JP2008284037A - Endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope apparatus having a plurality of communication means, allowing a user to select a usable communication means from the plurality of communication means to transmit endoscopic images, and capable of securing transmitting image data to a destination. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope apparatus 1 is capable of network communication, connection to a server and transmission/receiving mails through the plurality of communication means for transmitting endoscopic images. The endoscopic apparatus 1 makes a user select communication means to be used from the plurality of communication means or select the destination on the display screen of a monitor 13. A signal conversion part 47 changes a signal format of the endoscopic images to be transmitted according to the selected communication means or destination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus, and relates to an endoscope image capable of transmitting an endoscope image by communication.

  Conventionally, endoscope apparatuses have been widely used in industrial fields, medical fields, and the like. Endoscopic devices are used in various fields of equipment such as boilers, turbines, engines, and chemical plants in the industrial field, for observation and inspection of damage, corrosion, etc. Used for observation, inspection, treatment, etc. An endoscope apparatus generally has a function of recording an observation image as electronic data of a moving image or a still image.

  In the industrial field, the endoscope device is brought into the plant site and used in the vicinity of the device to be inspected. An engineer who is an inspector inserts an elongated insertion portion of an endoscope apparatus into an apparatus, and performs an inspection while viewing an image of a region to be inspected. Based on the endoscopic image, the damaged state of the inspection target part, the necessity for parts replacement, and the like are determined. An endoscopic image is usually provided to a plant manager as a moving image data or a still image data together with an inspection report after the inspection.

  There is also a demand for storing endoscopic images in a server device on a network that can be used by a plurality of users so that image information can be shared. Alternatively, it may be necessary to send an endoscopic image to a person at a remote location to determine whether or not the inspection target part is good or bad at the site where the inspection is performed (hereinafter also referred to as the inspection site). . In addition, it may be required to submit an inspection report immediately after the inspection. In such a case, the endoscope image must be transmitted to the management center for report preparation from the endoscope apparatus. In some cases.

  Therefore, in order to cope with such a case, a technique for transferring an endoscopic image to a computer once connected to the endoscopic device, and transmitting the image attached to an e-mail from the computer to an image manager, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-175215 discloses a technique for transmitting directly from an endoscope apparatus to a computer of a management center via a network.

In addition, when an inspector at the inspection site of the plant cannot determine the damage state of the site to be inspected from the endoscopic image, the endoscope device is remotely operated so that the remote determiner can make the determination. A technique that can be used is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-191911.
JP 2006-175215 A JP 2004-191911 A

  However, when communicating with a remote computer from the endoscope apparatus, there may be an environment where an inspection site or the like where the endoscope apparatus is located cannot be connected to a network by a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. Alternatively, the network environment provided in the inspection site may have a so-called security measure and may not be easily connected to the network. In such a case, if the communication means provided in the endoscope apparatus cannot be used, the endoscope apparatus cannot be connected to the network. Therefore, the endoscope image can be determined from the management center or the remote location via the network. Cannot send an image to someone.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and is provided with a plurality of communication means, the plurality of communication means can be selected by the user, and the usable communication means can be selected to be used in the endoscope. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus capable of transmitting an image and transmitting image data to a transmission destination with certainty.

  An endoscope apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of communication means for transmitting an endoscopic image, a selection means for allowing a user to select a communication means or a transmission destination to be used from the plurality of communication means, and the selection Signal converting means for changing the signal format of the endoscopic image to be transmitted according to the communication means or the transmission destination selected by the means.

  According to the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, it has a plurality of communication means, the plurality of communication means can be selected by the user, and the usable communication means can be selected to transmit an endoscopic image. Thus, it is possible to reliably transmit the image data to the transmission destination.

Hereinafter, an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Device configuration)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an endoscope apparatus according to the present embodiment. The endoscope apparatus 1 has an insertion portion 12 extending from the apparatus main body 11. At the distal end portion of the insertion portion 12, a lens 21, a CCD 22 as an imaging device, and an end portion 24 of an optical fiber 23 for illuminating the subject are provided.

