JP3822616B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope that obtains an observation image by inserting an insertion portion into an observation site, and an endoscope apparatus that includes a display unit that displays the observation image, and more particularly, regardless of the installation direction of the display unit. The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus capable of displaying a good display observation image without a sense of incongruity according to a person's line-of-sight visual field direction.

  In recent years, endoscopes have been widely used in the medical field and the industrial field. Usually, an endoscope that obtains an observation image by inserting an insertion portion into an observation site, and a display for displaying the observation image A device configured as an endoscope apparatus with means is generally used.

  In this type of endoscope apparatus, the insertion part of the endoscope is inserted into the observation site, and at the same time, the examination and the procedure are performed while observing the observation image (endoscopic image) displayed on the display means such as a monitor. Therefore, it is desirable for an operator to perform inspections and procedures without a sense of incongruity, and to reliably display and recognize a desired observation image.

  In view of such a demand, as related arts, there are endoscope apparatuses described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2001-350104, 2001-390, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-287921.

  The endoscope apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-350104 converts an observation image from the distal end portion of an insertion portion that can be inserted into an examination site into an image signal and displays the observation image on a display unit. A configuration is disclosed in which the insertion portion control operation portion is aligned with the vertical and horizontal directions of the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the mirror.

  The endoscope apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-390 mainly includes an optical endoscope (referred to as a fiberscope), an endoscope external television camera, and a camera control unit. The camera control unit is characterized in that rotation adjustment means for rotating and adjusting the endoscope image is provided in the camera control unit so that the UP direction of the displayed endoscopic image and the UP direction of the monitor substantially coincide with each other. . This eliminates a sense of incongruity at the time of diagnosis.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-287921, the video signal generated by the camera control unit and output to the monitor depends on the viewing field direction of the endoscope on the monitor screen. It is configured to include a positional relationship determination / image processing device that performs image processing to display an endoscopic image, always based on the operator's line of sight, and is specifically attached to the operator's head Based on each detection result from the viewing direction detection sensor provided in the viewing direction sensor and the viewing direction detection sensor provided in the TV camera arranged at the proximal end of the rigid endoscope It is characterized by processing. Thus, an endoscopic image based on the surgeon's line-of-sight direction is always displayed regardless of the viewing field direction of the endoscope.

  FIG. 17 shows an example of a conventional endoscope apparatus that is generally used.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 17, an endoscope apparatus 50 used for industrial use includes an apparatus main body 51, an endoscope 52 connected to the apparatus main body 51 and used for endoscopic inspection, A display unit 53 that displays an observation image from the endoscope 52, and is connected to the apparatus main body 51, and operates to instruct various operations such as a bending operation instruction of the endoscope 52 and a display instruction of the display unit 53. The operation remote controller 54 is mainly configured.

  The endoscope 52 is configured to include an insertion portion 52a for insertion into an observation site, and a solid-state imaging device (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) 52b as an imaging unit is provided inside the insertion portion 52a. Configured. In addition, although not shown, a bending portion that can be bent up and down and left and right is provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion 52a, and the driving of the bending portion is controlled on the apparatus main body 51 side. Yes.

  The apparatus main body 51 includes an imaging processing unit 57 and a control unit 58, and drives a system control unit 55 that controls various operations of the entire apparatus 50, a bending unit (not shown) of the endoscope 52, and the like. The drive unit 56 is mainly configured.

In the endoscope apparatus 50 configured as described above, an observation image captured by the CCD 52b of the endoscope 52 is supplied to the imaging processing unit 57 of the apparatus main body 50, and the observation image is converted into an image signal by the imaging processing unit 57. After the processing, the image of the observation region is displayed on the screen of the monitor 4A by being supplied to the monitor 4A of the display unit 53. In this case, if an operator gives an operation instruction such as moving an image via the operation remote controller 54, the control unit 58 recognizes this, and controls the insertion unit drive circuit 7A in the drive unit 56 to drive the internal control. A bending portion (not shown) of the endoscope 52 is bent. At the same time, the control unit 58 controls the image processing by the imaging processing unit 57 and outputs an image signal to the monitor 4A. Thus, an observation image in a curved direction based on the operation remote control operation is displayed on the screen of the monitor 4A.
JP 2001-350104 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-390 JP 2000-287921 A

  However, in the conventional endoscope apparatus including the proposal of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-350104, when the endoscope insertion part is twisted, the display means vertical and horizontal directions and the observation image vertical and horizontal directions do not match, Furthermore, when the operation of the insertion unit is performed, the endoscopic image moves in a direction different from that of the operation unit, which makes the operator feel uncomfortable during the examination.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-390, for example, when considering industrial use, even if the twist of the insertion portion is manually corrected, the operator can move the display unit horizontally or diagonally. In such a case, when the operation of the insertion portion is further performed without the vertical and horizontal directions of the endoscopic image being aligned with the vertical direction of the monitor, Since the endoscopic image moves in a different direction, the operator feels uncomfortable during the examination. Further, in this proposal, there is a problem that the endoscope is structurally a fiberscope that is manually operated, and cannot be operated by a remote control operation and is not easy to operate.

  Further, in the conventional endoscope apparatus including the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-287921 and having various detection sensors, the monitor installation direction is adjusted to the operator's line of sight in the case of considering industrial applications as described above. Even in this case, the endoscopic image moves in a direction different from that of the operation unit, which makes the operator feel uncomfortable during the examination. In particular, in an endoscopic device using a gravity sensor or the like, an endoscopic image can always be displayed on the top, bottom, left and right of the monitor so as to match the direction of gravity. The mirror image cannot be displayed on the monitor, and the endoscopic image cannot be displayed in a direction that matches the line-of-sight direction of the desired operator, making the examination uncomfortable.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the endoscopic image from the endoscope is displayed on the monitor so as to coincide with the operator's line-of-sight direction, thereby eliminating the uncomfortable feeling during the inspection. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscopic device that can be used.

In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is configured to be insertable into an observation site, and includes an insertion portion that obtains an observation image with an imaging means provided on the distal end side . An endoscope, an imaging processing unit that converts an observation image of the endoscope into an image signal, a display unit that displays an image signal from the imaging processing unit, and an observation image displayed on the display unit A rotation instruction means for giving a rotation instruction to rotate and display the angle, and a bending direction of a bending portion provided in the endoscope insertion portion , and an observation image displayed on the display means Direction indicating means for instructing a direction to move and display in an arbitrary direction, and rotation image processing means for performing rotation image processing of an observation image displayed on the display means based on a rotation instruction from the rotation instruction means; , The rotated image processing means More is rotated to correspond to the image rotation angle of an observation image displayed on the display means, the direction for correction of the bending direction of the bending portion before Symbol endoscope insertion portion Ru good in direction indication of the direction instructing means Computation processing means and drive control means for controlling the bending operation of the bending portion of the endoscope insertion portion based on the correction result by the direction calculation processing means.

