KR102231837B1 - Capsule endoscopic ultrasonography system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a capsule endoscopic ultrasonography system for acquiring an ultrasound image from the inside and outside the organ. The capsule endoscopic ultrasonography system comprises: a capsule endoscope device inserted into an organ to acquire an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ; and a magnetic controller positioned outside the human body to control the capsule endoscope device, and acquiring an ultrasound image from outside the organ. Accordingly, the capsule endoscopic ultrasonography system may simultaneously acquire the ultrasound images from inside and outside the human body with only one scanning.

Description

Capsule endoscopic ultrasonography system

The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system, and more particularly, to an ultrasound imaging system including a capsule endoscope capable of acquiring an ultrasound image and a controller thereof.

Recently, a capsule type endoscope has been developed and is used to diagnose various diseases in a medical field. A capsule endoscope is a method in which a capsule-type endoscope photographs the inside of the body when the human body swallows a pill-sized endoscope and transmits it to an external device through wireless communication.It does not require anesthesia and does not have a feeling of vomiting. It has the advantage of being able to accurately and diagnose even parts of the small intestine that were not possible.

Such a capsule endoscope acquires a visible light image of a target area inside the human body through an image sensor, and displays the acquired visible light image on a screen of the receiver in real time to observe whether there is an abnormality inside the body.

On the other hand, the internal imaging of the body has made remarkable progress with the introduction of gastrointestinal endoscopy, abdominal ultrasound, and computed tomography, but even with such an examination method, observation of the wall of the digestive tract or adjacent organs has been limited. To overcome this limitation, attempts were made to observe the wall structure or adjacent organs in the body cavity of the digestive tract, and accordingly, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) was developed.

Endoscopic ultrasound is an imaging method that combines endoscopy and ultrasound by attaching an ultrasound vibrator to the tip of an endoscope. Initially, it was designed to diagnose small tumors of the pancreas that are difficult to detect by general abdominal ultrasound or computed tomography. Since the first real-time B-mode ultrasound echoendoscope prototype was developed around 1980, various frequencies have been available and performance improved, and the scope of the current endoscopic ultrasound has also been expanded from pancreatic biliary disease to almost all digestive tract diseases. An ultrasound endoscopy of a serial injection type capable of Doppler examination has also been developed, enabling fine needle aspiration or injection under ultrasound image guidance. Recently, interventional treatments such as pancreatic biliary tract and pancreatic cyst drainage have been attempted. However, since the EUS as described above has a larger diameter than that of a conventional endoscopic device, there is a problem that the patient's sense of heterogeneity is large.

In addition, the procedure for obtaining ultrasound images from the inside of the organ through EUS is separate from the conventional procedure for obtaining ultrasound images from outside the body, so there is a problem in the procedure, and it is necessary to have a plurality of diagnostic equipment. there was.

Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2011-0057742 (published on June 1, 2011)

In order to overcome the heterogeneity of the conventional endoscopy device, even when the capsule endoscope device is equipped with an ultrasonic diagnostic device, a procedure for acquiring an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and a procedure for acquiring an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ through the existing ultrasound diagnostic equipment are performed. There are still problems that must be done individually for each. Therefore, the cost and time required for the examiner increase, and the cost of having multiple equipments in the hospital performing diagnosis increases, and the diagnosis equipment for obtaining ultrasound images from the outside and the ultrasound images from the inside are acquired. There is also a space limitation for the provision of all diagnostic equipment for this. In addition, it is very difficult to determine whether the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ respectively acquired with separate equipment is an image at a location corresponding to each other, and it takes a lot of time for a processing procedure.

An exemplary object of the present invention for solving such a problem is that the capsule endoscope device acquires an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ, but the external controller controlling the capsule endoscope device acquires the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ together. , To provide an ultrasound imaging system capable of obtaining ultrasound images both inside and outside the human body with just one scanning.

However, the problem to be solved of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be variously extended without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

An ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is an ultrasound imaging system for acquiring an ultrasound image inside and outside an organ, and a capsule endoscope that is inserted into an organ to obtain an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ. Device; And a magnetic controller positioned outside the human body to control the capsule endoscope apparatus, but obtaining an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ.

According to an aspect, the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ may be simultaneously acquired at each predetermined position.

According to an aspect, the ultrasound imaging system receives an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ, and displays the corresponding ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ together. It may further include a terminal.

According to an aspect, the capsule endoscope apparatus includes: an ultrasonic imaging unit configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic image from the inside of an organ; And a magnetic receiver configured to control the ultrasonic imaging unit to perform a motion for obtaining an ultrasonic image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller.

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

According to an aspect, the magnetic controller includes: a magnetic generator generating magnetic force; A driving unit for controlling a movement of the magnetic generating unit so that the capsule endoscope device performs a movement for obtaining an ultrasound image in response to the magnetic force; And an external ultrasonic imaging unit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic image from the outside of the organ.

According to an aspect, the external ultrasonic imaging unit may be driven by one or more external ultrasonic elements, and the driving unit may further control the external ultrasonic element to perform a movement to acquire an ultrasonic image from outside the organ.

According to an aspect, the magnetic controller may further include a controller for controlling the ultrasonic intensity of the external ultrasonic imaging unit based on whether the ultrasonic image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasonic image from the outside of the organ interfere with each other.

According to an aspect, the external ultrasonic imaging unit may include a plurality of external ultrasonic elements, and the obtained ultrasonic image from the outside of the organ may be a 3D ultrasonic image.

According to an aspect, the magnetic receiving unit may perform positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope device in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller.

