JP2008173322A - Swallow type medical device, holding mechanism, and medical device system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To communicate with a capsule endoscope easily in a wired manner from outside, and to supply electric power to the capsule endoscope easily from outside. <P>SOLUTION: A cradle 50 holds the capsule endoscope 10 by inserting the capsule endoscope 10 inside the bottomed cylindrical part 51. The first to fourth outside exposing electrode parts 61A-64A are disposed on the bottom surface 51B of the bottomed cylindrical part 51. The first outside exposing electrode part 61A is disposed on an axis X' of the bottomed cylindrical part 52. The second to fourth outside exposing electrode parts 62A-64A are formed in an annular shape by using the axis X' as the center of the annulus ring so that the first to fourth outside exposing electrode parts 61A-64A are arranged concentrically. The first to fourth exposing electrode parts 31A-34A are disposed on one end surface 11B of the capsule outer shell 11 in a manner to make contact with the first to fourth outside exposing electrode parts 61A-64A respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical device system including a swallowable medical device such as a capsule endoscope and a holding mechanism such as a cradle for holding the medical device.

  In recent years, capsule endoscopes that have been swallowed to be sent into a living body and that observe the inside of the living body with an image sensor have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). The capsule endoscope, after being swallowed, does not give pain to the patient due to the insertion portion unlike the conventional endoscope while observing the inside of the living body.

The video signal obtained by the capsule endoscope is normally transmitted outside the body by radio, and the state in the living body is confirmed by the transmitted video signal. In addition, the image pickup element and various circuits provided in the capsule endoscope are driven by a battery provided in the capsule endoscope.
Special table 2003-52395 gazette

  However, when data is transmitted / received to / from the outside by wireless communication, the amount of information that can be transmitted / received is limited, and it is difficult to update a program provided in the capsule endoscope, change an operation setting, or the like. In addition, since the amount of charge of the battery provided inside is limited, in-vivo observation with a capsule endoscope can only be performed for a short period of time, for example, it is difficult to use a capsule endoscope multiple times. It is.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an electrode is provided on the outer wall of the capsule endoscope for communication and power supply, and the electrode arrangement or the external electrode for connecting to the electrode is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a capsule endoscope having an improved arrangement so that communication with the outside can be easily performed by wire.

  The medical device system according to the present invention includes a swallowable swallowable medical device configured by sealing its inside with a cylindrical outer shell, and holding the outer shell, and the cylindrical end surface of the outer shell in the held state And a holding mechanism having a facing surface facing the. The system has first and second exposed electrode portions that are electrically connectable to the inside of the medical device and exposed on the outer wall of the cylinder end surface, and the holding mechanism is exposed on the opposite surface. When the medical device is held by the holding mechanism, the first and second externally exposed electrode portions are in contact with the first and second exposed electrode portions, respectively. The electrode portion or the first and second externally exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically.

  When the second externally exposed electrode part is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the first externally exposed part electrode, the first and second externally exposed electrode parts are disposed concentrically, The second exposed electrode portion is preferably formed in a dot shape. In this case, the first externally exposed electrode part is formed, for example, in a dot shape, and is arranged at the center of the ring of the second externally exposed electrode part.

  The holding mechanism has a bottomed cylindrical part for inserting and holding the outer shell so that the respective axes substantially coincide with each other, and the bottom surface of the bottomed cylindrical part holds the outer shell, When it becomes a facing surface facing the tube end surface, the first and second external exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically around the axis of the bottomed tube portion, and the first and second exposed electrode portions are respectively Is preferably arranged so that the distances from the axis of the outer shell are different from each other so that the first and second externally exposed electrode portions can contact each other.

  When the first and second exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically by forming the second exposed electrode portion in an annular shape so as to surround the first exposed electrode portion, the first and second The externally exposed electrode portion is preferably formed in a dot shape. In this case, the first exposed electrode portion is formed, for example, in a dot shape, and is disposed at the center of the ring of the second exposed electrode portion.

