JP2008289740A - Biological information management system, external apparatus, internal apparatus, biological information management method, biological information management program and recording medium readable by computer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a biological information management system, an external apparatus, an internal apparatus, a biological information management method, a biological information management program and a recording medium readable by a computer which are inexpensive, have simple configurations and transmit and receive information satisfactorily while conforming to a regulation value of intensity. <P>SOLUTION: The internal apparatus 10 comprise an information transmitting section 11 for transmitting first information including image data acquired by an image data acquisition section 13 and an information receiving section 12 for receiving second information including operation directive information, that is, directive information for acquiring the image data. The external apparatus 20 comprises an information receiving section 22 for receiving the first information and an information transmitting section 21 for transmitting the second information. The frequency of electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving the second information is smaller that the frequency of electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving the first information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vivo device that is inserted into a living body, acquires in-vivo information and transmits it outside the body, and an in-vivo device that receives the in-vivo information transmitted from the in-vivo device. The present invention relates to an in-vivo device, a biological information management method, a biological information management program, and a computer-readable recording medium.

  In recent years, a capsule medical system has been proposed in which biological information is collected by a capsule device that performs a test while swallowed in the body. This is composed of a capsule device (internal device) that acquires biological information in the body and an extracorporeal device that is arranged outside the body and collects information from the capsule device. In addition, for the convenience of operation and to reduce the burden on the subject, it has also been proposed to transmit the biological information acquired by the capsule device inside the body to the extracorporeal device arranged outside the body by radio communication using electromagnetic waves. .

  In order to reliably transmit biological information to the extracorporeal device, it is necessary that the transmission output from the capsule-type device reaches the extracorporeal device with an appropriate intensity, but since the capsule-type device is inside the body, electromagnetic waves are transmitted to the human body. Inevitably, the electromagnetic wave transmission output from the capsule-type device is attenuated and may not reach the extracorporeal device with an appropriate electromagnetic wave intensity.

  As a method for receiving an appropriate electromagnetic wave intensity with an extracorporeal device, conventionally, an electromagnetic wave from the extracorporeal device is received by a capsule device inside the body, and the transmission output of the capsule device is controlled based on the electromagnetic wave intensity.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection circuit in the receiving circuit detects the electromagnetic wave intensity via the antenna of the capsule endoscope disposed in the body, and the power amplification of the transmission circuit is performed via the gain control circuit. The amount of power amplification by the circuit is controlled, and the transmission output when sending biological information such as imaging information by an imaging device using a capsule endoscope can be set to an appropriate transmission output that can be received on the external unit side.

  Moreover, in patent document 2, based on the reception level detected by the receiving antenna which receives the electromagnetic waves transmitted from outside the body, the communication state between the in-vivo device and the external device is estimated, and based on this estimation result, the transmission unit A capsule medical device for controlling the above has been proposed.

Note that Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2 describe that the intensity of an electromagnetic wave attenuates when it passes through a human tissue.
JP 2003-135389 A (May 13, 2003) JP 2005-13338 A (January 20, 2005) Techno Current No. 399 2005.8.1 2006 IEICE General Conference BS-1-5 "Transmission characteristics and safety evaluation of UWB communication in human body"

  However, the conventional techniques have the following problems.

  First, when the electromagnetic wave radiated from the extracorporeal device has attenuated to a level at which it cannot be normally received by the capsule device, the electromagnetic wave intensity to be output by the capsule device cannot be calculated. If the output electromagnetic wave intensity from the capsule-type device is too small in the dark cloud without being able to calculate, information cannot be normally received on the external device side. Moreover, if the output electromagnetic wave intensity is excessively increased in the dark clouds, an electromagnetic wave exceeding the value regulated by the Radio Law is emitted outside the body.

  The above problem can be solved by raising the electromagnetic wave output intensity of the extracorporeal device to a level at which the capsule device can reliably receive the electromagnetic wave from the extracorporeal device, but the electromagnetic wave output emitted by the extracorporeal device is also regulated by the Radio Law. Since the level must be observed, the extracorporeal device has a problem that the electromagnetic wave intensity cannot be increased unnecessarily.

  If the electromagnetic wave radiated from the extracorporeal device has attenuated to a level at which it cannot be normally received by the capsule device due to the above circumstances, it is actually normal from the capsule device to the extracorporeal device. However, there was a problem that information could not be transmitted.

  Actually, in Patent Document 2, when the electromagnetic wave does not reach from the external antenna, the estimation result that the communication state is not good is sent to the transmission control unit, and the transmission control unit receives this result and does not communicate, that is, operates the transmission unit. There is a description that a final judgment is made not to do so (see paragraph [0040] of Patent Document 2).

  In addition, the amount of biometric data transmitted by the capsule device is often a large amount of information including images and video, and in such cases, it is necessary to transmit data using electromagnetic waves in a high frequency band. It becomes.

  However, in order to measure the electromagnetic wave intensity in the capsule-type device, a complex and expensive high-frequency transmission unit is provided in the extracorporeal device, and a complex and expensive high-frequency reception unit is provided on the capsule-type device side. It was useless.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a biometric information management that is inexpensive and simple, and that can transmit and receive information satisfactorily while complying with the regulation value of strength. A system, an external device, an internal device, a biological information management method, a biological information management program, and a computer-readable recording medium are provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, a biological information management system according to the present invention is inserted into a living body and acquires biological information, and transmitting means for transmitting the acquired in vivo information. A biological information management system comprising: an in-vivo device including: an in-vivo device including an in-vivo device that is disposed outside a living body and receives in-vivo information transmitted from the in-vivo device; First transmission means for transmitting first information including in-vivo information acquired by the means, and second information for receiving second information including operation instruction information which is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information. 1, and the extracorporeal device includes second receiving means for receiving the first information, and second transmitting means for transmitting the second information, and the second information Used to send and receive Frequency wave is characterized in that less than the frequency of electromagnetic waves used for transmission and reception of the first information.

  In addition, the biological information management method of the present invention receives a biological information acquisition step of acquiring information in the living body, a transmitting step of transmitting the acquired information of the living body, and the transmitted in-vivo information. In the biological information management method including a receiving step, a first transmission step for transmitting first information including in-vivo information acquired in the biological information acquisition step, and an instruction for acquiring in-vivo information A first receiving step for receiving second information including operation instruction information, which is information; a second receiving step for receiving the first information; and a second transmitting step for transmitting the second information. The frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving the first information.

  The electromagnetic wave transmitted from the first transmission unit and received by the second reception unit includes the first information. The first information includes in-vivo information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit. The in-vivo information is often data such as an image or video, for example, and the data amount of the first information is large. For this reason, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission and reception of the first information is set large. Thereby, the biometric information can be transmitted from the in-vivo device to the extracorporeal device even when the amount of data such as image data and video data increases.

  On the other hand, the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the second transmission unit and received by the first reception unit includes the second information. The second information includes operation instruction information which is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information. That is, unlike the first information, the second information does not include image data, video data, and the like. Therefore, the data amount of the second information is compared with the data amount of the first information. The target is small. Therefore, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for transmitting and receiving the second information can be set smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for transmitting and receiving the first information.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a complicated and expensive circuit in the second transmission means in order to transmit high frequency information. Further, in order to receive high frequency information, it is not necessary to provide a complicated and expensive circuit in the first receiving means. For this reason, the second transmission means and the first reception means can be configured simply and inexpensively.

  Further, as described in Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2 described above, when an electromagnetic wave passes through a human tissue, the one having a smaller frequency is less likely to attenuate.

  For this reason, the in-vivo device is included in the second information by setting the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for transmitting and receiving the second information smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for transmitting and receiving the first information. The operation instruction information to be received can be reliably received. Therefore, the in-vivo device can reliably execute an instruction from the extracorporeal device.

