Capsule type endoscope

• US 8,348,835 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimori, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, PHILIP ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US11/492,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20060264083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,359 Days
• Field of Search: 600/109, 600/117, 600/118, 600/160
• US Class Current: 600/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0607 for annular illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2733 Oesophagoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2736 Gastroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/148 Arrangements of two or more hingeably connected rigid printed circuit boards, i.e. connected by flexible means

Abstract

A capsule-type endoscope includes an illumination board which is prepared to mount an illuminating electronic component necessary to illuminate a test region of a test subject with illumination light; an image sensor which has a light-receiving surface including an effective area and an ineffective area, the illumination light reflected from the test region being received to generate an image of the test region in the effective area, the ineffective area not contributing to the image generation; an imaging board which is arranged in parallel with the illumination board, the image sensor being mounted on the imaging board; and a component arrangement unit in which the illuminating electronic component is arranged, the illuminating electronic component being provided in an area on the illumination board, the area on the illumination board being obtained by projecting the ineffective area in the light-receiving surface of the image sensor to a direction orthogonal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor.

Claims

1. A capsule-type endoscope comprising:

an illumination board which is prepared to mount an illuminating electronic component necessary to illuminate a test region of a test subject with illumination light;

an image sensor which has a light-receiving surface including an effective area and an ineffective area, the illumination light reflected from the test region being received to generate an image of the test region in the effective area, the ineffective area not contributing to the image generation;

an imaging board which is arranged in parallel with the illumination board, the image sensor being mounted on the imaging board; and

a component arrangement unit in which the illuminating electronic component is arranged, the illuminating electronic component being provided in an area on the illumination board, the area on the illumination board being arranged close to the effective area and at a position corresponding to the ineffective area within a range where the illumination light from the illumination electronic component has no influence on the image of the effective area;

wherein in the case where the imaging board and the illumination board are arranged in the capsule by folding the flexible board connecting the imaging board and the illumination board, a tall electronic component disposed on a front surface of the imaging board faces a small-profile electronic component disposed on a back surface of the illumination board and a small-profile electronic component disposed on the front surface of the imaging board faces a tall electronic component disposed on the back surface of the illumination board.

2. The capsule-type endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising

a lens which forms a visual field range based on a predetermined view angle, the lens focusing the illumination light reflected from the test region onto the light-receiving surface in a form of an optical image of the test region,

wherein the illuminating electronic component is arranged in the component arrangement unit so as to be arranged out of the visual field range formed by the lens.

3. The capsule-type endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the illuminating electronic component includes a light emitting device which emits the illumination light, the test region of the test subject being illuminated with the illumination light.

4. The capsule-type endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating electronic component includes a light emitting device which emits the illumination light, the test region of the test subject being illuminated with the illumination light.