# US 2008/0188710 A1 · Capsule medical apparatus and body-cavity observation method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0188710 A1 - Document ID: US20080188710A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/701,769 - Filed: 2007-02-02 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-02 - Assignees: Olympus Medical Systems Corp. - Inventors: Hidetake Segawa; Hironobu Takizawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080188710A1 ## CPC - A61B 1/041: {Capsule endoscopes for imaging} - A61B 1/00156: {using self propulsion} - A61B 1/00177: {for 90 degrees side-viewing} - A61B 1/00179: {for off-axis viewing} - A61B 1/00181: {for multiple fixed viewing angles (A61B1/00193 takes precedence)} - A61B 1/045: Control thereof - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract Provided is a capsule medical apparatus including a capsule body, a control member, and an observing member. The capsule body is to be introduced into a lumen of a subject. The control member controls a movement of the capsule body in the lumen by a flow of a fluid introduced in the lumen. The observing member is fixed inside the capsule body and observes a direction of the flow of the fluid and a direction different from the flow of the fluid according to the movement of the capsule body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A capsule medical apparatus comprising: a capsule body to be introduced into a lumen of a subject; a control member controlling a movement of the capsule body in the lumen by a flow of a fluid introduced in the lumen; and an observing member fixed inside the capsule body and observing a direction of the flow of the fluid and a direction different from the flow of the fluid according to the movement of the capsule body. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control member is a rotary guide member which rotates the capsule body by the flow of the fluid in a circumferential direction about a longitudinal axis of the capsule body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotary guide member includes a spiral member provided on an outer surface of the capsule body so as to interfere the flow of the fluid. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the spiral member is a spirally-formed projection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the spirally-formed projection is a single continuous projection. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the spirally-formed projection includes a plurality of discontinuous projections. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the observing member includes a first imaging member forming an imaging field in a longitudinal direction of the capsule body and a second imaging member forming an imaging field in a direction different from the direction of the imaging field of the first imaging member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first imaging member has a far focus and the second observing member has a near focus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second observing member has the imaging field oblique to the longitudinal axial direction of the capsule body. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second imaging member has the imaging field perpendicular to the longitudinal axial direction in the capsule body. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control member is a rotary guide member which rotates the capsule body in a radial direction about an axis passing through the gravity center of the capsule body and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis by the flow of the fluid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the rotary guide member includes a pair of one-way resistive elements, the resistive elements having a same shape and being located on an outer surface of the capsule body to be point symmetric with respect to the gravity center of the capsule body, and the resistive elements having directionality for generating a reaction force toward the flow of the fluid. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the one-way resistive elements are projections. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the projections can be projected and retracted with respect to the outer surface of the capsule body. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the projections are pocket projections each having an opening opened along the longitudinal axial direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the one-way resistive elements is a groove opened toward an end portion of the capsule body along the longitudinal axial direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the one-way resistive elements is a hole opened toward an end portion of the capsule body along the longitudinal axial direction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the observing member includes an imaging member which forms an imaging field in the longitudinal axial direction of the capsule body. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the observing member includes two imaging members each being respectively fixed at both end portions of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the imaging members are a first imaging member and a second imaging member, respectively the first imaging member being fixed at an end of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction and having a far focus, and the second imaging member being fixed at another end of the capsule body in the longitudinal axial direction and having a near focus. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capsule body has a specific gravity which is substantially one with respect to the fluid introduced into the subject, and the gravity center of the capsule body is in a substantial center of the capsule body. ### Claim 22 A body-cavity observation method, comprising the steps of: ingesting a capsule medical apparatus; ingesting a fluid having a specific gravity which is substantially same as that of the capsule medical apparatus; controlling the capsule medical apparatus movement in a lumen, by a flow of the fluid; observing, by the capsule medical apparatus, a direction of the flow of the fluid; and observing, by the capsule medical apparatus, a direction different from the direction of the flow of the fluid.