Kochi University

Fujikin Inc.

National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center

Other

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Dic Corporation

Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd.

Iwasaki Electric Co., Ltd.

Nirec Corporation

National University Corporation Kochi University

Takayuki Sato

Kenji Sunagawa

Masaru Sugimachi

Takashi Tanimoto

Takashi Sato

Mitsuyuki Hatanaka

Shigehiro Kanayama

Nozomu Kajiwara

Tetsuo Sumida

Takaaki Komiya

Haruyasu Katahira

Kazuaki Kojima

Tatsumi Ike

An openable and closable clip for medical use includes a resin clip body, and a fastening ring to be fitted onto the clip body. Clip body includes a pair of opposing arm parts, and connecting part that connects base ends of respective arm parts. Each arm part includes curved part on a base end side, holding part on distal end side, and intermediate part between curved and holding parts. Curved part is curved in arc shape, and intermediate part has a thickness greater than that of curved part. Clip body closes in state where fastening ring is fitted onto clip body on side closer to connecting part than curved part, opens when fastening ring slides onto curved part from connecting part, and closes when fastening ring slides onto intermediate part from curved part. Openable and closable clip can be used in endoscope clip device and opens and closes stably.

Openable and closable clip

A medical tool for fingertip of the present invention has a resin layer that emits red fluorescence or near-infrared fluorescence, and is used by putting it on a fingertip. More specifically, the medical tools for fingertipA toE have a finger cot shape and an opening portionfrom which the ball of the finger is exposed when put on, and are formed of a resin that emits red fluorescence or near-infrared fluorescence. Alternatively, the medical tools for fingertipF andG have a glove shape, and a printing layerthat is formed of a resin that emits red fluorescence or near-infrared fluorescence on or around the ball of the finger thereof. Further alternatively, the medical tools for fingertipH andI are a sticker-like medical tool having an adhesive layer provided to one surface of the resin layer that emits red fluorescence or near-infrared fluorescence, and have a size that allows it to be attached to the ball of the finger. When the medical tools for fingertip are put on the tip of a finger of a surgeon used for palpation of a living body, the position of an affected site which has been specified from the mucosal side by the palpation can be accurately specified from the serosal side.

Medical tool for fingertip

An endoscope includes a scope and an image capturing unit accommodated inside the scope. The image capturing unit includes: first and second prisms; a reflection film provided between oblique faces of the first and second prisms; a first trimming filter on which visible light transmitted through the first prism is incident on the first trimming filter via the reflection film; a first image sensor facing the first trimming filter; a second trimming filter on which near-infrared light transmitted through the second prism being incident on the second trimming filter via the reflection film; and a second image sensor facing the second trimming filter. The first prism is fixed to the second prism, the first trimming filter is fixed to the first prism, and the second trimming filter is fixed to the second prism.

Endoscope and image capturing unit provided therein

An apparatus to determine if a constituent member has been damaged. The constituent member can be a medical product comprising a coating, or a substance kneaded into the product, which emits a fluorescence in the near-infrared region. The apparatus to determine if this constituent member has been damaged includes an irradiation light source, an optical filter, an imaging unit, a display unit and a control unit connected to the light source, the optical filter and the imaging unit to determine and inform that damage has occurred in the constituent member.

Medical product emitting near-infrared fluorescence and medical product usage status checking apparatus

[Problem] To provide an artery visualization device capable of very appropriately visualizing a to-be-punctured artery and an artery imaging device used for the artery visualization device. [Solution] An artery visualization device () includes en irradiation unit () which irradiates the near-infrared light emitted from a light source () toward a back-side skin surface () at a visualization site () where a to-be-punctured artery () is running, a light guiding part () which encapsulates the light source and is pressed against the back-side skin surface and which is formed with a material of transmitting the near-infrared light emitted from the light source and suppressing reflection of the near-infrared light on the surface of the back-side skin surface, an optical filter () which blocks visible light and transmits the near-infrared light passing through a front-side skin surface () at the visualization site, a camera () (an imaging unit) which receives the near-infrared light passing through the optical filter to capture an image of the visualization site (), and a monitor () (a display unit) which displays the image captured by the camera.