  The apparatus main body 11 includes a monitor 13 for displaying an endoscopic image, a remote controller 14 for operating the entire endoscope apparatus, personal digital assistants (hereinafter abbreviated as PDA) 15 and a mobile phone. The telephone 16 can be connected. The apparatus body 11 is provided with a plurality of connector portions 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d for connecting the monitor 13, the remote controller 14, the PDA 15, and the mobile phone 16, respectively. The monitor 13 may be attached to the remote controller 14 or may be provided integrally with the remote controller 14.

  The apparatus main body 11 includes a camera control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as “CCU”) 31 that drives the CCD 22 and processes an imaging signal from the CCD 22 to output a video signal, and a video signal that performs various processes on the video signal from the CCU 31. A processing unit 32 and a light source unit 33 that supplies illumination light to the optical fiber 23 inserted into the insertion unit 12 are provided. The video signal processing unit 32 outputs the video signal of the endoscopic image to the monitor 13 via the corresponding connector unit 17a.

  The apparatus body 11 further includes a central treatment apparatus (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 41, ROM 42, RAM 43, internal memory 44, recording medium 45, network communication processing unit 46, and signal conversion as signal conversion means. A portion 47 is provided. The CPU 41, ROM 42, RAM 43, internal memory 44 such as a hard disk device, removable recording medium 45 such as a memory card, network communication processing unit 46, and signal conversion unit 47 are connected to each other via a bus 48. Has been. The remote controller 14 is connected to the bus 48 via a corresponding connector portion 17b. The PDA 15 and the mobile phone 16 can be connected to the signal conversion unit 47 via the corresponding connector units 17c and 17d and the interface unit 49, respectively.

  An engineer who is a user of the endoscope apparatus 1 operates the remote controller 14 to pick up an image of the subject from the distal end portion of the insertion portion 12, and the moving image obtained by the image pickup is displayed on the monitor 13 as a so-called live image. The object can be observed by being displayed. The CCD 22 performs photoelectric conversion and the like based on the drive signal from the CCU 31, and the light source unit 33 performs on / off (lighting and extinguishing) control under the control of the CPU 41, thereby providing an optical fiber that is a light guide. The subject is irradiated with an appropriate amount of light through the light source 23. Further, the engineer records a moving image or a still image in the internal memory 44 or the recording medium 45 as a recording unit while observing the live image of the subject displayed on the monitor 13 using the remote controller 14. Can be processed. In addition, the engineer can operate the remote controller 14 to perform various settings and the like as will be described later for communication. The CPU 41 controls various circuits in the apparatus main body 11 in accordance with operations by the remote controller 14. A software program for the control is stored in advance in the ROM 42 or the internal memory 44.

  The network communication processing unit 46 performs processing for LAN connection. When a cable for a wired LAN is connected, the network communication processing unit 46 is a wired LAN communication unit. In other cases, the network communication processing unit 46 is a wireless LAN communication unit up to the access point. Then, the switching process is performed so that communication is possible.

  In addition, a PDA 15 and a mobile phone 16 each having a communication function can be connected to the endoscope apparatus 1 via the interface unit 49 as communication means. Therefore, the endoscope apparatus 1 has a plurality of communication means of network communication, PDA 15 and mobile phone 16, and the engineer operates the remote controller 14 to select a communication means to be used from among the plurality of communication means. You can do that.

  The signal conversion unit 47 is a processing unit that performs various conversion processes of the endoscopic image. When the image signal from the CCU 31 is recorded in the internal memory 44 in the apparatus main body 11, the signal conversion section 47 converts it into a signal format in a recording format corresponding to the processing section or recording section in the apparatus main body 11. Process. Further, the signal conversion unit 47 AD-converts the image pickup signal from the CCU 31, changes the size if it is a still image of the endoscopic image to be transmitted in accordance with the destination device or according to the communication means. Or if it is a moving image, the signal conversion process such as changing the frame rate is performed.