  An endoscope apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means are provided on a remote controller.

  An endoscope apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means are displayed on the display means, And a device for giving an instruction to the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means displayed on the display means.

  An endoscope apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the third aspect, in which an instruction is given to the direction indicating means and the rotation indicating means displayed on the display means. A keyboard or a mouse.

  An endoscope apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein an instruction is given to the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means displayed on the display means. It is a touch panel.

  An endoscope apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the endoscope imaging apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the rotational image processing means has the entire display image subjected to the rotational image processing within the display screen of the display means. Thus, the image size is processed so that it can be arbitrarily changed.

An endoscope apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the rotation instruction means, the rotation image processing means, the direction instruction means, and the direction calculation processing means are It was configured to be included in the endoscope control means connected to the endoscope by communication means.
An endoscope apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the endoscope control means is a personal computer.

  An endoscope apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the endoscope apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the endoscope control means is a personal computer.

  According to the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, there is an advantage that an endoscopic image from the endoscope can be displayed on a monitor so as to coincide with the operator's line-of-sight direction, thereby eliminating the uncomfortable feeling at the time of inspection. .

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 to FIG. 12 show a first embodiment of an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of the entire system of the endoscope apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a specific example of the endoscope apparatus. FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 are diagrams for explaining the operation that characterizes the present embodiment, and FIG. 3A is a display example of an observation image displayed on the display unit. FIG. 3B is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the operation remote controller, FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a display example of the observation image in standard time (normal time), and FIG. 4B is a reduction of the observation image. FIG. 4C is a configuration diagram of an operation remote controller for switching the display mode, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display example when a rotation instruction is given. (A) shows a display example at the time of right rotation, FIG. 5 (b) shows a display example at the time of left rotation, and FIG. 5 (c) is at the time of image position return. Shows a display example respectively. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a display operation during pan / tilt (hereinafter referred to as PAN / TILT) operation during zooming when there is an 80 ° clockwise rotation instruction. 7 to 12 are for explaining an example of the control operation of the system control unit in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an image display area, a joystick and a touch panel control for determining the rotation area and the control area. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of a determination area table provided in the system control unit, and FIG. 9 shows an insertion portion bending direction of the endoscope, that is, an image moving direction corresponding to the observation image direction. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for determining the image rotation area when there is a right rotation instruction of 80 ° from the state where there is no rotation instruction, and FIG. 11 is a case where there is a right rotation instruction of 80 °. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example when operated by a joystick, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of control by the system control unit of this embodiment. is doing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured optimally for industrial use, for example. Specifically, the endoscope apparatus 1 is connected to the apparatus main body 2 and the apparatus main body 2. An endoscope 3 used for endoscopy, a display unit 4 for displaying an observation image from the endoscope 3, and a device for bending operation of the endoscope 3 and the display connected to the apparatus body 2 It is mainly composed of an operation remote controller 5 for instructing various operations such as a display instruction of the unit 4.

  The endoscope 3 is configured to include an insertion portion 3a for insertion into an observation site, and a CCD (solid-state imaging device) 3b as an imaging unit is provided inside the insertion portion 3a. Yes.

  Although not shown, on the distal end side of the insertion portion, an observation optical system for taking an observation image into the CCD 3b and an optical system for irradiating the observation site with light from a light guide communicating with the insertion portion 3a Etc. are also provided. Although not shown, the rear end side of the light guide is connected to a light source device arranged in the apparatus main body 2.

  Furthermore, although not shown, a bending portion that can be bent vertically and horizontally is provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion 3a. The driving of the bending portion is controlled on the apparatus main body 2 side. .

  Such an endoscope 3 supplies a picked-up image of the observation region picked up by the CCD 3b to the image pickup processing unit 8 in the apparatus main body 2 via a signal line (not shown) arranged in the insertion unit 3a.

  The apparatus main body 2 mainly includes a system control unit 6 that controls various operations of the entire apparatus 1 and a drive unit 7 that drives a bending unit (not shown) of the endoscope 3.

  The drive unit 7 includes an insertion unit drive circuit 7A including a drive unit for driving a bending unit (not shown) of the endoscope. The insertion unit drive circuit 7A is a system control unit to be described later. 6 is controlled by the control unit 12.

  The system control unit 6 includes an imaging processing unit 8 to which an observation image from the endoscope 3 is supplied, a rotating image processing unit 9 to which an output signal of the imaging processing unit 8 is supplied, and the imaging processing unit 8. A direction calculation processing unit 10 for supplying a direction calculation processing result to the direction processing unit 11, a direction processing unit 11 connected to the direction calculation processing unit 10, the imaging processing unit 8, the rotation image processing unit 9, and a direction calculation The control unit 12 includes various processes of the processing unit 10 and the direction processing unit 11 and a control unit 12 that performs drive control in the driving unit 7.

  The imaging processing unit 8 performs predetermined signal processing on the supplied observation image to convert it into an image signal, and supplies the image signal to the rotated image processing unit 9.

  When there is an image rotation instruction operation from the operation remote controller 5, the rotation image processing unit 9 performs a predetermined image rotation process on the image signal under the control of the control unit 12, and then outputs the image signal to the monitor 4A. If there is no image rotation instruction operation, the image signal is output to the monitor 4A as it is.

  The direction calculation processing unit 10 corrects the bending direction and the image movement direction from the rotation angle of the current image based on the image rotation instruction and the image movement instruction from the operation remote controller 5 under the control of the control unit 12, and images the calculation processing result. The data is supplied to the processing unit 8, the rotated image processing unit 9, and the direction processing unit 11. The detailed operation description by the direction calculation processing unit 10 and the control unit 12 will be described later.

  The direction processing unit 11 obtains a direction based on the operation instruction from the operation remote controller 5 and the computation processing result of the direction computation processing unit 10, and a control signal for bending a bending unit (not shown) of the endoscope 3 in the obtained direction. Is supplied to the drive unit 7. Therefore, the insertion unit drive circuit 7A of the drive unit 7 drives the bending unit (not shown) of the endoscope 3 to bend in the direction based on the supplied control signal.

  The direction processing unit 11 determines the amount of bending direction of the driving unit 7, and the original information is corrected from the joystick angle of the operation unit 5 </ b> B and the current image rotation angle by the direction calculation processing unit 10. The bending direction. Further, when the imaging processing unit performs PAN / TILT, the PAN / TILT direction corrected by the PAN / TILT joystick angle of the operation unit 5B and the current image rotation angle by the direction calculation processing unit 10 is input to the imaging processing unit 8. Output.