  Furthermore, since the first information can be transmitted and received from the extracorporeal device to the in-vivo device without excessively increasing the strength of the electromagnetic wave for transmitting and receiving the first information, The regulatory value can be observed.

  In the biological information management system of the present invention, the in-vivo device includes in-vivo device control means and transmission output control means, and the in-vivo device control means analyzes the second information, and the second information When the instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information is included in the transmission information, the method of changing the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information and the degree of change are transmitted as the analysis result. Output to the output control means, the transmission output control means adjusts the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information from the analysis result output from the in-vivo device control means, and the extracorporeal device Intensity detecting means, comparing means, and extracorporeal device control means, wherein the electromagnetic wave intensity detecting means detects the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, and the detection result is compared with the ratio. The comparison means compares the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information output from the electromagnetic intensity detection means, which is the detection result, with a reference value stored in advance. The difference between the detection result and the reference value is output as a comparison result to the extracorporeal device control means, and the extracorporeal device control means analyzes the comparison result output from the comparison means, and the analysis result includes the The information for reducing the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, the information for maintaining, or the information for increasing is output to the second transmission means, and the second transmission means Preferably, the second information including the analysis result is transmitted to the in-vivo device.

  Thus, in the extracorporeal device, the electromagnetic wave intensity detecting means detects the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information transmitted from the intracorporeal device. Then, the comparison unit and the extracorporeal device control unit generate instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information based on the detection result of the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit. The second transmitting means transmits instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information to the in-vivo device as the second information.

  Thereby, the extracorporeal device accurately reflects the reception status of the first information, and includes instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information in the second information, Can be transmitted to the intracorporeal device.

  The internal device receives the second information and adjusts the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information from instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information. can do. Accordingly, the in-vivo device can accurately reflect the reception status of the first information received by the extracorporeal device, and can adjust the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information.

  For this reason, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information is too weak so that the first information does not reach the extracorporeal device, and the first information is transmitted between the extracorporeal device and the in-vivo device. And the start of transmission / reception of the second information is not delayed unnecessarily.

  In addition, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information is not excessively increased. For this reason, the intensity | strength of said 1st information can be adjusted to the intensity | strength which can be correctly received with the said external device, without exceeding the intensity | strength regulated by the Radio Law.

  In the biological information management system of the present invention, the in-vivo device includes in-vivo device control means and transmission output control means, and the in-vivo device control means analyzes the second information, and the second information When the instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information is included in the transmission information, the method of changing the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information and the degree of change are transmitted as the analysis result. Output to the output control means, the transmission output control means adjusts the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information from the analysis result output from the in-vivo device control means, and the extracorporeal device Intensity detection means, comparison means, extracorporeal device control means, and transmission output control instruction information generation means, wherein the electromagnetic wave intensity detection means is an electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information Detecting the intensity, and outputting the detection result to the comparing means; the comparing means, and the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information output from the electromagnetic intensity detecting means as the detection result; The stored reference value is compared, the difference between the detection result and the reference value is output as a comparison result to the extracorporeal device control means, and the extracorporeal device control means is output from the comparison means Analyzing the comparison result, and generating the transmission output control instruction information as information indicating that the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information is reduced, maintained, or increased as the analysis result The transmission output control instruction information generating means outputs a transmission output control instruction indicating a change method and a degree of change of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information. Outputs information to the second transmitting means, said second transmission means preferably transmits the second information including the transmission output control instruction information to the body unit.

  As described above, the transmission output control instruction information generating unit transmits the second output of the transmission output control instruction information indicating the change method and the degree of change of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information. The second transmission means transmits the second information including the transmission output control instruction information to the in-vivo device. For this reason, the change method for changing the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information and the degree of change can be determined on the extracorporeal device side. For this reason, it is not necessary to configure a circuit for the internal device, and the internal device can be downsized.

  In the biological information management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the communication method of the first information is UWB.

  Thereby, a large amount of data can be transmitted as the first information. Therefore, a large amount of data such as images and videos can be quickly transmitted from the in-vivo device to the extracorporeal device as in-vivo information.

  The biological information management system of the present invention includes power supply means for supplying power to the in-vivo device, and power receiving means for receiving the power supplied to the in-vivo device, and the second information is It is preferable that the electric power is superposed on the electric power supplied from the electric power supply means to the electric power reception means.

  The in-vivo device can receive the second information when the power is supplied. That is, the in-vivo device may extract the second information from the supplied power. For this reason, the said in-vivo apparatus can receive the said 2nd information efficiently compared with the case where the electric power supplied and the said 2nd information are received separately. In addition, since the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, the second information is extracted from the supplied power. The circuit added for this purpose may be a simple and inexpensive circuit.

  In addition, for example, when the power supply means is provided outside the internal device, the internal device does not need to include the power supply means inside, so the internal device can be downsized. In addition, as described above, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information. The circuit added to superimpose the information of 2 may be a simple and inexpensive circuit.

  Further, when the power receiving means is included in the internal device, the second information is superimposed on the power supplied to the internal device. Parts common to the first receiving means can be used. For this reason, the structure of the said in-vivo apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In the biological information management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the in-vivo device is a capsule endoscope. Accordingly, the in-vivo device can be easily taken into the body.

  The extracorporeal device of the present invention is an extracorporeal device that is arranged outside the living body and includes receiving means for receiving in vivo information. The second receiving means for receiving first information including in vivo information; Second transmission means for transmitting second information including operation instruction information which is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information to the outside, and the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting the second information is The frequency is lower than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for receiving the first information.

  Thereby, since the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information is larger than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the second information, the extracorporeal device uses the first information as the first information. A larger amount of data than the second information can be received.

  On the other hand, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information. There is no need to provide a complicated and expensive circuit in the second transmission means. For this reason, the second transmission means can be configured simply and inexpensively.

  Moreover, the in-vivo device according to the present invention includes an in-vivo device that includes a bio-information acquisition unit that is inserted into a living body and acquires in-vivo information, and a transmission unit that transmits the acquired in-vivo information. The first transmitting means for transmitting the first information including the in-vivo information acquired by the acquiring means and the second information including the operation instruction information which is the instruction information for acquiring the in-vivo information are received. The frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for reception of the second information is lower than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission of the first information.

  Thereby, since the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting the first information is larger than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for receiving the second information, the in-vivo device uses the first information as the first information. A larger amount of data than the second information can be transmitted.

  On the contrary, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for receiving the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting the first information, so that the second information is received. There is no need to provide a complicated and expensive circuit in the first receiving means. For this reason, the first transmission means can be configured simply and inexpensively.

  The in-vivo device is included in the second information by setting the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for receiving the second information to be smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for transmitting the first information. The operation instruction information can be reliably received.

  Furthermore, since the first information can be received without excessively increasing the intensity of the electromagnetic wave for receiving the first information, the regulation value of the electromagnetic wave intensity by the Radio Law can be observed.

  The biological information management system may be realized by a computer. In this case, a biological information management program for causing the biological information management system to be realized by a computer by causing the computer to operate as each of the means and the computer A recorded computer-readable recording medium also falls within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, a living body information management system according to the present invention includes a living body information acquisition unit that is inserted into a living body and acquires in vivo information, and a transmission unit that transmits the acquired in vivo information. In a biological information management system comprising a device and an extracorporeal device that includes a receiving unit that is disposed outside the living body and receives in-vivo information transmitted from the in-vivo device, the in-vivo device is acquired by the biological information acquisition unit. First receiving means for transmitting the first information including the in-vivo information and the first reception for receiving the second information including the operation instruction information which is the instruction information for acquiring the in-vivo information. And the extracorporeal device includes second receiving means for receiving the first information and second transmitting means for transmitting the second information, and transmitting the second information and Frequency of electromagnetic wave used for reception The electromagnetic wave is less than the frequency of which is used for transmission and reception of the first information.