  Specifically, the signal conversion unit 47 performs signal conversion processing of an image signal according to each transmission action when transmitted by the network communication processing unit 46, transmitted by the PDA 15, or transmitted by the mobile phone 16. I do. Alternatively, the signal conversion unit 47 performs signal conversion processing of the image signal according to the transmission destination or connection method. For example, the signal conversion unit 47 converts the image data in the endoscope apparatus 11 into data that can be processed by the mobile phone 16 and enables communication from the mobile phone 16. Further, for example, in the case of using a low-speed communication means of about several hundred kbps, processing such as reducing the file size of data to be transmitted / received, such as changing 30 fps (number of frames per second) to 15 fps, is performed.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining that the endoscope apparatus 1 can transmit an endoscope image by a plurality of communication means. The endoscope apparatus 1 can be connected to a network 51 via a network communication processing unit 46 as communication means. When the endoscope apparatus 1 is connected to a network 51 such as a LAN through a wired LAN connection or a wireless LAN connection, the endoscope apparatus 1 transmits a moving image or still image data to a server connected to the network 51. Data can be transmitted to the device 52 and personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) 53, and data can be received from the server device 52 and PC 53.

Furthermore, the endoscope apparatus 1 can be similarly connected to the network 51 by the PDA 15 and the mobile phone 16 as communication means. The server device 52 is, for example, a dedicated server for image management dedicated to a company of an engineer who performs an examination using the endoscope apparatus 1 or a server of a client company that has requested examination of a subject. The PC 53 is also a PC of another engineer in the company of the engineer who performs the inspection using the endoscope apparatus 1 or a PC of the client company who requested the inspection of the subject.
Furthermore, although the network 51 is described here as a LAN, it may be the Internet or may be one of a plurality of networks including the Internet.

As described above, the usage form of the endoscope apparatus 1 connected to the network may be as follows.
The engineer at the examination site can send a live image to the PC 53 of another engineer from the endoscope apparatus 1 via the network 51 for viewing. Further, an engineer at the inspection site adds necessary character information, transmits an endoscope image from the endoscope apparatus 1 to the server apparatus 52 and stores it, and another engineer sends a server from his / her PC 53 to the server. It is also possible to access the device 52 and refer to the inspection result image at the same time.
Therefore, since image information can be shared with other engineers at remote locations, for example, when an engineer at the inspection site cannot judge the inspection result, it is possible to make a call with a mobile phone and view other images while viewing the same image. You can make a decision while consulting with an engineer, or another engineer from a remote location can make a decision. It can also be used for other engineers to see images attached to reports submitted to clients. As long as the server device 52 can be accessed from the client PC 53, image information can be shared between the engineer and the client using the server device 52.

Furthermore, the inspection result by the endoscope apparatus 1 may be requested from the client before the formal inspection report is submitted. In such a case, instead of the above-described information sharing format, the engineer at the examination site performs data processing in the endoscope apparatus 1 or the PDA 15 or the mobile phone 16 that is a mobile terminal, and the image is transferred to the client. Can be sent directly to. The engineer connects the endoscope apparatus 1 or the portable terminal to the network 51 and directly transmits an image to the client PC 53. In the case of the PDA 15 or the mobile phone 16, the image can be attached to the e-mail and the image can be transmitted to the client PC 53 by e-mail. The attached image data may be image data processed in the endoscope apparatus 1 or image data processed in a portable terminal.
Accordingly, when a plurality of communication means can be used, the above-described utilization is possible by connecting to the network using any one of the communication means.

Next, connection and transmission processing by each communication means will be described.
(When the action is network communication processing)
Communication via the network communication processing unit 46 is mutual communication, and the other party to which the endoscope image is transmitted from the endoscope apparatus 1 is a PC, a server apparatus, a portable terminal, or the like.
First, a general flow of connection processing in the case of communication via the network communication processing unit 46 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of normal connection processing in the case of communication via the network communication processing unit 46.

