Olympus Corporation

Olympus Medical Systems Corporation

Olympos Corporation

Fumiyuki Okawa

Keisuke Tsutsui

Hidenori Hashimoto

Yasunori Matsui

Tomoharu Ogihara

Keisuke Ogawa

Yasuhiro Tanaka

Nobuyuki Doguchi

Takayuki Hanawa

Sakae Takehana

Yoshinori Takahashi

Katsuichi Imaizumi

Isami Hirao

Hiroyuki Usami

Takeshi Ozawa

Hideaki Ishihara

Jun Konishi

Shin Otsuka

An endoscope includes an image sensor and a first memory, which is a nonvolatile memory, storing first information disposed in a distal end portion, and includes a controller and a second memory configured to back up the first information disposed on a proximal end side relative to the distal end portion. The controller reads out the first information stored in the first memory and stores the read first information as a backup in the second memory when the controller is started when supplied with power, and reads out the first information stored in the second memory and transmits the read first information to a video processor when the controller receives a request from the video processor.

Endoscope and method of operating endoscope

An imaging device includes: a pixel unit including a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, each pixel being configured to generate an imaging signal corresponding to an amount of light received and output the image signal; an A/D converter configured to conduct A/D conversion on the imaging signal generated by the pixel unit or on a drive power for driving the pixel unit, to generate a digital signal and output the digital signal to an external unit; a switch that is capable of switching a connection of the A/D converter to the pixel unit or a transmission line for transmitting the drive power; and a first controller configured to control the switch to connect the A/D converter to the transmission line in predetermined timing to cause the A/D converter to output a voltage value of the drive power to the external unit.

Imaging device and endoscope

An endoscope apparatus includes image sensors, a power supply unit, a failure detection unit, and a controller. The power supply unit supplies power independently to the image sensors. The failure detection unit detects a failure in each of the image sensors. The controller controls the power supply unit to stop power supply to an image sensor in which a failure is detected at the failure detection unit.

Endoscope apparatus

An endoscope system includes: an image pickup device for picking up an object image; a drive control circuit for initializing and driving the image pickup device; and a monitoring portion for detecting abnormality of an image pickup signal from the image pickup device and outputting an initialization start signal to the drive control circuit. The monitoring portion compares a synchronization code, an optical black pixel value and an effective pixel value of the image pickup signal with respective thresholds indicating a normal range and a stipulated number of times or a stipulated number of pieces, and in a case of detecting abnormality of one of the synchronization code, the optical black pixel value and the effective pixel value, outputs the initialization start signal to the drive control circuit, and the drive control circuit initializes the image pickup device in a case of receiving the initialization start signal the monitoring portion.

Endoscope system

An image pickup apparatus includes a head portion including an image pickup device, and a connector portion integrally connected with the head portion via a cable. The head portion includes: an electronic shutter register configured to store a set value for controlling an image pickup device, among control data transmitted from the connector portion; and a communication circuit configured to, based on information indicating whether or not to transmit the set value for controlling the image pickup device, among the control data transmitted from the connector portion, to a register provided in the image pickup device, perform control of whether or not to transmit the set value stored in the electronic shutter register to the register provided in the image pickup device.

Image pickup apparatus and electronic endoscope system

An endoscope includes: a CMOS image sensor including only a vertical OB pixel region as an optical black pixel region, and a horizontal OB pixel region generation processing section that reads a photoelectric conversion signal generated in an effective pixel region in the CMOS image sensor and an OB signal generated in the vertical OB pixel region, adds the OB signal generated in the vertical OB pixel region to the beginning or end of each row of the photoelectric conversion signal which has been generated in the effective pixel region and read out for each row, and outputs a signal to which the OB signal is added.

Endoscope

An endoscope is an endoscope connectable to a processor provided with a high frequency component enhancement circuit configured to perform, for an image pickup signal having an attenuated high frequency component, enhancement correction of the high frequency component, the endoscope including: a CMOS image sensor provided with an image pickup portion configured to pick up an optical image of a subject and generate an analog image pickup signal and an A/D converting portion configured to convert the analog image pickup signal to a digital image pickup signal and output the digital image pickup signal; a cable for transmitting the digital image pickup signal; and a filter having frequency characteristics equalizing frequency characteristics of the high frequency component enhancement circuit.

