Capsule endoscope for wireless image transmission and image acquisition method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a wireless image transmission capsule endoscope and an image acquisition method thereof.The wireless image transmission capsule endoscope comprises a camera transparent outer sleeve, a camera, a shell, a master control circuit board, an FIFO circuit board and a button cell, the camera, the master control circuit board, the FIFO circuit board and the button cell are arranged in the shell, the camera transparent outer sleeve is arranged at the front end of the camera, and the camera transparent outer sleeve is arranged at the rear end of the shell. The camera is used for collecting images, transmitting the collected images to the FIFO circuit board for caching, and transmitting the images cached in the FIFO circuit board to an external display screen through the main control circuit board; the button cell supplies power to the camera, the FIFO circuit board and the master control circuit board. The detachable shell is designed, an internal circuit and a chip can be repeatedly utilized, the disposable use problem of a previous structure is avoided, the FIFO circuit board is introduced, and the area and power consumption of the main control circuit board are reduced while image pixels are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of biological instrument detection, and in particular relates to a capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission and an image acquisition method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The development of capsule endoscope originated in Israel. The country's Girvan Imaging Company developed a prototype of capsule endoscope in 1999. This major invention attracted worldwide attention after it was published in Nature magazine. The capsule endoscope was subsequently certified by the US Food and Drug Administration and approved for marketing in August 2001. Since then, it has become a new generation of digestive tract inspection tools. There are 2,500 systems in use worldwide, and more than 100,000 people have swallowed it.

[0003] Wireless capsule endoscopy is a medical non-invasive diagnostic technology developed in the past decade. This swallowable capsule endoscope, which is the size of an ordinary pill, consists of an integrated LED lighting chip, an imaging device, a wireless transmission module, and a power source. Lesion detection is performed in the human gastrointestinal tract, and the gastrointestinal images are wirelessly transmitted to the peripheral receiving device, and experienced physicians perform online or offline diagnosis on the workstation. Wireless capsule endoscopy overcomes the shortcomings of traditional push-pull gastroenteroscopes, such as invasive pain, limited detection range, that is, only the front end of the small intestine can be detected, and cross-infection exists. The patient only needs to swallow a capsule the size of an ordinary pill, and the physician can get a picture of the patient's entire small intestine and make a diagnosis. Since the first commercial capsule endoscope was launched by Israel's Giwin Imaging Co., Ltd. in 2001, capsule endoscopes have gradually entered the medical market and developed in the direction of miniaturization and multifunctionality.

[0004] Although the use of capsule endoscopes has replaced traditional endoscopes and achieved non-invasive in vivo examinations, the one-time use of capsule endoscopes is a redundant function for the life of some devices, resulting in a waste of resources. In addition, capsule endoscopes will generate and transmit tens of thousands of images during use, and the higher the pixels of the captured images, the more accurate the inspection results will be, which will require a more powerful main control circuit board, resulting in a larger area of ​​the main control circuit board and higher power consumption. Due to the limitations of the structure and volume of the capsule endoscope, the area of ​​the main control circuit board cannot be too large, resulting in low pixels of the collected images, affecting viewing. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission and an image acquisition method thereof. The detachable shell is designed to enable repeated use of the internal circuit, thus avoiding the one-time use problem of the traditional structure. A FIFO circuit board is introduced to increase the image pixels while reducing the area and power consumption of the main control circuit board.

[0006] To achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: a capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission, comprising: a transparent cover of a camera, a camera, an outer shell, a main control circuit board, a FIFO circuit board and a button battery, wherein the camera, the main control circuit board, the FIFO circuit board and the button battery are arranged in the outer shell, and a transparent cover of the camera is provided at the front end of the camera, the camera is used for image acquisition, and the acquired image is transmitted to the FIFO circuit board for caching, and the image cached in the FIFO circuit board is transmitted to an external display screen through the main control circuit board; the button battery is used to power the camera, the FIFO circuit board and the main control circuit board.