  When the endoscope apparatus 1 is connected to the network 51 only by wired or wireless communication via the network communication processing unit 46, an engineer operates the remote controller 14 to instruct to connect to the network 51. Thus, execution of network connection can be selected (step S1).

  Then, the CPU 41 determines whether preparation for network connection is completed (step S2). When the CPU 41 determines in step S2 that the preparation for network connection is not completed, NO is determined in step S2, and the CPU 41 displays an error message (step S3). The error message is “not ready” or the like. Thereafter, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the engineer has instructed execution of network connection preparation (step S4). When the engineer gives an instruction to execute network connection preparation, the answer is YES in step S4, and network connection preparation is executed (step S5). Then, the CPU 41 determines whether or not network connection is available (step S6).

  If YES in step S2 or S6, the CPU 41 starts connection for network communication via the network communication processing unit 46 (step S7).

  If NO in step S4, it is assumed that network communication is not connected, and the process ends. If NO in step S6, the CPU 41 displays an error message such as “cannot be used” (step S8), and the process ends.

  The above is a flow of processing until communication is performed. When the endoscope apparatus 1 is connected to the network 51 by communication, the endoscope apparatus 1 starts communication and transmits the data specified to the transmission destination specified by the engineer. When transmission / reception is performed and data transmission / reception is completed, the communication is terminated.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, processing when communication by wired, wireless, or external device is performed via the network communication processing unit 46 when a plurality of communication means can be used will be described together with the display screen of the monitor 13. . FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of connection processing for communication when there are a plurality of communication means. FIG. 5 to FIG. 12 are diagrams showing screen display examples of the display screen of the monitor 13.

  When the engineer at the examination site views the live image or freeze image of the endoscope as shown in FIG. 5 on the monitor 13 of the endoscope apparatus 1, a predetermined operation for calling the menu screen, for example, a specific operation When an operation such as pressing a button is performed, the menu screen of FIG. 6 is displayed on the screen 13 a of the monitor 13. When the menu screen is displayed, when the engineer moves the cursor and selects an action as indicated by a square frame in FIG. 6, the screen in FIG. 7 is displayed. Hereinafter, in the drawings, a square frame in the display screen indicates that the item is selected.

  FIG. 7 is an action menu screen for selecting one of network connection, server connection, and e-mail transmission / reception. The network connection communicates with a partner PC or mobile phone, and the server connection registers image data in the server device 52. Mail transmission / reception is performed by sending image data by e-mail. It is transmitted to the other party's PC 53 or mobile phone. The destination device is not limited to the server device or PC, and the mobile terminal may be a PDA or the like, not a mobile phone.

  When the network connection is selected on the screen of FIG. 7 (step S11), the screen of FIG. 8 is displayed on the display screen 13a of the monitor 13. The screen in FIG. 8 is a screen for selecting a connection method, and one of wired, wireless, and external devices can be selected. Here, the external device indicates connection by the mobile terminal of the mobile phone 16 and the PDA 15.

  In the screen of FIG. 8, for example, when wireless is selected (step S12), the screen of FIG. 9 is displayed. FIG. 9 is a screen for selecting a connection destination. The connection destinations are displayed in a list format, and the engineer can select one on the screen of FIG. Each step S11 to S13 in FIG. 4 and each corresponding screen FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 constitute a selection means for allowing an engineer to select a communication means or a transmission destination to be used from a plurality of communication means.

  FIG. 9 further includes a button for registering a new connection destination, specifically, a display button 61 for new setting. If any one is selected on the screen of FIG. 9 (step S13), the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not a new setting has been selected. Therefore, if the new setting button 61 is selected in FIG. 9, the result in step S14 is YES, and the screen in FIG. 10 is displayed. Information such as the name and setting value can be set (step S15). The screen in FIG. 10 is a screen for setting a new connection destination.

