Patents by Inventor Hironao Kawano

Hironao Kawano has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8049503
    Abstract: A system includes a body-insertable apparatus disposed while introduced in a subject in a detection space, and an external apparatus disposed on the outside of the subject. The body-insertable apparatus includes a first switch for connecting/interrupting a resonance circuit and an oscillation circuit or a ground line. The external apparatus includes a drive coil driving unit for outputting a drive signal having the resonance frequency; a drive coil for generating the drive magnetic field in the detection space in accordance with the drive signal; and a second switch for connecting/interrupting the drive coil driving unit and the drive coil. The second switch connects the drive coil driving unit and the drive coil when the first switch is off, and disconnects them when the first switch is on. The resonance circuit generates the resonance magnetic field in accordance with the induction signal or the drive magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Atsushi Kimura, Atsushi Chiba, Ryoji Sato, Hironao Kawano
  • Patent number: 8038600
    Abstract: A medical system includes: a medical device to be inserted into the body cavity; a rotating device for the medical device for rotating the medical device around the insertion axis; an image pickup device provided to the medical device; and an image capturing timing detection device for detecting a signal regarding image capturing timing performed by the image pickup device. Furthermore, the medical system includes: a rotating angle acquisition device for acquiring the rotating angle of the rotating device for the medical device regarding the image capturing timing in response to the output of the image capturing timing detection device; and an image acquisition device for performing rotation processing for the image captured by the image pickup device based upon the information regarding the rotating angle acquired by the rotating angle acquisition device, thereby acquiring the image subjected to a rotation processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Uchiyama, Isao Aoki, Shinsuke Tanaka, Hironobu Takizawa, Hironao Kawano
  • Patent number: 8038646
    Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus which can make the volume smaller by simplifying a mechanism taking in or throwing out predetermined fluid is realized. The body-insertable apparatus has a configuration having, in a housing, a balloon member, a communication adjusting mechanism, a control circuit, and a power source part and forms a storage chamber by the balloon member and an outer circumferential member (sheet holding substrate and part of the housing) covering the outer surface of the balloon member. In the body-insertable apparatus, a first communication pipe communicated with the inner space of the balloon member and a second communication pipe communicated with the outer space are formed. The communication adjusting mechanism communicates the first communication pipe with the second communication pipe based on an electric current output from the control circuit. The inner space of the balloon member is communicated with the outside of the body-insertable apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Hironao Kawano
  • Patent number: 8021357
    Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus including a balloon for storing a medical fluid in a capsule-like casing, and an injection needle including an elastic membrane. The body-insertable apparatus discharges the medical fluid due to contraction of the balloon, applies a discharge pressure of the medical fluid to the elastic membrane to expand the elastic membrane, and projects the injection needle from the casing due to the expansion of the elastic membrane. Further, the body-insertable apparatus has a channel forming unit for forming a channel connecting to the balloon and a channel connecting to the injection needle, and a communication adjusting mechanism. The communication adjusting mechanism adjusts a communicated state between the channels and, thereby controlling the start of medical-fluid discharge operation by the balloon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Shinsuke Tanaka, Hironao Kawano, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Patent number: 8021356
    Abstract: This capsule medication administration system includes: a capsule type medical device which includes a drug retention section, a drug release section which releases a drug which is retained in the drug retention section, and a communication section which sends and receives signal between the outside; an external device which includes an external communication section which sends and receives signal between the capsule type medical device; a condition input section which inputs conditions for operating the drug release section to the external device; an information acquisition section which acquires information for comparison with conditions which have been inputted by the condition input section; and a comparison section which compares together the information which has been acquired by the information acquisition section and the conditions which have been inputted with the condition input section; and the drug release section is controlled based upon the result of comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Uchiyama, Hironobu Takizawa, Hidetake Segawa, Hironao Kawano
  • Publication number: 20110196202
