JPH03121032A - Image photographing device for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To take a photograph free from blurring and irregularity even if the image signal for a moving image is inputted, by installing an image recording part on a device body. CONSTITUTION:Since a frame memory 24 is provided in a device body, an image displayed on a monitor can be obtained as an static image, even if the image signal inputted from an endoscope device does not display a static image, and a photograph free from blurring can be taken, when the static image is taken photograph by a camera. Further, an image stop signal SS is outputted into the frame memory 24 in synchronization with the vertical synchronous signal VD, and the image signal is written into RAMs 38a-38c, and the generation of irregularity of the photographed image of the static image which is outputted form the RAMs 38a-38c and displayed on the monitor is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope image R shadowing device for photographing an image displayed on a monitor.

[Problems to be solved by conventional techniques and inventions] In recent years,
Diagnosis of internal organs, etc. by inserting an elongated insertion part into the body cavity,
Endoscopes are widely used to perform procedures.

Inside the body cavity of the above endoscope? lS! An image capturing device is used to record the images.

A conventional image capturing device will be explained using FIG.

In the figure, an image photographing device @1 has a camera 3 attached to a main body 2 of the device. A process circuit 4 is installed in the main body 2 of the apparatus, and RGB signals are inputted therein to perform edge enhancement, hue, contrast adjustment, etc., and output to a monitor 6. Further, the synchronization signal 5YNC and the release signal are input to the controller 7.
When it receives a release signal, it outputs a 1-rega signal TR to the exposure control circuit 8. The exposure control circuit 8 opens the shutter 11 via the shutter driver 9 upon receiving the trigger signal TR. As a result, the image on the monitor 6 is formed on the film 12 of the camera 3. The amount of light on the filter 12 is sequentially measured by the light-receiving element 13 and sent to the exposure control circuit 8, and the exposure control circuit 8 closes the shutter 11 when proper exposure is achieved and outputs an exposure end signal SF to the controller 7 and camera 3. The camera 3 is made to wind the film 12 by using the camera 3.

However, when the image decoy device 1 receives a video input,
This photo was taken to disguise this video. Furthermore, if the shutter time of the camera 3 is shortened to prevent blurring, there is a problem that the number of scanning lines scanned during transport changes depending on the timing at which the shutter 11 is released, resulting in unevenness in the photograph.

Note that Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-149034 discloses a photometry means that specifies the photometry range only to important parts of the monitor screen;
A television image capture device is shown having a camera that decoys a screen including the photometric range. Also, Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-1
Publication No. 13019 includes a camera discrimination section that discriminates the type of camera, a photometry section that measures the light from the monitor screen, and controls the brightness of the monitor screen and the exposure of the camera in response to signals from the camera discrimination section and the photometry section. A monitor image photographing device is shown, which is comprised of an exposure control section and an exposure control section.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is an endoscope image @capture device that can produce images without blur or unevenness even when an image signal that is not a still image is input. The purpose is to provide equipment.

[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects] The internal mirror layer image shadowing device of the present invention is equipped with a storage section for storing input image signals and a controller for controlling the storage section.

In the present invention, the input image signal is stored in the storage section and then displayed on the monitor. When the release signal is input, the controller prohibits writing of new image signals into the storage section, and repeatedly outputs the same image signal to the monitor. The display image on the monitor thus becomes a still image, and the camera displays the still image.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 7 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the image transfer device for an endoscope, FIG. 2 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the frame memory, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the controller.
Figure 4 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the exposure control circuit, Figure 5 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the process circuit, and Figure 6 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the process circuit.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the CPU, and FIG. 7 is a timing chart explaining the operation of the exposure control circuit.

In FIG. 1, an endoscope image display device 21 has a camera 23 detachably attached to a device body 22. As shown in FIG. A frame memory 24 as a storage section is provided in the device main body 22, and is configured to input RGB signals from an endoscope device (not shown). The frame memory 24 stores the input RGB signals and then outputs them to the process circuit 26. The output end of the process circuit 26 is connected to a monitor 27 so that the subject image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 27.

