JP2009045099A - Electronic endoscope system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic endoscope system which includes a single electronic endoscope and a plurality of processors, has an operational part, configured simply, in the electronic endoscope, and enables an operator to carry out arbitrary operation for the processor intended by the operator easily and reliably among the plurality of processors. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic endoscope system includes the plurality of processors, the single electronic endoscope having operational means configured to be connected to all of the plurality of processors for transmitting instruction signals to all of the processors, and visual axis detecting means for checking a visual axis of a user, and is configured in a manner that the only single processor which receives the detecting signal from the visual axis detecting means carries out processing corresponding to the instruction signal out of the plurality of the processors. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope system having a single electronic endoscope having a plurality of types of imaging means and a plurality of processors to which the endoscope is connected.

  Conventionally, an electronic endoscope having a plurality of types of imaging means capable of acquiring different types of images has been known. The electronic endoscope is connected to a plurality of processors corresponding to each imaging unit so that predetermined image processing is performed on an image captured by each imaging unit. Such an electronic endoscope system having a single endoscope and a plurality of processors is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below.

JP-A-7-123345

  As exemplified in Patent Document 1, in the case of an electronic endoscope system in which a plurality of processors are used for a single electronic endoscope, the electronic endoscope has an independent operation for each processor. It is necessary to provide a part. Therefore, it is required that the number of operation buttons and the like arranged on the electronic endoscope is increased or that a single operation button is used for a plurality of processes. Therefore, it is pointed out that the operation becomes complicated when trying to perform an operation on the processor intended by the surgeon.

  For this problem, there is a proposal that each processor itself performs an operation, but this proposal requires a separate assistant to perform the operation. Therefore, the operation on the processor intended by the operator is not always performed at the intended timing, which is not preferable.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention is an electronic endoscope system including a single electronic endoscope and a plurality of processors, and an operation unit in the electronic endoscope can be simply configured. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic endoscope system that allows a surgeon to easily and reliably execute an arbitrary operation on a processor intended by the surgeon.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic endoscope system according to claim 1 of the present invention is configured to be connectable to a plurality of processors and a plurality of processors, and transmits an instruction signal to the plurality of processors. A single electronic endoscope having an operation unit and a line-of-sight detection unit for detecting a user's line of sight, and only a single processor corresponding to the detection result of the line-of-sight detection unit is instructed among a plurality of processors. A process corresponding to the signal is executed.

  Thereby, the processor corresponding to the direction in which the user, that is, the surgeon is gazing automatically becomes the operation target. Therefore, the operator can save time and effort of selecting the processor he / she wishes to operate, and the operator himself can easily and reliably execute any operation on the intended processor.

  Specifically, according to the electronic endoscope system of the second aspect, the display unit is provided corresponding to the plurality of processors, and each of the display units displays an image corresponding to an image signal generated by each processor. The line-of-sight detection means preferably further detects which display means the user is viewing.

  In addition, according to the electronic endoscope system of the third aspect, the plurality of processors can have notification means for informing the outside that they are processors capable of executing processing corresponding to the instruction signal. .

  According to the electronic endoscope system of the fourth aspect, the notifying unit superimposes information indicating that each processor is an operation target on the image signal, and the display unit displays the information. Thereby, each processor can effectively notify the outside that it is a processor capable of executing processing corresponding to the instruction signal.

  Specifically, according to the electronic endoscope system according to claim 5, the line-of-sight detection means transmits a directional radio signal so that the radio signal is transmitted along the line of sight. A transmission unit attached to a user; and a reception unit that transmits a detection signal to a single processor that is determined in response to a reception result when a radio signal is received. It is desirable that only the processor execute a process corresponding to the instruction signal.

  According to the electronic endoscope system of the sixth aspect, the receiving unit is arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of processors, and configured to transmit a detection signal to the corresponding processor when receiving the radio signal. be able to.

  According to the electronic endoscope system of claim 7, the state in which the transmission unit periodically transmits a radio signal and the reception unit does not receive the radio signal after receiving the radio signal for a certain period of time. It can also be configured to continue sending detection signals to the processor until it continues.

  According to the electronic endoscope system of the eighth aspect, infrared rays are exemplified as the radio signal.