According to an aspect, the capsule endoscope apparatus includes: a visible light imaging unit for acquiring an image through visible light; A transmission/reception unit configured to transmit the acquired image through the visible light and the ultrasound image to the outside of the capsule endoscope device and receive a control signal from the outside of the capsule endoscope device; And a controller configured to control at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasonic imaging unit based on the control signal.

According to an aspect, the acquired image through the visible light may be displayed by the monitoring terminal for positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope device.

According to an aspect, the capsule endoscope device includes a first inertial sensor for acquiring motion information of the capsule endoscope device when an ultrasound image from inside the organ is acquired, and the magnetic controller includes an ultrasound image from outside the organ. It may include a second inertial sensor that acquires motion information of the magnetic controller when it is acquired.

According to an aspect, the magnetic controller may further include a driving motor for adjusting magnetic force strength for adjusting the strength of magnetic force of the magnetic generating unit.

The disclosed technology can have the following effects. However, since it does not mean that a specific embodiment should include all of the following effects or only the following effects, it should not be understood that the scope of the rights of the disclosed technology is limited thereby.

According to the above-described ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the capsule endoscope device acquires an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ, and the external controller controlling the capsule endoscope device acquires the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ. , Ultrasound images inside/outside the human body can be obtained with only one scanning.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain an internal/external ultrasound image of an organ without separately having a diagnostic equipment for acquiring an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and a diagnostic device for acquiring an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ. Space can be saved.

In addition, since all internal/external ultrasound images of the organ can be acquired with a single scan, time and cost required for diagnosis can be reduced, and the internal/external images of the organ for the same location can be acquired and responded together. Efficient diagnosis is possible by allowing the ultrasound images inside and outside the organ to be displayed together.

1 is an exemplary diagram of an ultrasound image acquisition process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the capsule endoscope device of FIG. 2.
4A shows an exemplary structure of the capsule endoscope device of FIG. 3.
4B shows another exemplary structure of the capsule endoscope device of FIG. 3.
5A shows motion for obtaining a radial scope image.
5B shows motion for acquiring a linear scope image.
6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the magnetic controller of FIG. 2.
7 shows examples of arrangements of an ultrasonic imaging unit and a visible ray imaging unit.
8 is an exemplary diagram of a passive magnetic controller.
9 is an exemplary view of posture control according to the controller of FIG. 8.
10 is a top view and a bottom view of the controller of FIG. 8.
11 is a first exemplary diagram of an arrangement of an ultrasonic imaging unit in consideration of a position of a magnetic force.
12 is a second exemplary view of an arrangement of an ultrasonic imaging unit in consideration of a position of a magnetic force.

In the present invention, various modifications may be made and various embodiments may be provided, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail.

However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, it should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. The term “and/or” includes a combination of a plurality of related stated items or any of a plurality of related stated items.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in the middle.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features. It is to be understood that the presence or addition of elements or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof does not preclude in advance.

Unless otherwise defined, 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 the present 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 related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. Does not.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, in order to facilitate an overall understanding, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same elements are omitted.

First, the overall configuration of the present invention will be described, and then the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and the magnetic controller 200 constituting the ultrasonic imaging system of the present invention will be described in detail.

Ultrasound imaging system

As previously mentioned, the conventional ultrasound image acquisition device uses ultrasound from the outside of the body, but there is a limit to the observation of the wall of the digestive tract or adjacent organs. In addition, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for overcoming this has a problem of heterogeneity of the patient because the diameter is larger than that of a conventional endoscopic device, and even in the case of a capsule endoscope device including an ultrasound module to overcome this, from the inside of the organ There is a problem in that equipment for acquiring an ultrasound image of a patient and an ultrasound image from the outside of an organ is separately provided, and a diagnosis procedure must be performed separately.

The present invention is to solve the above-described problem, the capsule endoscope device acquires an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ, but the external controller controlling the capsule endoscope device acquires the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ together, A great feature is that ultrasound images from inside and outside the human body can be obtained at the same time just by scanning.

1 is an exemplary diagram of an ultrasound image acquisition process according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasound imaging system for acquiring an ultrasound image inside and outside an organ according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a capsule endoscope apparatus 100, a magnetic controller 200, and a monitoring terminal 300. have. The capsule endoscope device 100 is injected into an organ to obtain an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ, and the magnetic controller 200 located outside the human body controls the capsule endoscope device 100 and simultaneously captures an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ. Acquire.

In addition, the monitoring terminal 300 may receive an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ and display the corresponding ultrasound images from the inside/outside of the organ together. Accordingly, ultrasound images inside/outside the human body can be obtained with only one scanning, and the affected area to be examined can be monitored from inside and outside. Here, the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ may be simultaneously acquired at each predetermined position.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 performs a function of a wireless EUS that improves the disadvantages of a conventional wired EUS, and the external magnetic controller 200 may perform an abdominal ultrasound function. Accordingly, under the control of the magnetic controller 200, ultrasound images in two directions (direction from the inside of the body to the outside of the body, and the direction of the inside of the body from outside) can be obtained. Therefore, based on the ultrasound image inside/outside the organ, it is possible to obtain a transmission image of the human body that could not be seen by conventional ultrasound. The human body transmission image may display an ultrasound image of a region from the mucous membrane of the inner wall of the organ to the skin surface by adjusting the intensity of ultrasonic waves transmitted and received from the inside and outside the organ, respectively.

