Endoscope system and parameter control device

Abstract

An endoscope system (1) includes an endoscope (2), a video processor (3), and a parameter control device (5). The parameter control device (5) controls a plurality of parameters used in the endoscope (2) and the video processor (3) so that the endoscope (2) and the video processor (3) perform a predetermined process. The parameter control device (5) includes a data collection unit (51), a determination unit (52), and a parameter determination unit (53). The determination unit (52) determines the content of the restriction process by determining a plurality of information acquired by the data collection unit (51), and determines the content of the recovery process in a manner that restores the function for displaying an endoscopic image that has been reduced due to the restriction process. The parameter determination unit (53) determines one or more parameters used in the restriction process and one or more parameters used in the recovery process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an endoscope system and a parameter control device capable of executing a restriction process for selectively restricting the movement of an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, endoscopes have been widely used in the medical field and the industrial field. In particular, endoscopes used in the medical field are widely used for observing organs in body cavities, performing treatment measures using treatment instruments, and performing surgical operations under endoscopic observation.

[0003] In recent years, due to the progress of semiconductor technology and the power saving achieved by using LED as a light source for illumination, battery-driven wireless endoscopes equipped with rechargeable batteries have begun to be put into practical use. The wireless endoscope is configured to have a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a video processor to compress the image data captured by the imaging element and transmit it wirelessly.

[0004] In a wireless endoscope, it is desirable to be able to perform power consumption reduction processing to reduce the power consumption of the endoscope as needed, so as to suppress the internal temperature rise to prevent the degradation of functions such as battery degradation or to suppress the battery consumption to extend the operating time. In addition, in a wireless endoscope, it is desirable to increase the compression rate of image data in a situation where the wireless environment is deteriorated to prevent the interruption of wireless communication, and on the other hand, it is desirable to be able to perform compression rate change processing such as reducing the compression rate of image data in important scenes to obtain an endoscopic image with high image quality.

[0005] International Publication No. 2017 / 029839 discloses a wireless endoscope that performs a power-saving operation of increasing the image compression rate or reducing the amount of illumination light when replacing the battery. Japanese Patent Gazette No. 4800695 discloses an endoscope device that reduces power consumption by controlling the operation of each part of the main body according to the internal temperature of the main body of the endoscope device and the actual inspection status. International Publication No. 2016 / 052175 discloses a portable endoscope system that calculates the compression rate of an endoscopic image based on the judgment result of the category of the surgical technical scene.

[0006] The wireless endoscope has a function for displaying an endoscopic image, which is to maintain the image quality of the endoscopic image at a predetermined level or higher. When a process (hereinafter referred to as a restriction process) for selectively restricting the operation of the wireless endoscope, such as a process for reducing power consumption or a process for increasing the compression rate of image data, is performed, the above-mentioned function is impaired. In addition, an endoscopic image with high image quality is required in important scenes, but if the restriction process is performed, an endoscopic image with high image quality cannot be obtained, and thus the user's needs cannot be met.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope system and a parameter control device capable of restoring a function for displaying an endoscopic image when a restriction process is executed. Summary of the invention

[0008] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] An endoscope system according to one embodiment of the present invention has a function for displaying an endoscopic image, and the endoscope system comprises: an endoscope; a video processor which is physically separated from the endoscope; and a parameter control device which controls a plurality of parameters used in the endoscope and the video processor so as to cause the endoscope and the video processor to perform a prescribed process, wherein the endoscope comprises: a gripping portion which is gripped by a user; an imaging portion which captures an image of a subject to generate image data; an illumination portion which illuminates the subject; a first image processing portion which performs compression processing to compress the image data to generate compressed data; a first wireless communication portion which uses wireless communication to transmit the compressed data; and a power supply portion which has a battery, the power supply portion being used to supply power of the battery to the imaging portion, the illumination portion, the first image processing portion, and the first wireless communication portion, and the video processor comprises: a second wireless communication portion which receives the compressed data transmitted; and a second image processing portion which decompresses the compressed data The parameter control device is configured to compress the image data to generate decompressed image data corresponding to the image data, and perform prescribed image processing on the decompressed image data to generate the endoscopic image, the parameter control device comprising: a data collection unit, which acquires a plurality of information, as the plurality of information, there is information related to the temperature of the holding portion, information related to the wireless environment between the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit, and at least one of the information related to the remaining amount of the battery, and information related to the endoscopic scene; a determination unit, which determines the content of the restriction processing for selectively restricting the action of the endoscope by determining the plurality of information, and determines the content of the recovery processing for causing the video processor to perform the action in a manner that restores the function of displaying the endoscopic image that has been reduced due to the restriction processing; and a parameter determination unit, which determines one or more parameters used in the restriction processing of the content determined by the determination unit, and one or more parameters used in the recovery processing of the content determined by the determination unit.

[0010] A parameter control device in one embodiment of the present invention is used in an endoscope system, wherein the endoscope system has a function for displaying an endoscopic image and is provided with an endoscope and a video processor physically separated from the endoscope, wherein the parameter control device causes the endoscope and the video processor to perform specified processing by controlling a plurality of parameters used in the endoscope and the video processor, wherein the endoscope comprises: a holding portion for holding by a user; an imaging portion for photographing a subject to generate image data; an illumination portion for illuminating the subject; a first image processing portion for compressing the image data to generate compression data; a first wireless communication portion for transmitting the compressed data wirelessly; and a power supply portion having a battery, wherein the power supply portion is used to supply power to the imaging portion, the illumination portion, the first image processing portion, and the first wireless communication portion, wherein the video processor comprises: a second wireless communication portion for receiving the compressed data to be transmitted; and a second image processing portion for processing the compressed data. The parameter control device is configured to perform decompression to generate decompressed image data corresponding to the image data, and perform prescribed image processing on the decompressed image data to generate the endoscopic image, the parameter control device comprising: a data collection unit that acquires a plurality of information, wherein the plurality of information includes at least one of information related to the temperature of the holding unit, information related to the wireless environment between the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit, and information related to the remaining amount of the battery, and information related to the endoscopic scene; a determination unit that determines the content of the restriction processing for selectively restricting the action of the endoscope by determining the plurality of information, and determines the content of the recovery processing for causing the video processor to perform the action in a manner that restores the function of displaying the endoscopic image that has been reduced due to the restriction processing; and a parameter determination unit that determines one or more parameters used in the restriction processing of the content determined by the determination unit, and one or more parameters used in the recovery processing of the content determined by the determination unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an endoscope and a parameter control device in the endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a video processor and a display unit of the endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing another part of the operation of the endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing another part of the operation of the endoscope system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a first portion of an endoscope and a parameter control device of an endoscope system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Fig. 9 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a second portion of a video processor and a parameter control device of an endoscope system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] [First embodiment]

[0022] (Structure of endoscope system)

[0023] First, a schematic configuration of an endoscope system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an endoscope system 1 according to the present embodiment. The endoscope system 1 according to the present embodiment is a wireless endoscope system including a wireless endoscope 2 which is a battery-driven portable endoscope. The wireless endoscope 2 is hereinafter simply referred to as the endoscope 2.

[0024] The endoscope system 1 is configured to have a function for displaying an endoscopic image captured by the endoscope 2. Specifically, the endoscope system 1 further includes a video processor 3 physically separated from the endoscope 2, and a display unit 4 connected to the video processor 3. The video processor 3 is wirelessly connected to the endoscope 2, and the video processor 3 is used to perform a predetermined image processing described later to generate an endoscopic image. The display unit 4 is composed of a monitor device and the like, and is used to display the endoscopic image and the like.

[0025] like Figure 1As shown, in the operating room, a video processor 3, a display unit 4, and various medical devices are placed on a cart 6. The medical devices placed on the cart 6 include, for example, an electric scalpel device, a pneumoperitoneum device, a video recorder, and a gas tank filled with carbon dioxide.

[0026] In addition, the configurations of the video processor 3 and the display unit 4 are not limited to Figure 1 For example, the endoscope system 1 may include a video processor integrated with a display unit instead of the video processor 3 and the display unit 4 .

[0027] The endoscope 2 includes an elongated insertion portion 2A to be inserted into a body cavity, and an operation portion 2B having a grip portion 2Ba to be gripped by a user. The operation portion 2B is provided at the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 2A.

[0028] The endoscope 2 further includes an imaging unit 21 for capturing an image of a subject to generate image data, and an illumination unit 22 for illuminating the subject. The subject is, for example, an affected part in the subject. The imaging unit 21 includes an imaging element (not shown) such as a CCD or CMOS provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 2A.

[0029] The lighting unit 22 is composed of a light source for lighting, which includes a light-emitting diode or other light-emitting element not shown in the figure, and a lens not shown in the figure. The lens not shown in the figure is arranged at the front end of the insertion unit 2A. The illumination light generated by the illumination light source is irradiated to the subject through the lens. The return light from the subject obtained by the above-mentioned illumination light is imaged on the imaging surface of the imaging element of the imaging unit 21. In addition, the illumination light source can also be arranged in the operating unit 2B. In this case, the illumination light generated by the illumination light source is guided to the front end of the insertion unit 2A by a light guide not shown in the figure.

[0030] The endoscope system 1 further includes a parameter control device 5 according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 Parameter control device 5 is shown in FIG. Parameter control device 5 is a device that controls a plurality of parameters used in endoscope 2 and video processor 3 to cause endoscope 2 and video processor 3 to execute predetermined processing.

