# US 9,517,002 B2 · Solid state image sensor, endoscope, and endoscope system

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- Number: US 9,517,002 B2
- Document ID: US9517002B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/140,552
- Filed: 2016-04-28
- Published: 2016-08-18
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2014-05-09
- Assignees: Olympus Corporation
- Applicants: Olympus Corporation
- Inventors: Hirohiko Matsuzawa; Masahiro Kawauchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517002B2

## CPC

- A61B 1/05: characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
- A61B 1/00: Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes (examination of body cavities or body tracts using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/12; endoscopic instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/04); Illuminating arrangements therefor (for the eyes A61B3/00)
- A61B 1/00096: {Optical elements}
- A61B 1/005: Flexible endoscopes
- A61B 1/043: {for fluorescence imaging}
- A61B 1/0638: {providing two or more wavelengths}
- A61B 1/07: using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
- G02B 23/24: Instruments {or systems} for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes
- H04N 23/10: for generating image signals from different wavelengths
- H04N 23/12: with one sensor only
- H04N 23/843: {Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values}
- H04N 25/00: Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N 25/134: {based on three different wavelength filter elements}
- H04N 25/135: {based on four or more different wavelength filter elements}
- H04N 25/441: by reading contiguous pixels from selected rows or columns of the array, e.g. interlaced scanning
- H04N 25/46: by combining or binning pixels
- A61B 1/00009: {of image signals during a use of endoscope}
- A61B 1/00045: {Display arrangement}
- A61B 1/044: {for absorption imaging}
- A61B 1/0661: {Endoscope light sources}
- H04N 23/555: {for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A solid state image sensor includes: a light receiving unit where a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements storing charges according to a received light amount are arrayed; a reading unit configured to read an imaging signal based on the charges stored by the light receiving unit; and a color filter. The color filter includes filter units where each the red, green, and blue filters arrayed in four rows and four columns. The filter units are arrayed in a lattice shape. The filter unit is partitioned into read units. Each read unit includes two filters where each transmits light of the same wavelength band are adjacent to each other in one direction. The reading unit is configured to collectively read charges stored by two photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the read unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A solid state image sensor comprising:
a light receiving unit where a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements storing charges according to a received light amount are arrayed in a lattice shape;
a reading unit configured to read an imaging signal based on the charges stored by the light receiving unit; and
a color filter including: red filters where each transmits light of a red wavelength band; green filters where each transmits light of a green wavelength band; and blue filters where each transmits light of a blue wavelength band, each of the red, green, and blue filters being disposed at a position corresponding to any one of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements on a light receiving plane of the light receiving unit,
wherein the color filter includes filter units where each includes the red, green, and blue filters arrayed in four rows and four columns, and the filter units are arrayed in a lattice shape,
wherein the filter unit is set so that a total number of the green filters is six or more and eight or less, a total number of the blue filters is six or more and eight or less, a total number of the red filters is two or more and four or less, and a total number of the red, green, and blue filters is sixteen,
the filter unit is partitioned into read units, each read unit includes two filters where each transmits light of the same wavelength band, and the two filters are adjacent to each other in one direction, and
wherein the reading unit is configured to collectively read charges stored by two photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the read unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The solid state image sensor according to claim 1,
wherein in the read unit, the two filters where each transmits the light of the same wavelength band are adjacent to each other in a row direction, and
wherein the reading unit is configured to read the charges stored by the photoelectric conversion elements in an odd-numbered row or an even-numbered row in accordance with an instruction from an outside.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The solid state image sensor according to claim 1,
wherein in the read unit, the two filters where each transmits the light of the same wavelength band are adjacent to each other in a column direction, and
wherein the reading unit is configured to read the charges stored by the photoelectric conversion elements in an odd-numbered column or an even-numbered column in accordance with an instruction from an outside.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The solid state image sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the filter units has the same filter array.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

An endoscope comprising the solid state image sensor according to claim 1 at a distal end of an insertion unit of the endoscope.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

An endoscope system comprising:
an endoscope provided with the solid state image sensor according to claim 1 at a distal end of an insertion unit of the endoscope;
an illumination unit configured to emit white illumination light including light of red, green, and blue wavelength bands or narrow-band illumination light including: light of a narrow band included in the blue wavelength band; and light of a narrow band included in the green wavelength band; and
an image processing unit connected to the endoscope and configured to generate an image signal for image display based on the imaging signal obtained from the endoscope,
wherein the filter unit is partitioned into basic units, each basic unit where four filters corresponding to two read units adjacent to each other in a direction perpendicular to the one direction are arrayed in two rows and two columns, and
wherein the image processing unit is configured: to generate image information of a single color component for every color component using the basic unit as a unit based on signal values of the photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the read unit; and to generate an image signal for image display based on the generated image information.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The endoscope system according to claim 6,
wherein in the read unit, the two filters where each transmits the light of the same wavelength band are adjacent to each other in a row direction,
wherein the reading unit is configured to read the charges stored by the photoelectric conversion elements in an odd-numbered row or an even-numbered row according to illumination light emitted by the illumination unit, and
wherein the image processing unit is configured to generate the image information using an imaging signal based on the charges which are stored by the photoelectric conversion elements in the odd-numbered row or the even-numbered row and which are read by the reading unit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The endoscope system according to claim 6,
wherein in the read unit, the two filters where each transmits the light of the same wavelength band are adjacent to each other in a column direction,
wherein the reading unit is configured to read the charges stored by the photoelectric conversion elements in an odd-numbered column or an even-numbered column according to illumination light emitted by the illumination unit, and
wherein the image processing unit is configured to generate the image information using the imaging signal based on the charges which are stored by the photoelectric conversion elements in the odd-numbered columns or the even-numbered columns and which are read by the reading unit.