JP2009279180A - Antenna unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an antenna unit which reduces burdens put on a subject when receiving in-vivo information acquired by a capsule medical apparatus inside the subject and is easily arranged in the subject. <P>SOLUTION: Then antenna unit 4a includes: a receiving antenna 11 which receives in-vivo information wirelessly transmitted from the capsule medical apparatus inside the subject; a transmission/reception circuit 13 which receives the in-vivo information from the capsule medical apparatus through the receiving antenna 11 and transmits wireless signals including the received in-vivo information to an external receiver through a transmission antenna 12; a battery 14 for supplying power to the transmission/reception circuit 13; and a flexible exterior part 10 loading the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna, the transmission/reception circuit 13 and the battery 14 thereon. The battery 14 is flexible such that it can be freely transformed following the transformation of the exterior part 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an antenna unit that is placed on a subject such as a patient and relays in-vivo information wirelessly transmitted by a capsule medical device inside the subject to a receiving device outside the subject.

  Conventionally, in the medical field, a swallowable capsule medical device having an imaging function and a wireless communication function has appeared. In general, a capsule medical device is swallowed from the subject's mouth for observation inside the subject, and then sequentially moves the inside of the subject's organ by a peristaltic motion, etc. A radio signal including the obtained in-vivo image is sequentially and wirelessly transmitted to the outside of the subject. Hereinafter, an image inside the organ of the subject is also referred to as an in-vivo image. The capsule medical device sequentially repeats in-vivo imaging and wireless transmission of the subject for a period until it is naturally discharged outside the subject.

  The in-vivo image wirelessly transmitted by the capsule medical device inside the subject is received by the receiving device outside the subject. The receiving device has a receiving antenna disposed on the body surface of the subject, and receives a radio signal from the capsule medical device via the receiving antenna. The receiving device acquires an in-vivo image included in the received wireless signal. In addition, a predetermined recording medium is inserted in the receiving apparatus in advance, and the receiving apparatus sequentially records the in-vivo images of the subject received from the capsule medical apparatus in the recording medium.

  The recording medium in the receiving device is removed from the receiving device after the capsule medical device is naturally ejected outside the subject, and is inserted into a predetermined image display device. The image display device captures the image data group in the recording medium, that is, the in-vivo image group of the subject imaged by the capsule medical device, and displays the obtained in-vivo image group on the display. A user such as a doctor or a nurse can diagnose a subject by observing the in-vivo image group displayed on the image display device.

  Thus, as an apparatus for receiving an in-vivo image, that is, a radio signal from a capsule medical device inside a subject, for example, an extracorporeal receiver attached to a plurality of abdominal outer surfaces or back outer surfaces of a human body has been proposed (Patent Document 1). reference). The extracorporeal receiver described in Patent Document 1 receives an image signal transmitted from a capsule endoscope inside a subject, and transmits the received image signal to an image recording apparatus.

JP 2007-82664 A

  By the way, as described above, a receiving antenna that receives a radio signal from a capsule medical device inside a subject is generally connected to a receiving device outside the subject via a cable, and the capsule medical device via this cable. The wireless signal from is transmitted to the receiving device. For this reason, the degree of freedom of the position and direction of the receiving antenna placed on the subject is limited by the position of the receiving device connected via the cable, and this makes it complicated to attach the receiving antenna to the subject. Work is required. In addition, the subject must act with great care in the cable connecting the receiving apparatus and the receiving antenna.

  In the system for acquiring in-vivo information such as in-vivo images acquired by the capsule medical device inside the subject as described above, an antenna unit capable of relaying a radio signal from the capsule medical device to a receiving device outside the subject Therefore, there is a demand for an antenna unit that can reduce the burden on the subject and can be easily placed on the subject.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can reduce the burden on the subject when receiving the in-vivo information acquired by the capsule medical device inside the subject, and can be easily placed on the subject. An object is to provide a possible antenna unit.

  The inventors of the present application have found that the above problem can be solved by devising a communication mode of an antenna unit that relays a radio signal from a capsule medical device inside a subject to a receiving device outside the subject. That is, the present invention is an antenna unit that is arranged in a subject into which a capsule medical device is introduced into the body and relays in-vivo information of the subject acquired by the capsule medical device to an external receiving device. A receiving antenna that receives the in-vivo information of the subject transmitted by the medical device, and a radio signal generator that receives the in-vivo information of the subject received by the receiving antenna and generates a radio signal including the received in-vivo information A transmission antenna that transmits the radio signal generated by the radio signal generation unit to the external reception device, a power supply unit that supplies power to the radio signal generation unit, the reception antenna, and the radio signal generation unit A flexible exterior part on which the transmission antenna and the power supply unit are mounted, and the power supply part follows the deformation of the exterior part and deforms itself. The antenna unit is characterized by having a flexibility, to solve the above problems.

