, and the number of clocks in the horizontal direction is converted. The data here may be either numerical data that determines from which line to display if it represents a position in the vertical direction, or data of the number of lines to be changed with respect to a reference line. If so, either the numerical data of the number of pixels to be displayed from the horizontal synchronization signal HD or the data of the number of pixels to be changed with respect to the reference horizontal position (S3).

After converting such vertical synchronization and horizontal synchronization correction data into 10 bits (S4), the comparison circuit 1
At 24, the raw vertical synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal output from the TV synchronizing signal generator 122 are counted and compared with the converted data. When the values match, the pulses are sent to the synchronizing signal generation circuits 125 and 126 ( S5).

The synchronizing signal generating circuits 125 and 126 generate a horizontal synchronizing signal and a vertical synchronizing signal for video signal processing based on the coincidence pulse, and convert these signals into the first video signal processing circuit 1.
5 (S6), and the first video signal processing circuit 15 performs video signal processing using a synchronization signal different from that of the solid-state imaging device 3 (S7).

If the video processor 20 does not send the correction value information of the display position to the connector 10, the same synchronizing signal sent to the drive circuit 13 of the solid-state imaging device 3 is sent to the first video signal processing circuit 15. Just send it to

In this manner, in response to an arbitrary manual input from the front panel 26 of the video processor 20, the synchronization timing of the vertical synchronizing signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal is controlled as shown in FIGS. Is done.

As a result, for example, as shown in FIG.
If the video signal processing is performed with the synchronization signal of the solid-state imaging device 3 unchanged, even if the video signal deviates from the display range as shown in the middle section (after the addition of the synchronization signal), it is shown at the bottom. In this manner, the video signal and the display range are matched, and the endoscope observation image 32 can be displayed at a position desired by the observer at the center of the monitor screen 31 as shown in FIG.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the synchronizing signal for video signal processing may be variable to advance the phase, but may be variable to the side to delay the phase. Alternatively, it may be possible to change both.

In the above-described embodiment, the variable setting of the synchronization timing of the synchronization signal output to the first video signal processing circuit 15 is performed by manual input from the front panel 26 (or a keyboard). For example, the second system control circuit 2 of the video processor 20
1 may be provided in advance with display position correction data for each type of endoscope, and may be input to the connector 10 as position information for video display as needed.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the synchronizing signal for driving the solid-state imaging device and the synchronizing signal for video processing in the video signal processing circuit are separated on the endoscope side, and By changing the synchronization timing of the synchronization signal according to the input from the video processor, the characteristics of the solid-state imaging device incorporated in the endoscope and the synchronization timing of the processing circuit incorporated in the video processor are changed. Even if the above is performed, the observer can display the endoscope observation image at the most appropriate position on the television monitor, and can perform the endoscope inspection without any trouble.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a timing control circuit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing control processing content of a video signal processing synchronization signal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating a control state of a vertical synchronization signal for video signal processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart illustrating a control state of a horizontal synchronization signal for video signal processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart illustrating a state of video signal processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of a monitor screen according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of a conventional monitor screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Connector 11 First System Control Circuit 12 Timing Control Circuit 15 First Video Signal Processing Circuit 20 Video Processor 21 Second System Control Circuit 26 Front Panel 30 TV Monitor 122 TV Synchronous Signal Generator 123 Comparison Data Conversion Circuit 124 Comparison circuit 125 V · H counter (synchronization signal creation circuit) 126 Program device (synchronization signal creation circuit)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H040 BA00 GA00 GA11 4C061 CC06 HH51 JJ18 LL01 NN05 NN09 SS05 WW06 5C020 AA17 AA18 CA13 CA15 CA20 5C054 AA01 AA05 CA04 CB02 CC07 EC01 EC03 EC06 FA01 HA12

Claims (1)

[Claims] An endoscope provided with a solid-state imaging device and a first video signal processing circuit for converting an imaging signal output from the solid-state imaging device into a video signal and outputting the video signal; A second video signal processing circuit which is detachably connected and converts the video signal output from the first video signal processing circuit into a signal for displaying on a television monitor and outputs the signal; In the electronic endoscope device having: a synchronizing signal for driving the solid-state imaging device and a synchronizing signal for video processing in the video signal processing circuit are separated on the endoscope side; An electronic endoscope apparatus wherein the synchronization timing of a synchronization signal for use in the electronic endoscope is made variable by an input from the video processor.