JP6610052B2 - Medical equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical device.

  Conventionally, capsule endoscopes, which are capsule-like medical devices, have been widely put into practical use. Capsule endoscopes have a photographing function of moving in the digestive tract such as the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine and photographing the inside of the digestive tract (internal body) with a small camera or the like.

  Further, it is desired that such a capsule endoscope is provided with a plurality of medical functions, for example, a plurality of treatment tools such as a laser knife and scissors for treatment, and a medication function. However, since the capsule endoscope is limited in size, it has been difficult to put into practical use a configuration having such a plurality of functions.

  In view of this, there has been disclosed a small-sized photographing apparatus that is a size that can be swallowed by a person and that includes functions other than the photographing function (see Patent Document 1). In this small photographic device, various functional means are divided and incorporated in a plurality of capsules, and the plurality of capsules are combined in the body after swallowing. Examples of functions other than photographing include camera cleaning means, illumination means, posture control means, and the like.

  However, in the above-described small imaging apparatus, there is a case where the connection is disconnected at a portion where bending is large, such as the small intestine, and there is a problem that it is difficult to use at a portion where bending is large in the body cavity.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a medical device that can be used even in a region with a large amount of bending in a body cavity by adding a function other than an imaging function while having a swallowable size. .

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a medical device having a plurality of capsules introduced into a body cavity, wherein the plurality of capsules includes a first capsule having a first function. A second capsule having a second function, a magnetism generating section for generating magnetism, and a magnetic body section, and a magnetic coupling section for separating or coupling the plurality of capsules by magnetism The magnetic coupling portion has one of the magnetism generating portion and the magnetic body portion formed in a convex shape with a rounded tip, and the other having a curvature smaller than the roundness of the tip. The capsules are formed in a concave shape, and the plurality of capsules are coupled by point contact by causing the magnetism generating unit and the magnetic body unit to face each other .

  According to the present invention, although it is a size that can be swallowed, functions other than the imaging function can be added, and it can be used even in a region with a lot of bending in a body cavity.

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the maximum diameter of each capsule in the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram regarding the maximum diameter of the capsule in the capsule endoscope of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram regarding the maximum diameter of the capsule in the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a capsule endoscope according to the second embodiment.

  Embodiments of a medical device will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, an example in which a medical device is applied to a capsule endoscope is shown.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, a capsule endoscope 100, which is a capsule medical device with a built-in imaging function and the like, will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment.

  In the capsule endoscope 100 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of functional units including a photographing function for photographing the inside of the body cavity of the user are divided into a plurality of capsules. The user swallows and ingests these capsules one by one in a separated state. The capsule endoscope 100 introduced into the user's body cavity is coupled in a predetermined order by the action of the coupling means provided in each capsule after reaching the imaging site such as the stomach.

  The imaging means captures an image of the part to be imaged illuminated by the illumination means. The image information acquired in this way is stored by the image information processing means (storage process), and after the capsule is discharged from the body, it is collected and the image information is taken out. Alternatively, the image information is transmitted from the body cavity sequentially or appropriately to the outside that is externally (transmission processing) by the image information processing means, and is received by the receiving device installed outside the body to extract the image information.

  FIG. 1 shows a state before a plurality of capsules are combined. In FIG. 1, capsule 1, capsule 2, and capsule 3 are sequentially arranged from the left. When swallowing the capsule endoscope 100, the user swallows the capsules 1 to 3 in a state before being combined as shown in FIG. The capsule endoscope 100 is coupled / separated in the directions of arrows C1 and C2 in the user's body.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the capsule endoscope 100 is introduced into a body cavity and has capsules 1 to 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment.

  The capsule 1 is a capsule having an imaging function for imaging the body cavity. The photographing function corresponds to the first function, and the capsule 1 corresponds to the first capsule. A camera 12, a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) 13, a battery 14, and an electromagnet 15 are built in the housing 10 of the capsule 1. And the lens 11 which consists of a translucent member is provided in the hemispherical part of the front-end | tip of the housing | casing 10. FIG. In the present embodiment, reference numeral 11 is a lens, but reference numeral 11 is a resin cover, and a lens may be provided inside the resin cover.

  The camera 12 captures an image of the body cavity when the capsule endoscope 100 is introduced into the body cavity. Image information captured by the camera 12 is subjected to storage processing or transmission processing outside the body by an image information processing unit (image information processing means) provided in the capsule 1.