  The antenna unit according to the present invention includes a thin and flexible power supply unit, and relays a radio signal from a capsule medical device inside a subject to an external receiving device without using a cable. It is possible to reduce the weight and eliminate the need to connect to an external receiving device via a cable. As a result, it reduces the burden on the subject when receiving in-vivo information acquired by the capsule medical device inside the subject. In addition, the effect is that it can be easily placed on the subject.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an antenna unit according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, as an example of an antenna unit according to the present invention, an antenna unit that relays an in-vivo image captured by a capsule medical device inside a subject, which is an example of in-vivo information of the subject, to a receiving device outside the subject However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the in-vivo information acquiring system including the antenna unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The in-subject information acquisition system according to the first embodiment is for acquiring an in-vivo image that is an example of in-vivo information of the subject 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, this in-subject information acquisition system includes a capsule medical device 2 that captures an in-vivo image of the subject 1, a receiving device 3 that receives the in-vivo image of the subject 1, and a subject. A plurality of antenna units 4a to 4h that relay radio signals from an internal capsule medical device 1 to a receiving device 3 outside the subject 1, and an image display device 5 that displays various information such as in-vivo images of the subject 1; And a recording medium 6 for transferring data between the receiving device 3 and the image display device 5.

  The capsule medical device 2 is a capsule medical device having an imaging function and a wireless communication function. Specifically, the capsule medical device 2 is introduced into the subject 1 by oral ingestion or the like, then moves inside the digestive tract of the subject 1 by peristaltic exercise or the like, and finally the outside of the subject 1 Naturally discharged. The capsule medical device 2 is an in-vivo image of the subject 1 at a predetermined time interval such as an interval of 0.5 seconds from when it is introduced into the subject 1 until it is naturally discharged outside the subject 1. Are sequentially imaged, and image signals of the obtained in-vivo images are sequentially wirelessly transmitted to the outside of the subject 1.

  The receiving device 3 is for receiving and accumulating in-vivo image groups of the subject 1. Specifically, the receiving device 3 is a portable device attached to the subject 1 that introduces the capsule medical device 2 into the body, and performs wireless communication with at least one of the plurality of antenna units 4a to 4h. A receiving antenna for performing is provided. The receiving device 3 receives a radio signal from the capsule medical device inside the subject 1 through the plurality of antenna units 4a to 4h, and each time, image data included in the received radio signal, that is, a capsule type. An in-vivo image of the subject 1 captured by the medical device 1 is acquired. Further, the recording medium 6 is detachably attached to the receiving device 3. The receiving device 3 accumulates the acquired in-vivo image group of the subject 1 in the recording medium 6.

  The receiving device 3 introduces the capsule medical device 2 inside the subject 1 when receiving an in-vivo image of the entire digestive tract of the subject 1 or a deep part of the body such as the small intestine or inside the intestinal tract such as the large intestine. Then, since it takes a relatively long time, for example, several hours or more to complete the reception of the in-vivo image group to be examined, it is carried by the subject 1 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when receiving an in-vivo image of a part close to the oral cavity such as the inside of the esophagus or the stomach, the receiving device 3 does not have to be carried by the subject 1, for example, as in the room where the subject 1 exists, It may be arranged at a position within a predetermined range from the subject 1. By carrying or arranging the receiving device 3, the subject 1 can freely act during the period until the receiving device 3 completes acquiring the in-vivo image group of the subject 1.

  The antenna units 4a to 4h are dispersedly arranged on the subject 1 into which the capsule medical device 2 is introduced into the body, and the in-vivo images of the subject 1 acquired by the capsule medical device 2 inside the subject 1 are external to the subject 1. Is relayed to the receiving device 3. Specifically, the antenna units 4 a to 4 h are attached to the body surface of the subject 1 in a distributed manner using an adhesive material or the like. Each of the antenna units 4 a to 4 h relays the radio signal of the in-vivo image transmitted from the capsule medical device 2 inside the subject 1 to the external receiving device 3. In this case, each of the antenna units 4a to 4h receives a radio signal from the capsule medical device 2, performs a predetermined communication process on the received radio signal each time, and performs radio communication after the communication process. A signal (that is, a wireless signal including an in-vivo image of the subject 1) is wirelessly transmitted to the external receiving device 3.

  The antenna units 4 a to 4 h may be arranged in a distributed manner on clothes to be worn by the subject 1, and may be arranged on the body surface of the subject 1 by attaching this jacket to the subject 1. Further, the number of antenna units according to the present invention arranged on the subject 1 may be one or more, and is not particularly limited to eight.

  The image display device 5 has a configuration like a workstation that displays various information such as an in-vivo image of the subject 1 imaged by the capsule medical device 2. Specifically, the image display device 5 is inserted with the recording medium 6 removed from the receiving device 3, and takes in the in-vivo image group of the subject 1 accumulated in the recording medium 6. The image display device 5 displays the in-vivo image group of the subject 1 on a display in response to an operation by a user such as a doctor or a nurse. The image display device 5 also has a processing function for diagnosing the subject 1 by observing an in-vivo image of the subject 1.

