Medical control device and medical observation system

Abstract

A medical control device includes: an imaging controller configured to control an imaging device to cause the imaging device to capture normal light emitted from a light source and received by way of an observation target in a first period to generate a first captured image, and to capture excitation light emitted from the light source and received by way of the observation target and fluorescence light from the observation target excited by the excitation light in a second period to generate a second captured image; and image processing circuitry configured to: perform an adjustment process to reduce a component of a color corresponding to the excitation light included in the second captured image; and generate a superimposed image by superimposing the first captured image and the second captured image subjected to the adjustment process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A medical control device comprising:
 an imaging controller configured to control an imaging device to cause the imaging device to capture normal light emitted from a light source and received by way of an observation target in a first period to generate a first captured image, and to capture excitation light emitted from the light source and received by way of the observation target and fluorescence light from the observation target excited by the excitation light in a second period to generate a second captured image; and   image processing circuitry configured to:
 perform an adjustment process to reduce a component of a color corresponding to the excitation light included in the second captured image; and 
 generate a superimposed image by superimposing the first captured image and the second captured image subjected to the adjustment process. 
   
     
     
         2 . The medical control device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the normal light is white light,   the excitation light is light of one of two wavelength bands among red, green, and blue wavelength bands, and   the fluorescence is light of the other one of the two wavelength bands.   
     
     
         3 . The medical control device according to  claim 2 , wherein the excitation light is light of the blue wavelength band which excites protoporphyrin. 
     
     
         4 . The medical control device according to  claim 2 , wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to reduce a component other than a component of a color corresponding to the fluorescence among light components of the red, green, and blue wavelength bands included in the second captured image in the adjustment process. 
     
     
         5 . The medical control device according to  claim 4 , wherein the adjustment process is a white balance adjustment process in which each of the light components of colors corresponding to the red, green, and blue wavelength bands included in the second captured image is multiplied by a specific gain to reduce the component other than the component of the fluorescence. 
     
     
         6 . The medical control device according to  claim 4 , wherein the adjustment process is color correction matrix processing in which an input matrix having the light components of colors corresponding to the red, green, and blue wavelength bands included in the second captured image as a matrix element is multiplied by a specific color correction matrix to reduce the component other than the component of the fluorescence. 
     
     
         7 . The medical control device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a display controller configured to generate a video signal to display the superimposed image. 
     
     
         8 . The medical control device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a display controller configured to generate a video signal to display at least two of the first captured image, the second captured image subjected to the adjustment process, and the superimposed image. 
     
     
         9 . The medical control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to perform a color changing process in which a color of the component of the fluorescence included in the second captured image is changed into a specific color. 
     
     
         10 . The medical control device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a light source controller configured to control the light source to emit the normal light in the first period and emit the excitation light in the second period. 
     
     
         11 . The medical control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to:
 perform first image processing on the first captured image; and   perform second imaging processing different from the first image processing on the second captured image.   
     
     
         12 . The medical control device according to  claim 11 , wherein the first image processing and the second image processing include at least one of an optical black subtraction, a white balance adjustment, demosaic processing, color correction matrix processing, a gamma correction, and YC processing. 
     
     
         13 . A medical observation system, comprising:
 a light source configured to emit normal light of a first wavelength band and excitation light of a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band;   an imaging device including only one imaging sensor configured to capture an image and generate a captured image; and   the medical control device according to  claim 1  configured to control operations of the light source and the imaging device.