  When the engineer inputs predetermined items such as a name, IP address, mail address, and memo on the screen of FIG. 10 and selects the registration button 62 for instructing data registration, the engineer connects to the newly registered selection destination. A request is transmitted (step S16). In step S13, as shown in FIG. 11, when an already registered connection destination is selected, NO is determined in step S14, and the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, a connection request is made to the selected connection destination according to the selected action and connection method. When the connection request is transmitted, the CPU 41 displays information indicating “requesting connection” on the display screen 13a of the monitor 13 as shown in FIG. Then, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the communication state is good (step S17). If the communication state is good, the process further proceeds to step S18.

  In step S18, the CPU 41 determines whether or not communication is permitted (step S18). When communication is permitted, the process proceeds to step S19.

  When communication is started in step S19, the process proceeds to step S20, and the CPU 41 executes signal conversion processing in a preset format (step S21). The signal conversion process is executed in the signal conversion unit 47. The signal conversion process of the signal conversion unit 47 will be described later.

  After the signal conversion process is executed, the process starts communication of the converted image data, accumulates a communication log (step S21), and determines whether the communication is finished (step S22). When the communication ends, YES is determined in step S22, and log accumulation is ended (step S23).

  The target data of the communication log is setting data such as communication start and end time data, transmission destination address data, transmission data, and the like. Furthermore, when communication is interrupted for some reason, a communication log until the interruption is recorded. The communication log will be described later.

  If the communication state is not good in step S17, NO is determined in step S17, and the CPU 41 displays an error message such as “cannot be connected” (step S24). Similarly, if communication permission cannot be obtained in step S18, NO is determined in step S18, and the CPU 41 displays an error message such as “connection refused” (step S25). After the processes of steps S24 and S25, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the engineer requests reconnection (step S26). If there is a reconnection request, YES is returned in step S26, and the process returns to step S16. If there is no reconnection request, NO is determined in step S26, and the process ends.

  In step S18, when communication is permitted, the CPU 41 displays “permitted” or the like in the display area 63 of the screen 13a in FIG. The error display described above is also performed in the display area 63. Therefore, the engineer can recognize the communication state on the screen 13 a of the monitor 13.

  In the process of FIG. 4, if a network connection is selected, whether the request is permitted for the connection request on the screen of the display unit of the other party's device that has made the connection request, such as the client PC. A screen that can indicate whether or not is displayed. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are diagrams showing examples of display screens of the counterpart device that has made a connection request. As shown in FIG. 13, for example, when the counterpart device is a PC 53, a message “Connection request from **. Do you want to permit?” Appears on the display screen 53 a of the PC 53.

  The other party can perform a predetermined operation according to the message. If it is permitted, the YES button 64 is selected here, and if it is not permitted, the NO button 65 is selected. If the connection is permitted, live image or image file data is transmitted from the endoscope apparatus 1 and data communication with the endoscope apparatus 1 is in progress on the display screen 53a. Is displayed. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen on which a mark indicating that communication is being performed is displayed. As shown in FIG. 14, when communicating with the endoscope apparatus 1, the PC 53 displays a communication mark 66 together with the live image of the endoscope apparatus 1 on the display screen 53a.

  In addition, the image file data stored in the internal memory 44 may be transmitted while the live image of the endoscope is transmitted from the endoscope apparatus 1 to the client PC 53 so that mutual communication is possible through a network connection. it can. Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 14, a communication mark 66 is displayed at a predetermined position on the display screen 53a on which the live image is displayed.

  As described above, the engineer at the inspection site transmits a live image from the endoscope apparatus 1 to the counterpart apparatus via a network connection, or transmits image data recorded in the internal memory 44 or the like. Can do.

  Therefore, when an endoscopic image is transmitted from the endoscope apparatus 1 to the client PC 53 so that they can communicate with each other via a network connection, a live image or a transmitted image file is displayed on the display screen 53a of the client PC 53. In this case, a communication mark 66 is displayed at a predetermined position on the screen. In such a case, the engineer at the examination site makes a judgment on the subject while watching the same live image or the reproduced image of the transmitted image file with the PC 53 engineer and making a call using a mobile phone. You can have them consult you for diagnosis. Or, conversely, an operation instruction can be given from a remote engineer to an inspection engineer.