[0007] Furthermore, it also includes a connecting socket, the camera is fixedly connected to the connecting socket, and the camera transmits the collected image to the FIFO circuit board through the connecting socket.

[0008] Furthermore, the camera is an OV7725 camera, the model of the FIFO circuit board is AL422B, and the pixel data output port of the OV7725 camera is connected to the pixel data input port of the FIFO circuit board in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0009] Furthermore, the model of the main control circuit board is STM23F 103C8T6, and the pixel data input port of the main control circuit board is connected to the pixel data output port of the FIFO circuit board in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0010] Furthermore, the power input port of the main control circuit board is connected to the positive pole of the button battery, and the power output port of the main control circuit board is respectively connected to the power input port of the OV7725 camera and the power input port of the FIFO circuit board, and the power output port of the OV7725 camera and the power output port of the FIFO circuit board are both connected to the ground terminal of the main control circuit board, and the ground terminal of the main control circuit board is also connected to the negative pole of the button battery.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a wireless communication module, and the model of the wireless communication module is NRF24L01.

[0012] Furthermore, when the wireless communication module is in the sending mode, the image cached in the FIFO circuit board is transmitted to the main control circuit board via the I2C communication mode of the wireless communication module; when the wireless communication module is in the receiving mode, the main control circuit board is transmitted to the external display screen via the SPI communication mode of the wireless communication module.

[0013] Furthermore, the shell is of detachable design.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention also provides an image acquisition method for a capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0015] Step 1: After the examinee takes the capsule endoscope orally, the camera, FIFO circuit board and main control circuit board are powered by a button battery;

[0016] Step 2: After the camera is powered on, it captures an image, caches the captured image in the FIFO circuit board through the write function of the FIFO circuit board, and transmits the cached image to the main control circuit board through the wireless communication module through the read function of the FIFO circuit board;

[0017] Step 3: After receiving the image, the main control circuit board transmits the image to the external display screen through the wireless communication module.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] (1) The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission of the present invention introduces a FIFO circuit board. Through the cache function of the FIFO circuit board, a sufficient number of high-pixel images can be stored, thereby reducing the accuracy requirements of the main control circuit board, reducing the area and power consumption of the main control circuit board, and making the collected images have high pixels, improving the image quality, and facilitating subsequent image viewing;

[0020] (2) The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission of the present invention adopts a detachable shell design, so that the main control circuit board, FIFO circuit board, button battery and camera inside the shell can be reused repeatedly, avoiding waste caused by one-time use;

[0021] (3) The wireless communication module model used in the capsule endoscope for wireless image transmission of the present invention is NRF24L01, which adopts digital modulation to realize image information transmission and reduce communication power consumption, thereby avoiding high-power communication methods that will cause the main control circuit board to heat up, affect the image transmission process, and even cause safety problems to the capsule endoscope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a capsule endoscope for wireless image transmission according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the main control circuit board, the FIFO circuit board, the button battery and the camera in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of image acquisition by a capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to the present invention;

[0025] Among them, 1- camera transparent cover, 2- camera, 3- connection socket, 4- shell, 5- main control circuit board, 6- FIFO circuit board, 7- button battery. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The technical solution of the present invention is further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0027] like Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a capsule endoscope for wireless image transmission of the present invention, wherein the capsule endoscope comprises: a camera transparent jacket 1, a camera 2, a shell 4, a main control circuit board 5, a FIFO circuit board 6 and a button battery 7. The camera 2, the main control circuit board 5, the FIFO circuit board 6 and the button battery 7 are arranged in the shell 4. The shell 4 is detachable, so that the main control circuit board 5, the FIFO circuit board 6, the button battery 7 and the camera 2 in the shell 4 can be reused repeatedly to avoid waste caused by one-time use; a camera transparent jacket 1 with edible material is provided at the front end of the camera 2, so as to ensure that the camera 2 can clearly collect images. The camera 2 is used for image collection. The image data is large and cannot be completely received by the main control circuit board 5. The present invention introduces a FIFO circuit board 6 to pass the collected image to the FIFO circuit board 6 for caching. After caching, the image is transmitted to the external display screen through the main control circuit board 5 and transmitted to the main control. Through the caching function of the FIFO circuit board 6, enough images can be stored, thereby reducing the accuracy requirements of the main control circuit board 5, reducing the area and power consumption of the main control circuit board 5, and overcoming the problem that the main control circuit board 5 cannot store high-pixel images, so that the collected image has high pixels, improves the image quality, and facilitates subsequent image viewing; the button battery 7 powers the camera 2, the FIFO circuit board 6 and the main control circuit board 5.

