JPH0288027A - Electronic endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to project a frame picture image on a monitor scope by producing a frame signal by selecting either the signal of which 1/2 horizontal period is delayed or that not delaying 1/2 horizontal period out of color picture image signals of red and blue, and either the luminance signal of Y1 or that of Y2. CONSTITUTION:R, B, Y1, and Y2 signals are regularly shifted successively to an odd number field and an even number field since CCD output is composed of four signals of R, B, Y1, and Y2. Consequently when an armature 48B is connected to the E side, the B signal is delayed by 1/2 horizontal period to be falsely shifted from the even number field to the odd number field. And the Y1 signal in the odd number field is inputted since the armature 48c is connected to the O side. This causes all R, B, and Y signals to be shifted to the odd number field. And when the armature 48c is connected to the E side, the Y2 signal in the even number field is inputted. This causes all R, B, and Y signals to be shifted to the even number field. This improves apparent vertical resolution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope device, and particularly to an electronic endoscope device that captures images in a frame sequential manner.

[Conventional technology]

The field sequential method, in which color images corresponding to each color of illumination light are sequentially obtained from one CCD two-dimensional sensor, is effective when a large number of CCD two-dimensional sensors cannot be used, and is being applied to electronic endoscope devices in recent years.

Such an electronic endoscope device sequentially illuminates a subject with red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light created by a color wheel, and the reflected light is placed at the tip of the endoscope insertion section. 1 CC
An image is formed on D, and R, G, and B sequential signals are obtained. After A/D conversion, the R, G, and B sequential signals are converted into simultaneous signals via a field memory, and a color image signal is formed and reproduced by an encoder.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the conventional electronic endoscope device, the CCD
As shown in Figure 4, in the field sequential signal consisting of the three colors R, G, and B obtained from
) cannot be fixed individually for RXGSB, but will shift sequentially. That is, looking at the R signal, the first round is 0dt.
j, and the second round is Even, which is not constant. For this reason, CCD scanning is non-incremental, and the screen displayed on the monitor can only display the field readout screen.For this reason, the horizontal resolution of conventional electronic endoscopes using the field sequential method is high, and compared to other methods, the horizontal resolution is 1. However, the vertical resolution was poor and there was room for improvement.

The present invention was made in view of these circumstances, and
The purpose of the present invention is to propose an electronic endoscope device that can perform ink-lace scanning of a CD and display frame images on a monitor screen.

[Failure to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic endoscope device that sequentially captures desired color images in a frame-sequential manner, converts the color images (images) into a simultaneous system, and reproduces them as color images. , an illumination means that sequentially illuminates a subject with red, blue, white (Y), and white (¥2) light, and an illumination means that illuminates the subject with the illumination means, and the reflected light forms an image to generate red and blue color image signals and an imaging means that generates a sequential signal consisting of Y and Y2 luminance signals; a memory that converts the sequential signal into a simultaneous signal; Select one of the signals that are not delayed by /2 horizontal period, and select Y.

, Y2 to create a frame signal by selecting one of the luminance signals.

[Effect]

In the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, R (red), B (blue), Y
, (luminance), and Y2 (luminance) into a simultaneous signal using a memory means, and then converts the two signals R and B delayed by 1/2 horizontal period and 1/2 The signal is switched to one in which the horizontal period is not delayed, and RSBSY odd field and even field signals are created. This allows a pseudo frame image to be displayed on the monitor,
Apparent vertical resolution is improved.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of an electronic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic endoscope device according to the present invention. This electronic endoscope device sequentially captures desired color images (elephant images) in a frame-sequential manner, converts the color images simultaneously, and reproduces them as color images, and the light from the illumination lamp 10 is The subject 18 is illuminated from the tip of the endoscope via the infrared removal filter 12, the color wheel 14, and the light guide 16. That is, the color wheel 1
4 has a red filter (R), a blue filter (B), a transparent filter (¥1), and a transparent filter (Y2) as shown in FIG.
For example, it is rotated at a speed of 15 rps). As a result, the light from the illumination lamp 10 passes through the rotating color wheel 14 into R, B,
The illumination light of each color Y, Y2 is applied to the subject 18 via the light guide 16. .

The imaging lens 22 provided at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section is
, B, Y1, and Y2 are imaged on the light receiving part of the CCD sensor 24, and the CCD sensor 24 photoelectrically converts the incident light to correspond to each illumination light. The color image signals are outputted via amplifiers 26 to D/D converters 28, respectively.

The A/D converter 28 is supplied with a predetermined clock pulse from the synchronization circuit 30, and thereby converts the input R and B color image signals and luminance signals Y1 and Y2 into digital signals pixel by pixel. The digital signals are R, B,
Field memory 32.34.3 of Y1, Y2-
Output on 6.38. Field memory 32.34.3
6.38 is driven and controlled by the memory control circuit 39. That is, the memory control circuit 39 has the synchronization circuit 30 to R,
A signal synchronized with each of the B, Y1, and Y2 illumination lights is manually generated, and each field memory 32, 34, 36, . Sequentially output write signals to 38,
Updates the contents of field memory. R stored in these field memories 32.34.36.38
, , B color image signals and n-degree signals Y1, Y2 are simultaneously read out and outputted through R, B, Y, , Y2 D/A converters 40, 42, 44, 46, respectively.

