KR101969982B1 - An apparatus of capsule endoscopy, magnetic controller, and capsule endoscopy system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a capsule endoscopy apparatus capable of obtaining an ultrasound image with low power without a motor for driving a vibrator by controlling the movement of the vibrator for obtaining the ultrasound image based on a magnetic force from the outside. The apparatus comprises: an ultrasonic imaging unit for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic image; and a magnetic reception unit for controlling the ultrasonic imaging unit to perform the movement to obtain the ultrasonic image in response to the magnetic force from a magnetic controller on the outside of the capsule endoscopy apparatus.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a capsule endoscope device, a magnetic controller, and a capsule endoscope system.

The present invention relates to a capsule endoscope, and more particularly, to a capsule endoscope device, a magnetic controller, and a capsule endoscope system for acquiring an ultrasound image.

In recent years, capsule type endoscopes have been developed and used to diagnose various diseases in the medical field.

Capsule endoscopy is a system in which a capsule endoscope captures the inside of the body when a human body swallows a pellet-sized endoscope and transmits it to an external device via wireless communication. It does not require anesthesia and has no vomiting sensation. It has the advantage of being able to diagnose precisely the part of the small intestine that could not be diagnosed.

The capsule endoscope acquires an image of a target part inside the human body through an image sensor, and displays the acquired image on a screen of the receiver in real time, thereby observing the inside of the body.

In the meantime, the internal diagnostic imaging of the body has been remarkably improved by the introduction of gastrointestinal endoscopy, abdominal ultrasound, and computed tomography. However, this method has limitations in the observation of the wall of the digestive tract or adjacent organs, And endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) tests have been developed. Endoscopic ultrasonography is an imaging method that combines an endoscope with an ultrasonography by attaching an ultrasonic transducer to the endoscope. It is designed to diagnose small pancreas small tumors that are difficult to detect by conventional abdominal ultrasonography or computed tomography. Since the development of real-time B-mode ultrasound echoendoscope prototype for the first time in 1980, it has become possible to use various frequencies and improve the performance. Currently, endoscopic ultrasound application range has expanded to almost all digestive tract diseases from pancreaticobiliary diseases, Ultrasonography has been developed as an ultrasound-guided ultrasound-guided ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration or injection. Recently, interventional procedures such as pancreatectomy and pancreatic cyst drainage have been attempted. However, the EUS described above has a large diameter as compared with a conventional endoscope apparatus, and thus has a disadvantage in that the patient has a great sense of heterogeneity.

As described above, in order to overcome the sense of heterogeneity of the conventional endoscope apparatus, it may be considered to include an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the capsule endoscope. However, since the supply of the power source is limited and the secured power is not enough to be used for transmitting the acquired image, the provision of the ultrasonic vibrator for obtaining the ultrasound image by the motor causes the power shortage problem can do.

Specifically, since the capsule endoscope is driven with a limited battery capacity, it is difficult to realize the capsule endoscope in a general manner using a conventional driving motor. The driving motor method is a method of obtaining an ultrasound image by rotating a single element transducer, and it is difficult to apply to a capsule endoscope because an additional battery is required due to a driving motor. In order to obtain a high-quality image, a sending pulse voltage of the transmitting pulser is required to be several tens of volts or more. Therefore, efficient power usage is required.

It is an exemplary object of the present invention to solve such problems by controlling the movement of a vibrator for obtaining an ultrasound image based on the magnetic force from the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus, And to provide a capsule endoscope apparatus capable of acquiring an ultrasound image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a capsule endoscope apparatus capable of controlling the motion of an ultrasonic transducer of a capsule endoscope apparatus so that an ultrasonic image can be acquired with low power without a motor for driving the transducer And to provide a magnetic controller capable of generating a magnetic signal.

It is another object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing a capsule endoscope apparatus for controlling the motion of a vibrator for obtaining an ultrasound image based on a magnetic force from a magnetic controller located outside a capsule endoscope, The present invention also provides a capsule endoscope system capable of acquiring an ultrasound image with low power without providing the capsule endoscope system.

