A capsule endoscope includes: a function-performing device configured to perform a function; a power source configured to supply power; a first inductor including a cored coil, the first inductor being configured to boost a voltage of the power and output a first voltage; a second inductor including an air-cored coil, the second inductor being configured to boost a voltage of the power and output a second voltage; a detector configured to detect a magnetic field applied from outside; and a controller configured to perform control to supply first power according to the first voltage to the function-performing device, when the magnetic field detected by the detector has a magnitude less than a threshold, and to supply second power according to the second voltage to the function-performing device, when the magnetic field detected by the detector has a magnitude not less than a threshold.

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.

A low frequency micro oscillator-driven oscillating system including at least one electric oscillation generator operative to produce oscillations at a first frequency, at least one oscillated article, at least one intermediate element, having at least one resonant frequency lower than the first frequency, the at least one intermediate element being oscillated by the at least one electric oscillation generator and being operative to cause the at least one oscillated article to oscillate and a power supply circuit, supplying electrical power intermittently in a periodic manner to the at least one electric oscillation generator, thereby causing the at least one oscillated article to oscillate at at least one second frequency, lower than the first frequency.

An imaging system includes: an imaging sensor; a plurality of first band filters and a second band filter, the second band filter being configured to transmit narrowband light having a maximum value of a transmission spectrum outside a range of a wavelength band of light that passes through the first band filter; and a light source unit configured to radiate light having a projecting distribution in which at least one of an upper limit value and a lower limit value of a wavelength that are half a maximum value in a light spectrum of a light source is between an upper limit value and a lower limit value of a wavelength that are half the maximum value in the transmission spectrum of the second band filter. A color and a narrowband images are generated from a single image while the light source unit radiates the light.

Endoluminal robotic systems and corresponding methods include subsystems for visualization, navigation, pressure sensing, platform compatibility, and user interfaces. The user interfaces may be implemented by one or more of a console, haptics, image fusion, voice controls, remote support, and multi-system controls.

The invention relates a method (100) and a device (200) for analyzing a video sequence captured by Small Bowel (SB) Capsule Endoscopy (CE) devices, when placed in a patient's body during a SBCE video examination, the clinical setting of the patient being chosen from overt Obscure GastroIntestinal Bleeding (OGIB), occult OGIB, or suspected Crohn's Diseases (CD), by calculating a level of “clinical relevance” of the findings detected by the SBCE devices according to the chosen clinical setting, comprising: (a) collecting (110), by a memory, at least one video sequence captured during a SBCE video examination; (b) automatically detecting (120), by a processor, from the video sequence, at least one image comprising at least one abnormal finding in the Small Bowel detected among sixteen types of SB findings; (c) counting (130), by the processor, the abnormal detected findings; (d) classifying (140), by the processor the abnormal detected findings according to predetermined rules; and (e) outputting (150), by a display, the “clinical relevance” of each abnormal detected finding.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling lateral movement of a medical capsule system. A capsule housing is configured to be inserted into an anatomical structure of a patient. The multichannel tether is coupled to a rear of the capsule and includes at least one liquid exhaust channel conveying liquid to the capsule housing. The plurality of liquid exhaust ports are positioned around an outer circumference of the capsule housing and each configured to controllably expel liquid laterally from the capsule housing at varying rates to affect lateral movement of the capsule housing.

A capsule device and a method for the capsule device remain in a very low power state and monitor whether it enters a desired section of the gastrointestinal track. The capsule device is coated with an enteric material that is expected to dissolve after it enters the small bowel. In the monitoring state, the capsule device captures a first image using the camera and the light source at a first frame rate substantially below a target frame rate. The capsule device compares first information related to the first image with second information related to a coating image corresponding to the coating. If the first information does not matches the second information, the capsule device declares that the coating has dissolved and the capsule device configures the camera to capture third images at the target rate after declaring that the coating has dissolved.

An image processing apparatus includes a processor comprising hardware. The processor is configured to: acquire a movement amount of a capsule endoscope in a movement direction of the capsule endoscope, based on information transmitted from the capsule endoscope including an imaging sensor; and determine whether to associate a first image captured by the imaging sensor with a second image, which is captured by the imaging sensor and is captured at a time different from a time in which the imaging sensor captures the first image, based on an imaging distance of the imaging sensor in the movement direction, and the movement amount.

A method for detecting polyps in endoscopy images includes pruning a plurality of two dimensional digitized images received from an endoscopy apparatus to remove images that are unlikely to depict a polyp, where a plurality of candidate images remains that are likely to depict a polyp, pruning non-polyp pixels that are unlikely to be part of a polyp depiction from the candidate images, detecting polyp candidates in the pruned candidate images, extracting features from the polyp candidates, and performing a regression on the extracted features to determine whether the polyp candidate is likely to be an actual polyp.