KR102388737B1 - Capsule Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

A capsule endoscope provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes an endoscope body and a magnet module and can be used by separating or coupling the endoscope body and the magnet module according to a control method. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the capsule endoscope comprises: an endoscope body having a first casing and having a filming assembly installed in the first casing and filming the inside of a human body; and a magnet module having a second casing to be provided to be coupled and separated by a detachment unit in the first casing and having a magnet installed in the second casing.

Description

Capsule Endoscope

The present invention relates to a capsule endoscope, and more particularly, to a capsule endoscope that is put into a human body to provide an image of the inside of the human body, and may include a magnet module in which a permanent magnet is accommodated, if necessary.

The internal organs of the human body are composed of a plurality of organs such as the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver and pancreas. Among the internal organs of the human body, the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine are classified as digestive organs. To check the lesion through the examination of the digestive organs, various examination methods such as ultrasound examination, tomography examination, and endoscopy are used. Among them, the endoscopy method may be used to perform medical actions such as photographing the state of an internal organ of a human or animal, collecting tissue, or injecting a drug without surgery.

In general, endoscopy uses a method in which the tube in which the image module is disposed enters in the order of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, and is directly inserted through the esophagus, so there is a problem accompanying pain and discomfort of the examinee. To solve this problem, a wireless capsule endoscope that does not use a tube has been developed and is being used in the medical field.

The capsule endoscope has the shape of a pill and has the advantage of not only minimizing the objection and pain of the examinee, but also confirming the lesion of the small intestine that is difficult to access compared to the general endoscopy. Capsule endoscopes are introduced into the body by a patient swallowing, and take images while cruising through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine inside the human body. The image captured by the capsule endoscope is transmitted to an external receiver through various wireless communication methods such as RF communication and human body communication.

In the examination method of the capsule endoscope, the movement of the capsule endoscope is controlled by a magnetic field from the outside, so that only the necessary body parts are intensively treated. There is a passive way to get out.

In the case of using the active method, since the movement of the capsule endoscope must be controlled by an external magnetic field, a magnet must be embedded in the capsule endoscope. However, when using the passive method, the magnet does not need to be embedded in the capsule endoscope.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019229 (2019.09.09) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2097445 (2020.03.31)

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An object of the present invention is to provide a capsule endoscope that can be used for both active and passive methods by configuring the capsule endoscope body and the magnet module to be coupled or separated according to the need for external manipulation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide that the capsule endoscope is smaller than a conventional capsule endoscope when used in a passive manner.

The object of the present invention is not limited to the above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned can be understood by the following description.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the endoscope body having a first casing and a photographing assembly installed on the first casing and photographing the inside of the human body; A capsule endoscope comprising a second casing coupled to and detachable from the first casing by a detachable unit and a magnet module having a magnet installed in the second casing may be provided.

The first casing has a first end and a second end formed to have a convex curved surface, the first end of the second casing is formed to have a receiving groove into which the second end of the first casing is inserted, the The second end of the second casing is formed to have a convex curved surface, and the magnet module may be coupled to the endoscope body by the detachable unit with the second end of the first casing inserted into the receiving groove. .

The detachable unit may include: a male screw formed on a second end of the first casing; It may include a female screw formed in the receiving groove of the second casing and coupled to the male screw.

Alternatively, the detachable unit may include at least one or more metal members forming an attractive force with the magnet in the endoscope body.

Alternatively, the detachable unit may include: a plurality of metal balls protruding from the second end surface of the first casing when the attractive force is generated by the magnet and provided to be retractable in the peripheral region of the second end of the first casing; It is formed in the receiving groove of the second casing and may include a coupling groove into which the plurality of metal balls protrude.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the capsule endoscope may include an endoscope body having a photographing assembly and a magnet module having a magnet (permanent magnet), and the magnet module may be coupled to the endoscope body to be detachable by a detachable unit. Accordingly, depending on the environment of use, the magnet module is coupled to the endoscope body to apply a magnet, and thus the capsule endoscope may be used as an active type capsule endoscope in which movement in the body is controlled by a magnetic field acting from the outside, and the magnet module is used as the endoscope. By separating from the main body, the magnet is excluded, so that the capsule endoscope moves naturally through the peristaltic motion of organs, and it can be used as a relatively lightweight and compact manual type capsule endoscope.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the detachable unit may include a metal member (magnetic material) for generating an attractive force with respect to the magnet of the magnet module in the endoscope body. By configuring the detachable unit using the magnet (permanent magnet) of the magnet module in this way, there is an effect that can simplify the configuration of the detachable unit.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the endoscope body and the magnet module have a first casing and a second casing, respectively, and the first end of the second casing has an insertion groove for accommodating the second end of the first casing. can be formed. Then, the detachable unit is provided as a metal member to be retractable and retractable in the peripheral region of the second end of the first casing, and the balls are fitted into the insertion groove of the second casing, respectively. It may include coupling grooves formed to be able to be fixed. Therefore, in order to couple the magnet module to the endoscope body, when the second end of the first casing enters the insertion groove of the second casing, the second end of the first casing by the attractive force generated between each of the balls and the magnet. Since it protrudes from and remains inserted into the coupling grooves, the phenomenon of the magnet module being separated from the endoscope body during the examination process is achieved by adding the action (coupling force) between the balls and the coupling grooves to the action (strength) between the balls and the magnet. can be actively prevented.