It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a capsule endoscope apparatus for acquiring an ultrasound image, the apparatus comprising: an ultrasound image pickup unit for transmitting and receiving ultrasound to acquire an ultrasound image; And a magnetic receiver for controlling the ultrasonic imaging unit to perform a motion to acquire an ultrasound image in response to the ultrasound image.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the ultrasonic imaging unit is driven by one or more ultrasonic elements, and the motion for acquiring the ultrasonic image may be a motion for operating the ultrasonic element.

According to an aspect, the magnetic receiver may include one or more permanent magnets.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the motion for acquiring the ultrasound image may be a motion for acquiring the ultrasound image according to a control direction of the magnetic controller.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the motion for acquiring the ultrasound image may cause the ultrasound element to linearly repetitively move.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the movement for obtaining the ultrasound image may be to cause the ultrasound element to rotate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the magnetic receiver may perform positional movement or attitude control of the capsule endoscope in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller outside the capsule endoscope.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the capsule endoscope apparatus includes a capsule endoscope device, a capsule endoscope device, and a capsule endoscope device. The capsule endoscope device includes: a visible light imaging unit that acquires an image through visible light; And a control unit for controlling at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasonic imaging unit based on the control signal.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the control signal includes at least one of power control for at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasonic imaging unit, a frame per second (FPS) control for at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasonic imaging unit , AGC (Automatic Gain Control) control of the visible light imaging unit, frequency control of the ultrasonic imaging unit, voltage control of the ultrasonic imaging unit, and amplification control of the ultrasonic imaging unit.

According to an aspect, the obtained image through the visible light may be provided to a user of the capsule endoscope device for positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the capsule endoscope apparatus further includes a second ultrasonic imaging unit, and the ultrasonic imaging unit and the second ultrasonic imaging unit can operate at different frequencies.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the ultrasound imaging unit, the visible light imaging unit, and the second ultrasound imaging unit may be arranged so as to be aligned in the same direction on one side of the capsule endoscope.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the ultrasound imaging unit, the visible light imaging unit, and the second ultrasound imaging unit may be disposed on the short side of the capsule endoscope.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the capsule endoscope apparatus may further include an inertial sensor that acquires information on a direction of the capsule endoscope apparatus when the ultrasound image is acquired.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the inertial sensor further obtains information on the posture and the position of the capsule endoscope, and information on the posture and the position acquired by the inertial sensor may be used for restoration of the obtained ultrasound image .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic controller for controlling a capsule endoscope to acquire an ultrasound image, the magnetic controller including: a magnetic generator for generating a magnetic force; And a driving unit for controlling the motion of the magnetic generation unit to perform a motion for acquiring an image.

According to an aspect of the present invention, controlling the motion of the magnetic generation unit may include at least one of controlling the magnetic generation unit to perform linear repetitive motion, and controlling the magnetic generation unit to rotate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the apparatus may further include a driving motor for adjusting the magnetic force for controlling the intensity of the magnetic force of the magnetic generation unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a capsule endoscope system for acquiring an ultrasound image in response to a magnetic force from a magnetic controller, the ultrasound imaging apparatus performing a motion for acquiring an ultrasound image, A magnetic controller for transmitting a magnetic force to the capsule endoscope, and a monitoring terminal for receiving and displaying the acquired ultrasound image.

The disclosed technique may have the following effects. It is to be understood, however, that the scope of the disclosed technology is not to be construed as limited thereby, as it is not meant to imply that a particular embodiment should include all of the following effects or only the following effects.

According to the capsule endoscope apparatus, the magnetic controller, and the capsule endoscope system according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to drive the ultrasonic transducer for obtaining the ultrasound image of the capsule endoscope apparatus based on the magnetic signal from the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus It is possible.

Therefore, it is possible to acquire an ultrasound image at low power without providing a motor for driving the transducer in the capsule endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of an ultrasound image acquiring process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram of a capsule endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a capsule endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A shows an exemplary structure of the capsule endoscope apparatus of FIG.
Fig. 4B shows another exemplary structure of the capsule endoscope apparatus of Fig.
5A shows a motion for acquiring a radial scope image.
FIG. 5B shows a motion for acquiring a linear scope image.
6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a magnetic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 shows examples of the arrangement of the ultrasonic imaging section and the visible ray imaging section.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail.

It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant art and are to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements in the drawings and redundant explanations for the same constituent elements are omitted.

