Olympus Corporation

Olympus Medical Systems Corporation

Olympus Imaging Corporation

Toshiaki Shigemori

Ayako Nagase

Akira Matsui

Kazutaka Nakatsuchi

Seiichiro Kimoto

Manabu Fujita

Noriyuki Fujimori

Tatsuya Orihara

Yuki Wani

Takeshi Mori

Tsutomu Nakamura

Katsuya Suzuki

Masatoshi Homan

Takemitsu Honda

Tetsuo Minai

Katsuyoshi Sasagawa

Masayuki Hashimoto

Hatsuo Shimizu

Hiroshi Suzushima

Hironao Kawano

Hidetake Segawa

Hirotoshi Amano

A receiving device includes a receiving unit that receives, via a receiving antenna, an image signal including an in-vivo image of a subject that is captured by an in-vivo-image acquiring device introduced into the subject; a transmitting unit that wirelessly transmits the image signal to a real-time display device that displays the in-vivo image in real time; a detecting unit that detects a non-receiving period in which the receiving unit does not receive the image signal; and a control unit that performs a control to wirelessly transmit the image signal to the real-time display device during the non-receiving period immediately after receipt of the image signal by the receiving unit.

Receiving device

A receiving apparatus for receiving a radio signal through an antenna. The radio signal is transmitted by a moving transmitting apparatus and has a frame configuration which includes at least a main information portion that includes information main part based on an image signal and an added portion that includes synchronization information and parameter information specific to the transmitting apparatus. The receiving apparatus includes a detecting unit that is configured to detect, from the received radio signal, an arrangement position of the parameter information in a frame configuration in which an error-correcting code is added immediately after the parameter information to be transmitted in a predetermined arrangement position of the frame configuration. A parameter information error correcting unit is configured to perform error correction on the parameter information with the error-correcting code that is added immediately after the detected arrangement position of the parameter information. An image processing unit is configured to perform image processing on the image signal of the main information portion using the corrected parameter information.

Radio receiver with an error correction code detector and with a correction unit

An object of the invention is to receive, with a high sensitivity, a radio signal transmitted within a short time before a capsule endoscope reaches the stomach of a subject and acquire, in a satisfactory state, information on the interior of the subject such as image data picked up by the capsule endoscope. The receiving apparatus according to the invention includes a plurality of receiving antennas including a specified receiving antenna for receiving a radio signal from a capsule endoscope before the stomach is reached, a switching controller, an arrival determining unit and a mode switching unit. The switching controller performs a control operation for switching to and maintaining the receiving antenna in an initial mode or a control operation for switching to the receiving antennas in a normal mode. The arrival determining unit determines whether the capsule endoscope has reached the stomach or not. The mode switching unit instructs the switching controller to perform the control operation for switching to the initial mode, and upon determination that the stomach has been reached, gives the instruction to perform the control operation for switching to the normal mode.

Receiving apparatus and in-vivo information acquiring system using the same

A capsule endoscope includes a capsule-shaped casing and an imaging unit for taking an image of an inside of an organ in a state where the capsule endoscope is floating in liquid introduced inside the organ of a subject. Specific gravity of the capsule endoscope to the introduced liquid is &#x3c1;; a plane divides the capsule endoscope such that a volume ratio is to be &#x3c1;:1&#x2212;&#x3c1;. A straight line that connects a center of volume of a portion whose volume ratio is &#x3c1; and a center of gravity of the capsule endoscope is substantially perpendicular to the plane. The center of gravity is present at a position farther distant from the plane than the center of volume. A surface of a boundary of a field of view that forms an angle of view of the imaging unit and the plane do not intersect outside the capsule endoscope.

Capsule endoscope

A display device includes: a display unit that displays examination procedure information indicating an examination procedure of a subject; and a control unit that acquires position-related information of a capsule endoscope inserted into the subject, calculates a position of the capsule endoscope based on the acquired position-related information, determines a to-be-executed examination procedure of the subject corresponding to the calculated position, and performs control to display the examination procedure information indicating the determined to-be-executed examination procedure of the subject.

Display device and in-vivo information acquiring system using the same

A capsule endoscope system includes: a receiving device that receives in-vivo images captured by a capsule endoscope inserted into an organ of a subject; and an image display device that acquires ID information of one or more capsule endoscopes, acquires through the receiving device the in-vivo images captured by the capsule endoscopes identified by the ID information, and displays thereon the in-vivo images thus acquired. The image display device is connected via a communication network to a central server that uniformly manages information about the capsule endoscopes, notifies the central server the ID information of the one or more capsule endoscopes, acquires information about the one or more capsule endoscopes from the central server, and performs a warning process about the one or more capsule endoscopes according to the information thus acquired.

Capsule endoscope system

A vieweras a compact display device displays a body cavity image picked up by a capsule endoscope. When a communication-cable connection detectordetects a communication cable connection between a receiving apparatusand the viewer, a control unitswitch controls a changeover switchbased on this connection detection, thereby switching a display of an LCDto a display of image data from wire. Next, information necessary for an examination such as image data is taken in from the receiving apparatusvia a communication cable, and is displayed in an LCD. With this arrangement, a display unit is not necessary in the receiving apparatus, and a circuit configuration becomes simple. The receiving apparatus can be made compact and light, and power consumption can be decreased.