  The battery 14 stores electric power for driving the camera 12 and the electromagnet 15. The PCB 13 is a plate-like component on which the camera 12 and the battery 14 are mounted. Further, the capsule 1 may be provided with illumination light (illuminating means) if necessary at the time of photographing.

  The electromagnet 15 is a magnet that temporarily generates magnetism by winding a coil around a magnetic material core and energizing it, and separates or couples the capsule 2 by magnetism. The electromagnet 15 corresponds to a magnetism generating part of the magnetic coupling part. The electromagnet 15 has a concave recess 15a formed at a portion to be coupled to a rod 25 described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the recess 15a is formed by a curve like a part of a sphere.

  The capsule 3 is a capsule having a moving function for moving the capsule endoscope 100 in the digestive tract in a body cavity. The moving function corresponds to the second function, and the capsule 3 corresponds to the second capsule. A motor 32, a PCB 33, a battery 34, and an electromagnet 35 are built in the housing 30 of the capsule 3. A fin-shaped moving member 31 is exposed from the rear end of the housing 30.

  When the capsule endoscope 100 is moved, this fin-shaped moving member 31 is used. Here, as the fin-shaped moving member, for example, the moving mechanism of Mu's self-propelled capsule endoscope can be used (reference document http://www.mu-frontier.com/1106. html).

  The moving member 31 is a triangular fin-shaped member, and moves the capsule endoscope 100 in the digestive tract in the body cavity by the driving force of the motor 32. Further, the moving member 31 moves the capsule endoscope 100 at a speed higher than the speed of 3 centimeters per minute. This is because the large intestine carries the contents at a speed of 1 to 3 centimeters per minute by peristaltic movement, so that the capsule endoscope 100 moves in the digestive tract by moving at a speed faster than the speed of 3 centimeters per minute. It is possible to run backward.

  In addition, since there is a moving mechanism such as the moving member 31 as described above, recombination becomes possible when each capsule is separated in the digestive tract or the like. That is, by providing the capsule endoscope 100 with a moving mechanism, the capsule endoscope 100 can be moved and recovered / reconnected when the coupling is removed.

  The battery 34 stores power for driving the electromagnet 35. The PCB 33 is a plate-like component on which the motor 32 and the battery 34 are mounted.

  Similar to the electromagnet 15, the electromagnet 35 separates or couples the capsule 2 by magnetism. The electromagnet 35 corresponds to a magnetism generating part of the magnetic coupling part. As with the electromagnet 15, the electromagnet 35 is formed with a concave recess 35 a at a portion that is coupled to a rod 26 described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the recessed part 35a is formed by the curve like a part of spherical body.

  The capsule 2 is a capsule having a medical function that provides a medical function. The medical function corresponds to the third function, and the capsule 2 corresponds to the third capsule. The capsule 2 of this embodiment has a therapeutic function as a medical function. The therapeutic function by the capsule 2 of this embodiment is a function using a technique called PDT (Photo-dynamic therapy), for example, and performs a therapeutic action by irradiating the affected area of the user with laser light.

  Here, PDT is a local treatment method utilizing a photochemical reaction caused by irradiation of a photosensitive substance showing accumulation property in cancer and laser light. In PDT, a drug that reacts with light (photosensitive substance) is administered, and the drug is accumulated in cancer cells because there is a time difference in the discharge from cancer cells and normal cells, and the molecules are accumulated at the accumulated time and place. The cancer cell is killed by irradiating with light having a wavelength to be excited.

  The capsule 2 includes a motor 21, a pressing member 22, an LD (Laser Diode) 23, and a PCB 24 inside a casing made of a translucent member 20, with rods 25 and 26 facing outward. Is provided.

  The LD 23 emits laser light by a PDT treatment method. The PCB 24 is a plate-like component on which the LD 23 is mounted, and is connected to the motor 21 via the pressing member 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 21 rotates the PCB 24 in the direction of arrow t by 360 °, so that the laser beam LB can be irradiated by the LD 23 to any location in the digestive tract in accordance with the movement of the capsule endoscope 100. become. Here, the function of irradiating the affected area of the user with the laser beam is a medical function.

  As a capsule endoscope that rotates 360 ° in the gastrointestinal tract, for example, a capsule endoscope manufactured by RF Co., Ltd. can be used (reference document http://rfsystemlab.com/sayaka/index.html). In the capsule endoscope by R.F. Co., Ltd., the entire digestive tract extending from 6 to 8 m can be photographed while rotating, and the acquired image is recorded as a long wall image connected to one piece.

