JPH06217935A - Electronic endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always display an image on a shoulder-carried monitor as an erect image by using a direction sensor. CONSTITUTION:When a direction sensor 34 detects a monitor in a position for reversing, images are inputted to image reversing means and then read out in reverse order of writing on memory 52,54, so erect images are displayed on the monitor. Signals from a CCD camera are not inputted to the image reverse means but directly outputted from the direction sensor 34. Therefore, erect images are always displayed on the monitor regardless of the position of the monitor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of an electronic endoscope for image-processing a video signal of an observation site obtained by imaging with a solid-state image sensor and displaying it on a monitor for shoulder use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an industrial endoscope, an operating unit with a monitor is sometimes used while resting on a shoulder. For example, in FIG.
As shown in (B), the operating unit with monitor 10 is
Used with a shoulder belt 12.

[0003]

However, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), the belt 12 is hung on the left shoulder and the operation unit 1
When 0 is used, the image on the monitor 14 on the upper surface of the operation unit is an upright image as shown in FIG. 7A, but as shown in FIG. 6B, the belt 12 is hung on the right shoulder to operate the operation unit 10. When used, the monitor screen is viewed from the upside down direction, and the image is vertically and horizontally inverted as shown in FIG. 7B. In this way, if the image is flipped vertically and horizontally, it will hinder the operation of the endoscope.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to propose an electronic endoscope in which an erect image can be observed on a monitor regardless of whether the operating unit with a monitor is worn on the left or right shoulder. To do.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention performs image processing of a video signal of an observation site obtained by imaging with a solid-state imaging device and displays it on a monitor for shoulder use. In the electronic endoscope, the position of the monitor worn over the shoulder is detected to detect whether the image on the monitor is the position to be inverted, and the image detecting device when the detection unit determines the inverted position. And a video signal processing means for outputting the video signal so that it is turned upside down, and for outputting the video signal of the image as it is when the detection means determines the upright position.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when the orientation detection sensor determines that the orientation of the monitor is an upright image, the video signal from the solid-state image pickup device is sent to the image processing section as it is without entering the image inverting means and displayed on the monitor. . On the other hand, when the orientation detection sensor determines that the position should be inverted, the video signal from the solid-state image sensor is input to the inversion means. The inverting means is provided with a first memory and a second memory, and the video signal is alternately input to the first memory and the second memory in synchronization with V _sync . That is, the video signal is recorded in the second memory while the image in the first memory is being read, and the video signal is recorded in the first memory when the image in the second memory is being read.
Since reading from the first and second memories is performed in the reverse order of the writing order, an erect image is displayed on the monitor.

[0007]

The preferred embodiments of the electronic endoscope according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows the entire structure of an electronic endoscope according to the present invention.
The operation unit 22 is connected to the front surface of the operation unit 22, and a shoulder belt 24 is provided on the operation unit 22 so that the operation unit 22 can be worn on the shoulder. As shown in FIG. 2, a monitor 28 is arranged on the upper surface 26 of the operation unit 22, and various operation buttons 30 such as a color bar, a white balance, and a shutter are arranged on the side of the monitor 28. Further, the operation unit 22
A remote controller 34 is provided via the cable 32, and the remote controller 34 is used to perform vertical and horizontal bending operations of the endoscope insertion portion.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, in which C provided at the tip of the insertion portion 20 is shown.
The video signal picked up by the CD 32 is switched to the erect image contact 36 or the inverted image contact 38 by the orientation detection sensor 34. The orientation detection sensor 3 is shown in FIGS.
4, the orientation detection sensor 34 has a slide rod 40 slidably provided on the operation unit 12, and contact plates 42 and 44 are provided at both ends of the slide rod 40. Further, movable contacts 46, 46 are provided on the slide rod 40, and fixed contacts 48, 48 are provided in the operating portion 12. When the movable contact 46 of the slide rod 40 contacts the fixed contact 48 as shown in FIG. 4 (A), the switch 35 is switched to the erect image contact 36, and the movable contact of the slide rod 40 as shown in FIG. 4 (B). When 46 is separated from the fixed contact 48, the switch 35 is switched to the reverse image contact 38.