It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description or claims of the present invention.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of coupling and separating a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing another example of the coupling and separation method of the capsule endoscope according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a modified example of FIG. 5 .
7 is a flowchart illustrating an examination method using a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an examination method using a capsule endoscope according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. In the following description, only the parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention are shown and described, and the illustration and description of other parts are omitted so as not to obscure the gist of the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In addition, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to conventional or dictionary meanings, and meanings consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention so that the present invention can be most appropriately expressed. and should be interpreted as a concept.

Throughout the specification, when a part is "connected" with another part, it is not limited only to the case where it is "directly connected", but is "electrically connected" with another element interposed therebetween. also includes In addition, when a part "includes" a certain component, this means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

For simplicity of explanation, one or more methods are shown and described herein as a series of steps, by way of example, by way of example, in the form of a flowchart or flow chart, but the invention is not limited by the order of steps, since the invention is not limited thereto. It will be appreciated that, in accordance with the present disclosure, it may be performed in a different order or concurrently with other steps than those shown and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated steps may be required to implement a method in accordance with the present invention.

In describing various embodiments of the present invention, the same names and reference numerals are given to corresponding components to be described. In the drawings referenced to describe the embodiment of the present invention, the size of the component or the thickness of the line may be exaggerated for the convenience of understanding.

1 and 2 are views showing a capsule endoscope 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2 , the capsule endoscope 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an endoscope body 100 and a magnet module 200 .

The endoscope body 100 includes a first casing 110 that forms an outer shape of the endoscope body 100 and a photographing assembly 120 that is built in and installed in the first casing 110, and is You can take pictures outside. The first casing 110 may be formed so that both first and second ends have a convex curved surface. For example, the first casing 110 may have a shape similar to a capsule pill shape. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first casing 110 is described as an example having a shape similar to the capsule pill shape, but the shape of the first casing 110 is not limited thereto.

The magnet module 200 includes a second casing 210 forming the outer shape of the magnet module 200 and a magnet 220 provided in the second casing 210, and the second casing 210 is the second casing 210. 1 It may be provided to be coupled to or separated from the second end of the casing (110). The second casing 210 may have a first end having a receiving groove into which the second end of the first casing 110 is inserted, and the second end may be formed to have a convex curved surface. For example, the second end of the second casing 210 may be formed in the same shape as the second end of the first casing 110 .

For example, when the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 are coupled, specifically, the portion where the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 meet is the first of the first casing 110 . The second end and the first end of the second casing 210 , and the first end of the second casing 210 may be formed to completely surround the second end of the first casing 110 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. As the second end of the first casing 110 is inserted or discharged into the receiving groove of the second casing 210 , the magnet module 200 and the endoscope body 100 may be coupled or separated.

On the other hand, although not shown in detail, the magnet module 200 may be formed to be able to open and close to replace the magnet 220 inside the second casing 210 .

Since the capsule endoscope 10 is injected into a person's body and moves inside the organ, the magnet module 200 is provided in the endoscope body 100 and the endoscope body 100 to prevent damage to the inner wall of the organ during movement. The appearance of the capsule endoscope 10 in the coupled state is preferably formed in a curved shape without an angular portion. That is, the first casing 110 and the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 in the coupled state are preferably formed in a curved shape without an angular portion.

3 is a schematic block diagram for explaining the structure of the imaging assembly 120 included in the capsule endoscope 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the photographing assembly 120 may include a photographing module 122 , a power module 124 , a control module 126 , a communication module 128 , and the like, but is not limited thereto. The photographing module 122 generates an image by photographing the inside of the human body, the power module 124 provides power to the photographing module 122 , and the control module 126 includes the photographing module 122 and the power module 124 . It is disposed therebetween to control power and signal-process the image generated by the photographing module 122 , and the communication module 128 may communicate the image signal-processed by the control module 126 with the outside. The photographing assembly 120 may photograph several to tens of still images or motion images per second by the photographing module 122 , and the reception device carried by the patient or the receptionist (eg, a doctor) is received by the communication module 128 . Data can be sent to the device in real time. The examiner can store the received image data as still pictures or images as needed. The photographing assembly 120 is accommodated in the first casing 110, and the first casing 110 is made of a transparent material through which part or all of light can be transmitted in order to smoothly photograph the inside of the human body of the photographing assembly 120. can be provided.