  The rods 25 and 26 are magnetic bodies such as metal and are rod-like members protruding from the capsule 2 and formed in a convex shape. Further, the rods 25 and 26 have rounded shapes with the tip portions 25a and 26a having magnetism. The rod 25 is coupled to the recess 15 a of the electromagnet 15 of the capsule 1, and the rod 26 is coupled to the recess 35 a of the electromagnet 35 of the capsule 3. The rods 25 and 26 correspond to the magnetic body portion of the magnetic coupling portion.

  In the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment, the concave portions 15a and the rods 25 of the electromagnet 15 and the concave portions 35a and the rods 26 of the electromagnet 35 face each other, so that the capsules (capsule 1 and capsule 2, capsules) are magnetized. 3 and capsule 2) are joined by point contact.

  Thus, flexibility can be given by making the connection part of capsules into a point contact. That is, by using magnetism for the capsule-to-capsule connection method, the capsule endoscope 100 itself also matches the shape of the intestine when passing through a site with many bends, such as in the intestine, by connecting the connection portions by point contact. It becomes possible to bend.

  In addition, when electromagnets are used to connect capsules, when there are multiple affected areas in the user's body, they are connected and treated near the digestive tract with the affected area, and the digestive apparatus without the affected area is separated. It can also be used to recombine in the digestive tract. Thereby, in the body cavity which does not require coupling, the electric power of the electromagnet is not used, and an energy saving effect can be obtained. Since there is a limit on the size of the battery that can be loaded into the capsule, energy saving is very important.

  Moreover, as shown to FIGS. 1-3, the recessed part 15a, 35a is formed in the connection part of the capsule 1 and the capsule 2 and the capsule 2 and the capsule 3 on the opposite side of the rods 25 and 26, respectively. Thereby, it becomes easy to transmit the coupling force by magnetism, and it becomes difficult to disconnect. At the same time, since the axis of each machine (capsule) is expected to be the same, the optical performance is also stabilized.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the maximum diameter of each capsule in the capsule endoscope according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are explanatory diagrams regarding the maximum diameter of the capsule in the capsule endoscope of the first embodiment.

  In the capsule endoscope 200 shown in FIG. 5, the maximum diameter of each capsule is the same (R1 = R2). In contrast, in the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the maximum diameter of the capsule 2 (third capsule) is the maximum of the capsule 1 (first capsule) and the capsule 3 (second capsule). It is smaller than the diameter. Specifically, referring to FIG. 4, in the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment, the maximum diameter R2 of the capsule 2 is smaller than the maximum diameter R1 of the capsules 1 and 3 (R1> R2). ).

  With this configuration, a difference occurs when there is an obstacle in the digestive tract, such as the tumor P1 shown in FIGS. 5, the focal lengths from the laser beam to the intestinal wall P in the capsule endoscope 200 are L1 and L2, and in FIG. 6, the focal lengths from the laser beam to the intestinal wall P in the capsule endoscope 100 are L3 and L4. And Then, when the difference between the focal lengths L1 and L2 in FIG. 5 is compared with the difference between the focal lengths L3 and L4 in FIG. 6, the latter can reduce the amount of change (changed distance). As described above, the capsule endoscope 100 according to the present embodiment can reduce the possibility of a change in the focal length, which is a main factor in the deterioration of the laser light performance.

  In many cases, the laser light is condensed at a predetermined distance from the light emitting source in order to increase the energy density. For this reason, if the object to be irradiated with the laser beam is far away from the desired distance, the light condensing property is deteriorated and the performance is deteriorated.

  Further, the moving member 31 provided in the capsule 3 of the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment can move in the liquid, but may not move in the digestive tract (when not filled with the liquid). . In that case, a desired movement may be performed by using a caterpillar member or a spiral member around the capsule 3.

  In the present embodiment, the capsules are separated or coupled using an electromagnet. As another example, when coupling capsules, a permanent magnet is coupled. It can be configured to generate force.

  In the present embodiment, the coupling between the capsules is only a magnetic coupling, but a mechanical coupling (locking two capsules) can be used together. In this case, for example, a configuration in which the two capsules are attracted and brought into contact with each other by a magnetic force when approaching a predetermined distance and then mechanically joined can be considered.