In addition, a controller 28 is provided within the device main body 22, and is used for internal viewing (not shown). Synchronization signal 5Y from the device
It is designed to receive NC and release signals. On the second day of the controller, the image stop signal SS is stored in the frame memory 24.
is output to prohibit writing of new RGB signals into the frame memory 24. Also, the control[]
The controller 28 is also connected to an exposure control circuit 29, so that the controller 28 outputs a trigger signal TR and receives an exposure end signal SF from the exposure control circuit 29. The exposure control circuit 29 is connected to a shutter driver 31, a film winding side 32 inside the camera 23, and a light receiving cable 33 inside the camera 23. Shutter driver 3]
The shutter 3 is activated by a control signal from the exposure control circuit 29.
The exposure end signal SF is sent to the film winding mechanism 32 to open and close the film 36.
It is designed to cause winding. Further, a photometric signal obtained by photometrically measuring the amount of light of an image formed on the film 36 at sunset when the shutter 34 is opened from the light receiving cable 33 is inputted.

The frame memory 24 is constructed as shown in FIG. In the same figure, the RGB signals are each sent to an A/D converter 37.
a, 37b, 37Ct: Input signal is converted to a digital signal. A/D converter 37a137
The output terminals of RAMs b and 37C are connected to the input terminals of RAMs 38a, 38b and 38c, respectively. RAM38a, 38b,
38c is adapted to read out input RGB signals. RAM38a, 38b, 38G
The output terminals of are connected to D/A converters 39a, 39b, and 39c, respectively.

Further, the A/D converters 37a, 37b, 37C1, : are configured to receive a reference clock input from the controller 28, and the A/D converters 37a, 37b, 37C1,:
/D conversion is performed. Further, the reference clock f is also input to the memory controller 41. The memory controller 41 receives the vertical synchronization signal VD, horizontal synchronization signal HD and the image stop signal SS generated by the controller 28, and the memory controller 41 receives the vertical synchronization signal VD, horizontal synchronization signal HD and the image stop signal SS generated by the controller 28, and
Writing and reading of 8b and 38c are controlled. The memory controller 41 sends an image stop signal @SS
When inputted, new loading of the RAMs 38a, 38b, and 38c is prohibited, and the image signals that have already been loaded are repeatedly output.

Next, the configuration of the controller 28 will be explained using FIG.

The controller 28 has a CPU 42, a synchronous separation circuit 43, and P
LL circuit 44.

The synchronization separation circuit 43 receives a synchronization signal 5YNC from an endoscope GI (not shown), and separates this synchronization signal 5YNC into a horizontal synchronization signal HD and a vertical synchronization signal VD. The horizontal synchronizing signal 111 and the vertical synchronizing signal V1) are output to the frame memory 24 and the PLL circuit 44, and the vertical synchronizing signal VD is output to the CPU 4.2. The PLL circuit 44 generates a reference clock signal from the vertical synchronization signal VD and the horizontal synchronization signal HD, and outputs it to the frame memory 24.

The frequency of the reference clock element is set to a value sufficiently larger than twice the band of the image signal, and in this embodiment, it is, for example, 15 Hz.

The CPU 42 receives the vertical synchronization signal VD, a release signal input from an endoscope device (not shown), and an exposure end signal SF input from the exposure control circuit 29, and stores an image stop signal in the frame memory 24. signal SS,
A trigger signal TR is output to each exposure control circuit 29.

Upon receiving the release signal, the CPU 42 outputs a trigger signal TR to the exposure control circuit 29 and an image stop signal QSS to the frame memory 24 in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal VD, and receives an exposure end signal SF from the exposure control circuit 29. The output of the image stop signal SS is then stopped.

In FIG. 6, the explanation of the operation of the CPU 42 is omitted. In the figure, it is checked at Pl whether the release signal is on. If it is on, proceed to P2; if off, proceed to P4. At P2, an image stop signal SS is output, and the process proceeds to P3. P
In step 3, the trigger signal TR is output and the process proceeds to P4. At P4, it is checked whether the exposure is completed. That is, it is checked whether the exposure end signal SF from the exposure control circuit 29f)s+ has been inputted, and if it has been inputted, the process proceeds to P5, and if it has not been inputted, the process ends. At P5, the image stop signal SS is turned off and the process proceeds to P6. At P6, the 1-reg signal TR is turned off and one operation is completed. Note that the above operation is performed every time the vertical synchronizing signal VD reaches the 1'' level.
It is supposed to run twice.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the exposure control circuit 29.

The exposure control circuit 29 includes a current-voltage converter 46, an integrator 47, and a comparator 48. Current voltage converter 46
receives a photometric signal from a light receiving cable 33 provided in the camera 23, and outputs this as a voltage signal to an integrator 47.