In the capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the endoscope body 100 is inserted into the human body in a state coupled to the magnet module 200 including the magnet 220, the operation is controlled by applying a magnetic field from the outside. active capsule endoscope (endoscope body 100 + magnet module 200). On the other hand, it may be a passive capsule endoscope (endoscope body 100) that is moved by the peristaltic motion of a natural organ of the examinee when it is inserted into the human body in a state not coupled with the magnet module 200 .

That is, the capsule endoscope 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be both an active capsule endoscope and a passive capsule endoscope by coupling and separating the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200 . Therefore, it is preferable that the lens of the camera included in the photographing module 122 has as wide a wide angle as possible. In general, since the active capsule endoscope is capable of manipulating the position and motion of the endoscope, it is sufficient to have an imaging angle of at least 80°, whereas the passive capsule endoscope must be implemented to capture images in a range of at least 140° or more. Because.

As an example, since the passive capsule endoscope made of only the endoscope body 100 moves only by intestinal peristalsis and photographs the inside of the digestive tract, when the intestine is actively peristaltic, the progress of the capsule endoscope increases, so that the portion of interest may not be photographed. Conversely, if the intestinal peristaltic movement is too slow or stopped, power consumption of the capsule endoscope may result due to unnecessary repeated imaging of still images.

In order to compensate for the above problems, the capsule endoscope 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention combines the magnet module 200 including the magnet 220 to the endoscope body 100, and then a magnetic field inside or outside the body. It can be used as an active capsule endoscope by controlling the position and posture of the capsule endoscope in real time. Accordingly, the examiner can actively manipulate the position and posture of the capsule endoscope module without depending on the peristaltic motion of the subject's intestine. In this case, the magnet 220 may be provided as a magnet of various types, such as a permanent magnet.

Therefore, in the capsule endoscope 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, by selecting a control method of the capsule endoscope 10 according to the situation, the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200 are separated or combined to conduct an examination. and may further include a detachable unit 300 for separating and coupling the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200 . Separation and coupling of the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200 may be performed by separation and coupling of the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 .

As an example, the method of separating and coupling the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 may be performed by a screw method. In this case, the detachable unit 300 may include a pair of female and male screws as shown in FIG. 4 . Specifically, a male screw 310 may be formed at the second end of the first casing 110 , and a female screw 320 coupled to the male screw 310 may be formed in the receiving groove of the second casing 210 . Accordingly, when the second casing 210 is rotated in the first direction, the second casing 210 is coupled to the first casing 110 , and when the second casing 210 is rotated in the second direction opposite to the first direction, the second casing 210 ) may be separated from the first casing 110 .

As another example, the separation and coupling method between the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200 may be performed by magnetic force. In this case, the detachable unit 300 may include a metal member 330 as shown in FIG. 5 . Specifically, the metal member 330 may be disposed at the second end of the first casing 110 to form an attractive force with the magnet 220 built in the second casing 210 . Therefore, by forming an attractive force between the metal member 330 and the magnet 220 by making the distance between the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 close, the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 are The coupling is made, and by removing the attractive force between the metal member 330 and the magnet 220 by increasing the distance between the first casing 110 and the second casing 210, the first casing 110 and the second casing ( 210) can be separated.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, the detachable unit 300 further includes a coupling groove portion 334 formed in the periphery of the receiving groove of the second casing 210, the metal member 332 is a plurality of metal balls ( It may be provided in the form of a ball). In this case, the detachable unit 300 may further include a ball groove 331 for accommodating the metal member 332 in the periphery of the second end of the first casing 110 . The metal member 332 in the form of a metal ball is provided to retract and retract in the ball groove 331 so that when the first casing 110 and the second casing 210 are close to each other and an attractive force is generated by the magnet 220, the coupling groove portion 334 ) can be projected toward the The metal member 332 in the form of a protruding metal ball may be fitted into the coupling groove 334 .

On the other hand, the ball grooves 331 formed in the peripheral region of the second end of the first casing 110 are formed to have a depth greater than the diameter of the ball-shaped metal member 330 in order to protrude and protrude the ball-shaped metal member 330 . In order to prevent the ball-shaped metal member 330 from falling off, the inlet is formed to have a reduced size somewhat smaller than the diameter of the ball-shaped metal member 330 , thereby accurately performing the in and out movement of the ball-shaped metal member 330 . can be guided, and the drop-off (separation) of the ball-shaped metal member 330 can be reliably prevented. For better understanding, FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the ball groove 331 in which the ball-shaped metal member 332 is not accommodated.

