Abstract:
An endoscope image input unit 60 receives a current endoscope image signal that is output from an endoscope, which is currently inserted into a subject, and is used to calculate the oxygen saturation. A spectral estimation section 70 generates a spectral estimation image by performing spectral estimation processing on a past endoscope image signal that is obtained during the past endoscope insertion and is different from a signal for oxygen saturation calculation. An oxygen saturation calculation section 74 calculates the current oxygen saturation based on the current endoscope image signal, and calculates the past oxygen saturation based on the spectral estimation image. An oxygen saturation image generation section 80 generates a current oxygen saturation image based on the current oxygen saturation, and generates a past oxygen saturation image based on the past oxygen saturation. A monitor 18 displays the current oxygen saturation image and the past oxygen saturation image.
Abstract:
Illumination light for highlighting vessels and measurement light for measuring oxygen saturation level is applied alternately to a subject. A color image sensor (60) images the subject illuminated with the illumination light and acquires a first blue signal, a first green signal, and a first red signal. The color image sensor images the subject illuminated with the measurement light and acquires a second blue signal, a second green signal, and a second red signal. An oxygen saturation level of hemoglobin in blood is calculated using the second blue signal, the first green signal, and the first red signal. The first blue signal changed in accordance with the oxygen saturation level, the first green signal, and the first red signal are assigned to respective B, G, and R channels of a display (14). The display displays a "high-contrast vessel image with oxygen saturation level" that varies with the oxygen saturation level.
Abstract:
An electronic endoscope system (11, 76, 86, 101) includes a light source apparatus (14, 104), a CCD (21, 102) , and a processor apparatus (13). The light source apparatus applies illumination light to a target portion. The target portion includes a surface blood vessel (72) and a subsurface blood vessel (73). The CCD captures light reflected from the target portion. The processor apparatus generates an image based on an imaging signal from the CCD. The processor apparatus has a suppression processor (60, 103) . Out of the surface blood vessel and the subsurface blood vessel in an image, the suppression processor reduces contrast of a non-target blood vessel relative to that of a target blood vessel to suppress or reduce display of the non-target blood vessel relative to that of the target blood vessel.
Abstract:
An electronic endoscope (10) has normal and high-sensitivity image sensors (53, 60). In a special mode, one of the normal and high-sensitivity image sensors is selected in accordance with a reflected light amount of special illumination light. When the normal image sensor (53) is selected, the normal image sensor captures an image under irradiation with the special illumination light and outputs a second normal-sensor image. When an average pixel value of the second normal-sensor image is less than a first sensor selection threshold value, the use of the high-sensitivity image sensor (60) is started. When the high-sensitivity image sensor is selected, the high-sensitivity image sensor captures an image under irradiation with the special illumination light and outputs a high-sensitivity-sensor image. When the average pixel value of the high-sensitivity-sensor image is more than a second sensor selection threshold value, the use of the high-sensitivity image sensor is stopped.
Abstract:
In a special mode for imaging an oxygen saturation level of blood, an internal body portion is imaged under irradiation with special illumination light. A light amount evaluation section (78) judges based on an obtained image whether or not a reflected light amount of the special illumination light is adequate for calculating the oxygen saturation level. When the reflected light amount is judged to be adequate, a normal image sensor (53) captures an image under irradiation with the special illumination light. When the reflected light amount is judged to be low, a high-sensitivity image sensor (60) is used. In using the high-sensitivity image sensor (60), a binning process is applied to an image signal in accordance with the reflected light amount of the special illumination light, in order to further sensitize the image signal.
Abstract:
In an electronic endoscope system (11), a changed-area detector (61) detects a changed area (72) from an image (71) captured by an endoscope (12), the changed area having different features from other area of the captured image (71). A mask data producer (62) produces mask data (74, 91) based on the detected changed area, the mask data allocating an image processing parameter to each pixel of the captured image such that the changed area is processed in a different way from the other area. An image processor (63) processes the captured image according to the mask data. Thus, an image area corresponding to an artificial object like a surgical tool (26) may be detected as the changed area and excluded from unnecessary image processing.
Abstract:
An image processing device includes an image acquisition unit for acquiring a normal light observation image captured with white light and a special light observation image captured simultaneously with the normal light observation image using predetermined narrowband light, and an image processing unit for subjecting the normal light observation image acquired by the image acquisition unit to predetermined processing to generate a processed normal light observation image and providing information of the processed normal light observation image to the special light observation image.
Abstract:
An endoscopy system includes a lighting section for emitting blue narrow-band light, green band light and red band light, an endoscope using an image pickup device for splitting light into blue, green and red spectral bands for photometry, and a processing section for generating a special light inspection image and a normal light inspection image from images produced by the image pickup device.