The integrator 47 consists of an operational amplifier 49, a capacitor C, an on-off switch 51, etc. A capacitor 1 C and an on-off switch 51 are connected to the input and output ends of the operational amplifier 49, and the on-off switch 51 is connected to the controller 2.
The integrator 47 can be operated by turning on the trigger signal TR outputted from the integrator 47.

The output of the integrator 47 is connected to one input terminal of a comparator 48, and the other input terminal of the comparator 48 is connected to a reference voltage VR.
is connected. The comparator 48 compares the integrated value from the integrator 47 with the reference voltage VR, and when the integrated value is larger than the reference voltage VR, the exposure end signal SF is sent to the controller 2.
8 and camera 23.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the process circuit 26.

In the same figure, the wrestling circuit 26 includes an edge enhancement section 52, a hue adjustment section 53, a contrast adjustment section 54, and a driver 56.
It is composed of. The edge enhancement section 52 receives the RGB signals from the frame memory 24, performs edge enhancement, and outputs the signal to the hue adjustment section 53. The hue adjustment section 53 performs color adjustment and outputs the result to the contrast adjustment section 54 . After the contrast is adjusted by the contrast adjustment section 54, the signal is output to the driver 56. The driver 56 is adapted to drive the monitor 27.

The operation of the endoscopic image @ photographing device 21 configured as described above will be explained.

First, when a release signal is not input from an endoscope device (not shown), a synchronization signal 5YNC from the endoscope device is input.
is input to the controller 28, and the controller 2
8 separates the vertical synchronization signal VD and horizontal synchronization signal HD from the synchronization signal 5YNC, generates a reference clock from the vertical synchronization signal VD and horizontal synchronization signal HD, and generates the vertical synchronization signal VD.
, horizontal synchronization signal HD, and reference clock f to the frame memory 24. RGB signals are input to the frame memory 24 from an endoscope device (not shown), and are read and written to the RAMs 38a, 38b, and 38c based on the vertical synchronization signal VD, horizontal synchronization signal HD, and reference []tsukuf. . The RGB signals read from the RAMs 38a, 138b and 38c are subjected to contour adjustment, hue adjustment, and contrast adjustment in the process circuit 26, and are output to the monitor 27, so that the subject image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 27. In this case, since the shutter 34 is closed, the camera 23 does not take any pictures.

Next, a case where a release signal is input will be explained.

A release signal from an endoscope device (not shown) is input to the CPU 42 of the controller 28. CPtJ42 is the 6th
The operation shown in the figure is performed, and when a release signal is input, an image stop signal SS is output to the frame 24 at a timing synchronized with the vertical synchronization signal VD, and a trigger signal TR is sent to the exposure control circuit 29. Output file. When the frame memory 24 receives the image stop signal SS, it prohibits writing of new image signals to the RAMs 38a, 38b, and 38c.
Repeatedly output the same image signal. As a result, the subject image displayed on the screen of the monitor 27 becomes a still image.

In FIG. 7, when the release signal becomes H level, the trigger signal TR is set to level 14 in synchronization with the earliest vertical synchronization signal VD from the time the release signal becomes H level. When the trigger signal TR becomes H level, the exposure control circuit 29 outputs a control signal to the shutter driver 31 to open the shutter 34. As a result, the image on the monitor 27 is formed on the film 36 of the camera 23. A light receiving element 33 provided near the film 36 converts the light on the film 36 into a photometric signal and outputs it to the exposure control circuit 29 . At the same time, the on/off switch 51 of the exposure control circuit 29 closes and the integrator 47 starts integrating. The integrator 47 integrates the photometric signal from the light receiving element 33 and outputs the integrated value to the comparator 48 .

The integral value gradually increases, and when it becomes larger than the reference voltage VR, the comparator 48 sends the exposure end signal SF to the C of the controller 28.
Film winding of PU42 and camera 23 n jrll
Output to 32. The vertical synchronization signal VD of the CPU 42 is H.
Since the exposure end signal SF is detected only when the exposure end signal SF reaches the H level, the trigger signal TR and the image stop signal SS are detected in the first vertical synchronization signal VD from the time when the exposure end signal SF becomes the H level. is set to L level. When the trigger signal TR is set to the L level, the exposure control circuit 29 causes the shutter driver 31 to close the shutter 1 footer 34, complete the photography, and open the on/off switch 51 to stop the operation of the integrator 47. Further, when the image stop signal SS becomes L level, the frame memory 24 releases the write inhibition of the image signal and displays the subject image of the moving image on the screen of the monitor 27.