  According to the electronic endoscope system according to claim 9, the operation means has a plurality of buttons to which the different processes are assigned, and when each button is operated, the operation means is assigned to the operated button. It is configured to transmit an instruction signal instructing a process to be performed.

  According to the electronic endoscope system according to claim 10, the electronic endoscope includes a plurality of imaging units that generate different image signals, and the plurality of processors correspond one-to-one with the plurality of imaging units. Is provided.

  According to the electronic endoscope system of the present invention, the processor to be operated by the operating means is configured to be switched according to a change in the user's line of sight. Thereby, the operation means itself can be used in common for all processors to which the electronic endoscope is connected, and the number of components such as operation buttons and circuits can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify particularly the periphery of the operation unit in the electronic endoscope.

  In addition, the operator himself can easily and reliably execute any operation on the processor intended by the operator among the plurality of processors. Furthermore, by simplifying the periphery of the operation unit, the operator can easily and reliably execute operations on a plurality of processors.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the electronic endoscope system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope system 100 according to the present embodiment. The electronic endoscope system 100 includes a first processor 110, a second processor 120, an electronic endoscope 130, an IR (infrared) transmitter 140, a first monitor 150A, a second monitor 150B, a first IR receiver 170A, a first A second IR receiver 170B.

  The electronic endoscope 130 includes a grasping portion 130a grasped by an operator, a flexible tube 130b inserted into a body cavity of a subject, a first universal cord 130c as a connection means with the first processor 110, a second It comprises a second universal cord 130d as means for connecting to the processor 120. The electronic endoscope 130 includes a first imaging unit 34 and a second imaging unit 35 that capture images of substantially the same subject (here, a living tissue) in two different modes. The first imaging unit 34 of the present embodiment has a general objective optical system and an image sensor, and images a normal observation image. The second imaging unit 35 of the present embodiment has an ultrasonic transducer (not shown) configured to be scannable in a predetermined axial direction, and takes an ultrasonic image. Each imaging part 34 and 35 outputs an imaging result to each processor 110 and 120 corresponding to each aspect.

  Each of the processors 110 and 120 performs image processing corresponding to the above different modes on the imaging result transmitted from the electronic endoscope 130 to generate an image. Specifically, in the present embodiment, an image signal for normal observation is transmitted from the first imaging unit 34 to the first processor 110. In addition, an output signal and a scanning position signal from the ultrasonic transducer are transmitted from the second imaging unit 35 to the second processor 120.

  The first monitor 150 </ b> A is an external device that displays an image generated by the first processor 110. The second monitor 150B is an external device that displays an image generated by the second processor 120. The processors 110 and 120 are connected to other external input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an external recording device for recording and storing the image as necessary.

  Basic imaging processing using the electronic endoscope system 100 is performed as follows. First, an operator arranges the tip of the electronic endoscope 30 in advance, more specifically, the tip of the flexible tube 130b in the vicinity of the observation target. For example, when the observation target is a living tissue in a body cavity, the operator inserts the tip of the flexible tube 130b to the position where the living tissue exists in the body cavity of the subject.

  The first processor 110 includes a system controller 11, a light source unit 12, a front panel 13, an image sensor driving unit 14, a timing controller 15, and an image processing unit 16.

  The system controller 11 controls the entire first processor 110 as a whole. The system controller 11 not only performs control processing corresponding to various operations performed on the front panel 13, but also performs control processing corresponding to various signals related to operations transmitted from an electronic endoscope 130 described later. When executing the imaging process, the system controller 11 first controls the light source unit 12 to emit light. The light source unit 12 includes a light source 121, a diaphragm 122, a diaphragm driving mechanism 123, and a condenser lens 124. When the light emission control signal is received from the system controller 11, light is emitted from the light source 121. In this embodiment, the light source 121 uses a known white light source, such as a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, a halogen lamp, or the like.

  The light emitted from the light source 121 passes through the aperture 122 adjusted to an appropriate aperture by the aperture driving mechanism 123 and the light guide 31 of the electronic endoscope 130 through the condenser lens 124, more specifically, the incident end of the light guide 31. Incident on 31a. The light guide 160 is an optical fiber bundle. Therefore, the incident light is transmitted through the light guide 31 and is emitted from the emission end 31b. The emitted light is irradiated from the tip of the flexible tube 130b through the light distribution lens 32, and illuminates the observation target.