On the other hand, unlike the conventional method of obtaining an ultrasound image using a driving motor provided inside the capsule endoscope device, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 of the ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention is external to the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is configured to acquire an ultrasound image through rotation and movement operation or movement of the magnetic controller 200 of the magnetic controller 200.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the capsule endoscope device 100 is introduced into the human body and positioned inside the inner wall 10 of the organ. The magnetic controller 200 and the monitoring terminal 300 are located outside the human body, and according to an embodiment, the magnetic controller 200 may be located so as to be in close contact with the skin 30. As the capsule endoscope device 100 performs a corresponding operation in response to the manipulation of the magnetic controller 200, ultrasound images of the surrounding organs 20 other than the organ in which the capsule endoscope device 100 is located can be obtained. I can. The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may acquire an ultrasound image by transmitting/receiving the ultrasound 40.

The magnetic controller 200 emits magnetic force for controlling the movement of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. A magnetic force can be generated by having a permanent magnet, and the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is provided with a driving motor to control the movement of a magnetic transmission unit such as a permanent magnet to adjust the distance of the permanent magnet to the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 You can adjust the strength of the magnetic force transmitted to it. In addition, the magnetic controller 200 may adjust the speed of movement (eg, rotation or movement) for the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 to acquire an ultrasound image. Simultaneously with the control of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, the magnetic controller 200 may transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from the skin surface to obtain an ultrasonic image from the outside of the organ 20. Accordingly, acquisition of ultrasound images from the inside of the organ by the capsule endoscope device 100 and acquisition of ultrasound images from the outside of the organ by the magnetic controller 200 are all controlled by the magnetic controller 200, and one scan As ultrasound images from the inside and outside of the organ can be simultaneously acquired, bidirectional diagnosis of a specific affected area can be performed very easily.

FIG. 1 shows an operation of an ultrasound imaging system when a linear scope method is employed using a single element ultrasound vibrator to acquire an ultrasound image, for example. When the magnetic controller 200 performs a linear repetitive motion, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may also perform a linear repetitive motion in response to the magnetic force emitted by the magnetic controller 200, and the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may perform a linear repetitive motion. A 2D ultrasound image may be obtained based on the emitted ultrasound and the ultrasound reflected from the surrounding organs 20 and returned. That is, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may acquire an ultrasound image by performing a movement for the ultrasound imaging unit to acquire an ultrasound image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200. Of course, the magnetic controller 200 may also acquire an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ by synchronizing with the acquisition of an ultrasound image by the capsule endoscope apparatus 100.

Here, the acquired ultrasound image may vary according to the number of ultrasound elements included in each of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and the magnetic controller 200. For example, when composed of a single element, a 2D image can be obtained, and when composed of a plurality of elements, a 3D image can be obtained.

The monitoring terminal 300 may receive and display the acquired ultrasound images from inside and outside the organ. The monitoring terminal 300 may directly receive an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ from the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and may directly receive an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ from the magnetic controller 200.

According to an aspect, the ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes an external transceiver 400 as shown in FIG. 2, so that the external transceiver 400 captures an ultrasound image from the inside of an organ through a capsule endoscope. It is possible to receive from the device 100 and temporarily store an ultrasonic image from the outside of the organ from the magnetic controller 200, and the monitoring terminal 300 is configured to receive an internal and external ultrasonic image from the external transceiver 400 Can be.

According to another aspect, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 transmits data about the acquired ultrasound image from the inside of the organ to the magnetic controller 200 so that the magnetic controller 200 temporarily stores the ultrasound image inside and outside the organ together. , The magnetic controller 200 may be configured to transmit ultrasound images inside and outside the organ to the external transceiver 400 and/or the monitoring terminal 300 together.

On the other hand, a control unit (not shown) capable of allowing a user (eg, a doctor) of the ultrasound imaging system to control various components including the imaging unit inside the capsule endoscope 100, and transmission and acquisition of control information. At least one of an external transmitting/receiving unit 400 capable of receiving an ultrasound image and a control unit (not shown) capable of performing positional movement and posture control within an organ of the capsule endoscope device 100 is an independent device. It may be provided or may be provided integrally with the monitoring terminal 300 or the magnetic controller 200. For example, the monitoring terminal 300 may be provided with a control means such as a joystick or a keyboard, and may be configured to control the magnetic controller 200 through the external transceiver 400.

The capsule endoscope apparatus 100, the magnetic controller 200, and the monitoring terminal 300 form a communication network for exchanging information with each other. Such a communication network may be configured based on, for example, a radio frequency (RF) or human body communication (HBC).

In particular, in the present invention, it is possible to receive an ultrasonic image from the inside of an organ of the capsule endoscope device 100 through human body communication and transmit various control information, by the magnetic force of the magnetic controller 200, the capsule endoscope device 100 It is due to the configuration that can be controlled. Due to the magnetic force generated by the magnetic controller 200 outside the human body, the capsule endoscope device 100 comes in close contact with the inner wall 10 of the organ, and accordingly, an air layer is excluded between the capsule endoscope device 100 and the inner wall 10 of the organ. . Human body communication is enabled by the close contact between the capsule endoscope device 100 and the inner wall 10 of the organ, and since the air layer is eliminated by such close contact, ultrasonic imaging of the capsule endoscope device 100 becomes possible. Further, by adjusting the magnetic strength of the magnetic controller 200, the degree to which the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 adheres to the inner wall 10 of the organ can be adjusted, so that it is easy to obtain an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ with good quality.

On the other hand, the capsule endoscope device 100 includes a first inertial sensor that acquires posture information of the capsule endoscope device 100, and the magnetic controller 200 is a second inertial sensor that acquires posture information of the magnetic controller 200. It may include. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the capsule endoscope device 100 performs a motion corresponding to the movement of the magnetic controller 200 through an inertial sensor (eg, IMU), and if the capsule endoscope device 100 performs a corresponding motion. If it is determined that it is not being performed, the followability of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may be improved by adjusting the magnetic force strength of the magnetic controller 200.

