Capsule medical device

• US 20070073106A1
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Akio
• Application Number:
  US11/605,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073106A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0002 provided with data storages
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period

Abstract

A capsule medical device inserted into a body cavity has a receiving device such as an antenna and the like, for receiving data from outside the capsule medical device. This capsule medical device also comprises a non-volatile or volatile storage device in which storage data stored therein can be rewritten based on data received by the receiving device, which enables the change or the like of the setup state or operation.

Claims

1. A capsule medical device system comprising:

a capsule medical device inserted into a body cavity;

an external device for transmitting and receiving data, to and from the capsule medical device, by means of radio communications;

a storage device, provided in the capsule medical device, the storage contents of which are rewritten on the basis of data parameters transmitted to the capsule medical device from the external device;

an image acquiring device provided in the capsule medical device which acquires images of the body cavity and operates on the basis of data parameters stored in the storage device;

a detecting circuit provided in the external device for calculating a luminance distribution of the images; and

a correction amount calculating circuit provided in the external device for generating data parameters directly from the luminance distribution calculated by the detecting circuit and a reference histogram of standard luminance distribution positions.

2. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquiring device has an illumination device;

and

the illumination device operates on the basis of data parameters stored in the storage device.

3. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquiring device has an image sensor;

and

the image sensor operates on the basis of data parameters stored in the storage device.

4. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquiring device has an image data compressing device;

and

the image data compressing device operates on the basis of data parameters stored in the storage device.

5. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein said external device transmits a command for switching an imaging mode based on a position of said capsule medical device in the body cavity.

6. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount calculating circuit has a reference data which is previously stored and calculates the data parameters on the basis of the reference data.

7. The capsule medical system according to claim 6, wherein said reference data is a histogram of standard luminance distribution positions.

8. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting circuit is a color balance and brightness detecting circuit for calculating a histogram of brightness in the image.

9. The capsule medical system according to claim 8, wherein correction amount calculating circuit adjusts color image values and illumination values.

10. The capsule medical system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting circuit is a color balance and brightness detecting circuit for calculating the luminance distribution of green, blue and red components in the image.

11. The capsule medical system according to claim 3, wherein said detecting circuit is an image position detecting circuit for calculating the luminance distribution of the image which is captured by the image sensor.

12. The capsule medical system according to claim 11, wherein correction amount calculating circuit adjusts position data of an image sensor.

13. The capsule medical system according to claim 11, wherein the correction amount calculating circuit calculates an effective imaging range of the image acquiring device from the luminance distribution of the image.

14. The capsule medical system according to claim 11, wherein the correction amount calculating circuit calculates a horizontal start position, a horizontal end position, a vertical start position and a vertical end position for the image sensor on the basis of the luminance distribution of the image.

15. An operation modifying method for operating the capsule medical system of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting the image captured by the image acquiring device from the capsule medical device;

(b) receiving the image the external device;

(c) calculating a luminance distribution of the image in the external device;

(d) calculating a data parameter directly from the luminance distribution and a reference histogram of standard luminance distribution positions in the external device;

(e) transmitting the data parameter to the storage device from the external device;

(f) rewriting the data parameters in the storage device in the capsule medical device; and

(g) acquiring the image of the body 0cavity on the basis of the data parameter in the storage device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein steps (a) through (g) are repeated.