    Abstract: A capsule guiding system includes: a capsule medical device that is introduced into a subject and takes an in-vivo image in the subject; a capsule guiding unit that guides the capsule medical device; an image acquisition unit that acquires the in-vivo image of the subject from the capsule medical device; a display unit that displays the in-vivo image of the subject acquired by the image acquisition unit; a storage unit that sequentially stores guidance information of the capsule guiding unit that guides the capsule medical device; an input unit that inputs instruction information to instruct backward moving of the capsule medical device; and a control unit that controls, when the instruction information is input, the capsule guiding unit such that the capsule medical device backwardly moves on a trajectory based on the guidance information of the capsule guiding unit stored in the storage unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicants: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP., SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Atsushi KIMURA, Hironobu TAKIZAWA, Hironao KAWANO, Rainer KUTH
  • Patent number: 7960683
    Abstract: An observation apparatus includes a light radiating unit that radiates a plurality of element lights, each of which has a limited wavelength band, to an observation target; a light detecting unit that detects the plurality of element lights reflected by the observation target in a plurality of patterns by changing a weight for each of the element lights; and a processing unit that performs a procedure of separating a component of each of the element lights from a plurality of detection results of the light detecting unit based on the weight for each of the element lights of the light detecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Ryoji Sato, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Patent number: 7918786
    Abstract: This capsule type medical device system includes: a position detection device 4 which detects the position within the living body of a capsule type medical device 2 which can be ingested to within the living body; an electrode 5 which is provided in the vicinity of the outer surface of the capsule type medical device 2, and which applies an electrical stimulus to living body tissue; and a control device 6 which controls the electric current which flows to the electrode 5; and the control device 6 controls the electric current which flows to the electrode 5 based upon positional information which is detected by the position detection device 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Hironobu Takizawa, Takeshi Yokoi, Masatoshi Homan, Akio Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 7904137
    Abstract: The present invention realizes a medical device guidance system capable of improving propulsion control characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Uchiyama, Hironao Kawano, Kenichi Arai, Kazushi Ishiyama, Masahiko Sendoh
  • Publication number: 20110046443
    Abstract: In a method and system for guiding a capsule endoscope, the capsule endoscope contains a rotation sensor that measures a rotary position of the endoscope capsule about at least one fixed capsule axis. A control unit calculates a rotary position of the endoscope capsule from a mechanical movement model, measures the rotary position of the endoscope capsule by means of the rotation sensor, compares the measured rotary position with a rotary position calculated for an essentially identical point in time, and adapts the mechanical movement model on the basis of the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Johannes Reinschke, Akio Uchiyama
  • Publication number: 20110012594
    Abstract: A system includes a body-insertable apparatus disposed while introduced in a subject in a detection space, and an external apparatus disposed on the outside of the subject. The body-insertable apparatus includes a first switch for connecting/interrupting a resonance circuit and an oscillation circuit or a ground line. The external apparatus includes a drive coil driving unit for outputting a drive signal having the resonance frequency; a drive coil for generating the drive magnetic field in the detection space in accordance with the drive signal; and a second switch for connecting/interrupting the drive coil driving unit and the drive coil. The second switch connects the drive coil driving unit and the drive coil when the first switch is off, and disconnects them when the first switch is on. The resonance circuit generates the resonance magnetic field in accordance with the induction signal or the drive magnetic field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Atsushi KIMURA, Atsushi CHIBA, Ryoji SATO, Hironao KAWANO
  • Publication number: 20110009697
    Abstract: A guiding system includes a capsule-type apparatus and a position controlling apparatus. The capsule-type apparatus includes a permanent magnet, which is fixed to a capsule-shaped casing, and is introduced into a subject. The position controlling apparatus includes a relative position controlling mechanism that changes a relative position between a predetermined axis and the subject, and a magnetic field generating mechanism that forms, in a space in which the subject is laid, a magnetic field that includes at least one of a component of a trapping magnetic field that attracts the permanent magnet to the predetermined axis and a component of a gradient magnetic field that attracts the permanent magnet in a direction same as or opposite to a direction in which the relative position is changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Hironao KAWANO, Atsushi CHIBA
  • Publication number: 20100312077
    Abstract: A capsule propulsion device has: at least one acoustic streaming generator for generating acoustic streaming as a flow of the a medium in a space; a control unit for driving and controlling the acoustic streaming generator; and a distance obtaining unit for obtaining an object distance between the acoustic streaming generator and an object existing in the space. The control unit drives and controls the acoustic streaming generator on the basis of the distance information obtained by the distance obtaining unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Masaki Takahashi, Hironao Kawano, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20100307517
