Patent ID: 8517920

Claim:
An imaging-device driving unit that controls a CMOS imaging device mounted in an endoscope, comprising: a light source that emits illumination light; a light guide, provided in the endoscope and connected to the light source, having a first light guide branch and a second light guide branch, wherein the light guide splits into the first light guide branch and the second light guide branch within the endoscope, the first light guide branch directing the emitted illumination light from the light source to a subject; a light detector, provided in the endoscope and connected to the second light guide branch of the light guide, that detects a pattern of emitted illumination light from the light source, the CMOS imaging device being ordered to capture an optical image of the subject; and an exposure controller that orders the CMOS imaging device to perform a global exposure when the pattern of emitted illumination light detected by the light detector is a first pattern, and that orders the CMOS imaging device to perform a line exposure when the pattern of emitted illumination light detected by the light detector is a second pattern, wherein the light source emits pulsed light in the first pattern, and the light source emits continuous light in the second pattern.