  The control unit 12 is electrically connected to the rotation instruction unit 5A and the operation unit 5B of the operation remote controller 5, and based on these operation signals, the rotation image processing unit 9, the direction calculation processing unit 10, and the imaging processing unit 8 Control each process.

  That is, when an operation signal from the operation unit 5B is supplied, the control unit 12 performs various operations indicated by the operation signal, for example, the bending operation of the endoscope 3, the brightness or enlargement / reduction operation of the display image, or the image In order to execute a size changing operation or the like, the driving of the imaging processing unit 8 and a bending unit (not shown) is controlled.

  Further, when an operation signal from the rotation instruction unit 5A is supplied, the control unit 12 performs a process for rotating the display image displayed on the monitor 4A based on the operation signal at that time. Control to execute at

  Next, a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatus of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the system control unit 6 includes a camera control unit (hereinafter referred to as CCU) 8a, an A / D converter 8b, a JPEG processing circuit 8c, a switching circuit 8d, a RAM 8e, and superimposing circuits 9a and D. / A converter 9b, ROM 13, VRAM 14, RS232 I / F 15, 17, CPU 12, RAM 16, ATAI / F 18, USB I / F 19, touch panel controller 4a, and bus 20 to which these circuit groups are connected. It is comprised including.

  The CCU 8a performs image processing for converting the image pickup signal sent from the CCD 3b into an image signal by amplification, luminance signal and color signal separation, and outputs the image signal to the AD converter 8b and outputs the control signal to the CPU 12 as a control signal. Based on the zoom, PAN / TILT during zooming, image brightness adjustment, and the like are performed.

  The AD converter 8b converts the output signal (analog image signal) of the CCU 8a into digital image data, and supplies the obtained digital image data to the switching circuit 8d and the JPEG processing circuit 8c. The A / D converter 8b is configured to be able to supply image signals from other external devices via the external input terminal 2a.

When the CPU 12 sets the compression processing mode, the JPEG processing circuit 8 c performs encoding processing on the supplied digital image data, compresses it, and outputs it to the bus 20.
Alternatively, when the CPU 12 sets the decompression processing mode, the JPEG processing circuit 8c switches the compressed image data read from the image recording medium (not shown) connected to the terminal 2e via the ATAI / F 18 by performing a composite process. Output to the circuit 8d.
In this case, the CPU 12 causes the JPEG processing circuit 8c to execute processing on the work area of the RAM 8e. The compressed image data is temporarily stored in the RAM 16 via the bus 20. Recording and reading of the image data to and from the RAM 16 are controlled by the CPU 12, and are controlled by the operation remote controller via the ATAI / F 18. To an external image recording medium (not shown).

  When the CPU 12 sets the uncompressed processing mode, the JPEG processing circuit 8c outputs the supplied digital image data to the bus 20 without being compressed, or is connected to the terminal 2e via the ATA I / F 18 (not shown). The uncompressed image data read from the image recording medium is output to the switching circuit 8d.

  The switching circuit 8d appropriately switches the digital image data from the A / D converter 8b and the expanded digital image data from the JPEG processing circuit 8c, and outputs them to the superimposing circuit 9a.

  The VRAM 14 temporarily stores graphics such as menus generated by the CPU 12 and image data expanded by the CPU 12.

  The superimposing circuit 9a superimposes the digital image data output from the switching circuit 8d and the graphic or decompressed image data output from the VRAM 14 under the control of the CPU 12, and superimposes the digital image data on the D / A converter 9b. Supply.

  The D / A converter 9b converts the output signal (digital image data) of the superimposing circuit 9a into an analog image signal, and outputs the obtained image signal to the LCD 4A as a monitor via the output terminal 2f. Thus, an image based on the image signal is displayed on the LCD 4A. The output image signal of the D / A converter 9b is also supplied to the external output terminal 2b, and is output to an external display means such as another monitor connected to the external output terminal 2b for display. Is also possible.

  On the bus 20 arranged in the system control unit 6, a CPU 12 for controlling various operations of the entire endoscope apparatus 1, the CCU 8a, the JPEG processing circuit 8c, the ROM 13, the VRAM 14, the touch panel controller 4a, and the RS232 I / F 15 described above. , 17, RAM 16, ATAI / F 18, and USB1 / F19 are respectively connected.

The CPU 12 is operated by a program stored in the ROM 13. In addition, when the image data obtained from the JPEG processing circuit 8c via the bus 20 is compressed data, the CPU 12 performs image expansion, image rotation, and image recompression processing in the RAM 16, and outputs them to the JPEG processing circuit 8c for output to the switching circuit. It is also possible to output to 8d. When the image data is non-compressed data, it is possible to perform image rotation processing in the RAM 16, output it to the JPEG processing circuit 8c, and output it to the switching circuit 8d.
The CPU 12 can also perform image expansion and image rotation processing in the RAM 16 and output the image data to the VRAM 14 when the image data obtained from the JPEG processing circuit 8 c via the bus 20 is compressed data. If the image data is uncompressed data, it is possible to perform image rotation processing in the RAM 16 and output the image data to the VRAM 14.

  The RS232 I / Fs 15 and 17 are interfaces that enable transmission and reception of signals such as control commands of the CPU 12 or the other CPUs 5 b and 7 b. The RS232 I / F 15 is connected to the RS232 I / F 5 c of the operation remote controller 5 via the input / output terminal 2 c. It is connected. The RS232 I / F 17 is connected to the RS232 I / F 7 a of the drive unit 7.

  The CPU 12 takes in an operation signal from the operation remote controller 5 via the RS232 I / F 15 and controls the corresponding block circuit based on the operation signal. For example, when this operation signal is for controlling a bending portion (not shown) of the endoscope 3, the CPU 12 recognizes this operation signal and sends the control signal to the drive unit 7 via the RS232 I / F 17. To RS2321 / F7a. In the drive part 7a, this control signal is taken into CPU7b via RS232I / F7a, and CPU7b drive-controls the motor 7c based on this control signal. This makes it possible to drive a bending portion (not shown) of the endoscope 3 to a bending state based on the operation signal.

  The ATAI / F 18 is an interface for transmitting / receiving digital image data to / from an image recording medium such as a PC card (not shown) connected via the input / output terminal 2e, and the CPU 12 is connected via the ATAI / F 18. The image data is stored and read out from a recording medium (not shown).

