JPH08112241A - Electronic endoscope connected to peripheral device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable the printing of images already stored without depressing an ejection switch on the side of a video printer and achieve an obtaining of a plurality of images easy to observe free from duplication of the images. CONSTITUTION: When the operation of a reset button 26 or the switching selection of patients is executed, a CPU 24 on the side of a main body processor 11 transmits an image ejection command signal to a video printer 14 and a CPU 31 on the side of the video printer 14 prints out an image stored in an image memory 30 forcibly when receiving the image ejection command signal. Here, image data in the preceding frame not updated anew is deleted among a plurality of image data stored sequentially in a division area within a 1-frame memory and only the images updated are printed out. The writing of the image data into the image memory 30 within the video printer 14 is executed by the operation of a freeze button 19.

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 for connecting peripheral equipment, and more particularly to a control arrangement for printing an image obtained by the electronic endoscope by a video printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electronic endoscope apparatus, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), which is a solid-state image sensor, is provided at the tip of the endoscope, and the signal obtained by this CCD is subjected to image processing by a processor unit. , The image of the inside of the observed body is displayed on the monitor. Further, to such a device, a hard copy device, a video printer, etc. are connected using an RS232C interface or the like, and these devices are used to record an image inside the observed body.

In the above video printer, an image area of one frame of the printer is divided into, for example, 4 areas, 9 areas and 16 areas, and one image at the time of freezing is reduced in a memory area corresponding to each divided area. The images are stored, and thereby four, nine, and sixteen images are printed on one print sheet. Therefore, according to this video printer, an image of the inside of the observed body captured from various angles in sequence for one patient and an image of the inside of the observed body that captures continuous movement can be stored and used for later observation and the like. It will be possible.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional electronic endoscope apparatus to which peripheral devices are connected, when the observation is completed, the image memory of the video printer stores all the images of a predetermined division number to the end. However, there are cases in which only two images are captured, for example, in the case of four divisions. That is, in the above video printer, when four images are stored in the memory, these images are automatically printed out. However, when only two images are stored as described above, the video printer is By pressing the discharge switch provided in, the four images including the two images are printed out. Therefore, when terminating the observation in a poorly cut place, the discharge switch on the video printer side must be pressed, and the operation of this discharge switch is complicated.

Further, FIG. 6 shows a state in which one sheet of paper is printed out by the operation of the discharge switch. This means that six images are sequentially stored in the image memory of the video printer. FIG. That is, from the first sheet to 4
The first image has already been printed out and the fifth image (No.
The image of 5) replaces the first image, and the sixth image (No.
When the image in 6) is updated instead of the second image,
When the observation is completed, the third sheet (No. 3) and the fourth sheet (No.
The image of 4) will be printed out with the image remaining on the lower side. Therefore, in this case, the third and fourth images are printed in an overlapping manner, and the images that are temporally behind each other are printed on one sheet of paper, which makes it difficult to observe. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to print a halfway image without pressing the discharge switch on the video printer side, and to eliminate image duplication. Therefore, it is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic endoscope apparatus for connecting a peripheral device capable of printing a plurality of images by a video printer in a state where the images can be easily observed.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to the first aspect of the invention is to reset at least the processor device side of the electronic endoscope in the electronic endoscope device to which a video printer is connected. When either the button operation or patient switching selection is executed, an image discharge command signal is sent to the video printer, and when the video printer receives the image discharge command signal, it is stored in the memory. The feature is that the existing image is forcibly printed out. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above video printer, when an image discharge command signal is received,
It is characterized in that, among a plurality of pieces of image data stored in order in divided areas in one frame memory, image data not newly updated is erased and only the updated image is printed out. . The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the writing of the image data to the memory in the video printer is executed by a control signal from an operation button on the electronic endoscope side.

