Olympus Corporation

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Masanao Murata

Mitsunobu Ono

Takeaki Nakamura

Yoshikazu Tojo

Takashi Suzuki

Susumu Takahashi

Akira Hasegawa

Kimihiko Nishioka

Akira Suzuki

Hiroki Hibino

Tsutomu Yamamoto

Shinichiro Hattori

Hiromasa Suzuki

Takashi Tsukaya

Atsushi Miyazaki

Nobuo Yamashita

Koichi Matsui

Tatsuya Yamaguchi

Akira Yokota

Katsunori Sakiyama

Kazunari Kobayashi

Iwao Kanamori

Minoru Okabe

Minoru Okada

Yoshihito Shimizu

Kenji Hirooka

Yasundo Tanaka

Kenichi Kikuchi

Mitsuo Obata

Shingo Kato

Morihide Mizumoto

Tomoaki Sato

Katsuyuki Kanehira

Koji Kanbara

Toshiro Ishimura

Masayoshi Naito

An endoscope system includes, in order to automatically detect a type of optical adapter and to generate to display an excellent image according to an intended purpose by performing an image signal processing control corresponding to the type of the optical adapter, a signal processing circuit for performing various image signal processings on an image signal from an image-pickup element, a plurality of optical adapters each including an image-formation optical system, adapter discriminating section, and LED, the optical adapters being detachably and selectively provided to the distal end of the endoscope section, and an apparatus main body including an image processing section for performing predetermined signal processing on the image signal from the signal processing circuit, an adapter detection section for detecting the adapter discrimination section, and a controller for controlling the whole endoscope system. At least driving control of the LED and various signal processing controls on the image signal obtained by the image-pickup element are performed based on the detection result of the adapter discrimination section by the adapter detection section.

Endoscope system having detection device for detecting type of detachably connected module and method for operating endoscope system

An endoscope apparatus, includes: an explosion-proof unit that has an image pickup device that outputs photographed video images as video image signals; and an A/D converter that converts the video image signals into digitalized image signals; a control unit that controls the explosion-proof unit; and an energy limiting circuit that is provided at the control unit and that limits electrical energy of digital signals to satisfy intrinsic safety when sending and receiving of the digital signals, wherein the explosion-proof unit is connected to the control unit via the energy limiting circuit with a signal line.

Endoscope apparatus

A scope unitincluding a control unitand an insertion portionis attached to a main unitvia a scope connector. An optical adaptoris attached to a tip of the insertion portion. The CCD, HICs, and the thermistorare attached to the tip of the insertion portion. A liquid crystal moduleis attached to the optical adaptor. A barrier circuitlimits energy supplied to these components in a circuit disposed in the scope unit. By disposing the barrier circuitin the scope connector, the portion extending from the barrier circuitto, i.e., the control unit, the insertion portion, and the optical adaptorare of the explosion-proof construction. Thus, these can be used in a hazardous explosive location. Thus, an endoscope apparatus that can be used in combustible gas or dust can be provided.

Endoscope system

A drive signal from an SSG drives a CCD through a delay circuit and the like. An imaging signal from the CCD is converted to a video signal in a CDS circuit, which is driven by a sample hold signal given through the delay circuit, and is converted to a video signal that can be displayed on a monitor through an A/D converter circuit, a video signal processing circuit and a digital encoder to be output. Here, by correcting phases of the imaging signal and the sample hold signal, length of a signal line is corrected. Also, since the delay circuit is constructed by being incorporated in a DSP for video signal processing, which includes a video signal processing circuit and the like, the construction is simplified. Thus, the number of parts is reduced, and it can be constructed inexpensively.

An endoscope includes an insert section, a CCD is mounted at the end of the insert section, and a CCU for producing a video signal is arranged in a control unit connected to a proximal end of the insert unit. The CCU includes a general-purpose DSP board having the function of producing a standard video signal, and a function adjustment/expansion circuit board for correcting a signal delay due to the length of a signal line connected to the CCD. The DSP boards and the function adjustment/expansion circuit boards, respectively remaining the same in circuit arrangement, are used for a plurality of types of endoscopes having insert sections having different insertion lengths.

Endoscope apparatus and function adjusting circuit for endoscope

A stereoscopic video image is observed by displaying to left and right display devices arranged in front of the left and right eyes of an observer, left and right images formed on an image pick-up device by using a stereoscopic optical system. Then, a read address of image data stored in a memory is changed by operating a display position adjusting pick or the like, thereby simply variably adjusting the display positions of the left and right images. As a consequence, it is possible to respond to the case in which a parallax of the observer is varied.

Stereoscopic observation system

An endoscope system comprises an endoscope for industrial use, a remote control unit, a light source unit, a CCU, a motor-driven angling unit, a drum rotation variable resistor, a power supply unit, a buzzer, and a microphone. These apparatuses constituting a basic system are controlled by a system control CPU incorporated in a control unit. The system control CPU in the control unit is connected to an angle control CPU in the motor-driven angling unit and a DSP control CPU in the CCU over signal lines. Moreover, the system control CPU is connected to a remote control CPU in the remote control unit through a connector over a signal line. Consequently, the complex functions of the apparatuses are controlled in a centralized manner. This results in improved ease of use.

Endoscope apparatus for efficiently remote-controlling a plurality of function units

A signal cable for transmitting a plurality of signals is applied to a video endoscope having a solid state image pick-up device. Signal lines for transmitting substantially the same signals of the plurality of signals are combined and stranded into a stranded line. The stranding pitch of the stranding line is different from that of a stranding line for transmitting other signals.

Signal cable of a video endoscope provided with a solid state image

An eddy current flaw detecting endoscope apparatus has an endoscope having an elongate insertable part and an objective optical system provided on the tip side of the insertable part. A flaw detecting device is provided on the tip side of the endoscope. A signal processing device processes a signal for the flaw detecting device. An eddy current flaw detecting apparatus detects a flaw in an object to be inspected and generates a flaw detecting signal. A controlling device generates a control signal controlling a controlled device with a flaw detecting signal of the eddy current flaw detecting apparatus.

Eddy current flaw detecting endoscope apparatus which produces signals

In an imaging apparatus, the position of an image displayed on the display screen of a display device is stepwise shifted by a device for effecting stepwise time-shifting of the time of an input video signal or a synchronizing signal. The shifted image is focused or projected while the position of the shifted image on a sensitizing surface or a projection surface is being shifted by a position shifting circuit.

Apparatus for photographing or projecting an image for a CRT or laser

An endoscope apparatus for inspecting an object including an insertion section insertable into the object and having a distal end and a proximal end, an image guide arranged within the insertion section and having entrance and exit ends arranged at the distal and proximal ends of insertion section, respectively, an objective lens system arranged at the distal end of insertion section for forming an optical image of the object onto the entrance end of image guide, an eyepiece lens system arranged at the proximal end of insertion section for projecting the optical image transmitted through the image guide onto an observating position, a first piezo-electric bimorph arranged at the distal end of insertion section for vibrating the entrance end of image guide in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the insertion section over a given distance, a second piezo-electric element arranged at the proximal end of insertion section for vibrating the exit end of image guide in the same direction and over the same distance as those of the entrance end of image guide, so that annoying black mesh and Moire fringe are removed.

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Higashiyamato, Japan

Masanao Murata