Patents by Inventor Tetsuo Minai
Tetsuo Minai 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).
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Patent number: 7536217Abstract: A system is for detecting a position of a device. The device is swallowed, passes through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field. The system also includes a position transducer including a magnetic detector and a position processor. The magnetic detector is disposed at a fixed relative position to the subject, and detects an intensity of a constant magnetic field output from the magnetic field generator. The position processor calculates a position of the device in the subject based on the intensity detected by the magnetic field intensity detector.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2004Date of Patent: May 19, 2009Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu
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Patent number: 7523756Abstract: A system is for detecting a position of a device. The device is swallowed, passes through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field. The system also includes a position transducer. The position transducer includes a magnetic detector detecting an intensity of a magnetic field component parallel to a constant magnetic field output from the magnetic field generator, and a position processor calculating a position of the device in the subject based on the intensity detected by the magnetic detector.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2004Date of Patent: April 28, 2009Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu
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Patent number: 7509158Abstract: A system includes a device that is swallowed, passed through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field; and a position transducer. The position transducer includes a plurality of magnetic detectors detecting intensities of a magnetic filed, first and second fixing units that fix at least one magnetic detector to the subject, respectively, a position fluctuation detector that detects a fluctuation of positional relation between the first fixing unit and the second fixing unit, a coordinate calibrating unit that calibrates position coordinate of the magnetic detector based on a detection result by the position fluctuation detector. The system also includes a position processor that calculates a position of the device in the subject based on an intensity of the constant magnetic field detected by the magnetic detector and the position coordinate of the magnetic detector after calibration by the coordinate calibrating unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2004Date of Patent: March 24, 2009Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu
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Publication number: 20080306358Abstract: A receiving apparatus 3 which is an element of a body insertable system is configured with a reciving unit 6 including receiving antennas 8a to 8d and a reception processing device 9, and a postion detecting unit 7 including transmitting antennas 10a to 10d, a first linear magnetic field generator 11a, a second linear magnetic field generator 11b, a diffusr magnetic field generator 12, and a processing device 13, and the receiving unit 6 and the postion detecting unit 7 are formed seperately and independently of each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2005Publication date: December 11, 2008Inventor: Tetsuo Minai
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Publication number: 20080278970Abstract: An in-body information acquiring apparatus includes a function executing unit that realizes a predetermined function inside a body of a patient. A power-supply circuit includes a power unit that includes a cell and that outputs a first current and a first voltage; and a converter that converts the first current to a second current, which is a current required to operate the function executing unit for a predetermined time, and converts the first voltage to a second voltage, which is a voltage required to operate the function executing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2008Publication date: November 13, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Takemitsu Honda, Toshiaki Shigemori, Seiichiro Kimoto, Ayako Nagase, Katsuyoshi Sasagawa, Hatsuo Shimizu, Tetsuo Minai, Tsutomu Nakamura, Hiroshi Suzushima, Noriyuki Fujimori, Tatsuya Orihara, Katsuya Suzuki, Masayuki Hashimoto, Kazutaka Nakatsuchi
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Publication number: 20080262303Abstract: A system is for detecting a position of a device. The device is swallowed, passes through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field. The system also includes a position transducer. The position transducer includes a magnetic detector detecting an intensity of a magnetic field component parallel to a constant magnetic field output from the magnetic field generator, and a position processor calculating a position of the device in the subject based on the intensity detected by the magnetic detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 15, 2008Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu
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Publication number: 20080200760Abstract: To realize a technique for calculating a positional relationship between a target coordinate axis fixed with respect to a detection target and a reference coordinate axis defined independently of motion and the like of the detection target, a first and a second linear magnetic fields in known directions on the reference coordinate axis are generated and a direction of the first and the second linear magnetic fields on the target coordinate axis are detected by a magnetic field sensor installed in an capsule endoscope (2), which is the detection target. By comparing the directions, which are detected by the magnetic field sensor, of the first and the second linear magnetic fields on the target coordinate axis and the known directions of the first and the second linear magnetic fields on the reference coordinate axis, a deviation of the direction of the target coordinate axis with respect to the reference coordinate axis is detected.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 23, 2005Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Akira Matsui