Capsule Endoscopy System

An apparatus for acquiring an ultrasound image includes a multi-array element for acquiring an ultrasound image by driving a plurality of ultrasound transducers, a single element for acquiring an ultrasound image by driving one ultrasonic transducer, Method can be used. Here, the ultrasonic element may be an ultrasonic vibrator. In the case of the capsule endoscope apparatus, it may be preferable to use a single element ultrasonic transducer in consideration of a limited size. However, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be driven by one or more ultrasonic elements, But is not limited to having a single ultrasonic oscillator.

However, since a multi-element transducer-based method needs to include a plurality of transmission / reception modules for parallelly processing signals transmitted / received in an array form, it requires a larger amount of power than a single ultrasonic transducer do. In order to drive the ultrasonic transducer, it is possible to consider a method of acquiring the ultrasonic image by driving the ultrasonic transducer by providing a driving motor inside the capsule. However, as described above, in the case of the capsule endoscope, The power for transmitting is insufficient. Therefore, the inclusion of a motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer in the capsule endoscope device has space limitation and power limitation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasound system and a method for acquiring ultrasound images in response to a magnetic force from the outside of the capsule endoscope, Rotation, or movement) of the capsule endoscope, it is possible to acquire an ultrasound image through the capsule endoscope without providing the driving motor inside the capsule endoscope. Thus, space and power constraints of the ultrasound capsule endoscope device can be significantly reduced.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a process of acquiring an ultrasound image according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a capsule endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the capsule endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

2, the capsule endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a capsule endoscope apparatus 100, a magnetic controller 200, and a monitoring terminal 300. As shown in FIG. The capsule endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention is different from the conventional system in which an ultrasound image is obtained by using a driving motor provided in a capsule endoscope apparatus, The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 can acquire an ultrasound image.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the capsule endoscope 100 is inserted into the human body and positioned inside the long-term inner wall 10. The magnetic controller 200 and the monitoring terminal 300 are located outside the human body and the magnetic controller 200 can be positioned in close contact with the skin 30 according to an aspect of the present invention. The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is operated under the control of the magnetic controller 200 to acquire an ultrasound image of the surrounding organs 20 other than the organ in which the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is located.

The magnetic controller 200 may emit magnetic force for controlling the movement of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. [ By providing a permanent magnet, a magnetic force can be generated, and a magnetic force transmitted to the capsule endoscope 100 can be controlled by controlling the movement of a magnetic transmitter such as a permanent magnet by providing a driving motor. In addition, the magnetic controller 200 may adjust the intensity of the magnetic force transmitted to the capsule endoscope 100, and may adjust the speed of movement (e.g., rotation or movement) for acquiring the ultrasound image.

FIG. 1 shows the operation of the capsule endoscope system in the case of adopting a linear scope method using a single element ultrasonic transducer, for example, to obtain an ultrasound image. When the magnetic controller 200 performs the linear repetitive motion, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 can also perform the linear repetitive motion in response to the magnetic force emitted by the magnetic controller 200, and the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 A 2D ultrasound image can be acquired based on the ultrasound wave reflected from the ultrasound and the surrounding organ 20. In other words, the capsule endoscope 100 can acquire an ultrasound image by performing a motion to acquire an ultrasound image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200.

The monitoring terminal 300 can receive and display the obtained ultrasound image. In addition, a control unit (not shown) that allows a user (e.g., a doctor) of the capsule endoscope system to control components including the imaging unit within the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, (Not shown) capable of performing reception of ultrasound images, and a control unit (not shown) capable of performing positional movement and attitude control within the long term of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, Or may be provided integrally with the monitoring terminal 300 or the magnetic controller 200. Accordingly, the capsule endoscope 100, the magnetic controller 200, and the monitoring terminal 300 can form a communication network for exchanging information. Such a communication network may be configured based on, for example, a radio frequency (RF) or a human body communication (HBC).

Capsule endoscope device

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a capsule endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4A is an exemplary structure of the capsule endoscope apparatus of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating another example of the capsule endoscope apparatus of FIG. Structure. Hereinafter, the configuration of the capsule endoscope 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B. FIG.

3, an endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic receiver 110, an image acquisition unit 120, a controller 130, an inertial sensor 140, a transceiver 150 And a power supply unit 160.

