Encapsulated endoscope system in which endoscope moves in lumen by itself and rotation of image of region to be observed is ceased

• US 20070197872A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Akio, Takizawa, Hironobu, Mizuno, Hitoshi, Yokoi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,062,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00147 Holding or positioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• 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 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery

Abstract

An encapsulated endoscope system in accordance with the present invention comprises: an encapsulated endoscope that rotates to develop a thrust; a controller that moves the encapsulated endoscope in an intended direction of advancement; an imaging unit incorporated in the encapsulated endoscope; and an image processing unit that receives image data sent from the imaging unit, and produces an image, which results from rotation of the received image data, according to the rotational phase of the encapsulated endoscope.

Claims

1. An encapsulated endoscope apparatus, comprising:

an encapsulated endoscope capable of moving by itself in a lumen of a body cavity and externally transmitting picked-up image data of interior of the body cavity;

a magnetically inducing device for magnetically inducing and driving the encapsulated endoscope in a desired direction; and

an extracorporeal unit comprising;

an image data receiving section for receiving the image data from the encapsulated endoscope; and

a lumen direction detecting section for detecting a direction of the lumen of the body cavity from the received image data.

2. The encapsulated endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetically inducing device determines an insertion direction of the encapsulated endoscope based on a detection result of the lumen direction detecting section, so as to magnetically induce and drive the encapsulated endoscope.

3. The encapsulated endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lumen direction detecting section detects a direction of change from light to dark portions in the image data, and detects the direction of the lumen of the body cavity based on a detection result of the direction of change.

4. The encapsulated endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the extracorporeal unit is connected to an image processing unit via an in-house LAN.

5. The encapsulated endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the extracorporeal unit transmits the image data to the image processing unit via the in-house LAN.

10. The encapsulated endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an advancement status determining section that constantly detects a change of the image data with respect to time, and if the change does not exceed a certain criterion, determines that the encapsulated endoscope can not be advanced further in the lumen.

11. The encapsulated endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an advancement status determining section that constantly detects a change of the image data with respect to time, and if the change does not exceed a certain criterion, determines that the encapsulated endoscope can not be advanced further in the lumen,

wherein the magnetically inducing device magnetically induces and drives the encapsulated endoscope based on a determination result of the advancement status determining section.

6. An encapsulated endoscope apparatus, comprising:

an encapsulated endoscope capable of moving by itself in a lumen of a body cavity and externally transmitting picked-up image data of interior of the body cavity;

a magnetically inducing device for magnetically inducing and driving the encapsulated endoscope in a desired direction; and

an extracorporeal unit comprising

an image data receiving section for receiving the image data from the encapsulated endoscope; and

a lumen direction detecting section for detecting a direction of the lumen of the body cavity from the received image data,

wherein the extracorporeal unit being connected to an image processing unit via an in-house LAN.

7. An encapsulated endoscope apparatus, comprising:

an encapsulated endoscope capable of moving by itself in a lumen of a body cavity and externally transmitting picked-up image data of interior of the body cavity;

a magnetically inducing device for magnetically inducing and driving the encapsulated endoscope in a desired direction; and

an extracorporeal unit comprising;

an image data receiving section for receiving the image data from the encapsulated endoscope; and

a lumen direction detecting section for detecting a direction of the lumen of the body cavity from the received image data,

wherein the extracorporeal unit is connected to an image processing unit via an in-house LAN, and transmits the image data to the image processing unit via the in-house LAN.

8. A method for controlling an encapsulated endoscope, comprising the steps of:

magnetically inducing and driving the encapsulated endoscope in a desired direction, the encapsulated endoscope being capable of moving by itself in a lumen of a body cavity and externally transmitting picked-up image data of interior of the body cavity;

receiving the image data transmitted from the encapsulated endoscope;

detecting a direction of the lumen from the received image data; and

determining an insertion direction of the encapsulated endoscope based on a detection result of the lumen direction detecting step.

9. A method for controlling an encapsulated endoscope, comprising the steps of:

magnetically inducing and driving the encapsulated endoscope in a desired direction, the encapsulated endoscope being capable of moving by itself in a lumen of a body cavity and externally transmitting picked-up image data of interior of the body cavity;

receiving the image data transmitted from the encapsulated endoscope;

detecting a direction of the lumen of the body cavity based on a result of detecting a direction of change from light to dark portions in the image data; and

determining an insertion direction of the encapsulated endoscope based on a detection result of the lumen direction detecting step.