Body-cavity image observation apparatus

• US 8,038,608 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Shigemori, Toshiaki, Matsui, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, PHILIP ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US11/573,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 600/101, 600/109, 600/118, 600/117, 600/160, 348/65, 348 72- 75
• US Class Current: 600/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00048 Constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00055 for alerting the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00124 electrical, e.g. electrical plug-and-socket connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to enable clearly identifying whether a body-cavity image displayed on a display unit is based on data which is directly received by a viewer itself, or whether the body-cavity image displayed on the display unit is based on data received by another receiving device. An identification notifying unit presents different identification modes such as a capsule mark and a cable mark 41 which are sensory recognizable between the case where a body-cavity image based on body-cavity image data which a first receiving unit has received directly from a capsule endoscope is displayed, and the case where a body-cavity image 40 based on body-cavity image data which a second receiving unit has received via another receiving device is displayed. Thus, it is possible to clearly identify which receiver has received the body-cavity image data based on which the body-cavity image is displayed.

Claims

1. A body-cavity image observation apparatus, comprising:

a capsule endoscope configured to capture body-cavity image data and to transmit the body-cavity image data when the capsule endoscope travels inside a body-cavity of a subject;

a receiving device configured to perform a reception processing of the body-cavity image data transmitted from the capsule endoscope; and

a viewer configured to be detachably connected to the receiving device and having a display device configured to display the body-cavity image data captured by the capsule endoscope, wherein

the viewer includes;

an antenna for directly receiving the body-cavity image data transmitted from the capsule endoscope, without transmission from the receiving device;

a switching controller configured to selectively switch between a reception by the receiving device, when the viewer is connected to the receiving device, and a reception by the viewer when the viewer is not connected to the receiving device; and

an identification notifying unit configured to present different identification modes which allow a sensory recognition between a case where the body-cavity image is displayed on the display device, based on the body-cavity image data received directly by the viewer, and a case where the body-cavity image is displayed on the display device, based on the body-cavity image data received by the receiving device and transmitted to the viewer.

2. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification notifying unit displays different identification marks at a part of the display device with a body-cavity image, for presenting the different identification modes.

3. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification notifying unit displays an identification mark at a part of the display device with a body-cavity image only when the body-cavity image based on the body-cavity image data received by the receiving device is displayed, for presenting the different identification modes.

4. The body-cavity image observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving device and the viewer are operatively connectable via a detachable connector.