In-vivo information display device, in-vivo information display system, and in-vivo information display method

• US 8,417,105 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimoto, Seiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): BLACKMAN, ROCHELLE ANN J
• Application Number:
  US12/580,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20100099948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 600/101, 600/117, 600/118, 600/109
• US Class Current: 396/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging

Abstract

An in-vivo information display device includes a communication unit that communicates with a receiving device that receives in-vivo information transmitted, at a predetermined time interval, from a body-insertable device that is introduced into a subject and acquires the in-vivo information regarding an inside of the subject; a transmission requesting unit that transmits a transmission request for the in-vivo information to the receiving device via the communication unit; and a display unit that displays the in-vivo information received via the communication unit from the receiving device in response to the transmission request. The transmission requesting unit transmits the transmission request to the receiving device at a first time interval smaller than the predetermined time interval, and the transmission requesting unit transmits the transmission request to the receiving device at a second time interval larger than the first time interval when one or more the in-vivo information is received.

Claims

1. An in-vivo information display device comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with a receiving device that receives in-vivo information transmitted, at an acquisition interval of the in-vivo information, from a body-insertable device that is introduced into a subject and acquires the in-vivo information regarding an inside of the subject;

a transmission requesting unit that transmits a transmission request for the in-vivo information to the receiving device via the communication unit; and

a display unit that displays the in-vivo information received via the communication unit from the receiving device in response to the transmission request, wherein

the transmission requesting unit transmits the transmission request to the receiving device at a first time interval smaller than the acquisition interval, and the transmission requesting unit transmits the transmission request to the receiving device at a second time interval which is equal to the acquisition interval when reception of one or more the in-vivo information is started.

2. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission requesting unit computes the second time interval based on a time interval at which the plurality of in-vivo information is received.

3. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission requesting unit computes and updates the second time interval whenever a predetermined number of the in-vivo information is received.

4. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 1, wherein

the in-vivo information includes a time stamp indicative of time information, and

the transmission requesting unit computes the second time interval based on time stamps included in the plurality of in-vivo information.

5. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 4, wherein the time stamp indicates a time at which the body-insertable device acquires the in-vivo information, a time at which the receiving device receives the in-vivo information from the body-insertable device, or a time at which the receiving device stores the in-vivo information received from the body-insertable device in a predetermined storage area.

6. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 4, wherein the transmission requesting unit computes and updates the second time interval whenever a predetermined number of the in-vivo information is received.

7. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 1, wherein the in-vivo information includes at least one of an intra-subject image, a temperature, a pressure, and a pH value.

8. An in-vivo information display system comprising:

a body-insertable device that is introduced into a subject and includes an in-vivo information acquiring unit that acquires information regarding an inside of the subject and a transmitting unit that transmits the in-vivo information as a radio signal at an acquisition interval of the in-vivo information;

a receiving device that is arranged outside the subject and includes a receiving unit that receives the in-vivo information transmitted from the transmitting unit and a first communication unit that communicates via a predetermined line; and

an in-vivo information display device that includes a second communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit via the predetermined line and a display unit that displays the in-vivo information received via the second communication unit, wherein

the in-vivo information display device further includes a transmission requesting unit that transmits a transmission request for the in-vivo information to the receiving device via the second communication unit at a first time interval smaller than the acquisition interval, and that transmits the transmission request to the receiving device via the second communication unit at a second time interval which is equal to the acquisition interval when reception of one or more the in-vivo information is started, and

the receiving device transmits the in-vivo information received from the body-insertable device to the in-vivo information display device via the first communication unit in response to the transmission request.

9. The in-vivo information display system according to claim 8, wherein the transmission requesting unit computes the second time interval based on a time interval at which the plurality of in-vivo information is received.

10. The in-vivo information display device according to claim 9, wherein the transmission requesting unit computes and updates the second time interval whenever a predetermined number of the in-vivo information is received.

11. The in-vivo information display system according to claim 8, wherein

the in-vivo information includes a time stamp indicative of time information, and

the transmission requesting unit computes the second time interval based on time stamps included in the plurality of in-vivo information.

12. The in-vivo information display system according to claim 11, wherein the time stamp indicates a time at which the body-insertable device acquires the in-vivo information, a time at which the receiving device receives the in-vivo information from the body-insertable device, or a time at which the receiving device stores the in-vivo information received from the body-insertable device in a predetermined storage area.

13. The in-vivo information display system according to claim 11, wherein the transmission requesting unit computes and updates the second time interval whenever a predetermined number of the in-vivo information is received.

14. The in-vivo information display system according to claim 8, wherein the in-vivo information includes at least one of an intra-subject image, a temperature, a pressure, and a pH value.

15. An in-vivo information display method comprising:

transmitting a transmission request for in-vivo information to a receiving device that receives the in-vivo information transmitted, at an acquisition interval of the in-vivo information, from a body-insertable device that is introduced into an inside of a subject and acquires the in-vivo information regarding the inside of the subject;

receiving the in-vivo information transmitted from the receiving device in response to the transmission request; and

displaying the received in-vivo information, wherein

the transmitting a transmission request includes

transmitting the transmission request to the receiving device at a first time interval smaller than the acquisition interval; and

transmitting the transmission request to the receiving device at a second time interval which is equal to the acquisition interval when reception of one or more the in-vivo information is started.

16. The in-vivo information display method according to claim 15, wherein the transmitting the transmission request further includes, when receiving the plurality of in-vivo information in response to a plurality of transmission requests transmitted at the first time interval, computing the second time interval based on a reception time interval of the plurality of in-vivo information.

17. The in-vivo information display method according to claim 16, wherein the computing the second time interval includes computing and updating the second time interval whenever a predetermined number of the in-vivo information is received.

18. The in-vivo information display method according to claim 15, wherein

the transmitting the transmission request further includes computing the second time interval based on time stamps respectively included in the plurality of in-vivo information when the plurality of in-vivo information is received in response to a plurality of transmission requests transmitted at the first time interval, and

the in-vivo information includes a time stamp indicative of time information.

19. The in-vivo information display method according to claim 18, wherein the computing the second time interval includes computing and updating the second time interval whenever a predetermined number of the in-vivo information is received.

20. A computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for operating an information processing device that can communicate with a receiving device that receives in-vivo information transmitted, at an acquisition interval of the in-vivo information, from a body-insertable device, which is introduced into an inside of a subject and acquires the in-vivo information regarding the inside of the subject, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

transmitting a transmission request for the in-vivo information to the receiving device;

receiving the in-vivo information transmitted from the receiving device in response to the transmission request; and

displaying the received in-vivo information, and

the transmitting a transmission request including;

transmitting the transmission request to the receiving device at a first time interval smaller than the acquisition interval; and

transmitting the transmission request to the receiving device at a second time interval which is equal to the acquisition interval when the information processing device starts to receive one or more the in-vivo information.