  The engineer and client at the inspection site can communicate with each other using predetermined conversation software, send / receive text data, or send / receive text data converted from speech. You may make it display a message on the display screen of a monitor. In this case, the conversation software is installed in each of the endoscope apparatus 1 and the client PC 53.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the display screen 13a of the monitor 13 of the endoscope apparatus 1 when transmitting / receiving text data. FIG. 15 shows a case where a message “Please increase brightness and record” is sent from the client to the engineer. In the screen example of FIG. 15, a display area 67 for displaying a message is provided on the lower side of the screen. However, when the amount of messages is large, the message is displayed by scrolling from the right to the left of the screen. Can be displayed in its entirety.
As shown in FIG. 15, when image data is being transmitted to the other party, a mark 68 indicating that communication is in progress is also displayed on the display screen 13a of the monitor 13 of the endoscope apparatus 1.

  Furthermore, the text data of the message is converted into voice data by using software that reads the text, and the voice data is output from the speaker of the PC 53 and the speaker provided in the endoscope apparatus 1. Also good.

  In FIG. 8, the connection method is selected. If the connection method cannot be used, for example, if a wired connection is not possible due to a cable disconnection or a circuit failure, the connection method cannot be used. The display of the various connection methods may be displayed so as to be distinguished from the display of other available connection methods. For example, if a wired connection is not available, the connection method cannot be used by lowering or not displaying the brightness of the unusable wired display as compared to the display of available wireless and external devices. , It may be shown to the engineer.

Next, the communication log will be described. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication log. Here, for each destination as a transmission destination, an action as a connection method, communication start and end times (date and time), and a file name of transmission data are recorded.
In the example of FIG. 16, it is recorded that the connection to the client A is over 40 minutes by communication, and the data of two still image files are transmitted in a relatively short time by mail to the client B. A record and a record that data of two moving image files are transmitted over a relatively long time by server transmission to the server C are recorded as a communication log.

Next, communication settings in the menu of FIG. 6 will be described.
When the engineer selects the communication setting from the menu screen, the screen shown in FIG. 17 is displayed. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for communication setting according to the content of the selected action. Various parameters are set in the communication setting according to the selection contents such as network connection, server connection, and mail transmission / reception. Here, only the parameter setting necessary for image data transmission will be described.

  When the data format in FIG. 17 is selected, a data format setting screen (not shown) is displayed on the monitor 13. On the setting screen, when layer information is included in image information such as JPEG and TIFF, it can be set by selecting layer information to be transmitted. The layer information is information such as date and measurement data display when the endoscopic image is displayed on the monitor 13. For example, since there is a layer that displays the date when the subject is imaged, and there is a layer that displays measurement data and the like, the engineer can select which layer information is transmitted.

  When the data size in FIG. 17 is selected, a data size setting screen (not shown) is displayed on the monitor 13. On the setting screen, in the case of a still image, it can be set by selecting a data size of a display image corresponding to a standard such as VGA or QVGA. For example, in order to obtain each size, the engineer can select whether to compress the original image and convert it to each size, and in that case, whether to compress only a part of the image. .

When the frame rate in FIG. 16 is selected, a frame rate setting screen (not shown) is displayed on the monitor 13. On the setting screen, the frame rate can be set for a moving image such as a live image. For example, the engineer can select the frame rate from a plurality of values such as 15 fps and 30 fps.
As described above, the engineer can set communication according to the action.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary flow of a communication setting process. When the engineer selects a communication setting on the menu screen and selects an action to be set (step S31), the communication setting screen of FIG. 17 is displayed. In the screen of FIG. 17, it is determined whether or not the data format has been selected (step S32). If the data format is selected, YES is determined in step S32, and the data format selection process as described above is executed (step S32). Step S33). When the data size is selected on the screen of FIG. 17, NO is determined in step S32, and it is determined whether or not the data size is changed (step S34). When the data size is selected, YES is determined in the step S34, and the data size selection process as described above is executed (step S35). When the frame rate is selected on the screen of FIG. 17, NO is determined in steps S32 and S34, and it is determined whether the frame rate is changed (step S37). When the frame rate is selected, YES is determined in step S36, and the frame rate selection process as described above is executed (step S37).