  The USB I / F 19 is an interface for transmitting / receiving digital image data and transmitting / receiving control signals to / from another external device such as a personal computer under the control of the CPU 12.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 2 equipped with the system control unit 6 has an external input terminal 2a connected to the A / D converter 8b and an output signal of the D / A converter 9b. Is supplied to the LCD 4A, an external output terminal 2b for outputting the output signal of the D / A converter 9b to the external display means, and an operation signal from the operation remote controller 5 is taken into the RS232 I / F 15. An input terminal 2c for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer via a USB I / F, and an external recording medium (not shown) such as a PC card via an ATA I / F 18. An input / output terminal 2e for capturing and writing digital image data is provided.

  On the other hand, the operation remote controller 5 operated by the operator is provided with an operation unit 5B having various switches as shown in FIG. The operation unit 5B includes various switch groups 5a including a rotation instruction unit 5A, which is a feature of the present embodiment, a joystick for operating a bending operation, a joystick 5C including a PAN / TILT joystick during zooming, and these various switches. CPU 5b for converting the operation signals from the group 5a and the joystick 5C into control signals and controlling the output, RSA 232I / F 5c for transmitting the control signals from the CPU 5b to the system control unit 6 of the apparatus body 2, and the RS232I / And an output end 5d connected to F5c.

  As an actual external configuration of the operation remote controller 5, as shown in FIG. 3B, from the upper side of the operation unit 5B (remote control main body), a rotation instruction as a zoom switch 25, a joystick 5C, and a rotation operation instruction unit 5A. Switches 26, 27, and 28 and an image size switch 29 are provided in order.

  The zoom switch 25 includes a TELE button 25a for enlarging (zooming up) an image to be displayed and a WIDE button 25b for reducing (zooming down) the image to be displayed.

  The joystick 5C is configured to be able to indicate the operation direction by tilting in one direction such as up, down, left and right by one protruding stick, and the bending operation of the endoscope 3 is bent in the direction in which the stick is tilted. And an operation switch for performing a PAN / TILT operation of an image during zooming.

  The image size switch 29 has a normal switch 29a for displaying an image on the screen of the LCD 4A at a predetermined size and an image size reduced on the screen of the LCD 4A at a predetermined reduction ratio. And a small switch 29b.

  Further, the rotation instruction switches 26, 27, and 28 serving as the rotation operation instruction unit 5A rotate the display image at an arbitrary angle in order to make the orientation of the display image displayed on the LCD 4A coincide with the direction of the operator's line of sight. This is an operation switch.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, these rotation instruction switches include a large rotation instruction switch 26, a reference angle switch 27, and a small rotation instruction switch 28.

  The large rotation instruction switch 26 includes a left large rotation instruction switch 26a for rotating the display image to the left by a predetermined large angle and a right large rotation instruction switch 26b for rotating the display image to the right by a predetermined large angle. .

  The small rotation instruction switch 28 includes a left small rotation instruction switch 28a for rotating the display image to the left by a predetermined small angle, and a right small rotation instruction switch 28b for rotating the display image to the right by a predetermined small angle. It consists of

  The reference angle switch 27 is a switch for returning the display image to, for example, a predetermined reference angle.

  In addition, although not shown, a menu button or the like is provided on the operation unit 5B of the operation remote controller 5 for adjusting image brightness, image recording, and other various operation settings. Various operation settings can be performed by pressing a button.

  In the present embodiment, the display image is rotated left and right at a predetermined angle by pressing the large rotation instruction switch 26 and the small rotation instruction switch 28. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display image may be set to be rotated at every predetermined angle by continuously pressing. That is, by continuously pressing the large rotation instruction switch 26, the display image can be continuously rotated left and right at every predetermined large angle, and by pressing the small rotation instruction switch 28 continuously, a predetermined small The display image can be continuously rotated left and right for each angle.

  The predetermined angle can be arbitrarily set by the operator. For example, if the predetermined angle by the large rotation instruction is 20 degrees and the predetermined angle by the small rotation instruction is 2 degrees, the desired angle can be set more quickly. This is extremely effective for an operator who wants to observe a display image.

  FIG. 3A shows a display example in which an observation image is displayed on the LCD 4A. For example, when the insertion portion of the endoscope 3 is inserted into a jet engine and the vicinity of the turbine blade 21b disposed on the rotor 21a is inspected as an observation site, the endoscope apparatus 1 of the present embodiment On the screen of the LCD 4A, a screen 21 in which the vicinity of the rotor 21a and the turbine blade 21b is imaged is displayed.

  At this time, when the operator depresses the rotation instruction switches 26, 27, 28 of the operation remote controller 5 as appropriate, the CPU 12 controls the rotated image processing unit 9 accordingly to display on the screen of the LCD 4A, for example. The screen 21 thus moved can be moved so as to return to the right rotation shown in FIG. 5A, the left rotation shown in FIG. 5B, or the reference angle shown in FIG. 5C. More detailed display control will be described later in the operation.

  By the way, in the endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, not only the image is rotated and displayed at an angle desired by the operator by image processing of the display image as described above, but also from the endoscope by a simple operation. It is also possible to display the monitor so that the endoscopic image matches the operator's line-of-sight direction.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the upper left direction (control Area 8), the upper direction (control Area 1), the upper right direction (control Area 2), the left direction are arranged at predetermined positions on the screen of the LCD 4A. There are provided eight direction indicator sections (control area 7), right direction (control area 3), lower left direction (control area 6), lower direction (control area 5), and lower right direction (control area 4). The touch panel method is adopted to enable operation. The direction indicator section may be a hardware switch corresponding to the control area.

That is, each direction indicating unit of the LCD 4A is electrically connected to the touch panel controller 4a connected on the bus 20 as shown in FIG. The touch panel controller 4a is supplied with an operation signal operated by a direction instruction unit on the screen of the LCD 4A, and supplies the operation signal to the CPU 12.
Based on this operation signal, the CPU 12 determines whether one of the direction instruction units is pressed using the determination area table shown in FIG. 8 provided in the ROM 13, for example, and at the same time, the direction calculation processing unit described above. 10 is used to correct the bending direction from the rotation instruction angle of the image, calculate the image moving direction and the amount of image movement, and output them to the direction processing unit 11. The direction processing unit 11 converts the calculation result of the direction calculation processing unit 10 into a command for controlling the driving unit 7 and controls the driving unit 7 so that an image of the direction corresponding to the direction instruction unit of the operator is displayed on the LCD 4A. The bending portion of the endoscope 3 is bent so as to be displayed in FIG. That is, the bending operation of the bending portion of the endoscope 3 is executed in conjunction with the touch operation of any one of the direction indicating portions on the LCD 4A by the operator.