  The holding mechanism has a bottomed cylindrical part for inserting and holding the outer shell so that the respective axes substantially coincide with each other, and the bottom surface of the bottomed cylindrical part holds the outer shell, When it becomes an opposing surface opposite to the tube end surface, the first and second exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically around the axis of the outer shell, and the first and second external exposed electrode portions are respectively Are preferably arranged so that the distance from the axis of the bottomed cylindrical portion is different from each other so that the first and second exposed electrode portions can be in contact with each other.

  The swallowable medical device according to the present invention has a cylindrical shape, and is arranged so as to be exposed on the outer wall of the cylindrical end surface of the outer shell and the outer shell formed by sealing the inside of the outer shell. The first and second exposed electrode portions are connectable to each other, and the first and second exposed electrode portions are separated from each other by a distance from the outer shell axis.

  The holding mechanism according to the present invention has a cylindrical, swallowable medical device having a cylindrical outer shell that can be inserted and held inside such that the cylindrical end surface of the outer shell faces the bottom of the cylinder. A bottom cylinder part, and a first and second externally exposed electrode parts that are arranged so as to be exposed on the bottom surface of the bottomed cylinder part and can be electrically connected to medical devices held by the bottomed cylinder part, respectively. The distance between the first and second externally exposed electrode portions from the axis of the bottomed cylindrical portion is different from each other.

  In the present invention, by holding the swallowable medical device in the holding mechanism, each electrode on the medical device side can be reliably connected to each external electrode on the holding mechanism side. It can be easily supplied and wired communication with the outside can be easily performed.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an initial state of the capsule endoscope according to the present embodiment. The capsule endoscope 10 is a swallowable medical device that can be swallowed by swallowing and can observe the inside of the body. As shown in FIG. 1, the capsule endoscope 10 is configured such that the inside is sealed with a capsule outer shell 11. The capsule outer shell 11 has a cylindrical shape, and both end surfaces 11A and 11B swell outward and are formed in a substantially hemispherical shape. One end surface (one end surface) 11A of the capsule outer shell 11 is formed of a transparent cover so that a subject can be imaged and illumination light can be emitted to the outside, and the other portion of the capsule outer shell 11 is an opaque cover. Consists of.

  Inside the capsule outer shell 11, a lens 13 for forming a subject image on the image sensor 12, an internal circuit 14, and a light source device 16 for illuminating the inside of the body are provided. The internal circuit 14 includes an image sensor 12 for capturing a subject image, a transmitter 21 for wirelessly transmitting information from the capsule endoscope 10 to an external antenna, etc., a RAM 22, a CPU 23, a ROM 24, and other components. Various circuits are provided. The internal circuit 14 is electrically connected to a power source (not shown) and supplies power to the internal circuit.

  A predetermined program is stored in the ROM 24, and the CPU 23 controls the entire operation of the capsule endoscope 10 based on the predetermined program. The program stored in the ROM 24 can be rewritten. The RAM 22 temporarily stores data necessary for processing by the CPU 23. Various circuits (not shown) are, for example, a driving circuit for driving the light source device 16, an image processing circuit for performing image processing, and the like.

  First to fourth electrodes 31 to 34 are disposed on the other end surface 11 </ b> B of the capsule outer shell 11. The first to fourth electrodes 31 to 34 are electrically connected to the internal circuit 14. Each of the first to fourth electrodes 31 to 34 is provided through the capsule outer shell 11, a part thereof is disposed inside the inner wall 11 </ b> C, a part is exposed to the outer wall 11 </ b> D side, and the first to fourth electrodes are provided. The exposed electrode portions 31A to 34A. As shown in FIG. 2, the first to fourth exposed electrode portions 31 </ b> A to 34 </ b> A are formed in a dot shape (for example, a polygonal shape or a circular shape) when viewed from above.

