Patent ID: 8040372

Claim:
An encapsulated endoscope comprising: MOS imaging device having a pixel section of a plurality of pixels disposed two-dimensionally in rows and columns, each pixel with a photodiode and MOS transistor where a signal from the photodiode is amplified and outputted as a pixel signal, a sole and exclusive vertical scanning section for generating row select signals to select pixels of said pixel section by rows and to cause each pixel signal to be outputted to a plurality of vertical signal lines provided for each column, and a horizontal scanning circuit for causing selective outputting of each pixel signal outputted onto said plurality of vertical signal lines; an illumination light source section; a light source control section for controlling light emitting amount or emitting time of said illumination light source; and a drive control/signal processing unit for controlling said light source control section to illuminate an object by said illumination light source section during a predetermined time and causing the pixel signals of said MOS imaging device to be outputted thereafter; wherein said pixel section comprises a rectangular region with its center at a position corresponding to a substantial center of said MOS imaging device as a light-receiving pixel region, and a region surrounding said light-receiving pixel region as a light-blocked pixel region; wherein said light-blocked pixel region comprises a first region located on the side on which said sole and exclusive vertical scanning section is located and a second region located on the side opposite to the side on which said sole and exclusive vertical scanning section is located, and said second region is configured wider as compared to said first region so that the center of said MOS imaging device, the center of light-receiving pixel region and a central axis of the encapsulated endoscope are substantially coincident, and said encapsulated endoscope further comprising an observation optical system, wherein a center of the observation optical system and a center of said MOS imaging device occur on a center axis of a capsule.