IP Library Granted Patent US 8,591,401
Granted Patent B2
US 8,591,401 · App. 13/210,777 · Granted Nov 26, 2013

Endoscope apparatus displaying information indicating gravity direction on screen

Inventors: Hidehiro Miyayashiki (Akishima, JP); Yoichiro Kasai (Akiruno, JP)
Assignee: Olympus Corporation
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,591,401
App. No.
13/210,777
Granted
Nov 26, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

An endoscope apparatus includes an image processing portion for performing image processing on a signal of an image pickup picked up by an image pickup device installed in a distal end portion of an endoscope insertion portion to generate an endoscope image, a gravity direction detecting portion for detecting information about a gravity direction of the distal end portion, a gravity signal processing portion for performing predetermined signal processing on a signal of the information about the detected gravity direction to generate gravity information, a graphics generating portion for generating an indicator indicating the gravity direction based on the gravity information, and an image combining portion for combining the endoscope image and the indicator and outputting combined image information to a display apparatus. The graphics generating portion changes a display form of the indicator indicating the gravity direction according to the gravity direction.

Claims (11)

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an image processing portion for performing image processing on a signal of an image picked up by an image pickup device installed in a distal end portion of an endoscope insertion portion and generating an endoscope image;

a graphics generating portion for generating a gravity direction graphic to be displayed with the endoscope image in which when the distal end portion is in a normal position, a gravity direction mark indicating a gravity direction and a zenith direction mark indicating a direction opposite to the gravity direction are placed at positions opposing each other on a circumference of the gravity direction graphic;

a control portion for, according to the position of the distal end portion, controlling the graphics generating portion to generate the gravity direction graphic;

an image combining portion for combining the gravity direction graphic in a predetermined position of the endoscope image;

a distal end optical system that is detachably attached to the distal end portion, the distal end optical system comprising an identification portion; and

an optical system identification portion for identifying a class of the distal end optical system based on the identification portion,

wherein the control portion

causes, when the position of the distal end portion is changed, the gravity direction mark or the zenith direction mark to be moved, according to an amount of the change, to a predetermined position inside the circumference of the gravity direction graphic and to be displayed, and

corrects a coordinate system of the gravity direction mark and the zenith direction mark based on the class of the distal end optical system identified by the optical system identification portion, and makes an instruction to generate the gravity direction graphic in which the gravity direction mark and the zenith direction mark of the corrected coordinate system are placed.

2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end optical system comprises an identification resistor that serves as the identification portion, and the optical system identification portion identifies the class of the distal end optical system based on the resistor of the identification resistor.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: EVIDENT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062492/0267 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jun 27, 2016
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039344/0502 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 15, 2011
From: MIYAYASHIKI, HIDEHIRO; KASAI, YOICHIRO
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027395/0432 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2010-183378 · Aug 18, 2010 · national
JP 2010-261617 · Nov 24, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120078043A1 · Mar 29, 2012