US 4,821,117 A · Endoscopic system for producing fluorescent and visible images

Abstract

An endoscopic system irradiates an object to be inspected and applied with a fluorescent material with visible radiation to obtain a visible radiation image of the object and with excitation radiation to obtain a fluorescent image thereof. The images thus obtained being alternately inputted into a television camera and displayed simultaneously on a display unit according to outputs from the television camera. The endoscopic system comprises an emission switch for irradiating the object alternately with the visible radiation and the excitation radiation, a first frame memory for storing the visible radiation image from the television camera, a second frame memory for storing the fluorescent image from the television camera, an image signal switch for alternately inputting the images from the television camera into the first and second frame memories, an image processing and displaying unit for processing and displaying the images from the first and second frame memories, and a central controlling portion for synchronously controlling the emission switch and the image signal switch, readout operations of the first and second frame memories, and the image processing and displaying unit to simultaneously display both the images on the display unit.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An endoscopic system for simultaneously displaying a visible radiation image and a fluorescent image of an object to which has been applied, for inspection, a fluorescent material, comprising:

first storing means for storing the visible radiation image of the object;
second storing means for storing the fluorescent image of the object;
means for irradiating the object with visible radiation and excitation radiation alternately to obtain a visible radiation image and a fluorescent image of the object;
means for supplying the visible radiation image and the fluorescent image to the first and second storing means, respectively;
means for intensifying the fluorescent image to a predetermined level;
image displaying means for processing and displaying the images from the first and second storing means;
and
controlling means for controlling the irradiating means, first and second storing means, and image displaying means such that the visible radiation image and the fluorescent image are simultaneously displayed on the image displaying means.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Endoscopic system for producing fluorescent and visible images

Life of this patent

Endoscopic system for producing fluorescent and visible images

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9