Patent ID: 8535218
Filing Date: 2013-09-17
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A capsule endoscope having a capsule insertion direction along a central axis of the capsule endoscope, the capsule endoscope comprising: a first objective optical system that forms on an image surface an image of an object that is viewed by the capsule endoscope in the capsule insertion direction; and a second objective optical system that forms on an image surface an image of an object that is viewed by the capsule endoscope in the direction opposite to the capsule insertion direction; an image pickup device that has an image pickup surface in the shape of a rectangle having sides Lb and Lc; a first reflecting prism that receives light from the first objective optical system and directs it to the image pickup device; a second reflecting prism that receives light from the second objective optical system and directs it to the image pickup device; wherein the image pickup device is arranged within the capsule endoscope so that the longer side of the rectangle is in the capsule insertion direction; the two image surfaces are in the same plane or are very nearly in the same plane; and the following condition is satisfied: where La is the width, as measured in a direction parallel to Lb, of the entrance surface of each of the first reflective prism and the second reflective prism; Lb is the length of the shorter side of the rectangle defined by the image pickup surface; and Lc is the length of the longer side of the rectangle defined by the image pickup surface.