The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can acquire and provide a visible light image and / or an ultrasound image, and can acquire and display a visible light image and / or an ultrasound image using a capsule endoscope apparatus 100 ) Can be performed. A plurality of imaging units may be included in the image acquisition unit 120 and a plurality of imaging units may be controlled in real time by a control unit external to the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. [ Reception unit 150 that performs a communication function, and may transmit the acquired image to an external device (for example, the monitoring terminal 300).

3, the image acquisition unit 120 may include an ultrasound image pickup unit 121 and a visible light image pickup unit 125. [ The image acquiring unit 120 may acquire an internal image of a human body in real time and may be configured to provide an ultrasound image in addition to providing a visible light image as in a conventional capsule endoscope apparatus.

The visible light imaging section 125 is for acquiring an image through visible light, and may be composed of one or more image sensors (for example, CMOS, CCD, etc.). In addition, visible light imaging section 125 may include one or more lenses and may include one or more illumination devices capable of emitting light sources such as white light or blue light. The control unit 130 may transmit the received real-time visible light image to the external device through the transceiver unit 160, for example, To the monitoring terminal 300.

The ultrasound imaging unit 121 included in the image acquisition unit 120 may be configured to acquire ultrasound images of surrounding organs other than organs in which the capsule endoscope is located within the body. The ultrasound imaging unit 121 may acquire ultrasound image data in real time and then transmit the ultrasound image data to the controller 130 after signal processing. The control unit 130 may transmit the received ultrasound image to an external device, for example, the monitoring terminal 300 through the transceiver 160, as in the visible light image. The ultrasound imaging unit 121 may include one or more ultrasound units, and ultrasound images may be acquired by transmitting ultrasound waves in the direction of the peripheral organs and receiving ultrasound waves reflected from the surrounding organs.

In consideration of the spatial restriction of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 may be driven by a single element ultrasonic oscillator. The ultrasonic imaging unit may perform a motion for acquiring an ultrasound image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200 outside the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. That is, the ultrasonic transducer included in the capsule endoscope 100 may be driven based on the magnetic force that varies according to the motion of the magnetic controller 200, and may be operated in conjunction with the motion of the magnetic controller 200.

The driving of the ultrasonic transducer may be a movement for acquiring an image in accordance with the control direction of the external magnetic controller, for example, a linear repetitive motion (hereinafter also referred to as a 'linear reciprocating motion'), Lt; / RTI > FIG. 5A shows a motion for acquiring a radial scope image, and FIG. 5B shows a motion for acquiring a linear scope image.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, an exemplary type of ultrasound image that can be acquired through the ultrasound imaging unit may be any one of a radial scope type image and a linear scope type image have. However, the type of the acquired ultrasound image is not limited to the image of the radial scope type and the image of the linear scope type, and any type of ultrasound image acquired according to the control direction of the magnetic controller may be included. In order to acquire a radial scope type ultrasound image, it is required that the ultrasound imaging unit 121 included in the capsule endoscope 100 is rotated as shown in FIG. 5A. Therefore, the magnetic controller 200 can control the ultrasonic vibrator of the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 to perform rotational motion. Meanwhile, in order to acquire the linear scope type ultrasound image, it is required that the ultrasound imaging unit 121 included in the capsule endoscope 100 performs a linear repetitive motion as shown in FIG. 5B. Therefore, the magnetic controller 200 can control the ultrasonic vibrator of the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 to perform linear repetitive motion. The magnetic controller 200 may cause the magnetic transmitter (e.g., permanent magnet) of the magnetic controller 200 to perform linear repetitive motion for linear repetitive motion of the ultrasonic transducer. For such operation, the magnetic controller 200 may include a guide positioned on the skin. In addition, the linear repetitive motion can be, for example, linear repetition of a distance of 10 cm.

The ultrasonic wave unit included in the ultrasonic wave imaging unit 121 may be constituted by one or more ultrasonic sensors and may be a pulse generator, a T / R switch, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a pre- , A TGC (Time Gain Compensation) Amp., A transducer, and a signal processing unit.

Here, the signal processing unit may include an algorithm for reducing a large amount of received data to meet limited communication throughput.