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Patent number: 7398117Abstract: A system includes a device that is swallowed, passes through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field; and a position transducer. The position transducer includes a magnetic detector detecting a magnetic filed, a magnetic field extractor extracting the constant magnetic field output from the magnetic field generator by removing a noise magnetic field component from the magnetic field detected by the magnetic detector, and a position processor calculating a position of the device in the subject based on an intensity of the constant magnetic field extracted by the magnetic field extractor.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2004Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu
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Publication number: 20080125623Abstract: A capsule type endoscope which is introduced into a subject to acquire subject internal information and transmits the acquired subject internal information to the outside through the subject has a plurality of electrodes arranged on an outer peripheral surface thereof. An electrode selecting section selects two electrodes with a small transmission power loss from the plurality of electrodes as transmitting electrodes that are utilized to transmit the subject internal information. A transmitting section uses the two transmitting electrodes selected by the electrode selecting section to transmit the subject internal information to the outside of the subject.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2007Publication date: May 29, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki Tamura, Tetsuo Minai, Jin Ohara
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Publication number: 20080119692Abstract: The capsule medical apparatus of the present invention including an information acquisition section that acquires information on the inside of a test subject comprises a plurality of communication electrodes that are disposed on the surface of the capsule medical apparatus and capable of communication for outputting the information acquired by the information acquisition section to the outside of the test subject, a signal conversion section that converts an electric signal outputted according to the information acquired by the information acquisition section into electrode drive signals for driving the communication electrodes by inducing a potential difference therebetween, a signal output switching section that switches between output states of the electrode drive signals, and a signal switching control section that controls the signal output switching section based on the output state of the electric signal to stop outputting the electrode drive signals during the period in which the electric signal is noType: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2007Publication date: May 22, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuo MINAI, Kazuaki TAMURA, Jin OHARA
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Publication number: 20080108865Abstract: A capsule type endoscope that is introduced into a subject, acquires information of the inside of the subject, and transmits the information of the inside of the subject to the outside of the subject has a plurality of transmitting electrodes arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the capsule type endoscope to transmit the information of the inside of the subject to the outside of the subject. A static protecting section is connected with the plurality of transmitting electrodes and limits a voltage that is generated in the transmitting electrodes due to static electricity that is equal to or higher than a threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2007Publication date: May 8, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki TAMURA, Tetsuo MINAI, Jin OHARA
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Publication number: 20080103356Abstract: The capsule medical apparatus of the present invention is disposed in a test subject and acquires information on the inside of the test subject. The capsule medical apparatus comprises a plurality of communication electrodes that are disposed on the surface of the capsule medical apparatus and capable of communication for outputting the information acquired by the capsule medical apparatus to the outside of the test subject, a judgment section that judges whether or not the plurality of communication electrodes can perform the communication based on the state of the plurality of communication electrodes, and a control section that suspends, based on the judgment result obtained in the judgment section, the operations of at least part of various sections of the capsule medical apparatus when the plurality of communication electrodes cannot perform the communication.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2007Publication date: May 1, 2008Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Kazuaki Tamura, Jin Ohara
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Patent number: 7316647Abstract: In a capsule endoscope illuminating units are disposed around an image capturing unit in such a manner that an optical axis of the illuminating units do not intersect with an optical axis of the observation unit, and illumination areas of the illuminating units overlap at substantially a central portion of an image capturing area of the image capturing unit.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2004Date of Patent: January 8, 2008Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Seiichiro Kimoto, Noriyuki Fujimori, Hiroshi Suzushima, Toshiaki Shigemori, Tsutomu Nakamura, Ayako Nagase, Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu, Takemitsu Honda, Katsuyoshi Sasagawa, Katsuya Suzuki, Masayuki Hashimoto, Tatsuya Orihara, Kazutaka Nakatsuchi