On the other hand, the monitoring terminal 300 displays the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ together. 200), it is possible to determine whether or not there is interference of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from). Accordingly, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and/or the magnetic controller 200 may be configured to control the intensity of the generated ultrasound, and according to one aspect, the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ are mutually It may be configured to include a control unit that controls the intensity of ultrasonic waves emitted from the magnetic controller 200 based on whether there is interference.

Capsule endoscopy device

In order for the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 to acquire an ultrasound image from the inside of an organ, it may be important to implement a module for acquiring an ultrasound image provided in the capsule endoscope apparatus 100.

Capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, through the control of the ultrasonic imaging unit through the external magnetic controller 200, while observing not only the small intestine and the large intestine, but also the stomach having a relatively large size for each digestive tract. It may be configured to be able to control a posture, a moving direction, a moving speed, and a photographing direction so that more accurate observation and diagnosis can be made. In addition, a disease that is difficult to accurately diagnose with only an endoscope can be diagnosed more accurately by applying an ultrasound method. In addition, by providing a magnetic and an ultrasonic element at the same time, it is possible to control the movement of the capsule endoscope device and the photographing direction even with a small and inexpensive device, while simultaneously examining the inner/outer walls of the digestive tract in detail using an ultrasonic method. In addition, ultrasound imaging of surrounding organs located around the stomach is possible without using an ultrasound endoscope using a conventional probe.

Equipment for acquiring an ultrasound image is a multi-array element method that acquires an ultrasound image by driving a plurality of ultrasound vibrators, or a single element that acquires an ultrasound image by driving a single ultrasound vibrator. Method can be used. Here, the ultrasonic element may be an ultrasonic vibrator. In the case of the capsule endoscope device 100, it may be preferable to use a single element ultrasonic vibrator in consideration of a limited size, but the capsule endoscope device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be driven by one or more ultrasonic elements. It can be, and is not limited to having a single ultrasonic vibrator.

However, the multi-element transducer-based method requires a large amount of power compared to having a single ultrasonic vibrator because a plurality of transmitting and receiving modules for parallel processing of signals transmitted and received in an array form must be included. do. Meanwhile, in order to drive the ultrasonic vibrator, a method of acquiring an ultrasonic image by driving the ultrasonic vibrator by providing a driving motor inside the capsule may be considered. Since power for transmission is also insufficient, including a motor for driving an ultrasonic vibrator in a capsule endoscope device has space constraints and power constraints.

In the ultrasonic imaging system according to an embodiment, the motion of an ultrasonic vibrator to acquire an ultrasonic image in response to a magnetic force from outside the capsule endoscope device (a motion for obtaining an image according to a control direction of an external controller, for example, For example, by performing rotation or movement), it is possible to obtain an ultrasound image through the capsule endoscope device without having a driving motor provided inside the capsule endoscope device. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the space constraints and power constraints of the ultrasonic capsule endoscope device.

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

3, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic receiving unit 110, an image obtaining unit 120, a control unit 130, a first inertial sensor 140, and transmitting and receiving A unit 150 and a power supply unit 160 may be included.

The capsule endoscope device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may obtain and provide a visible light (optical) image and/or an ultrasound image, and in real time in response to a magnetic force outside the capsule endoscope device 100 Movement and posture control of the device 100 may be performed. The image acquisition unit 120 may include a plurality of image pickup units, and the plurality of image pickup units may be controlled in real time by a control unit outside the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. A control command may be received from an external unit through the transmission/reception unit 150 performing a communication function, and the acquired image may be transmitted to an external device (eg, a monitoring terminal and/or an external transceiver).

As shown in FIG. 3, the image acquisition unit 120 may include an ultrasound imaging unit 121 and a visible light imaging unit 125. The image acquisition unit 120 is for acquiring an image inside the human body in real time, and is configured to provide an ultrasound image in addition to providing a visible ray image like a conventional capsule endoscope device.

The visible light imaging unit 125 is for acquiring an image through visible light, and may be configured with one or more image sensors (eg, CMOS, CCD, etc.). In addition, the visible light imaging unit 125 may include one or more lenses, and may include one or more lighting devices capable of emitting light sources such as white light or blue light. The image acquired by the visible light imaging unit 125 may be transmitted to the control unit 130 in real time, and the control unit 130 transmits the received real time visible light image to an external device, for example, through the transmission/reception unit 150. It can be transmitted to the monitoring terminal 300.

Meanwhile, the ultrasound imaging unit 121 included in the image acquisition unit 120 may be configured to acquire ultrasound images of surrounding organs other than the organ in which the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is located inside the body. That is, ultrasound images from the inside of the organ may be obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound. The ultrasound imaging unit 121 may be configured to acquire ultrasound image data in real time and transmit the acquired ultrasound image data to the controller 130 after signal processing. Like the visible ray image, the controller 130 may transmit the received ultrasound image to an external device such as the monitoring terminal 300 or the external transceiver 400 through the transmission/reception unit 160. The ultrasound imaging unit 121 may include one or more ultrasound units, and may acquire an ultrasound image by transmitting ultrasound waves in a direction of surrounding organs and receiving ultrasound waves reflected from the surrounding organs and returning.

