Patent ID: 7766818

Claim:
An electronic endoscope system, comprising: a light source unit that alternately emits normal-light and excitation-light at field intervals; a video-scope that has an image sensor, normal color image-pixel signals that are obtained while the normal-light is emitted and auto-fluorescent image-pixel signals that are obtained while the excitation-light is emitted both being alternately read from said image sensor; a signal processor that simultaneously generates, subsequent to the normal color image-pixels signals and auto-fluorescent image-pixels signals being read, normal color image signals on the basis of the normal color image-pixels signals, auto-fluorescent image signals on the basis of the auto-fluorescent image-pixel signals, and diagnosis color image signals on the basis of the normal color image signals and the auto-fluorescent image signals; a display processor that processes the normal color image signals, the auto-fluorescent image signals, and the diagnosis color image signals so as to simultaneously and separately display a normal color movie-image, an auto-fluorescent movie-image, and a diagnosis color movie-image that is a colored image for distinguishing a lesion from other portions of the body, wherein the signal processor performs writing and reading of normal color image signals to and from a first memory at field intervals, and performs writing and reading of auto-fluorescent image signals to and from a second memory at field intervals, so that the signal processor alternately writes the normal color image signals and the auto-fluorescent image signals, and wherein the signal processor transmits normal color image signals to a diagnosis color image signal processor that generates the diagnosis color images signals when reading the auto-fluorescent image signals from the second memory, whereas the signal processor transmits auto-fluorescent image signals to the diagnosis color image signal processor when reading the normal color image signals from the first memory, wherein said first memory and second memory respectively store the normal color image signals and the auto-fluorescent image signals, and wherein said signal processor has first and second switches that connect with said display processor, and first and second contacts that are provided, respectively, for transmitting the normal color image signals and the auto-fluorescent image signals, said first switch alternately connecting with said first memory and said first contact at the field interval, said second switch alternately connecting with said second memory and said second contact at the field interval, said first switch connecting with said first contact while said second switch connects with said second memory, and said second switch connecting with said second contact while said first switch connects with said first memory.