Note that the film winding mechanism 32 operates after the shutter 34 is closed, and winds up the film 36.

In this embodiment, since the frame memory 24 is included in the device main body 22, the image displayed on the monitor 27 is a still image even if the image signal input from the endoscope device is not a still image. Therefore, since this still image is taken by the camera 23, a picture without blur can be taken.

In addition, the image stop signal SS is output to the frame memory 24 in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal VD, and thereby the image signal is written to the RAMs 38a, 38b, and 38c.
Output from AM38a, 38b, 38G and monitor 27
There is no unevenness in the subject image of the still image displayed above.

8 and 9 relate to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image display device for an endoscope, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the memory section.

Unlike the first embodiment, the memory section of this embodiment is a frame memory into which an NTSC video signal is input. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent members as in the first embodiment, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 8, N is input from an endoscope device (not shown).
The TSC video signal is input to a frame memory 58 in the main body 22 of the device. The frame memory 58 has a configuration shown in FIG.

In the figure, the NTSC input to the frame memory 58
The signals are input to five A/D converters, converted into digital signals, and written into the RAM 61.

A/D conversion of the five A/D converters is controlled by a reference clock signal from the controller 28.

The RAM 61 is a memory controller 4 that receives a vertical synchronization signal (VD), a horizontal synchronization signal (HD), and an image stop signal SS.
1 controls old readout. RAM
The image signal read out from the YC separation circuit 61 is input to the YC separation circuit 62 .

The YC separation circuit 62 includes a 1[] delay line 63, an adder 64, and a subtracter 66. RAM6
The signal from 1 is input to an adder 64, a one-day delay line 63, and a subtracter 66.

The signal delayed by the one-day delay line 63 is sent to an adder 64.
and a subtracter 66, arithmetic operations are performed on each, and the luminance signal Y is separated from the adder 64 and sent to a matrix circuit 67.
The color difference signal C2 is outputted from the subtracter 66 and outputted to the matrix circuit 67. Further, the color difference signal C2 is input to the 1H delay line 68, synchronized, and outputted to the matrix circuit 67 as the color difference signal C1.

The matrix circuit 67 generates RGB signals from the input luminance signal Y and color difference signals CI and C2, outputs them to D/A converters 69a, 69b, and 69c, converts them into analog signals, and outputs them to the monitor 27. It looks like this.

Other configurations and operations are similar to those of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, NTSC
The effect is that even when a standard video signal is input, clear photographs can be taken.

In each of the above embodiments, the exposure control circuit 29 performs photographing by exchanging signals with the controller 28, but the controller 28 and the exposure control circuit 29 may be independent. That is, the exposure control circuit 29 starts exposure upon receiving the release signal and the vertical synchronization signal VD, and closes the shutter 34 when proper exposure is achieved. On the other hand, if the controller 28 controls the camera 23 in accordance with the longest exposure time, the exposure will be completed by the shutter 34 regardless of whether the exposure is long or short, allowing complete photography. The circuit 29 can be independent. Further, although the frame memory 24.58 has been described using one screen, it is not limited to this, and may have a capacity equivalent to a light rain surface.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, by providing an image storage section in the main body of the device, even when an image signal other than a still image is input, it is possible to produce a positive image without blurring or unevenness. can do.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 7 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 1 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of an endoscope image projection device, Figure 2 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the frame L, Figure 3 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the controller, FIG. 4 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the exposure control circuit;
Figure 5 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the process circuit, Figure 6 describes the operation of the CPU) [1-chart diagram, Figure 7 is a timing chart diagram explaining the operation of the exposure control circuit, Figure 8 and FIG. 9 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of an endoscopic image @ dark shadow device, FIG. 9 is a block diagram explaining the configuration of the memory section, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a GL withdrawal device for an endoscope according to the prior art. 21... Endoscope image @ sun shadow device 23... Camera 24... Frame memory 26...Process circuit 27...Monitor 28...
・Controller 29...Exposure control circuit Fig. 1 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 9 Fig. 6 Fig. 10

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An image capturing device for an endoscope, which includes a monitor that receives an image signal and displays an endoscopic image, a camera that captures an image displayed on the monitor, and an exposure control circuit that controls the camera. An endoscope image capturing apparatus comprising: a storage unit that stores the input image signal; and a controller that controls the storage unit.