That is, when the operating portion 12 is suspended from the left shoulder as shown in FIG. 6A, the contact plate 44 is pushed by the left side portion of the user, and the movable contact 46 of the slide rod 40 contacts the fixed contact 48. Then, the signal from the CCD 32 is subjected to image processing as it is and displayed on the monitor 28 as an erect image. When the operating portion 12 is hung from the right shoulder as shown in FIG. 6B, the contact plate 42 is pushed by the right side of the user, the movable contact 46 of the slide rod 40 separates from the fixed contact 48, and the switch It switches to the reverse image contact 38. CCD3 at this time
The video signal from 2 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 50, and the first memory 52 or the second memory 5
Sent to 4.

On the other hand, the memory controller 56 has a V
_sync is input, whereby the memory controller 56 switches the switch 58 to the first memory contact 60 or the second memory contact 62 in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal, and outputs the read signal to the first memory or the second memory. Send to memory 54. That is, when the switch 58 is switched to the contact 60 by the read signal from the memory controller 56, the images recorded in the first memory 52 are read out in the order reverse to the written order, and at this time, the second memory is read. 54
A video signal from the CCD 32 is written in. When the switch 58 is switched to the contact 62 in response to the vertical synchronizing signal, the images written in the second memory 54 are read out in the reverse order of the writing order, and at this time, the first memory 52 is read. Is written with a video signal from the CCD. In this way, the signals output from the memories 52 and 54 are read out in the order opposite to the written order, and the D / A converter 64
When it is converted into an analog signal by, the image is processed and displayed on the monitor 28, an erect image is displayed.

5A and 5B show a modification of the remote controller 34 shown in FIG. That is, a monitor 72 is arranged on the remote controller 70 in FIG. 5A, an up / down bending operation button 74 is arranged on the upper side of the monitor 72, and a left / right bending 76 is arranged on the lower side of the monitor 72. The remote controller 80 of FIG. 5 (B) is formed in a substantially L shape and has a grip 86 at the base end.
Is formed, and the monitor 82 is arranged at the tip,
A bending operation button 84 is arranged on the inclined surface of the corner portion. The remote controllers 70 and 80 shown in FIGS.
It can be used by connecting it to the operation unit 12 via the cable 32, and the user can operate the endoscope while looking at the monitor 28 of the operation unit 12 and the monitors 72 and 82 of the remote controls 70 and 80. .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the image is inverted using the first memory 52, the second memory 54 and the memory controller 56, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the charge stored in the CCD 32 is not limited to this. The image may be inverted by reversing the reading order. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the image is inverted not only vertically but also horizontally. However, the operation of the insertion part is hindered especially when the image is inverted upside down. Good.

[0013]

As described above, according to the electronic endoscope of the present invention, when the orientation detecting sensor determines that the position of the monitor should be inverted, the image is inverted and displayed on the monitor. An erected image is always shown on the top, improving the operability of the endoscope.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the overall structure of an electronic endoscope according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a monitor.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the electronic endoscope according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a structure of an orientation detection sensor.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a modified example of a remote controller.

FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a state in which an operating unit with a monitor is used while resting on a shoulder.

FIG. 7 is a drawing showing a monitor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 ... Insertion part 22 ... Operation part 28 ... Monitor 34 ... Detecting sensor 52, 54 ... Memory 56 ... Memory controller

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Naotake Mimori 1-324 Uetakecho, Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Photo Koki Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electronic endoscope for image-processing a video signal of an observation site obtained by imaging with a solid-state image sensor and displaying the image on a monitor for shoulder-wearing. The position of the shoulder-wearing monitor is detected. Then, a detecting means for detecting whether or not the image on the monitor is at a position to be inverted, and when the detecting means determines that the image is the inversion position, outputs a video signal so as to invert the image at least vertically, And an image signal processing means for outputting the image signal of the image as it is when it is determined to be in the upright position by the electronic endoscope.