  Based on this operation signal, the CPU 12 determines whether one of the direction indicating units is pressed using, for example, the determination area table shown in FIG. 8 provided in the ROM 13, and at the same time, the direction calculation processing unit 10 described above. Are used to correct the pan / tilt direction from the rotation instruction angle of the zoom image, calculate the image moving direction and the image moving amount, and output the result to the imaging processing unit 8.

  Based on the calculation result of the direction calculation processing unit 10, the imaging processing unit 8 PAN / TILT the zoom image so that the image in the direction corresponding to the direction instruction unit of the operator is displayed on the LCD 4 </ b> A.

  That is, the PAN / TILT operation of the zoom image is executed in conjunction with the touch operation of any one of the direction indicating units on the LCD 4A.

  When the operator depresses the Small switch 29b of the operation remote controller 5, the CPU 12 expands the image captured as JPEG, and a predetermined reduction ratio so that the entire observation image fits within the screen of the LCD 4A even if the rotation processing is performed. The screen 21A having a reduced image size is displayed on the screen of the LCD 4A. Thereafter, when the operator depresses the normal switch 29a of the operation remote controller 5, the CPU 12 controls the imaging processing unit 8 to thereby have a predetermined size (for example, a predetermined predetermined size as shown in FIG. 4A). The screen 21 shown in FIG. 3A is displayed on the screen.

(Function)
Next, an example of a control operation that is a feature of the endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  Now, the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is turned on to be ready for use, and the insertion portion 3a of the endoscope 3 is inserted into, for example, a jet engine, and a turbine blade (see FIG. 3A). ) The neighborhood shall be inspected.

  At this time, the CPU 12 in the system control unit 6 reads a necessary program from the ROM 13 and controls the entire system. For example, the processing flow shown in FIG. 12 is started. That is, the CPU 12 determines whether or not there has been an operation instruction from the PAN / TILT joystick 5C of the operation remote controller 5 in the process of step S1, and if it is determined that there is no operation, the process proceeds to the subsequent step S3.

  If there is a PAN / TILT operation instruction from the operator, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the hatched portion in FIG. 10A is used as the origin area of the image for the image in the initial state where no rotation instruction is given, and the hatched portion in FIG. The image display area is compared with FIG. 7A to determine the rotation angle area.

  The operated PAN / TILT switch is compared with the joystick and touch panel control area FIG. 7B to determine which control area it is.

  Based on the determination table shown in FIG. 8, the coordinate command shown in FIG. 9 is output to the imaging processing unit 8.

  The imaging processing unit 8 PAN / TILT the image according to the coordinate command.

  A display example of the PAN / TILT is shown in FIG.

  For example, PAN / TILT display example FIG. 6 shows an example in which the image input by the imaging processing unit 8 is rotated 80 ° to the right by a right rotation instruction. In this case, the origin of the image from the image display area FIG. Here, when the selection is made in the direction of the arrow (A) in FIG. 6A, the control area 1 is determined from the joystick and touch panel control area FIG. 7B. Based on the determination area table FIG. 8, the operation is determined to be in the “R” direction, and the coordinate command in the “R” direction of the PAN / TILT coordinate FIG. With respect to the image input from the CCD 3b, the image can be moved in the “R” direction to the image FIG. 6 (31A).

  In the process of step S3, the CPU 12 determines whether or not there has been an operation instruction from the joystick 5C of the operation remote controller 5. If it is determined that there is no operation instruction, the process proceeds to the subsequent step S5.

  When there is an operation instruction of the operation joystick by the operator, the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the rotation angle of the currently displayed image is compared with the joystick and touch panel control area shown in FIG. 7A to determine which rotation angle area the image origin is.

  It is determined which control area the operated joystick is compared with the joystick and touch panel control area shown in FIG.

  Based on the determination table shown in FIG. 8, the coordinate command shown in FIG. 9 is output to the insertion portion drive circuit 7A.

  The insertion portion drive circuit 7A operates a bending portion (not shown) in the “R” direction by a coordinate command.

  For example, FIG. 11 shows an example in which an image input by the imaging processing unit 8 is rotated 80 ° to the right by a right rotation instruction.

  In this case, the origin of the image from the image display area FIG. Here, when the direction is selected in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11A, the control area 1 is determined from the joystick and touch panel control area FIG. 7B. The operation is determined to be in the “R” direction based on the determination area table FIG. 8, and the coordinate command in the “R” direction in FIG. 9 is output to the insertion unit drive unit 7A.

  The insertion section drive section 7A operates a bending section (not shown) in the “R” direction by a coordinate command.

  In the process of step S5, image data for one image is taken into the rotated image processing unit 9, and the process proceeds to the determination process of step S6.

  In the determination process of step S6, the CPU 12 determines whether or not the operator has instructed to rotate the image using the rotation instruction switch 5A (26 to 28) of the operation remote controller 5. In this case, if there is no image rotation instruction, the rotated image processing unit 9 is caused to rotate the image by the designated angle in the designated angle buffer in the RAM FIG. And processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S10.

  In the process of step S7, it is not necessary to rotate by a predetermined angle, and this setting can be arbitrarily set.

  On the other hand, if an image rotation instruction is given in the determination process of step S6, the process proceeds to step S10 after executing the processes of steps S8 to S9.

  When an image rotation instruction is given, the CPU 12 first designates the rotation angle predetermined in the process of step S8 in the designated angle buffer in the RAM FIG. 2 (16) in accordance with the designated angle by the rotation instruction switch 5A. The angle is updated, and processing is performed using the image rotation processing unit 9 so as to rotate the image by the designated angle by the rotation instruction switch 5A (by the designated angle in the designated angle buffer) in the process of step S9. Migrate to

  For example, FIG. 5A shows a display example in which a right rotation instruction is given by the operator. As shown in this figure, when the operator depresses the right large rotation instruction switch 26b shown in FIG. 3B from the screen 21 shown on the left in the figure, the CPU 12 stores the specified angle buffer in the RAM FIG. 2 (16). The designated angle is updated, and the screen 21 is rotated to the right by a predetermined large angle to be displayed. After that, when the same right large rotation instruction switch 26b is pressed, the designation in the designated angle buffer on the RAM FIG. The corner is updated, and the screen is rotated to the right by a predetermined large angle to be displayed. Thereafter, when the small right turn instruction switch 28b is pressed, the designated angle in the designated angle buffer in the RAM FIG. 2 (16) is updated, and the currently displayed screen 21 is rotated to the right by a predetermined small angle. Display.

  Further, FIG. 5B shows a display example in which a left rotation instruction is given by the operator. As shown in this figure, when the operator depresses the left large rotation instruction switch 26a shown in FIG. 3B from the screen 21 shown on the left in the figure, the designated angle in the designated angle buffer in the RAM FIG. 2 (16). The CPU 12 displays the screen 21 by rotating it to the left by a predetermined large angle.