[0031] (Structure of endoscope and parameter control device)

[0032] Next, refer to Figure 2 The structures of the endoscope 2 and the parameter control device 5 will be described in detail. Figure 2 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the endoscope 2 and the parameter control device 5. In the present embodiment, the entire parameter control device 5 is provided in the endoscope 2.

[0033] like Figure 2As shown, the endoscope 2 includes a first image processing unit (hereinafter simply referred to as an image processing unit) 23, a first wireless communication unit 24A, an antenna 24B, a power supply unit 25, and a temperature sensor 26 in addition to the gripping unit 2Ba, the imaging unit 21, and the lighting unit 22. The imaging unit 21 generates image data based on the optical image of the object by photoelectric conversion, and outputs the image data to the image processing unit 23.

[0034] The image processing unit 23 includes a compression processing unit 23A. The compression processing unit 23A performs compression processing to compress the image data generated by the camera unit 21 to generate compressed data. A compression parameter for specifying the data amount of the compressed data is used in the compression processing. The compression parameter has a corresponding relationship with the compression rate of the compressed data. The image processing unit 23 outputs the generated compressed data to the first wireless communication unit 24A, and outputs the current compression parameter to the parameter control device 5. In addition, the image processing unit 23 outputs the image data for detecting the endoscope scene to the parameter control device 5 as information related to the endoscope scene.

[0035] The first wireless communication unit 24A includes a wireless transmission circuit (not shown) for generating a signal to be transmitted wirelessly and a wireless reception circuit (not shown) for demodulating a signal received wirelessly, and the first wireless communication unit 24A transmits and receives a predetermined signal wirelessly between the first wireless communication unit 24A and the video processor 3 via the antenna 24B. The predetermined signal includes compressed data and a plurality of parameters described later.

[0036] The first wireless communication unit 24A also includes an unillustrated environment detection circuit for detecting the state of the wireless communication environment (hereinafter simply referred to as the wireless environment). The environment detection circuit, for example, detects wireless communication devices that use the same frequency band as the state of the wireless environment. The first wireless communication unit 24A outputs information related to the wireless environment detected by the environment detection circuit to the parameter control device 5. In addition, the first wireless communication unit 24A can directly output the detection result of the environment detection circuit, or calculate the amount of transmittable data based on the detection result of the environment detection circuit and output the calculated amount of transmittable data. The amount of transmittable data in wireless communication varies according to the wireless environment in addition to being specified by the wireless communication specifications. The amount of transmittable data is specified, for example, by the amount of data that can be transmitted during the time it takes to send one frame of image data. For example, if the number of wireless communication devices using the same frequency band increases, the amount of transmittable data decreases.

[0037] In addition, the first wireless communication unit 24A and the second wireless communication unit described later may also be configured to be able to use multiple bandwidths, such as the 60 GHz band and the 5 GHz band for wireless communication. In this case, the 60 GHz band is used, for example, to send and receive compressed data. The 5 GHz band is used, for example, to send and receive multiple parameters.

[0038] The power supply unit 25 includes a battery 25A, and the power supply unit 25 supplies power to each unit of the endoscope 2 including the imaging unit 21, the lighting unit 22, the image processing unit 23, and the first wireless communication unit 24A. The battery 25A is configured to be mounted on the operation unit 2B (see Figure 1 ). In addition, the power supply unit 25 includes a battery remaining amount detection circuit (not shown) for detecting the remaining amount of the battery 25A. The power supply unit 25 outputs information on the detected remaining amount of the battery 25A to the parameter control device 5.

[0039] The temperature sensor 26 is configured to measure the temperature of the grip portion 2Ba (see Figure 1 ) and outputs the measurement result of the temperature of the holding portion 2Ba to the parameter control device 5. In addition, the endoscope 2 may include one or more temperature sensors for measuring the temperature of each part in the endoscope 2 except the holding portion 2Ba and the temperature sensor 26 in addition to the temperature sensor 26.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the parameter control device 5 includes a data collection unit 51, a determination unit 52, a parameter determination unit 53, and a parameter sending unit 54. The determination unit 52, the parameter determination unit 53, and the parameter sending unit 54 constitute the control unit 5A, which is the main part of the parameter control device 5. The determination unit 52 and the parameter determination unit 53 can also be said to be provided in the endoscope 2. The data collection unit 51 acquires a plurality of information related to the endoscope system 1. The structure of the data collection unit 51 will be described later.

[0041] Here, the process of selectively limiting the operation of the endoscope 2 is referred to as a limiting process. In addition, the process of causing the video processor 3 to operate in a manner to restore the function of displaying the endoscopic image that has been reduced due to the limiting process is referred to as a recovery process. The determination unit 52 determines the content of the limiting process and the content of the recovery process by determining the plurality of information acquired by the data collection unit 51.

[0042] The function for displaying an endoscopic image is specifically a function for causing the display unit 4 to continuously display an endoscopic image that meets the needs of the user. In the present embodiment, as the function for displaying an endoscopic image, at least a battery operation function for operating the endoscope 2 by means of the battery 25A, a wireless transmission function for transmitting image data from the endoscope 2 to the video processor 3 using wireless, and an image quality maintenance function for maintaining the image quality of the endoscopic image at a level above a prescribed level are included. When the restriction process is executed, the battery operation function and the wireless transmission function are maintained, but the image quality maintenance function is reduced. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the image quality maintenance function is restored by executing the recovery process.

[0043] The parameter determination unit 53 determines one or more parameters used in the process of limiting the content determined by the determination unit 52 and one or more parameters used in the process of restoring the content determined by the determination unit 52 .

[0044] The parameter transmission unit 54 transmits the plurality of parameters determined by the parameter determination unit 53 to each unit of the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3. In the endoscope 2, the illumination unit 22 and the compression processing unit 23A receive the parameters transmitted from the parameter transmission unit 54. In the video processor 3, the main control unit described later receives the parameters transmitted from the parameter transmission unit 54.

[0045] The endoscope 2 further includes a main control unit (not shown). The main control unit controls each unit in the endoscope 2 including the parameter control device 5 and controls the power supply unit 25 to supply power to each unit in the endoscope 2 including the parameter control device 5.

[0046] (Structure of video processor)

[0047] Next, refer to Figure 3 The structure of the video processor 3 will be described. Figure 3 4 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the video processor 3 and the display unit 4. Figure 3 As shown, the video processor 3 includes a second wireless communication unit 31A, an antenna 31B, a second image processing unit (hereinafter simply referred to as an image processing unit) 32, a main control unit 36 ​​and a user interface unit (hereinafter referred to as a user IF unit) 37.

[0048] The second wireless communication unit 31A and the antenna 31B may be built into the main body of the video processor 3, or may be built into a wireless receiver 30 that is separate from the main body of the video processor 3. Figure 1 2 shows a wireless receiver 30. The wireless receiver 30 is configured to be connected to the main body of the video processor 3 via a connector (not shown).

[0049] The second wireless communication unit 31A includes a wireless transmission circuit (not shown) for generating a signal to be transmitted wirelessly, and a wireless reception circuit (not shown) for demodulating a signal received wirelessly, and the second wireless communication unit 31A transmits and receives a predetermined signal wirelessly between the second wireless communication unit 31A and the endoscope 2 via the antenna 31B. The predetermined signal includes compressed data transmitted from the first wireless communication unit 24A and a plurality of parameters transmitted from the parameter transmission unit 54. The second wireless communication unit 31A outputs the compressed data to the image processing unit 32, and outputs the plurality of parameters to the main control unit 36.

[0050] The second wireless communication unit 31A may also include an environment detection circuit (not shown) for detecting the state of the wireless environment. The function of the environment detection circuit of the second wireless communication unit 31A is the same as that of the environment detection circuit of the first wireless communication unit 24A. The second wireless communication unit 31A outputs information related to the wireless environment detected by the environment detection circuit to the parameter control device 5 via wireless communication between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3. The content of the information related to the wireless environment output by the second wireless communication unit 31A is the same as the content of the information related to the wireless environment output by the aforementioned first wireless communication unit 24A.

[0051] The image processing unit 32 decompresses the compressed data to generate decompressed image data corresponding to the image data, and performs predetermined image processing on the decompressed image data to generate an endoscopic image. In this embodiment, the image processing unit 32 includes a decompression processing unit 33 that generates decompressed image data, a restoration processing unit 34, and a development unit 35.

[0052] The restoration processing unit 34 performs at least one image restoration process on the decompressed image data to improve the image quality of the endoscopic image. In the present embodiment, in particular, the restoration processing unit 34 is configured to be able to perform a brightness correction process for correcting the brightness of the decompressed image data as at least one image restoration process. Specifically, the restoration processing unit 34 includes a filter processing unit 34A that performs the brightness correction process and a multiplication processing unit 34B.

[0053] The filter processing unit 34A performs a filter process for correcting the brightness of an arbitrary pixel using a plurality of pixel values ​​in a predetermined area including an arbitrary pixel in the decompressed image data and a plurality of pixels surrounding the pixel and a first brightness parameter. The filter process may be, for example, a process of multiplying the brightness values ​​of a plurality of pixels surrounding the pixel by a coefficient (weight) for each RGB channel and adding the result to the brightness value of the arbitrary pixel. In this case, the first brightness parameter may be a coefficient (weight) multiplied by the brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels.

