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US 8,786,690 B2Granted
Imaging apparatus, endoscope system, and method of controlling imaging apparatus
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorKoichiro Yoshino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging section that images an object, an observation mode setting section that sets an observation mode when the imaging section images the object, and a control section that controls an image read mode in which an image is read from the imaging section and a in-focus object plane of the imaging section based on the observation mode set by the observation mode setting section.
Claims14
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- an imaging section that images an object;
- an observation mode setting section that sets an observation mode when the imaging section images the object;
- and
- a control section that switches an image read mode from a plurality of read modes in which an image is read from the imaging section and controls an in-focus object plane of the imaging section based on the observation mode set by the observation mode setting section;
- wherein
- the control section switches the image read mode from a distant observation mode and close observation mode, the distant observation mode performs a pixel binning read process, and the close observation mode performs an all-pixel read process;
- the control section, in a close observation mode, controls the in-focus object plane of the imaging section so that the in-focus object plane of the imaging section in the close observation mode is closer to the imaging section than that in the distant observation mode;
- the control section variably sets a depth of field by performing the pixel binning read process even if the in-focus object plane of the imaging section is fixed;
- a depth of field D1 is specified by a permissible circle of confusion corresponding to a pixel pitch of an imaging element included in the imaging section;
- a depth of field D2 is a depth of field in the distant observation mode;
- and
- the depth of field D1 and the depth of field D2 satisfying the relationship D2>D1.
9 more elements
An endoscope system comprising:
- an imaging section that images an object;
- an observation mode setting section that sets an observation mode when the imaging section images the object;
- and
- a control section that switches an image read mode from a plurality of read modes in which an image is read from the imaging section and controls an in-focus object plane of the imaging section based on the observation mode set by the observation mode setting section;
- wherein
- the control section switches the image read mode from a distant observation mode and close observation mode, the distant observation mode performs a pixel binning read process, and the close observation mode performs an all-pixel read process;
- the control section, in a close observation mode, controls the in-focus object plane of the imaging section so that the in-focus object plane of the imaging section in the close observation mode is closer to the imaging section than that in the distant observation mode;
- the control section variably sets a depth of field by performing the pixel binning read process even if the in-focus object plane of the imaging section is fixed;
- a depth of field D1 is specified by a permissible circle of confusion corresponding to a pixel pitch of an imaging element included in the imaging section;
- a depth of field D2 is a depth of field in the distant observation mode;
- and
- the depth of field D1 and the depth of field D2 satisfying the relationship D2>D1.
9 more elements
A method of controlling an imaging apparatus, the method comprising:
- setting an observation mode when an object is imaged;
- switching an image read mode from a plurality of read modes in which an image is read from an imaging section based on the set observation mode;
- controlling an in-focus object plane of the imaging section based on the set observation mode;
- and
- controlling the imaging apparatus so that the imaging apparatus images the object based on the image read mode and the control of the in-focus object plane;
- wherein
- the switching switches the image read mode from a distant observation mode and close observation mode, the distant observation mode performs a pixel binning read process, and the close observation mode performs an all-pixel read process;
- in a close observation mode, the controlling controls the in-focus object plane of the imaging section so that the in-focus object plane of the imaging section in the close observation mode is closer to the imaging section than that in the distant observation mode;
- a depth of field is set by performing the pixel binning read process even if the in-focus object plane of the imaging section is fixed;
- a depth of field D1 is specified by a permissible circle of confusion corresponding to a pixel pitch of an imaging element included in the imaging section;
- a depth of field D2 is a depth of field in the distant observation mode;
- and
- the depth of field D1 and the depth of field D2 satisfying the relationship D2>D1.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.