Patent ID: 8237783

Claim:
An image processing device for an endoscope, comprising: an image processing section which performs signal processing for generating an image signal which is to be observed as an endoscope image and corresponds to the endoscope image, for a signal picked up with an image pickup device equipped in the endoscope; a tone correcting circuit section which corrects a tone for the image signal; and a switching section which switches an observation mode or a type for observing as an endoscope image; wherein the switching section is capable of switching to optional one from endoscope images including at least two observation modes or types out of an ordinary light image generated under illumination light of a visible wavelength region, a special light image generated under illumination light differing from the ordinary light image, and a spectral image corresponding to a narrow band image generated by applying numerical data processing to the image signal generated under the illumination light of the visible wavelength region; wherein the tone correcting circuit section includes: a first tone correcting circuit section which corrects the tone of the image signal with a first correction characteristic; and a second tone correcting circuit section which has a second correction characteristic differing from the first correcting circuit section, and corrects a tone for an input image signal which is input into an emphasis circuit section which performs emphasis of sharpness for the image signal; wherein the second tone correcting circuit section changes the second correction characteristic for intensity in the input image signal, in correspondence with switching of the observation mode or the type, or switching of the emphasis amount; and wherein the second tone correcting circuit section further changes to the second correction characteristic having such an input and output characteristic as to provide an output value smaller in a case in which the endoscope image is the special light image or the spectral image than in a case of the ordinary light image.