[0054] The multiplication processing unit 34B performs a multiplication process for correcting the brightness of any one pixel using the pixel value of any one pixel and the second brightness parameter. The multiplication process may also be a process of multiplying the brightness value of any one pixel by the second brightness parameter as a multiplier. In this case, the second brightness parameter may be a constant or a value that changes according to the brightness value as in gamma correction. In the latter case, the multiplication process is performed using a table indicating the relationship between the brightness value and the second brightness parameter.

[0055] In addition, as the effect of the filtering process increases, the corrected decompressed image data becomes brighter, but the resolution of the corrected decompressed image data decreases. In addition, as the effect of the multiplication process increases, the corrected decompressed image data becomes brighter, but the noise of the corrected decompressed image data increases. Therefore, it is necessary to set the first brightness parameter so that the resolution of the corrected decompressed image data does not decrease excessively and set the second brightness parameter so that the noise of the corrected decompressed image data does not increase excessively while performing the filtering process and the multiplication process to brighten the endoscopic image, so as to obtain an endoscopic image with high image quality and high resolution.

[0056] The developing unit 35 performs a developing process for converting the decompressed image data into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 4 to generate an endoscopic image. The image processing unit 32 outputs the generated endoscopic image to the display unit 4.

[0057] The user IF unit 37 is an interface for accepting user operations. Specifically, the user IF unit 37 is composed of, for example, a front panel and various switches of a control system, and the user IF unit 37 outputs an operation signal based on the user operation to the main control unit 36. The user operation includes, for example, starting the endoscope system 1, disconnecting the power supply of the endoscope system 1, specifying the observation mode of the endoscope 2, setting related to image display, and setting the operation mode of the endoscope 2.

[0058] The main control unit 36 ​​controls each unit in the video processor 3, and controls a power supply unit (not shown) provided in the video processor 3 to supply power to each unit in the video processor 3. In addition, the main control unit 36 ​​receives the parameters sent from the parameter sending unit 54, and outputs the received parameters to the restoration processing unit 34. In addition, the main control unit 36 ​​outputs information based on the operation signal input from the user IF unit 37 to each unit of the video processor 3, and outputs it to the main control unit (not shown) of the endoscope 2 via wireless communication between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3. Thus, the main control unit 36 ​​can provide various instructions to each unit of the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3.

[0059] (Hardware Structure)

[0060] Here, refer to Figure 4 The hardware configuration of the endoscope system 1 will be described. Figure 4 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the endoscope system 1. Figure 4 In the example shown, the endoscope 2 includes a processor 20A, a memory 20B, and an input / output unit 20C. In addition, the video processor 3 includes a processor 30A, a memory 30B, and an input / output unit 30C.

[0061] The processor 20A is used to execute the functions of the image processing unit 23, the first wireless communication unit 24A, the power supply unit 25, and the main control unit (not shown) as the components of the endoscope 2, and the functions of the data collection unit 51, the determination unit 52, the parameter determination unit 53, and the parameter transmission unit 54 as the components of the parameter control device 5. The processor 30A is used to execute the functions of the second wireless communication unit 31A, the image processing unit 32, and the main control unit 36 ​​as the components of the video processor 3. The processors 20A and 30A are each composed of, for example, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). At least a part of the multiple components of the endoscope 2, the video processor 3, and the parameter control device 5 can be configured as a circuit block in the FPGA.

[0062] The memories 20B and 30B are each composed of a rewritable storage element such as a RAM. The input / output unit 20C is used to send and receive signals between the endoscope 2 and the outside. The input / output unit 30C is used to send and receive signals between the video processor 3 and the outside. In this embodiment, the input / output units 20C and 30C are used to send and receive signals between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 using wireless communication.

[0063] In addition, the processors 20A and 30A may also be respectively constituted by a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU). In this case, the functions of the components of the endoscope 2 and the parameter control device 5 may also be realized by the CPU reading a program from the memory 20B or a storage device not shown and executing the program. Similarly, the functions of the components of the video processor 3 may also be realized by the CPU reading a program from the memory 30B or a storage device not shown and executing the program.

[0064] In addition, the hardware structure of the endoscope system 1 is not limited to Figure 4 For example, the plurality of components of the endoscope 2, the video processor 3, and the parameter control device 5 may be configured as separate electronic circuits.

[0065] (Parameter control device operation)

[0066] Next, the operation of the parameter control device 5 will be described.

[0067] (Structure and operation of data collection unit)

[0068] First, refer to Figure 2 The structure and operation of the data collection unit 51 are described below. The data collection unit 51 acquires a plurality of information, including information related to the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba, information related to the wireless environment between the first wireless communication unit 24A and the second wireless communication unit 31A, and at least one of information related to the remaining amount of the battery 25A, and information related to the endoscope scene. In the present embodiment, the data collection unit 51 includes a temperature information acquisition unit 51A, a wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B, a battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 51C, and a scene detection unit 51E. The temperature information acquisition unit 51A, the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B, the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 51C, and the scene detection unit 51E can also be said to be provided in the endoscope 2.

[0069] The temperature information acquisition unit 51A acquires information on the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba. In the present embodiment, the temperature information acquisition unit 51A is configured to receive the measurement result of the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba output by the temperature sensor 26 .

[0070] The wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B acquires information related to the wireless environment. In the present embodiment, the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B is configured to input the information related to the wireless environment output by the first wireless communication unit 24A. The wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B acquires the detection result of the environment detection circuit of the first wireless communication unit 24A or the amount of data that can be transmitted calculated based on the detection result of the environment detection circuit as the information related to the wireless environment. In the case where the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B acquires the detection result of the environment detection circuit, the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B can also calculate the amount of data that can be transmitted based on the detection result of the environment detection circuit.

[0071] Furthermore, as described above, when the second wireless communication unit 31A includes an environment detection circuit, the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B may be configured to input the information related to the wireless environment output by the second wireless communication unit 31A. In this case, the information related to the wireless environment acquired by the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B may be the information output by the first wireless communication unit 24A or the information output by the second wireless communication unit 31A.

[0072] The battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 51C acquires information on the remaining amount of the battery 25A. In the present embodiment, the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 51C is configured to receive information on the remaining amount of the battery 25A output from the power supply unit 25.

[0073] The scene detection unit 51E acquires information related to the endoscope scene. In the present embodiment, the image data for detecting the endoscope scene is input to the scene detection unit 51E as information related to the endoscope scene output by the image processing unit 23. In addition, the scene detection unit 51E detects the endoscope scene by analyzing the acquired image data. As the endoscope scene, for example, there are a detailed inspection scene performed in the case of finely observing blood vessels, a screening scene performed in the case of moving the insertion unit 2A while exploring whether there is an abnormal part, and an in vitro scene in which the insertion unit 2A is located outside the body.

[0074] The data collection unit 51 further includes a compression information acquisition unit 51D. The compression information acquisition unit 51D acquires information related to compression processing. In the present embodiment, the compression parameter output by the image processing unit 23 is input to the compression information acquisition unit 51D.

[0075] (Operation of the Judgment Unit)

[0076] Next, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 Next, the operation of the control unit 5A of the parameter control device 5, that is, the operation of the determination unit 52, the parameter determination unit 53, and the parameter transmission unit 54 will be described. First, the operation of the determination unit 52 will be described. The determination unit 52 determines a plurality of information, including information on the temperature of the gripping unit 2Ba acquired by the temperature information acquisition unit 51A, information on the wireless environment acquired by the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B, information on the remaining amount of the battery 25A acquired by the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 51C, and information on the endoscope scene acquired by the scene detection unit 51E.

[0077] The actions of the determination unit 52 related to the information related to the temperature of the grip 2Ba, the information related to the remaining amount of the battery 25A, and the information related to the endoscope scene are as follows. The determination unit 52 determines whether the temperature of the grip 2Ba is above a prescribed temperature threshold, and determines whether the remaining amount of the battery 25A is less than a prescribed battery threshold. Moreover, when the determination unit 52 determines that at least one of the temperature of the grip 2Ba is above a prescribed temperature threshold and the remaining amount of the battery 25A is less than a prescribed battery threshold, the determination unit 52 decides to execute the power consumption reduction process as the restriction process. In the following, the temperature of the grip 2Ba being above a prescribed temperature threshold and the remaining amount of the battery 25A being less than a prescribed battery threshold are referred to as the execution conditions of the power consumption reduction process.

[0078] The power consumption reduction process is a process for causing the endoscope 2 to operate in a manner that reduces the power consumption of the battery 25A compared to a case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed. In the present embodiment, the power consumption reduction process includes at least the illumination light amount change process of the illumination light amount change process for changing the illumination light amount of the illumination unit 22 and the compression amount change process for changing the data amount of compressed data. In the present embodiment, as described later, the determination result of the information on the remaining amount of the battery 25A and the information on the endoscope scene is used to determine whether to execute only the illumination light amount change process or to execute both the illumination light amount change process and the compression amount change process.

[0079] In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines to execute the power consumption reduction process, the determination unit 52 determines to change the content of the brightness correction process performed in the restoration process unit 34 as the restoration process. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 52 determines to change the content of the filtering process performed in the filtering process unit 34A and the content of the multiplication process performed in the multiplication process unit 34B. Specifically, the determination unit 52 determines to execute the filtering process that enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the restoration process is not executed, that is, the strong filtering process, and determines to execute the multiplication process that enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the restoration process is not executed, that is, the strong multiplication process.

[0080] The determination unit 52 also determines whether the endoscope scene is a scene requiring a high-resolution endoscope image (hereinafter referred to as a high-resolution scene) such as a detailed examination scene. The determination unit 52 changes the content of the power consumption reduction processing and the content of the brightness correction processing according to whether the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene.

[0081] Specifically, when the determination unit 52 determines that the execution condition of the power consumption reduction process is satisfied and that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 determines to preferentially execute the illumination light amount change process of the illumination light amount change process and the compression amount change process. In this case, the determination unit 52 may determine to execute only the illumination light amount change process. Alternatively, the determination unit 52 may determine to execute both the illumination light amount change process and the compression amount change process in such a manner that the reduction amount of the power consumption of the battery 25A reduced by the illumination light amount change process is greater than the reduction amount of the power consumption of the battery 25A reduced by the compression amount change process.

[0082] In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the execution conditions of the power consumption reduction processing are met but the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 decides to execute both the illumination light amount change processing and the compression amount change processing, and decides to execute the compression amount change processing in a manner that reduces the data amount of the compressed data compared to the case where the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene.

[0083] In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines to execute the power consumption reduction process and determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 determines to execute the strong filtering process that enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene. In addition, regardless of whether the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 determines to execute the above-mentioned strong multiplication process.

[0084] The actions of the determination unit 52 related to the information related to the wireless environment and the information related to the endoscope scene are as follows. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 52 determines whether the wireless environment has deteriorated by determining whether the amount of transmittable data is less than a predetermined threshold value. In addition, when the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B acquires or calculates the amount of transmittable data, the determination unit 52 uses the amount of transmittable data acquired or calculated by the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B. When the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B acquires the detection result of the environment detection circuit and does not calculate the amount of transmittable data, the determination unit 52 uses the detection result of the environment detection circuit acquired by the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B to calculate the amount of transmittable data.

[0085] When the determination unit 52 determines that the amount of data that can be transmitted is less than a predetermined threshold value, the determination unit 52 determines to execute the wireless transmission amount reduction process as the restriction process. In the following, the amount of data that can be transmitted is less than the predetermined threshold value is referred to as the execution condition of the wireless transmission amount reduction process. The wireless transmission amount reduction process is a process for causing the endoscope 2 to operate in a manner that reduces the amount of wireless transmission between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction process is not executed. In the present embodiment, the wireless transmission amount reduction process includes a compression amount change process that changes the amount of compressed data.

[0086] In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines to perform the wireless transmission amount reduction process, the determination unit 52 determines to change the content of the brightness correction process performed in the restoration process unit 34 as the restoration process. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 52 determines to change the content of the filtering process performed in the filtering process unit 34A and the content of the multiplication process performed in the multiplication process unit 34B. Specifically, the determination unit 52 determines to perform a filtering process that weakens the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the restoration process is not performed, that is, a weak filtering process, and determines to perform the aforementioned strong multiplication process.

[0087] In addition, the determination unit 52 changes the content of the wireless transmission amount reduction processing and the content of the brightness correction processing according to whether the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene. Specifically, when the determination unit 52 determines that the execution condition of the wireless transmission amount reduction processing is satisfied and the endoscope scene is determined to be a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 determines to execute the wireless transmission amount reduction processing in a manner that reduces the data amount of compressed data compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction processing is not executed, but increases the data amount of compressed data compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene.

[0088] In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines to perform wireless transmission amount reduction processing and determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 determines to perform weak filtering processing in which the effect of filtering processing is weakened compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed, but the effect of filtering processing is enhanced compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene, and determines to perform strong multiplication processing in which the effect of multiplication processing is enhanced compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed, but the effect of multiplication processing is weakened compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene.

[0089] (Operation of parameter determination unit)

[0090] Next, the operation of the parameter determination unit 53 will be described. The operation of the parameter determination unit 53 related to the power consumption reduction process is as follows. When the determination unit 52 determines that the illumination light amount change process is to be performed, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the illumination parameter for specifying the illumination light amount so as to reduce the illumination light amount of the illumination unit 22 compared to the case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed. In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the compression amount change process is to be performed, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the compression parameter so as to reduce the data amount of the compressed data compared to the case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed.

[0091] In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, when the determination unit 52 decides to perform both the illumination light amount change processing and the compression amount change processing, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the illumination parameter and the compression parameter in such a manner that the amount of reduction in the power consumption of the battery 25A reduced by the illumination light amount change processing is greater than the amount of reduction in the power consumption of the battery 25A reduced by the compression amount change processing.

[0092] In addition, the operation of the parameter determination unit 53 related to the recovery process corresponding to the power consumption reduction process is as follows. The parameter determination unit 53 determines the brightness parameter for defining the relationship between the brightness before correction and the brightness after correction of the decompressed image data in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction process for brightening the endoscopic image compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed. In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscopic scene is a high-resolution scene, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed, but weakens the effect of the brightness correction process compared to the case where the endoscopic scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene.

[0093] In the present embodiment, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the first brightness parameter used in the filtering process and the second brightness parameter used in the multiplication process as brightness parameters. That is, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the first brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the restoration process is not performed, and determines the second brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the restoration process is not performed. In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the first brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene.

[0094] In addition, the operation of the parameter determination unit 53 related to the wireless transmission amount reduction process is as follows. When the determination unit 52 determines that the wireless transmission amount reduction process is to be performed, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the compression parameter so that the data amount of the compressed data is reduced compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction process is not performed. In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 determines the compression parameter so that the data amount of the compressed data is reduced compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction process is not performed, but the data amount of the compressed data is increased compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene.

[0095] In addition, the operation of the parameter determination unit 53 related to the recovery process corresponding to the wireless transmission amount reduction process is as follows. The parameter determination unit 53 determines the first brightness parameter used in the filtering process in a manner that weakens the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed, and determines the second brightness parameter used in the multiplication process in a manner that enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed. In addition, when the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the first brightness parameter in a manner that weakens the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed, but enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene, and determines the second brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed, but weakens the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the endoscope scene is not determined to be a high-resolution scene.

[0096] In this embodiment, the compression parameter acquired by the compression information acquisition unit 51D may be input to the parameter determination unit 53. In this case, the parameter determination unit 53 may determine the compression parameter used in the next compression process based on the determination result of the determination unit 52 and the compression parameter used in the compression process just performed.

[0097] (Operation of parameter sending unit)

[0098] Next, the operation of the parameter transmission unit 54 will be described. The parameter transmission unit 54 transmits the lighting parameter to the lighting unit 22, transmits the compression parameter to the compression processing unit 23A, and transmits the first and second brightness parameters to the main control unit 36 ​​of the video processor 3. The lighting unit 22 changes the lighting light amount of the lighting unit 22 based on the received lighting parameter. The compression processing unit 23A performs compression processing using the received compression parameter.

[0099] The main control unit 36 ​​outputs the received first brightness parameter to the filter processing unit 34A of the restoration processing unit 34, and outputs the received second brightness parameter to the multiplication processing unit 34B of the restoration processing unit 34. The filter processing unit 34A performs a filter process using the first brightness parameter, and the multiplication processing unit 34B performs a multiplication process using the second brightness parameter.

[0100] (Standard Processing)

[0101] Here, the process that the parameter control device 5 causes the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 to execute when the restriction process is not executed, that is, when the power consumption reduction process and the wireless transmission amount reduction process are not executed, is called the standard process. When the determination unit 52 does not determine that the execution conditions of the power consumption reduction process are satisfied, and does not determine that the execution conditions of the wireless transmission amount reduction process are satisfied, the determination unit 52 decides to execute the standard process. In this case, the determination unit 52 may also determine the content of the standard process by determining the information related to the endoscope scene acquired by the scene detection unit 51E. In addition, the parameter determination unit 53 determines the illumination parameter, the compression parameter, the first brightness parameter, and the second brightness parameter used in the standard process of the content determined by the determination unit 52.

[0102] (A series of actions related to the parameter control device)

[0103] Next, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figures 5 to 7 A specific example of a series of operations related to the parameter control device 5 among the operations of the endoscope system 1 will be described. Figure 5 It is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the endoscope system 1 . Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing another part of the operation of the endoscope system 1 . Figure 7 2 is a flowchart showing another part of the operation of the endoscope system 1 .

[0104] like Figure 5 As shown, in a series of actions, first, for example, the user operates a switch for activating the endoscope system 1, and an operation signal for activating the endoscope system 1 is input from the user IF unit 37 to the main control unit 36. The main control unit 36 ​​activates the endoscope system 1 based on the input operation signal (step S11). Next, the main control unit of the endoscope 2 controls the first wireless communication unit 24A, and the main control unit 36 ​​of the video processor 3 controls the second wireless communication unit 31A, thereby establishing a wireless communication connection between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 (step S12).

[0105] Next, the main control unit of the endoscope 2 controls the lighting unit 22 to turn on the power of the lighting light source (step S13), and at the same time, the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 start to execute standard processing. Next, the user starts the insertion operation of inserting the insertion portion 2A of the endoscope 2 into the patient's body (step S14).

[0106] Next, the data collection unit 51 of the parameter control device 5 acquires a plurality of information related to the endoscope system 1 (step S15). Next, the determination unit 52 of the parameter control device 5 determines information related to the remaining amount of the battery 25A (step S16). When the determination unit 52 determines that the remaining amount of the battery 25A is less than a predetermined battery threshold value ("Yes"), the process proceeds to step S17. Figure 6 Step S21.

[0107] If the determination unit 52 determines in step S16 that the remaining amount of the battery 25A is not less than the predetermined battery threshold value ("No"), that is, if the remaining amount of the battery 25A is greater than the predetermined battery threshold value, then the determination unit 52 determines information related to the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba (step S17). If the determination unit 52 determines that the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba is greater than the predetermined temperature threshold value ("Yes"), the process proceeds to step S18. Figure 6 Step S21.

[0108] In step S17, when the determination unit 52 determines that the temperature of the grip 2Ba is not above the predetermined temperature threshold ("No"), that is, when the temperature of the grip 2Ba is less than the predetermined temperature threshold, the determination unit 52 then determines the information related to the wireless environment (step S18). In step S18, the determination unit 52 determines whether the wireless environment has deteriorated by determining whether the amount of data that can be transmitted is less than the predetermined threshold. When the determination unit 52 determines that the amount of data that can be transmitted is less than the predetermined threshold and the wireless environment has deteriorated ("Yes"), the process proceeds to step S18. Figure 7 Step S31.

[0109] In step S18, when the determination unit 52 determines that the amount of data that can be transmitted is greater than the predetermined threshold value and the wireless environment has not deteriorated ("No"), then, for example, the main control unit 36 ​​determines whether to turn off the power of the endoscope system 1 (step S19). Specifically, the main control unit 36 ​​determines whether an operation signal for turning off the power of the endoscope system 1 is input. The operation signal is input to the main control unit 36 ​​from the user IF unit 37, for example, by the user operating a switch for turning off the power of the endoscope system 1. When the operation signal is not input to the main control unit 36, the main control unit 36 ​​determines that the power of the endoscope system 1 is not turned off ("No"), and returns to step S15. When the operation signal is input to the main control unit 36, the main control unit 36 ​​determines that the power of the endoscope system 1 is turned off ("Yes"), and a series of actions are terminated.

[0110] In addition, when returning from step S19 to step S15, when the determination unit 52 determines in the steps described later that the power consumption reduction process or the wireless transmission volume reduction process is to be performed and the parameters become parameters used for the restriction process and the recovery process, the parameter determination unit 53 of the parameter control device 5 restores the parameters to the parameters used in the standard process, and returns to step S15 after the parameter sending unit 54 of the parameter control device 5 executes the process of sending the parameters.

[0111] like Figure 6 As shown, in Figure 5 If the remaining amount of battery 25A is less than a predetermined battery threshold in step S16 or Figure 5 In step S17, when the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba is above the prescribed temperature threshold, the determination unit 52 then determines the information related to the endoscope scene (step S21). When the determination unit 52 determines that it is an important endoscope scene, i.e., a high-resolution scene ("Yes"), the determination unit 52 then determines whether the power consumption reduction process can be performed only by reducing the amount of illumination light (step S22). This determination is performed based on information related to the remaining amount of the battery 25A and information related to the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba. Specifically, when the remaining amount of the battery 25A is a value that is less than the battery threshold but close to the battery threshold, or when the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba is a value that is higher than the temperature threshold but close to the temperature threshold and there is no risk of the endoscope 2 stopping abnormally or the user being unable to hold the gripping portion 2Ba, the determination unit 52 determines that the power consumption reduction process can be performed only by reducing the amount of illumination light.

[0112] If the determination unit 52 determines that the operation is executable (Yes) in step S22, the illumination unit 22 then reduces the illumination light amount (step S23). Then, the filter processing unit 34A performs a strong filter process to greatly enhance the effect of the filter process, and the multiplication processing unit 34B performs a strong multiplication process to greatly enhance the effect of the multiplication process (step S24).

[0113] In the present embodiment, step S23 is realized by the determination unit 52 determining to execute only the illumination light amount change process as the power consumption reduction process. In addition, step S24 is realized by the determination unit 52 determining to execute a strong filtering process that greatly enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the recovery process is not executed and to execute a strong multiplication process that greatly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the recovery process is not executed.

[0114] If the determination unit 52 does not determine that the operation can be performed in step S22 (No), then the illumination unit 22 reduces the illumination light amount, and the compression processing unit 23A performs compression processing to slightly increase the compression rate (step S25). Next, the filter processing unit 34A performs strong filter processing to moderately enhance the effect of the filter processing, and the multiplication processing unit 34B performs strong multiplication processing to greatly enhance the effect of the multiplication processing (step S26).

[0115] In the present embodiment, step S25 is realized by the determination unit 52 determining to execute both the illumination light amount change process and the compression amount change process in such a manner that the reduction amount of the power consumption of the battery 25A reduced by the illumination light amount change process is greater than the reduction amount of the power consumption of the battery 25A reduced by the compression amount change process. In addition, step S26 is realized by the determination unit 52 determining to execute a strong filtering process that moderately enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the recovery process is not executed and to execute a strong multiplication process that greatly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the recovery process is not executed.

[0116] In step S21, when the determination unit 52 determines that the scene is not an important endoscope scene, that is, not a high-resolution scene (No), the illumination unit 22 then significantly reduces the illumination light amount, and the compression processing unit 23A performs compression processing to significantly increase the compression rate (step S27). Next, the filter processing unit 34A performs strong filter processing to slightly enhance the effect of the filter processing, and the multiplication processing unit 34B performs strong multiplication processing to significantly enhance the effect of the multiplication processing (step S28).

[0117] In the present embodiment, step S27 is realized by the determination unit 52 determining to execute both the illumination light amount change process and the compression amount change process. In addition, step S28 is realized by the determination unit 52 determining to execute a strong filtering process that slightly enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the restoration process is not executed, and to execute a strong multiplication process that greatly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the restoration process is not executed.

[0118] An example of setting each parameter for realizing steps S23 to S28 will be described later.

[0119] After executing step S24, S26 or S28, for example, the main control unit 36 ​​determines whether to turn off the power of the endoscope system 1 (step S29). The content of step S29 is the same as Figure 5 The content of step S19 is the same as that of step S19. If the main control unit 36 ​​determines that the power of the endoscope system 1 is not to be turned off ("No"), the control returns to step S19. Figure 5 Step S15. When the main control unit 36 ​​determines that the power of the endoscope system 1 is to be turned off ("Yes"), a series of operations are terminated.

[0120] like Figure 7 As shown, in Figure 5 In the case where the determination unit 52 determines in step S18 that the wireless environment has deteriorated ("Yes"), the determination unit 52 then determines the information related to the endoscope scene (step S31). In the case where the determination unit 52 determines that it is an important endoscope scene, that is, a high-resolution scene ("Yes"), the determination unit 52 then determines whether the deterioration of the wireless environment is small (step S32). This determination is made based on the information related to the wireless environment. Specifically, for example, when the amount of transmittable data is a value that is less than the prescribed threshold but close to the prescribed threshold, the determination unit 52 determines that the deterioration of the wireless environment is small.

[0121] If the determination unit 52 determines in step S32 that the deterioration of the wireless environment is small ("Yes"), then the compression processing unit 23A performs compression processing to slightly increase the compression rate (step S33). Then, the filter processing unit 34A performs weak filter processing to slightly weaken the effect of the filter processing, and the multiplication processing unit 34B performs strong multiplication processing to slightly enhance the effect of the multiplication processing (step S34).

[0122] In the present embodiment, step S33 is implemented by the determination unit 52 determining to perform compression amount change processing. In addition, step S34 is implemented by the determination unit 52 determining to perform weak filtering processing that slightly weakens the effect of filtering processing compared to the case where restoration processing is not performed and to perform strong multiplication processing that slightly enhances the effect of multiplication processing compared to the case where restoration processing is not performed.

[0123] If the determination unit 52 determines in step S32 that the deterioration of the wireless environment is not small (No), then the compression processing unit 23A performs compression processing to increase the compression rate to a moderate degree (step S35). Then, the filtering unit 34A performs weak filtering processing to moderately weaken the effect of the filtering processing, and the multiplication unit 34B performs strong multiplication processing to moderately enhance the effect of the multiplication processing (step S36).

[0124] In the present embodiment, step S35 is implemented by the determination unit 52 determining to perform compression amount change processing. In addition, step S36 is implemented by the determination unit 52 determining to perform weak filtering processing that moderately weakens the effect of filtering processing compared to the case where restoration processing is not performed and to perform strong multiplication processing that moderately enhances the effect of multiplication processing compared to the case where restoration processing is not performed.

[0125] If the determination unit 52 determines in step S31 that the scene is not an important endoscope scene, that is, not a high-resolution scene (No), then a compression process that greatly increases the compression rate is performed (step S37). Next, the filter processing unit 34A performs a weak filter process that greatly weakens the effect of the filter processing, and the multiplication processing unit 34B performs a strong multiplication process that greatly enhances the effect of the multiplication processing (step S38).

[0126] In the present embodiment, step S37 is implemented by the determination unit 52 determining to perform compression amount change processing. In addition, step S38 is implemented by the determination unit 52 determining to perform weak filtering processing that greatly weakens the effect of filtering processing compared to the case where restoration processing is not performed and to perform strong multiplication processing that greatly enhances the effect of multiplication processing compared to the case where restoration processing is not performed.

[0127] An example of setting each parameter for realizing steps S33 to S38 will be described later.

[0128] After executing step S34, S36 or S38, for example, the main control unit 36 ​​determines whether to turn off the power of the endoscope system 1 (step S39). The content of step S39 is the same as Figure 5 The content of step S19 is the same as that of step S19. If the main control unit 36 ​​determines that the power of the endoscope system 1 is not to be turned off ("No"), the control returns to step S19. Figure 5 Step S15. When the main control unit 36 ​​determines that the power of the endoscope system 1 is to be turned off ("Yes"), a series of operations are terminated.

[0129] (Parameter setting example)

[0130] Next, an example of setting each parameter is described. Here, the lighting parameter, the compression parameter, the first brightness parameter, and the second brightness parameter are represented by values ​​greater than 1 and less than 5. The lighting parameter is set so that the lighting light amount is the largest when the value is 1, and the lighting light amount is the smallest when the value is 5. In other words, the effect of the power consumption reduction processing is the smallest when the value of the lighting parameter is 1, and the effect of the power consumption reduction processing is the largest when the value of the lighting parameter is 5.

[0131] The compression parameter is set to have the lowest compression rate when the value is 1 and the highest compression rate when the value is 5. In other words, when the value of the compression parameter is 1, the effect of the power consumption reduction process or the wireless transmission amount reduction process is the smallest, and when the value of the compression parameter is 5, the effect of the power consumption reduction process or the wireless transmission amount reduction process is the largest.

[0132] The first brightness parameter is set so that the effect of the filtering process is the weakest when the value is 1, and the effect of the filtering process is the strongest when the value is 5. The second brightness parameter is set so that the effect of the multiplication process is the weakest when the value is 1, and the effect of the multiplication process is the strongest when the value is 5. The brightness of the pixel to be corrected is the darkest when the effect of the filtering process or the multiplication process is the weakest, and is the brightest when the effect of the filtering process or the multiplication process is the strongest.

[0133] In the following, the values ​​of the parameters when the restriction process and the recovery process are not executed and the endoscope scene is the detailed examination scene are set as default values. In addition, 3 is used as the default value. First, referring to Table 1, the setting examples of the parameters when the restriction process and the recovery process are not executed, that is, when the standard process is executed, are described. Table 1 shows the setting examples of the parameters when the standard process is executed and the endoscope scene is the detailed examination scene, the screening scene, and the in vitro scene.

[0134] [Table 1]

[0135] parameter Detailed inspection scene Screening scenarios In vitro scene Lighting parameters 3 4 5 Compression parameters 3 4 5 First brightness parameter 3 4 5 Second brightness parameter 3 4 5

[0136] When the standard processing is performed and the endoscope scene is a detailed examination scene, the illumination parameter, the compression parameter, the first brightness parameter, and the second brightness parameter are set so that the image quality and resolution of the endoscope image are the highest. On the other hand, in the in vitro scene, the image quality and resolution of the endoscope image can also be low. Therefore, in the in vitro scene, the illumination parameter and the compression parameter are set in a manner that minimizes the power consumption of the battery 25A, and the first and second brightness parameters are set to match the settings of the illumination parameter and the compression parameter. In the screening scene, the illumination parameter, the compression parameter, the first brightness parameter, and the second brightness parameter are set in a manner that the image quality and resolution of the endoscope image are higher than those of the in vitro scene but the power consumption of the battery 25A is less than that of the detailed examination scene.

[0137] Next, an example of setting each parameter when executing the power consumption reduction process will be described with reference to Table 2. When the determination unit 52 determines to execute the power consumption reduction process, the following is executed. Figure 6 Table 2 shows examples of setting of parameters when steps S23 and S24 are executed, when steps S25 and S26 are executed, and when steps S27 and S28 are executed.

[0138] [Table 2]

[0139] parameter S23.S24 S25, S26 S27, S28 Lighting parameters 3.5 3.5 4 Compression parameters 3 3.25 4 First brightness parameter 4 3.5 3.25 Second brightness parameter 4 4 4

[0140] Steps S23 and S24 are executed when it is determined that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene and the power consumption reduction process can be performed only by reducing the amount of illumination light. In this case, each parameter is set so that an endoscopic image with high image quality and high resolution can be obtained while performing the power consumption reduction process. Specifically, the illumination parameter is set to a value that reduces the amount of illumination light of the illumination unit 22 compared to a case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed (3.5 in Table 2). In addition, the first brightness parameter is set to a value that greatly enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to a case where the recovery process is not performed (4 in Table 2). In addition, the second brightness parameter is set to a value that greatly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to a case where the recovery process is not performed (4 in Table 2).

[0141] Steps S25 and S26 are executed when it is determined that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene and the power consumption reduction process cannot be performed only by reducing the amount of illumination light. In this case, each parameter is set to reduce the image quality and resolution of the endoscope image compared to the case where steps S23 and S24 are executed, but the effect of the power consumption reduction process is increased. Specifically, the illumination parameter is set to a value that reduces the amount of illumination light of the illumination unit 22 compared to the case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed (3.5 in Table 2). In addition, the compression parameter is set to a value that slightly reduces the amount of compressed data compared to the case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed (3.25 in Table 2). In addition, the first brightness parameter is set to a value that moderately enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the restoration process is not performed (3.5 in Table 2). In addition, the second brightness parameter is set to a value that greatly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the restoration process is not performed (4 in Table 2).

[0142] When the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is not a high-resolution scene, steps S27 and S28 are executed. In this case, each parameter is set to obtain an endoscope image of minimum image quality and resolution that can, for example, withdraw the insertion portion 2A outside the body while increasing the effect of the power consumption reduction process. Specifically, the illumination parameter is set to a value that significantly reduces the amount of illumination light of the illumination unit 22 compared to the case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed (4 in Table 2). In addition, the compression parameter is set to a value that significantly reduces the amount of compressed data compared to the case where the power consumption reduction process is not performed (4 in Table 2). In addition, the first brightness parameter is set to a value that slightly enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed (3.25 in Table 2). In addition, the second brightness parameter is set to a value that significantly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed (4 in Table 2).

[0143] Next, an example of setting each parameter when executing the wireless transmission amount reduction process will be described with reference to Table 3. When the determination unit 52 determines to execute the wireless transmission amount reduction process, the following is executed: Figure 7 Table 3 shows examples of setting of parameters when steps S33 and S34 are executed, steps S35 and S36 are executed, and steps S37 and S38 are executed.

[0144] [Table 3]

[0145] parameter S 33, S 34 S 35, S 36 S 37, S 38 Lighting parameters 3 3 3 Compression parameters 3.25 3.5 4 First brightness parameter 2.75 2.5 2 Second brightness parameter 3.25 3.5 4

[0146] Steps S33 and S34 are executed when the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene and that the deterioration of the wireless environment is small. In this case, each parameter is set so that an endoscope image with high image quality and high resolution can be obtained while performing the wireless transmission amount reduction process. Specifically, the compression parameter is set to a value that slightly reduces the amount of compressed data compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction process is not performed (3.25 in Table 3). In addition, the first brightness parameter is set to a value that slightly weakens the effect of the filtering process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed (2.75 in Table 2). In addition, the second brightness parameter is set to a value that slightly enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to the case where the recovery process is not performed (3.25 in Table 3).

[0147] When the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is a high-resolution scene and that the deterioration of the wireless environment is not small, steps S35 and S36 are executed. In this case, compared with the case where steps S33 and S34 are executed, each parameter is set so that the image quality and resolution of the endoscope image are reduced but the effect of the wireless transmission amount reduction processing is increased. Specifically, the compression parameter is set to a value that moderately reduces the data volume of the compressed data compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction processing is not performed (3.5 in Table 3). In addition, the first brightness parameter is set to a value that moderately weakens the effect of the filtering processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed (2.5 in Table 3). In addition, the second brightness parameter is set to a value that moderately enhances the effect of the multiplication processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed (3.5 in Table 3).

[0148] When the determination unit 52 determines that the endoscope scene is not a high-resolution scene, steps S37 and S38 are executed. In this case, each parameter is set so that an endoscope image with minimum image quality and resolution can be obtained while increasing the effect of the wireless transmission amount reduction processing. Specifically, the compression parameter is set to a value that significantly reduces the amount of compressed data compared to the case where the wireless transmission amount reduction processing is not performed (4 in Table 3). In addition, the first brightness parameter is set to a value that significantly weakens the effect of the filtering processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed (2 in Table 3). In addition, the second brightness parameter is set to a value that significantly enhances the effect of the multiplication processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed (4 in Table 3).

[0149] (Function and Effect)

[0150] Next, the functions and effects of the endoscope system 1 and the parameter control device 5 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 52 of the parameter control device 5 determines the content of the restriction process by determining the plurality of information collected by the data collection unit 51, and determines the content of the recovery process, which is a process for causing at least one of the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 to operate in a manner such that the function of displaying the endoscopic image, specifically, the image quality maintenance function of maintaining the image quality of the endoscope image to a predetermined level or higher, which has been degraded due to the restriction process, is restored. In addition, the parameter determination unit 53 of the parameter control device 5 determines one or more parameters used in the restriction process of the content determined by the determination unit 52, and one or more parameters used in the recovery process of the content determined by the determination unit 52. According to the present embodiment, the image quality maintenance function can be restored by causing the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 to perform the restriction process and the recovery process according to the plurality of parameters determined by the parameter determination unit 53 as described above.

[0151] In addition, in the present embodiment, the plurality of information collected by the data collection unit 51 includes information related to the endoscope scene. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the content of the restriction process and the recovery process can be changed for each endoscope scene, and as a result, an endoscope image with the most suitable image quality and resolution can be obtained for each endoscope scene. Thus, according to the present embodiment, even when the restriction process is performed, the needs of users who require high-resolution endoscope images in high-resolution scenes can be met.

[0152] In addition, in the present embodiment, a power consumption reduction process is performed as one of the restriction processes. The power consumption reduction process includes at least the illumination light amount change process of the illumination light amount change process and the compression amount change process. Generally, when the effects of the power consumption reduction processes are made the same for comparison, the illumination light amount change process can suppress the decrease in the resolution of the endoscopic image compared with the compression amount change process. In the present embodiment, when the determination unit 52 determines that the execution conditions of the power consumption reduction process are met and that the endoscopic scene is a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 decides to preferentially execute the illumination light amount change process and the illumination light amount change process of the compression amount change process. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the resolution of the endoscopic image when the power consumption reduction process is executed, thereby meeting the needs of users who require high-resolution endoscopic images in high-resolution scenes.

[0153] In addition, when the illumination light amount change process is performed to reduce the illumination light amount, the brightness of the endoscope image decreases. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the first and second brightness parameters are determined in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction process compared to the case where the restoration process is not performed. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the brightness of the endoscope image can be suppressed from decreasing.

[0154] In addition, in the present embodiment, wireless transmission amount reduction processing is performed as another restriction processing. Wireless transmission amount reduction processing includes compression amount change processing. Generally, as the compression rate increases, that is, as the amount of compressed data decreases, the resolution of the endoscopic image decreases. In addition, in the present embodiment, filtering processing is performed by the filtering processing unit 34A. Generally, as the effect of filtering processing increases, the resolution of the endoscopic image decreases.

[0155] In contrast, in the present embodiment, when the determination unit 52 determines that the execution condition of the wireless transmission amount reduction process is satisfied and the endoscope scene is determined to be a high-resolution scene, the determination unit 52 decides to perform a weak filtering process as a restoration process. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the resolution of the endoscope image when the wireless transmission amount reduction process is performed. In addition, in the above case, the determination unit 52 decides to perform a strong multiplication process as a restoration process. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a reduction in the effect of the brightness correction process.

[0156] [Second embodiment]

[0157] Next, refer to Figure 8 and Fig. 9 An endoscope system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 8 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a first portion of an endoscope and a parameter control device of the endoscope system according to the present embodiment. Fig. 9 1 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the second part of the video processor and parameter control device of the endoscope system involved in this embodiment. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the endoscope system according to this embodiment includes a parameter control device according to this embodiment, replacing the parameter control device 5 according to the first embodiment. The parameter control device according to this embodiment includes a first part 105 provided in the endoscope 2 and a second part 205 provided in the video processor 3.

[0158] like Figure 8 As shown, the first part 105 of the parameter control device includes a data collection unit 151 and a control unit 105A. The data collection unit 151 includes a temperature information acquisition unit 151A, a battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 151C, and a compression information acquisition unit 151D. The temperature information acquisition unit 151A and the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 151C can also be said to be provided in the endoscope 2. The functions of the temperature information acquisition unit 151A, the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 151C, and the compression information acquisition unit 151D are respectively the same as the functions of the temperature information acquisition unit 51A, the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 51C, and the compression information acquisition unit 51D in the first embodiment.

[0159] The data collection unit 151 outputs the information on the temperature of the gripping portion 2Ba acquired by the temperature information acquisition unit 151A, the information on the remaining amount of the battery 25A acquired by the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit 151C, and the information on the compression processing acquired by the compression information acquisition unit 151D to the control unit 105A. The control unit 105A outputs the plurality of information acquired by the data collection unit 151 to the second part 205 of the parameter control device via wireless communication between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3.

[0160] like Fig. 9 As shown, the second part 205 of the parameter control device includes a data collection unit 251, a determination unit 252, a parameter determination unit 253, and a parameter sending unit 254. The determination unit 252, the parameter determination unit 253, and the parameter sending unit 254 constitute the control unit 205A, which is the main part of the parameter control device. The determination unit 252 and the parameter determination unit 253 can also be said to be set in the video processor 3.

[0161] The data collection unit 251 includes a wireless environment information acquisition unit 251B and a scene detection unit 251E. The wireless environment information acquisition unit 251B and the scene detection unit 251E can also be said to be provided in the video processor 3.

[0162] The function of the wireless environment information acquisition unit 251B is basically the same as that of the wireless environment information acquisition unit 51B in the first embodiment. In addition, in the present embodiment, the second wireless communication unit 31A includes an unillustrated environment detection circuit for detecting the state of the wireless environment. The wireless environment information acquisition unit 251B acquires the detection result of the environment detection circuit of the second wireless communication unit 31A or the amount of transmittable data calculated based on the detection result of the environment detection circuit as information related to the wireless environment. In addition, in the present embodiment, the first wireless communication unit 24A may include or may not include the environment detection circuit. In the former case, the first wireless communication unit 24A outputs the information related to the wireless environment detected by the environment detection circuit to the second part 205 of the parameter control device via wireless communication between the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3.

[0163] The function of the scene detection unit 251E is basically the same as that of the scene detection unit 51E in the first embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the image processing unit 32 outputs the image data used to detect the endoscope scene as information related to the endoscope scene to the second part 205 of the parameter control device. Fig. 9 In the illustrated example, the scene detection unit 251E is configured to receive an endoscopic image output from the development unit 35 of the image processing unit 32. The scene detection unit 251E detects an endoscopic scene by analyzing the acquired image data, that is, the endoscopic image.

[0164] In addition, a plurality of data collected by the data collection unit 151 and output by the control unit 105A is input to the data collection unit 251. Thus, the data collection unit 251 also substantially acquires a plurality of information acquired by the data collection unit 151.

[0165] The determination unit 252 determines the content of the restriction process and the content of the restoration process by determining the plurality of information acquired by the data collection unit 251 (including the plurality of information acquired by the data collection unit 151). The method of determining the content of the restriction process and the content of the restoration process is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0166] The parameter determination unit 253 determines one or more parameters used in the process of limiting the content determined by the determination unit 252 and one or more parameters used in the process of restoring the content determined by the determination unit 252. The method of determining the parameters is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0167] The parameter sending unit 254 sends the plurality of parameters determined by the parameter determining unit 253 to each unit of the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3. Specifically, the parameter sending unit 254 sends the illumination parameter and the compression parameter to the control unit 105A, sends the first brightness parameter to the filter processing unit 34A of the restoration processing unit 34, and sends the second brightness parameter to the multiplication processing unit 34B of the restoration processing unit 34. The control unit 105A outputs the received illumination parameter to the illumination unit 22, and outputs the received compression parameter to the compression processing unit 23A.

[0168] In this embodiment, the control unit 205A, which is a main part of the parameter control device, is provided in the video processor 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, compared with the case where the main part of the parameter control device is provided in the endoscope 2, the power consumption of the battery 25A can be reduced.

[0169] The other structures, functions and effects in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0170] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, the parameter control device of the present invention may be a device separate from the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 .

[0171] Furthermore, the wireless environment information acquisition unit and the scene detection unit of the data collection unit may be provided in both the endoscope 2 and the video processor 3 .

Claims

1. A video processor, characterized in that: have: a data collection unit that acquires at least one of information related to a temperature of a grip portion of an endoscope, information related to a wireless environment of wireless communication for transmitting and receiving image data captured by the endoscope, and information related to a remaining amount of a battery of the endoscope; as well as A control unit that controls multiple parameters, wherein the control unit determines, based on the at least one information, the content of a restriction process for selectively restricting the action of the endoscope and the content of a recovery process for restoring a function for displaying an endoscopic image that has been degraded due to the restriction process, The control unit determines a parameter used in the restriction process and a parameter used in the restoration process. The control unit further performs a predetermined image processing on the image data. The image processing includes brightness correction processing for correcting brightness of decompressed image data generated by decompressing compressed data generated by compressing the image data, In a case where the control unit determines to execute power consumption reduction processing as the restriction processing, the control unit determines to change the content of the brightness correction processing as the recovery processing, and the control unit determines a brightness parameter for specifying the relationship between the brightness before correction and the brightness after correction of the decompressed image data in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction processing for brightening the endoscopic image compared to a case where the recovery processing is not executed.

2. The video processor according to claim 1, characterized in that The data collection unit also acquires information related to the endoscope scene.