  In the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment, the functional means is divided and incorporated in a plurality of capsules, so that the size of each capsule can be made smaller than that of this type of conventional device. Then, since the capsules may be introduced into the body cavity of the user in a state where the capsules are separated one by one, even if the opening (that is, the mouth) of the introduction part is small, the introduction can be performed without difficulty. In particular, users such as children and elderly people who tend to have a narrow esophagus or weak swallowing power do not need to suffer much pain.

  In addition, when the capsule endoscope 100 is discharged from the user, the magnetic coupling unit releases the capsule after releasing the coupling between the capsules. That is, since each capsule is separated when the capsule endoscope 100 is discharged, it can be discharged from the user's body without difficulty. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the capsule endoscope 100 from remaining in the user's body for a long time, and to reduce the user's pain during discharge.

  In the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment, a plurality of capsules are connected to connect functional means accommodated in the capsules to execute various operations necessary for photographing. Therefore, various modes of imaging can be performed by appropriately combining capsules having different built-in functional means as necessary or according to the purpose. This makes it easy to expand the functions.

  In addition, the capsule endoscope 100 according to the present embodiment may include a posture control unit that controls the posture of the capsule before coupling or the capsule combined body after coupling as the functional unit. According to this configuration, after the plurality of capsules are combined, the posture of the capsule combined body can be controlled so that the imaging unit faces the target site to be imaged. Therefore, it is possible to reliably image the target imaging region. Further, for example, it is possible to divide and photograph a large area portion without overlapping.

  Also, in this case, the capsule containing the posture control means has the capsule configuration information used at the time of coupling by the coupling means, and the capsule is actively moved by the posture control means and the capsule is moved. It can be set as the structure which performs joint operation | movement. According to this configuration, imaging can be started by combining the capsules immediately after the capsules reach the stomach in the body cavity of the user, for example.

  In addition, each of the plurality of capsules may have a configuration information of capsules used when combined by the combining means, and the capsules may be combined according to the configuration information. According to this configuration, even when a plurality of capsules of the same type are introduced into the user's stomach, for example, in order to assemble a plurality of capsules in the body cavity of the user, the configuration information of each capsule is used. The intended capsules can be quickly combined to exhibit the photographing function.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, laser treatment using PDT has been described as an example. However, the function can be customized by using the capsule 2 as a sample collection unit or a medication unit.

  That is, in another embodiment, a configuration may be provided that includes a sample collection unit that scrapes a part of the body cavity of the user and stores it as a sample as the functional unit. According to this configuration, it is possible to collect a part of the user's tissue in which, for example, a lesion has occurred by collecting the capsule containing the specimen collecting means that is later discharged from the body cavity of the user. is there. Accordingly, it is possible to perform reliable diagnosis of disease and more reliable verification of defect status, and more efficiently and accurately perform diagnosis of a user's disease and analysis of failure / failure of a test object.

  In another embodiment, as a functional unit, a medicine may be stored therein, and a treatment unit for applying the medicine into the body cavity of the user may be included. According to this configuration, when it is recognized that it is necessary based on the result of imaging the inside of the body cavity of the user, it is possible to perform a treatment such as applying medicines in the body cavity of the user. Therefore, treatment can be performed simultaneously with imaging, and since it can be confirmed in real time whether or not such drugs can be applied to a desired site, reliable and prompt treatment can be performed.

  In another embodiment, the functional unit may include a cleaning unit that cleans the outer surface of the capsule containing the imaging unit. According to this configuration, even when the capsule taken in the stomach of the user becomes dirty with the contents or gastric juice remaining in the stomach and it becomes difficult to capture a clear image, the capsule is taken prior to imaging. Since the cleaning means removes the dirt adhering to the outer surface of the capsule, a clear image can be obtained.

  As another embodiment, the imaging area may be enlarged by combining a plurality of capsules incorporating the imaging means. According to this configuration, even when the photographing range of one photographing means is relatively narrow, it is possible to photograph a large area at a time.

  As described above, the capsule endoscope 100 according to the first embodiment couples the capsules magnetically within the body cavity after swallowing each capsule. At this time, since the capsules are coupled by point contact, the capsule endoscope 100 can perform a desired function such as photography or laser treatment by moving through a bent portion such as the small or large intestine while being coupled. it can. That is, the capsule endoscope 100 of the present embodiment can be used even at a site where there is a lot of bending in a body cavity by adding a function other than the imaging function while having a swallowable size.

