1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capsule-type medical apparatus such as a swallowing type capsule-type endoscope which is introduced into a test subject to collect information on inside of the test subject, particularly to a capsule-type medical apparatus which holds high liquid-tightness, a medical capsule housing which constitutes an exterior package of a medical capsule for performing observation, diagnostic examination or treatment in the test subject, and a production method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a capsule-type endoscope into which an imaging function and a wireless transmission function are incorporated emerges in the field of an endoscope. After a subject which is of the test subject swallows the capsule-type endoscope in order to perform the observation (diagnostic examination), the capsule-type endoscope passes through insides (body cavity) of the organs such as the stomach and the small intestine by vermicular movements of alimentary canals, and the capsule-type endoscope sequentially takes images with the imaging function during an observation period until the capsule-type endoscope is naturally discharged to the outside of the subject.
The capsule-type endoscope travels through inside the organs during the observation period, and picks up images of the inside of the body cavity as image data. The image data is sequentially transmitted to an external device provided outside the test subject by wireless transmission function such as a wireless communication, and stored in a memory in the external device. The subject carries the external device having the wireless transmission function and the memory function. The subject can move freely after swallowing the capsule-type endoscope until discharging the capsule-type endoscope, i.e., during the observation period. After the observation, a doctor or a nurse makes a diagnosis by displaying the images inside the body cavity on a display unit such as a monitor device based on the image data stored in a memory of an external device.
Some of the above-described capsule-type endoscopes are configured as swallowing-type capsule-type endoscopes, for example, as shown in JP-A No. 2001-91860 (KOKAI) in order to execute the above functions. The capsule-type endoscope proposed in JP-A No. 2001-91860 (KOKAI) includes function executing units inside. The function executing units are, for example, an illumination unit such as a light emitting diode (LED), a solid-state imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), a drive circuit for the illumination unit and the solid-state imaging device, a power supply unit including a battery, and a transmission unit which transmits image data from the solid-state imaging device to an external device. The function executing unit is accommodated in a sealed capsule-shape container. The capsule-shape container is formed while divided into a hemispherical transparent cover and a cylindrical outer casing. The hemispherical transparent cover serves to allow the illumination unit to illuminate the outside of the container, and receives the illumination light reflected from the outside to form an image of the outside of the container. The cylindrical outer casing accommodates the function executing unit. At the manufacture of the capsule-type endoscope, the transparent cover and the outer casing are bonded in a liquid-tight manner so that the capsule-shape container is sealed.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds