Electronic endoscope system

Claim 2

An electronic endoscope system, comprising: an elongated scope having a solid state image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, to generate image-pixel signals; a video-signal processing unit, to which said elongated scope is detachably connected at a proximal end thereof, to produce a video signal on the basis of the image-pixel signals; a monitor that reproduces an image in accordance with the video signal; a displaying-size changer that changes a size of a displaying-area of the reproduced image on a screen of said monitor to another size; a pointer-image generator that generates a pointer image on the screen of said monitor; and a pointer-image controller that controls a shifting of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor, wherein said pointer image controller includes a pointer-image-position converter that converts a position of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor in accordance with the size change of the displaying-area of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor, such that two positions, indicated by said pointer image on two-sized display-areas, correspond to each other.

Claim 3

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of the two-sized display-areas.

Claim 4

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to one of the two-sized display-areas, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to another-sized display-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, in accordance with the size change of the displaying-area of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor.

Claim 5

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said pointer-image-position converter comprises: a two-dimensional coordinate system defined with respect to the screen of said monitor; a two-dimensional coordinate generator that generates two-dimensional coordinates representing the position of said pointer image; and a proportional position-converter that proportionally converts a set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a position of said pointer image on one of the two-sized display-areas, into another set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a corresponding position of said pointer image on another-sized display-area.

Claim 6

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 4 , further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of the two-sized display-areas.

Claim 7

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to one of the two-sized display-areas, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to another-sized display-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, in accordance with the size-change of the displaying-area of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor.

Claim 8

An electronic endoscope system, comprising: an elongated scope having a solid state image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, to generate image-pixel signals; a video-signal processing unit, to which said elongated scope is detachably connected at a proximal end thereof, to produce a video signal on the basis of the image-pixel signals; a monitor that reproduces an image in accordance with the video signal; a displaying-size changer that changes a displaying-area of the reproduced image on a screen of said monitor between a first-sized displaying-area and a second-sized displaying-area; a pointer-image generator that generates a pointer image on the screen of said monitor; and a pointer-image controller that controls a shifting of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor, wherein said pointer image controller includes a pointer-image-position converter that converts a position of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area, such that a position, indicated by said pointer image on said first-sized displaying-area, corresponds to a position, indicated by said pointer image on said second-sized displaying area.

Claim 9

An electronic endoscope system, comprising: an elongated scope having a solid state image sensor provided at a distal end thereof, to generate image-pixel signals; a video-signal processing unit, to which said elongated scope is detachably connected at a proximal end thereof, to produce a video signal on the basis of the image-pixel signals; a monitor that reproduces an image in accordance with the video signal; a displaying-size changer that changes a displaying-area of the reproduced image on a screen of said monitor between a first-sized displaying-area and a second-sized displaying-area; a pointer-image generator that generates a pointer image on the screen of said monitor; and a pointer-image controller that controls a shifting of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor, wherein said pointer image controller includes a pointer-image-position converter that converts a position of said pointer image on the screen of said monitor in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area, such that a position, indicated by said pointer image on said first-sized displaying-area, corresponds to a position, indicated by said pointer image on said second-sized displaying area.

Claim 10

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 7 , further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of said first-sized and second-sized displaying-areas.

Claim 11

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 8 , wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said first-sized display area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said second-sized displaying-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, and in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area.

Claim 12

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said pointer-image-position converter comprises: a two-dimensional coordinate system defined with respect to the screen of said monitor; a two-dimensional coordinate generator that generates two-dimensional coordinates representing the position of said pointer image; and a proportional position-convertor that proportionally converts a set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a position of said pointer image on said first-sized displaying-area, into another set of two-dimensional coordinates, representing a corresponding position of said pointer image on said second-sized displaying-area.

Claim 13

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 10 , further comprising a shift limiter that limits a shifting of said pointer image within each of said first-sized and second-sized displaying-areas.

Claim 14

An electronic endoscope system as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said shift limiter comprises a boundary converter that converts a two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said first-sized displaying-area, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, into another two-dimensional limit range, corresponding to said second-sized displaying-areas, within which the shifting of said pointer image is limited, in accordance with the displaying-area change of the reproduced image on the screen of said monitor between said first-sized displaying-area and said second-sized displaying-area.