[0028] In one technical solution of the present invention, it also includes a connecting socket 3, and the camera 2 and the connecting socket 3 are fixedly connected by point-to-point welding of corresponding pins, which saves space, improves circuit layout, and can reduce the size of the capsule endoscope. The camera 2 transmits the collected image to the FIFO circuit board 6 through the connecting socket 3.

[0029] like Figure 2The camera 2 is an OV7725 camera, and the model of the FIFO circuit board 6 is AL422B. The FIFO circuit board 6 is both a module for receiving and storing image data and a module for sending images to the main control circuit board 5. The use of the FIFO circuit board 6 can reduce the area and power consumption of the main control circuit board 5, and can avoid the problem that the main control circuit board 5 cannot receive the image data due to the large size of the image data, thereby saving the size of the circuit structure. The pixel data output port of the OV7725 camera is connected to the pixel data input port of the FIFO circuit board 6 in a one-to-one correspondence. The model of the main control circuit board 5 is STM23F 103C8T6, and the pixel data input port of the main control circuit board 5 is connected to the pixel data output port of the FIFO circuit board 6 in a one-to-one correspondence. The power input port of the main control circuit board 5 is connected to the positive pole of the button battery 7, and the power output port of the main control circuit board 5 is respectively connected to the power input port of the OV7725 camera and the power input port of the FIFO circuit board 6, and the power output port of the OV7725 camera and the power output port of the FIFO circuit board 6 are both connected to the ground terminal of the main control circuit board 5, and the ground terminal of the main control circuit board 5 is also connected to the negative pole of the button battery 7.

[0030] In a technical solution of the present invention, a wireless communication module is also included. Traditional wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth, WIFI, 5G and other wireless communication methods have high power consumption. Due to the small size of the capsule endoscope, the high-power communication method will cause the main control circuit board 5 to heat up, affect the image transmission process, and even cause safety problems. Therefore, the communication method in the capsule endoscope should meet the requirements of low power consumption. Therefore, the model of the wireless communication module in the present invention is NRF24L01, the power input port of the wireless communication module is connected to the power output port of the main control circuit board 5, and the power output port of the wireless communication module is connected to the ground terminal of the main control circuit board 5, and the wireless communication module is powered by the main control circuit board 5. When the wireless communication module is in the sending mode, the FIFO circuit board 6 and the main control circuit board 5 transmit the image cached in the FIFO to the main control circuit board 5 through the I2C communication mode of the wireless communication module; when the wireless communication module is in the receiving mode, the main control circuit board 5 and the external display screen transmit the image received by the main control circuit board 5 to the external display screen through the SPI communication mode of the wireless communication module.