  The reflected light from the illuminated observation target forms an optical image on the light receiving surface of an image sensor (not shown) provided in the first imaging unit 34 via the objective lens 33. The first imaging unit 34 is driven and controlled by the imaging unit drive circuit 14 of the first processor 110. Specifically, the imaging unit drive circuit 14 transmits a drive signal to the first imaging unit 34 at a predetermined timing defined by the timing controller 15 under the control of the system controller 11. The first imaging unit 34 generates an image signal of each color based on the optical image in synchronization with the drive signal transmitted from the imaging unit drive circuit 14 and periodically transmits the image signal to the image processing unit 16 of the first processor 110. To do. In the actual electronic endoscope system 100, a plurality of signal lines are provided between the imaging unit drive circuit 14 and the first imaging unit 34, but are omitted in FIG. 1 for simplification of illustration. is doing. The same applies to the imaging unit drive circuit 24 and the second imaging unit 35 of the second processor 120 described later.

  The image processing unit 16 includes a front-stage image signal processing unit 61, an image memory 62, and a rear-stage image signal processing unit 63 in the order in which image signals from the first imaging unit 34 are input. The pre-stage image signal processing unit 61 performs predetermined processing such as A / D conversion on the image signal so that an image suitable for each observation mode described later is generated. The predetermined processing includes, for example, gain adjustment and resolution adjustment for each color, white balance and black balance adjustment, gamma correction, enhancement processing, and the like. The image signal output from the pre-stage image signal processing unit 61 is sequentially stored in the image memory 62 as image data relating to each color. The stored image data corresponding to each color is simultaneously output to the subsequent image signal processing unit 63 in synchronization with the timing signal transmitted from the timing controller 15. The timing signal is transmitted corresponding to the cycle of the first monitor 150A, for example.

  The post-stage image signal processing unit 63 performs D / A conversion on the image data read from the image memory 62, and generates a video signal (video signal) conforming to the standard of the first monitor 150A. When the first monitor 150A receives the video signal output from the post-stage image signal processing unit 63, the first monitor 150A displays an image corresponding to the signal (here, a moving image).

  The second processor 120 includes a system controller 21, a front panel 23, an imaging unit driving circuit 24, a timing controller 25, and an image processing unit 26.

  The system controller 21 performs overall control of the second processor 120. The system controller 21 not only performs control processing corresponding to various operations performed on the front panel 23, but also performs control processing corresponding to various signals related to operations transmitted from the electronic endoscope 130 described later.

  The second imaging unit 35 of the electronic endoscope 130 is driven and controlled by the imaging unit drive circuit 24 of the processor 120. Specifically, the imaging unit drive circuit 24 transmits a drive signal to the second imaging unit 35 at a predetermined timing defined by the timing controller 25 under the control of the system controller 21. The second imaging unit 35 drives each part including the ultrasonic transducer according to the drive signal transmitted from the imaging unit drive circuit 24, and periodically sends various signals necessary for ultrasonic image generation to the second processor 120. To send.

  The image processing unit 26 generates an ultrasonic image based on various signals (an output signal from the ultrasonic transducer and a scanning position signal) transmitted from the second imaging unit 35. Specifically, each signal is converted into a video signal using a known scan converter. The image processing unit 26 performs image processing in synchronization with the timing signal transmitted from the timing controller 25 under the control of the system controller 21, and outputs the image processing to the second monitor 150B. The second monitor 150B displays an ultrasonic image (here, a moving image) corresponding to the video signal output from the image processing unit 26.

  While the imaging process described above is being executed, the surgeon can cause the processors 110 and 120 to execute a predetermined process by operating the operation unit 37 of the electronic endoscope 130 at an arbitrary timing. .

