CAPSULE ENDOSCOPE

• US 20130190564A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Manabu
• Application Number:
  US13/792,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20130190564A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00147 Holding or positioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4238 stomach
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2407 Optical details
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70

Abstract

A capsule endoscope system includes a capsule endoscope which is introduced into a subject; a change unit which changes a position or posture of the capsule endoscope in the subject with respect to the subject; a storage unit which stores in advance a change procedure of the capsule endoscope as a control parameter of the change unit; and a controller which controls the change unit in accordance with the parameter stored in the storage unit.

Claims

1. A capsule endoscope system comprising:

a capsule endoscope which is introduced into a subject;

a change unit which changes a position or posture of the capsule endoscope in the subject with respect to the subject;

a storage unit which stores in advance a change procedure of the capsule endoscope as a control parameter of the change unit; and

a control unit which controls the change unit in accordance with the parameter stored in the storage unit;

wherein

the capsule endoscope includes a permanent magnet inside the capsule endoscope;

the change unit is a magnetic field generation unit which is provided outside the subject and generates a magnetic field acting on the permanent magnet;

the storage unit stores a parameter corresponding to the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generation unit; and

the control unit controls the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generation unit.

2. The capsule endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein

the change unit further includes a mounting bed for mounting the subject thereon;

and

the controller controls a posture of the mounting bed.

3. An in-vivo information acquiring apparatus comprising:

a capsule endoscope which is introduced into a subject;

a supporting unit which supports the subject;

a sending unit which is included in the capsule endoscope and sends data of an image imaged by the capsule endoscope;

one or more receiving antenna which is included on the supporting unit;

a receiving unit which receives the image data sent from the sending unit through the receiving antenna;

a storing unit which stores the image data received by the receiving unit;

a subject specification information input unit which is used to input specification information specifying the subject;

an instruction unit which is used to instruct to start and end storing the image data; and

a control unit which performs control to store, in the storing unit, the specification information and a series of image data received by the receiving unit in association with each other during a period since the instruction unit instructs to start storing until the instruction unit instructs to end the storage.

4. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an image display unit which displays the image data received by the receiving unit.

5. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a specification information display unit which displays the specification information.

6. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein either the subject specification information input unit or the instruction unit is attached onto the supporting unit.

7. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storing unit is attached onto the supporting unit.

8. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image display unit is attached onto the supporting unit.

9. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specification information display unit is attached onto the supporting unit.

10. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the receiving unit is detachable from the supporting unit.

11. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the storing unit is detachable from the supporting unit.

12. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the supporting unit is a bed for supporting the subject.

13. The in-vivo information acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storing unit stores image data of a plurality of subjects.

14. A capsule endoscope comprising:

a capsule casing which is introduced into a subject;

a floating member which is introduced into the subject and has a specific gravity lower than 1 with respect to liquid in the subject; and

an attaching unit which attaches the floating member to the capsule casing.

15. The capsule endoscope according to claim 14, wherein

the capsule casing includes an imaging unit housed therein which acquires an internal image of the subject;

and

the capsule casing includes the attaching unit on a surface of the capsule casing outside an imaging field of the imaging unit.

16. The capsule endoscope according to claim 15, wherein

the floating member is smaller than the capsule endoscope, and

the attaching unit is provided so that the floating member attached onto the surface of the capsule casing is positioned outside the imaging field of the imaging unit.

17. The capsule endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the attaching unit is an adhesive applied onto the surface of the capsule casing.

18. The capsule endoscope according to claim 14, wherein

one of the capsule casing and the floating member includes a magnet, and another one of the capsule casing and the floating member includes a magnet or a magnetic material.

19. The capsule endoscope according to claim 14, wherein the floating member melts in the subject.

20. The capsule endoscope according to claim 14, wherein a center of gravity of the capsule casing is set in a position away from a center of the capsule casing.

21. The capsule endoscope according to claim 14, wherein the floating member includes a plurality of floating members.

22. The capsule endoscope according to claim 14, wherein a specific gravity with respect to liquid inside the subject is smaller than 1 when the floating member is attached to the capsule casing.

23. The capsule endoscope according to claim 18, wherein

the magnet is an electromagnet, and

the capsule endoscope includes an electromagnetic controller which controls current flown to the electromagnet.