[0031] like Figure 3 The present invention also provides an image acquisition method for capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission, which specifically comprises the following steps:

[0032] Step 1: After the examinee orally takes the capsule endoscope, the camera 2, the FIFO circuit board 6 and the main control circuit board 5 are powered by the button battery 7;

[0033] Step 2, after the camera 2 is powered on, it captures an image, and transmits each byte of the image data to the FIFO circuit board 6 through the corresponding pixel data output port, and caches the captured image in the FIFO circuit board 6 through the write function of the FIFO circuit board 6, and transmits the cached image to the main control circuit board 5 through the I2C communication mode of the wireless communication module through the read function of the FIFO circuit board 6. Specifically, when a frame of image transmission is completed, the main control circuit board 5 will control the camera 2 to prohibit writing images to the FIFO circuit board 6. At the same time, the main control circuit board 5 controls the FIFO circuit board 6 to collect the image data that has been written into the main control circuit board 5;

[0034] Step 3: After receiving the image, the main control circuit board 5 transmits the image to the external display screen through the SPI communication mode of the wireless communication module. The medical staff examines the image on the external display screen and finds the diseased area.

[0035] The wireless transmission capsule endoscope of the present invention can be directly swallowed to quickly collect images of the gastrointestinal lesion area, which greatly reduces the pain of the examiner compared with the traditional manual inspection method.

[0036] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions under the concept of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, some improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention should be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission, characterized in that: include: A camera transparent cover (1), a camera (2), a housing (4), a main control circuit board (5), a FIFO circuit board (6) and a button battery (7), wherein the camera (2), the main control circuit board (5), the FIFO circuit board (6) and the button battery (7) are arranged in the housing (4), the front end of the camera (2) is provided with a camera transparent cover (1), the camera (2) is used for image acquisition, and transmits the acquired image to the FIFO circuit board (6) for buffering, and transmits the image buffered in the FIFO circuit board (6) to an external display screen through the main control circuit board (5); the button battery (7) supplies power to the camera (2), the FIFO circuit board (6) and the main control circuit board (5).

2. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a connection socket (3), the camera (2) being fixedly connected to the connection socket (3), and the camera (2) transmitting the collected image to the FIFO circuit board (6) via the connection socket (3).

3. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera (2) is an OV7725 camera, the model of the FIFO circuit board (6) is AL422B, and the pixel data output port of the OV7725 camera is connected to the pixel data input port of the FIFO circuit board (6) in a one-to-one correspondence.

4. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 3, characterized in that: The model of the main control circuit board (5) is STM23F 103C8T6, and the pixel data input port of the main control circuit board (5) is connected to the pixel data output port of the FIFO circuit board (6) in a one-to-one correspondence.

5. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power input port of the main control circuit board (5) is connected to the positive electrode of the button battery (7), the power output port of the main control circuit board (5) is respectively connected to the power input port of the OV7725 camera and the power input port of the FIFO circuit board (6), the power output port of the OV7725 camera and the power output port of the FIFO circuit board (6) are both connected to the ground terminal of the main control circuit board (5), and the ground terminal of the main control circuit board (5) is also connected to the negative electrode of the button battery (7).

6. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a wireless communication module, and the model of the wireless communication module is NRF24L01.

7. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the wireless communication module is in a sending mode, the FIFO circuit board (6) and the main control circuit board (5) transmit the image cached in the FIFO circuit board (6) to the main control circuit board (5) via the I2C communication mode of the wireless communication module; when the wireless communication module is in a receiving mode, the main control circuit board (5) and the external display screen transmit the image received by the main control circuit board (5) to the external display screen via the SPI communication mode of the wireless communication module.

8. The capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing (4) is of detachable design.

9. An image acquisition method for capsule endoscope with wireless image transmission according to claim 6, characterized in that: The specific steps are as follows: Step 1: After the examinee orally takes the capsule endoscope, the camera (2), the FIFO circuit board (6) and the main control circuit board (5) are powered by a button battery (7); Step 2, after the camera (2) is powered on, it captures an image, caches the captured image in the FIFO circuit board (6) through the write function of the FIFO circuit board (6), and transmits the cached image to the main control circuit board (5) through the wireless communication module through the read function of the FIFO circuit board (6); Step 3: After receiving the image, the main control circuit board (5) transmits the image to the external display screen through the wireless communication module.

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