[0008]

According to the structure described in the first claim, for example, when the counter reset button is pressed, or the photographing of the current patient is completed, the next patient is selected on the patient data display screen by the keyboard. At this time, an image discharge command signal is output from the main body processor device to the video printer. Therefore, in the video printer, the image stored in the image memory at this time is forcibly printed out without pressing the ejection switch. Here, in the configuration according to the second aspect, the image data of the previous frame that has not been updated is erased at the time of this printout, and only the image updated this time is forcibly printed out.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the writing control of the image data to the video printer is performed by using the operation button, for example, the freeze button arranged on the operation section of the electronic endoscope, and the image is displayed. The video printer can be controlled by the operations of the electronic endoscope and the main body processor side, including the data writing control.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus for connecting peripheral equipment according to an embodiment. In the figure, an electronic endoscope 10 as a scope is connected to a main body processor device 11, a monitor 12 is connected to the main body processor device 11, and a hard copy device 13 and a video printer 14 which are peripheral devices are connected. RS232C
Are connected by the interface of (these peripheral devices can be arbitrarily connected). In the electronic endoscope 10, the CCD 16 which is the image pickup device is provided at the tip portion 16.
7 is provided, and a freeze button (switch) 1 is provided on the operation unit 18.
9 is arranged, and the freeze button 19 can perform a freeze operation and perform recording control for peripheral devices as described later.

The main processor unit 11 has the C
An image processing circuit 20 for performing processing such as signal amplification, gamma correction, and white balance on an image signal input from the CD 17 is provided, and a parallel input / output unit 21, R
An OM 22, a RAM 23, and a central processing unit (CPU) 24 are provided, the ROM 22 and the RAM 23 store various kinds of information necessary for image processing and display processing, and the CPU 24 controls the entire main body processor device and the hard copy device. The control signal is sent to the video printer 13 and the video printer 14. A counter reset button (switch) 26, which is exposed on the outer surface of the main body processor device 11 and resets the counter for the number of shots, is arranged and a keyboard 27 is connected.

That is, the number of images taken by the hard copy device 13 or the video printer 14 is counted by the CPU 24 and displayed on the monitor 12 or the like, and the counter reset button 26 resets the counted number to 0. . By operating the keyboard 27, the patient data such as the display screen 50 shown in the figure can be displayed on the monitor 12 by this operation. BB will be selected. When the counter reset button 26 is pressed, or when the next new patient is selected by the keyboard 27, the CPU 2
4 sends a discharge command signal to the video printer 14. The CPU 24 also supplies a recording control signal to the peripheral device when the freeze button 19 is operated, for example, when the freeze button is turned on again within one second after the freeze button is turned off.

Further, a serial input / output unit (RS232C) 25 for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the peripheral device is provided, and the recording control signal and the discharge command signal are transmitted by the serial input / output unit 25. On the other hand, the video printer 14 is provided with one for each area obtained by dividing one frame into four.
An image memory 30 for storing an image is provided, and a CPU 31 for controlling writing / reading of the image memory 30 and controlling printout is provided. Then, when the CPU 31 receives the discharge command signal, if there is remaining image data recorded in the previous frame, these data will be erased from the image memory 30.

The embodiment has the above-mentioned structure, and its operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the operation of the CPU 24 on the main processor unit 11 side, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the operation of the CPU 31 on the video printer 14 side. As shown in FIG. 2, when the CPU 24 receives an ON (ON) operation signal from the freeze button 19 (step 101), the freeze operation is started (step 102).
Is issued, the image processing circuit 20 displays a still image of the inside of the body under observation on the monitor 12. Next, in step 103, it is determined whether or not the freeze button 19 has been turned off (whether or not an off operation signal has been input). It is determined whether (1 second in the embodiment) has elapsed, and in the next step 105, it is determined whether the freeze button 19 is turned on again within the time T1.

That is, if YES in step 104, the process proceeds to end, but if NO in step 104,
When the freeze button 19 is turned on, and when the freeze button 19 is turned on again within 1 second in the embodiment, it is determined that the recording request is made to the peripheral device. Also,
At this time, in the embodiment, in step 106, it is determined whether or not the video printer 14 is in the process of printing, and if YES, a warning process is performed in step 107. That is, a warning is given to the operator by sounding an alarm or displaying a message indicating that printing cannot be performed. According to this, the operator can know the state in which printing cannot be performed during the printing process, and the recording can be surely performed.

Then, if NO in the above step 106, a write command signal is transmitted to the video printer 14 in step 108. At this time, in the embodiment, the copy command signal is also transmitted to the hard copy device 13, and thereby the hard copy is performed.

On the other hand, on the video printer 14 side, as shown in FIG. 3, when the write command signal is input to the CPU 31 (step 201), the still image data at the time of the freeze is stored in the image memory 30 in step 202. Are sequentially stored and stored for each of the four divided areas. That is, FIG. 5 shows the configuration in the image memory 30 and the print state of the print paper 1. In the image memory 30, one frame corresponds to positions P1, P2, as shown in the figure.
It is divided into areas P3 and P4. Therefore, in the above writing, the image data is stored in the order of P1 → P2 → P3 → P4 → P1 ...