    Abstract: A medical device control system improves an inducing stability and operability of a medical device having its direction controlled with magnetism, which is used for the inspection or treatment in a subject's body. The control system is formed of a medical device including an insertion member inserted into the subject's body, and a magnetic field response portion disposed within the insertion member for generating torque in response to the magnetic field applied from outside the subject's body, a direction detection unit that detects an insertion direction of the insertion member, a user interface through which the information with respect to the control of the insertion direction is input and output, a magnetic field generation portion that generates a magnetic field that directs the insertion member to a control direction, and a user interface control unit that controls the user interface based on a discordance between the control direction and the insertion direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Akio Uchiyama, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Patent number: 7841981
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is that the examiner easily picks up a series of images over a desired region in a desired digestive tract without such troublesome examination work that the examiner successively knows the imaging field to the inside of the digestive tract. A body-insertable device system of the invention includes a capsule endoscope 1, a permanent magnet 3, and a position display sheet 2. In the capsule endoscope 1, a imaging unit for picking up the images of the insides of an subject 100, and a magnet are contained in a casing. The capsule endoscope sends a radio signal containing information of the images of the insides of the subject 100 to outside the capsule endoscope. The permanent magnet 3 generates a magnetic field for application to the capsule endoscope 1 in liquid Lq1 having been introduced into the subject 100 and changes at least one of a position and a posture of the capsule endoscope 1 by the magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20100286668
    Abstract: A capsule medical apparatus includes a living tissue drawing portion in which a space for drawing the living tissue into a body of the capsule medical apparatus is formed; a movable unit that includes an engaging unit, which can be engaged with the living tissue of the subject, and that moves on a surface of the body of the capsule medical apparatus and in the living tissue drawing portion; an injection needle that has an ejection port for a drug and that protrudes such that the ejection port is positioned in the living tissue drawing portion; and an injection needle driver that drives the injection needle such that the injection needle protrudes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Shinsuke TANAKA, Hironao KAWANO, Hironobu TAKIZAWA, Miho KATAYAMA, Keita SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 7798958
    Abstract: A medical device control system improves an inducing stability and operability of a medical device having its direction controlled with magnetism, which is used for the inspection or treatment in a subject's body. The control system is formed of a medical device including an insertion member inserted into the subject's body, and a magnetic field response portion disposed within the insertion member for generating torque in response to the magnetic field applied from outside the subject's body, a direction detection unit that detects an insertion direction of the insertion member, a user interface through which the information with respect to the control of the insertion direction is input and output, a magnetic field generation portion that generates a magnetic field that directs the insertion member to a control direction, and a user interface control unit that controls the user interface based on a discordance between the control direction and the insertion direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Akio Uchiyama, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20100198008
    Abstract: An in-vivo observing system for observing inside of a subject includes an illuminating unit configured to illuminate inside of the subject by illumination light; an imaging unit configured to sequentially capture in-vivo images of the subject illuminated by the illumination light; a direction change unit configured to change an image capturing direction of the imaging unit; and a control unit configured to control the direction change unit to set an angular difference in the imaging capturing direction less than an angle of view of the imaging unit when the imaging unit captures two continuous in-vivo images while causing the direction change unit to change the image capturing direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventor: Hironao KAWANO
  • Publication number: 20100179381
    Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus system has a body insertable apparatus that is inserted into a subject and a control apparatus. The body-insertable apparatus includes a magnetic responding unit that is provided within a casing forming the body-insertable apparatus and has a magnetization direction; and a needle that is protruded and retracted with respect to a surface of the casing. The control apparatus includes a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetic field; and a control unit that causes the magnetic field generator to generate a magnetic field for changing an orientation of the magnetic responding unit based on the magnetization direction of the magnetic responding unit in the body-insertable apparatus, a position of the needle in the body-insertable apparatus, and a distal end direction of the needle, thereby changing an orientation of the entire body-insertable apparatus to enable the protruded needle to puncture a puncture target layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Hironao KAWANO, Shinsuke TANAKA, Akio UCHIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20100174142
    Abstract: The present invention realizes a medical device guidance system capable of improving propulsion control characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Uchiyama, Hironao Kawano, Kenichi Arai, Kazushi Ishiyama, Masahiko Sendoh