  Conventionally, in order to enable operation instructions to a plurality of processors, it is necessary to dispose only a set corresponding to the processor as an operation unit (for example, a button group). Further, the wiring between the operation unit and the processor also increases corresponding to the number of processors. Therefore, in the case of an electronic endoscope system including a single electronic endoscope and a plurality of processors, the number of operation units provided in the electronic endoscope is unnecessarily increased. Therefore, smooth operation for causing the operator to perform the intended process on the processor intended as the operation target may be hindered. In order to effectively solve such a problem, the electronic endoscope system 100 of the present embodiment is configured as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit 37 is disposed on the grip 130 a of the electronic endoscope system 100 according to the present embodiment. The operation unit 37 includes one or a plurality of buttons to which processes that can be commonly executed by the processors 110 and 120 are assigned. For example, there are a freeze button for displaying a still image, a recording button for recording an image on an external recording device, a button for adjusting white balance, and the like. Increasing the number of operation buttons arranged on the operation unit 37 increases the types of operation instructions to each processor. On the other hand, if the number of buttons is reduced, the operator can easily handle the electronic endoscope. Therefore, the number of buttons is set to an appropriate number in view of the operator's needs and convenience.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 37 is connected to the system controller 11 of the first processor 110 via the universal cord 130c, and is connected to the system controller 21 of the second processor 120 via the universal cord 130d. ing. Therefore, when the surgeon operates the operation unit 37 at the time of executing endoscopic observation or at an arbitrary timing during the execution, an instruction signal corresponding to the operation is transmitted to each of the system controllers 11 and 12.

  As described above, when an instruction signal by a single operation is transmitted to any of the processors 110 and 120, the processor that is not intended by the operator also executes processing corresponding to the instruction signal. Therefore, the electronic endoscope system 100 according to the present embodiment employs the following configuration to automatically determine the processor that the operator intends to operate, and only the determined processor determines the instruction signal. The processing corresponding to is performed.

  Here, as a premise, generally, an operator often operates the operation unit 37 while gazing at an image displayed on a monitor. That is, the operation of the operation unit 37 is mostly performed in order to instruct the processor that has generated the image displayed on the monitor. Therefore, the electronic endoscope system 100 according to the present embodiment is provided with a line-of-sight detection unit that detects an operator's line of sight constantly or periodically. Then, the processor to be operated by the operator is determined according to the detection result of the line-of-sight detection means.

  The line-of-sight detection means includes an IR transmitter 140 that can always output a directional radio signal (infrared rays in this case), and a plurality of IR receivers (first ones) arranged corresponding to the processors 110 and 120, respectively. IR receiver 170A, second IR receiver 170B). FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process related to the gaze detection of the surgeon by the IR transmission unit 140 and each IR reception unit constituting the gaze detection means.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the IR transmitter 140 is configured to be wearable on the ear of the operator Y. Specifically, the IR transmitter 140 is appropriately attached to the ear of the surgeon Y so that the output direction of the infrared rays output from the IR transmitter 140 is along the line of sight of the surgeon Y. The first IR receiver 170A is disposed near the screen of the first monitor 150A. The second IR receiver 170B is disposed near the screen of the second monitor 150B.

  In FIG. 2, the line of sight when the operator Y is viewing the first monitor 150A is indicated by a one-dot chain line, and is denoted by reference numeral L1. Moreover, the output direction of infrared rays when the line of sight is L1 is indicated by a solid arrow, and is denoted by reference numeral r1. Similarly, the line of sight when the operator Y is viewing the second monitor 150B is indicated by a dotted line, and is denoted by reference numeral L2. Further, the output direction of the infrared rays when the line of sight is L2 is indicated by an arrow dotted line, and denoted by r2. The face direction of the operator Y and the position of the IR transmitter 140 when the line of sight is L2 are also indicated by dotted lines.

  As described above, when the surgeon Y is viewing the first monitor 150A (the line of sight is L1) with the IR transmitter 140 and the IR receivers 170A and 170B disposed, the IR transmitter 140 Are output in the direction r1 and received by the first IR receiver 170A. When the operator Y is viewing the second monitor 150B (the line of sight is L2), the infrared rays from the IR transmission unit 140 are output in the direction r2 and received by the second IR reception unit 170B.

  The receiving units 170A and 170B are connected to the system controllers 11 and 21 of the corresponding processors 110 and 120, respectively. Then, any IR receiver that has received the infrared rays always transmits a detection signal indicating that the infrared rays have been received in other words, that the line of sight has been detected, to the corresponding system controller while receiving the infrared rays. .