At the next step 203, it is judged whether or not the image data is stored at the last position P4 divided into four. If NO, the memory position is moved, for example, from P2 to P3. Move in order. On the other hand, when YES is selected, as shown in FIG. 5A, all the images from the first sheet to the fourth sheet are stored, so No. 1 to No. Four images of .4 are printed out (step 205). Then, in step 206, the frame is switched, and thereafter, the same operation as described above is repeated.
As shown in (B), the fifth sheet in the image memory 30,
The sixth sheet is sequentially stored.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), when the observation of one patient is completed after the sixth image is photographed and the above-mentioned counter reset button 26 is pressed at this point, the main processor unit 11 side A discharge command signal is transmitted from the CPU 24 to the video printer 14. Further, in the embodiment, FIG.
As shown on the display screen 50 of the monitor 12 of No. 2, the patient data is displayed by operating the keyboard 27, and as the next patient, for example, 2. The ejection command signal is also transmitted when BB is selected and the CPU 24 detects it. On the other hand, when the discharge command signal is input to the CPU 31 of the video printer 14 (step 211), the remaining image data of the previous frame that has not been updated in the image memory 30 is erased in step 212. The printout is made in step 213.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, at the time when the sixth image is stored in the image memory 30 at the position P2, the third image is at the position P3 and the fourth image is at the position P4. The first image is left. In the embodiment, the data stored in the positions P3 and P4 are erased and forcibly printed out, and the fifth sheet (No. 5) and the sixth sheet (N
Only the image of o.6) is printed out. Therefore, as is the case with the conventional method, one print sheet 1 is moved back and forth in terms of time N
It is possible to obtain a recorded image that is easy to observe without the o.3 and No. 4 images being printed together. Moreover,
In the embodiment, the discharge command signal is transmitted not only when the counter reset button 26 is operated but also when the next patient is selected. There is an advantage that it can be obtained well.

In the above embodiment, the counter reset button 26
Although the discharge command signal was sent by the operation of
The discharge command signal may be sent by another reset button. Although the image memory 30 in the video printer 14 is divided into four, it is divided into nine and sixteen.
Other number of divisions such as division may be used. Further, the sending of the discharge command signal can be limited to either the operation of the counter reset button 26 or the patient switching selection.

[0022]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the operation of the reset button or the selection of a new patient is executed on the main processor unit side, the video printer is operated. When the video printer side receives the above-mentioned discharge command signal, it forcibly prints out the image stored in the image memory. The stored half-finished image can be printed out easily and surely without pressing the switch.

According to the second aspect of the invention, when the image discharge command signal is received, the image data that has not been newly updated among the plurality of image data in one frame memory is erased. Therefore, it is possible to record and save a plurality of images in an easily observable state without printing duplicate images.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the image data is written in the memory in the video printer by the control signal from the operation button on the electronic endoscope side. There is an advantage that the control of the printer can be executed by the operation of the electronic endoscope and the main body processor side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus for connecting peripheral devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU on the main processor unit side of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU on the video printer side of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation when a CPU of the video printer of FIG. 1 receives a discharge command signal.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image memory in the video printer of the embodiment and a recording state of print paper.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a recording state of print paper in a conventional video printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Electronic endoscope, 11 ... Main body processor device, 13 ... Hard copy, 14 ... Video printer, 19 ... Freeze button (switch), 24, 31 ... CPU, 26 ... Counter reset button, 27 ... Keyboard, 30 ... Image memory.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication H04N 7/18 M

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In an electronic endoscope apparatus to which at least a video printer is connected, on the processor side of the electronic endoscope, when either a reset button operation or a patient switching selection is executed, the electronic endoscope apparatus is directed to the video printer. The peripheral device is characterized in that the image stored in the memory is forcibly printed out at the video printer side when the image discharge command signal is received. Electronic endoscope device. 2. The video printer, when receiving an image ejection command signal, erases image data that has not been newly updated among a plurality of pieces of image data that are sequentially stored in divided areas in one frame memory. The electronic endoscope apparatus for connecting the peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein only the updated image is printed out. 3. The peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the writing of the image data to the memory in the video printer is executed by a control signal from an operation button on the electronic endoscope side. An electronic endoscopic device that connects devices.