BODY-INSERTABLE APPARATUS

• US 20090112058A1
• Filed: 12/26/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: KAGAWA, Ryohei
• Application Number:
  US12/344,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112058A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/103
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00032 internally powered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply

Abstract

A body-insertable apparatus includes a plurality of function executing units each of which executes a predetermined function; a power source that supplies an electric power to each of the function executing units; an electric power storing unit that is connected to the power source and temporarily stores a redundancy of the electric power supplied from the power source; and an electric power discharging switch that supplies the electric power stored during a temporal period by the electric power storing unit to a high-power function executing unit being one of the function executing units. The high-power function executing unit operates intermittently among the function executing units and temporarily consumes a large electric quantity compared to the other function executing units. The high-power function executing unit consumes the electric power supplied from the electric power storing unit together with the electric power directly supplied from the power source.

Claims

1. A body-insertable apparatus comprising:

a plurality of function executing units each of which executes a predetermined function;

a power source that supplies an electric power to each of the function executing units;

an electric power storing unit that is connected to the power source and temporarily stores a redundancy of the electric power supplied from the power source; and

an electric power discharging switch that supplies the electric power stored during a temporal period by the electric power storing unit to a high-power function executing unit being one of the function executing units, the high-power function executing unit operating intermittently among the function executing units and temporarily consuming a large electric quantity compared to the other function executing units, the high-power function executing unit consuming the electric power supplied from the electric power storing unit together with the electric power directly supplied from the power source.

2. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the high-power function executing unit includes a driving switch that operates intermittently, and

the electric power discharging switch is turned on/off in synchronization with turning on/off of the driving switch.

3. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electric power charging switch that is provided between the power source and the electric power storing unit, and switches on/off a power supply from the power source to the electric power storing unit.

4. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of function executing units include

an illuminating unit that illuminates an imaging target in imaging;

an imaging unit that captures an image of the imaging target illuminated by the illuminating unit;

a radio communication unit that wirelessly transmits the image captured by the imaging unit; and

a control unit that controls the illuminating unit, the imaging unit, and the radio communication unit.

5. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the high-power function executing unit is the illuminating unit that illuminates the imaging target in imaging.

6. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the high-power function executing unit is a compressing unit that performs a compression processing on the image captured by the imaging unit.

7. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the high-power function executing unit is a signal processing circuit that transforms analogue image data captured by the imaging unit into digital image data.

8. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the illuminating unit includes a plurality of LEDs including an LED for emitting a light based on the electric power directly supplied from the power source and an LED for emitting a light based on the electric power supplied from the electric power storing unit.

9. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric power storing unit is a capacitor.

10. The body-insertable apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power source is a battery.

11. A body-insertable apparatus comprising:

a plurality of function executing units each of which executes a predetermined function;

a power source that supplies an electric power to each of the function executing units;

an electric power storing unit that is connected to the power source and temporarily stores a redundancy of the electric power supplied from the power source; and

an electric power discharging switch that supplies the electric power stored by the electric power storing unit to a high-power function executing unit being one of the function executing units, the high-power function executing unit consuming an electric quantity exceeding a threshold value arbitrarily set, the high-power function executing unit consuming the electric power supplied from the electric power storing unit together with the electric power directly supplied from the power source.

12. A body-insertable apparatus comprising:

a plurality of function executing units each of which executes a predetermined function;

a power source that supplies an electric power to each of the function executing units;

an electric power storing unit that is connected to the power source and temporarily stores a redundancy of the electric power supplied from the power source; and

an electric power discharging switch that supplies the electric power stored by the electric power storing unit to a high-power function executing unit being one of the function executing units, the high-power function executing unit consuming an electric quantity not less than an average electric power value, the high-power function executing unit consuming the electric power supplied from the electric power storing unit together with the electric power directly supplied from the power source.