  The recording medium 6 is a portable recording medium for transferring data between the receiving device 3 and the image display device 5 described above. Specifically, the recording medium 6 is detachable from the receiving device 3 and the image display device 5 and has a structure capable of outputting and recording data when being inserted into both. When the recording medium 6 is inserted into the receiving device 3, the in-vivo image group of the subject 1 received by the receiving device 3 is accumulated. When the recording medium 6 is inserted into the image display device 5, the in-vivo body of the subject 1 is stored. Accumulated data such as images is output to the image display device 5.

  Next, the configuration of the antenna units 4a to 4h according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the antenna unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic side view of the antenna unit shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, in order to facilitate explanation of the internal components of the antenna unit 4 a, the upper layer of the exterior part 10 that is a cover part 10 b described later is omitted. Hereinafter, the antenna unit 4a among the antenna units 4a to 4h will be described. The remaining antenna units 4b to 4h have the same configuration as the antenna unit 4a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the antenna unit 4 a includes a flexible exterior 10, a receiving antenna 11 that receives an in-vivo image wirelessly transmitted by the capsule medical device 2 inside the subject 1, and the capsule medical device. 2, a transmission antenna 12 that wirelessly transmits an in-vivo image received from the external reception device 3, a transmission / reception circuit 13 that generates a wireless signal of the in-vivo image wirelessly transmitted to the reception device 3 via the transmission antenna 12, and a transmission / reception circuit 13 And a battery 14 for supplying electric power. The battery 14 may supply power directly to the transmission / reception circuit 13 or may supply power to the transmission / reception circuit 13 via a voltage generator (not shown) such as a regulator or a DCDC converter.

  The exterior part 10 has flexibility, and each component part of the antenna unit 4a, that is, the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13, and the battery 14 are mounted. Specifically, the exterior part 10 is realized by a flexible circuit board 10a and a cover part 10b that can be easily deformed by an external force. The flexible circuit board 10a is a flexible circuit board that is realized by using a resin member such as polyimide, and a circuit necessary for realizing the function of the transmission / reception circuit 13 is provided in advance. A reception antenna 11, a transmission antenna 12, a transmission / reception circuit 13, and a battery 14 are mounted on the flexible circuit board 10a. The receiving antenna or the transmitting antenna can be directly formed as a circuit pattern on the flexible circuit board 10a. The cover portion 10b is a flexible insulating member realized using a resin material such as polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene, and is attached to the flexible circuit board 10a by a predetermined processing method such as laminating. The cover portion 10b covers components such as the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13, and the battery 14 that are mounted or mounted on the flexible circuit board 10a.

  The exterior portion 10 realized by the flexible circuit board 10a and the cover portion 10b maintains the flexibility that can be easily deformed by the action of external force (for example, the force received from the body surface of the subject 1), and the receiving antenna 11 The transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13 and the battery 14 are included. Further, the exterior part 10 may include an adhesive member on the outer surface of the flexible circuit board 10a or the cover part 10b, and may be detachably attached to the body surface of the subject 1.

  The receiving antenna 11 is a flexible antenna formed of a thin metal member such as a copper foil, receives a radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 inside the subject 1, and sends the received radio signal to the transmission / reception circuit 13. introduce. The transmission antenna 12 transmits the radio signal generated by the transmission / reception circuit 13 to the external reception device 3. When the transmission / reception circuit 13 transmits a wireless signal to the receiving device 3 while receiving the wireless signal from the capsule medical device 2, the wireless signal to the receiving device 3 is different from the wireless signal transmitted from the capsule medical device 2. The frequency is desirable. When the radio signal to the receiving device 3 has a higher frequency than the radio signal transmitted from the capsule medical device 2, the transmission antenna 12 can be reduced in size. In addition, when the radio signal to the reception device 3 has the same frequency as the radio signal transmitted from the capsule medical device 2, the radio signal transmission to the reception device 3 is referred to as radio signal reception from the capsule radio device. Time-division transmission / reception, which is performed in different periods, is desirable. Note that the radio signal received by the receiving antenna 11 and the radio signal transmitted by the transmitting antenna 12 include in-vivo image data of the subject 1 captured by the capsule medical device 2 described above.

  The transmission / reception circuit 13 has a function as a radio signal generation unit that generates a radio signal including the in-vivo image of the subject 1 received by the reception antenna 11. Specifically, the transmission / reception circuit 13 receives a radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 via the receiving antenna 11, and performs a predetermined communication process on the received signal each time, thereby receiving an external receiving device. 3 generates a receivable radio signal. The radio signal generated by the transmission / reception circuit 13 includes in-vivo image data of the subject 1 captured by the capsule medical device 2. The transmission / reception circuit 13 transmits the generated radio signal to the external reception device 3 via the transmission antenna 12.