  Thereafter, when the small left rotation instruction switch 28a is pressed, the designated angle in the designated angle buffer in the RAM FIG. 2 (16) is updated, and the currently displayed screen 21 is rotated to the left by a predetermined small angle. Display.

  Further, FIG. 5C shows a display example when the reference switch 27 is pressed by the operator. As shown in this figure, when the reference switch 27 is pressed after the image rotated by the image rotation instruction is displayed, the designated angle in the designated angle buffer on the RAM FIG. 2 (16) is returned to the origin angle. As shown in FIG. 5C, the CPU 12 returns to the first screen 21 so that the screen 21 is rotated at a predetermined angle (for example, the image processed in step S7).

  In step S10, the image processed in step S7 or step S9 is set in the VRAM 14, converted into an analog signal by the D / A 9b through the superimposing circuit 9a, and displayed on the LCD 4A.

  Thereafter, the CPU 12 returns the processing to step S1 and repeats the above-described processing settling continuously.

(effect)
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the rotation image processing unit 9, the direction processing unit 11, the direction calculation processing unit 10, and the CPU 12 control the monitor 4A in the direction based on the rotation instruction operation by the operator's rotation instruction unit 5A. The display image displayed above can be rotated, and the bending portion of the endoscope is controlled to be bent in the direction based on the operation instruction direction of the operator, and at the same time, the image in that direction is displayed on the monitor 4A. Therefore, the endoscope image from the endoscope can be matched with the operator's line-of-sight direction, and the uncomfortable feeling at the time of inspection can be eliminated.

(Constitution)
FIGS. 13 to 16 show a second embodiment of the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 13 shows a system in which the endoscope control section having the main processing section of the first embodiment is combined. FIG. 13A shows the entire system configured to be able to switch image display, and FIG. 13B shows the simplified system as a whole. 14 is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope control unit shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen of an endoscope control unit that is a feature of the present embodiment, and FIG. 16A shows a display screen when a rotation instruction display unit and a bending direction instruction display unit are provided. FIG. 16B shows a display screen showing another configuration example of the bending direction instruction section.

  In the present embodiment, an endoscope control unit 32 capable of controlling the entire endoscope apparatus is provided connected to the endoscope body, and a rotation image provided in the system control unit 6 of the first embodiment. Main constituent blocks such as the processing unit 9, the direction processing unit 11, and the direction calculation processing unit 10 are provided in the endoscope control unit 32, and the endoscope control unit 32 controls image rotation display processing that is a feature of the present invention. It is also characterized in that it is configured to control the bending operation of the endoscope.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the system control unit 6A of the endoscope apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment is deleted from the rotation image processing unit 9, the direction processing unit 11, and the direction calculation processing unit 10 in the first embodiment. The first switching unit 34a to which the output signal of the imaging processing unit 8 is supplied and the first switching unit 34a are connected to the endoscope control unit 32 to transmit image data, control signals, and the like. A communication unit 33 for performing transmission / reception, and a second switching unit 34b connected to the communication unit 33, the control unit 12, and the drive unit 7 are provided.

  For example, a notebook personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) as the endoscope control unit 32 is connected to the communication unit 33. As described above, the PC 32 includes the rotation image processing unit 9, the direction processing unit 11, the direction calculation processing unit 10, and the like provided in the system control unit 6 of the first embodiment. On the PC 32 side, substantially the same control as that of the system control unit 6 of the first embodiment is possible.

  The communication unit 33 is a communication I / F capable of transmitting / receiving an endoscope image and image data from the PC 32 or transmitting / receiving various data such as an endoscope bending control signal. For example, when the communication unit 33 receives image data from the PC 32, the communication unit 33 supplies the received image data to the first switching unit 34 a, and when receiving the bending control signal, the communication unit 33 receives the received bending control signal. It supplies to the 2nd switching part 34b.

  The first switching unit 34a switches between image data from the PC 32 and image data from the imaging processing unit 8 by switching control on the PC 32 side, and outputs and displays the image data on the monitor 4A. That is, in the present embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily switch and display the endoscope observation image and the image supplied from the PC 32 such as a rotation image subjected to the rotation instruction process.

  Further, the second switching unit 34b switches the bending control signal from the PC 32 and the bending control signal generated based on the operation by the operation remote controller 5 to the driving unit 7 by switching control on the PC 32 side. A bending portion (not shown) of the endoscope 3 is driven. In this case, if the switching control on the PC 32 side is preferentially performed, all the control can be executed by the PC 32, but the second control unit 12 in the system control unit 6 on the apparatus main body 2 side performs the second control. It is also possible to perform switching control of the switching unit 34b. That is, in this embodiment, the bending operation control of the bending portion (not shown) of the endoscope 3 can be controlled on the PC 32 side.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13B, the first and second switching units 34a and 34b provided in the system control unit 6A are deleted, and the control unit is connected via the communication unit 33. The system control unit 6 </ b> B may be configured to supply image data and a curvature control signal to 12. As a result, it is possible to control various operations in the same way as the system control unit 6A by the control unit 12 that can be interlocked with the control on the PC 32 side with a simple configuration.

  Incidentally, a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatuses 1A and 1B is shown in FIG. The specific configuration of the system controllers 6A and 6B in the present embodiment is substantially the same as that in the first embodiment.

  A PC 32, which is a feature of the present embodiment, is connected to the connection end 2d of the apparatus body 2.

  As described above, the PC 32 includes the rotation image processing unit 9, the direction processing unit 11, the direction calculation processing unit 12, and the like provided in the system control unit 6 of the first embodiment. Control similar to that of the system control unit 6 of the first embodiment is possible on the PC 32 side.

  A specific circuit configuration of the PC 32 is shown in FIG.

  This configuration is not a configuration peculiar to the present embodiment, but a configuration of a general inspection PC that has been widely marketed in recent years. Among them, the USB interface 41 and the USB connector receiver 32a are also provided in almost all types of inspection PCs commercially available in recent years.

  The PC 32 as an endoscope control unit is connected to an internal bus 39 with a CPU 38 that performs overall control. The internal bus 39 includes a RAM 40 used for a work area of the CPU 38, a USB I / F 41 connected to the USB connector receiver 32a, and a mouse I / F 42 to which a connector of the mouse 37 is connected (via a connector receiver). Is connected.

