Patent ID: 8439822

Claim:
A capsule endoscope comprising: a capsule-shaped casing; a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit that are arranged inside the capsule-shaped casing in a fixed manner, the first imaging unit being arranged at one end portion of the capsule-shaped casing in a longitudinal direction of the capsule-shaped casing, and the second imaging unit being arranged at another end portion of the capsule-shaped casing, the capsule endoscope taking an image of an inside of an organ by the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit in a state where the capsule endoscope is floating in liquid that is introduced inside the organ of a subject; and a first illuminating unit that illuminates an imaging field of view of the first imaging unit and a second illuminating unit that illuminates an imaging field of view of the second imaging unit, wherein specific gravity of the capsule endoscope to the introduced liquid is ρ wherein (ρ<1), a plane divides the capsule endoscope such that a volume ratio is to be ρ:1−ρ, a straight line that connects a center of volume and a center of gravity of the capsule endoscope is substantially perpendicular to the plane, and the center of gravity is present at a position farther distant from the plane than the center of volume, and a surface of a boundary of a field of view that forms an angle of view of the first imaging unit and the plane do not intersect with each other outside the capsule endoscope, a surface of a boundary of a field of view that forms an angle of view of the second imaging unit and the plane do not intersect with each other outside the capsule endoscope, a first optical axis of the first imaging unit intersects with a surface of a portion whose volume ratio is 1−ρ that is obtained by dividing the capsule endoscope by the plane, a second optical axis of the second imaging unit intersects with a surface of the portion whose volume ratio is ρ that is obtained by dividing the capsule endoscope by the plane, optical characteristics of the first imaging unit are different from those of the second imaging unit, and a light emitting amount of the first illuminating unit is different from that of the second illuminating unit.