JP3943963B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus, and more particularly to an endoscope apparatus having a digital still image recording function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, an insertion part is inserted into an observation site such as a body cavity, an illumination light is transmitted by illumination transmission means such as a light guide fiber bundle, and the observation site is irradiated from the distal end of the insertion unit to obtain an image of the observation site. Endoscope apparatuses for observing and treating an observation site are widely used.
[0003]
In one of the endoscope apparatuses, a solid-state imaging device, for example, a CCD is disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion, and an image of an observation site is formed on an imaging surface by an objective optical system and converted into an electrical signal. There is an electronic endoscope apparatus that can display an image of an observation site on a monitor or the like by performing signal processing on the monitor, or store it as image data in an information recording apparatus or the like.
[0004]
In addition, with the spread of digital cameras, the need to digitally record endoscope still images has arisen, and endoscope devices having a digital still image recording function have begun to appear. In this case, in consideration of convenience, there are some which can be reproduced as well as recorded, and when reproducing, first, a thumbnail image is first displayed, and a desired image is selected and displayed on a full screen.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when it is configured to record still images under a folder for each date in the media, if surgery is performed across dates, the same surgery image is recorded across multiple folders. After that, there was a problem that it was troublesome to organize and distinguish folders.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus that can easily organize still images recorded digitally even when a surgery takes a long time. .
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The endoscope recording control apparatus of the present invention includes a first date storage means for storing a date to be updated,
Based on the date information stored in the first date storage means, a folder creating means for assigning a folder name including the first date and creating a folder for recording the acquired image data; A second date storage means for storing a date when it is raised; a control means for giving a second date instead of the first date to the folder creation means for creating a folder based on the first date; Recording control means for recording the image data in a folder created by the control means .
[0008]
In the present invention, when the date changes with the power on, the date of the folder name recorded in the recording means is not updated. Therefore, even if the surgery changes for a long time, the recorded contents (still images) are recorded in the folder with the same name, so that it may be a series of images during the same surgery when organizing later. It is easy to identify and there is no difficulty in organizing.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an electronic endoscope 2 having an imaging means such as a CCD, and an image processing having a recording means, a power feeding means, a calendar means, and a recording control means. The apparatus includes a video processor (hereinafter referred to as a processor) 4 as a device and a monitor 5 as display means. Instead of the electronic endoscope 2, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which the camera unit is detachably attached to the eyepiece of a rigid endoscope.
[0011]
The imaging means images a subject and outputs it as an imaging signal. The recording means can record the image signal picked up by the image pickup means on the medium 38. In addition, the power supply unit includes a power supply unit 42 and can supply power to the imaging unit and the recording unit. The calendar means is a time counter that operates independently from the power supply means with a separate power source even when the power supply means is turned off and can always count the time and date. The recording control means controls the recording means based on the operation information (on / off information) of the power feeding means and the operation information (time and date information) of the calendar means, and a folder created in the recording means The update of the name date is controlled (that is, the date of the folder name created in the recording means is updated or not updated).
[0012]
A specific description will be given below with reference to FIG.
An endoscope image is captured by the processor 4 by driving and controlling a solid-state image sensor provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 2 a of the electronic endoscope 2, for example, a complementary color single-plate CCD 3.
[0013]
The processor 4 drives and controls the CCD 3 and generates a video signal for displaying an endoscopic image on the screen of the monitor 5. In the processor 4, a patient circuit 6 and a secondary circuit 7 electrically insulated from the patient circuit 6 are configured on the same main board 8.
[0014]
The processor 4 is provided with a power supply unit 42 for generating a DC voltage, which is electrically insulated from a primary circuit side via a connector 41 from a commercial AC power supply (not shown) as a primary circuit. Further, an auxiliary power source battery 43 is provided. These power sources constitute power supply means. The DC voltage from the power supply unit 42 is supplied to the secondary circuit 7, the patient circuit 6, and the CCD 3, and is also supplied to the expansion board 33 for digital still image recording. The circuit means mounted on the extension board 33 constitutes recording means capable of recording an image signal on the medium 38.
