BODY-CAVITY IMAGE OBESERVATION APPARATUS

• US 20090259096A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Shigemori, Toshiaki, Matsui, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 8,038,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00048 Constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00055 for alerting the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00124 electrical, e.g. electrical plug-and-socket connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to enable clearly identifying whether a body-cavity image displayed on a display unit is based on data which is directly received by a viewer itself, or whether the body-cavity image displayed on the display unit is based on data received by another receiving device. An identification notifying unit presents different identification modes such as a capsule mark and a cable mark 41 which are sensory recognizable between the case where a body-cavity image based on body-cavity image data which a first receiving unit has received directly from a capsule endoscope is displayed, and the case where a body-cavity image 40 based on body-cavity image data which a second receiving unit has received via another receiving device is displayed. Thus, it is possible to clearly identify which receiver has received the body-cavity image data based on which the body-cavity image is displayed.

Claims

1. A body-cavity image observation apparatus, comprising:

a first receiving unit that receives body-cavity image data directly from a body-cavity image data transmitter which is inserted into a subject;

a second receiving unit that receives the body-cavity image data indirectly via another receiving device which has received the body-cavity image data from the body-cavity image data transmitter;

a display unit that displays a body-cavity image based on the body-cavity image data received by the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit; and

an identification notifying unit that presents different identification modes which allow a sensory recognition between a case where the body-cavity image is displayed on the display unit based on the body-cavity image data received by the first receiving unit and a case where the body-cavity image is displayed on the display unit based on the body-cavity image data received by the second receiving unit.

2. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a switching unit for the receiving units that selectively switches between a reception by the first receiving unit and a reception by the second receiving unit; and

a display controller that controls to display the body-cavity image on the display unit based on the body-cavity image data received by the receiving unit to which the switching unit selectively switches, wherein the identification notifying unit presents different identification modes in response to the selective switching between the receiving units performed by the switching unit.

3. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the switching unit selectively switches a reception by the second receiving unit when the receiving device is connected to the second receiving unit via a cable which has a detachable connector.

4. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification notifying unit displays different identification marks at a part of the display unit with a body-cavity image, for presenting the different identification modes.

5. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification notifying unit displays an identification mark at a part of the display unit with a body-cavity image only when the body-cavity image based on the body-cavity image data received by the second receiving unit is displayed, for presenting the different identification modes.

6. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification notifying unit displays different identification marks at a part of the display unit with a body-cavity image, for presenting the different identification modes.

7. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the identification notifying unit displays different identification marks at a part of the display unit with a body-cavity image, for presenting the different identification modes.

8. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification notifying unit displays an identification mark at a part of the display unit with a body-cavity image only when the body-cavity image based on the body-cavity image data received by the second receiving unit is displayed, for presenting the different identification modes.

9. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the identification notifying unit displays an identification mark at a part of the display unit with a body-cavity image only when the body-cavity image based on the body-cavity image data received by the second receiving unit is displayed, for presenting the different identification modes.

10. A body-cavity image observation apparatus, comprising:

a receiving unit that receives body-cavity image data indirectly via another receiving device which receives the body-cavity image data from a body-cavity image data transmitter inserted into a subject; and

a display unit that displays a body-cavity image based on the body-cavity image data received by the receiving unit.

11. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the receiving device and the body-cavity image observation apparatus can be connected via a detachable connector.

12. A body-cavity image observation apparatus, comprising:

a receiving unit that receives body-cavity image data indirectly via another receiving device which receives the body-cavity image data from a body-cavity image data transmitter inserted into a subject; and

a display unit that can display information indicating an unconnected state between the receiving device and the body-cavity image observation apparatus.

13. A display method of a body-cavity image, comprising:

capturing a body-cavity image;

transmitting the captured image to an outside of a subject;

receiving the transmitted image by a first receiving device at the outside of a subject;

receiving the transmitted image by a second receiving device via the first receiving device; and

displaying the received image on the second receiving device.

14. A display method of a body-cavity image, comprising:

capturing a body-cavity image;

transmitting the captured image to an outside of a subject;

detecting a connection state between a first receiving device and a second receiving device;

receiving the transmitted image by one of the first receiving device and the second receiving device at the outside of a subject in response to a result of detecting the connection state;

displaying the received image; and

displaying the result of detecting the connection state on the second receiving device.

15. The display method of a body-cavity image according to claim 14, wherein

the second receiving device displays the received image via the first receiving device when the connected state between the first receiving device and the second receiving device is detected;

and

the second receiving device directly receives the transmitted image and displays the received image when the connected state between the first receiving device and the second receiving device is not detected.