INTRAVITAL OBSERVATION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DRIVING INTRAVITAL OBSERVATION SYSTEM

• US 20100249509A1
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: YOSHIZAWA, Fukashi
• Application Number:
  US12/730,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20100249509A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body

Abstract

The intravital observation apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a capsule endoscope including an illumination section and an image pickup section, a power supply section provided with a battery and a control section, and a control signal generation apparatus disposed outside the capsule endoscope, wherein the control signal generation apparatus is provided with a control signal generation section and a control signal transmitting electrode, and the capsule endoscope is provided with a control signal receiving electrode and a control signal detection section.

Claims

1. An intravital observation system comprising:

an intravital observation apparatus comprising an intravital information acquisition section that acquires at least intravital information and a power supply section provided with a battery that supplies drive power to the intravital information acquisition section and a control section that controls supply or interruption of drive power supplied from the battery; and

a control signal generation apparatus disposed outside the intravital observation apparatus for activating or stopping the intravital observation apparatus,

wherein the control signal generation apparatus comprises a generation section that generates a control signal for activating or stopping the intravital observation apparatus and a control signal transmitting electrode that transmits the control signal, and

the intravital observation apparatus comprises a control signal receiving electrode that receives the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting electrode and a control signal detection section that detects the control signal inputted via the control signal receiving electrode and controls power supply/interruption operation of the control section.

2. The intravital observation system according to claim 1, wherein the control section comprises a switching element that controls starting and stopping of supply of the drive power supplied from the battery.

3. The intravital observation system according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is an AC signal generated from the control signal generation apparatus, and

the control signal detection section detects the AC signal and controls power supply/interruption operation of the control section.

4. The intravital observation system according to claim 3, wherein the control signal detection section generates a control signal for controlling continuity or non-continuity of the switching element.

5. The intravital observation system according to claim 1, wherein the control signal detection section comprises a band-pass filter having a passing frequency equal to a frequency of the control signal from outside.

6. The intravital observation system according to claim 1, wherein the control signal transmitting electrode is attached to a living body surface directly or via an insulating member.

7. The intravital observation system according to claim 1, wherein the control signal receiving electrode is disposed on an outer surface of the intravital observation apparatus and is configured so as to be able to contact a living body directly or via an insulating member.

8. The intravital observation system according to claim 1, wherein the intravital observation apparatus is a capsule endoscope.

9. A method of driving an intravital observation system, wherein a control section, which controls a battery that supplies drive power to an intravital information acquisition section that acquires at least intravital information and supply/interruption of the drive power supplied from the battery, controls starting or stopping of a power supply to the intravital information acquisition section by applying an AC signal constituting an intermittent control signal generated from a control signal generation apparatus disposed outside an intravital observation apparatus for activating or stopping the intravital observation apparatus to the intravital observation apparatus.

12. The method of driving an intravital observation system according to claim 9, wherein the intravital observation apparatus is a capsule endoscope.

10. A method of driving an intravital observation system, wherein a control section that controls a battery, which supplies drive power to an intravital information acquisition section that acquires at least intravital information and supply/interruption of the drive power supplied from the battery, controls a power supply to the intravital information acquisition section only for a period during which an AC signal constituting a control signal generated from a control signal generation apparatus disposed outside an intravital observation apparatus for activating or stopping the intravital observation apparatus is applied to the intravital observation apparatus.

13. The method of driving an intravital observation system according to claim 10, wherein the intravital observation apparatus is a capsule endoscope.

11. A method of driving an intravital observation system, wherein a control section, which controls a battery that supplies drive power to an intravital information acquisition section that acquires at least intravital information and supply/interruption of the drive power supplied from the battery, repeatedly controls starting or stopping of a power supply to the intravital information acquisition section every time an AC signal constituting a control signal generated from a control signal generation apparatus disposed outside an intravital observation apparatus for activating or stopping the intravital observation apparatus is applied to the intravital observation apparatus.

14. The method of driving an intravital observation system according to claim 11, wherein the intravital observation apparatus is a capsule endoscope.