  The battery 14 functions as a power supply unit that supplies power to the transmission / reception circuit 13 described above. Specifically, the battery 14 is a sheet-like battery, for example, and is extremely thin and lightweight as compared with a button-type battery or a dry battery. When the battery 14 is mounted on the flexible circuit board 10 a of the exterior part 10, the battery 14 supplies power to the transmission / reception circuit 13 via the electrode 9 when switched on by a switch part (not shown). The battery 14 stops power supply to the transmission / reception circuit 13 when switched to the off state by the switch unit. Here, the power supply to the transmission / reception circuit 13 may be performed directly from the battery 14 or via a voltage generator (not shown) such as a regulator or a DCDC converter provided between the transmission / reception circuit 13 and the battery 14. It may be done. Further, the battery 14 has a flexibility that can be freely deformed following the deformation of the exterior portion 10 due to the action of an external force. That is, when the exterior part 10 is deformed in accordance with the movement of the subject 1, the battery 14 easily deforms following the deformation of the exterior part 10.

  Next, the transmission / reception circuit 13 of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a functional configuration example of the antenna unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the transmission / reception circuit 13 of the antenna unit 4a includes a reception amplification unit 15 that amplifies the reception signal of the reception antenna 11, a local transmission unit 16 that transmits a predetermined high-frequency signal, and the capsule medical device 2. A frequency converter 17 that converts the frequency of the received signal from the signal, a band filter 18 that removes unnecessary frequency components from the frequency-converted radio signal, and a radio signal that is transmitted to the external receiver 3 via the transmission antenna 12. And an amplifying unit 19 for transmission.

  The reception amplification unit 15 amplifies the radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 received by the reception antenna 11, that is, the image signal of the in-vivo image of the subject 1 captured by the capsule medical device 2. The reception amplification unit 15 transmits the amplified reception signal to the frequency conversion unit 17.

  The frequency conversion unit 17 generates a radio signal that can be received by the external receiving device 3 based on the radio signal transmitted from the capsule medical device 2 and the high-frequency signal from the local transmission unit 16. Specifically, the frequency conversion unit 17 mixes the reception signal amplified by the reception amplification unit 15, that is, the radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 and the high-frequency signal from the local transmission unit 16, thereby The received signal is converted into a higher frequency signal. Thus, the radio signal generated by frequency-converting the received signal by the frequency converting unit 17 is a signal obtained by increasing the frequency of the radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 and can be received by the external receiving device 3. Signal. The frequency conversion unit 17 transmits the radio signal having a high frequency to the band filter 18. When the frequency is increased by the frequency conversion unit 17, there is an advantage that the transmission antenna 12 can be reduced in size.

  The band filter 18 passes signal components within a predetermined frequency band from the radio signal input by the frequency conversion unit 17 and attenuates unnecessary signal components outside the frequency band. The transmission amplifier 19 amplifies the radio signal from which unnecessary signal components are removed by the band filter 18. The radio signal amplified by the transmission amplification unit 19 is a radio signal including the in-vivo image data of the subject 1 described above, and is transmitted to the outside via the transmission antenna 12 and then transmitted to the reception device 3 described above. Received.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the capsule medical device inside the subject is formed on the flexible circuit board that constitutes a part of the flexible exterior portion that can be easily deformed by the action of external force. Receiving antenna for receiving the radio signal, a transmitting / receiving circuit for increasing the frequency of the radio signal received by the receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna for transmitting the radio signal increased in frequency by the transmitting / receiving circuit to an external receiving device, and the transmitting / receiving A sheet-like battery for supplying electric power to the circuit was mounted, and this battery was configured to have a flexible flexibility following the deformation of the exterior part. For this reason, the antenna unit according to the first embodiment can relay a radio signal from the capsule medical device inside the subject to an external receiving device without using a cable, and can be deformed according to the movement of the subject. The possible flexibility can be secured, and further thinning and weight reduction can be promoted. As a result, there is no need to connect the external receiving device and the antenna unit via a cable, and the antenna unit can be easily attached to a desired position in the subject without being limited to the position of the external receiving device or the cable. When disposing the antenna unit on the subject, particularly when it is directly attached to the body surface, it is possible to eliminate the sense of incongruity that occurs in the subject, and as a result, when receiving in-vivo information acquired by the capsule medical device inside the subject An antenna unit that can reduce the burden on the subject and can be easily placed on the subject can be realized.

  In addition, since the radio signal received from the capsule medical device inside the subject is frequency-converted and relayed to the external receiving device, the circuit scale of the transmission / reception circuit mounted on the antenna unit can be reduced, As a result, the antenna unit can be reduced in size and weight. Furthermore, since the radio signal from the capsule medical device is increased in frequency in this frequency conversion processing, the transmission antenna of the antenna unit that transmits the radio signal to the external receiving device can be reduced in size. Can be further reduced in size and weight.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13 and the battery 14 are mounted on the flexible circuit board 10a which is a part (circuit layer) of the flexible exterior portion 10. In the second aspect, the battery exterior portion is also used as the exterior portion of the antenna unit, and the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13 and the like are mounted on the sealing member forming the battery exterior portion.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the antenna unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the antenna unit shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the upper layer of the exterior portion, that is, the upper layer sealing member 26 b of FIG. 6 is omitted in order to facilitate explanation of the internal components of the antenna unit according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the antenna unit 24a according to the second embodiment includes a battery 25 instead of the battery 14 of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment. The battery exterior part 25b, which is an exterior part of the battery 25, encloses (seals) the battery contents 25a, etc., which are functional parts of the battery 25, and also functions as an exterior part of the entire antenna unit 24a. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

  The in-subject information acquisition system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is not particularly illustrated, but is replaced with the antenna units 4a to 4h of the in-subject information acquisition system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Antenna units 24a to 24h are provided. Hereinafter, the antenna unit 24a among the antenna units 24a to 24h will be described, but the remaining antenna units 24b to 24h have the same configuration as the antenna unit 24a.

