Capsulated medical equipment

• US 20030073935A1
• Filed: 04/26/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Hideyuki, Takizawa, Hironobu, Segawa, Hidetake, Yokoi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/593
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00156 using self propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/273 for the upper alimentary canal, e.g. oesophagoscopes, gastroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network

Abstract

A capsulated body having a facility, which acquires biomedical information through endoscopic examination or the like, incorporated therein is inserted into a duct within a living body. Whether the capsulated body has halted for a certain period of time is detected from the time-varying position of the capsulated body or a time-passing change in an image. If it is judged that the capsulated body has halted at a stenosed region or the like, the fact is notified so that the capsulated body can be collected immediately.

Claims

1. A capsulated medical equipment comprising:

a capsulated body that is inserted into a living body and passed through a duct in the living body and that includes a biomedical information detection unit for detecting at least biomedical information; and

a sensing unit for sensing whether said capsulated body has halted in the duct for a certain period of time.

2. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said sensing unit comprises a position detection unit that detects the position of said capsulated body, an arithmetic circuit that performs arithmetic operations to calculate a change in position information, which is provided by said position detection unit, at intervals of a certain time, and a judgment circuit that judges from an output of said arithmetic circuit whether said capsulated body is at a halt.

3. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said biomedical information detection unit includes an imaging unit composed of an objective and an imaging device.

4. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 3, further comprising an illumination unit realized with white light-emitting diodes that generate white illumination light.

5. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said biomedical information detection unit includes at least one of a pH sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a light sensor, and a blood sensor.

6. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said biomedical information detection unit includes an ultrasonic probe for use in producing an ultrasonic image.

7. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 3, wherein said sensing unit comp arithmetic circuit that performs arithmetic operations to calculate a change in position information, which is acquired from an image picked up by said imaging unit, at intervals of a certain time, and a judgment circuit that judges from an output of said arithmetic circuit whether said capsulated body is at a halt.

8. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said sensing unit comprises a pressure detection unit located on the periphery of said capsulated body and a judgment circuit that judges from a signal provided by said pressure detection unit whether said capsulated body is at a halt.

9. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a warning unit that gives a warning according to a signal sent from said sensing unit.

10. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a vibration unit that when said sensing unit senses that said capsulated body has halted for a certain period of time, vibrates said capsulated body.

11. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 10, wherein said vibration unit is incorporated in said capsulated body.

12. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 10, wherein said vibration unit comprises a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic substance incorporated in said capsulated body and a magnetic-force generating assembly located outside said capsulated body.

13. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said sensing unit is located outside said capsulated body.

14. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said sensing unit is incorporated in said capsulated body.

15. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said capsulated body has a built-in battery that supplies power, with which said biomedical information detection unit is actuated, to said biomedical information detection unit;

and a portion of said capsulated body encapsulating said battery and including an armor casing that keeps said capsulated body watertight is realized with a transparent member.

16. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said capsulated body has a built-in battery that supplies power, with which said biomedical information detection unit is actuated, to said biomedical information detection unit;

and a portion of said capsulated body encapsulating said battery is formed with a transparent member that makes it possible to discern a change in the state of said battery, such as, a fluid leakage from outside said capsulated body.

17. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 11 wherein a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic substance that reacts on magnetic forces is incorporated in said capsulated body.

18. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection unit that detects the position of said capsulated body.

19. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 18, wherein an output of said position detection unit is used to calculate a trajectory along which said capsulated body has moved.

20. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a guiding assembly for guiding said capsulated body to move by utilizing magnetic forces.

21. A capsulated medical system comprising:

a capsulated body that is inserted into a living body and passed through a duct within the living body And that includes a biomedical information detection unit for detecting at least biomedical information;

a position detection unit for detecting the position of said capsulated body;

a guiding assembly for guiding said capsulated body by utilizing magnetic forces exerted outside the living body;

a trajectory arithmetic unit for performing arithmetic operations to calculate a trajectory, along which said capsulated body has moved, using position information concerning said capsulated body provided by said position detection unit; and

a control unit for driving said guiding assembly so that said capsulated body will trace the trajectory.

22. A capsulated medical equipment comprising:

a capsulated body that is inserted into a living body and passed through a duct within the living body and that includes a biomedical information detection unit for detecting at least biomedical information;

a built-in power supply, incorporated in said capsulated body, for supplying power, with which said biomedical information detection unit is actuated, to said biomedical information detection unit; and

an armor casing that keeps said capsulated body watertight,

wherein a portion of said capsulated body encapsulating said built-in battery and including said armor casing is formed with a transparent member.

23. The capsulated medical equipment according to claim 22, wherein a fluid leaking out of said built-in power supply near said armor casing and said built-in power supply is physically or chemically reacted on so that the fluid leakage can be discerned readily.