In consideration of the spatial constraints of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 may be configured with a single element ultrasonic vibrator. The ultrasound imaging unit 121 may perform a physical movement to acquire an ultrasound image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200 outside the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. That is, the ultrasonic vibrator included in the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may be driven based on the movement of magnetic force according to the movement of the magnetic controller 200. That is, the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 may be operated in conjunction with the movement of the magnetic controller 200. When the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 is configured with a single element ultrasonic vibrator, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may acquire a two-dimensional ultrasonic image.

The driving of the ultrasonic vibrator may be a motion to acquire an image according to the control direction of the external magnetic controller 200, for example, a linear repetitive motion (hereinafter, may also be referred to as a'linear reciprocating motion'), or a rotational motion. May be.

The ultrasonic unit included in the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 may be composed of one or more ultrasonic sensors, and a pulse generator, a T/R switch, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a pre-amplifier (Pre-Amp.) , Time Gain Compensation (TGC) Amp., a transducer, and a signal processor. Here, the signal processor may include an algorithm for reducing a large amount of received data to meet a limited communication throughput.

4A and 4B show an exemplary layout of a capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4A, the image acquisition unit 120 of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a second ultrasound imaging unit 123 different from the ultrasound imaging unit 121. can do. The ultrasound imaging unit 121 and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 may operate at different frequencies. For example, a relatively high frequency (eg, 30 MHz) is applied to the ultrasonic imaging unit 121, and a low frequency (eg, 5 MHz to 10 MHz) is applied to the second ultrasound imaging unit 123. have. When a high frequency is applied, the transmittance of the ultrasound is relatively low, but an ultrasound image with a higher resolution can be obtained. When a low frequency is applied, an ultrasound image having the opposite characteristic is obtained. The capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may selectively utilize an appropriate ultrasound image as necessary by including a plurality of ultrasound imaging units using different frequencies.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the ultrasound imaging unit 121 and the visible light imaging unit 125 may be arranged and aligned on a horizontal axis in the same direction. Meanwhile, when both the ultrasound imaging unit 121 and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 are provided, a visible light imaging unit 125 is disposed between the ultrasound imaging unit 121 and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 The ultrasound imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125, and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 may be arranged and arranged to face the same direction on one side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the ultrasound imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125, and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 may be disposed on the long side side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, or shown in FIG. 4B. As described above, the ultrasound imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125, and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 may be disposed on the short side side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. When the ultrasound imaging unit 121, the visible light imaging unit 125, and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 are disposed on the short side of the capsule endoscope device 100, unlike the housing shape of a general capsule endoscope device, ultrasonic imaging is performed. It is preferable that the short side side on which the portion 121, the visible ray imaging unit 125, and the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 are disposed are formed flat without having a bent portion, so that an air layer that interferes with ultrasonic imaging is not formed.

7 shows examples of arrangements of an ultrasonic imaging unit and a visible ray imaging unit. As shown in FIG. 7, the arrangement of the ultrasound imaging unit and the visible light imaging unit that may be included in the capsule endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an ultrasound imaging unit and a visible light image as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. In addition to the case where the addition is directed in one direction, various modifications may be made.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 7, one or more ultrasound imaging units 121 and one or more visible light imaging units 125 may be disposed on one surface of the capsule endoscope device on the dome side. Here, in particular, there is no space between the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 and the dome surface. When the capsule endoscope device 100 is disposed so that there is no space between the ultrasound imaging unit 121 and the dome surface, and the capsule endoscope device 100 is disposed in close contact with the inner wall of the organ by adjusting the magnetic force of the magnetic controller 200, an ultrasound image of good quality is obtained. Can be obtained. As shown in (b) of FIG. 7, one or more ultrasound imaging units 121 and one or more visible light imaging units 125 may be disposed on the side of the capsule of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100.

Meanwhile, the one or more ultrasound imaging units 121 and the one or more visible light imaging units 125 may be disposed at different positions from each other. As shown in (c) of FIG. 7, at least one ultrasound imaging unit 121 is disposed on the side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and at least one visible ray imaging unit 125 is disposed on the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. It may be disposed on the dome side, and as shown in (d) of FIG. 7, at least one ultrasonic imaging unit 121 is disposed on the side of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and at least one visible ray imaging unit 125-1, 125-2) may be disposed on both domes of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, respectively.

In addition, as shown in Figure 7 (e) to Figure 7 (f), while the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 is disposed on one dome surface of the capsule endoscope device 100, (e) the capsule endoscope device One or more visible light imaging units 125 are disposed on the side of the capsule of 100, and the capsule endoscope device 125-2 is disposed on the other dome surface of the capsule endoscope device 100, or (f) the capsule endoscope device ( One or more visible light image pickup units 125 may be disposed on the side of the capsule 100, or (g) the visible light image pickup unit 125 may be disposed on the other dome surface of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100.

3 to 4A, 4B, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 includes a magnetic receiving unit 110. The magnetic receiving unit 110 may control the ultrasound imaging unit 121 to perform a movement to acquire 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 composed of, for example, one or more permanent magnets. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a power supply unit 160 and the like may be disposed between the permanent magnets, and the magnetic force of the magnetic controller 200 in the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 is increased by disposing the distance between the permanent magnets as far as possible. It is made to act widely, and accordingly, the close contact with the inner wall 10 of the organ of the capsule endoscope device 100 is improved.

Meanwhile, the magnetic receiving unit 110 may perform positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope device 100 in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller 200 outside the capsule endoscope device 100. Therefore, before starting to capture an ultrasound image, the magnetic controller 200 may be controlled to move the capsule endoscope device 100 to a location where an ultrasound image is to be captured, and the capsule endoscope is suitable for shooting an ultrasound image. The posture of the device 100 can be controlled.