[0015]
On the secondary circuit 7 side of the processor 4, a synchronization signal generation circuit (hereinafter referred to as SSG) 25 that receives a reference clock from a crystal oscillator (hereinafter referred to as CXO) 26 and generates various timing signals is provided. A CCD drive circuit 14 is provided on the side, and a CCD drive signal is generated by the CCD drive circuit 14 based on the output of the SSG 25 via a photocoupler (hereinafter PC) 18a. Then, the imaging signal from the CCD 3 driven by this CCD driving signal is output to the preamplifier 11 of the patient circuit 6 and amplified.
[0016]
The patient circuit 6 is provided with a phase locked loop (hereinafter referred to as PLL) 12 and a variable crystal oscillator (hereinafter referred to as VCXO) 13. Phase compensation at the time of signal transmission to the CCD 3 by the PLL 12 is performed by the timing signal generated by the timing generator (hereinafter referred to as TG) 17 based on the reference clock from the SSG 25 via the C 18a, and the CCD driving circuit 14 by the PLL 12 and the VCXO 13 The phase of the CCD drive signal and the output of the preamplifier 11 are synchronized.
[0017]
Further, the output signal of the preamplifier 11 is subjected to correlated double sampling by the CDS circuit 15 and then A / D converted by the A / D converter 16 by the timing signal from the TG 17.
[0018]
Then, the A / D converted video signal is P.D. The signal is output to the color separation circuit 19 on the secondary circuit 7 side via C18b, and is separated into the luminance signal Y and the chroma signal C by the color separation circuit 19.
[0019]
The separated Y / C signal is output to the RGB matrix circuit 20 at the next stage, and an 8-bit RGB signal is generated by performing a predetermined matrix operation. After that, the RGB signal is gain-adjusted by an auto gain controller (hereinafter referred to as AGC) 21, and then output to the paint / W / B circuit 22, where paint processing (tone correction) and white balance are taken, and an FPGA (field programmable) The data is output to a gate array (abbreviation of field programmable gate array) 23.
[0020]
In the FPGA 23, γ correction is performed by the γ correction circuit and output to the image enlargement circuit 29. In the image enlargement circuit 29, for example, when a zoom (ZOOM) switch (not shown) of the remote switch 28 of the electronic endoscope 2 is operated, enlargement processing (electronic zoom) is performed. Of course, it is needless to say that there is a case where enlargement is not performed (1 time).
[0021]
Thereafter, D / A conversion is performed by the D / A converter 31 via the expansion connector 30, and the analog RGB signal is output to the monitor 5, and the Y / C signal and VBS (video baseband signal, VBS) are output by the encoder 32. A signal (abbreviation of Video Baseband Signal) is also output to the monitor 5.
[0022]
On the other hand, the 8-bit RGB signal from the extension connector 30 is output to the extension board 33 which is a digital still image recording board.
[0023]
When a recording operation is performed from the remote switch 28 of the electronic endoscope 2 as a camera head, the still image is compressed and converted by the JPEG compression / decompression circuit 34, and a PC card interface circuit (hereinafter, PC card I / F) 37 is converted. To the smart media (R) 38 as a recording medium. The smart media 38 is detachably inserted into the PC card adapter 39 on the main board 8. The image recorded on the medium 38 is reversed and the 8-bit RGB signal is returned to the main board 8 through the extension board 33 and the extension connector 30 and reproduced on the monitor 5.
[0024]
At this time, the CPU 27 on the main board 8 uses the CXO 26 to count the time (and year / month / day) by a timer counter as a calendar means, and therefore retains the time and date when the recording operation was performed. be able to. In addition, the CPU 27, that is, the timer counter, can count time even when the power supply unit 42, which is a power supply means, is turned off by the battery 43 that is an auxiliary power supply.
[0025]
The CPU 27 writes this time and date information to the first register 35 on the expansion board 33 via the address bus and data bus of the expansion connector 30, and the CPU 36 on the expansion board 33 reads the time and date information. The time and date information as JPEG image header information can also be recorded on the medium 38.