The internal bus 39 includes a keyboard 32B, a hard disk (abbreviated as HD in the figure) drive 44 storing a program, a flexible disk (abbreviated as FD) drive 45 such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD- A ROM drive 46 is connected via each I / F 43, 44a, 45a, 46a. A communication I / F 48 is also connected to the internal bus 39, and the communication I / F 48 is connected to a communication line such as a LAN or the Internet via a cable 36.
The LCD monitor unit 32A is connected to the RAM 40 and the internal bus 39 via a display control circuit 47 that performs display control.

  The CPU 38 first reads a program built in the hard disk drive 44 and writes it in a predetermined area of the RAM 40, and thereafter operates according to the program. The hard disk stores the processing routine program shown in FIG. 10 and the determination area table shown in FIG. 8 used in the first embodiment.

  Image data for screen display is prepared in a predetermined area in the RAM 40 by the CPU 38. The display control circuit 47 repeatedly reads out image data for screen display and constantly converts it into a signal for display on the monitor unit 32A. This signal is sent to the monitor 32A and displayed.

  Image data sent from the endoscope 3 to the PC 32 is received by the USB I / F 41 and read by the CPU 38 via the internal bus 39. In accordance with the program, the CPU 38 restores the image data to the image data before being compressed, and writes it in a predetermined area of the RAM 40 so as to be displayed on the monitor unit 32A.

  In the present embodiment, the monitor screen of the monitor unit 32A has a screen 60 for displaying the endoscopic image 21 captured by the CCD 3b of the endoscope 3 as shown in FIG. 16 in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment. A rotation instruction switch group 60A for rotating the endoscope image 21, a direction instruction unit 60B for performing an operation such as bending control of the endoscope 3, and a PAN / TILT operation for an image during zooming. And direction indicator 60D.

  Then, the operation cursor is moved and set to the position of various switches desired to be operated in the rotation instruction switch group 60A and the direction instruction section 60B displayed on the monitor screen by the keyboard 32B or the mouse 37, and the mouse 37 is clicked. The function of the clicked button works.

  The rotation switch group 60A displayed on the monitor screen is substantially the same as the large rotation instruction switch 26, the small rotation instruction switch 28, and the reference switch 27 provided in the operation remote controller 5 of the first embodiment. In addition, the direction indicating unit 60B for controlling the bending of the endoscope 3 is also similar to the first embodiment, upper left direction (UL direction), upper direction (U direction), upper right direction (UR direction), Configured as a switch group that indicates operating directions such as left direction (L direction), right direction (R direction), lower left direction (DL direction), lower direction (D direction), lower right direction (DR direction), and center direction Has been.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the direction instructing unit 60D that performs the PAN / TILT operation of the image at the time of zooming is also the upper left direction (UL direction), the upper direction (U direction), and the upper right direction (UR direction). As a group of switches that indicate operating directions such as left direction (L direction), right direction (R direction), lower left direction (DL direction), lower direction (D direction), lower right direction (DR direction), and center direction. It is configured.

  Further, in order to perform the operation in the direction instruction units 60B and 60D for controlling the bending more easily, for example, as shown in FIG. 16B, the direction instruction unit 60C in various operation directions is set according to the operation direction. You may comprise so that it may each arrange | position to the corner of the screen 61. FIG.

  In this embodiment, the cursor for operation is set to move to various desired switch positions in the direction instruction section 60B, 60D or 61, and the mouse 37 is clicked, etc., to perform a bending direction instruction operation or PAN at zooming.・ The TILT operation has been determined, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the bending direction instruction operation and the PAN / TILT operation at the time of zooming can be determined simply by moving the operation cursor to the desired switch. May be. Thereby, the operation direction instruction can be easily operated without performing a click or the like.

Operation signals from the rotation instruction switch group 60A and the direction instruction units 60B and 60D are input to the touch panel controller 49 shown in FIG. 15, and the touch panel controller 49 converts the operation signals into control signals and supplies them to the CPU 38. .
The CPU 38 controls the imaging processing unit, direction calculation processing unit, and rotation image processing unit (not shown) based on this operation signal in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment so that the rotation angle is based on the rotation instruction. The image processing is performed and displayed on the screen 60 (61) of the monitor unit 32A, or the operation directions of the direction instruction units 60B, 60D, and 60C are obtained, and the direction processing unit and the direction calculation processing unit described above are used. Based on the correction result, the driving unit 7 is driven and the PAN / TILT command is issued to the imaging processing unit 8 to PAN / TILT the image to PAN / TILT. An image in a direction corresponding to the direction indicating unit is displayed on the screen 60 (61) of the monitor unit 32A.

(Function)
Next, a control operation example that is a feature of the endoscope apparatus 1A (1B) of the present embodiment will be described.

  The endoscope apparatus 1A (1B) of the present embodiment operates in substantially the same manner as the control operation example (see FIG. 10) in the CPU 12 of the endoscope system control unit 6 described in the first embodiment. The control operation is executed by the CPU 38 on the PC 32 side provided as an endoscope control unit.

  That is, on the PC 32 side, image processing display based on the rotation instruction executed in the first embodiment, bending control of the endoscope 3 based on the direction instruction, PAN / TILT during zooming, and display control are possible. . In this case, the processing by the CPU 38 is executed using a determination area table (see FIG. 8) stored in the hard disk drive 44 or the RAM 40.

  Alternatively, the PC 32 side may control the first switching unit 34a to display the display screen 60 (61) displayed on the monitor unit 32A of the PC 32 on the monitor 4A on the apparatus body 2 side. good.

  Further, similarly to the system control unit 6 of the first embodiment, the direction instruction unit 60B (60C, 60D) is displayed on the screen of the monitor 4A on the apparatus main body side, and the direction instruction unit 60B (60C, 60D) is displayed. The operation signal based on this is supplied to the CPU 12 via the touch panel controller 4a provided in the system control unit 6A (6B), and the CPU 12 performs bending control of the endoscope 3 and PAN / TILT during zooming. You may do it.

(effect)
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when a PC as an endoscope control unit connected to the apparatus main body 2 is provided, the endoscope operates from the endoscope in the same manner as in the first embodiment. It is possible to match the image with the direction of the line of sight of the operator, and it is possible to eliminate a sense of incongruity during the inspection.

(Constitution)
FIG. 18 shows a third embodiment of the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatus. In FIG. 18, the same components as those shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the endoscope apparatus of the present embodiment, the JPEG processing circuit 8c in the configuration of FIG. 2 of the first embodiment is changed to an image processing circuit 8c1.
When the CPU 12 sets the compression processing mode, the image processing circuit 8 c 1 performs an encoding process on the supplied digital image data, compresses it, and outputs it to the bus 20.
Alternatively, when the CPU 12 sets the expansion processing mode, the image processing circuit 8c1 switches the compressed image data read from the image recording medium (not shown) connected to the terminal 2e via the ATA I / F 18 by performing a composite process. Output to the circuit 8d.

