# US 2017/0280983 A1 · Capsule medical device guidance system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0280983 A1 - Document ID: US20170280983A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/630,796 - Filed: 2017-06-22 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-17 - Assignees: Olympus Corporation - Applicants: Olympus Corporation - Inventors: Hironao KAWANO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170280983A1 ## CPC - A61B 1/041: {Capsule endoscopes for imaging} - A61B 1/00039: {provided with input arrangements for the user} - A61B 1/00057: {provided with means for testing or calibration} - A61B 1/00158: {using magnetic field} - A61B 1/045: Control thereof - A61B 1/00016: {using wireless means} - A61B 5/062: {using magnetic field} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A capsule medical device guidance system includes: a capsule medical device including a permanent magnet and configured to be introduced into a subject; a magnetic field generator configured to generate a magnetic field to be applied to the capsule medical device; an operation input device configured to input operation information; and a processor including hardware. The processor is configured to: control the magnetic field generator, based on the operation information input from the operation input device, to change the magnetic field to change at least one of the position and the posture of the capsule medical device; obtain control information for the magnetic field generator in a state where forces acting on the capsule medical device are balanced before starting or when starting operation on the operation input device; and control the magnetic field generator by using the control information after the operation is finished. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A capsule medical device guidance system comprising: a capsule medical device including a permanent magnet provided inside the capsule medical device, the capsule medical device being configured to be introduced into a subject; a magnetic field generator provided outside the subject and configured to generate a magnetic field to be applied to the capsule medical device; an operation input device configured to input operation information for changing at least one of a position and a posture of the capsule medical device; and a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to: control the magnetic field generator, based on the operation information input from the operation input device, to change the magnetic field to change at least one of the position and the posture of the capsule medical device; obtain control information for the magnetic field generator in a state where forces acting on the capsule medical device are balanced before starting or when starting operation on the operation input device; and control the magnetic field generator by using the control information after the operation is finished. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect the position of the capsule medical device; and control the magnetic field generator, based on the detected position of the capsule medical device, such that forces acting on the capsule medical device are balanced. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to take, as a basis, a state of the capsule medical device when the operation is finished, and perform control for reproducing the control state indicated by the control information before starting or when starting the operation on the basis of the state of the capsule medical device when the operation is finished. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the control information includes strength of magnetic attracting force acting on the permanent magnet by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the position of the capsule medical device, and the control information includes a distance between the magnetic field generator and the capsule medical device, which is calculated based on the detected position of the capsule medical device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the position of the capsule medical device, and the control information includes a relative relationship between a position of a specific axis on which the capsule medical device is trapped in the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generator and the detected position of the capsule medical device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the posture of the capsule medical device, and the control information includes a relative relationship between a direction of a specific axis on which the capsule medical device is trapped in the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generator and the detected posture of the capsule medical device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain control information for the magnetic field generator when the operation is finished; and control the magnetic field generator when the operation is finished by using the control information before starting or when starting the operation only when difference between the control information before starting or when starting the operation and the control information when the operation is finished is larger than a threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect at least one of the position and the posture of the capsule medical device; and obtain the control information when variation per unit time of the at least one of the position and the posture is not larger than a threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect at least one of the position and the posture of the capsule medical device; when the operation is finished, determine whether the capsule medical device is guided according to the operation based on the at least one of the position and the posture; and when the capsule medical device is guided according to the operation, update the control information to control information for the magnetic field generator when the operation is finished. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field generator is formed of an electric magnet with electric power supply to generate a magnetic field, and the processor is configured to adjust electric power supplied to the electric magnet to change the magnetic field acting on the permanent magnet. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field generator is formed of an electric magnet with electric power supply to generate a magnetic field, and the processor is configured to change at least one of a position and a posture of the electric magnet to change the magnetic field acting on the permanent magnet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field generator is formed of a plurality of electric magnets where each is supplied with electric power to generate a magnetic field, and the processor is configured to adjust the electric power supplied to each of the electric magnets to change the magnetic field generated by each of the electric magnets. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to: perform control to guide the capsule medical device being in a state in which the capsule medical device is in contact with an inner wall on an upper side or a lower side of the subject in a vertical direction of the subject to be separated from the inner wall in the vertical direction; and obtain, as the control information before starting or when starting the operation, control information for the magnetic field generator when the capsule medical device shifts from the state in which the capsule medical device is in contact with the inner wall to a state in which the capsule medical device is not in contact with the inner wall. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) The capsule medical device guidance system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to: perform control to guide the capsule medical device being in a state in which the capsule medical device is in contact with an inner wall on an upper side or a lower side of the subject in a vertical direction of the subject to be separated from the inner wall in the vertical direction; obtain second control information for the magnetic field generator when the capsule medical device shifts from the state in which the capsule medical device is in contact with the inner wall to a state in which the capsule medical device is not in contact with the inner wall; and obtain, among pieces of control information for the magnetic field generator, at least one of the pieces of control information when a difference from the second control information is within a predetermined range as the control information before starting or when starting the operation.