# US 10,321,103 B2 · Image pickup system and image processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,321,103 B2 - Document ID: US10321103B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/450,146 - Filed: 2017-03-06 - Published: 2017-06-22 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2014-11-07 - Assignees: Olympus Corporation - Applicants: Olympus Corporation - Inventors: Kyosuke Mizuno; Ryuichi Yamazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321103B2 ## CPC - H04N 9/76: for mixing of colour signals (H04N9/75 takes precedence) - A61B 1/00009: {of image signals during a use of endoscope} - A61B 1/00045: {Display arrangement} - A61B 1/04: combined with photographic or television appliances - A61B 1/0638: {providing two or more wavelengths} - A61B 1/0655: {Control therefor} - G02B 23/24: Instruments {or systems} for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes - G02B 23/26: using light guides {(for illumination G02B23/2469)} - H04N 5/04: Synchronising (for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56) - H04N 5/2625: {for obtaining an image which is composed of images from a temporal image sequence, e.g. for a stroboscopic effect (sequence generated by event triggered capturing H04N7/188)} - H04N 7/18: Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast - H04N 23/12: with one sensor only - H04N 23/125: {Colour sequential image capture, e.g. using a colour wheel} - H04N 23/56: provided with illuminating means - H04N 23/555: {for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes} - H04N 2209/044: using sequential colour illumination - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract An image pickup system includes: a light source portion configured to sequentially emit first illumination light and second illumination light; an image pickup portion configured to perform image pickup of return light from an object; an image generating portion configured to generate a first image corresponding to return light of the first illumination light and a second image corresponding to return light of the second illumination light, each of which corresponds to one field, and sequentially output the first image and the second image; a synchronization processing portion configured to simultaneously output images corresponding to a plurality of fields, selectively assigning the images to three channels of a display apparatus; and a control portion configured to set image assignment to and image update frequency for the three channels based on an evaluation value acquired from the images generated by the image generating portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image pickup system comprising: a light source portion configured to sequentially emit first illumination light with a first wavelength band and second illumination light with a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band; an image pickup portion configured to perform image pickup of return light from an object illuminated by illumination light emitted from the light source portion for each of predetermined periods and output an image pickup signal; an image generating portion configured to generate a first image corresponding to return light of the first illumination light and a second image corresponding to return light of the second illumination light, each of which corresponds to one field, based on the image pickup signal outputted from the image pickup portion, and sequentially output the first image and the second image; a synchronization processing portion configured to simultaneously output images corresponding to a plurality of fields outputted from the image generating portion, selectively assigning the images to a first channel corresponding to a red color of a display apparatus, a second channel corresponding to a green color of the display apparatus and a third channel corresponding to a blue color of the display apparatus; and a control portion configured to control the synchronization processing portion so as to set image assignment to and image update frequency for the first channel, the second channel and the third channel, respectively, based on one or more evaluation values acquired from the images generated by the image generating portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image pickup system according to claim 1, wherein the control portion further controls the synchronization processing portion so as to set image update frequency for the first channel, the second channel and the third channel, based on the evaluation values acquired from the images generated by the image generating portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image pickup system according to claim 1, wherein each of the evaluation values is either a luminance value of each of the images generated by the image generating portion or a noise amount obtained by quantifying a magnitude of noise included in each of the images generated by the image generating portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image pickup system according to claim 3, wherein the control portion controls the light source portion to alternately emit the first illumination light and the second illumination light for each of the predetermined periods when detecting that the luminance value is equal to or above a predetermined threshold TH1 or when detecting that the noise amount is below a predetermined threshold TN1, and controls the synchronization processing portion to assign the first image corresponding to one field to the first channel, assign the second image corresponding to one field to each of the second channel and the third channel and, furthermore, alternately perform an operation of updating the first image assigned to the first channel once and an operation of updating the second image assigned to the second channel and the third channel once for each of the predetermined periods. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The image pickup system according to claim 3, wherein the control portion controls the light source portion to alternately emit the first illumination light and the second illumination light for each of the predetermined periods when detecting that the luminance value is below a predetermined threshold TH1 and equal to or above a predetermined threshold TH2 or when detecting that the noise amount is equal to or above a predetermined threshold TN1 and below a predetermined threshold TN2, and controls the synchronization processing portion to assign the first image corresponding to one field to the first channel, assign a third image obtained by doubling the luminance value of the second image corresponding to one field to each of the second channel and the third channel and, furthermore, alternately perform the operation of updating the first image assigned to the first channel once and an operation of updating the third image assigned to the second channel and the third channel once for each of the predetermined periods. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The image pickup system according to claim 3, wherein the control portion controls the light source portion to alternately emit the first illumination light and the second illumination light for each of the predetermined periods when detecting that the luminance value is below a predetermined threshold TH2 or when detecting that the noise amount is equal to or above a predetermined threshold TN2, and controls the synchronization processing portion to assign the first image corresponding to one field to the first channel, assign a fourth image obtained by adding the luminance value in plurality of the second image in plurality corresponding to two temporally adjoining fields to each of the second channel and the third channel and, furthermore, alternately perform the operation of updating the first image assigned to the first channel once and an operation of updating the fourth image assigned to the second channel and the third channel once for each of the predetermined periods. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The image pickup system according to claim 3, wherein the control portion controls the light source portion to alternately perform an operation of emitting the first illumination light once during one of the predetermined periods and an operation of emitting the second illumination light once during each of two of the predetermined periods when detecting that the luminance value is below a predetermined threshold TH2 or when detecting that the noise amount is equal to or above a predetermined threshold TN2, and controls the synchronization processing portion to assign the first image corresponding to one field to the first channel, assign a fourth image obtained by adding the luminance value in plurality of the second image in plurality corresponding to two temporally adjoining fields to each of the second channel and the third channel and, furthermore, alternately perform the operation of updating the first image assigned to the first channel once and an operation of updating the fourth image assigned to the second channel and the third channel twice consecutively. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image pickup system according to claim 1, further comprising an image processing portion configured to generate an image corresponding to one frame by combining the respective images outputted from the synchronization processing portion in a state of being assigned to the first channel, the second channel and the third channel, and sequentially output the generated image to the display apparatus. ### Claim 9 An image processing apparatus used by being connected to a light source portion configured to sequentially emit first illumination light with a first wavelength band and second illumination light with a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, the image processing apparatus comprising: an image generating portion configured to generate a first image corresponding to return light of the first illumination light and a second image corresponding to return light of the second illumination light, each of which corresponds to one field, based on an image pickup signal outputted from an image pickup portion configured to perform image pickup of return light from an object illuminated by illumination light emitted from the light source portion, and sequentially output the first image and the second image; a synchronization processing portion configured to simultaneously output images corresponding to a plurality of fields outputted from the image generating portion, selectively assigning the images to a first channel corresponding to a red color of a display apparatus, a second channel corresponding to a green color of the display apparatus and a third channel corresponding to a blue color of the display apparatus; and a control portion configured to control the synchronization processing portion so as to set image assignment to and image update frequency for the first channel, the second channel and the third channel, respectively, based on one or more evaluation values acquired from the images generated by the image generating portion.