Patent ID: 7898699
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising: a scope unit including a color filter which transmits light reflected by an object to be observed when the object is illuminated with light, an insertion unit to be inserted into a body cavity, and an imaging element within the insertion unit for obtaining an image of the object to be observed by receiving the reflected light transmitted through the color filter, which outputs a color image signal by obtaining the image of the object to be observed by the imaging element; and a signal processing unit for producing a signal for display, which can display an image including predetermined color components by performing signal processing, based on the kind of the color filter, on the color image signal output from the imaging element of the scope unit, wherein the scope unit further includes a filter information storage means for storing filter information showing the kind of the color filter provided in the scope unit, and wherein the signal processing unit includes a connection unit for selectively connecting a plurality of kinds of scope units, each of which has the filter information showing a different kind of color filter from each other, a filter information obtainment means for obtaining the filter information stored in the filter information storage means of the scope unit connected to the connection unit, and a color space correction processing unit for performing color space correction processing, based on the filter information obtained by the filter information obtainment means, on the color image signal so that each of the signals for display, produced from each of the color image signals which are output from the plurality of kinds of scope units, represents the same point in color space.