Patents by Inventor Katsumi Hirakawa

Katsumi Hirakawa 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).

  • Publication number: 20090076325
    Abstract: To stably and properly monitor an inside of a body by using an easily operable placement technique, a capsule endoscope 101 to be swallowed from an oral cavity 200 to acquire in-vivo information of a subject 201 and to wirelessly output for a transmission of the in-vivo information to an outside of a body, a string member 103 that is connected to the capsule endoscope 101 for positioning the capsule endoscope 101 at a gastric cardia 202, and a fixing portion 104 that is a portion of the string member 103, is provided on a position with which a length from the capsule endoscope 101 corresponds to a length from the gastric cardia 202 to the inside of an esophageal region 203 for fixing the string member 103 that has located the capsule endoscope 101 at the gastric cardia 202 to the inside of the esophageal region 203 by an endoscopic fixture are included.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Takeshi Yokoi, Katsumi Hirakawa, Akio Uchiyama, Shinsuke Tanaka, Hironobu Takizawa, Manabu Fujita
  • Publication number: 20090043157
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes a display unit that displays images contained in a plurality of image groups inside a subject picked up by a plurality of imaging devices, and a control unit that extracts a related image related to a currently displayed image currently displayed in the display unit from the plurality of image groups to make the display unit display the related image extracted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Katsumi HIRAKAWA, Satomi KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20090027486
    Abstract: An image display apparatus 4 includes a control unit 15 having an image display controller 15a and an image processing controller 15b so that an imaging period where an image of interest is present can be recognized easily. The image display controller 15a displays a time bar 27 as a time scale indicating an imaging period of a series of intra-subject images; and a landmark button 29 as an appending unit that appends marker information indicating an image of interest to a main display image 23 displayed in a main display area 22. The image display controller 15a controls, based on the imaging time point of the image of interest appended with the marker information, to display a display area before the imaging point or a display area after the imaging point on the time bar 27 so as to be discriminable from other display areas on the time bar 27.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2006
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Inventors: Katsumi Hirakawa, Seiichiro Kimoto
  • Publication number: 20090018396
    Abstract: An already-existing and general-purpose capsule endoscope for alimentary canal is enabled to be used to monitor a body cavity by directly diverting the already-existing and general-purpose capsule endoscope to a body-cavity-indwelling capsule endoscope in a simple and secure manner. An indwelling device for an encapsulated medical device of the invention includes a latching portion 203 which fixes a capsule endoscope 300 and a retaining unit 202 which mounts and retains a capsule endoscope 300. Therefore, the capsule endoscope 300 and the latching portion 203 are integral with each other only by mounting and retaining the capsule endoscope 300 to and in the retaining unit 202, and then the capsule endoscope 300 can be placed along with the latching portion 203 by setting the latching portion 203 to a desired region in the body cavity to fix the latching portion 203 to a body cavity tissue by endoscopic treatment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventors: Hironobu Takizawa, Shinsuke Tanaka, Katsumi Hirakawa, Akio Uchiyama, Takeshi Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080300453
    Abstract: An intra-subject observation system includes a first liquid inserted into a desired organ of a subject; and a second liquid inserted into the organ without being mixed with the first liquid due to a specific gravity lighter than that of the first liquid. The system also includes a capsule medical apparatus inserted into the organ with an intermediate specific gravity between the specific gravity of the first liquid and that of the second liquid to acquire intra-subject information, which is output out of the subject by radio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Isao AOKI, Katsumi HIRAKAWA, Hironobu TAKIZAWA, Hidetake SEGAWA, Hironao KAWANO, Hideo ITO, Hideki SHIMONAKA
  • Publication number: 20080292150
    Abstract: An image display apparatus 4 includes a control unit 15 having an image display controller 15a and an image processing controller 15b to enable an easy recognition of a condition and the like of an imaging target with respect to respective image areas at each imaging point. The image display controller 15a controls to display a time scale indicating an imaging period of a series of intra-subject images, to divide a display area of each time point on the time scale so as to be associated with divided image areas, and to display average colors of divided image areas respectively in divided scale areas separated as a result of the division, the divided scale areas and the divided image areas being associated with each other, respectively. The image processing controller 15b obtains image data stored in the portable recording medium 5 or the storage unit 14 to output to an image processor 13, and controls various image processes on the output image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Inventor: Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20080212881
    Abstract: To reduce a display time of an image for which an observation is less required, and to effectively perform an observation of a series of images, the image display apparatus (1) includes an image processing controller (2a) that acquires an image from a storage unit (5), controls various image processes for the acquired image, and stores an image of a processing result in the storage unit (5), an image classification unit (2b) that calculates a correlation value between temporally continuous images and classifies each of the images into an image group based on the calculated correlation value, an image-of-interest detecting unit (2c) that detects a feature-image area including a predetermined feature from each of the images, and detects the feature image including the detected feature-image area as an image-of-interest, a representative-image extracting unit (2d) that extracts the image-of-interest and a first image in each of the image groups as a representative image and sets a display rate for each of the ex