  The first exposed electrode portion 31 </ b> A is disposed on the tip end Y of the other end surface 11 </ b> B, that is, on the axis X of the capsule outer shell 11. Each of the second to fourth exposed electrode portions 32A to 34A is disposed away from the tip end portion Y (that is, the axis X) of the other end surface 11B. The second to fourth exposed electrode portions 32A to 34A are different from each other in the distances D2, D3, and D4 from the axis X, and the distance D2 of the second exposed electrode portion 32A is the smallest. The separation distance D4 is the largest.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the second to fourth exposed electrode portions 32A to 34A has concentric first to first axes having radii D2, D3, and D4 that are different from each other when viewed from above. It arrange | positions in a part on each of 3rd circle | round | yen 35A-35C. And only one exposed electrode part is provided in the same circle 35A-35C, and another exposed electrode part is not provided. In this specification, the separation distance (or radius) refers to the center position of each exposed electrode part (or externally exposed electrode part) and the axis X (or axis X) in the radial direction of the capsule outer shell or the bottomed cylindrical part. ') And the separation distance.

  The first to fourth exposed electrode portions 32A to 34A are different from each other in the distance from the axis X, and the other end surface 11B is formed in a substantially hemispherical surface. Are also arranged at different positions.

  3 to 5 show a cradle for holding the capsule endoscope 10. The cradle 50 includes a pedestal portion 52 that supports the bottomed tubular portion 51, and a cylindrical bottomed tubular portion 51 that is integrally connected above the pedestal portion 52. The cradle is composed only of metal and heat-resistant resin, and can be sterilized or sterilized by heat.

  The inner peripheral surface 51A of the bottomed cylindrical portion 51 is a circumferential surface having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the capsule outer shell 11, and the cylindrical bottom surface 51B bulges downward and is formed into a substantially hemispherical surface. The inside exhibits a shape along the outer wall 11D of the capsule endoscope 10. The bottomed cylinder portion 51 can hold the capsule endoscope 10 inserted into the cylinder by exhibiting such a shape. In addition, the bottomed cylinder part 51 has a cylinder height such that the inserted capsule endoscope 10 can hardly move back and forth and right and left.

  The first to fourth external electrodes 61 to 64 are disposed on the cylinder bottom surface 51B. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a female USB connector 58 having first to fourth electrode terminals (VBUS, GND, D +, D−) (not shown) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the bottomed cylindrical portion 51. It is done. The first to fourth electrode terminals are electrically connected to the first to fourth external electrodes 61 to 64 through electrode wires, respectively.

  Each of the first to fourth external electrodes 61 to 64 is partially embedded in the cradle 50, and a part of the first to fourth external electrodes 61 to 64 is exposed from the cylinder bottom surface 51 </ b> B to form the first to fourth external exposed electrode portions 61 </ b> A to 64 </ b> A. . As shown in FIG. 5, the first external exposed electrode portion 61 </ b> A is formed in a dot shape (for example, a polygonal shape or a circular shape) when viewed from above, and the deepest portion Y ′ of the bottom surface 51 </ b> B, that is, the bottomed tubular portion 51. 4 and is provided at a position corresponding to the first exposed electrode portion 31A, as shown in FIG.

  Each of the second to fourth externally exposed electrode portions 62A to 64A has an annular shape with the axis X ′ as the center of the ring and the distances (ie, radii) D2 ′, D3 ′, and D4 ′ from the axis X ′ different from each other. The first to fourth externally exposed electrode portions 61A to 64A are arranged concentrically. Here, the separation distance D2 ′ of the second external exposed electrode portion 62A is the smallest, the separation distance D4 ′ of the fourth external exposed electrode portion is the largest, and the separation distances D2 ′, D3 ′, D4 ′ are The distances D2, D3, and D4 from the axis X of the fourth exposed electrode portion are substantially the same. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the second to fourth external exposed electrode portions 61 </ b> A to 64 </ b> A are at positions corresponding to the second to fourth exposed electrode portions 32 </ b> A to 34 </ b> A provided in the capsule endoscope 10. Be placed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each of the first to fourth externally exposed electrode portions 61A to 64A has a different separation distance from the axis X ′ and the cylindrical bottom surface 51B is formed in a substantially hemispherical surface. They are also arranged at different positions in the direction of the axis X ′.