3. The video processor according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the control unit determines that at least one of the temperature of the gripping portion is above a predetermined temperature threshold and the remaining battery power is less than a predetermined battery threshold, the control unit determines to execute the power consumption reduction process as the restriction process, The power consumption reduction process includes at least one of an illumination light quantity change process for changing the illumination light quantity of an illumination unit for illuminating a subject and a compression quantity change process for changing the data quantity of the compressed data. When the control unit determines to execute the illumination light amount change process, the control unit determines an illumination parameter for defining the illumination light amount so as to reduce the illumination light amount compared to a case where the power consumption reduction process is not executed. When the control unit determines to execute the compression amount change process, the control unit determines a compression parameter for defining the data amount of the compressed data so as to reduce the data amount of the compressed data compared to a case where the power consumption reduction process is not executed.

4. The video processor according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the control unit determines that the temperature of the holding portion is above the specified temperature threshold and the remaining battery power is less than at least one of the specified battery threshold, and determines that the endoscopic scene is a scene that requires a high-resolution endoscopic image, the control unit decides to give priority to executing the illumination light amount change processing out of the illumination light amount change processing and the compression amount change processing.

5. The video processor according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control unit determines to execute only the illumination light amount changing process.

6. The video processor according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control unit determines the illumination parameter and the compression parameter so that the amount of reduction in the battery power consumption reduced by the illumination light amount change process is greater than the amount of reduction in the battery power consumption reduced by the compression amount change process.

7. The video processor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a case where the control unit determines that the endoscopic scene is a scene of the endoscopic image requiring high resolution and decides to change the content of the brightness correction processing, the control unit determines the brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction processing compared to a case where the recovery processing is not performed, but weakens the effect of the brightness correction processing compared to a case where the endoscopic scene is not determined to be a scene of the endoscopic image requiring high resolution.

8. The video processor according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the control unit determines that the amount of data that can be transmitted in the wireless communication is less than a predetermined threshold, the control unit determines to execute a wireless transmission amount reduction process as the restriction process, The wireless transmission amount reduction process includes a compression amount change process of changing the data amount of the compressed data, When the control unit determines to execute the wireless transmission amount reduction process, the control unit determines a compression parameter for defining a data amount of the compressed data so as to reduce a data amount of the compressed data compared to a case where the wireless transmission amount reduction process is not executed.

9. The video processor according to claim 8, characterized in that: The data collection unit also acquires information related to the endoscope scene. In a case where the control unit determines that the endoscopic scene is a scene requiring a high-resolution endoscopic image and decides to perform the wireless transmission amount reduction processing, the control unit determines the compression parameter in a manner that reduces the amount of compressed data compared to a case where the wireless transmission amount reduction processing is not performed, but increases the amount of compressed data compared to a case where the endoscopic scene is not determined to be a scene requiring a high-resolution endoscopic image.

10. The video processor according to claim 8, characterized in that: The brightness correction processing includes: filtering processing, using a plurality of pixel values ​​in a prescribed area including an arbitrary pixel of the decompressed image data and a plurality of pixels around the pixel and a first brightness parameter to correct the brightness of the arbitrary pixel; and multiplication processing, using the pixel value of the arbitrary pixel and a second brightness parameter to correct the brightness of the arbitrary pixel, In the case where the control unit decides to perform the wireless transmission amount reduction processing, the control unit decides to perform weak filtering processing and strong multiplication processing as the recovery processing, the weak filtering processing is the filtering processing that weakens the effect of the filtering processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed, and the strong multiplication processing is the multiplication processing that enhances the effect of the multiplication processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed, and the control unit determines the first brightness parameter in a manner that weakens the effect of the filtering processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed, and determines the second brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the multiplication processing compared to the case where the recovery processing is not performed.

11. The video processor according to claim 10, characterized in that: The data collection unit also acquires information related to the endoscope scene. In a case where the control unit determines that the endoscopic scene is a scene of the endoscopic image requiring high resolution and decides to perform the weak filtering process and the strong multiplication process, the control unit determines the first brightness parameter in a manner that weakens the effect of the filtering process compared to a case where the recovery process is not performed, but enhances the effect of the filtering process compared to a case where the endoscopic scene is not determined to be a scene of the endoscopic image requiring high resolution, and determines the second brightness parameter in a manner that enhances the effect of the multiplication process compared to a case where the recovery process is not performed, but weakens the effect of the multiplication process compared to a case where the endoscopic scene is not determined to be a scene of the endoscopic image requiring high resolution.

12. The video processor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The data collection unit includes: a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the temperature of the gripping unit; a wireless environment information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the wireless environment; a battery remaining amount information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the remaining amount of the battery; and a scene detection unit that acquires information related to the endoscope scene. The temperature information acquisition unit and the battery remaining amount information acquisition unit are provided in the endoscope. The wireless environment information acquisition unit and the scene detection unit are provided in at least one of the endoscope and the video processor.

13. The video processor according to claim 12, characterized in that: The wireless environment information acquisition unit and the scene detection unit are provided in the endoscope.

14. The video processor according to claim 12, characterized in that: The wireless environment information acquisition unit and the scene detection unit are arranged in the video processor.

15. An endoscope system, characterized in that: have: Endoscope; Video processor; a data collection unit that acquires at least one of information related to a temperature of a grip portion of an endoscope, information related to a wireless environment of wireless communication for transmitting and receiving image data captured by the endoscope, and information related to a remaining amount of a battery of the endoscope; as well as A control unit that controls multiple parameters, wherein the control unit determines, based on the at least one information, the content of a restriction process for selectively restricting the action of the endoscope and the content of a recovery process for restoring a function for displaying an endoscopic image that has been degraded due to the restriction process, The control unit determines a parameter used in the restriction process and a parameter used in the restoration process. The control unit is provided in the endoscope. The control unit further performs a predetermined image processing on the image data. The image processing includes brightness correction processing for correcting brightness of decompressed image data generated by decompressing compressed data generated by compressing the image data, In a case where the control unit determines to execute power consumption reduction processing as the restriction processing, the control unit determines to change the content of the brightness correction processing as the recovery processing, and the control unit determines a brightness parameter for specifying the relationship between the brightness before correction and the brightness after correction of the decompressed image data in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction processing for brightening the endoscopic image compared to a case where the recovery processing is not executed.

16. An endoscope system, characterized in that: have: Endoscope; Video processor; a data collection unit that acquires at least one of information related to a temperature of a grip portion of an endoscope, information related to a wireless environment of wireless communication for transmitting and receiving image data captured by the endoscope, and information related to a remaining amount of a battery of the endoscope; as well as A control unit that controls multiple parameters, wherein the control unit determines, based on the at least one information, the content of a restriction process for selectively restricting the action of the endoscope and the content of a recovery process for restoring a function for displaying an endoscopic image that has been degraded due to the restriction process, The control unit determines a parameter used in the restriction process and a parameter used in the restoration process. The control unit is arranged in the video processor. The control unit further performs a predetermined image processing on the image data. The image processing includes brightness correction processing for correcting brightness of decompressed image data generated by decompressing compressed data generated by compressing the image data, In a case where the control unit determines to execute power consumption reduction processing as the restriction processing, the control unit determines to change the content of the brightness correction processing as the recovery processing, and the control unit determines a brightness parameter for specifying the relationship between the brightness before correction and the brightness after correction of the decompressed image data in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction processing for brightening the endoscopic image compared to a case where the recovery processing is not executed.

17. An image processing method for generating an endoscopic image based on image data acquired by an imaging unit of an endoscope, the image processing method comprising: acquiring at least one of information related to a temperature of a grip portion of the endoscope, information related to a wireless environment of wireless communication for transmitting and receiving the image data, and information related to a remaining amount of a battery of the endoscope; determining, based on the at least one information, the content of a restriction process for selectively restricting the operation of the endoscope and the content of a recovery process for restoring a function for displaying the endoscopic image that has been degraded due to the restriction process; determining parameters for the restriction process and parameters used in the recovery process; as well as Performing prescribed image processing on the image data, wherein the image processing includes brightness correction processing for correcting brightness of decompressed image data generated by decompressing compressed data generated by compressing the image data, In a case where it is decided to perform a power consumption reduction process as the restriction process, it is decided to change the content of the brightness correction process as the recovery process, and a brightness parameter for specifying the relationship between the brightness before correction and the brightness after correction of the decompressed image data is determined in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction process for brightening the endoscopic image compared to a case where the recovery process is not performed.

18. An endoscope, characterized in that: have: a data collection unit that acquires at least one of information related to a temperature of a grip portion of an endoscope, information related to a wireless environment of wireless communication for transmitting and receiving image data captured by the endoscope, and information related to a remaining amount of a battery of the endoscope; as well as A control unit that controls multiple parameters, wherein the control unit determines, based on the at least one information, the content of a restriction process for selectively restricting the action of the endoscope and the content of a recovery process for restoring a function for displaying an endoscopic image that has been degraded due to the restriction process, The control unit determines a parameter used in the restriction process and a parameter used in the restoration process. The control unit further performs a predetermined image processing on the image data. The image processing includes brightness correction processing for correcting brightness of decompressed image data generated by decompressing compressed data generated by compressing the image data, In a case where the control unit determines to execute power consumption reduction processing as the restriction processing, the control unit determines to change the content of the brightness correction processing as the recovery processing, and the control unit determines a brightness parameter for specifying the relationship between the brightness before correction and the brightness after correction of the decompressed image data in a manner that enhances the effect of the brightness correction processing for brightening the endoscopic image compared to a case where the recovery processing is not executed.

Images