4A and 4B show an exemplary layout of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4A, the image acquisition unit 120 of the capsule endoscope 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a second ultrasound imaging unit 123 different from the ultrasound imaging unit 121 . The ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123 may be applied to different frequencies. For example, a high frequency (for example, 30 MHz) may be applied to the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and a low frequency (for example, 5 MHz to 10 MHz) may be applied to the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123. In case of applying high frequency, the transmittance of ultrasonic wave is relatively low, but higher resolution ultrasonic image can be obtained. When a low frequency wave is applied, the transmittance is relatively increased, but a lower resolution ultrasonic image is obtained. The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of ultrasound imaging units using different frequencies, thereby selectively utilizing an ultrasound image according to an application.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the visible ray imaging unit 125 may be arranged in a horizontal axis aligned in the same direction. On the other hand, when both the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123 are provided, the visible light imaging unit 125 is disposed between the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123 And the ultrasound imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125 and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 may be arranged in the same direction on one side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. 4A, the ultrasound imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125, and the second ultrasound imaging unit may be disposed on the long side of the capsule endoscope 100, and as shown in FIG. 4B, The visible light ray imaging unit 125 and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 may be disposed on the short side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. [ When the ultrasonic imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125 and the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123 are disposed on the side surfaces of the short side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, the shape of the housing of the general capsule endoscope apparatus 100 The side surface of the short side where the other ultrasonic imaging section 121, the visible light imaging section 125 and the second ultrasonic imaging section 123 are disposed may be formed flat without having a bent portion.

7 shows examples of the arrangement of the ultrasonic imaging section and the visible ray imaging section. 7, the arrangement of the ultrasound imaging unit and the visible ray imaging unit, which may be included in the capsule endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, may include an ultrasound imaging unit as shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, In addition to directing an additional one direction, it can have various modifications.

One or more ultrasound imaging units 121 and one or more visible light imaging units 125 may be disposed on the dome side of the capsule endoscope apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7 (a). Here, in particular, there can be arranged no space between the ultrasonic imaging section 121 and the dome surface. When the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is disposed in close contact with the inner wall of the organ by the magnetic force control of the magnetic controller 200 without any space between the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the dome surface, An ultrasound image of good quality can be obtained. One or more ultrasound imaging units 121 and one or more visible light imaging units 125 may be disposed on the capsule side surface of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 7 (b).

On the other hand, the at least one ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the at least one visible ray imaging unit 125 may be disposed at different positions from each other. One or more visible light ray imaging units 125 are disposed on the side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and one or more visible ray imaging units 125 are disposed on the side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7 (d), one or more ultrasound imaging units 121 are disposed on the side surface of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and one or more visible ray imaging units 125-1 And 125-2 may be disposed on the side surfaces of both dome portions of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, respectively.

7 (e) to 7 (f), the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 is disposed on one side of the dome of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and (e) the capsule endoscope apparatus One or more visible light imaging units 125 are disposed on the side of the capsule of the capsule endoscope 100 and the capsule endoscope 125-2 is disposed on the side of the other dome of the capsule endoscope 100, One or more visible light imaging units 125 may be disposed on the side of the capsule of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 or the visible light imaging unit 125 may be disposed on the side of the other dome of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4A and 4B, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 includes a magnetic receiving unit 110. The magnetic reception unit 110 may control the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 to perform a motion for acquiring an ultrasound image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200 outside the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. Here, the magnetic receiving unit 110 may be formed of one or more permanent magnets, for example. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a power source 160 and the like may be disposed between the permanent magnets, and the N and S poles of the permanent magnets may be disposed as wide as possible. The magnetic receiving unit 110 may perform positional movement or attitude control of the capsule endoscope 100 in response to magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200 outside the capsule endoscope 100. [ Therefore, before the imaging of the ultrasound image is started, the capsule endoscope 100 may be moved to a position where the ultrasound image is to be captured by controlling the magnetic controller 200. In order to appropriately capture the ultrasound image, The posture of the apparatus 100 can be controlled.

The visible light image obtained through the visible light imaging unit 120 may be provided to a user (e.g., a doctor) of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 for positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 have. For example, it can be provided to the monitoring terminal 300 via the transceiver 150, and the user can check and control the position and / or posture of the capsule endoscope through the visible light image, The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 can be adjusted in position and / or posture.