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Publication number: 20070260139Abstract: A processing device 12 includes, as a mechanism for controlling the strength of a position detecting magnetic field, a recording unit 43 that records past position detection results, a moving speed calculator 48 that calculates moving speed of a capsule endoscope 2 based on a change of the position of the capsule endoscope 2, a range calculator 49 that calculates a range in which the capsule endoscope 2 is positioned based on the calculated moving speed and the past positions of the capsule endoscope 2, and a magnetic-field strength controller 50 that controls the strength of the magnetic field generated by the second linear magnetic-field generating unit 10 and the diffuse magnetic-field generating unit 11 based on the calculated range.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2005Publication date: November 8, 2007Inventors: Tetsuo Minai, Takeshi Mori
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Publication number: 20070255087Abstract: A position detecting apparatus 3 includes receiving antennas 7a to 7d to receive a radio signal, transmitting antennas 8a to 8d to transmit a radio signal for power supply to a capsule endoscope 2, a first linear magnetic field generator 9 that generates a first linear magnetic field, a second linear magnetic field generator 10 that generates a second linear magnetic field, a diffuse magnetic field generator 11 that generates a diffuse magnetic field, a processing device 12 that performs a predetermined process on the radio signal received through the receiving antennas 7a to 7d, and a magnetic field sensor 13 that functions as a body-size information detector. The magnetic field sensor 13 has a function of detecting magnetic field strength at an arranged position as body-size information, and the processing device 12 has a function of controlling the first linear magnetic field generator 9 and the like based on the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field sensor 13.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2005Publication date: November 1, 2007Inventor: Tetsuo Minai
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Publication number: 20070238988Abstract: A receiving apparatus 3 which is an element of a body insertable system is configured with a receiving unit 6 including receiving antennas 8a to 8d and a reception processing device 9, and a position detecting unit 7 including transmitting antennas 10a to 10d, a first linear magnetic field generator 11a, a second linear magnetic field generator 11b, a diffuse magnetic field generator 12, and a processing device 13, and the receiving unit 6 and the position detecting unit 7 are formed separately and independently of each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2007Publication date: October 11, 2007Inventor: Tetsuo Minai
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Publication number: 20070238987Abstract: A position detecting apparatus includes a linear magnetic-field generator that generates a linear magnetic field in an area inside the subject; a diffuse magnetic-field generator that generates a diffuse magnetic field having position dependency on magnetic field direction in the area; a magnetic-field line orientation database in which a correspondence between magnetic field direction and position of the diffuse magnetic field in a reference coordinate axis is recorded; an orientation calculator that calculates orientation information of a body-insertable device introduced into a subject in the reference coordinate axis based on linear magnetic-field information and the earth magnetism direction; and a position calculator that calculates a magnetic field direction of the diffuse magnetic field at the position of the body-insertable device based on the linear magnetic-field information, orientation information, and diffuse magnetic-field information, and calculates the position of the body-insertable device bType: ApplicationFiled: March 27, 2007Publication date: October 11, 2007Applicant: Olympus CorporationInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Takeshi Mori
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Publication number: 20070032697Abstract: A power supply apparatus supplies power to a body-insertable apparatus from outside a subject. The body-insertable apparatus is introduced into the subject and obtains intra-subject information. The power supply apparatus includes a first electric cable which is wound around a circumferential surface of a garment and forms a coil, the garment covering the subject, the coil having a non-directionality at a time of power supply; and a power supply unit which supplies power to the body-insertable apparatus in a contactless manner through the coil.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2006Publication date: February 8, 2007Inventors: Hatsuo Shimizu, Takemitsu Honda, Tetsuo Minai, Kazutaka Nakatsuchi
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Publication number: 20050143642Abstract: A system includes a device that is swallowed, passes through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field; and a position transducer. The position transducer includes a magnetic detector detecting a magnetic filed, a magnetic field extractor extracting the constant magnetic field output from the magnetic field generator by removing a noise magnetic field component from the magnetic field detected by the magnetic detector, and a position processor calculating a position of the device in the subject based on an intensity of the constant magnetic field extracted by the magnetic field extractor.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2004Publication date: June 30, 2005Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu
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Publication number: 20050139222Abstract: A system is for detecting a position of a device. The device is swallowed, passes through a subject, and includes a magnetic field generator generating a constant magnetic field. The system also includes a position transducer. The position transducer includes a magnetic detector detecting an intensity of a magnetic field component parallel to a constant magnetic field output from the magnetic field generator, and a position processor calculating a position of the device in the subject based on the intensity detected by the magnetic detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2004Publication date: June 30, 2005Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuo Minai, Hatsuo Shimizu