Patent ID: 7316647
Filing Date: 2008-01-08
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A capsule endoscope comprising: an observation unit that has a predetermined observation range and that observes inside of a body of a patient; a plurality of illuminating units that output light and illuminate the observation range of the observation unit with the light output; a reflector that reflects at least a part of the light output from each illuminating unit in such a manner that an optical axis of the light output by the illuminating unit and an optic axis of the light reflected incline in a direction that points away from an optical axis of the observation unit and also a front direction to a back direction, and an illumination area of the illuminating unit and an illumination area of the reflector overlap the central portion of the observation range of the observation unit, wherein each illuminating unit has a light distribution characteristic that deviates from a center of the observation range of the observation unit.