An endoscope system includes an image acquisition section, an attention area setting section, and a dimming control section. The image acquisition section acquires a captured image that includes an object image. The attention area setting section sets an attention area within the captured image based on information from the endoscope system. The dimming control section performs a dimming control process that controls the intensity of illumination light based on the attention area set by the attention area setting section.

A color image sensor captures a reflected image of narrowband light having a wavelength range in which an extinction coefficient varies with a change in an oxygen saturation level of hemoglobin in blood. Thereby a first blue signal, a first green signal, and a first red signal are obtained. The color image sensor captures a reflected image of white light. Thereby a second blue signal, a second green signal, and a second red signal are obtained. Only an oxygen saturation level, out of two or more types of biological functional information including a blood volume and the oxygen saturation level, is obtained based on the first blue signal, the second green signal, and the second red signal. The oxygen saturation level is visualized to produce an oxygen saturation image.

A polarization-based colposcopy apparatus includes a polarization exchanging beam splitter pair oriented so that s- and p-polarizations are exchanged. An optical flux from a specimen is directed through the pair, and orthogonal components thereof are alternately or selectively coupled to an array detector. The detected images are processed based on image correlations to reveal specimen structures.

First RGB image signals are inputted. A first B/G ratio and a first G/R ratio are calculated. The first B/G ratio and the first G/R ratio are converted into a second B/G ratio and a second G/R ratio, respectively, through a color information conversion process. Owing to the color information conversion process, a difference between first and second observation areas in a second signal ratio space formed by the second B/G ratio and the second G/R ratio is greater than a difference between the first and second observation areas in a first signal ratio space formed by the first B/G ratio and the first G/R ratio, and a difference between the first and third observation areas in the second signal ratio space is greater than a difference between the first and third observation areas in the first signal ratio space.

An endoscope apparatus enables observation using reflected light of white light and observation using fluorescence, and includes: an insertion portion configured to be insertable into a subject; an objective optical system; a transmitting optical system; a camera unit; an optical splitter configured to split light exiting through the transmitting optical system; an optical filter disposed in the transmitting optical system or the camera unit, the optical filter being configured to transmit the reflected light of the white light and the fluorescence and block the reflected light of the excitation light; a first image pickup device for picking up an image of the reflected light of the white light exiting through the optical filter and the optical splitter; and a second image pickup device for picking up an image of the fluorescence exiting through the optical filter and the optical splitter.

An image processing apparatus is configured to: perform averaging processing on pixel values of pixels having different color filters to obtain a signal value, and generate motion detection images based on the signal value in such a way that, in WLI, a weight of a pixel value for a filter for passing light of a luminance component of a captured image in WLI is set to be larger than or equal to a weight of a pixel value for a different filter while in NBI, a weight of a pixel value for a filter for passing light of a luminance component of a captured image in NBI is set to be larger than or equal to a weight of a pixel value for a different filter; and detect motion between two of the motion detection images generated based on the captured images at different points in time.

An endoscope apparatus includes: an endoscope including an insertion portion with flexibility inserted into paranasal sinus of a subject and capable of emitting illuminating light from a distal end of the insertion portion toward the subject inside of the paranasal sinus; and an illumination mechanism configured to emit the illuminating light from the endoscope to the subject in a predetermined direction of an irradiation range of the illuminating light in a mode different from other directions.

An optical endoluminal far-field microscopic imaging catheter comprises a light generating system, a first light delivery conduit for propagating light generated by the light generating system and a light distributor configured to redirect light propagated by the delivery conduit into a direction of an object to be imaged. A discriminator is configured for capturing light reflected from the object incident on a window of the discriminator from a particular direction and transmitting only the light captured from the particular direction to a second light delivery conduit. A drive mechanism is configured to sweep the window through a plurality of directions in a predictable pattern for matching each light capture event in the window with a direction of the window during the event. An analyzer matches the direction of the window with an associated light capture event and generate a visible image based on a mosaic of the captured light.

An endoscope system includes: a light source unit that alternatingly emits first illumination light and second illumination light; an imaging means for generating a first image signal of a subject illuminated by the first illumination light, and generating a second image signal of the subject illuminated by the second illumination light; a first image signal storing means for storing the first image signals; a second image signal storing means for storing the second image signals; an image evaluation value calculating means for calculating at least one of image evaluation values based on the first image signals and image evaluation values based on the second image signals; an image signal selecting means for selecting a first display image signal and selecting a second display image signal based on the image evaluation values; and a displaying means for displaying a first image and a second image that are based on the first display image signal and the second display image signal respectively.

A light source for medical or surgical procedures is provided which can provide at least three different imaging modes. Modular light engines are also provided which may be interchangeable within a light source system for increased imaging capability. Methods of using such light sources and modular light engines are also provided.