Referring again to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A to 4B, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may further include an inertial sensor 140. The inertial sensor 140 may be used to measure the orientation or posture and position of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. The direction information of the capsule at the time of generation of the ultrasonic wave generated from the ultrasonic vibrator can be provided and the obtained direction information can be provided to the capsule endoscope 100 through the control unit 130 and the transceiver unit 150, To the terminal 300 or to an external transceiver (not shown). As described above, in order to allow the user of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 to control the position and the posture of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, the monitoring terminal 100 determines the direction or the posture of the obtained capsule endoscope apparatus 100 Information can be delivered to the user.

That is, the inertial sensor 140 can acquire information on the posture and the position of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and the information on the posture and the position of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 can be used for restoration of the acquired ultrasound image . When the motion for acquiring the ultrasound image is not a linear motion accompanied by the guide, it is possible to acquire a better quality endoscopic image based on the information about the posture and the position of the capsule endoscope device by the inertial sensor.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may include a controller 130 and a transceiver 150.

The transceiver unit 150 may be configured to transmit the image and / or ultrasound image through the visible light obtained by the image acquisition unit 120 to the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus and to receive the control signal from the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus. Here, the outside of the capsule endoscope 100 may be, for example, a monitoring device 300, and may be any one of a separate external control device and an external display device depending on the configuration of the capsule endoscope system. That is, the transceiving unit 150 supports a communication function with the external unit of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and the communication method is a radio frequency (RF) method or a human body communication (HBC) At least one of the schemes may be used. The transceiver unit 150 may be composed of one or more ASICs implementing a communication function, and may include one or more antennas. Directional communication or bidirectional communication may be supported depending on the configuration of the capsule endoscope system.

The control unit 130 may control at least one of the visible light imaging unit 125 and the ultrasound imaging unit 121 based on the control signal received through the transceiver unit 150, for example. In addition, the controller 130 may further control the operation of the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123. The control unit 130 may be fabricated as an ASIC chip, and may be configured to transmit data generated by the image acquisition unit 120 to a transmission / reception unit 150 as a frame. The control unit 130 analyzes the image acquisition device control request received from the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 through the transceiver unit 150 and transmits the control signal to the image acquisition unit 120. Here, the control signal may indicate, for example, at least one of the following controls.

Power on / off control for at least one of the visible light imaging section 125 and the ultrasonic imaging sections 121,

- Frame Per Second (FPS) control (2 to N) for at least one of the visible light imaging section 125 and the ultrasonic imaging sections 121 and 123;

AGC (Automatic Gain Control) control of the visible light imaging section 125

Frequency control of the ultrasonic imaging units 121 and 123

The voltage control of the ultrasonic imaging units 121 and 123

Amplification control of the ultrasonic imaging units 121 and 123

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, a user of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention inserts the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 into the body of a person to be examined and displays the visible light captured by the visible light ray imaging section 125 The light ray image can be confirmed through the monitoring terminal 300. The user can control the position and attitude of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 by operating the magnetic controller 200 with reference to the visible light image. Here, the power source of the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 can be kept OFF until the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 reaches the ultrasonic imaging position.

When the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 reaches the ultrasonic imaging position, the user refers to the direction information from the visible light image and / or the inertial sensor, and operates the magnetic controller 200 to direct the peripheral organ The posture of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 can be controlled.

When the control of the position and the posture for the ultrasonic imaging is completed, the user can start the ultrasonic imaging and control signals for instructing turning on the power of the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and / or the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123 May be transmitted to the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and / or the second ultrasonic imaging unit 123 via the transmission / reception unit 150 and the control unit 130. [

Referring again to FIG. 3, the capsule endoscope 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a power source unit 160. The power supply unit 160 may supply power to the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and may be constituted by one or more batteries. It may also include a rechargeable battery.

Magnetic controller

6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a magnetic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6, the magnetic controller 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic generation unit 210, a driving unit 220, a controller 230, and a driving motor 240 for controlling magnetic force .

