Capsule medical apparatus with projections and body-cavity observation method

• US 8,764,639 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Segawa, Hidetake, Takizawa, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nia, Alireza
• Application Number:
  US12/983,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 600/128, 600/109, 600/117, 600/118, 600/160, 600/179
• US Class Current: 600/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00156 using self propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00179 for off-axis viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00181 for multiple fixed viewing angles A61B1/00193 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof

Abstract

Provided is a capsule medical apparatus including a capsule body, a control member, and an observing member. The capsule body is to be introduced into a lumen of a subject. The control member controls a movement of the capsule body in the lumen by a flow of a fluid introduced in the lumen. The observing member is fixed inside the capsule body and observes a direction of the flow of the fluid and a direction different from the flow of the fluid according to the movement of the capsule body.

Claims

1. A capsule medical apparatus comprising:

a capsule body to be introduced into a lumen of a subject, the capsule body having a length in a longitudinal axial direction;

a control member controlling a movement of the capsule body in the lumen by a flow of a fluid introduced in the lumen; and

an observing member fixed inside the capsule body and observing a direction of the flow of the fluid and a direction different from the flow of the fluid according to the movement of the capsule body;

wherein the control member is a rotary guide member which rotates the capsule body in a radial direction about an axis passing through the gravity center of the capsule body and perpendicular to the longitudinal axial direction by the flow of the fluid,

the rotary guide member includes a pair of one-way resistive elements, the resistive elements having a same shape and being located on an outer surface of the capsule body to be point symmetric with respect to the gravity center of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction of the capsule body, and

one of the pair of one-way resistive elements faces to the flow of the fluid to generate a reaction force.

2. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one-way resistive elements are projections.

3. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the projections can be projected and retracted with respect to the outer surface of the capsule body.

4. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the projections are pocket projections each having an opening opened along the longitudinal axial direction.

5. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the one-way resistive elements is a groove opened toward an end portion along the longitudinal axial direction.

6. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the one-way resistive elements is a hole opened toward an end portion along the longitudinal axial direction.

7. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the observing member includes an imaging member which forms an imaging field in the longitudinal axial direction of the capsule body.

8. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the observing members are respectively fixed at both end portions of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction.

9. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the imaging member includes a first imaging member and a second imaging member, the first imaging member being fixed at an end of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction and having a far focus, and the second imaging member being fixed at another end of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction and having a near focus.