The output signals from the D/A converters 40, 42, 44, 46 are input to the switch 48. A 1/2 horizontal period delay line 5 is provided between the switch 48 and each D/A converter 40, 42.
0.52 is provided and can be selectively connected. That is, when the contact piece 48A of the switch 48 is connected to the 0 side, the output of the D/A converter 40 is input as is, and the contact piece 48A is connected to the 0 side.
When 8A is connected to the E side, the R signal is delayed by a 1/2 horizontal period by the 1/2 horizontal period delay line 50 and input manually. Similarly, the output of the D/A converter 42 for the B signal is manually input by switching the contact piece 48B so that the B color image signal is delayed or not delayed by 1/2 horizontal period. Also, by switching the contact piece 48C, the luminance signal Y1 or Y2
can be selected, and an odd or even field luminance signal can be selected.

Then, as described above, the contact pieces 48A, 48B and 48
The R and B color image signals and luminance signal Y, which are converted simultaneously by switching C according to a certain rule, are sent to a color encoder 5.
The signal is converted into an NTSC video signal via the 8-channel video signal generator 8, and is added to a color TV and reproduced as a color image.

Next, the functions of the switch 48 and the 1/2 horizontal period delay line 50, 52 constructed as described above will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

First, as can be seen from Figure 3 (A), the CCD output is R,
It is composed of four signals: B, Yl, and Y2, so R,
The B, Y, . . . Y22 signals are regularly shifted to the odd number (OdCI) field and then to the even number (Even) field. Therefore, for example, if the R signal of R, BSY, , Y is an odd field and the B signal is an even field, then the first
As shown in the figure, when the contact piece 48B is connected to the E side, the B signal is delayed by 1/2 horizontal period and changes from an even field to a pseudo-odd field. Further, since the contact piece 48C is connected to the O side, the odd field Y signal is input manually. As a result, the R and BSY signals all become odd fields.

On the other hand, if the R signal is an odd field and the B signal is an even field, when the contact piece 48A is connected to the E side, the R signal is delayed by 1/2 horizontal period and becomes a pseudo even field. Furthermore, when the contact piece 48C is connected to the E side, the Y2 signal, which is an even field, is input. This allows RSB
, Y signals are all even fields. In this way, by regularly switching the contact pieces 48A, 48B, and 48C to the O side or the E side in the above-mentioned relationship, all of the R, B, and Y signals become odd or even fields. This is shown in FIG. 3(B). In Figure 3 (B),
RP, Bp, YF indicate frame signals, 0
is []dd, E is Even, and O' and E' are signals delayed by 1/2 horizontal period, respectively.

In this way, the present invention makes the irradiation light from the color wheel 14 into four sequential lights of R, B, Y, , Y2, and the CCD
Incrementally scan R,B.

After converting Y, , Y2 into simultaneous signals by the memory means, the two signals R and B are switched to those delayed by 1/2 horizontal period and those not delayed by 1/2 horizontal period, and RSB, It is possible to generate Y odd field and even field signals to display a pseudo frame image on the monitor, and the Y signal is a regular frame signal, which improves the apparent vertical resolution. Luminance signal YF1 Color difference signal RP
Yp -BF YP is produced.

In addition, in Fig. 1, a 1/2H delay line is used and the switch 48 switches the 1/2H delayed signal and the non-delayed signal, but the 1/2H delayed signal and the non-delayed signal are read out from the memory 32.34. Also good. In this case, 1/2H delay line 5
0.52 and the actions of the contact pieces 48A and 48B are stored in the memory 32.
It will be done at 34.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the electronic endoscope device according to the present invention, after converting the R, B, Y and Y2 signals obtained by the frame sequential method into the simultaneous method, A frame image can be created by selecting either the signal delayed by 1/2 horizontal period or the signal not delayed by 1/2 horizontal period, and by selecting either the Y or Y2 signal.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the electronic endoscope device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory drawing showing a color wheel, Fig. 3 is an explanatory drawing showing the operation of a switching device, and Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing CCD output of a conventional electronic endoscope. 32.34.36.38...Field memory, 48
...Switcher, 50.52...1/2 horizontal period delay line.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an electronic endoscope device that sequentially captures desired color images using a frame-sequential method, converts the color images simultaneously, and reproduces them as color images, red, blue, and white (Y_1
), an illumination means for illuminating the subject with white (Y_2) light sequentially, and an illumination means that illuminates the subject with the illumination means and the reflected light forms an image, which consists of red and blue color image signals and luminance signals of Y_1 and Y_2. An imaging means that generates sequential signals, converts the sequential signals into simultaneous signals and stores them in memory, and includes a signal delayed by 1/2 horizontal period and a signal not delayed by 1/2 horizontal period among the red and blue color image signals. Select one of the signals, and select Y_
1. An electronic endoscope device comprising: means for selecting one of the luminance signals of Y_2 to create a frame signal.