The magnetic generator 210 may generate a magnetic force for controlling the capsule endoscope 100, and may be formed of a permanent magnet, for example. The driving unit 220 may control the motion of the magnetic generation unit 210 so that the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 performs a motion to acquire an ultrasound image in response to the magnetic force. When the magnetic generation unit 210 performs a linear repetitive motion or a rotational motion by the operation of the drive motor, the drive unit 220 may move the capsule endoscope device 210 in accordance with the magnetic force of the magnetic generation unit 210. For example, The ultrasonic imaging unit 121 of the imaging apparatus 100 may perform a linear repetitive motion or a rotational motion to obtain an ultrasound image.

Meanwhile, the magnetic force generation control driving motor 240 may be configured to control the intensity of the magnetic force generated by the magnetic generation unit 210. For example, the magnetic force of the magnetic generation unit 210 can be controlled more stably so that the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 can be positioned closer to the inner wall of the organ.

The rotation of the magnetic generator 210, the up / down / left / right movement can be controlled by the provision of permanent magnets, and the direction of rotation of the capsule according to the change of the N / Can be determined. In order to rotate the magnetic generation unit 210, a manual method may be used in addition to a method using a driving motor.

After the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is moved to a desired position in the organ through the magnetic controller 200, by operating the ultrasonic imaging button, the magnetic generation unit 210 provided in the magnetic controller 200 is constantly The moving speed can be adjusted through the speed button 260 at this time. In addition, the intensity of the magnetic force generated by the magnetic generation unit 210 can be controlled by the user through the intensity button 250 by controlling the driving motor 240 for controlling the magnetic force intensity.

6 shows that the user interface device such as the intensity button 250 and the speed button 260 is provided in the magnetic controller 200. However, according to the implementation of the capsule endoscope system, the user interface may be provided as a separate device, A signal related to the control may be transmitted to the magnetic controller 200 and / or the capsule endoscope 100 through various communication methods.

The foregoing embodiments include examples of various aspects. While it is not possible to describe every possible combination for expressing various aspects, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other combinations are possible. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention include all alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (15)

A capsule endoscope system for acquiring an ultrasound image,
And a magnetic reception unit for controlling the ultrasonic imaging unit to perform a movement for acquiring an ultrasound image in a long term in response to a magnetic force from a magnetic controller located outside the body.
The magnetic controller for transmitting magnetic force to the capsule endoscope; And
And a monitoring terminal for receiving and displaying the obtained ultrasound image,
Wherein the ultrasonic imaging unit is driven by at least one ultrasonic element,
Wherein the movement for acquiring the ultrasound image is a movement for acquiring the ultrasound image by operating the ultrasound element in accordance with a linear repetition motion or a rotation motion of the magnetic generation unit included in the magnetic controller.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the magnetic receiver comprises at least one permanent magnet.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the magnetic reception unit performs positional movement or attitude control of the capsule endoscope in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller.
The method according to claim 1,
A visible light imaging unit for acquiring an image through visible light;
A transceiver for transmitting the acquired image through the visible light and the ultrasound image to the outside of the capsule endoscope device and receiving a control signal from outside the capsule endoscope device; And
And a control unit for controlling at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasound imaging unit based on the control signal.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the control signal comprises:
Power control for at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasonic imaging unit,
A frame per second (FPS) control for at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasonic imaging unit,
AGC (Automatic Gain Control) control of the visible light imaging unit,
Frequency control of the ultrasonic imaging unit,
Voltage control of the ultrasonic imaging unit, and
And an amplification control of the ultrasonic imaging unit.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the acquired image through the visible light beam is provided to a user of the capsule endoscope apparatus for positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope apparatus.
5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising a second ultrasonic imaging section,
Wherein the ultrasonic imaging unit and the second ultrasonic imaging unit operate at different frequencies.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging unit, the visible light imaging unit, and the second ultrasound imaging unit are arranged so as to be aligned in the same direction on one side of the capsule endoscope apparatus.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging section, the visible light imaging section, and the second ultrasound imaging section are disposed on a side of the short side of the capsule endoscope device.
The method according to claim 1,
The magnetic controller includes:
The magnetic generator generating magnetic force; And
And a driving unit for controlling the movement of the magnetic generation unit such that the capsule endoscope apparatus performs a movement for acquiring an ultrasound image in response to the magnetic force.
11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a drive motor for adjusting the magnetic force for adjusting the intensity of the magnetic force of the magnetic generation unit.
5. The method of claim 4,
The capsule endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the capsule endoscope is a capsule endoscope.
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