  The biological information management method according to the present invention includes a biological information acquisition step of acquiring in-vivo information, a transmitting step of transmitting the acquired in-vivo information, and receiving the transmitted in-vivo information. A first transmission step of transmitting first information including in-vivo information acquired in the biological information acquisition step, and acquiring in-vivo information. A first receiving step for receiving second information including operation instruction information which is instruction information; a second receiving step for receiving the first information; and a second transmission for transmitting the second information. And the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving the first information.

  Thereby, it is inexpensive and easily configured, and there is an effect that information can be transmitted and received satisfactorily while complying with the intensity regulation value.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the biological information management system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Capsule-type devices such as capsule-type endoscopes are well known as devices used in the biological information management system 1 and described as the in-vivo device 10 in the following description. It is not limited.

[Basic configuration of biological information management system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a biological information management system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The biological information management system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a capsule-type internal device 10 that is taken into the body, acquires information in the body (hereinafter referred to as biological information), and transmits the information as image data to the outside of the body, and the internal device 10 and an extracorporeal device 20 that receives and processes image data (in-vivo information) transmitted from 10.

  The in-vivo device 10 includes an information transmitting unit (second information transmitting unit) 11 that transmits an electromagnetic wave on which image data or the like is superimposed on the external device 20, and an information receiving unit (first information receiving unit) that receives information from the extra-corporeal device 20 by an electromagnetic wave. Receiving means) 12, an image data acquisition unit (biological information acquisition means) 13 for acquiring biological information as image data when it enters the body, transmission output to the extracorporeal device 20, specifically, the intensity (level) of electromagnetic waves Is stored in the internal transmission output level storage unit 19 as a transmission output level, a transmission output control unit (transmission output control means) 14 for controlling the intensity of the electromagnetic wave based on the transmission output level, and an internal device including these units Each of the internal device control unit (internal device control means) 15 for controlling the whole, the transmission antenna (first transmission means) 16, the reception antenna (first reception means) 17, and image data, etc. Information includes a storage unit 18 for storing a control program.

  The image data acquisition unit 13 includes a camera, a lighting device, and the like (not shown), and takes an image of the intestinal wall using the camera, the lighting device, and the like. The image data acquisition unit 13 stores the captured image data in the storage unit 18.

  The extracorporeal device 20 includes an information transmitting unit (second transmitting unit) 21 that transmits various control information and the like as electromagnetic waves to the intracorporeal device 10, and an information receiving unit (second receiving unit) that receives information from the intracorporeal device 10 as electromagnetic waves. ) 22, information that gives an instruction to adjust the intensity of the electromagnetic wave output from the information transmission unit 11, and a transmission output control instruction information generation unit (transmission output control instruction information generation means) 23 that outputs and receives the information from the in-vivo device 10 An electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit (electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit) 24 for detecting the intensity of the electromagnetic wave to be transmitted, an extracorporeal device control unit (extracorporeal device control unit) 25 for controlling the entire external apparatus 20 including these units, a transmission antenna (second transmission unit) ) 26, receiving antenna (second receiving means) 27, various information such as reference values stored in advance for determining the intensity of electromagnetic wave output of the in-vivo device 10, control program It includes a comparison unit (comparison means) 29 for comparing the detection result with a reference value stored in the storage unit 28 of the storage unit 28, and the electromagnetic wave strength detection section for storing beam.

  Details of the transmission output control instruction information output by the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 will be described later. The transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 may be included in the in-vivo device 10.

  In the present embodiment, power for operating the in-vivo device 10 is described as being supplied from the extracorporeal device 20. However, for example, a power supply means such as a battery may be provided inside the in-vivo device 10. .

  Here, the electromagnetic wave output from the information transmitting unit 11 included in the in-vivo device 10 to the information receiving unit 22 included in the extracorporeal device 20 is referred to as first information. The first information communication method is referred to as a first communication method. The first information includes image data and test radio waves.

  The electromagnetic wave output from the information transmission unit 21 included in the extracorporeal device 20 to the information reception unit 12 included in the intracorporeal device 10 is referred to as second information. The second information communication method is referred to as a second communication method. The second communication method is a communication method different from the first communication method.

  Furthermore, the first communication method is applied to one-way communication from the intracorporeal device 10 to the extracorporeal device 20, and the second communication method is applied to one-way communication from the extracorporeal device 20 to the intracorporeal device 10. . Thereafter, communication from the intracorporeal device 10 to the extracorporeal device 20 uses the first communication method, and communication from the extracorporeal device 20 to the intracorporeal device 10 uses the second communication method. Do not describe the type. In the following, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information or the second information may be referred to as the intensity of the first information or the intensity of the second information.

  Characteristic differences between the first communication method and the second communication method are as follows.

  The first information may include image data as described above. In this case, the first information has a large data amount. That is, a large frequency band is required to transmit image data captured by the internal device to the external device. Therefore, a method using a high frequency (large frequency) band is desired as the first communication method.

  On the other hand, the second information is information for adjusting the intensity of the first information output from the in-vivo device 10, operation instruction information for transmitting image data to the in-vivo device 10, and the amount of data is It's small. Therefore, the second communication method requires only a low frequency (small frequency) band compared to the first communication method.

  For this reason, the information transmission part 21 does not require a complicated and expensive circuit for transmitting electromagnetic waves in a high frequency band, and can be configured with a simple and inexpensive circuit. Further, the information receiving unit 12 does not need a complicated and expensive circuit for receiving electromagnetic waves in a high frequency band, and can be configured with a simple and inexpensive circuit.

  In the present embodiment, the extracorporeal device 20 increases, reduces, or maintains the intensity of the first information with respect to the in-vivo device 10 based on the intensity of the first information detected by the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24. Therefore, the transmission output control instruction information 50 that is instruction information is generated by the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23. Then, the extracorporeal device 20 transmits the transmission output control instruction information 50 to the intracorporeal device 10 as transmission output control instruction information that is second information. At this time, the protocol of the second communication method that is the communication method of the second information may be arbitrary.

[Transmission output control instruction information]
Next, the transmission output control instruction information 50 generated by the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the transmission output control instruction information 50 generated by the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23.

  First, the basic structure of the transmission output control instruction information 50 is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission output control instruction information 50 includes a first area 51, a second area 52, and a third area 53 as a basic structure.

  The first area 51 is a header part, which is a part indicating that it indicates an instruction (transmission output control instruction) for changing the strength of the first information. The second area 52 is a portion showing a method for changing the intensity of the first information. And the 3rd field 53 is a portion which shows the change value of the intensity of the 1st information. The first area 51 and the second area 52 are referred to as a head portion 54.

  The transmission output control instruction information 50-1 and 50-2 indicate the structure when the intensity of the first information is changed stepwise, and the transmission output control instruction information 50-3 and 50-4 are the first information The structure when the intensity is changed numerically is shown.

  First, the case where the intensity | strength of 1st information is changed in steps is demonstrated.

  In the transmission output control instruction information 50-1 and 50-2, a header indicating a transmission output control instruction is added as the first area 51. In the second area 52, information indicating that the transmission output control instruction is to increase or decrease the output of one stage is added. In addition, as the third area 53, information indicating “increase” is added to the transmission output control instruction information 50-1, and “decrease” is included in the transmission output control instruction information 50-2. Is added.