  After the above processing, it is determined whether or not the selection to return to the initial value has been made (step S38). When “Return to initial value” is selected on the communication setting screen of FIG. 17, processing for changing all setting values to predetermined initial values is executed (step S39). If returning to the initial value is not selected, other change processing is executed in the same manner, and it is determined whether or not the engineer has instructed the end of the setting (step S40). If the engineer does not instruct the end, the process is NO in step S40, and the process returns to step S32. If the engineer instructs the end, the process is ended in step S40, which is YES.

  Therefore, using the communication setting screen, various parameters for transmitting image data can be set according to the selection of the action. In step S20, signal conversion processing is executed based on various parameters set in advance according to the selected action.

  When the communication is started, the signal conversion unit 47 converts the signal of the image data to be transmitted based on various parameters set in advance according to the network connection in step S20. The converted image data is transmitted from the network communication processing unit 46 by wire or wirelessly.

(When the action is server connection processing or email transmission / reception processing)
Next, a case where the selected action is server connection processing or mail transmission / reception processing will be described. When the engineer at the examination site transmits image data from the endoscope apparatus 1 to the server apparatus 52, “server connection” is selected in the action of FIG. Further, when the engineer transmits image data by electronic mail from the endoscope apparatus 1 to the PC 53 or the like, “mail transmission / reception” is selected in the action of FIG. Hereinafter, the case where the action is server connection processing or mail transmission / reception processing will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of server connection processing or mail transmission / reception processing when there are a plurality of communication means. In FIG. 19, the same processes as those in FIG.

  When the engineer calls the menu screen (FIG. 6) while viewing the monitor 13 of the endoscope apparatus 1 and selects an action, the screen of FIG. 7 is displayed. Here, in FIG. 7, server connection or mail transmission / reception is selected (step S11).

  Thereafter, selection of a connection method (step S12), selection of a connection destination (step S13), and new connection destination setting processing (steps S14 and S15) are performed.

  Next, the CPU 41 executes transmission data selection processing (step S51). In step S51, the CPU 41 displays a data selection screen as shown in FIG. 20 on the display screen 13a of the monitor 13. Data selection is performed by allowing an engineer to select a file to be transmitted from the image data files recorded in the internal memory 44 or the recording medium 45 displayed in FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting the image file to be transmitted. In order to select an image file, a file display unit 69 that displays a plurality of image files in a list format and a selection instruction unit 70 such as a check box for instructing file selection are displayed on the display screen 13a. It is provided and displayed. When the engineer at the inspection site adds a check mark to the check box 70 corresponding to the image file to be transmitted, the file with the check mark can be set as an object to be transmitted to the CPU 41. In FIG. 20, a check mark is added to the check boxes 70 of the two lower files among the four files displayed on the file display unit 69, so these two files are transmitted.

  As an application example in the case of transmitting image data to the server device 52, if a still image is registered in the server device 52, an engineer at the inspection site and a remote engineer can reproduce and view the same still image. Since it is possible, it is possible to talk with a mobile phone or the like while viewing the same still image.

Returning to FIG. 19, after the data selection process (step S51), the CPU 41 starts server connection (step S52).
Then, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the communication state is good (step S53). If the communication state is good, the process further proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, the CPU 41 executes signal conversion processing in a preset format as described above (step S20). As described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 17, since the signal conversion process can set the data format according to the action, the data format corresponding to the server connection process or mail transmission / reception is set in advance. By doing so, signal conversion processing corresponding to the selected action is executed.
After the signal conversion process is executed, the converted data is transmitted (step S54), the communication log is accumulated (step S55), and the process ends.

  The target data of the communication log is the setting data such as the communication start and end time data, the transmission destination address data, the transmission data, etc. Further, when the communication is interrupted for some reason, A communication log until it is interrupted is recorded. The communication log includes a transmitted file and a transmission time.

