PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope device for enabling an imaging part included in an insertion part tip of an endoscope to acquire an observation image having high quality and a high frame rate, and its operation method.SOLUTION: The endoscope device includes an endoscope for irradiating illumination light from an insertion part tip, and outputting a frame image signal obtained by performing imaging by an imaging part included in the insertion part tip, and a processor device having an image processing part connected to the endoscope. An operation for irradiating illumination light to a former half period obtained by dividing a frame period of the frame image signal into two and performing lights-out during the latter half period of the frame period is repeated in each frame period, and the former half period of the frame period is read during an exposure period and a signal of accumulated electric charge after the exposure is read within the latter half period to be outputted to a buffer memory mounted in the endoscope. Image information of the frame image signal is read from the buffer memory within the frame period and transferred to the image processing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5COPYRIGHT: (C)2016,JPO&INPIT【課題】内視鏡スコープの挿入部先端に内蔵される撮像部で、高品質且つ高フレームレートの観察画像を取得できる内視鏡装置及びその作動方法を提供する。【解決手段】内視鏡装置は、挿入部先端から照明光を照射し、挿入部先端に内蔵される撮像部により撮像して得たフレーム画像信号を出力する内視鏡スコープと、内視鏡スコープに接続され画像処理部を有するプロセッサ装置とを具備する。フレーム画像信号のフレーム周期を二分した前半期間に照明光を出射し、フレーム周期の後半期間に消灯を行う動作を、フレーム周期毎に繰り返すと共に、フレーム周期の前半期間を露光期間、後半期間内に露光後の蓄積電荷の信号を読み出して、内視鏡スコープ内に搭載されるバッファメモリに出力する。このバッファメモリからフレーム画像信号の画像情報をフレーム周期内に読み出して画像処理部に転送する。【選択図】図5