Meanwhile, the visible ray image acquired through the visible ray imaging unit 120 may be provided to a user of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 as reference information for position movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100. For example, through the visible light image provided to the monitoring terminal 300 through the transmission/reception unit 150, the user checks and controls information on the position and/or posture of the capsule endoscope device 100, thereby controlling a position suitable for ultrasound imaging. And/or it is possible to adjust the capsule endoscope device 100 in the posture.

Referring back to FIGS. 3 and 4A to 4B, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may further include a first inertial sensor 140. The first inertial sensor 140 may be used to measure the direction or posture, speed, or acceleration 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 may be provided, and the obtained direction information is monitored outside the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 through the control unit 130 and the transmitting/receiving unit 150, for example. It may be transmitted to the terminal 300 or the external transceiver 400. As described above, the monitoring terminal 300 obtains information on the direction or posture of the capsule endoscope device 100 so that the user of the capsule endoscope device 100 can control the position and posture of the capsule endoscope device 100. Etc. can be communicated to the user. If the movement to acquire the ultrasound image is not an accurate linear movement accompanied by a guide, in particular, an ultrasound image of better quality is obtained based on information on the posture and movement of the capsule endoscope device by the first inertial sensor 140. Can be obtained.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may include a control unit 130 and a transmission/reception unit 150.

The transceiving unit 150 is configured to transmit the visible light image and/or the ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit 120 to the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and to receive a control signal from the outside of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 Can be. Here, the outside of the capsule endoscope device 100 may be, for example, the monitoring terminal 300, and may be either a separate external control device or an external display device according to the configuration of the ultrasound imaging system. That is, the transmission/reception unit 150 supports a communication function with an external unit of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and the communication method may be at least one of a radio frequency (RF) method or a human body communication (HBC) method as described above. have. The transceiver 150 may be composed of one or more ASICs implementing communication functions, and may include one or more antennas. Depending on the configuration of the ultrasound imaging system, one-way communication or two-way communication may be supported.

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

Power on/off control for at least one of the visible light imaging unit 125 and the ultrasonic imaging units 121 and 123

FPS (Frame Per Second) control (2 to N) for at least one of the visible ray imaging unit 125 and the ultrasonic imaging units 121 and 123

·Automatic Gain Control (AGC) control of the visible ray imaging unit 125

Frequency control of the ultrasonic imaging unit (121, 123)

·Voltage control of the ultrasonic imaging unit (121, 123)

·Amplification control of ultrasonic imaging units 121 and 123

Accordingly, according to an aspect, 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 subject to be examined, and The ray image can be checked through the monitoring terminal 300. The user can control the position and posture of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 by manipulating the magnetic controller 200 with reference to the visible ray image. Here, the power of the ultrasound imaging unit 121 may be maintained in an OFF state until the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 reaches the ultrasound imaging position.

When the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 reaches the ultrasound imaging position, the user refers to the visible light image and/or the direction information from the first inertial sensor, and operates the magnetic controller 200 to determine the surrounding organs to be ultrasound imaging. It is possible to control the posture of the capsule endoscope device 100 so as to face it.

When the control of the position and posture for ultrasound imaging is completed, the user can start ultrasound imaging, and a control signal instructing to turn on the power of the ultrasound imaging unit 121 and/or the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 May be transmitted to the ultrasound imaging unit 121 and/or the second ultrasound imaging unit 123 via the transceiving unit 150 and the control unit 130.

Referring to FIG. 3, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a power supply unit 160. The power supply unit 160 may supply power to the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and may be configured with one or more batteries. In addition, it may include a rechargeable battery.

According to the capsule endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, by controlling the movement direction, the movement speed, and the photographing direction of the oral endoscope device using a magnetic, not only the small intestine and the large intestine, but also the stomach having a relatively large size. You can make more accurate observation and diagnosis of the digestive system, including. In addition, there is an effect of more accurately diagnosing a disease that is difficult to accurately diagnose with only an endoscope by using a small ultrasonic device. In addition, by providing a magnetic and an ultrasonic device at the same time, there is an effect that a small and inexpensive device can examine not only the inner wall of the digestive tract, but also the submucosa in detail. In addition, by using magnetic force to closely adhere the oral endoscopy device to the inner wall of the stomach, it is possible to improve the patient's convenience by taking ultrasound images of a clearer submucosal region of the stomach and surrounding organs located around the stomach. In addition, by providing a magnetic and an ultrasonic device at the same time, it is possible to improve patient convenience while accurately observing the digestive tract with a small and inexpensive device. However, the effect of the capsule endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Magnetic controller

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a magnetic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the magnetic controller 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic generating unit 210, a driving unit 220, a control unit 230, a driving motor 240 for adjusting magnetic strength, and a strength button. 250, a speed button 260, a transmission/reception unit 270, a second inertial sensor 280, and an external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 may be included.

The magnetic generating unit 210 may generate a magnetic force for controlling the capsule endoscope apparatus 100, and may be configured as, for example, a permanent magnet. The driving unit 220 may control the movement of the magnetic generator 210 so that the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 performs a movement for obtaining an ultrasound image in response to the magnetic force. The driving unit 220 may be, for example, a driving motor, and when the magnetic generation unit 210 performs linear repetitive or rotational movement by the operation of the driving motor, the capsule endoscope apparatus according to the magnetic force of the magnetic generation unit 210 The ultrasound imaging unit 121 of 100 may be operated to obtain an ultrasound image by performing linear repetitive motion or rotational motion.