  The battery 25 is, for example, a polymer battery such as a lithium polymer battery, and includes a battery content 25a that is a battery function unit and a battery exterior part 25b that includes at least the battery content 25a. The battery contents 25a are configured by a flexible member such as a gel electrolyte, and function as a power supply unit that supplies power to the transmission / reception circuit 13 described above. Specifically, the battery contents 25a are connected to the transmission / reception circuit 13 via the electrode 9 disposed inside the battery exterior part 25b (specifically, on a lower layer sealing member 26a described later). The battery contents 25a supplies power to the transmission / reception circuit 13 through the electrode 9 when the battery contents 25a are encased in the battery exterior part 25a and switched to an ON state by a switch unit (not shown). The battery contents 25a stops power supply to the transmission / reception circuit 13 when switched to the OFF state by the switch unit. Here, the power supply to the transmission / reception circuit 13 may be performed directly from the battery 14 or via a voltage generator (not shown) such as a regulator or a DCDC converter provided between the transmission / reception circuit 13 and the battery 14. It may be done.

  The battery exterior portion 25b is realized by a lower layer sealing member 26a and an upper layer sealing member 26b, which are a pair of sealing members that include at least the battery contents 25a. The lower layer sealing member 26a is a sealing member that bears the lower layer side of the exterior portion of the entire antenna unit 24a, and functions of the transmission / reception circuit 13 instead of the flexible circuit board 10a of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment described above. A circuit necessary for realizing the above is provided in advance. The lower layer sealing member 26a is mounted with the battery contents 25a, the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, and the transmission / reception circuit 13 described above. Thus, the lower layer sealing member 26a on which each component of the antenna unit 24a is mounted is realized by a flexible resin member, and, like the above-described flexible circuit board 10a, a flexible circuit board that can be easily deformed by the action of an external force. Also works. In addition, as a resin material which implement | achieves this lower layer sealing member 26a, a polyimide, polyether nitrile, etc. are mentioned, for example.

  The upper layer sealing member 26b is a sealing member that bears the upper layer side of the exterior portion of the entire antenna unit 24a instead of the cover portion 10b of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment. The upper layer sealing member 26b is realized by a flexible resin member, and each component (the battery contents 25a, the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, and the transmission / reception circuit 13) mounted (mounted) on the lower layer sealing member 26a. cover. Examples of the resin material for realizing the upper sealing member 26b include polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, and polyolefin.

  The battery exterior portion 25b realized by the flexible lower layer sealing member 26a and the upper layer sealing member 26b maintains flexibility that can be easily deformed by the action of external force (for example, force received from the body surface of the subject 1). Meanwhile, the reception antenna 11, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13, and the battery contents 25a are included (sealed). Further, the battery exterior part 25b may be provided with an adhesive member on the outer surface of the lower layer sealing member 26a or the upper layer sealing member 26b and detachably attached to the body surface of the subject 1.

  Next, the battery contents 25a included in the battery exterior part 25b described above will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the layer structure of the battery contents of the antenna unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the battery contents 25a in the antenna unit 24a according to the second embodiment includes a positive electrode portion 20 that functions as a positive electrode of the battery 25, a negative electrode portion 21 that functions as a negative electrode of the battery 25, and an electrolyte. A gel electrolyte 22 in which a polymer is swollen and a separator 23 interposed between a positive electrode part 20 and a negative electrode part 21 are provided. Moreover, the positive electrode part 20 consists of the positive electrode collector 20a and the positive electrode active material 20b, and the negative electrode part 21 consists of the negative electrode collector 21a and the negative electrode active material 21b.

  The gel electrolyte 22 and the separator 23 are stacked between the positive electrode part 20 and the negative electrode part 21. In this case, the layer of the gel electrolyte 22 is formed on the positive electrode part 20 side, and the layer of the separator 23 is formed on the negative electrode part 21 side. The positive electrode active material 20b is laminated between the positive electrode current collector 20a and the gel electrolyte 22, and the positive electrode current collector 20a is laminated on the upper layer of the positive electrode active material 20b. The negative electrode active material 21b is stacked between the negative electrode current collector 21a and the separator 23, and the negative electrode current collector 21a is stacked under the negative electrode active material 21b.

  The battery contents 25a having such a multi-stage laminated structure can be formed into a sheet shape, and has flexibility that can be deformed following the deformation of the battery exterior portion 25b due to the action of an external force. That is, when the battery exterior part 25b is deformed in accordance with the movement of the subject 1, the battery contents 25a easily deforms following the deformation of the battery exterior part 25b.