  When the capsule endoscope 10 is inserted into the bottomed tube portion 51 of the cradle 50 and the other end surface 11B of the capsule outer shell 11 faces the tube bottom surface 51B and is placed on the tube bottom surface 51B, the tube portion 51 is placed. The capsule endoscope 10 is restricted from moving back and forth and left and right by the inner peripheral surface 51A. Accordingly, the axis X substantially coincides with the axis X ′ of the bottomed cylindrical portion 51, and the first exposed electrode portion 31A disposed on the axis X is the first external exposed electrode portion disposed on the axis X ′. 61A will be contacted.

  Further, the second exposed electrode portion 32A and the second external exposed electrode portion 62A have the same distances D2 and D2 ′ from the axis X (or the axis X ′), the other end surface 11B, and the cylinder bottom surface 51B. The shape is substantially the same. Furthermore, the second externally exposed electrode portion 62A is formed in an annular shape having the center as the axis X ′. Therefore, even if the capsule endoscope 10 is inserted in any direction around the axis X, the second external exposed electrode portion 62A is in contact with the exposed portion 32A of the second external electrode 32. Become. Similarly, the third and fourth external exposed electrode portions 63A and 64A are in contact with the third and fourth exposed electrode portions 33A and 34A, respectively.

  Note that no exposed electrode portion other than the second exposed electrode portion 32A is provided on the first circle 35A having a radius D2 substantially the same as the radius D2 ′ of the second external exposed electrode portion 62A. The two externally exposed electrode portions 62A do not come into contact with other electrodes. Similarly, the first, third, and fourth externally exposed electrode portions 61A, 63A, and 64A do not contact other electrodes.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the capsule endoscope 10 is inserted into the cradle 50 without worrying about the rotation direction thereof, so that each electrode on the endoscope side is connected to each external on the cradle side. The electrode can be contacted.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a medical device system according to the present embodiment. A USB cable 59 is inserted into the USB connector 58 of the cradle 50, and the USB connector 58 is connected to a remote controller 60 such as a personal computer via the USB cable 59. Between the internal circuit 14 of the capsule endoscope 10 and the remote controller 60, the USB cable 59, the USB connector 58, the third and fourth external electrodes 63 and 64, and the third and fourth electrodes 33 and 34 ( Wired communication is performed via FIG. In addition, power is supplied from the remote controller 60 to the internal circuit 14 via the USB cable 59, the USB connector 58, the first and second external electrodes 61 and 62, and the first and second electrodes 31 and 32. Alternatively, power is supplied to the power source and the power source is charged.

  Hereinafter, an example of the operation of using the capsule endoscope will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, before the capsule endoscope 10 is swallowed, the capsule endoscope 10 is held by the cradle 50, and the first and fourth electrodes 31 to 34 are the first to fourth external electrodes. When connected to 61 to 64 (see FIG. 4), a serial number request command is first transmitted from the remote controller 60 to the capsule endoscope 10. In response to the request, the capsule endoscope 10 transmits the manufacturing number of the capsule endoscope stored in a predetermined memory or the like on the internal circuit 14 to the remote controller 60. In the remote controller 60, the manufacturing number is a screen or the like. Is displayed on the screen and informs the user such as a doctor of the serial number.

  Next, if there is a new version of the program, the remote controller 60 transmits the new version of the program, the capsule endoscope 10 rewrites the program stored in the ROM 24, and the program is upgraded. At the same time, the remote controller 60 transmits a checksum request command, and the capsule endoscope 10 transmits the program checksum to the remote controller 60. The remote controller 60 determines whether or not the program has been correctly rewritten based on the checksum. If the program has not been correctly rewritten, an error message or the like is displayed on the screen of the remote controller 60 and the user can rewrite the program correctly. Notify that it was not done.

  When the program is correctly rewritten, the remote controller 60 transmits a setting condition request command, and the capsule endoscope 10 transmits the current setting conditions of the internal circuit 14 in response to the request. Examples of the setting conditions include a frame rate, a light emission amount of a light source, a light emission time, and the like. The remote controller 60 displays the setting conditions on the screen, and the user can confirm the setting conditions of the capsule endoscope based on the displayed setting conditions, and if necessary, a predetermined condition for changing the setting conditions. Input (for example, keyboard input). In response to the input, the remote controller 60 transmits a setting condition change request command to the capsule endoscope, and the capsule endoscope 10 changes the setting condition in response to the request.