Meanwhile, the magnetic controller 200 includes an external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 and may transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic image from outside the organ. The magnetic controller 200 controls the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 to acquire an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ, and at the same time, receives an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ through the external ultrasound imaging unit 290 included in the magnetic controller 200. Because it is acquired, it is possible to acquire an ultrasound image inside/outside an organ with a single scan.

The external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 may include one or more ultrasonic units, and is positioned on the skin to transmit ultrasonic waves from the outside of the organ to the organ, and receive ultrasonic waves reflected from the organ to return ultrasonic waves from the outside of the organ. You can acquire an image.

The external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 may be composed of one or more ultrasonic elements, and may acquire an ultrasonic image according to the movement of the magnetic controller 200. According to an aspect, the external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 may be driven by a single element ultrasonic vibrator. The external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 may perform a movement to acquire an ultrasonic image under the control of the magnetic controller 200. When driven by a single element vibrator, the magnetic controller 200 may acquire a two-dimensional ultrasound image.

According to another aspect, the external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 may include a plurality of ultrasonic elements, and when driven by a plurality of ultrasonic elements, the magnetic controller 200 may obtain a 3D ultrasonic image. Since the magnetic controller 200 is located inside the organ, it has a relatively free and flexible condition in terms of space and power, compared to the capsule endoscope device 100 having insufficient mounting space and a limit of power consumption, so that a plurality of ultrasonic elements can be easily used. It may be installed and configured to obtain a high-quality or high-dimensional ultrasound image.

Meanwhile, a linear method or a convex method may be mainly used to obtain abdominal ultrasound. 5A shows a motion for acquiring an image of a linear method, and FIG. 5B shows a motion for acquiring an image of a convex type. However, the types of ultrasound images obtained according to an embodiment of the present invention are not limited to linear images and convex images, and any ultrasound image types acquired according to the control direction of the magnetic controller 200 are included. I can. In order to obtain a convex-type ultrasound image, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the external ultrasound imaging unit 290 may be controlled to perform a combination of a linear scan and a fan scan.

Meanwhile, the driving motor 240 for adjusting the magnetic strength may be configured to adjust the strength of the magnetic force generated by the magnetic generating unit 210. For example, the magnetic generating unit 210 may be closer to each other so that the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 of the capsule endoscope device 100 can be positioned closer to the inner wall of the organ, so that the magnetic force may be adjusted to act strongly.

The rotation of the magnetic generating unit 210 or movement of the up/down/left/right can be controlled by having a permanent magnet, and the rotation direction of the capsule is changed according to the change of the N/S pole according to the rotation of the permanent magnet. Can be determined. In rotating the magnetic generating unit 210, a manual method may be used in addition to a method using a driving motor.

First, in the automatic control method according to one aspect, after moving the capsule endoscope device 100 to a desired position in the organ through the magnetic controller 200, it is provided in the magnetic controller 200 by operating the ultrasound photographing button. The magnetic generating unit 210 may be moved left/right at a constant speed, and at this time, the moving speed may be adjusted through the speed button 260. In addition, the user may control the magnetic force intensity adjustment driving motor 240 through the intensity button 250 to adjust the intensity of the magnetic force acting on the magnetic generating unit 210.

6 illustrates that user interface devices such as intensity button 250 and speed button 260 are provided in the magnetic controller 200, but according to the implementation of the ultrasound imaging system, the user interface may be provided as a separate device or monitored. It is provided in the terminal 300, and signals related to control may be transmitted to the magnetic controller 200 and/or the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 through various communication methods.

Meanwhile, the magnetic force control for controlling the ultrasonic element of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may be implemented in a manual manner. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a passive magnetic controller, FIG. 9 is an exemplary view of posture control according to the controller of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a top view and a bottom view of the controller of FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the magnetic controller 200 according to an aspect of the present invention may include an intensity control button 250 and a magnetic ball 205. By rotating the permanent magnet in a manual manner, the rotation of the capsule endoscope device 100 (or included ultrasonic element) can be manually controlled, and the rotation direction can also be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 9, as the magnetic ball 205 is rotated, the polarity of the magnetic ball 205 is changed, and the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may be configured to rotate accordingly. As shown in (a) of Figure 10, the magnetic ball 205 is provided to have a polarity on the upper surface of the magnetic controller 200, and as shown in Figure 10 (b), the magnetic controller 200 A single ultrasonic sensor or multiple ultrasonic sensors 295 may be provided on the lower surface.

The transceiving unit 270 may operate to transmit the acquired ultrasound image from the outside of the organ to the external transceiver 400 and/or the monitoring terminal 300, and transmit/receive a control command required for control of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 Can be configured to According to one aspect, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 may be configured to receive an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and transmit it to the external transceiver 400 and/or the monitoring terminal 300.

Meanwhile, the magnetic controller 200 may include an inertial sensor 280. As previously described in the capsule endoscope device 100, the capsule endoscope device 100 may include a first inertial sensor 140, and the magnetic controller 200 may include a second inertial sensor 280. , Motion information of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and motion information of the magnetic controller 200 may be obtained, respectively.

More specifically, the first inertial sensor 140 may acquire motion information of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 when an ultrasonic image from the inside of the organ is acquired, and the second inertial sensor 280 may obtain motion information from the outside of the organ. When an ultrasound image is acquired, motion information of the magnetic controller 200 may be acquired. When comparing the motion information of the capsule endoscope device 100 and the magnetic controller 200 obtained from each inertial sensor 140, 280, it is determined how much the capsule endoscope device 100 follows the motion of the magnetic controller 200 can do. Accordingly, ultrasound images inside/outside the organ are more synchronized, so that a user can accurately diagnose an internal/external ultrasound image corresponding to a specific affected area.