Alternatively, although not shown in detail, a double-door type door is formed at the entrance of the ball groove 331 using an elastic material (having elasticity enough to support the load of a metal ball), such as rubber, to enable opening and closing. It is possible to prevent the metal member 332 from falling off from the second end of the casing 110 .

The coupling groove portion 334 is a ball groove by the action (attractive force) between the second end of the first casing 110 is inserted into the first end of the second casing 210 and the magnet 220 and the metal member 332 . The metal member 332 protruding from the 331 may be formed to be accurately fitted into the defect groove portion 332 .

As described above, according to the retractable ball-shaped metal member 332 and the coupling groove portion 334, the coupling force between the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200 is improved to improve the endoscope body 100 and the magnet module 200. The phenomenon of separation inside the body of the subject can be actively prevented.

7 and 8 are flowcharts illustrating an example of an inspection method according to a control method of the capsule endoscope 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an inspection method when the capsule endoscope 10 is actively controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a capsule endoscope 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart showing an example of the inspection method when it is manually controlled.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the inspection method when the capsule endoscope 10 is actively controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step (S11) of coupling an endoscope body and a magnet module, and a combined capsule endoscope (endoscope body) + Magnet module) to the subject (S12), controlling the operation of the capsule endoscope from the outside of the subject's body (S13), photographing the inside of the subject's body using a photographing assembly (S14), photographing data It may include the step of transmitting (S15) to the outside, and discharging the capsule endoscope 10 when the examination is finished (S16).

On the other hand, when the capsule endoscope 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used for examining the inside of the body, diagnosing or photographing, the first step (S10, S20) of selecting a control method of the capsule endoscope 10 may be preceded. there is. This is because the inspection method is different depending on the control method of the capsule endoscope 10 .

In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the operation of the capsule endoscope outside the body of the subject (S13) may include applying a magnetic field outside or inside the body of the subject. By applying a magnetic field toward the capsule endoscope 10 , it is possible to control the operation of the capsule endoscope 10 by magnetic force with the magnet 220 included in the magnet module 200 .

Referring to FIG. 8 , the inspection method when the capsule endoscope 10 is manually controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of separating the endoscope body from the magnet module (S21), and oral administration of the endoscope body to the subject. step (S22), controlling the operation of the capsule endoscope by peristaltic movement of the subject's natural organs (S23), photographing the inside of the subject's body using a photographing assembly (S24), and transmitting the photographed data to the outside ( S25), and discharging the endoscope body 100 when the examination is finished (S26) may include.

Separating the endoscope body and the magnet module (S21) can be omitted when the endoscope body and the magnet module are already separated, and can be performed only when the endoscope body and the magnet module are combined.

The discharging step (S26) when the capsule endoscope 10 is manually controlled by the peristaltic motion of an organ may include a step of waiting when the endoscope body 100 is naturally discharged from the inside of the body of the examinee.

This embodiment and the accompanying drawings in this specification merely clearly show some of the technical ideas included in the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily infer within the scope of the technical ideas included in the specification and drawings of the present invention. It will be apparent that all possible modifications and specific embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and not only the claims to be described later, but also all those with equivalent or equivalent modifications to the claims will be said to belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention. .

10: capsule endoscope
100: endoscope body
110: first casing
120: shooting assembly
130: metal member
200: magnet module
210: second casing
220: magnet
300: detachable unit

Claims (5)

an endoscope body having a first casing and installed in the first casing and having a photographing assembly for photographing the inside of the human body; and
a magnet module having a second casing provided to be coupled to and detachable from the first casing by a detachable unit, and having a magnet installed in the second casing;
including,
The first casing is formed to have a first end and a second end to have a convex curved surface, the first end of the second casing is formed to have a receiving groove into which the second end of the first casing is inserted, 2 The second end of the casing is formed to have a convex curved surface, so that the appearance of the first casing and the second casing combined and the appearance of the first casing and the second casing separated are all curved. becomes,
A capsule endoscope in which a control method is selected by coupling and separating the first casing and the second casing. According to claim 1,
wherein the magnet module is coupled to the endoscope body by the detachable unit with the second end of the first casing inserted into the receiving groove. 3. The method of claim 2,
The detachable unit,
a male screw formed on the second end of the first casing;
and a female screw formed in the receiving groove of the second casing and coupled to the male screw. 3. The method of claim 2,
The detachable unit is provided on the endoscope body and the capsule endoscope, characterized in that it comprises at least one or more metal members forming an attractive force with the magnet. 3. The method of claim 2,
The detachable unit,
a plurality of metal balls which are provided to be retractable from the first casing to a peripheral area of the second end and protrude when an attractive force is generated by the magnet;
and a coupling groove formed in the receiving groove of the second casing and fitted when a plurality of the metal balls protrude.

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