  First, the in-vivo device controller 15 shown in FIG. 1 looks at the head part 54 composed of the first area 51 and the second area 52, and the transmission output control instruction information 50-1 and 50-2 are It is recognized that this is a transmission output control instruction that changes the intensity of information 1 stepwise. Thereafter, the in-vivo device control unit 15 controls the intensity of the first information in accordance with the contents of the third region 53 that is the latter half.

  Next, the case where the transmission output of 1st information is changed based on a numerical value is demonstrated.

  In the transmission output control instruction information 50-3 and 50-4, a header indicating a transmission output control instruction is added as the first area 51. Information indicating that the transmission output control instruction is to increase or decrease the output based on a numerical value is added as the second area 52. In addition, as the third region 53, a numerical value that increases or decreases the output is added, information indicating + Ndb is added to the transmission output control instruction information 50-3, and transmission output control instruction information 50-4 includes Information indicating -Ndb is added.

  When information indicating + Ndb is added to the third area 53, the transmission output of the first information is increased by Ndb from the current state, and information indicating -Ndb is added to the third area 53 This shows that the transmission output of the first information is lowered by Ndb from the current state.

  First, the in-vivo device controller 15 shown in FIG. 1 looks at the head part 54 composed of the first area 51 and the second area 52, and the transmission output control instruction information 50-3 and 50-4 are It is recognized that this is a transmission output control instruction for changing the intensity of information 1 based on a numerical value. Thereafter, the in-vivo device control unit 15 controls the intensity of the first information in accordance with the contents of the third region 53 that is the latter half.

  The transmission output control instruction information 50 may be generated by the in-vivo device 10.

  That is, in FIG. 1, the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 may be omitted.

  The extracorporeal device 20 outputs the intensity information of the first information to the in-vivo device 10 as it is. Then, the internal device control unit 15 of the internal device 10 determines whether the intensity of the first information should be increased or decreased based on the above information, and the degree of increase or decrease, and the transmission output control unit 14 The transmission output level recorded based on the determination result may be changed to generate the transmission output control instruction information 50 and output to the information transmission unit 11.

[Operation of biological information management system]
Next, an outline of a method of using the biological information management system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an image of use of the biological information management system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the intracorporeal device 10 is taken into the body and transmits first information from the body to the extracorporeal device 20. The extracorporeal device 20 transmits the second information to the in-vivo device 10 taken into the body.

  The extracorporeal device 20 obtains the first information from the intracorporeal device 10 by attaching it to a belt and attaching it to the subject's body if it is small, or placing it on a separate desk if it is large.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting FIG. 3 in more detail, and is an explanatory diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of the first information and the second information between the internal device 10 and the external device 20.

  1, 3, and 4 also show that communication from the intracorporeal device 10 to the extracorporeal device 20 is performed using the first communication method and communication from the extracorporeal device 20 to the intracorporeal device 10 is performed using the second communication method. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the in-vivo device 10 is taken into the body, the image data is acquired using a camera (not shown) provided in the in-vivo device 10.

  As described above, the biological information management system 1 preferably uses a high frequency band as the first information. An UWB (Ultra Wide Band) can be cited as an optimal communication method for performing high-speed communication at a short distance as in the first information.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that UWB is used as the first communication method, but the present invention is not limited to this. In any case, a large frequency band is necessary for mass data transmission.

  In UWB, a frequency band of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz is used. This frequency band is a band that is easily absorbed by the human body. For this reason, when the in-vivo device is inside the body, a phenomenon occurs in which the electromagnetic wave is absorbed and attenuated when the electromagnetic wave in the high-frequency band as described above passes through the human tissue interposed between the external device. As a result, information such as the image output from the in-vivo device cannot be normally received by the extra-corporeal device.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1 described above, the intensity of information transmitted from the external device is detected by the internal device, and the output transmitted from the internal device to the external device is adjusted by the internal device based on the detected information intensity. Is marked. However, when the output of the electromagnetic wave is adjusted only by the internal device, the internal device cannot determine how much the electromagnetic wave output from the internal device is attenuated by human tissue. For this reason, the degree to which the intensity of the electromagnetic wave output from the in-vivo device is increased cannot be determined accurately.

  In addition, as in Patent Document 2 described above, the electromagnetic wave output from the extracorporeal device is observed by the in-vivo device, and the attenuation amount when the electromagnetic wave output from the extracorporeal device passes through the human body is estimated. A technique for increasing the intensity of electromagnetic waves output from the internal device is known. However, in the technique, for the purpose of output from the in-vivo device to the extra-corporeal device, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave from the in-vivo device to the extra-corporeal device is adjusted based on the strength of the electromagnetic wave in the reverse direction. Absent. Therefore, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave adjusted by the above method does not correctly reflect the reception status of the extracorporeal device on the receiving side.

  Further, as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, in order to measure the intensity of the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the extracorporeal device on the in-vivo device side and estimate the attenuation amount of the electromagnetic wave in the human body tissue, The frequency of the electromagnetic wave transmitted to the device and the frequency of the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device need to use the same frequency band. That is, the data from the extracorporeal device to the capsule device needs to use an electromagnetic wave in a high frequency band. However, since data from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device is usually a small amount of data such as control information of the intracorporeal device, it is not necessary to use electromagnetic waves in a high frequency band.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the extracorporeal device 20 receives the first information transmitted from the intracorporeal device 10, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24 detects the intensity of the received first information. And it feeds back to the in-vivo device 10 based on the detection result. The internal device 10 adjusts the intensity of the first information based on the feedback. That is, the first information is detected by the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24 of the extracorporeal device 20 and fed back to the in-vivo device 10 based on the intensity. In this way, the strength is adjusted in accordance with the reception status of the first information. Therefore, the extracorporeal device 20 can reliably receive the first information such as the image data transmitted from the intracorporeal device 10.

  Further, as described above, since the data amount of the instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the first information output from the extracorporeal device 20 as the second information is small, the feedback includes a high frequency band such as UWB. There is no need to use electromagnetic waves.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as the second communication method, an arbitrary communication method such as weak wireless using a frequency lower than that of UWB, for example, a frequency of 322 MHz or less is adopted.

  Therefore, the second information is less likely to be attenuated in the human tissue than the first information. Therefore, the feedback that is the detection result of the intensity of the first information can be reliably transmitted from the extracorporeal device 20 to the intracorporeal device 10.

  Further, it is not necessary to provide a complicated and expensive circuit for transmitting high-frequency electromagnetic waves to the information transmitting unit 21 (see FIG. 1) for transmitting the second information. Further, it is not necessary to provide a complicated and expensive circuit in the information receiving unit 12 (see FIG. 1) for receiving the second information in order to receive high-frequency electromagnetic waves.

  Here, electromagnetic waves are attenuated in the human tissue because the human tissue has a dielectric constant. The dielectric constant is known to increase with the frequency in the band of several tens of MHz to several GHz, so that the communication between the in-vivo device 10 and the extra-corporeal device 20 may be less attenuated at lower frequencies, but the communication speed On the other hand, higher frequency is more convenient.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first communication method from the in-vivo device 10 to the extra-corporeal device 20 handles a large amount of data such as an image, so that high-speed communication can be performed in a high-frequency band, for example, UWB. Attenuation is covered by controlling the output based on the electromagnetic wave intensity in the external device on the receiving side. On the other hand, since the output information itself of the in-vivo device 10 has a small amount of data and can be communicated in a low frequency band, it is possible to select a frequency that is less attenuated by passing through the human body.

  By the way, the penetration depth of electromagnetic waves into human tissue is affected by the electrical conductivity of the human body, and the depth at which the amplitude becomes 1 / e (about one third) is about 20 cm at 10 MHz, about 2 cm at 1 GHz, etc. (See Non-Patent Document 1).

