Method and apparatus for leveraging residue energy of capsule endoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11612303-B2
Application number	US-202117383165-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2021
Priority date	Jul 22, 2021
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

Method for leveraging battery residue energy and a capsule endoscope using the method are disclosed. The capsule endoscope is capable of performing one or more functions at a first throughput or a first peak current when the battery has sufficient energy. According to this method, whether the battery energy is sufficient is determined. Upon determining the battery energy being insufficient, at least one function of the one or more functions is performed at a second throughput lower than the first throughput, or at least one function of the one or more functions is switched to another function requiring a second peak current lower than the first peak current.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of leveraging battery energy for a capsule endoscope powered by a battery, wherein one or more functions are performed by the capsule endoscope a first peak current when the battery has sufficient energy, the method comprising:
determining whether the battery energy is sufficient; and
upon determining the battery energy being insufficient switching at least one function of said one or more functions to another function, and wherein said another function requires a second peak current; and
wherein the second peak current is such that (the second peak current×battery internal resistance) is sufficiently low, but said another functions is still operating.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining whether the battery energy is sufficient corresponds to determining whether power-on reset is triggered, and wherein the battery energy is determined to be insufficient if said at least one function of said one or more functions has been performed for a period of time and the power-on reset is triggered.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more low-voltage functions continue to operate or are activated to operate when the battery energy is insufficient, and wherein said one or more low-voltage functions are capable of operating at a lower voltage.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a voltage regulator is used to provide the lower voltage.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the voltage regulator corresponds to a switching regulator.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second peak current is achieved by lower analog circuit current setting for the capsule endoscope.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said switching at least one function of said one or more functions to another function is achieved by using a power switch to turn off said at least one function of said one or more functions and to turn on said another function.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprises detecting whether the capsule endoscope has been excreted from a human body when the battery energy is still sufficient, and enabling a wireless function at a consumer band for the capsule endoscope to transmit images stored on-board to an external device upon detecting the capsule endoscope being excreted.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said detecting whether the capsule endoscope has been excreted from the human body comprises detecting pixels of an image having substantial intensity with very low lighting or no lighting output from lighting sources of the capsule endoscope, and wherein the image is captured using a camera of the capsule endoscope.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said detecting pixels of an image is based on a subset of pixels less than all pixels of camera sensor array of the capsule endoscope.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the subset of pixels spreads across a substantial area of the camera sensor array of the capsule endoscope.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein a temperature is also used for aid detecting whether the capsule endoscope has been excreted from the human body.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the external device corresponds to a specially designed wireless device or a mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the special designed wireless device or the mobile phone further transmits the images to a PC, or LAN (Local Area Network), or to a destination through a cloud network or other internet media.

15. A method of leveraging battery energy for a capsule endoscope powered by a battery, wherein one or more functions are performed by the capsule endoscope at a first peak current when the battery has sufficient energy, the method comprising:
determining whether the battery energy is sufficient; and
upon determining the battery energy being insufficient, switching at least one function of said one or more functions to another function, and wherein said another function requires a second peak current; and
wherein said switching at least one function of said one or more functions to another function corresponds to switching a camera function to a wireless function, and wherein the capsule endoscope is switched into a wait or sleep mode prior to the wireless function if the capsule endoscope has not been excreted from a human body.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the capsule endoscope is waked up from the sleep mode and starts the wireless function upon detection of capsule excretion.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein when capsule excretion is detected, the wireless function is initiated either in active communication or by waken-up from a sleep mode by an external device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the camera function is disabled, or switched off, or partially working.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the capsule endoscope is waken up from the sleep mode using a wake-up circuit, and wherein the wake-up circuit uses an event or a combination of events to detect excretion of the capsule endoscope and detected excretion signal is communicated to the capsule endoscope through another wireless device by a user.

20. A method of leveraging battery energy for a capsule endoscope powered by a battery, wherein one or more functions are performed by the capsule endoscope at a first peak current when the battery has sufficient energy, the method comprising:
determining whether the battery energy is sufficient; and
upon determining the battery energy being insufficient, switching at least one function of said one or more functions to another function, and wherein said another function requires a second peak current; and
wherein said switching at least one function of said one or more functions to another function corresponds to switching a camera function to an excretion detection function; and

wherein the excretion detection function is further switched to a wireless function to transmit images stored on-board upon capsule excretion detected.

21. A capsule endoscope, comprising:
a pixel array being responsive to light energy received by the pixel array;
one or more LED light sources to illuminate a scene for the pixel array;
one or more circuits coupled to the pixel array and the LED light source; and
a battery to supply electrical power to the pixel array, the LED light source and said one or more circuits;
an on-board memory to store images captured via the pixel array;
a wireless module with an antenna capable of transmitting the images stored on on-board memory; and
a housing adapted to be swallowed, wherein the battery, the pixel array, said one or more LED light sources, said one or more circuits, the on-board memory and the wireless module with the antenna are enclosed in the housing;
wherein said one or more circuits, the pixel array, said one or more LED light sources, the on-board memory and the wireless module with the antenna are capable of performing one or more functions at a first throughput or a first peak current when the battery has sufficient battery energy; and
wherein said one or more circuits, the pixel array and the LED light source are configured to:
determine whether the battery energy is sufficient; and
upon determining the battery energy being insufficient, switch at least one function of said one or more functions to another function, requiring a second peak current; and
wherein the second peak current is such that (the second peak current×battery internal resistance) is sufficiently low, but said another functions is still operating.

Assignees

• Capsovision Inc
• Capso Vision Inc

Inventors

• Wang Kang-Huai
• Hadley Mark
• Lin Chang-Wei
• Chow Kam Wing
• Huynh Hai

Classifications

• H04N23/60

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• A61B1/00032

  internally powered · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• A61B1/00036

  Means for power saving, e.g. sleeping mode · CPC title