Artery visualization device and artery imaging device

A method includes the steps of emitting infrared light of a predetermined wavelength to an object, receiving infrared light of a predetermined wavelength different from the infrared light emitted from the object, and adjusting white balance of an image output from a camera at this time, thereby showing the incident infrared light as white. The method further includes the steps of emitting white visible light to the object from an RGB light source, receiving visible light emitted from the object, and adjusting the intensity of the RGB light source for each of R, G, and B, thereby adjusting white balance of a captured image.

White balance adjustment method and imaging device for medical instrument

An imaging system includes: a first lighting device for irradiating an imaging target object with visible light; a second lighting device for irradiating the imaging target object with near-infrared light; and an image sensor for photodetecting visible light caused by the visible light and coming from the imaging target object and fluorescence caused by the near-infrared light and coming from the imaging target object during a predetermined shutter open period every frame of a predetermined period. The image sensor outputs photodetection signals corresponding to photodetection amounts of the visible light and the fluorescence. The imaging system also includes a controller that generates a composite image of a visible image and a fluorescence image based on the photodetection signals, and has a lighting controller that turns on the second lighting device with optical power corresponding to the shutter open period in synchronism with the shutter open period.

Imaging system

A blood pressure regulating system uses a native regulation rule to estimate at least one nerve activity in response to blood pressure changes, comprising at least one blood pressure sensing means which senses blood pressure and outputs a input blood pressure signal, a calculating means which receives the input blood pressure signal, calculates a transfer function by computing a Fourier transform of a normal blood pressure signal and a normal sympathetic nerve activity from normal cardiovascular system, calculates an impulse response by computing an inverse Fourier transform of the transfer function, calculates a sympathetic nerve stimulation signal using a convolution integral between the input blood pressure signal and the impulse response, and outputs the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal, and a stimulating means which receives the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal, and stimulates the sympathetic nerve innervating vascular beds based on the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal such that blood pressure is regulated.

Blood pressure regulating system by substituting native biological regulatory function

The present invention provides a cardiac pacing system based on biological activities, comprising: a) at least one nerve activity sensing means which senses nerve activity of a cardiac sympathetic nerve and/or a vagal nerve, and outputs a plurality of input nerve activity signals; b) a calculating means which receives the input nerve activity signals, calculates a transfer function by computing a Fourier transform of normal nerve activity signals and a normal heart rate signal from normal cardiovascular system, calculates an impulse response by computing an inverse Fourier transform of the transfer function, calculates a plurality of pacing signals for control of a heart rate using a convolution integral between the input nerve activity signals and the impulse response, and outputs the pacing signals; and c) a pacing means which receives the pacing signals, and stimulates the heart based on the pacing signals such that heart rate is regulated.

Cardiac pacing system by substituting native biological regulatory function

A medical treating system based on biological activities characterized by biological activity sensing means for sensing biological activity information produced by biological activities and outputting a biological activity signal, calculating means for receiving, analyzing, and processing the biological activity signals from the biological activity sensing means, calculating an organism stimulation signal, and outputting the organism stimulation signal, and organism stimulating means for receiving the organism stimulation signal calculated by the calculating means and stimulating an organism according to the organism stimulation signal. A cardiac pacing system based on the treating system, a blood pressure regulating system, and a cardiac disease treating system are also disclosed.

Cardiac pacing system, blood pressure regulating system, and cardiac disease treatment system by substituting native biological regulatory function

Medical treatment system using biological regulation function alternate, cardiac pacing system based on the medical treatment system, blood pressure regulating system, and cardiac disease treating system

An image pickup apparatus capable of capturing a composite image of a visible-light image and an infrared image of a subject is provided, whereby the configuration is simplified and made more convenient. A visible-light source () and an excitation-light source () for exciting a phosphorescent substance are provided as a light source () for a subject that includes an infrared-fluorescent substance. The light from the subject is passed through an optical filter () and directed into a CCD image sensor (). The optical filter () cuts excitation light and transmits fluorescent light. The transmittance of visible light by the optical filter () is set lower than the transmittance of fluorescent light so that the weak infrared image from the fluorescent light is clearly displayed over the visible-light image. Since the CCD image sensor () is sensitive to infrared light as well as to visible light, an image signal is outputted for the composite image according to the incident light from the optical filter ().

Growing community of inventors

Kochi, Japan

Takayuki Sato