(Second Embodiment)
In the capsule endoscope 100 according to the first embodiment, the concave portions having the concave shape are formed in the electromagnets of the capsules 1 and 3 to which the rod of the capsule 2 is connected. The capsule endoscope of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a two-stage concave recess is formed in the electromagnet.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a capsule endoscope according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the capsule endoscope 300 is introduced into a body cavity and has capsules 2, 5, and 6. The configuration of the capsule endoscope 300 is the same as that of the capsule endoscope 100 according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the concave portions of the electromagnets 15 and 35 in the capsule 2 and the capsules 5 and 6 (see FIG. 2). .

  As in the first embodiment, the electromagnet 15 in the capsule 5 is a magnet that temporarily generates magnetism by winding a coil around a core of a magnetic material and separating the capsule 2 by magnetism. It is to be combined. The electromagnet 15 corresponds to a magnetism generating part of the magnetic coupling part. The electromagnet 15 is formed with two-stage concave recesses 15b and 15c in a portion where the electromagnet 15 is coupled to the rod 25 of the capsule 2.

  Similar to the electromagnet 15, the electromagnet 35 in the capsule 6 separates or couples the capsule 2 by magnetism. The electromagnet 35 corresponds to a magnetism generating part of the magnetic coupling part. As with the electromagnet 15, the electromagnet 35 is formed with concave portions 35 b and 35 c having a two-stage concave shape at a portion where the electromagnet 15 is coupled to the rod 26.

  As described above, the capsule endoscope 300 according to the second embodiment couples the capsules magnetically within the body cavity after swallowing each capsule. At this time, since the capsules are coupled by point contact, the capsule endoscope 300 can move in a bent region such as the small and large intestines while being coupled to perform a desired function such as photography or laser treatment. it can. That is, the capsule endoscope 300 of the present embodiment can be used even at a site where there is a lot of bending in the body cavity by adding a function other than the imaging function while having a swallowable size.

  In addition, two-stage concave recesses 15b, 15c, 35b, and 35c are formed in portions of the electromagnets 15 and 35 that are coupled to the rods 25 and 26. For this reason, the rods 25 and 26 are fixed to the concave portions 15c and 35c of the electromagnet (the smaller the concave portion R is, the easier the rod is fixed), and the capsules are more difficult to be disconnected.

1, 2, 3 Capsule 10 Case 11 Lens 12 Camera 13 PCB
14 Battery 15 Electromagnet 15a, 15b, 15c Recess 20 Translucent member 21 Motor 22 Holding member 23 LD
24 PCB
25, 26 Rod 25a, 26a Tip 30 Case 31 Moving member 32 Motor 33 PCB
34 Battery 35 Electromagnet 35a, 35b, 35c Recessed part 100, 200, 300 Capsule endoscope

Japanese Patent No. 4329394

Claims (7)

In a medical device having a plurality of capsules introduced into a body cavity,
The plurality of capsules includes a first capsule having a first function and a second capsule having a second function;
A magnetic coupling unit that separates or couples the plurality of capsules by magnetism, including a magnetic generation unit that generates magnetism and a magnetic body unit ;
The magnetic coupling portion is
Either one of the magnetism generating part and the magnetic body part is formed in a convex shape with a rounded tip.
The other is formed into a concave shape with a curvature smaller than the curvature of the round end,
The plurality of capsules are coupled by point contact by causing the magnetism generating unit and the magnetic body unit to face each other.
Medical device. In the concave shape, a portion coupled to the magnetic generating portion or the magnetic body portion of the convex shape is formed in a two-stage concave shape,
The medical device according to claim 1. The magnetic portion is formed on the convex, the tip portion has a magnetic medical device of claim 1 or 2. The first function is an imaging function for imaging the body cavity,
The medical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the second function is a moving function for moving the medical device in a digestive tract in the body cavity. The medical device according to claim 4 , wherein the moving function is a function of moving the medical device at a moving speed faster than a speed of 3 centimeters per minute. The plurality of capsules further includes a third capsule having a third function,
The third function is a medical function that provides functions related medical Medical device according to any one of claims 1-5. The medical function is a therapeutic function using laser light,
The maximum diameter of the third capsule having a therapeutic function, said first maximum diameter smaller than the capsule and the second capsule medical device according to claim 6.

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