  Non-Patent Document 2 describes the frequency of electromagnetic waves passing through human tissue and the degree of attenuation. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic waves passing through human tissue.

  In FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents amplitude (dB) and the horizontal axis represents frequency (GHz). Series 1 represents the relationship between the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere, and Series 2 represents the relationship between the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic waves passing through the human body.

  The series 1 has a frequency of 3 GHz to 11 GHz and an amplitude that is approximately -30 dB to -40 dB. On the other hand, the series 2 has an amplitude of about −55 dB at a frequency of 3 GHz. An electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 5 GHz has an amplitude that is several tens of dB smaller than that of an electromagnetic wave of 3 GHz or less, and has a large attenuation. Furthermore, the electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 6 GHz further decreases in amplitude by about 20 dB and increases in attenuation. Then, when the frequency is 7 GHz, the amplitude is about −100 dB, and the amplitude rapidly decreases from 3 GHz to 7 GHz. And when the frequency is from 7 GHz to 11 GHz, the amplitude is substantially constant from about -100 dB to about -110 dB.

  As described above, attenuation by human tissue is severe at a high frequency of 3 GHz to 10 GHz generally used in UWB. Therefore, in this embodiment, a frequency of 322 MHz or lower, which is a lower frequency than the first communication method, is used as the second communication method that is the second information communication method. Thereby, compared with the case where the frequency of the communication system of the 2nd information and the frequency of the communication system of the 1st information are the same frequency, the 2nd information becomes difficult to be attenuated by human body tissue. Therefore, the second information can be transmitted to the in-vivo device 10 without adjusting the intensity.

  Before swallowing the in-vivo device 10, a communication test is performed between the extra-corporeal device 20 and the in-vivo device 10 at an appropriate distance in natural space. That is, if the second information is determined to have a strength that can sufficiently communicate with the internal device 10 at a frequency of 322 MHz or less, for example, the attenuation of the second information is limited even after the internal device 10 is swallowed. Information can be transmitted to the intrabody device 10 with sufficient strength.

  Thus, by selecting an appropriate frequency as the frequency of the second information, it is not necessary to consider the attenuation of the second information, which is the control information for instructing the control of the operation of the in-vivo device 10, and therefore. It is not necessary to increase or decrease the output level of the control information depending on the reception state, and communication can be performed without change at the initially determined strength.

〔flowchart〕
Next, the flow of the operation of the biological information management system 1 will be described based on flowcharts with reference to FIGS.

  Here, it is assumed that the first information using UWB is the first communication method from the intracorporeal device 10 to the extracorporeal device 20, and the lower frequency band is used from the extracorporeal device 20 to the intracorporeal device 10 than the first communication method. The second information using the second communication method is not mentioned every time.

[Flowchart 1]
First, the operation for initializing the transmission output level of the intracorporeal device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the biological information management system 1 and a process flow for initializing the transmission output level of the in-vivo device 10.

  In FIG. 6, in S101, the in-vivo device 10 is first taken into the body, for example, by being swallowed. Next, the process proceeds to S <b> 102, and the in-vivo device 10 taken into the body starts operation by receiving power supply from the extracorporeal device 20 in a non-contact manner. That is, the image data acquisition unit 13 starts imaging inside the body, and stores the captured data in the storage unit 18 as image data. However, the in-vivo device 10 may be supplied with power before swallowing. When the internal device 10 includes power supply means, the internal device 10 may be set to start operation by a predetermined method.

  Next, the process proceeds to S <b> 103, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 outputs test electromagnetic wave output information to the information transmission unit 11 in order to test whether normal communication is possible. When the information transmission unit 11 detects the test electromagnetic wave output information from the in-vivo device control unit 15, the information transmission unit 11 reads the transmission output intensity of the current first information stored in the transmission output control unit 14 from the transmission output control unit 14. . Then, the information transmission unit 11 transmits a test radio wave as the first information to the reception antenna 27 of the extracorporeal device 20. The extracorporeal device 20 generates transmission output control instruction information 50 that is instruction information for adjusting the intensity of the first information based on the test radio wave. Then, the extracorporeal device 20 transmits the transmission output control instruction information 50 to the intracorporeal device 10 as the second information.

  Next, the process proceeds to S104, where the information receiving unit 12 receives the transmission output control instruction information, which is the result of analyzing the test radio wave in the extracorporeal device 20, via the reception antenna 17, and transmits the received transmission output control instruction information. The output control instruction information 50 is output to the in-vivo device controller 15.

  Then, the process proceeds to S105, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 analyzes the content of the transmission output control instruction information 50 output from the information receiving unit 12, and thereby distributes the subsequent operations in three ways. If the transmission output control instruction information 50 is “output reduction”, the process proceeds to S106, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 performs transmission output control using the reduction method and the degree of reduction of the transmission output of the first information as output reduction information. To the unit 14. The transmission output control unit 14 stores the strength (level) of the transmission output of the first information in the transmission output level storage unit 19 based on the reduction method and the degree of reduction of the transmission output of the first information of the output reduction information. Is reduced and stored (set).

  At this time, the degree to which the strength of the first information is reduced is reduced by one stage (for example, 1 db) of a predetermined stage here, but the magnitude of the reduction is not limited to this and may be appropriately determined. good.

  Here, the instruction to decrease the transmission output of the first information is, for example, less than the regulation value because the intensity of the transmission output of the first information is higher than the regulation value determined by law. It is output when it is suppressed to

  In S105, if the transmission output control instruction information 50 is “output increase”, the process proceeds to S107, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 increases the output method and the degree of increase in the transmission method of the first information. The information is output to the transmission output control unit 14 as information. The transmission output control unit 14 stores the strength (level) of the transmission output of the first information in the transmission output level storage unit 19 based on the increase method and the increase degree of the transmission output of the first information of the output increase information. Is raised and memorized (set).

  The magnitude of the rise at this time is raised by one stage (for example, 1 db) of a predetermined stage here, but the magnitude of the rise is not limited to this and may be appropriately determined. Further, the transmission output control instruction information 50 may directly define the increase or decrease as a numerical value.

  In the two cases of output decrease or output increase, that is, after S106 and S107, the process returns to S103 and the test radio wave is transmitted again.

  If the transmission output control instruction information 50 is “maintain output” in the analysis at S105, the process proceeds to S108, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 transmits information for maintaining the transmission output of the first information as output maintenance information. Output to the output control unit 14. When the transmission output control unit 14 detects the output maintenance information, the transmission output control unit 14 stores the level of the first information in the transmission output level storage unit 19. Then, the transmission setting of the first information is completed. That is, the initialization ends (S109).

  After the initialization, the process proceeds to S110, and the in-vivo device 10 waits for an instruction from the extracorporeal device 20. In S <b> 110, the in-vivo device control unit 15 checks whether there is reception of second information that is instruction information from the extracorporeal device 20. If the second information is not received (NO in S110), the process waits in S110 until the second information is received. If YES in S110, the process proceeds to S111.

  Next, the process proceeds to S <b> 111, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 determines whether or not the received second information is the transmission output control instruction information 50. If YES, the process moves to S103 and starts again from the transmission of the test radio wave. If NO in S111, the transmission output of the first information is not adjusted, and the process proceeds to S112. Then, the in-vivo device control unit 15 determines whether the received second information is image data transmission instruction information.

  If YES in S112, the process proceeds to S113, and the in-vivo device control unit 15 reads the image data stored in the storage unit 18 and outputs the read image data to the transmission output control unit 14. Then, the transmission output control unit 14 reads the stored transmission output level of the first information from the transmission output level storage unit 19. Then, the transmission output control unit 14 outputs the read transmission output level to the information transmission unit 11. Next, the process proceeds to S114, where the information transmission unit 11 transmits the image data as the first information via the transmission antenna 16 based on the transmission output level output from the transmission output control unit 14 in S113, and ends. .