  When the operator Y operates the operation unit 37 of the electronic endoscope 130 in a state where the line-of-sight detecting means arranged and configured as described above is functioning, only the system controller on the side receiving the detection signal is used. Performs processing corresponding to the instruction signal transmitted from the operation unit 37. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining processing relating to eye gaze detection and the like executed when the system controller 11 performs processing according to the operation of the operator Y. Note that the system controller 21 also executes the same line-of-sight detection processing as the processing shown in FIG. Therefore, the system controller 21 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 and the description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the power supply of the entire electronic endoscope system 100 is turned on and a series of processing relating to endoscopic observation is executed, the system controller 11 waits until receiving the detection signal in S <b> 1. The state is entered (S1: NO). That is, even if an instruction signal from the operation unit 37 is received during the standby state, the system controller 11 ignores the instruction signal. When the detection signal is received from the first IR receiver 170A (S1: YES), the system controller 11 performs the display process of S3.

  The display process performed in S3 is intended to notify the surgeon Y that his / her processor (here, the first processor 110) is the operation target. Specifically, the system controller 11 controls the drive of the image processing unit 16 and causes the monitor 150 </ b> A to display character information indicating that the first processor 110 is a target of operation by the operation unit 37. Specifically, the image processing unit 16 superimposes character information indicating that the image processing unit 16 is an operation target by the operation unit 37 on the image data captured by the first imaging unit 34 under the control of the system controller 11. Let The character information may be, for example, character information such as “Stand by OK” or an icon indicating that the character information is specified. Then, the image data is output to the first monitor 150A. Thus, the surgeon can clearly determine which processor is the target of operation by the operation unit 37.

  When the display process is completed, the system controller 11 then determines whether an instruction signal transmitted from the operation unit 37 has been received (S5). If the system controller 11 receives the instruction signal, the system controller 11 executes a process corresponding to the instruction signal (S5: YES, S7).

  When the processing corresponding to the instruction signal is completed in S7 or when it is determined that the instruction signal is not received in S5, the system controller 11 determines whether or not the detection signal is continuously received (S9). ). If it is determined in S9 that the detection signal is continuously received (S9: YES), the system controller 11 repeats the processing from S5. If it is determined in S9 that the detection signal has not been received (S9: NO), the system controller 11 proceeds to the display process in S11.

  The display process performed in S11 is different from the display process performed in S3. Specifically, the display process performed in S <b> 11 is intended to notify the surgeon Y that the system controller 11 has excluded its own processor. Specifically, the process of superimposing the character information on the image data executed in S3 is stopped, and the display of the character information on the first monitor 150A is ended. Thus, the operator Y can determine that the first processor 110 is not currently an operation target without performing any special operation.

  When the display process shown in S11 is completed, the system controller 11 returns to the process from S1 again.

  As described above, the electronic endoscope system 100 according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 37 common to the processors 110 and 120 and a line-of-sight detection means (not shown) for automatically switching between processors to be operated by the operation unit 37. IR transmitter 140 and IR receivers 170A and 170B). Then, the processor that the operator intends to operate is automatically selected by detecting which monitor the operator is viewing the image displayed on. Only the selected processor executes processing corresponding to the instruction signal from the operation unit 37. Thus, even when there are a plurality of processors to which the electronic endoscope 130 is connected, the operation unit 37 disposed in the electronic endoscope 130 is designed to be connected to only a single processor. A simple configuration substantially equivalent to the operation unit in the endoscope can be obtained. As described above, according to the electronic endoscope system 100 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to increase the size and complexity of the periphery of the grip portion 130a including the operation portion 37, which can contribute to the convenience of the operator. Further, only the processor that the operator intends to operate automatically can appropriately execute the processing corresponding to the operation without performing any special operation or changing the setting.

  The above is the embodiment of the present invention. The electronic endoscope system according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above, and can be modified as described below, for example.

  First, in the above-described embodiment, two processors constituting the electronic endoscope system have been described. However, three or more processors may be used. Further, the image that is captured and observed is not limited to a combination of a normal image and an ultrasonic image.

  In the above embodiment, the IR transmission unit 140 has been described as always transmitting infrared rays, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in order to save power, the IR transmission unit 140 may be configured to periodically turn on and off infrared rays. In this case, each of the system controllers 11 and 21 is configured to determine that it has been excluded from the operation target when the state in which the detection signal is not received for a predetermined period continues in S9 in FIG. The predetermined period is preferably determined in accordance with the on / off cycle of the infrared output of the IR transmitter 140.