An endoscope system includes a head portion, a connector portion and a CCU. The head portion includes a test signal generating portion configured to generate a first test pattern signal. The connector portion includes: a test signal generating portion configured to generate a second test pattern signal which is a same pattern signal as the first test pattern; a first comparison circuit configured to output a comparison result of comparing the first test pattern signal with the second test pattern signal; and a test signal generating portion configured to generate a third test pattern signal. The CCU includes: a test signal generating portion configured to generate a fourth test pattern signal which is a same pattern signal as the third test pattern; and a second comparison circuit configured to output a comparison result of comparing the third test pattern signal with the fourth test pattern signal.

A power supply control circuit includes a drive voltage generation circuit configured to generate a plurality of drive voltages by using a plurality of power supply voltages that are supplied from outside, a sequencer configured to stop, when supply of the plurality of power supply voltages is stopped in a predetermined order, generation of the plurality of drive voltages according to priority ranks set in advance, and a power supply monitor circuit configured to perform, when supply of one power supply voltage, among the plurality of power supply voltages, is stopped in an order different from the predetermined order but supply of other power supply voltages is continued, an operation for simultaneously stopping generation of drive voltages that are set at higher priority ranks than a priority rank for stopping generation of a drive voltage that uses the one power supply voltage.

Power supply control circuit

An endoscope includes: an image pickup device mounted in a distal end portion of an insertion portion; wiring that transmits a power supply having a plurality of different power supply voltages for driving the image pickup device, a drive signal that drives the image pickup device, an image pickup signal that is outputted from the image pickup device, and a ground level; a substrate on which a connector that relays the wiring is provided; a first voltage comparing portion that compares the plurality of different power supply voltages; a power supply generation portion that generates a plurality of second power supply voltages; a second voltage comparing portion that compares the plurality of second power supply voltages; and a power supply control portion that controls a supply of power to the image pickup device based on comparison results of the first and second voltage comparing portions.

Endoscope with first and second voltage comparing portions

An image pickup apparatus includes: an image pickup device that outputs pixel signals picked up by a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional manner for picking up an image of an object; a white spot positional information storage portion that stores positional information of a white-spot pixel that exists in the image pickup device; an image pickup device drive portion; and a white spot correction portion that, based on positional information of the white-spot pixel that is read out from the white spot positional information storage portion, performs correction with respect to the pixel signal of the pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel based on a white spot correction value calculated based on seven pixels that surround a pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel.

Image pickup apparatus

A signal output board includes: a drive signal generation section configured to generate a drive signal for a CCD; an inverse signal generation section configured to generate an inverse signal by inverting a phase of the drive signal from the drive signal generation section; a first signal transmission line portion configured to transmit the drive signal from the drive signal generation section; a second signal transmission line portion configured to transmit the inverse signal from the inverse signal generation section, at least part of the second signal transmission line portion being arranged in parallel to and adjacent to the first signal transmission line portion; an output end portion configured to output the drive signal transmitted by the first signal transmission line portion, to the outside; and an equivalent load section including a load equivalent to a transmission path for the drive signal from the output end portion to the electronic device, the equivalent load section being connected to an end portion of the second signal transmission line portion.

Signal output board and endoscope

An endoscope includes a solid image-pickup device having an image area and an optical black area for performing photoelectric conversion and including a function of varying an amplification ratio, and a first signal clamp circuit clamps the analog output signal that is outputted from the solid image-pickup device to adjust into an input range of the analog signal processing circuit with an analog reference signal which is unaffected by a defective pixel in the optical black area. The clamped signal is processed to extract signal components which are photoelectrically converted by the analog signal processing circuit by the image area. The output signal from the analog signal processing circuit clamps the signal in the optical black area by using output signals of at least the number of pixels larger than the number of pixels in a horizontal direction in the optical black area by the second signal clamp circuit.

Signal processing device for endoscope

A CCD driver circuit adjusts and supplies pulse-type signals to a CCD in order to adjust the sensitivity of the CCD. A metering circuit meters a signal output from the CCD. A sensitivity control circuit controls the sensitivity of the CCD by controlling the sensitivity multiplication factor of the CCD based on a metering result by the metering circuit. A metering correcting circuit corrects a metering result from the metering circuit based on a charge multiplication factor from the sensitivity control circuit. An aperture control circuit controls an aperture based on a metering signal corrected by the metering correcting circuit. Thus, an image of an object of which strength of light largely varies can be obtained as an image under a proper dimming state.

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Tama, Japan

Fumiyuki Okawa