Intra-subject information acquiring system

To acquire much accurate image information having no noise, without increasing load in the post-processing of the image information, a receiving apparatus 3 includes: a synchronization signal detector 34 that detects a horizontal synchronization signal and a vertical synchronization signal; an image processor 35 that performs an image generation process of each frame based on the horizontal synchronization signal and the vertical synchronization signal detected by the synchronization signal detector 34; and an image deletion controller 36a that controls to delete an image of the current frame, when a horizontal synchronization signal within one frame detected by the synchronization signal detector 34 is not continuously detected by a first predetermined number or more, or when a horizontal synchronization signal within one frame detected by the synchronization signal detector 34 is not continuously detected by a second predetermined number or more, or when a vertical synchronization signal detected by the synchronization signal detector 34 is not continuously detected by a third predetermined number or more.

Receiving apparatus and intra-subject information acquiring system

To provide a transmitting apparatus, a receiving apparatus, and an in-vivo information acquiring system that enable to acquire image information corresponding to one image, by assuredly synchronizing between a capsule endoscope and the receiving apparatus. According to the present invention, a capsule endoscopethat transmits a radio signal including at least an image signal S to the receiving apparatus includes a signal processorthat outputs the image signal S, a reference signal generatorthat generates a reference signal including a different signal level and outputs a reference signal component D including at least the reference signal, an inserting unitthat inserts the reference signal component D into a predetermined heading period of the image signal S and at least a portion of a blanking period in which a signal component does not exist, and a transmitting unitthat wirelessly transmits the image signal S output from the inserting unitto an outside.

Receiving apparatus, transmitting apparatus and in-vivo information acquiring apparatus

A capsule endoscope image display device displays, on a display screen, at least a search character input window, a thumbnail specification input button for specifying a thumbnail, and a report specification input button for specifying a report. When the thumbnail specification input button is operated, thumbnails to which a comment including characters input in the search character input window is added are searched for in a recording device, and their listing is displayed in a scrollable manner. When the report specification input button is operated, reports including the characters input in the search character input window are searched for, and their listing is displayed in a scrollable manner. In this way, data associated with an image of desired position, lesion portion, etc. can be easily grasped from among many pieces of image information.

Capsule endoscope image display device

A capsule endoscopeis inserted into a subject and transmits a capsule ID, which is received by an RF receiving unitof a receiving apparatus. A capsule ID detecting circuitdetects the capsule ID. A control unit C recognizes a type of the capsule endoscopebased on the detected capsule ID, and changes over a threshold of received field strength of a receiving antenna. Thus, a content of processing for the capsule endoscopeis changed over, and a selection controller Cselects a receiving antenna for an image receiving period from receiving antennas Ato An.

Receiving apparatus

The present invention is intended to be able to ensure detecting whether an open-circuit occurs to a feeder within short time with simple configuration. A receiving apparatusaccording to the present invention receives image information transmitted from a capsule endoscopethrough a coaxial cable and a receiving antenna selected and switched to from among coaxial cablestoconnected to receiving antennasto, respectively by a changeover switch. The receiving apparatusincludes a changeover switch, an open-circuit detecting circuit, and a control unit. The changeover switchbranches the coaxial cablestonear the changeover switch, and selects and switches to one of the branched coaxial cables. The open-circuit detecting circuitapplies a direct-current voltage to the coaxial cable selected by the changeover switchthrough a constant-current source, and detects whether an open-circuit occurs to the coaxial cable by determining whether a voltage of the coaxial cable is grounded. The control unitcontrols the changeover switchto perform selection/switching, and controls the open-circuit detecting circuitto perform open-circuit detection synchronously with the selection/switching control over the changeover switch

Each of detecting circuits, anddetects a key signal such as a horizontal synchronization signal, a vertical synchronization signal, a capsule ID, a WB coefficient, and error information, i.e., a key signal superposed on RF signals received by an RF receiving unit. Each of determining units, anddetermines whether an image is valid or invalid based on the result of detection. A recording deciding unitdecides whether to record the image information in a storage unitor not based on the result of determination. Thus, a receiving apparatuscan stop recording the image information received when a trouble occurs, thereby preventing defective images from mixing into the recorded image information, and preventing a recorded image size from becoming large, whereby necessary images can be recorded within a predetermined examination time.

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 markwhich 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 imagebased 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.

Body-cavity image observation apparatus

An in-body information acquiring apparatus includes a function executing unit that realizes a predetermined function inside a body of a patient. A power-supply circuit includes a power unit that includes a cell and that outputs a first current and a first voltage; and a converter that converts the first current to a second current, which is a current required to operate the function executing unit for a predetermined time, and converts the first voltage to a second voltage, which is a voltage required to operate the function executing unit.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Toshiaki Shigemori