  The battery 25 realized by sealing the battery contents 25a described above with the battery exterior portion 25b is extremely thin and lightweight as compared with a button-type battery or a dry battery, and is attached to the body surface of the subject 1. In the state, it deforms flexibly in accordance with the movement of the subject 1. In addition, the antenna unit 24a having the battery exterior portion 25b as an exterior portion of the entire unit is compared with a case where a battery having a battery content in the battery exterior portion is included in the exterior portion of the entire unit. It can be made thinner and lighter.

  As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the flexible battery exterior part that can be easily deformed by the action of external force and seals the battery contents as the battery function part is replaced with the exterior part of the entire unit. The battery exterior part has a receiving antenna that receives a radio signal from a capsule medical device inside the subject, a transmission / reception circuit that increases the frequency of the radio signal received by the receiving antenna, and the transmission / reception circuit increases the frequency. And a transmitting antenna for transmitting the wireless signal transmitted to an external receiving device so that the battery contents can be deformed flexibly following the deformation of the battery exterior, and the other embodiments 1 was configured. For this reason, while enjoying the effect similar to Embodiment 1 mentioned above, the structure which fixes a battery simple substance to a flexible circuit board by a cover member etc. is not required, and, by this, a battery simple substance is mounted in an exterior part As a result, it is possible to realize an antenna unit that can further reduce the thickness and weight.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the transmitting antenna 12, the transmitting / receiving circuit 13, and the battery 14 are arranged on the flexible circuit board 10a that is a part of the exterior portion 10 and outside the receiving antenna 11. In the form 3, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13 and the battery 14 are arranged in the inner region surrounded by the reception antenna on the flexible circuit board 10a.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an antenna unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a schematic side view of the antenna unit shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the upper layer of the exterior portion 10 that is the cover portion 10b is omitted in order to facilitate the explanation of the internal components of the antenna unit according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the antenna unit 34a according to the third embodiment includes a reception antenna 31 instead of the reception antenna 11 of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment. In this case, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13, and the battery 14 of the antenna unit 34a are arranged in an inner region surrounded by the reception antenna 31 on the flexible circuit board 10a. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

  The in-subject information acquisition system according to the third embodiment of the present invention is not particularly illustrated, but is replaced with the antenna units 4a to 4h of the in-subject information acquisition system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Antenna units 34a to 34h are provided. Hereinafter, the antenna unit 34a among the antenna units 34a to 34h will be described, but the remaining antenna units 34b to 34h have the same configuration as the antenna unit 34a.

  The receiving antenna 31 is a flexible antenna formed of a thin metal member such as a copper foil, and is disposed in the vicinity of the periphery of the flexible circuit board 10a that is a part of the exterior portion 10 as shown in FIG. The receiving antenna 31 has an opening area as wide as possible within the range on the flexible circuit board 10a. In this case, the opening area of the receiving antenna 31 is less than the board area of the flexible circuit board 10a and more than the area that can secure the mounting areas of the transmitting antenna 12, the transmitting / receiving circuit 13, and the battery 14. The receiving antenna 31 having such a wide opening area has higher sensitivity than the receiving antenna 11 in the first embodiment described above, and can receive a radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 inside the subject 1 more highly. The received radio signal is transmitted to the transmission / reception circuit 13. Here, the opening area of the receiving antenna 31 is an area of an opening region surrounded by the inner periphery of the receiving antenna 31.

  Here, the transmitting antenna 12, the transmitting / receiving circuit 13, and the battery 14 of the antenna unit 34a according to the third embodiment are on the flexible circuit board 10a and surrounded by the receiving antenna 31, as shown in FIG. Placed in. The cover 10b that covers each component on the flexible circuit board 10a, that is, the reception antenna 31, the transmission antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13, and the battery 14 does not contain metal in order to prevent deterioration of the antenna characteristics of the reception antenna 31. For example, it is desirable to be formed of a flexible insulating member such as a sheet-like ceramic or resin. In addition, as a resin material which implement | achieves this cover part 10b, a polyvinyl chloride, a polypropylene, polyethylene, a polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyolefin etc. are mentioned, for example.

  As described above, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the receiving antenna that receives the radio signal from the capsule medical device inside the subject is disposed in the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the exterior portion and is surrounded by the receiving antenna. A transmission / reception circuit that increases the frequency of a radio signal received by the reception antenna, a transmission antenna that transmits a radio signal increased in frequency by the transmission / reception circuit to an external reception device, and power to the transmission / reception circuit The battery to be supplied is mounted, and the others are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment. For this reason, the opening area of the receiving antenna can be increased as much as possible within the range of the exterior portion, and thereby the receiving sensitivity of the receiving antenna can be further increased, and the inner region surrounded by the receiving antenna can be As a result, it is possible to effectively use it as a mounting area for components such as the above, and as a result, it is possible to receive the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment described above and receive a radio signal from the capsule medical device inside the subject with higher sensitivity. An antenna unit can be realized.