  When a change request is made, the remote controller 60 transmits a setting condition request command again, and in response to the request, the capsule endoscope 10 transmits the current setting condition to the remote controller 60 and sets it in the remote controller 60. The condition is displayed. Thereby, the user can confirm that the setting condition has been changed.

  The capsule endoscope 10 in which the program is appropriately rewritten, the setting conditions are appropriately changed, and the power supply is charged is removed from the cradle 50 and swallowed by the patient. The swallowed capsule endoscope 10 operates according to a program stored in the ROM 24. That is, the inside of the body (subject) is illuminated by the light source device 16, and the illuminated subject is imaged by the imaging element 12, and a video signal is generated. After the video signal is processed by the image signal processing circuit, the video signal is transmitted to the outside of the living body from the antenna, for example, so that the state inside the body can be observed by a user such as a doctor. Note that the video signal may be stored as an image in a memory in the internal circuit 14. In addition, the capsule endoscope 10 is provided with, for example, a predetermined sensor (not shown), and an inspection of the body is performed using the sensor.

  After the capsule endoscope 10 is discharged from the body and washed, it is again held by the cradle 50 and connected to the remote controller 60 again as shown in FIG. When the capsule endoscope 10 is connected, the remote controller 60 transmits a serial number request command to the capsule endoscope. In response to the request, the capsule endoscope 10 transmits the manufacturing number of the capsule endoscope 10 to the remote controller 60. The remote controller 60 displays the manufacturing number, and informs the user such as a doctor of the manufacturing number. .

  Next, the remote controller 60 transmits a setting condition request command, and the capsule endoscope transmits the current setting conditions to the remote controller 60 in response to the request. The remote controller 60 displays the setting conditions on the screen, whereby the user can check the setting conditions when the capsule endoscope 10 performs in-vivo observation. Thereafter, the remote controller 60 transmits an inspection result request command to the capsule endoscope 10, and the inspection result is transmitted from the capsule endoscope 10. The inspection result is a measurement value detected by a predetermined sensor or an image captured by the image sensor 14. Next, the remote controller 60 transmits an inspection result deletion request command, and the capsule endoscope 10 deletes the inspection result in response to the request. Thereafter, the remote controller 60 transmits the inspection result request command again, and confirms whether or not the inspection result stored in the capsule endoscope 10 has been completely erased. As described above, the capsule endoscope from which the inspection result has been erased can be used again.

  In the present embodiment, each of the second to fourth exposed electrode portions 32A to 34A on the capsule endoscope side is formed in an annular shape around the axis X, and the first to fourth exposed electrode portions 31A. -34A may be arranged concentrically. In this case, the first to fourth external exposed electrode portions 61A to 64A on the cradle side are each formed in a dot shape, whereby the first to fourth external exposed electrode portions 61A to 64A are arranged concentrically. Better not. However, the second to fourth external exposed electrode portions 62A to 64A have different separation distances from the axis X ′, and the separation distances D2 ′, D3 ′, and D4 ′ are the second to fourth exposed electrode portions, respectively. It becomes substantially the same as the separation distances D2, D3, and D4 of 32A to 34A.

  Even with such a configuration, the first to fourth electrodes 31 to 34 are in contact with the first to sixth external electrodes 61 to 64 regardless of the rotation direction when the capsule endoscope 10 is inserted. It becomes possible. However, if the capsule endoscope side electrode is formed concentrically, the occupied area of the capsule endoscope side electrode inevitably increases, and it is difficult to ensure the airtightness of the capsule endoscope 10 or the like. Therefore, it is better to concentrically form the external electrodes on the cradle side.

  Note that the present embodiment can be applied to devices other than capsule endoscopes as long as they are swallowable medical devices. In addition, four external electrodes and four electrodes are provided in this embodiment, but any number of external electrodes and electrodes may be provided as long as there are two or more.

