Hoya Corporation

Pentax Corporation

Noriko Ota

Tadashi Minakuchi

Shunichi Ito

Yousuke Ikemoto

Atsushi Komoro

Toshio Tachibana

Hiroyuki Kobayashi

Takashi Sato

Nobuaki Abe

Kenichi Iriyama

Yoichi Hitokata

An image processing apparatus has an image data obtaining means configured to obtain image data acquired by photographing biological tissue, a score calculating means configured to calculate a score representing severity degree of lesion of the biological tissue photographed in an image represented by the image data for each pixel based on the image data, a reliability evaluation means configured to evaluate reliability of the score based on the image data, and a score reliability calculating means configured to calculate score reliability which represents a ratio of pixels of which scores having predetermined reliability to all the pixels of the image data.

Image processing apparatus

Provided is a correction data generation method that includes acquiring captured image data by imaging an indicator that is related to a predetermined illness; plotting a real imaging data point that corresponds to the acquired captured image data in a predetermined color space that is associated with the predetermined illness in accordance with a color component of the data point; calculating a correction value for correcting the values of pixels that make up a captured image captured by an electronic endoscope based on the distance between the data point and a predetermined target point in the predetermined color space; and storing the calculated correction value.

Correction data generation method and correction data generation apparatus

An image processing apparatus has a color image obtaining means configured obtain color image data representing a color image of biographic tissues, a lesion determining means configured to determine whether each pixel of the color image is of a lesion part based on the color image data, and a marking means configured to apply a mark indicating a position of the lesion part on the color image based on a result of determination, and the mark is configured such that the color image at a background of the mark can be seen.

A diagnosis supporting system acquires a reference image signal of a subject illuminated with visible light and a fluorescent image signal of the subject excited by irradiation with excitation light. The diagnosis supporting system calculates a difference between a brightness level of a pixel in the reference image signal and a brightness level of a pixel in the fluorescent image signal at the corresponding position for target pixels. An observation image signal is generated by converting the pixels in the reference image signal with differences larger than a predetermined value into red pixels. In the case a ratio of the red pixels in the observation image signal is higher than a predetermined level, more pixels become the target pixels to be processed than in the other case.

Diagnosis supporting device

A color chart for a color adjustment of a color printer and a color monitor attached to an endoscope, has a predetermined number of color cells. The color cells have the same form, and are arranged in one of a grid state and a linear state. Each of the color cells is formed by blending two colors from a group of three colors comprising red, green, and blue, according to a predetermined ratio, in an additive color process. The color cells show a gradation of color such that a color tone of each of the color cells changes continuously in one direction.

Color chart for adjustment of a color printer and a color monitor utilized with an endoscope

An electronic endoscope system includes an image pickup device provided at a distal end of an insertion portion; an image signal processing device; a main light source; an auxiliary light source which emits less amount of light than the light emitted from the main light source; and a light guide member which guides illumination light emitted from one of the main light source and the auxiliary light source to the distal end of the insertion portion to thereby emit the illumination light from the distal end. When the auxiliary light source emits the illumination light instead of the main light source, the image signal processing device sets the gain of the signal output from the image pickup device to a value higher than the gain of the signal when the main light source emits the illumination light, in order to process the image signal.

Electronic endoscope system

Disclosed is a diagnosis supporting system that acquires a reference image signal of a subject that is illuminated with visible light and a fluorescent image signal of the subject that is excited by irradiation with excitation light, calculates a difference between brightness level of a pixel in the reference image signal and brightness level of a pixel in the fluorescent image signal at the corresponding position for all of target pixels and generates an observation image signal by converting the pixels in the reference image signal whose differences are larger than a predetermined value into red pixels. In the case of high contrast, all of the pixels become target pixels to be processed. In the case of low contrast, the number of the target pixels is reduced to &#xbc; of all the pixels.

An electronic endoscope apparatus has a moving-image displayer that reads image-pixel signals from an image sensor at predetermined time intervals to display a moving-image, a light-amount adjuster that adjusts an amount of light for illuminating a subject, and a still-image recorder that performs a series of actions for recording a still image. The still-image recorder is capable of reading the image-pixel signals at a still-image electronic shutter speed, which corresponds to a reading time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval. When the series of actions is started, the still-image recorder controls the light-amount adjuster such that the light-amount becomes a standard light-amount corresponding to the recording of the still image. Then, the still-image recorder performs a recording process in accordance with the still-image electronic shutter speed when the light-amount becomes the standard light-amount.

Electronic endoscope apparatus

A light source apparatus for an endoscope including a main light source; a light guide member whose incident end face is opposed to the main light source and which guides light incident thereon to an emission end face thereof; an auxiliary light source which is activated to emit light when no light is emitted from the main light source and which is supported to move between a stand-by position in which the auxiliary light source is located out of a main light path between the main light source and the incident end face and an operative position in which the auxiliary light source is located in the main light path and is opposed to the incident end face when the main light source is inoperative; and an auxiliary light source emission control device for driving the auxiliary light source at a continuous emission mode to emit light of a predetermined intensity or at an intermittent emission mode to emit light of an intensity higher than the predetermined intensity.

Light source apparatus for endoscope

A light source device for an endoscope is provided. The light source device comprises a light source unit that supplies illumination light to an incident end face of a light guide member, which is laid inside an endoscope. The light source unit comprises a plurality of reflecting board members. Each reflecting board member has at least one light emitting diode. The plurality of reflecting board members are assembled into a concaved open polyhedron, so that the light emitted from the light emitting diodes are concentrated onto the incident end face of the light guide member.

Light source device for endoscope and assembly method for light source unit

A portable endoscope has a pump, a tank that stores liquid, a first coupling tube that spatially connects the pump with a gas supplying tube, a divergent tube that diverges from the first coupling tube and extends toward an inside of the tank, a balloon that is spatially connected to the divergent tube and is expandable and shrinkable in the tank, a second coupling tube that spatially connects the inside of the tank with a liquid supplying tube, and a gas direction controller that selectively directs the gas discharged from the pump to one of the gas supplying tube and the divergent tube. The liquid is stored outside of the balloon. The tank includes a sealing member that hermetically seals the tank.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Noriko Ota