Endoscope system, processor apparatus for endoscope system, and method for operating endoscope system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016374602-A1
Application number	US-201615263038-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In the special observation mode, second illumination light including different-absorption-wavelength light that has different absorption coefficients for oxygenated hemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin is emitted, a turn-off state is thereafter initiated, and signal reading is performed for some of a plurality of pixel rows in accordance with a skip read method. Subsequently, first illumination light, which is normal light, is emitted, a turn-off state is thereafter initiated, and signal reading is performed for all of the pixel rows in a column direction in accordance with a pixel addition read method. An image processor generates an oxygen saturation image on the basis of a second image capture signal read in accordance with the skip read method and a first image capture signal read in accordance with the pixel addition read method, and generates a normal observation image on the basis of the first image capture signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An endoscope system comprising:
an illumination unit that emits to a test body first illumination light and second illumination light having different spectral properties; an endoscope including an image sensor of CMOS type that captures an image of the test body illuminated by the illumination unit by using a plurality of pixel rows arranged in a column direction; a controller that causes the illumination unit and the image sensor to perform a first image capture method in which the second illumination light is emitted from the illumination unit, the illumination unit is thereafter turned off, signal reading is performed for pixel rows among the plurality of pixel rows in accordance with a skip read method, the first illumination light is emitted from the illumination unit, the illumination unit is thereafter turned off, and signal reading is performed for the plurality of pixel rows in the column direction in accordance with a pixel addition read method; and an image processor that generates a special observation image on the basis of a second image capture signal read in accordance with the skip read method and a first image capture signal read in accordance with the pixel addition read method, and generates a normal observation image on the basis of the first image capture signal.

2 . The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller controls the image sensor to reset only the pixel rows for which signal reading has been performed in accordance with the skip read method after signal reading in accordance with the skip read method has been performed.

3 . The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the image sensor includes a color filter based on a Bayer arrangement, in the skip read method, reading is performed sequentially in sets of two pixel rows adjacent to each other in the column direction while immediately succeeding two pixel rows are skipped, and in the pixel addition read method, reading is performed while addition for each set of two pixels on which color filters of an identical color are arranged is performed in the column direction.

4 . The endoscope system according to claim 2 , wherein
the image sensor includes a color filter based on a Bayer arrangement, in the skip read method, reading is performed sequentially in sets of two pixel rows adjacent to each other in the column direction while immediately succeeding two pixel rows are skipped, and in the pixel addition read method, reading is performed while addition for each set of two pixels on which color filters of an identical color are arranged is performed in the column direction.

5 . The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
in the image sensor, paired pixels adjacent to each other selectively share a floating diffusion section, in the skip read method, only a signal charge accumulated in one of the paired pixels is read via the floating diffusion section, and in the pixel addition read method, signal charges accumulated in the paired pixels are added together by the floating diffusion section and read.

6 . The endoscope system according to claim 2 , wherein
in the image sensor, paired pixels adjacent to each other selectively share a floating diffusion section, in the skip read method, only a signal charge accumulated in one of the paired pixels is read via the floating diffusion section, and in the pixel addition read method, signal charges accumulated in the paired pixels are added together by the floating diffusion section and read.

7 . The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first illumination light or the second illumination light includes different-absorption-wavelength light that has different absorption coefficients for oxygenated hemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin, and the image processor generates an oxygen saturation image that includes information about an oxygen saturation level as the special observation image.

8 . The endoscope system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first illumination light or the second illumination light includes different-absorption-wavelength light that has different absorption coefficients for oxygenated hemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin, and the image processor generates an oxygen saturation image that includes information about an oxygen saturation level as the special observation image.

9 . The endoscope system according to claim 3 , wherein
the first illumination light or the second illumination light includes different-absorption-wavelength light that has different absorption coefficients for oxygenated hemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin, and the image processor generates an oxygen saturation image that includes information about an oxygen saturation level as the special observation image.

10 . The endoscope system according to claim 4 , wherein
the first illumination light or the second illumination light includes different-absorption-wavelength light that has different absorption coefficients for oxygenated hemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin, and the image processor generates an oxygen saturation image that includes information about an oxygen saturation level as the special observation image.

11 . The endoscope system according to claim 7 , wherein
the image processor generates the oxygen saturation image by calculating the oxygen saturation level on the basis of the first image capture signal and the second image capture signal and performing image processing on the normal observation image on the basis of the oxygen saturation level.

12 . The endoscope system according to claim 8 , wherein
the image processor generates the oxygen saturation image by calculating the oxygen saturation level on the basis of the first image capture signal and the second image capture signal and performing image processing on the normal observation image on the basis of the oxygen saturation level.

13 . The endoscope system according to claim 9 , wherein
the image processor generates the oxygen saturation image by calculating the oxygen saturation level on the basis of the first image capture signal and the second image capture signal and performing image processing on the normal observation image on the basis of the oxygen saturation level.

14 . The endoscope system according to claim 10 , wherein
the image processor generates the oxygen saturation image by calculating the oxygen saturation level on the basis of the first image capture signal and the second image capture signal and performing image processing on the normal observation image on the basis of the oxygen saturation level.

15 . The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller enables the illumination unit and the image sensor to perform a second image capture method in which the first illumination light is emitted from the illumination light, the illumination unit is thereafter turned off, signal reading is performed in accordance with the skip read method, the second illumination light is emitted from the illumination unit, the illumination unit is thereafter turned off, and signal reading is performed in accordance with the skip read method.

16 . The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller enables the illumination unit and the image sensor to perform a second image capture method in which the first illumination light is emitted from the illumination light, the illumination unit is thereafter turned off, signal reading is performed in accordance with the skip read method, the second illumination light is emitted from the illumination unit, the

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Koshiba Masaaki

Classifications

• H04N23/667

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H04N25/46

  by combining or binning pixels · CPC title

• H04N25/445

  by skipping some contiguous pixels within the read portion of the array · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title