It is the figure which showed the capsule endoscope typically. It is the top view which showed the end surface of the capsule endoscope. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of a cradle. It is typical sectional drawing when a mode when a capsule endoscope is inserted in a cradle is shown. It is the top view which showed the cylinder bottom face of the cradle. It is the schematic diagram which showed the medical device system.

Explanation of symbols

10 Capsule Endoscope 11 Capsule Outer Shell 11B Other End Surface (Cylinder End Surface)
14 internal circuit 31-34 1st-4th electrode 31A-34A 1st-4th exposed electrode part 50 Cradle (holding mechanism)
51 Bottomed cylinder part 51B Cylinder bottom (opposite surface)
61-64 1st-4th external electrode 61A-64A 1st-4th external exposure electrode part

Claims (9)

A swallowable swallowable medical device configured by sealing its inside with a cylindrical outer shell;
Holding the outer shell, and having a holding mechanism having a facing surface facing the cylindrical end surface of the outer shell in the held state,
The medical device has first and second exposed electrode portions that are electrically connectable to the inside thereof and are exposed on the outer wall of the cylindrical end surface,
The holding mechanism is respectively disposed so as to be exposed on the facing surface, and the first and second external electrodes are in contact with the first and second exposed electrode portions when the medical device is held by the holding mechanism. Having an exposed electrode part,
The medical device system, wherein the first and second exposed electrode portions or the first and second external exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically. The second externally exposed electrode part is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the first externally exposed part electrode, so that the first and second externally exposed electrode parts are concentrically disposed. ,
The medical device system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second exposed electrode portions are formed in a dot shape.   3. The medical device system according to claim 2, wherein the first externally exposed electrode portion is formed in a dot shape and is disposed at the center of an annular shape of the second externally exposed electrode portion. The holding mechanism has a bottomed cylindrical portion for inserting and holding the outer shell so that the respective axes substantially coincide with each other.
The bottom surface of the bottomed tube portion is the facing surface facing the tube end surface while holding the outer shell,
The first and second externally exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically about the axis of the bottomed cylindrical portion,
The first and second exposed electrode portions are disposed so that the distances from the outer shell axis are different from each other so that the first and second exposed electrode portions can contact the first and second external exposed electrode portions, respectively. The medical device system according to claim 1. The second exposed electrode portion is annularly formed so as to surround the first exposed electrode portion, so that the first and second exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically,
The medical device system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second externally exposed electrode portions are formed in a dot shape.   The medical device system according to claim 5, wherein the first exposed electrode portion is formed in a dot shape and is disposed at the center of an annular shape of the second exposed electrode portion. The holding mechanism has a bottomed cylindrical portion for inserting and holding the outer shell so that the respective axes substantially coincide with each other.
The bottom surface of the bottomed tube portion is the facing surface facing the tube end surface while holding the outer shell,
The first and second exposed electrode portions are arranged concentrically about the axis of the outer shell,
The first and second externally exposed electrode portions are arranged so that the distance from the shaft of the bottomed cylindrical portion is different from each other so that the first and second externally exposed electrode portions can contact the first and second exposed electrode portions, respectively. The medical device system according to claim 1. An outer shell that has a cylindrical shape and is hermetically sealed.
A first and a second exposed electrode part, each of which is disposed so as to be exposed on the outer wall of the cylindrical end surface of the outer shell, and electrically connectable to the inside of the outer shell,
The swallowable medical device, wherein the first and second exposed electrode portions are separated from each other by a distance from the outer shell axis. A swallowable swallowable medical device having a cylindrical outer shell, and a bottomed cylindrical portion that can be inserted and held inside such that the cylindrical end surface of the outer shell faces the cylindrical bottom surface;
The first and second externally exposed electrode portions that are respectively exposed and arranged on the bottom surface of the bottomed tube portion and can be electrically connected to the medical device held by the bottomed tube portion,
The holding mechanism, wherein the first and second externally exposed electrode portions are separated from each other by a distance from an axis of the bottomed cylindrical portion.

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