  In the case of No in S112, since it is not the transmission output control instruction information 50 or the image data transmission instruction information, but other instructions, processing according to the contents is performed. The other processing includes, for example, an instruction to rotate the in-vivo device 10, but is not detailed here because it is not essential.

[Flowchart 2]
Next, the operation of the extracorporeal device 20 following the initialization of the intracorporeal device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the extracorporeal device 20 following the initialization of the intracorporeal device 10.

  In FIG. 7, first, in S201, the extracorporeal device 20 supplies power to the in-vivo device 10 in a non-contact manner, and then moves to S202, where a test radio wave that is the first information transmitted from the transmitting antenna 16 is transmitted in S103. The information is received by the information receiving unit 22 via the receiving antenna 27.

  Next, the process proceeds to S <b> 203, where the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24 detects the intensity of the test radio wave received by the information reception unit 22, and outputs the intensity detection result information that is the detection result to the comparison unit 29. Then, the process proceeds to S <b> 204, when the comparison unit 29 detects the intensity detection result information, the intensity of the first information indicated by the intensity detection result information and the intensity of the electromagnetic wave preset and stored in the storage unit 28. Compare with the reference value. The comparison unit 29 then compares the intensity of the first information indicated by the intensity detection result information, which is the comparison result, with the reference value of the intensity of the electromagnetic wave preset and stored in the storage unit 28. Is output to the extracorporeal device control unit 25 as comparison result information.

  The reference value may be, for example, a minimum electromagnetic wave level at which the error rate in the extracorporeal device 20 can be received less than a predetermined value, or may be a radiation level prescribed by law. The former has the advantage of reducing the power consumption of the in-vivo device 10, and the latter has the advantage of reducing the error rate because the maximum allowable electromagnetic wave intensity is used.

  Next, the process proceeds to S205, where the extracorporeal device control unit 25 analyzes the detected comparison result information, and distributes the subsequent operations in three ways according to the comparison result with the reference value. If the intensity of the received test radio wave is stronger than the reference value, the process proceeds to S206. In S206, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output reduction instruction is generated to the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 as an analysis result. When the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 detects information indicating that an output decrease instruction is generated, the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 generates output decrease instruction information as the transmission output control instruction information 50 and outputs the output decrease instruction information to the information transmission unit 21.

  In S205, if the result of analysis by the extracorporeal device control unit 25 is that the received test radio wave is within the allowable range of the reference value, the process proceeds to S207. In S207, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output maintenance instruction is generated to the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 as an analysis result. When the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 detects information indicating that the output maintenance instruction is generated, the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 generates output maintenance instruction information as the transmission output control instruction information 50 and outputs the output maintenance instruction information to the information transmission unit 21.

  If the result of analysis by the extracorporeal device control unit 25 in S205 is that the received test radio wave is weaker than the reference value, the process proceeds to S208. In S208, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output increase instruction is generated to the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 as an analysis result. When the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 detects information indicating that an output increase instruction is generated, the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 generates output increase instruction information as the transmission output control instruction information 50 and outputs the output increase instruction information to the information transmission unit 21.

  After the above three states, that is, after S206 to S208, the process proceeds to S209. The transmission output control instruction information 50, which is the above-described output decrease instruction information, output maintenance instruction information, or output increase instruction information, is Is transmitted to the in-vivo device 10 as information.

  That is, when the information transmission unit 21 detects the output decrease instruction information, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the transmission output control instruction information 50 that is information indicating that the strength of the first information is decreased to the reception antenna 17 via the transmission antenna 26.

  Further, when detecting the output maintenance instruction information, the information transmission unit 21 transmits transmission output control instruction information 50 that is information indicating that the strength of the first information is maintained to the reception antenna 17 via the transmission antenna 26.

  Then, when detecting the output increase instruction information, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the transmission output control instruction information 50, which is information indicating that the strength of the first information is increased, to the reception antenna 17 via the transmission antenna 26.

  Next, the process proceeds to S <b> 210, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 determines whether the strength of the test radio wave received in S <b> 202 and analyzed in S <b> 205 is within the allowable range stored in the storage unit 28. If NO in S210, that is, if the intensity of the test radio wave is weaker or stronger than the reference value, the process returns to S202. Then, the next test radio wave from the in-vivo device 10 is received, and the above-described steps are repeated until the received test radio wave falls within an allowable range. In the case of YES in S210, that is, if the intensity of the electromagnetic wave falls within the allowable range, the initialization of the extracorporeal device 20 is terminated.

  It is understood that the first information output from the in-vivo device 10 is adjusted to an appropriate value by combining the operations of FIGS.

[Flowchart 3]
Next, the operation of the extracorporeal device 20 after being initialized will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the process flow of the extracorporeal device 20 after initialization.

  In FIG. 8, first, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs image data transmission instruction information to the information transmission unit 21 in S301. The information transmission unit 21 transmits image data transmission instruction information to the reception antenna 17 via the transmission antenna 26. In the in-vivo device 10 that has received the image data transmission instruction information, the above-described processes of S110 to S114 are performed, and the image data is transmitted to the in-vivo device 10.

  Next, the process proceeds to S <b> 302, and image data is received as first information from the in-vivo device 10. At this time, the intensity of the first information that is the output from the in-vivo device 10 is set to an appropriate value, but in order to reflect the change in the communication status between the in-vivo device 10 and the extra-corporeal device 20, The extracorporeal device 20 preferably confirms the electromagnetic wave intensity of the first information every time the image data is received. Therefore, in S303, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24 detects the intensity of the image data received by the information reception unit 22, and outputs the intensity detection result information that is the detection result to the comparison unit 29.

  Next, the process proceeds to S304, and when the comparison unit 29 detects the intensity detection result information, the intensity of the first information indicated by the detected intensity detection result information and the electromagnetic wave preset and stored in the storage unit 28 are stored. Compare with the strength reference value. Then, the comparison unit 29 outputs comparison result information as a comparison result to the extracorporeal device control unit 25. Since this reference value is the same as described above, description thereof is omitted.

  Then, the process proceeds to S305, where the extracorporeal device control unit 25 analyzes the detected comparison result information, and distributes subsequent operations in three ways according to the comparison result with the reference value. If the received electromagnetic wave intensity is weaker than the reference value, the process proceeds to S306. In step S <b> 306, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output increase instruction is generated to the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23. When the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 detects information indicating that an output increase instruction is generated, the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 generates output increase instruction information as the transmission output control instruction information 50 and outputs the output increase instruction information to the information transmission unit 21.

  Next, the process proceeds to S307, and when the information transmission unit 21 detects the output increase instruction information that is the transmission output control instruction information 50, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the transmission output control instruction information that is information to increase the strength of the first information. The data is transmitted to the reception antenna 17 through the transmission antenna 26.

  Then, the process proceeds to S <b> 308, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs image data transmission instruction information to the information transmission unit 21 as a request for retransmission of image data. Then, the information transmission unit 21 transmits the image data transmission instruction information to the reception antenna 17 through the transmission antenna 26 again. Thereafter, the process returns to S302 and image data is received again.

  If the received electromagnetic wave intensity is stronger than the reference value in S305, the process proceeds to S309, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output reduction instruction is generated to the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23. When the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 detects information indicating that an output decrease instruction is generated, the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 generates output decrease instruction information as the transmission output control instruction information 50 and outputs the output decrease instruction information to the information transmission unit 21.

  Next, the process proceeds to S310, and when the information transmission unit 21 detects the output decrease instruction information, the information output unit 21 transmits the transmission output control instruction information, which is information indicating that the strength of the first information is decreased, via the transmission antenna 26. Send to.

