# US 2014/0194686 A1 · Endoscopic device and operating method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0194686 A1 - Document ID: US20140194686A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/151,533 - Filed: 2014-01-09 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Applicants: FUJIFILM Corporation - Inventors: Jin MURAYAMA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194686A1 ## CPC - A61B 1/00006: {of control signals} - A61B 1/000095: {for image enhancement} - A61B 1/0002: {provided with data storages} - A61B 1/05: characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion - A61B 1/0638: {providing two or more wavelengths} - H04N 23/555: {for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes} - H04N 23/74: by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means - H04N 25/531: by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An endoscopic device includes: a light source unit configured to repeat for every frame period, an operation of emitting illumination light during a front period and turning off the illumination light during a back period of the frame period; a buffer memory mounted in an endoscopic scope and configured to store image information of a frame image signal output from an image capturing unit; and an information transmitting unit configured to read out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory and transmit the image information to an image processing unit, in which the information transmitting unit reads out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory within the frame period. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An endoscopic device including an endoscopic scope which irradiates illumination light from a tip of an insertion unit which is inserted in a subject and outputs a frame image signal which is captured by an image capturing unit mounted in the tip of the insertion unit and a processor device which is connected to the endoscopic scope and includes an image processing unit which performs image processing on the frame image signal, the device comprising: a light source unit configured to repeat for every frame period, an operation of emitting the illumination light during a front period obtained by dividing a frame period of the frame image signal by two and turning off the illumination light during a back period of the frame period; a buffer memory mounted in the endoscopic scope and configured to store image information of the frame image signal output from the image capturing unit; and an information transmitting unit configured to read out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory and transmit the image information to the image processing unit, wherein the image capturing unit considers the front period of the frame period as an exposure period and reads out signals of the exposed accumulated charges within the back period to output the signal to the buffer memory as the image information of the frame image signal, and the information transmitting unit reads out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory within the frame period. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is driven by a rolling shutter method. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the buffer memory is a memory which is mounted in a semiconductor element including the image capturing unit or connected to the semiconductor element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the buffer memory is an FIFO memory. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the buffer memory includes at least a storage capacitor in which a signal amount obtained by subtracting a signal amount which is transmittable during the front period of the frame period from a signal amount of the frame image signal is stored. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the information transmitting unit converts the frame image signal into a low voltage differential signal to transmit the converted signal to the image processing unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the light source unit includes a semiconductor laser element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the light source unit includes an LED element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of light sources having different emission colors and the light sources are alternately or sequentially turned on. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The endoscopic device of claim 9, wherein the light source unit emits different color illumination light for every frame period, and the image capturing unit frame-sequentially captures the subject for every illumination light. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The endoscopic device of claim 10, wherein the illumination light includes at least white light and narrow band light of blue to near-ultraviolet light which has a narrower visible wavelength band than the white light. ### Claim 12 An operating method of an endoscopic device including an endoscopic scope which irradiates illumination light from a tip of an insertion unit which is inserted in a subject and outputs a frame image signal which is captured by an image capturing unit mounted in the tip of the insertion unit and a processor device which is connected to the endoscopic scope and includes an image processing unit which performs image processing on the frame image signal, wherein a light source unit repeats for every frame period, an operation of irradiating the illumination light onto the subject from the endoscopic scope during a front period obtained by dividing a frame period of the frame image signal by two to turn off the illumination light during a back period of the frame period; the image capturing unit considers the front period of the frame period as an exposure period and reads out signals of the exposed accumulated charges within the back period to output the signal to the buffer memory which is mounted in the endoscopic scope as the image information of the frame image signal, and an information transmitting unit reads out the image information of the frame image signal from the buffer memory within the frame period and transmits the image information to the image processing unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The operating method of claim 12, wherein the image capturing unit is driven by a rolling shutter method.