Intracoelomic mobile body, and capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope

• US 7,452,338 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Yuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler; Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roy; Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US10/981,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 600444-446, 600/593, 600/549, 600/561, 600/309, 600/437, 600/562, 600/101, 600/109, 600/118, 600/160
• US Class Current: 600/593
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network

Abstract

An intracoelomic mobile body comprising: a capsule body which has a body to be rotated and can be introduced into the human body; and a rotation drive unit which has a rotation shaft for freely rotating the body to be rotated back and forth. The rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that a first line obtained by linking the positions of center of gravity of cross-sections formed up to a limit of the formation when the capsule body is cut along a plane perpendicular to the rotation shaft does not overlap a second line obtained by extending the rotation shaft as the same line.

Claims

1. An intracoelomic mobile body comprising:

a swallowable capsule body which has an internal body to be rotated, the swallowable capsule body can be introduced into the human body and having first and second ends offset in a longitudinal direction; and

a rotation drive unit which has a rotation shaft for freely rotating the internal body to be rotated back and forth, the rotation drive unit being arranged in the swallowable capsule body between the first and second ends of the swallowable capsule body in such a way that a first line obtained by linking the positions of center of gravity of cross-sections formed up to limit of the formation when the capsule body is cut along a plane perpendicular to the rotation shaft does not overlap a second line obtained by extending the rotation shaft as the same line.

2. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the internal body to be rotated is an information acquisition unit for acquiring biological information.

3. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 2, wherein the information acquisition unit is an ultrasonic transducer unit for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.

4. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 3, wherein the first line and the second line do not overlap at all.

5. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 2, wherein the information acquisition unit is an image pickup unit for picking up optical images.

6. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 3, wherein the first line is a straight line.

7. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 6, wherein the first line and the second line are not parallel.

8. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 6, wherein the first line and the second line are substantially parallel.

9. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 8, wherein the distance between the first line and the second line is less than about 10 mm.

10. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 3, wherein the first line is formed from a combination of a straight line and a curved line.

11. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 10, wherein the first line has at least two straight lines and at least one of the straight lines overlaps the second line.

12. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 3, wherein the rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that the first line and the second line form an angle.

13. The intracoelomic mobile body according to claim 3, wherein the rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that the second line is eccentric from the first line.

14. A capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope comprising:

a swallowable capsule body which has an internal body to be rotated, the swallowable capsule body can be introduced into the human body and having first and second ends offset in a longitudinal direction; and

a rotation drive unit which has a rotation shaft for freely rotating the internal body to be rotated back and forth, the rotation drive unit being arranged in the swallowable capsule body between the first and second ends of the swallowable capsule body in such a way that a first line obtained by linking the positions of center of gravity of cross-sections formed up to a limit of the formation when the capsule body is cut along a plane perpendicular to the rotation shaft does not overlap a second line obtained by extending the rotation shaft as the same line.

15. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 14, wherein the internal body to be rotated is an information acquisition unit for acquiring biological information.

16. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the information acquisition unit is an ultrasonic transducer unit for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.

17. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 16, wherein the first line and the second line do not overlap at all.

18. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the information acquisition unit is an image pickup unit for picking up optical images.

19. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 16, wherein the first line is a straight line.

20. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 19, wherein the first line and the second line are not parallel.

21. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 18, wherein the first line and the second line are substantially parallel.

22. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 21, wherein the distance between the first line and the second line is less than about 10 mm.

23. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 16, wherein the first line is formed from a combination of a straight line and a curved line.

24. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 23, wherein the first line has at least two straight lines and at least one of the straight lines overlaps the second line.

25. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 16, wherein the rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that the first line and the second line form an angle.

26. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 16, wherein the rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that the second line is eccentric from the first line.

27. A capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope comprising:

a swallowable capsule body which can be introduced into the human body, the swallowable capsule body having first and second ends offset in a longitudinal direction;

an ultrasonic transducer internal to the swallowable capsule body and which can generate ultrasonic waves; and

a rotation drive unit which has a rotation shaft for rotating the ultrasonic transducer, the rotation drive unit being arranged in the swallowable capsule body between the first and second ends of the swallowable capsule body in such a way that a first line obtained by linking the positions of center of gravity of cross-sections formed up to a limit of the formation when the capsule body is cut along a plane perpendicular to the rotation shaft does not overlap a second line obtained by extending the rotation shaft as the same line.

28. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 27, wherein the rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that the first line and the second line form an angle.

29. The capsule-type ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 27, wherein the rotation drive unit is arranged in the capsule body in such a way that the second line is eccentric from the first line.