  Then, the process proceeds to S311 and the image data is captured as it is.

  At this time, although the intensity of the first information was stronger than the reference value, the image data itself could be received normally. In S305, if the intensity of the first information is within an allowable range, the process proceeds directly to S311 without instructing the internal device 10 to change the intensity of the first information, and the image data is captured.

  After capturing the image data in S311, the process proceeds to S312 and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 determines whether or not the reception of the predetermined image data has been completed. If NO in S312, the process moves to S313, prepares for reception of the next image data, returns to S302, and the extracorporeal device 20 receives the image data from the intracorporeal device 10 via the receiving antenna 27. If YES in S312, the reception of the image data is temporarily terminated.

  Next, a case where the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23 is included in the in-vivo device 10 will be described.

  In S205, when detecting the comparison result information output from the comparison unit 29, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 analyzes the detected comparison result information. Then, the process is divided into any one of S206 to S208 depending on the comparison result with the reference value. That is, in S206, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that the output reduction instruction is generated to the information transmission unit 21 as an analysis result. Alternatively, in S207, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output maintenance instruction is generated to the information transmission unit 21 as an analysis result. Alternatively, in S208, the extracorporeal device control unit 25 outputs information indicating that an output increase instruction is generated to the information transmission unit 21 as an analysis result.

  Then, the process proceeds to S209, in which the information transmission unit 21 receives information indicating that the output decrease instruction is generated, information indicating that the output maintenance instruction is generated, or information indicating that the output increase instruction is generated. 2 is transmitted to the in-vivo device 10.

  In step S <b> 111, the in-vivo device control unit 15 determines whether or not the analysis result is included in the received second information. If YES in S111, the in-vivo device control unit 15 reads the transmission output control instruction information 50 from the transmission output control instruction information generation unit 23. Then, the process proceeds to S105.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of the biological information management system 60 according to the present embodiment.

  The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the second information such as transmission output control instruction information is superimposed on the power supplied from the extracorporeal device 20 to the in-vivo device 10 in a non-contact manner. This is the point. Since other than that is the same as that of Embodiment 1, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the biological information management system 60 includes an internal device 70 and an external device 80.

  The difference between the in-vivo device 70 and the in-vivo device 10 described in the first embodiment is that a receiving unit (first receiving means) 71 is provided instead of the information receiving unit 12 and the receiving antenna 17. Others are the same as the configuration of the intracorporeal device 10.

  The extracorporeal device 80 is different from the extracorporeal device 20 described in the first embodiment in that a transmitting unit (second transmitting unit) 81 is provided instead of the information transmitting unit 21 and the transmitting antenna 26. . Others are the same as the configuration of the extracorporeal device 20. The receiving unit 71 and the transmitting unit 81 will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, power is supplied from the extracorporeal device 80 to the intracorporeal device 70 in a non-contact manner. This non-contact method for supplying power is a known technique and will not be described in detail here.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, UWB that is high frequency and capable of high-speed communication is used as the first communication method that is the first information communication method.

  The second communication method, which is the second information communication method to be superimposed on the power supplied from the extracorporeal device 80 toward the in-vivo device 70, is selected from the same communication method as described in the first embodiment. be able to.

  That is, the protocol of the second communication method may be arbitrary, but the frequency to be used is appropriately selected as a frequency that is less absorbed by the human body and therefore less attenuated. Since the amount of data handled in the second communication method is small, a frequency for supplying electric power in a non-contact manner is at most several hundred KHz to several MHz, and can be realized at a relatively low frequency. For this reason, the circuit added in the transmission part 81 in order to superimpose the 2nd information output to the intracorporeal apparatus 70 can be minimized.

  As described above, attenuation by human tissue is severe at high frequencies of 3 GHz to 10 GHz such as UWB. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a frequency of 322 MHz or lower, which is a lower frequency than the first communication method, is used as the second communication method that is the second information communication method. To do.

  At this frequency, as in the first embodiment, a communication test is performed at an appropriate distance between the internal device 70 and the external device 80 in the natural space before the internal device 70 is swallowed. The attenuation of the second information is limited even after the in-vivo device 70 is swallowed by determining the intensity at which the in-vivo device 70 can sufficiently receive the second information. For this reason, even if the internal device 70 is swallowed, the second information reaches the internal device 70 with sufficient strength.

  The second information with the frequency determined here is superimposed on the electric power supplied in a non-contact manner.

  Next, the reception unit 71 and the transmission unit 81 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the reception unit 71 and the transmission unit 81.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the reception unit 71 includes an information reception unit 12, an information reception coil 72, a power reception unit (power reception unit) 73, a power reception coil 74, and a reception-side core 75.

  The transmission unit 81 includes an information transmission unit 21, an information transmission coil 82, a power supply unit (power supply unit) 83, a power transmission coil 84, and a transmission side core 85.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the embodiment, and there are various other implementation methods.

  The information receiving unit 12 is connected to the information receiving coil 72. The power receiving unit 73 is connected to the power receiving coil 74. The information receiving coil 72 and the power receiving coil 74 are wound around the outer periphery of the receiving core 75 a plurality of times.

  The information transmission unit 21 is connected to the information transmission coil 82. The power supply unit 83 is connected to the power transmission coil 84. Further, the information transmission coil 82 and the power transmission coil 84 are wound around the outer periphery of the transmission side core 85 a plurality of times.

  The power transmitted from the transmission unit 81 to the reception unit 71 is supplied from the power supply unit 83 to the power transmission coil 84 and is excited by the transmission side core 85 to become electromagnetic waves. This electromagnetic wave is received by the power receiving unit 73 via the receiving core 75 and the power receiving coil 74. Then, power is supplied from the power receiving unit 73 to each block of the in-vivo device 70.

  The second information transmitted from the extracorporeal device 80 to the in-vivo device 70 is the information output from the information transmitting unit 21 is supplied to the information transmitting coil 82, and is transmitted by the information transmitting coil 82. It is generated by being excited by the core 85. Then, the second information is superimposed on the power and received by the information receiving unit 12 via the receiving core 75 and the information receiving coil 72.

  In the transmission of the power and the second information described above, the transmission unit 81 shares the transmission side core 85 and the reception unit 71 shares the reception side core 75 to improve the efficiency of the parts.

  In the present embodiment, the frequency for supplying power is set lower than the frequency of the second information. For example, if the frequency of the supplied power is several tens KHz to several hundreds KHz and the second information is about several tens of MHz to 322 MHz, the second signal from the extracorporeal device 80 can be obtained by providing a high-pass filter in the information receiving unit 12 even if the core is shared. Since this information can be sufficiently separated from the power waveform, there is no problem.

  The power supply unit 83, the power transmission coil 84, and the transmission side core 85 may be provided outside the extracorporeal device 80. Further, the power receiving unit 73, the power receiving coil 74, and the receiving side core 75 may be provided outside the in-vivo device 70. That is, any configuration may be used as long as power is supplied to the in-vivo device 70.

  Finally, each block of the biological information management system 1 and the biological information management system 60, in particular, the in-vivo device control unit 15, the transmission output control unit 14, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24, the comparison unit 29, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 It may be configured by wear logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the in-vivo device control unit 15, the transmission output control unit 14, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24, the comparison unit 29, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 are CPUs (central processing units) that execute instructions of a control program for realizing each function. A ROM (read only memory) storing the program, a RAM (random access memory) expanding the program, a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory storing the program and various data, and the like. An object of the present invention is a program of control programs for the in-vivo device control unit 15, the transmission output control unit 14, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24, the comparison unit 29, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25, which are software that realizes the functions described above. A recording medium on which a code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) is recorded so as to be readable by a computer is stored in the internal device control unit 15, transmission output control unit 14, electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24, comparison unit 29, and external body. This can also be achieved by supplying to the apparatus control unit 25 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU).

  Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  The in-vivo device control unit 15, the transmission output control unit 14, the electromagnetic wave intensity detection unit 24, the comparison unit 29, and the extracorporeal device control unit 25 are configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code is supplied via the communication network. May be. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Also, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  In the present invention, the transmission of information from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device is a frequency that is difficult to be absorbed by human tissue, and the information from the extracorporeal device can be reliably transmitted to the intracorporeal device. Widely applicable to transmitting devices.

1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a biological information management system. FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of transmission output control instruction information used in a biological information management system. FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention and is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of use of a biological information management system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an outline of use of a biological information management system, and illustrating a state of communication between an in-vivo device and an extra-corporeal device. It is a graph which shows the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic waves which pass through a human body tissue. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention, showing a flow of processing of a biological information management system, and showing a flow of processing of an in-vivo device for initialization of the biological information management system. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, showing a flow of processing of a biological information management system, and showing a flow of processing of an external device for initialization of the biological information management system. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a flowchart showing a process flow of a biological information management system and a process flow after initialization of the biological information management system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram illustrating a configuration in which second information is superimposed on power supplied from an external device to an internal device in a biological information management system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram illustrating a transmitting unit of an extracorporeal device and a receiving unit of an in-vivo device of a biological information management system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Biological information management system 10 In-vivo apparatus 11 Information transmission part (2nd information transmission means)
12 Information receiving section (first receiving means, receiving means)
13 Image data acquisition unit (biological information acquisition means)
14 Transmission output control unit (transmission output control means)
15 In-vivo device control unit (in-vivo device control means)
16 Transmitting antenna (first transmitting means)
17 Receiving antenna (first receiving means)
18 storage unit 19 transmission output level storage unit 20 extracorporeal device 21 information transmission unit (second transmission means)
22 Information receiving unit (second receiving means)
23 Transmission output control instruction information generation unit (transmission output control instruction information generation means)
24 Electromagnetic wave intensity detector (electromagnetic wave intensity detector)
25 Extracorporeal Device Control Unit (Extracorporeal Device Control Unit)
26 Transmitting antenna (second transmitting means)
27 Receiving antenna (second receiving means)
28 storage unit 29 comparison unit (comparison means)
50 Transmission output control instruction information 60 Biological information management system 70 In-vivo device 71 Receiving unit (first receiving means)
72 Information Receiving Coil 73 Power Receiving Unit (Power Receiving Means)
74 Power receiving coil 75 Receiving side core 80 Extracorporeal device 81 Transmitter (second transmitting means)
82 Information Transmission Coil 83 Power Supply Unit (Power Supply Means)
84 Power transmission coil 85 Transmitting core

Claims (11)

An in-vivo device that includes a biological information acquisition unit that is inserted into a living body and acquires in-vivo information; and a transmission unit that transmits the acquired in-vivo information;
In a biological information management system comprising an extracorporeal device including a receiving means that is arranged outside a living body and receives in vivo information transmitted from the in vivo device,
The in-vivo device includes first transmission means for transmitting first information including in-vivo information acquired by the biological information acquisition means, and operation instruction information that is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information. First receiving means for receiving second information including,
The extracorporeal device includes second receiving means for receiving the first information, and second transmitting means for transmitting the second information,
A biological information management system, wherein a frequency of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission and reception of the second information is smaller than a frequency of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission and reception of the first information. The intracorporeal device includes an intracorporeal device control means and a transmission output control means,
The in-vivo device control means analyzes the second information, and when the second information includes instruction information for adjusting the intensity of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, Output to the transmission output control means a method of changing the intensity of electromagnetic waves used for transmission / reception of information of 1 and the degree of change,
The transmission output control means adjusts the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information from the analysis result output from the in-vivo device control means,
The extracorporeal device includes electromagnetic wave intensity detection means, comparison means, and extracorporeal device control means,
The electromagnetic wave intensity detection means detects the intensity of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, and outputs a detection result to the comparison means,
The comparison means compares the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information output from the electromagnetic intensity detection means, which is the detection result, with a reference value stored in advance, and the detection result , And output the difference from the reference value as a comparison result to the extracorporeal device control means,
The extracorporeal device control means analyzes the comparison result output from the comparison means, and information indicating that the intensity of electromagnetic waves used for transmission / reception of the first information is reduced or maintained as analysis result Or output information to the second transmission means,
The biological information management system according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission unit transmits second information including the analysis result to the in-vivo device. The intracorporeal device includes an intracorporeal device control means and a transmission output control means,
The in-vivo device control means analyzes the second information, and when the second information includes instruction information for adjusting the intensity of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, Output to the transmission output control means a method of changing the intensity of electromagnetic waves used for transmission / reception of information of 1 and the degree of change,
The transmission output control means adjusts the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information from the analysis result output from the in-vivo device control means,
The extracorporeal device includes electromagnetic wave intensity detection means, comparison means, extracorporeal device control means, and transmission output control instruction information generation means,
The electromagnetic wave intensity detection means detects the intensity of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information, and outputs a detection result to the comparison means,
The comparison means compares the intensity of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information output from the electromagnetic intensity detection means, which is the detection result, with a reference value stored in advance, and the detection result , And output the difference from the reference value as a comparison result to the extracorporeal device control means,
The extracorporeal device control means analyzes the comparison result output from the comparison means, and information indicating that the intensity of electromagnetic waves used for transmission / reception of the first information is reduced or maintained as analysis result Or information to the effect of increasing to the transmission output control instruction information generating means,
The transmission output control instruction information generation means outputs to the second transmission means transmission output control instruction information indicating a change method and a degree of change of the electromagnetic wave used for transmission / reception of the first information,
The biological information management system according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission unit transmits second information including the transmission output control instruction information to the in-vivo device.   The biological information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication method of the first information is UWB. Power supply means for supplying power to the in-vivo device; and power receiving means for receiving the power supplied to the in-vivo device;
The biological information management system according to claim 1, wherein the second information is superimposed on the power supplied from the power supply unit to the power reception unit.   The biological information management system according to claim 1, wherein the in-vivo device is a capsule endoscope. In an extracorporeal device that is arranged outside a living body and includes receiving means for receiving in vivo information,
Second receiving means for receiving first information including in-vivo information;
Second transmitting means for transmitting second information including operation instruction information which is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information to the outside,
The extracorporeal device characterized in that the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for receiving the first information. In an in-vivo device including biological information acquisition means that is inserted into a living body and acquires information in the living body, and transmitting means that transmits the acquired in-vivo information,
First transmission means for transmitting first information including in-vivo information acquired by the biological information acquisition means, and second information including operation instruction information that is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information. First receiving means for receiving
An in-vivo device characterized in that the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for receiving the second information is smaller than the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting the first information. In a biological information management method, comprising: a biological information acquisition step for acquiring in-vivo information; a transmitting step for transmitting the acquired in-vivo information; and a receiving step for receiving the transmitted in-vivo information.
A first transmission step of transmitting first information including in-vivo information acquired in the biological information acquisition step; and a second of including operation instruction information which is instruction information for acquiring in-vivo information. A first receiving step for receiving information;
A second receiving step for receiving the first information; and a second transmitting step for transmitting the second information;
A biological information management method, wherein a frequency of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission and reception of the second information is smaller than a frequency of an electromagnetic wave used for transmission and reception of the first information.   A biological information management program for operating the biological information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the biological information management program causes a computer to function as each means described above.   The computer-readable recording medium which has recorded the biometric information management program of Claim 10.

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