Granted Patent B2

US 10,264,236 · App. 15/440,560 · Granted Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

Claims (44)

1. A camera device which is connected to a medical optical instrument, comprising:

a camera head that captures an observation image of a target site which is obtained by the medical optical instrument; and

a camera controller that is connected to the camera head and processes a signal of the observation video captured by the camera head,

wherein the camera head captures right and left observation images having a parallax from the medical optical instrument to obtain a high-resolution observation video including right and left parallax videos for one screen, and

wherein the camera controller comprises:

a 4K video producing unit that receives, as an input, data captured by the camera and that converts the captured input data into a 4K resolution image signal, the 4K video producing unit configured to generate and output video signals along a first route and along a second route, the second route being distinct from the first route, the video signal output along the first route being input to a 2K resolution left parallax video cutting out unit and to a 2K resolution right parallax video cutting out unit, and the video signal output along the second route comprises a 4K resolution 2-D video signal; and

a video output switching apparatus configured to receive a 2K left parallax video signal from the left parallax video cutting out unit and a 2K right parallax video signal from the right parallax video cutting out unit along the first route and the 4K resolution 2-D video signal along the second route and to output a full high definition resolution 3-D video signal or the 4K resolution 2-D video signal,

wherein the output of the full high definition 3-D video signal comprises the 2K left parallax video signal output as a first video output and the 2K right parallax video signal output as a second video output and,

wherein the output of the 4K resolution 2-D video signal is output as one or both of the first video output and the second video output.

2. The camera device of claim 1 ,

wherein the camera head and the camera controller are connected to each other via a cable.

3. The camera device of claim 2 ,

wherein a switch that switches between outputting of the 2-D video and outputting of the 3D video is disposed on a front surface of the camera controller.

4. The camera device of claim 1 ,

wherein the camera head captures a full high vision resolution observation video including right and left parallax videos as the high-resolution observation video, and

wherein the camera controller performs a resolution enhancement process in which the full high vision resolution observation video is converted into a 4K resolution observation video, cuts out the left parallax video and the right parallax video from the 4K resolution observation video, and generates a 3-D video from a full high vision resolution right parallax video and a full high vision resolution left parallax video.

5. An image generation method using a camera device connected to a medical optical instrument, the method comprising:

causing the camera device to capture right and left observation images having a parallax which are obtained by the medical optical instrument;

causing the camera device to obtain a high-resolution observation video including right and left parallax videos for one screen; and

receiving, as an input, data captured by the camera device and converting the captured input data into a 4K resolution image signal,

generating and outputting video signals along a first route and along a second route, the second route being distinct from the first route, the video signal output along the first route being input to a 2K resolution left parallax video cutting out unit and to a 2K resolution right parallax video cutting out unit, and the video signal output along the second route comprises a 4K resolution 2-D video signal; and

receiving a 2K left parallax video signal from the left parallax video cutting out unit and a 2K right parallax video signal from the right parallax video cutting out unit along the first route and the 4K resolution 2-D video signal along the second route and outputting a full high definition resolution 3-D video signal or the 4K resolution 2-D video signal,

wherein the outputting of the full high definition 3-D video signal comprises outputting the 2K left parallax video signal as a first video output and outputting the 2K right parallax video signal as a second video output and,

wherein the outputting of the 4K resolution 2-D video signal is output as one or both of the first video output and the second video output.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

causing the camera device to capture a full high vision resolution observation video including right and left parallax videos as the high-resolution observation video; and

causing the camera device to perform a resolution enhancement process in which the full high vision resolution observation video is converted into a 4K resolution observation video, to cut out the left parallax video and the right parallax video from the 4K resolution observation video, and to generate a 3D video from a full high vision resolution right parallax video and a full high vision resolution left parallax video.

7. An image processor that is operatively coupled to a camera and to a display, the image processor comprising:

a 4K video producing unit that receives, as an input, data captured by the camera and that converts the captured input data into a 4K resolution image signal, the 4K video producing unit configured to generate and output video signals along a first route and along a second route, the second route being distinct from the first route, the video signal output along the first route being input to a 2K resolution left parallax video cutting out unit and to a 2K resolution right parallax video cutting out unit, and the video signal output along the second route comprises a 4K resolution 2-D video signal; and

a video output switching apparatus configured to receive a 2K left parallax video signal from the left parallax video cutting out unit and a 2K right parallax video signal from the right parallax video cutting out unit along the first route and the 4K resolution 2-D video signal along the second route and to output a full high definition resolution 3-D video signal or the 4K resolution 2-D video signal,

wherein the output of the full high definition 3-D video signal comprises the 2K left parallax video signal output as a first video output and the 2K right parallax video signal output as a second video output and,

wherein the output of the 4K resolution 2-D video signal is output as one or both of the first video output and the second video output.

8. An image processor that is operatively coupled to a camera and to a display, the image processor comprising:

a 4K video producing unit that receives, as an input, data captured by the camera and that converts the captured input data into a 4K resolution image signal, the 4K video producing unit configured to generate and output video signals along a first route and along a second route, the second route being distinct from the first route, the video signal output along the first route being input to a 2K resolution left parallax video cutting out unit and to a 2K resolution right parallax video cutting out unit, and the video signal output along the second route comprises a 4K resolution 2-D video signal;

a video combining unit that combines a left parallax video signal output from the left parallax cutting out unit and a right parallax video signal output from the right parallax video cutting out unit and generates and outputs a high definition resolution 3-D video signal; and

a video output switching apparatus configured to receive the 2K left parallax video signal from the left parallax video cutting out unit and the 2K right parallax video signal from the right parallax video cutting out unit, and the high definition resolution 3-D video signal along the first route and the 4K resolution 2-D video signal along the second route and to output a full high definition resolution 3-D video signal, the high definition resolution 3-D video signal or the 4K resolution 2-D video signal,

wherein the output of the full high definition 3-D video signal comprises the left parallax video signal output as a first video output and the right parallax video signal output as a second video output, and

wherein the output of the 4K resolution 2-D video signal or the high definition resolution 3-D video signal is output as one or both of the first video output and the second video output.

9. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises a video combining unit that combines a left parallax video signal output from the left parallax cutting out unit and a right parallax video signal output from the right parallax video cutting out unit and generates and outputs a high definition resolution 3-D video signal.

10. The image generating method according to claim 5 , further comprising combining a left parallax video signal, output from the left parallax cutting out unit, and a right parallax video signal, output from the right parallax video cutting out unit, and generating and outputting a high definition resolution 3-D video signal.

11. The image processor according to claim 7 , wherein the image processor receives an image signal from the camera and outputs the full high definition resolution 3-D video signal or the 4K resolution 2-D video signal to the display.

12. The image processor according to claim 8 , wherein the image processor receives an image signal from the camera and outputs the full high definition resolution 3-D video signal, the high definition resolution 3-D video signal, or the 4K resolution 2-D video signal to the display.

13. The image processor according to claim 7 , wherein the 4K video processing unit receives, from the camera, 2K videos R, G, and B, and performs a resolution enhancement process by shifting pixels of 2K video R and 2K video B by one half pixel distance in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction with respect to pixels of 2K video G and generates a 4K resolution image signal.

14. The image processor according to claim 8 , wherein the 4K video processing unit receives, from the camera, 2K video R, G, and B, and performs a resolution enhancement process by shifting pixels of 2K video R and 2K video B by one half pixel distance in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction with respect to pixels of 2K video G and generates a 4K resolution image signal.

Assignments (7)