초록 ▼

A medical capsule device comprises a capsule body having a chamber formed inside and a communicating path for communicating the chamber with outside, a movable member arranged in the chamber and movable between a liquid-receiving position at which the volume of said chamber is made largest and a liq

A medical capsule device comprises a capsule body having a chamber formed inside and a communicating path for communicating the chamber with outside, a movable member arranged in the chamber and movable between a liquid-receiving position at which the volume of said chamber is made largest and a liquid-pushing position at which the volume of said chamber is made smallest, and a coiled operating member made of shape memory alloy heated by ultrasonic wave to move the movable member to liquid-receiving and -pushing positions selectively.

대표청구항 ▼

A medical capsule device comprising: a capsule body having opposite end walls which have curved outer surfaces, at least one chamber formed in said capsule body, one of said end walls of said capsule body having a curved inner surface defining a curved inner end surface of said at least one chamber,

A medical capsule device comprising: a capsule body having opposite end walls which have curved outer surfaces, at least one chamber formed in said capsule body, one of said end walls of said capsule body having a curved inner surface defining a curved inner end surface of said at least one chamber, and a communicating path for communicating said at least one chamber with the outside; a movable piston-like member having a curved end face, said movable piston-like member being arranged in said at least one chamber and being in liquid-tight sealing relationship with internal walls of said at least one chamber, said movable piston-like member being slidable relative to said internal walls of said at least one chamber and being movable between (i) a liquid-receiving position at which said curved end face of said movable piston-like member is spaced apart from said curved inner end surface of said at least one chamber so that the volume of said at least one chamber is made largest and (ii) a liquid-pushing position at which said curved end face of said movable piston-like member closes to said curved inner end surface of said at least one chamber so that the volume of said at least one chamber is made smallest; a coiled operating member arranged in said capsule body to selectively move said movable member to said liquid-receiving and liquid-pushing positions, said operating member being made of a shape memory alloy whose crystalline structure is transformed to martensite and mother phases responsive to heat applied thereto, said coiled operating member being contracted under said martensite phase to move said movable member to one of said liquid-receiving and liquid-pushing positions, and being extended under said mother phase to move said movable member to the other of said liquid-receiving and liquid-pushing positions; and said communicating path comprising a small opening formed through said one of said end walls of said capsule body and which is sufficiently small so that the liquid in said at least one chamber is prevented from passing to the outside through said opening unless said movable member moves from said liquid receiving position to said liquid-pushing position.