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventor: Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20080172255
    Abstract: An image display apparatus 104 according to the present invention includes a DB 130 which stores patient information of a subject, a display unit 140 that displays a group of intra-subject images of the subject and patient information, an input unit 120 that inputs at least a part of the patient information of the subject, a control unit 150, and an I/F 160 that is communicatively connected to an external receiving device. The control unit 150 searches the DB 130 for patient information of a desired subject based on information input by the input unit 120, and displays the searched patient information on the display unit 140. The patient information is transferred to the external receiving device via the I/F 160, and registered in the external receiving device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2008
    Publication date: July 17, 2008
    Inventors: Katsumi HIRAKAWA, Seiichiro KIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20080167523
    Abstract: An indwelling apparatus (5) for holding a capsule endoscope (3) is arranged with a control device (57) including an optical sensor (73), a control board (66) configuring a controller and a reset circuit, a driver board (68) configuring an electromagnet driver, and an electromagnet (70), where when the optical sensor (73) detects the light, the controller performs the drive control of the electromagnet (70) at every constant time interval to turn ON the reed switch (14) and supply power to the capsule endoscope (3) thereby operating the capsule endoscope (3) only when observation is necessary, and thus the battery drain of the capsule endoscope is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2006
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Inventors: Akio Uchiyama, Hirobobu Takizawa, Shinsuke Tanaka, Katsumi Hirakawa, Takeshi Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080117291
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to continuously display a series of images of the inside of the subject until the intra-body indwelling capsule is placed at the desired site in the subject, and to easily place the intra-body indwelling capsule endoscope at the desired site. The intra-subject indwelling system 1 according to the present invention includes an endoscope device 14 for imaging a first image of the inside of the subject; an intra-body indwelling capsule 2, for imaging a second image of the inside of the subject; a monitor device 12 for receiving the second image; a receiving device 13, a monitor 11 for displaying the first image or the second image; and an image switching device 10. The intra-body indwelling capsule 2 is arranged at the distal end of the inserting unit 5, and the separation from the inserting unit 5 is detected and the separation detection result is transmitted. The receiving device 13 receives the separation detection result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2006
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Katsumi Hirakawa, Takeshi Yokoi, Akio Uchiyama, Shinsuke Tanaka, Hironobu Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20080068454
    Abstract: An image display apparatus according to the present invention includes an image processing controller which acquires an image from an image storage unit, controls various types of image processing on the acquired image, and stores a processed image in the image storage unit, a region detector which detects a feature image region having a predetermined feature from the image, a display mode setting unit which calculates the occupancy rate of the feature image region relative to the entire image region, and associates a predetermined image display mode with the image according to the calculated occupancy rate, and an image display controller which controls image display to sequentially display the series of images stored in the image storage unit based on the image display mode associated with each image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventor: Katsumi HIRAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20080039692
    Abstract: A device for displaying in vivo images picked up inside a subject in a time series. The device automatically detects lesion images contained in all in vivo images picked up over the time series. The device displays an elongated display area having a time scale assigned along a longitudinal direction thereof and an indicator which moves along the time scale to indicate a time position in the time scale which corresponds to a current in vivo image currently displayed in a main display area. In response to a detection of the lesion image, the device makes pixels located at a time position in the elongated display area which position corresponds to the lesion image to emit light in a predetermined pixel-display mode. The display mode of the indicator is controlled in response to information on a lesion that is possible to be contained in the current in vivo image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventor: Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20080024599
    Abstract: An image display apparatus that can shorten time for observing a series of images of an interior of a subject without hampering observation of a desired region of interest is provided. The image display apparatus according to the present invention is an image display apparatus for displaying the series of images of the interior of the subject picked up at time series, including an image extracting unit 15a that extracts images each having a feature of a desired region in the interior of the subject and that identifies the extracted images as images of the desired region among the series of images, and a frame rate controller 15b that sets a display frame rate for the identified images of the desired region to be different from a display frame rate for images of regions other than the desired region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventor: Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20070268280