  In addition, in the case where a plurality of monitors 150A and 150B are provided, a situation in which images displayed on each monitor are compared is also assumed. For example, the following configuration is preferable so that the operation target can be stably determined even in this situation. That is, the processor that is currently the operation target continues to function as the operation target for the first period (for example, 1 to 2 seconds) after the detection signal is not received. On the other hand, when the surgeon moves his / her line of sight, the processor newly receiving the detection signal receives a second period (for example, 2 to 3 seconds) that is equal to or longer than the first period after receiving the detection signal. ) After waiting, it is determined that it is the operation target. Thus, in a situation where the surgeon temporarily shifts his / her line of sight, such as an operation of comparing images displayed on the monitors, the operation target is not switched and a stable operation is guaranteed.

  In FIG. 2, it has been described that the IR transmission unit 140 is configured to be attached to the ear of the operator Y. However, as long as it is arranged so as to output a directional radio signal such as infrared rays along the line of sight, the mounting position of the IR transmitter 140 is not limited to the ear. For example, the IR transmitter 140 may be configured to be attached to a medical headband or medical glasses worn on the head.

  In FIG. 2, each IR receiving unit 170A, 170B is arranged on a monitor, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when using a processor capable of displaying a wide variety of information on the front panels 13 and 23, it is possible to place an IR receiver near the processor.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the character information is displayed on the monitor as a method for notifying that the user is the object of the operation by the operation unit 37. However, this is also an example, and other methods are adopted. Also good. For example, the electronic endoscope 130 or the processor can be provided with light emitting means such as an LED, and the LED can be notified by blinking control.

  In the above embodiment, the IR receiver is arranged corresponding to each monitor, in other words, each processor. The IR receiver that receives the infrared rays from the IR transmitter is configured to transmit a detection signal to the corresponding processor. That is, in the above embodiment, it can be said that the IR receiving unit detects the line of sight itself. Here, the electronic endoscope system according to the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a line sensor that functions as an IR receiver is disposed between each monitor (each processor). Then, the movement of the operator's line of sight is detected as a change in the incident position of infrared rays in the line sensor. A configuration may be adopted in which a processor to be operated is automatically selected based on the detection result.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of an electronic endoscope system of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the process regarding an operator's gaze detection by the gaze detection means of embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process regarding the gaze detection etc. which are performed when the system controller of embodiment performs the process according to an operator's operation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 21 System controller 16, 26 Image processing part 37 Operation part 100 Electronic endoscope system 110, 120 Processor 130 Electronic endoscope 140 IR transmission part 170A, 170B IR reception part

Claims (10)

Multiple processors,
A single electronic endoscope configured to be connectable to the plurality of processors and having an operation means for transmitting an instruction signal to the plurality of processors;
Line-of-sight detection means for detecting the line of sight of the user,
Of the plurality of processors, only a single processor corresponding to the detection result of the line-of-sight detection means executes processing corresponding to the instruction signal. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1,
A display unit arranged to correspond to the plurality of processors, and each displaying an image corresponding to an image signal generated by each processor;
The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the visual line detection means detects which display means the user is viewing. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1 or 2,
The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processors include notification means for notifying the outside that the processor is a processor capable of executing processing corresponding to the instruction signal. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 3, which refers to claim 2.
The notification means superimposes information indicating that each processor is the operation target on the image signal,
The electronic endoscope system characterized in that the display means displays the information. The electronic endoscope system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The line-of-sight detection means transmits a directional radio signal, and a transmission unit attached to the user so that the radio signal is transmitted along the line of sight corresponds to a reception result when the radio signal is received. A receiver for transmitting a detection signal to a single processor determined by
Only the single processor that has received the detection signal executes processing corresponding to the instruction signal. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 5, wherein
The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of processors, and transmits the detection signal to a corresponding processor when the wireless signal is received. The electronic endoscope system according to claim 5 or 6,
The transmission unit periodically transmits the wireless signal,
The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit continues to transmit the detection signal to the processor until a state in which the wireless signal is not received continues for a predetermined time after receiving the wireless signal. The electronic endoscope system according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal is infrared rays. The electronic endoscope system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The operation means has a plurality of buttons to which the processes different from each other are assigned, and when each button is operated, transmits the instruction signal instructing the process assigned to the operated button. Electronic endoscope system. The electronic endoscope system according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The electronic endoscope has a plurality of imaging means for generating different image signals,
The electronic endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processors are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of imaging units.

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