Capsule type endoscope

• US 6,939,292 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Mizuno, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US10/173,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 600/109, 600/101, 600/160, 600/118, 600/300, 600/117, 600/476, 348/65, 348/74, 348/76
• US Class Current: 600/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• 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 1/0607 for annular 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 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/07 Endoradiosondes

Abstract

A capsule-type endoscope comprising a capsule body, an image pickup element, illuminating elements, an image signal processing circuit, a memory, an image information transmitting circuit and an antenna for wireless transmission. The capsule body contains the pickup element, the illuminating elements, the processing circuit, the memory, transmitting circuit and the antenna. While the capsule body remains in a living body, the image pickup element takes images of an interior of the living body. The processing circuit processes the image, generating image information. The memory stores the information. The transmitting circuit reads the information and supplies it to the antenna. The antenna transmits the information by radio, from the living body.

Claims

1. A capsule type endoscope comprising:

a capsule body comprising a forward part and a rearward part with respect to a direction in which a subject swallows the capsule body, the forward part having a larger diameter than the rearward part, the capsule body further having a soft flat tail at the rearward part;

an illuminating unit provided in the capsule body and configured to illuminate an inside of a living body;

an image pickup element provided in the capsule body and configured to take images in a living body illuminated by the illuminating unit and to generate signals from the images taken;

a processing circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to process the signals, thereby to generate image signals;

a memory provided in the capsule body and configured to store the image signals;

a transmitting circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to read the image signals from the memory and convert the image signals to signals to be transmitted;

an antenna configured to transmit the transmit signals from the living body, without using wires; and

a timer configured to set an operation schedule,

wherein the image pickup element, image processing circuit, memory, transmitting circuit and antenna operate in accordance with the operation schedule set by the timer.

2. A capsule type endoscope comprising:

a capsule body;

an illuminating unit provided in the capsule body and configured to illuminate an inside of a living body,

an image pickup element provided in the capsule body and configured to take images in a living body illuminated by the illuminating unit and to generate signals from the images taken;

a processing circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to process the signals, thereby to generate image signals;

a memory provided in the capsule body and configured to store the image signals,

a transmitting circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to read the image signals from the memory and convert the image signals to be transmitted;

an antenna configured to transmit the signals from the living body, without using wires;

a detecting unit which is held in the capsule body and which detects a position of the capsule body, and

an adjuster for adjusting an image taking rate of the image pickup element, in accordance with the position of the capsule body which has been detected by the detecting unit.

3. A capsule type endoscope according to claim 2, further comprising a timer configured to set an operation schedule, wherein the image pickup element, image processing circuit, memory, transmitting circuit and antenna operate in accordance with the operation schedule set by the timer.

4. A capsule type endoscope comprising:

a capsule body;

an illuminating unit provided in the capsule body and configured to illuminate an inside of a living body;

an image pickup element provided in the capsule body and configured to take images in a living body illuminated by the illuminating unit and to generate signals from the images taken;

a processing circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to process the signals, thereby to generate image signals;

a memory provided in the capsule body and configured to store the image signals;

a transmitting circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to read the image signals from the memory and convert the image signals to signals to be transmitted;

an antenna configured to transmit the transmit signals from the living body, without using wires;

a timer configured to set an operation schedule, wherein the image pickup element, mane processing circuit, memory, transmitting circuit and antenna operate in accordance with the operation schedule set by the timer; and

a detecting unit which is held in the capsule body and which detects a position of the capsule body, wherein the detecting unit detects an electromagnetic field emanating from an external plate arranged outside the living body to determine the position of the capsule body, and wherein the operation schedule is set in the timer such that the image pickup element continues to pickup an image only when the capsule type endoscope detects that the detecting unit is located near the external plate.

5. A capsule type endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the external plate is a magnet plate.

6. A capsule type endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the external plate is a conductive plate.

7. A capsule type endoscope comprising:

a capsule body;

an illuminating unit provided in the capsule body and configured to illuminate an inside of a living body;

an image pickup element provided in the capsule body and configured to take images in a living body illuminated by the illuminating unit and to generate signals from the images taken;

a processing circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to process the signals, thereby to generate image signals;

a memory provided in the capsule body and configured to store the image signals;

a transmitting circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to read the image signals from the memory and convert the image signals to signals to be transmitted, and

an antenna configured to transmit the signals from the living body, without using wires,

wherein the illuminating unit and the image pickup element are provided in a front end portion, so that a center of mass of the capsule type endoscope is in the front end portion of the capsule type endoscope.

8. A capsule type endoscope comprising:

a capsule body;

an illuminating unit provided in the capsule body and configured to illuminate an inside of a living body;

an image pickup element provided in the capsule body and configured to take images in a live body illuminated by the illuminating unit and to generate signals from the images taken;

a processing circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to process the signals, thereby to generate image signals;

a memory provided in the capsule body and configured to store the image signals;

a transmitting circuit provided in the capsule body and configured to read the image signals from the memory and convert the image signals to signals to be transmitted;

an antenna configured to transmit the transmit signals from the living body, without using wires; and

a timer configured to set an operation schedule,

wherein the image pickup element, image processing circuit, memory, transmitting circuit and antenna operate in accordance with the operation schedule set by the timer;

wherein the illuminating unit and the image pickup element are provided in a front end portion of the capsule type endoscope, so that a center of mass is in the front end portion.

9. A method for photographing an inside of a living body by means of a capsule type endoscope swallowed by a subject, the capsule type endoscope including a capsule main body, a photographing device incorporating an image pickup element and an illuminating unit, the method comprising the steps of:

illuminating the inside of the living body with the illuminating unit, photographing, by the image pickup element in the photographing device, the inside of the living body illuminated by the illuminating unit, and generating an image pickup signal,

processing the image pickup signal and generating an image signal;

storing the image signal in a memory provided in the capsule main body;

reading the image signal from the memory, and converting the image signal to a signal to be transmitted;

wirelessly transmitting the signal to be transmitted to an outside of the living body via an antenna provided in the capsule main body; and

detecting a position of the capsule main body by means for detecting a position of the capsule main body, and transferring the capsule type endoscope into an image taking mode in which an image taking rate of the image pickup element is lowered in accordance with information on the position.

10. A method for photographing an inside of a living body by means of a capsule type endoscope swallowed by a subject, the capsule type endoscope including a capsule main body, a photographing device incorporating an image pickup element and an illuminating unit, the method comprising the steps of;

illuminating the inside of the living body with the illuminating unit, detecting an external plate, starting photographing, by the image pickup element in the capsule main body, the inside of the living body illuminated by the illuminating unit, and generating an image pickup signal,

processing the image pickup signal and generating an image signal;

storing the image signal in a memory provided in the capsule main body; and

terminating the photographing when the external plate is not detected, reading the image signal from the memory, and starting wirelessly transmitting the image signal to outside of the living body.