  In addition, since the inner area surrounded by this receiving antenna is effectively utilized as a mounting area for parts such as batteries, each part such as a transmission / reception circuit and a battery can be mounted in a high density in the exterior part. Miniaturization of the antenna unit can be promoted.

  Furthermore, since each part such as a battery is covered with an insulating member, even when each part such as a battery is mounted in an inner region surrounded by the receiving antenna, deterioration of the antenna characteristics of the receiving antenna is prevented. can do.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 is frequency-converted and relayed to the external receiving device 3. However, in the fourth embodiment, the radio signal received from the capsule medical device 2 is transmitted. Signal processing such as demodulation processing and modulation processing is performed on the signal, and the radio signal subjected to this signal processing is transmitted to the external receiving device 3.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an antenna unit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a functional configuration example of the antenna unit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, the upper layer of the exterior part 10, that is, the cover part 10 b is omitted in order to facilitate explanation of the internal components of the antenna unit according to the fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, an antenna unit 44a according to the fourth embodiment includes a transmission / reception circuit 43 instead of the transmission / reception circuit 13 of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment. The transmission / reception circuit 43 includes a demodulation unit 46, a signal processing unit 47, and a modulation unit 48 instead of the local transmission unit 16, the frequency conversion unit 17, and the band filter 18 of the transmission / reception circuit 13 described above. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

  The in-subject information acquisition system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is not particularly illustrated, but is replaced with the antenna units 4a to 4h of the in-subject information acquisition system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Antenna units 44a to 44h are provided. Hereinafter, the antenna unit 44a among the antenna units 44a to 44h will be described. The remaining antenna units 44b to 44h have the same configuration as the antenna unit 44a.

  As described above, the transmission / reception circuit 43 replaces the local transmission unit 16, the frequency conversion unit 17, and the band filter 18 of the transmission / reception circuit 13 of the antenna unit 4a according to the first embodiment with the demodulation unit 46, the signal processing unit 47, and the modulation. Each time a radio signal is received from the capsule medical device 2 via the receiving antenna 11, the external receiving device 3 performs signal processing such as demodulation processing and modulation processing on the received signal. A receivable radio signal is generated. The radio signal generated by the transmission / reception circuit 43 includes in-vivo image data of the subject 1 captured by the capsule medical device 2. The transmission / reception circuit 43 transmits the generated radio signal to the external reception device 3 via the transmission antenna 12.

  The demodulator 46 demodulates a reception signal from the capsule medical device 2 captured by the receiving antenna 11, that is, a radio signal including in-vivo image data of the subject 1. Specifically, the demodulation unit 46 acquires the reception signal from the capsule medical device 2 amplified by the reception amplification unit 15, performs demodulation processing or the like on the acquired reception signal, and receives the reception signal. Is demodulated into a baseband signal. The demodulator 46 transmits the obtained baseband signal to the signal processor 47.

  The signal processing unit 47 performs predetermined signal processing on the signal demodulated by the demodulation unit 46. Specifically, the signal processing unit 47 acquires the baseband signal extracted by the demodulation unit 46 by the demodulation processing, and based on the acquired baseband signal, the in-vivo image of the subject 1, that is, the capsule medical device 2 generates an image signal including image data captured. The signal processing unit 47 can also generate compressed data of the in-vivo image of the subject 1 by performing a data compression process or the like on the image data of the generated image signal. When the image processing is performed by the signal processing unit 47, the signal processing unit 47 transmits an image signal including the compressed data of the in-vivo image to the modulation unit 48.

  The modulation unit 48 modulates the signal processed by the signal processing unit 47 to generate a radio signal including in-vivo image data of the subject 1. Specifically, the modulation unit 48 acquires an image signal generated by the signal processing unit 47 performing data compression processing, etc., performs modulation processing on the acquired image signal, and converts the image signal into The external receiving apparatus 3 described above modulates to a radio signal that can be received. The radio signal generated by the modulation unit 48 is a radio signal including compressed data of the in-vivo image of the subject 1, is amplified by the transmission amplification unit 19, and is transmitted to the outside via the transmission antenna 12. Thereafter, the signal is received by the external receiving device 3.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the received signal received from the capsule medical device via the receiving antenna is demodulated into a baseband signal, and an image signal is generated based on the baseband signal. Signal processing such as image signal data compression processing and image signal data compression processing, and a radio signal obtained by modulating the signal processed image signal is transmitted to an external receiving device via a transmission antenna. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. For this reason, before relaying a radio signal from the capsule medical device to an external receiving device, signal processing such as data compression processing can be executed in advance in the antenna unit. It is possible to realize an antenna unit that can enjoy the operational effects of the first embodiment and reduce the load of signal processing in the external receiving apparatus.

  In the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention, all the mounted components on the flexible circuit board 10a are covered with the cover portion 10b, or all the mounted components on the lower layer sealing member 26a are covered with the upper layer sealing member 26b. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the cover portion 10b of the exterior portion 10 described above may cover at least the battery 14, and the upper layer sealing member 26b of the power supply exterior portion 25b may cover at least the battery contents 25a. The cover portion 10b or the upper layer sealing member 26b may be a flexible conductive member containing metal as long as it does not cover the receiving antennas 11 and 31 or the inside thereof.