  Furthermore, if the communication state is not good in step S53, the determination in step S53 is NO, and the CPU 41 displays an error message such as “Cannot connect to server” (step S56). After the process of step S56, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the engineer requests reconnection (step S57). If there is a reconnection request, YES is returned in step S57, and the process returns to step S52. If there is no reconnection request, NO is determined in step S57, and the process ends.

  In step S52, after the connection is started, it is determined in step S53 whether or not the communication state is good. When the communication state is good, a screen as shown in FIG. 21 is displayed on the display screen 13a. The FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a screen indicating a communication state. If the communication state is good, the CPU 41 displays, for example, “OK” characters indicating that communication is possible, and “Transferring” indicating that the image file is being transmitted. When the transfer is completed, the characters “Transferring” are changed to characters “Transmission completed”, and the CPU 41 changes the display on the display screen 13a to the live image display as shown in FIG.

  During transfer, instead of FIG. 21, as shown in FIG. 15 described above, a mark being transferred may be displayed while displaying other images such as live images.

  As described above, according to the endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the engineer at the examination site selects an available communication means from among a plurality of communication means, and displays an endoscopic image. Since it can be transmitted, the convenience of communication is enhanced, and it becomes easier for a remote engineer or client to exchange opinions on the subject while simultaneously viewing the same image. Further, since the transmitted endoscopic image is signal-converted and transmitted in accordance with the selected action, the receiving engineer or the like can surely see the endoscopic image. Therefore, an engineer at the inspection site and an engineer at a remote location can view and exchange opinions while viewing live images, or while viewing playback moving images or playback still images.

  In the above-described embodiment, the signal conversion unit executes a signal conversion process set in advance according to an action. However, the signal conversion unit may execute a signal conversion process according to a transmission destination. For example, the communication setting shown in FIGS. 6 and 17 can be performed according to the transmission destination selected by the engineer. That is, the content of the conversion process of the signal conversion unit is changed depending on whether the transmission destination selected by the engineer is a server device or a mobile phone. For example, normally, when the transmission destination is the server device 52, the endoscope device 1 transmits the moving image file and the still image file as they are. However, when sending image data to a mobile phone by e-mail, the frame rate is reduced to 15 fps instead of 30 fps for moving image files, and the image size is changed from VGA format to QVGA format for still image files. Signal conversion processing such as converting to a signal and transmitting it is performed.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the signal conversion unit executes a signal conversion process that is set in advance according to the action. However, a difference in connection method between wired communication and wireless communication in the network communication process. Depending on the above, the signal conversion process may be executed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the endoscope apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating that the endoscope apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention can transmit an endoscopic image by several communication means. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of the normal connection process in the case of the communication via a network communication process part concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of the connection process for communication in case there exists a some communication means concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a transmission destination concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a transmission destination concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display screen of a monitor concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a communication log concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen for communication setting according to the content of the selected action concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of a process of a communication setting concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of a server connection process or mail transmission / reception process in case there exists a some communication means concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen for selecting the image file to transmit concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the screen which shows a communication state concerning embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope apparatus, 11 apparatus main body, 12 insertion part, 13 monitor, 14 remote control, 15 PDA, 16 mobile phone, 51 network, 52 server apparatus, 53 PC

Claims (5)

A plurality of communication means for transmitting an endoscopic image;
A selection means for allowing a user to select a communication means or a destination to be used from the plurality of communication means;
Signal converting means for changing the signal format of the endoscopic image to be transmitted according to the communication means or the transmission destination selected by the selecting means;
An endoscope apparatus characterized by comprising:   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the signal conversion unit changes at least one of an image size and a frame rate of the endoscopic image according to the selected communication unit or transmission destination. Mirror device.   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication units include at least two of a wired communication unit, a wireless communication unit, and a connected mobile terminal communication unit. .   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone.   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission destination includes a server device and a portable terminal.

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