Patent ID: 7204803
Filing Date: 2007-04-17
Classification: A61B,H04N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An image processing device for an endoscope, wherein an excitation light shielding filter, effective for shielding excitation light when in a fluorescence image mode and for transmitting light other than a part of blue wavelength band, is disposed in front of an image pickup element built into the endoscope, for image processing the signal outputted by said image pickup element, and generating color image signals while switching between a normal-light image mode using white light and the fluorescence image mode including fluorescence information, the device comprising: a first white balance section that performs gain adjustment so that the output intensity of each of red, green and blue signals may be of a constant value, and adjusts the gain of a prescribed color signal of the color image signals when in the normal-light image mode; a second white balance setting section that stores the gain adjustment values of the red, green and blue signals in the white balance section, and attenuates the blue gain to a prescribed value; a parameter setting section that obtains a mode signal from a control section and determines whether to output a parameter for a fluorescence image or a parameter for a normal-light image to output a parameter suited to the mode; and a matrix section that applies prescribed matrix calculations to the red, green and blue signals subjected to the gain adjustment in the first white balance section using a parameter suited to the mode outputted by the parameter setting section to generate the fluorescence image signal or the normal-light image signal.