  In the first to third embodiments of the present invention, the radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 is frequency-converted into a higher frequency radio signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the radio signal from the capsule medical device 2 is converted. May be frequency-converted to a lower frequency radio signal, and the lower frequency radio signal may be transmitted to the external receiver 3.

  Furthermore, in Embodiment 4 of the present invention, the signal processing unit 47 performs signal generation processing for generating an image signal based on the baseband signal demodulated by the demodulation unit 46, and data compression processing for the image signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the signal processing unit 47 may perform such signal generation processing and code addition processing for adding an error correction code when there is an error in the image data. In addition, at least one signal processing of data compression processing and code addition processing may be performed. The modulation unit 48 may modulate the image signal by a desired modulation method, and may employ a modulation method different from the modulation method used by the capsule medical device 2. For example, when the capsule medical device 2 uses binary modulation, the modulation unit 48 may perform multi-level modulation on the image signal signal-processed by the signal processing unit 47.

  In the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention, the capsule medical device 2 that acquires an in-vivo image as in-vivo information of the subject 1 is exemplified, and the in-vivo image captured by the capsule medical device 2 is received by an external receiving device. However, the in-vivo information of the subject 1 acquired by the capsule medical device 2 may be measurement information such as the pH value or temperature inside the subject 1, It may be the state detection information of the living tissue inside the specimen.

It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the in-vivo information acquisition system which has an antenna unit concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the antenna unit concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the antenna unit shown in FIG. It is a block diagram showing typically an example of 1 functional composition of an antenna unit concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the antenna unit concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the antenna unit shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the layer structure of the battery contents of the antenna unit concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the antenna unit concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is the side surface schematic diagram which looked at the antenna unit shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the antenna unit concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram showing typically an example of 1 functional composition of an antenna unit concerning Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Subject 2 Capsule type medical device 3 Receiving device 4a-4h, 24a, 34a, 44a Antenna unit 5 Image display device 6 Recording medium 9 Electrode 10 Exterior part 10a Flexible circuit board 10b Cover part 11, 31 Receiving antenna 12 Transmitting antenna 13 , 43 Transmission / reception circuit 14, 25 Battery 15 Reception amplification unit 16 Local transmission unit 17 Frequency conversion unit 18 Band filter 19 Transmission amplification unit 20 Positive electrode unit 20a Positive electrode current collector 20b Positive electrode active material 21 Negative electrode unit 21a Negative electrode current collector 21b Negative electrode active material 22 Gel electrolyte 23 Separator 25a Battery contents 25b Battery exterior part 26a Lower layer sealing member 26b Upper layer sealing member 46 Demodulation unit 47 Signal processing unit 48 Modulation unit

Claims (9)

In an antenna unit that is arranged in a subject into which a capsule medical device is introduced into the body and relays in-vivo information of the subject acquired by the capsule medical device to an external receiving device,
A receiving antenna for receiving in-vivo information of the subject transmitted by the capsule medical device;
A radio signal generating unit that receives in-vivo information of the subject received by the receiving antenna and generates a radio signal including the received in-vivo information;
A transmission antenna that transmits the wireless signal generated by the wireless signal generation unit to the external receiving device;
A power supply unit for supplying power to the wireless signal generation unit;
A flexible exterior portion on which the reception antenna, the radio signal generation unit, the transmission antenna, and the power supply unit are mounted;
With
The antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit has flexibility to be deformable following the deformation of the exterior portion.   The antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein the exterior part includes at least the power supply part. The power supply unit is battery contents,
The antenna unit according to claim 2, wherein the exterior portion includes a pair of sealing members that seal the battery contents. One sealing member of the pair of sealing members is
The antenna unit according to claim 3, further comprising an electrode that connects at least one of the wireless signal generation unit or the voltage generation unit that supplies power to the wireless signal generation unit and the power supply unit. .   The antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein the radio signal generation unit, the transmission antenna, and the power supply unit are arranged inside the reception antenna.   The radio signal generation unit includes a frequency conversion unit that performs frequency conversion processing on a reception signal including in-vivo information of the subject received by the reception antenna and generates the radio signal including in-vivo information of the subject. The antenna unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The wireless signal generator is
A demodulator that demodulates a received signal including in-vivo information of the subject received by the receiving antenna;
A signal processor that performs predetermined signal processing on the signal demodulated by the demodulator;
A modulation unit that modulates the signal processed by the signal processing unit and generates the wireless signal including in-vivo information of the subject;
The antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is provided.   The antenna unit according to claim 7, wherein the signal processing unit performs at least one of data compression processing and error correction processing on the signal demodulated by the demodulation unit.   The antenna unit according to claim 7, wherein the modulation unit modulates in-vivo information of the subject by a modulation method different from a modulation method used by the capsule medical device.

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