JPH07313447A - Electronic endoscope system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display an image on a monitor and process a video signal in parallel both without any hindrance. CONSTITUTION:The monitoring output terminal 13 for outputting the video signal to the monitor is provided at the output part behind gamma correcting circuits 23R, 23G, and 23B and enhancing circuits 24R, 24G, and 24B, and the image processing output terminal 14 for image processing is provided branching off from the signal line before the gamma correcting circuits 23R, 23G, and 23B and enhancing circuits 24R, 24G, and 24B.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope apparatus which displays an observation image on a monitor by a video signal sent from a solid-state image pickup device provided in the endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electronic endoscope apparatus, an observation image is displayed on a monitor. However, in order to make the image easy to see without a feeling of discomfort, a gamma correction process and a contour enhancement process are performed on a video signal sent to the monitor. Done.

Further, by performing various kinds of image processing on the video signal of the electronic endoscope apparatus, there is a possibility that the diagnostic ability is dramatically improved. However, in order to perform image processing, it is preferable that the video signal that is the basis of the signal is a raw signal, and therefore, when performing image processing, it is necessary to temporarily stop the gamma correction and the edge enhancement processing.

[0004]

However, if the gamma correction or the contour enhancement processing is stopped, the image displayed on the monitor becomes visually uncomfortable and inferior. He was unable to make observations and was a major obstacle to endoscopy.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic endoscope apparatus capable of displaying an image on a monitor and performing image processing on a video signal in parallel without any trouble.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic endoscope apparatus of the present invention performs gamma correction processing on a video signal output from a solid-state image pickup device provided in an endoscope. In an electronic endoscope device provided with a gamma correction circuit and an enhancement circuit for performing edge enhancement processing, a monitor output terminal for outputting a video signal to a monitor passes through the gamma correction circuit and the enhancement circuit. The image processing output terminal for performing image processing is provided separately from the signal line before passing through the gamma correction circuit and the enhancement circuit.

[0007]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the electronic endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, at an image forming position of a subject by an objective optical system 3 provided at the tip of the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope 1, for example, Charge coupled device (C
The solid-state image sensor 4 made of CD) is built in. 5
Is a light guide fiber bundle for transmitting illumination light for illuminating an observation range, 6 is a video processor 10
Is a connector part connected to.

The video processor 10 also serves as a light source device for illumination, and the illumination light emitted from the light source lamp 11 is incident on the light guide fiber bundle 5 of the endoscope 1.

In the video processor 10, there is provided a video signal processing circuit 20 for processing a video signal output from the solid-state image pickup device 4 and sent. Further, outside the video processor 10, a monitor television 50 for reproducing and displaying an observation image of the endoscope and an image processing device 60 for performing various kinds of image processing on a video signal are provided.

The monitor television 50 and the image processing device 60 are connected to the monitor output terminal 13 and the image processing output terminal 14 which are connected to the output end of the video signal processing circuit 20 and are provided in the video processor 10. Has been done.

FIG. 1 shows a video signal processing circuit 20. The output signal from the solid-state image sensor 4 is sampled by the sample hold circuit 21, the video signals of RGB three colors are separated and extracted, and then the video signals divided into three colors pass through the low-pass filters 22R, 22G, 22B. By doing so, the noise component is removed.

Then, the video signal of each color is subjected to gamma correction processing by passing through gamma correction circuits 23R, 23G and 23B, and subsequently enhance circuits 24R and 24.
The contour enhancement processing is performed by passing through G and 24B.

Buffers 25R, 25G, and 25B are connected to the output terminals of the enhance circuits 24R, 24G, and 24B, and the output terminals of the buffers 25R, 25G, and 25B are connected to the monitor output terminals 13 for the respective RGB three-color video signals.
(13b) is connected.

In addition, the enhancement circuits 24R, 24G, 2
In the matrix circuit 26 branched and connected to the output terminal of 4B, the luminance signal Y and the color difference signal (R-
Y) and (B-Y) are created, which are input to the encoder 27 and converted into an NTSC or PAL composite video signal. The output terminal of the encoder 27 is connected to the monitor output terminal 13 (13a) for NTSC output or PAL output.

On the other hand, the video signals of the respective colors are assigned to the gamma correction circuit 2
The buffers 28R, 28G, 28B are connected to the signal lines branched from the output ends of the low-pass filters 22R, 22G, 22B before being input to the 3R, 23G, 23B, and the output ends of the buffers 28R, 28G, 28B. In addition, the image processing output terminal 14 for each of the RGB three-color video signals
Are connected.

Therefore, to the monitor television 50 connected to the monitor output terminal 13, a video signal subjected to gamma correction and contour enhancement is always output, and image processing connected to the image processing output terminal 14 is performed. For device 60,
A raw video signal without gamma correction and contour enhancement is always output.

Therefore, while performing the desired accurate image processing based on the raw video signal, it is possible to observe a high-quality observation image suitable for human vision on the monitor in parallel with it.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a video signal which has been subjected to gamma correction and contour enhancement is always output to the monitor connected to the monitor output terminal and is connected to the image processing output terminal. To the image processing device, a raw video signal that is not subjected to gamma correction and contour enhancement is always output, so while performing accurate image processing based on the raw video signal, in parallel with it, It is possible to observe a high-quality observation image suitable for human vision on a monitor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the overall configuration of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Solid-State Image Sensor 13 Monitor Output Terminal 14 Image Processing Output Terminal 23R, 23G, 23B Gamma Correction Circuit 24R, 24G, 24B Enhance Circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electronic endoscope provided with a gamma correction circuit for performing gamma correction processing on a video signal output from a solid-state image sensor provided in an endoscope and an enhancement circuit for performing contour enhancement processing. In the mirror device, a monitor output terminal for outputting a video signal to the monitor is provided in the output section after passing through the gamma correction circuit and the enhancement circuit, and an image processing output terminal for performing image processing is provided. An electronic endoscope apparatus characterized in that it is provided by branching from a signal line before passing through a gamma correction circuit and an enhancement circuit.