    Abstract: To provide an image display apparatus that can easily estimate an imaging position of a selected image from a display screen. An image display apparatus according to the present invention includes a display unit that displays a series of images taken by imaging a desired subject in time series and a control unit. The control unit causes the display unit to display a time bar attached with a time scale indicating an imaging period of the series of images and to display an index indicating a position on the time scale corresponding to an imaging time of a desired image selected from the series of images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventors: Manabu Fujita, Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20070221233
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to actively control at least one of the position and direction of the imaging field in a subject and to observe a desired observed region in the subject certainly in a short period of time. A body-insertable device system according to the present invention includes a capsule endoscope 1 introduced into a subject and a permanent magnet 3. An imaging unit of the capsule endoscope 1 for taking an image inside the subject is fixed in a casing. The capsule endoscope 1 includes a drive unit for changing at least one of the position and posture of the casing in the liquid 2a which is also introduced in the subject 100. The permanent magnet 3 controls the operation of the drive unit for changing at least one of the position and posture of the casing in the liquid 2a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hironao Kawano, Hironobu Takizawa, Hidetake Segawa, Isao Aoki, Katsumi Hirakawa, Satomi Kobayashi, Hideo Ito
  • Publication number: 20070195165
    Abstract: To reduce a display time of an image for which an observation is less required, and to effectively perform an observation of a series of images, the image display apparatus (1) includes an image processing controller (2a) that acquires an image from a storage unit (5), controls various image processes for the acquired image, and stores an image of a processing result in the storage unit (5), an image classification unit (2b) that calculates a correlation value between temporally continuous images and classifies each of the images into an image group based on the calculated correlation value, an image-of-interest detecting unit (2c) that detects a feature-image area including a predetermined feature from each of the images, and detects the feature image including the detected feature-image area as an image-of-interest, a representative-image extractor (2d) that extracts the image-of-interest and a first image in each of the image groups as a representative image and sets a display rate for each of the extracte
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventor: Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20070173714
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to alleviate an image diagnosing work in a work station or the like. In a viewer 7 for displaying, on a display unit 11, image data based on a radio signal transmitted from a capsule endoscope to be inserted into a subject, an image processing circuit 35 processes image data received from a receiving apparatus 5 via an interface 34, so as to produce an image processing result of the image data, and further, a control unit 38 displays the image and the image processing result on the display unit 11 in real time, so as to enable a body-cavity image to be observed with reference to the image processing result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2006
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Inventor: Katsumi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20070167743
    Abstract: An intra-subject position detection system includes a subject insertable device introduced into a subject, moving through the subject; and including a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetostatic field. The system also includes a position detecting device arranged outside the subject and obtaining position information of the subject insertable device inside the subject. The position detecting device also includes a magnetic field detector that is arranged on the subject at a time of use and detects a strength of the magnetostatic field output from the magnetic field generator; a reference sensor that derives a position of the magnetic field detector relative to a reference position on the subject; and a position deriving unit that derives a position of the subject insertable device inside the subject based on the magnetic field strength and the position of the magnetic field detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Takemitsu Honda, Katsumi Hirakawa, Seiichiro Kimoto, Ayako Nagase, Katsuyoshi Sasagawa, Katsuya Suzuki, Kazutaka Nakatsuchi
  • Publication number: 20070049818
    Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus is inserted into a subject body and travels through the subject body and includes a magnetic field generator that generates a constant magnetic field; a covering member that covers the magnetic field generator and that is made of a biocompatible material; and a container that houses and seals the magnetic field generator covered by the covering member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Inventors: Katsumi Hirakawa, Seiichiro Kimoto, Ayako Nagase, Katsuyoshi Sasagawa, Katsuya Suzuki, Takemitsu Honda, Kazutaka Nakatsuchi
  • Publication number: 20070002038
    Abstract: An intra-subject position display system for displaying a position of an intra-subject device, which is introduced into a subject and moves therein, wherein a relative position of the intra-subject device to an outer surface of the subject is detected and displayed. The position of the intra-subject device is displayed in a relation with the outer surface of the subject. Thereby, it is possible to easily determine in which site of the subject the intra-subject device exists. The present invention is effective to recognize a position of, for example, a capsule type endoscope or a test capsule therefor in the subject (e.g., a human body). To recognize the outer surface of the subject, for example, a plurality of radio devices are arranged on the outer surface of the subject and their radio signals are analyzed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuya Suzuki, Katsuyoshi Sasagawa, Takemitsu Honda, Katsumi Hirakawa, Seiichiro Kimoto, Ayako Nagase, Kazutaka Nakatsuchi