Medical system

• US 20050049488A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Homan, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,922,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00036 Means for power saving, e.g. sleeping mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving

Abstract

A medical system including a capsule type medical device having a capsule configuration, an operation device, arranged external to the capsule type medical device, and including a generator circuit for generating a particular pattern signal, a switch, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for switching on or off power of the capsule type medical device, a receiver, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for receiving a signal from the outside, and a pattern monitoring unit, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for turning on or off the switch at the moment the pattern monitoring unit detects the particular pattern signal as an output signal from the receiver.

Claims

1. A medical system comprising:

a capsule type medical device having a capsule configuration;

an operation device, arranged external to the capsule type medical device, and including generating means for generating a particular pattern signal;

a switch, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for switching on and off power of the capsule type medical device;

receiver means, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for receiving a signal from the outside; and

pattern monitoring means, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for turning on or off the switch at the moment the pattern monitoring means detects the particular pattern signal as an output signal from the receiver means.

2. A medical system according to claim 1, wherein the operation device generates two different pattern signals as the particular pattern signal.

3. A medical system according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the particular pattern signal, and reading means for reading the particular pattern signal from the storage means.

4. A medical system according to claim 1, wherein the operation device comprises:

storage means for storing an on pattern and an off pattern as the particular pattern signal, and

reading means for reading one of the on pattern and the off pattern in response to the operation of the operation device.

5. A medical system according to claim 1, wherein the capsule type medical device comprises:

storage means for storing an on pattern and an off pattern as the particular pattern signal,

reading means for reading at least one of the on pattern and the off pattern.

6. A medical system comprising:

a capsule type medical device having a capsule configuration;

an operation device, arranged external to the capsule type medical device, and including generating means for generating a particular pattern signal;

a semiconductor switch, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for switching on and off power of the capsule type medical device;

a switch driver circuit, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for controlling the semiconductor switch for the power on operation or the power off operation;

receiver means, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for receiving an input pattern signal; and

pattern monitoring means, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for monitoring the output of the receiver means and for driving the switch driver circuit that controls the semiconductor switch for the power on operation or the power off operation at the moment the pattern monitoring means detects the particular pattern signal in the output of the receiver means during monitoring period.

7. A medical system according to claim 6, wherein the operation device generates two different pattern signals as the particular pattern signal.

8. A medical system according to claim 6, further comprising storage means for storing the particular pattern, and reading means for reading the particular pattern signal from the storage means.

9. A medical system according to claim 6, wherein the operation device comprises:

storage means for storing an on pattern and an off pattern as the particular pattern signal, and

reading means for reading one of the on pattern and the off pattern in response to the operation of the operation device.

10. A medical system according to claim 6, wherein the capsule type medical device comprises:

storage means for storing an on pattern and an off pattern as the particular pattern signal,

reading means for reading at least one of the on pattern and the off pattern.

11. A medical system according to claim 6, wherein the generating means is light emitting means for generating a particular pattern optical signal, and wherein the receiver means is light receiver means sensitive to light.

12. A medical system according to claim 11, wherein the light receiver means comprises a light receiver device, and is provided on the same semiconductor as the semiconductor switch and the switch driver circuit.

13. A medical system comprising:

a capsule type medical device having a capsule configuration;

an operation device, arranged external to the capsule type medical device, and including generating means for generating two different pattern signals;

a semiconductor switch, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for switching on or off power of the capsule type medical device;

a switch driver circuit, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for controlling the semiconductor switch for the power on operation or the power off operation;

receiver means, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for receiving an input pattern signal; and

pattern monitoring means, arranged in the capsule type medical device, for monitoring the output of the receiver means and for driving the switch driver circuit that controls the semiconductor switch for the power on operation at the moment the pattern monitoring means detects an on pattern in the output of the receiver means during monitoring period, and for driving the switch driver circuit that controls the semiconductor switch for the power off operation at the moment the pattern monitoring means detects an off pattern in the output of the receiver means during the monitoring period.

14. A medical system comprising:

a capsule type medical device having a capsule configuration;

a sensor for detecting at least one of external signals including light and a magnetic field coming in from outside the capsule type medical device;

pattern monitoring means for determining whether a time-series pattern signal on the basis of detecting or undetecting by the sensor matches a particular pattern; and

a switch for switching the power of the capsule type medical device between an on state and an off state at the moment the pattern monitoring means determines that the time series signal matches the particular pattern.

15. A medical system according to claim 14, further comprising operation means, arranged external to the capsule type medical device, for generating the time series pattern signal having a pattern matching the particular pattern which the pattern monitoring means uses to perform the pattern matching determination.