[0026]
Further, a directory name to be stored in the medium 38 can be created based on the time and date information.
[0027]
However, since the time and date information is updated by the control of the CPU 27 every time a recording operation is performed, for example, when the operation is performed over a long period of time, the date changes. Images of the same operation will be stored in different directories, and subsequent image organization and discrimination will be complicated.
[0028]
Therefore, a second register 40 different from the first register 35 whose date and time are updated by the control of the CPU 27 each time a recording operation is performed is provided as a folder name register. Then, the CPU 36 on the expansion board 33 writes the value of the first register 35 into the second register 40 for creating the folder name based on the control signal from the CPU 27 only when the power is turned on, for example.
[0029]
Only when the power is turned on, the CPU 36 on the expansion board 33 reads the data in the second register 40, thereby creating a folder name to be stored in the medium 38 based on the read time and date information.
[0030]
Normally, the power supply 42 of the processor 4 is not turned off while the same operation is basically continued. Therefore, even if the operation is performed over two days, the value of the second register 40 is set to one day. The eye time and date information are retained, and a new folder name is not created on the medium 38. That is, when the surgery is performed across dates, the recorded images are sequentially recorded in a folder with the same name in the medium 38.
[0031]
With respect to the playback screen, not only two types of thumbnail display of about 9 divisions and full screen display but also a parallel display mode of two screens as shown in FIG. 2 is provided. This display mode is useful, for example, in endoscopic surgery, when two images before and after surgery are displayed side by side and the postoperative progress is explained to the patient.
[0032]
Further, when recording a JPEG image on the medium 38, it takes some time until the recording is completed after the recording operation is performed. If the media 38 is removed during writing before the recording is completed, the image is often not recorded. Therefore, in the present invention, when the CPU 36 is accessing the medium 38, the LED 44 on the front panel of the processor 4 is blinked as shown in FIG.
[0033]
Furthermore, in the present invention, the recorded image is recorded in a folder for each date in the medium, but this may be recorded by creating a folder name for each category such as a patient name and a patient ID. Needless to say.
[0034]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the date is changed while the power is on, the date of the folder name to be recorded on the media is not updated, so that the operation or the like is performed across the dates. Even in this case, the recorded contents (image data) of the same operation are recorded with the same folder name, so that subsequent organization and discrimination can be easily performed.
[0035]
In the embodiment described above, the power supply unit 42 is provided inside the processor 4, but may be provided separately from the processor 4.
[0036]
[Appendix]
(Additional Item 1) In an endoscope apparatus including an imaging unit that images a subject and a recording unit that records an imaging signal output from the imaging unit as a digital still image on a medium.
An endoscope apparatus, wherein the date of a folder name recorded on the medium is not updated when the date is changed while the power is on.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the date is changed while the processor is turned on, the date of the folder name for recording the image or the like on the recording means is not updated. Even if it is performed, there is an advantage that a series of recorded images are stored in the same folder and can be easily organized and discriminated thereafter.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a parallel mode display of two screens on a playback screen.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of LEDs indicating that a medium is being accessed.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 2 ... Electronic endoscope 3 ... CCD (imaging means)
4. Video processor (image processing device)
6 ... patient circuit 7 ... secondary circuit 8 ... main board 27 ... CPU (including calendar means and recording control means)
30 ... Expansion connector 33 ... Expansion board (recording means)
35 ... 1st register (for date and time holding)
36 ... CPU (including recording control means)
38 ... Smart media (media or recording medium)
40 ... Second register (for creating folder name)
42 ... Power supply section (power supply means)
43 ... Battery (auxiliary power supply)

Claims (1)

First date storage means for storing a date to be updated;
A folder creation unit capable of creating a folder for recording the acquired image data by assigning a folder name including the first date based on the date information stored in the first date storage unit;
Second date storage means for storing a second date when the power supply is turned on;
Control means for giving a second date instead of the first date to the folder creation means that created a folder based on the first date;
Recording control means for recording the image data in a folder created by the control means;
An endoscope recording control apparatus comprising:

Images