On the other hand, in order to improve the accuracy of matching of the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ, the ultrasound imaging unit 121 included in the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and/or the magnetic controller 200 In the arrangement of the external ultrasonic imaging unit 290, positions of magnetic forces formed in the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and the magnetic controller 200 may be reflected.

11 is a first exemplary diagram of an arrangement of an ultrasonic imaging unit in consideration of a position of a magnetic force. As shown in FIG. 11, in the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and the magnetic controller 200, a boundary of magnetic force may be formed at the boundary of two components in a horizontal direction. In consideration of the position of the magnetic force interacting between the two configurations, the installation position of the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and/or the external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 of the magnetic controller 200 can be determined, and Therefore, it is possible to obtain a matched image with improved accuracy.

12 is a second exemplary view of an arrangement of an ultrasonic imaging unit in consideration of a position of a magnetic force. As shown in FIG. 12, the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and the magnetic controller 200 may have a magnetic force boundary formed in a direction perpendicular to the two constituent boundaries. In consideration of the position of the magnetic force interacting between the two configurations, the placement position of the ultrasonic imaging unit 121 of the capsule endoscope apparatus 100 and/or the external ultrasonic imaging unit 290 of the magnetic controller 200 may be determined, and Therefore, it is possible to obtain a matched image with improved accuracy.

The above-described embodiments include examples of various aspects. It is not possible to describe all possible combinations for representing the various aspects, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other combinations are possible. Accordingly, the present invention will be said to include all other replacements, modifications and changes falling within the scope of the following claims.

10: inner wall of the organ 20: surrounding organs
30: skin 100: capsule endoscope device
110: magnetic receiver 120: image acquisition unit
121: ultrasonic imaging unit 123: second ultrasonic imaging unit
125: visible light imaging unit 130: control unit
140: first inertial sensor 150: transmitting and receiving unit
160: power supply 200: magnetic controller
210: magnetic generating unit 220: driving unit
230: control unit 240: driving motor for adjusting magnetic strength
250: speed button 260: speed button
270: transceiver 280: second inertial sensor
290: external ultrasonic imaging unit 300: monitoring terminal
400: external transceiver

Claims (14)

An ultrasound imaging system for acquiring ultrasound images inside and outside an organ,
A capsule endoscope device that is injected into an organ and obtains an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ; And
An ultrasound imaging system comprising a magnetic controller positioned outside the human body to control the capsule endoscope device, and acquiring an ultrasound image from outside the organ. The method of claim 1,
The ultrasound imaging system, wherein the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ are simultaneously acquired at each predetermined position. The method of claim 1,
The ultrasound imaging system further comprising a monitoring terminal configured to receive an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ and display the corresponding ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from outside the organ together. The method of claim 1,
The capsule endoscope device,
An ultrasound imaging unit that transmits and receives ultrasound to obtain an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ; And
And a magnetic receiver configured to control the ultrasonic imaging unit to perform a motion for obtaining an ultrasonic image in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller. The method of claim 4,
The ultrasonic imaging unit is driven by one or more ultrasonic elements,
The ultrasound imaging system, wherein the movement to acquire the ultrasound image is a movement of operating the ultrasound element. The method of claim 5,
The magnetic controller,
A magnetic generator generating magnetic force;
A driving unit for controlling a movement of the magnetic generating unit so that the capsule endoscope device performs a movement for obtaining an ultrasound image in response to the magnetic force; And
An ultrasound imaging system comprising an external ultrasound imaging unit that transmits and receives ultrasound to obtain an ultrasound image from outside an organ. The method of claim 6,
The external ultrasonic imaging unit,
Driven by one or more external ultrasonic elements,
The ultrasound imaging system, wherein the driving unit further controls the external ultrasound element to perform a movement to acquire an ultrasound image from outside an organ. The method of claim 6,
The magnetic controller,
The ultrasound imaging system further comprising a controller configured to control the ultrasound intensity of the external ultrasound imaging unit based on whether the ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ interfere with each other. The method of claim 6,
The external ultrasonic imaging unit includes a plurality of external ultrasonic elements,
An ultrasound imaging system, wherein the acquired ultrasound image from outside the organ is a 3D ultrasound image. The method of claim 1,
The ultrasound imaging system further comprising a magnetic receiver configured to move a position or control a posture of the capsule endoscope device in response to a magnetic force from the magnetic controller. The method of claim 4,
The capsule endoscope device,
A visible light imaging unit that acquires an image through visible light;
A transmission/reception unit configured to transmit the acquired image through the visible light and the ultrasound image to the outside of the capsule endoscope device and receive a control signal from the outside of the capsule endoscope device; And
The ultrasound imaging system further comprising a controller configured to control at least one of the visible light imaging unit and the ultrasound imaging unit based on the control signal. The method of claim 11,
A monitoring terminal configured to receive an ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and an ultrasound image from the outside of the organ and display the corresponding ultrasound image from the inside of the organ and the ultrasound image from the outside of the organ together,
The obtained image through the visible light is displayed by the monitoring terminal for positional movement or posture control of the capsule endoscope device. The method of claim 3,
The capsule endoscope device includes a first inertial sensor for acquiring motion information of the capsule endoscope device when an ultrasonic image from the inside of the organ is acquired,
The magnetic controller includes a second inertial sensor for acquiring motion information of the magnetic controller when an ultrasound image from outside the organ is acquired. The method of claim 6,
The magnetic controller further comprises a driving motor for adjusting magnetic force strength for adjusting the strength of magnetic force of the magnetic generating unit.

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