Patent ID: 6414710
Filing Date: 2002-07-02
Classification: A61B,H04N

Abstract:
An electronic endoscope comprising:a flexible scope having an image sensor provided at a distal end of said scope, and an optical light guide extending through said scope; a video-signal processing unit, to which a proximal end of said flexible scope is detachably connected, that processes image-pixel signals successively read from said image sensor; a light source provided in said video-signal processing unit such that light, emitted from said light source, is guided through said optical light guide and radiates from the distal end of said flexible scope; a light-emission regulator associated with said light source that regulates the radiation of light from the distal end of said flexible scope; a histogram generator that successively generates a luminance-signal-histogram in accordance with said processed image-pixel signals; an approximate-calculator that approximately calculates an approximate average luminance level-value in accordance with luminance signals exhibiting thinned luminance levels extracted from said luminance-signal-histogram; and a controller that controls said light-emission regulator in accordance with said approximate average luminance level-value, such that an image having a constant brightness level is reproduced in accordance with said processed image-pixel signals.