  In this case, the CPU 12 causes the image processing circuit 8c1 to execute processing on the work area of the RAM 8e. The compressed image data is temporarily stored in the RAM 16 via the bus 20, and recording and reading of the image data to and from the RAM 16 are controlled by the CPU 12, and are controlled by the operation remote controller via the ATAI / F 18. To an external image recording medium (not shown).

  Further, when the CPU 12 sets the non-compression processing mode, the image processing circuit 8c1 outputs the supplied digital image data to the bus 20 without being compressed, or is connected to the terminal 2e via the ATA I / F 18. Uncompressed image data read from an image recording medium (not shown) is output to the switching circuit 8d.

  The image processing circuit 8c1 receives the specified angle of image rotation from the CPU 12, rotates the image on the work area of the RAM 8e, and buses compressed image data and uncompressed image data according to the compression processing mode / non-compression mode by the CPU 12. Or output to 20. The image processing circuit 8c1 also outputs the image data subjected to the image rotation processing according to the setting from the CPU 12 to the switching circuit 8d. In this case, the image processing circuit 8c1 outputs non-compressed image data regardless of the compression mode / non-compression mode.

The CPU 12 can also rotate the image data obtained from the image processing circuit 8c1 via the bus 20 in the RAM 16, output it to the image processing circuit 8c1, and output it to the switching circuit 8d.
The CPU 12 can also rotate the image data obtained from the image processing circuit 8 c 1 via the bus 20 in the RAM 16 and output the image data to the VRAM 14.
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Function, effect)
According to this embodiment, even if the JPEG processing circuit 8c is changed to the image processing circuit 8c1, the same operation and effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Constitution)
FIG. 19 shows a fourth embodiment of the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatus. In FIG. 19, the same components as those shown in FIG. 14 of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 19, in the endoscope apparatus of the present embodiment, the JPEG processing circuit 8c in the configuration of FIG. 14 of the second embodiment is changed to an image processing circuit 8c1.

The endoscope apparatus 1A (1B) of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 19 is the same as the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in the third embodiment of FIG.
Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment.

(Function, effect)
According to the present embodiment, even if the JPEG processing circuit 8c is changed to the image processing circuit 8c1, the same operation and effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained.

  The present invention is not limited to the first to fourth embodiments, and applications and combinations within the scope of the present invention are also applicable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The block diagram which shows 1st Example of the endoscope apparatus of this invention, and shows the structure of the whole system of this endoscope apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display of the observation image displayed on the display part, and the structural example of an operation remote control. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of image size change of an observation image, An explanatory diagram showing a display example when a rotation instruction is given, Explanatory drawing explaining the display operation when panning / tilting is performed by image processing without interlocking the bending operation; Explanatory drawing which shows the image display area for determining a rotation angle and a rotation area, Explanatory drawing which shows the content of the determination area table provided in the control part, Explanatory drawing which shows the image moving direction corresponding to the image display area of a display part, Explanatory drawing for determining the rotation area of the image when there is a right rotation instruction of 80 ° from the state where there is no rotation instruction; Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of an image when it is operated with a joystick and there is a right rotation instruction of 80 °, The flowchart which shows the example of control by the control part of a present Example, The block diagram which shows the 2nd Example of the endoscope apparatus of this invention, and shows the structure of the whole system at the time of comprising in combination with an endoscope control part, FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit configuration of the endoscope control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the endoscope control unit that is a feature of the present embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the conventional endoscope apparatus. The block diagram which shows 3rd Example of the endoscopic apparatus of this invention, and shows the specific electric circuit structure of an endoscopic apparatus. The block diagram which shows the 4th Example of the endoscope apparatus of this invention, and shows the specific electric circuit structure of an endoscope apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Endoscopic device,
2 ... The device body,
3 ... Endoscope 3a ... Insertion part,
3b ... CDD (solid-state image sensor),
4 ... display part,
4A ... Monitor (LCD),
5. Operation remote control,
5A ... rotation instruction section,
5B: operation unit,
5C ... Joystick,
6 ... System control unit,
7 ... Drive unit,
7A: Insertion section drive circuit,
8 ... Imaging processing unit,
8c ... JPEG processing circuit,
8c1 ... image processing circuit,
9: Rotating image processing unit,
10: Direction calculation processing unit,
11: Direction processing unit,
12, 38 ... control unit (CPU),
25 ... Zoom switch,
26. Large rotation instruction switch,
27: Reference angle switch,
28: Small rotation instruction switch,
29 ... Image size switch,
32 ... PC (endoscope control unit),
32A ... LCD monitor unit,
60A ... rotation instruction switch group,
60B, 60C ... Direction indicating section.
Attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (8)

An endoscope that is configured to be insertable into an observation site, and includes an insertion unit that obtains an observation image with an imaging unit provided on the distal end side ;
Imaging processing means for converting an observation image of the endoscope into an image signal;
Display means for displaying an image signal from the imaging processing means;
A rotation instruction means for giving a rotation instruction for rotating and displaying the observation image displayed on the display means at an arbitrary angle;
Direction indicating means for controlling a bending direction of a bending portion provided in the endoscope insertion portion, and for giving a direction instruction for moving and displaying an observation image displayed on the display means in an arbitrary direction. When,
A rotation image processing means for performing rotation image processing of an observation image displayed on the display means based on a rotation instruction from the rotation instruction means;
The rotated image processing the rotated display means to correspond to the image rotation angle of an observation image displayed by the means, the bending direction of the bending portion before Symbol endoscope insertion portion Ru good in direction indication of the direction instructing means Direction calculation processing means for correcting
Drive control means for controlling the bending operation of the bending portion of the endoscope insertion portion based on the correction result by the direction calculation processing means;
An endoscope apparatus characterized by comprising:   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction instruction unit and the rotation instruction unit are provided in a remote controller.   The direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means are displayed on the display means, and further give instructions to the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means displayed on the display means. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: 4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a device that gives an instruction to the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means displayed on the display means is a keyboard or a mouse.   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein what gives an instruction to the direction instruction means and the rotation instruction means displayed on the display means is a touch panel.   The internal rotation according to claim 5, wherein the rotation image processing unit performs processing so that the image size can be arbitrarily changed so that the entire display image subjected to the rotation image processing fits within a display screen of the display unit. Mirror device.   The rotation instruction unit, the rotation image processing unit, the direction instruction unit, and the direction calculation processing unit are included in an endoscope control unit that is connected to the endoscope through a communication unit. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1.   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the endoscope control means is a personal computer.

Images