Fully-swallowable endoscopic system

• US 6,547,723 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Inventors: Ouchi, Teruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US09/588,306
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 600/101, 600/109, 600/128, 600/130, 600/136, 600/139, 600/146, 600/143, 600/151, 600/152, 600/141, 348/65, 348/68, 348/71, 348/74
• US Class Current: 600/146
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00082 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination
• 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 5/07 Endoradiosondes

Abstract

A fully-swallowable endoscopic system includes a rod-shaped endoscope body which can be swallowed entirely by a patient to be examined so as to be placed in a body cavity, the rod-shaped endoscope body including at least one bendable portion which is bendable along a curve of the body cavity; and an external device provided separately from the rod-shaped endoscope body having no mechanical connection with the rod-shaped endoscope body. The rod-shaped endoscope body is provided therein with at least two light emitters; at least two observing systems; a transmitter for transmitting a radio wave which carries an image formed by the observing system; and a power supplying device. The external device includes a receiver for receiving the radio wave which carries the image.

Claims

1. An endoscopic system comprising:

a rod-shaped endoscope body which can be entirely swallowed by a patient to be examined so as to be located in a body cavity, said rod-shaped endoscope body including at least one bendable portion which is bendable along a curve of said body cavity; and

an external device provided separately from said rod-shaped endoscope body without a mechanical connection with said rod-shaped endoscope body;

said rod-shaped endoscope body comprising;

at least two light emitters;

at least two observing systems;

a transmitter that transmits a radio wave which carries an image formed by said observing systems; and

a power supplying device,

said external device comprising a receiver that receives said radio wave which carries said image,

said bendable portion comprising a bending portion that is configured to be bent by radio control from the external device so as to orient at least one of said two light emitters and at least one of said two observing systems in a predetermined direction, and a flexible portion that is configured to be bent by an external force along a curve of the body cavity, said bending portion being configured to be more flexible than said flexible portion.

2. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein one of said at least two light emitters and one of said at least two observing systems are provided in one of the opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body, and

wherein another one of said at least two light emitters and another one of said at least two observing systems are positioned in the other of said opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body.

3. The endoscopic system according to claim 2, wherein each of said one and said another of said at least two observing systems is a front-view observing system for viewing from the front of a corresponding one of said opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body.

4. The endoscopic system according to claim 2, wherein said one of said at least two observing systems is a front-view observing system for viewing from the front of a corresponding one of said opposite ends of said-rod-shaped endoscope body;

and

wherein said another one of said at least two observing systems if a side-view observing system for viewing from the side of said rod-shaped endoscope body.

5. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein said rod-shaped endoscope body is provided with a radio-controlled driving device which receives a radio operational signal transmitted from said external device to bend said bending portion in accordance with said radio operational signal;

and

wherein said external device comprises an operational portion which is operated to transmit said radio operational signal to said radio-controlled driving device.

6. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one bendable portion comprises a plurality of bendable portions arranged at different positions in the longitudinal direction of said rod-shaped endoscope body.

7. The endoscopic system according to claim 5, wherein said radio-controlled driving device comprises a plurality of drive wires made of a shape memory alloy, and a selective-heating device which selectively heats said plurality of drive wires to bend said bending portion.

8. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein said power supplying device comprises a built-in battery.

9. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein said external device comprises a microwave transmitter for transmitting a microwave to said rod-shaped endoscope body;

and

wherein said power supplying device converts said microwave into electrical current to supply said electrical current to said rod-shaped endoscope body.

10. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein each of said at least two observing systems comprises an objective optical system and a CCD image sensor.

11. The endoscopic system according to claim 1, wherein said external device comprises a monitor which visually indicates said image.

12. The endoscope system according to claim 1, said bending portion comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned articulated joints.

13. The endoscope system according to claim 1, said flexible portion being bendable along a curve of the body cavity independently of said external device.

14. An endoscopic system comprising:

a rod-shaped endoscope body comprising at least one bending portion, at least one flexible portion connected to said at least one bending portion;

at least two light emitters corresponding to at least two image pick-up devices, each image pick-up device taking an image of a target inner part illuminated by a corresponding one of said at least two light emitters; and

a transmitter that transmits a radio wave which carries said image taken by each of said at least two image pick-up devices; and

a radio controller that controls said at least one bending portion to bend by radio-control,

said bending portion being configured to be bent by radio control from the radio controller so as to orient at least one of said two light emitters and at least one of said two observing systems in a predetermined direction, said flexible portion being configured to be bent by an external force along a curve of the body cavity, said bending portion being configured to be more flexible than said flexible portion.

15. The endoscopic system according to claim 14, wherein said rod-shaped endoscope body further comprises a first hard portion fixed to one of the opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body, and

wherein said one of said at least two light emitters and one of said at least two image pick-up devices are fixed to said first hard portion.

16. The endoscopic system according to claim 15, wherein said rod-shaped endoscope body further comprises a second hard portion fixed to the other of said opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body, and

wherein said another one of said at least two light emitters and another one of said at least two image pick-up devices are fixed to said second hard portion.

17. The endoscopic system according to claim 14, wherein said radio controller comprises a monitor and a receiver for receiving said radio wave to indicate said image on said monitor.

18. The endoscopic system according to claim 14, wherein said radio controller further comprises a second transmitter for transmitting a microwave to said rod-shaped endoscope body, and wherein said rod-shaped endoscope body is provided therein with a power supplying device which receives said microwave to convert said microwave into electrical current which is to be used as a power source of said rod-shaped endoscope body.

19. The endoscope system according to claim 14, said bending portion comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned articulated joints.

20. The endoscope system according to claim 14, said flexible portion being bendable along a curve of the body cavity independently of said external device.

21. An endoscopic system comprising:

a rod-shaped endoscope body which can be swallowed by a patient to be examined so as to be in a body cavity, said rod-shaped endoscope body including at least one bendable portion which is bendable along a curve of said body cavity; and

an external device provided separately from said rod-shaped endoscope body and without a mechanical connection to said rod-shaped endoscope body;

said rod-shaped endoscope body comprising at least two light emitters, at least two observing systems, a transmitter that transmits a radio wave which carries an image formed by said at least two observing systems and a power supply device;

said external device comprising a receiver that receives said radio wave which carries said image;

one of said at least two light emitters and one of said at least two observing systems being provided in one of the opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body, and

another one of said at least two light emitters and another one of said at least two observing systems being positioned in the other of said opposite ends of said rod-shaped endoscope body,

one of said at least two observing systems comprising a front-view observing system that observes from a front of a corresponding end of said rod-shaped endoscope body, and another of said at least two observing systems comprising a side-view observing system that observes from a side of said rod-shaped endoscope body.

22. An endoscopic system comprising:

a rod-shaped endoscope body which can be swallowed by a patient to be examined so as to be in a body cavity, said rod-shaped endoscope body including at least one bendable portion which is bendable along a curve of said body cavity; and

an external device provided separately from said rod-shaped endoscope body and without a mechanical connection to said rod-shaped endoscope body;

said rod-shaped endoscope body comprising at least two light emitters, at least two observing systems, a transmitter that transmits a radio wave which carries an image formed by said at least two observing systems and a power supply device;

said external device comprising a receiver that receives said radio wave which carries said image;

one of said at least two observing systems comprising a front-view observing system that observes from a front of an end of said rod-shaped endoscope body, and another of said at least two observing systems comprising a side-view observing system that observes from a side of said rod-shaped endoscope body.