PILL CAMERA

GUIDED BY
Er. Jyothish Chandran
Maya Mahesh
Department of Electronics and Communication
Department Of Electronics and Communication SAINTGITS College of Engineering
SAINTGITS College of Engineering Kottayam – Kerala
Kottayam – Kerala jyothish.cg@saintgits.org
maya.mahesh@saintgits.org

Abstract- The aim of technology is to make products in a large is NANOTECHNOLOGY. Nanotechnology is a very useful
scale for cheaper prices and increased quality. The current tool for manipulating this kind of miniscule matter
technology has a lot of it, but the production technology is at (nanometer). Nanometer can be visualized as billionth of a
macro level. Research in this direction the future is in the meter or millionth of a millimeter or it is 1/80000 width of
molecular level started back in eighties. At that time
human hair. These technologies have made more things than a
manufacturing at molecular and atomic level was laughed about.
But due to advent of nanotechnology we have realized it to a
low cost and more precision than before.
certain level. One such product is PILL CAMERA, which is used
for the treatment of cancer and ulcer. It has made revolution in
the field of medicine. The normal endoscopy procedure which is II. INTRODUCTION
used to examine the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, was Imagine a vitamin pill-sized camera that could travel through
followed by inserting an 8mm tube inside our body through your body taking pictures, helping diagnose a problem which
mouth. But despite from the effectiveness of this procedure, doctor previously would have found only through surgery. No
research shows that it is a pain full procedure for the patients as longer is such technology the stuff of science fiction films.
well as for the doctors and nurse. From this, the wireless capsule
The advancement of our technology has lead to its effective
endoscopy has emerged. The miniature camera along with a
light, transmitter and batteries called Capsule Cam is housed in a use and application in the medical field. One effective and
capsule, the size of a large vitamin pill and is used in the purposeful application of the advancement of the technology
procedure known as Capsule endoscopy. This tiny capsule can is the process of endoscopy, which is used to diagnose and
pass through our body, without causing any harm. It takes examine the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract of the
pictures of our intestine and transmits the same. This process can patients. It has been reported that this process is done by
be traced to any kind of disease related to digestive system. Along inserting a 8mm tube through the mouth with a camera at one
with the advantages, we are also discussing about the drawbacks end and images are shown on nearby monitor allowing the
of this PILL CAMERA and how these drawbacks can be medics to carefully guide it down to the stomach. Despite
overcome.
from the effectiveness, this is a pain stacking process for both
patient and doctors. From this, the evolution of the wireless
Keywords-PILL, NANOTECHNOLOGY, OVERCOMES
capsule endoscopy has emerged. Capsule endoscopy is a
procedure used to record internal images of the
gastrointestinal tract using Pill camera. The pill camera is
I. GENERAL similar to a standard pharmaceutical capsule, although a little
larger and contains a tiny camera and an LED powered by a
We have made great progress in manufacturing products in
battery which can be swallow by the patient. The primary use
different areas. Looking back from where we stand now,
of capsule endoscopy is to examine areas of the small
we've come to the bridge, and we've reached the stage where
intestine. The aim of this technology is the visualization of
we make such tools with more precision than ever. The leap in
gastrointestinal tract. The camera in a pill is one of the recent
technology is great but it is not going to stop here. With our
development using nanotechnology.
current technology we manufacture products by casting,
milling, grinding, chipping and the likes. With these
technologies, we have made more things at a lower cost and III. CONVENTIONAL METHOD
more precision than ever before. In the production of these
products we have been arranging atoms of great thundering Currently, standard method of detecting abnormalities in
statistical herds. The properties of these products depend on the intestines is through endoscopic examination in which
doctors advance a scope down into the small intestine via the
how those atoms are arranged. The next step in manufacturing
mouth. Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure used to examine
technology is to produce products at molecular level. The
a person's digestive tract. Using an endoscope, a flexible tube
technology used to achieve manufacturing at molecular level with a light and camera attached to it, your doctor can view
pictures of your digestive tract on a color TV monitor.
A. Main Components.
The main components of pill camera are;
 Lighting Device: LEDs are used as the
lighting device to illuminate the area around
the pill.
 Lens: front or outer part of pill camera in
which LED is placed behind it.
 CMOS Image Sensor: used to take pictures
of the gastrointestinal tract.
 Transmitting Electrode: used for the
transmission of the pictures.

V. INSIDE A PILL CAMERA

The figure shows the internal view of a pill camera.

Figure-III.1: Normal endoscopy procedure

Overall, endoscopy is very safe; but, the procedure does
have a few potential complications like, perforation (tear in
the gut wall), reaction to sedation, infection, bleeding.
However, these scopes are unable to reach through all of the
20-foot-long small intestine, and thus provide only a partial
view of that part of the bowel. With the help of pill camera not
only can diagnoses be made for certain conditions routinely
missed by other tests, but disorders can be detected at an
earlier stage, enabling treatment before complications develop.

IV. SPECIFICATION
Capsule endoscopy consists of a disposable video camera
encapsulated into a pill like form. The latest pill camera is Figure-V.1: Components of capsule
sized at 26*11 mm, generally greater than the size of a normal
capsule. It is composed of a battery with an 8-hour lifespan, a The main components of a pill camera are;
strong light source, a camera and a small transmitter. The 1) Optical Dome
wireless camera takes thousands of high-quality digital images 2) Lens Holder
within the body as it passes through the entire length of the 3) Lens
small intestine. It can take 2images/sec and is capable of 4) Illuminating LEDs
transmitting 50,000 color images during its traversal through 5) CMOS Image Sensor
the digestive system of patient. The outer envelope of the 6) Battery
capsule is constructed with a biocompatible material and the
7) ASIC Transmitter
entire capsule is sealed to prevent infiltration of digestive
fluids inside the capsule. The camera chip is constructed in 8) Antenna
complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology to
require significantly less power than charge-coupled devices. Optical Dome: This shape results in easy orientation of
the capsule along the central axis of the small intestine. So it
helps the capsule to propel easily. It has Light receiving
window. It is made up of nonconductor material. It also
prevent infiltration of digestive fluids inside the capsule.
Lens Holder: It helps to accommodate the lens properly.
The lens is tightly fixed to the holder so that it doesn‟t get
dislocated.

Figure-IV.1: Specification
 Lens: It is an Integral component of pill camera. It is the pill camera is shipping holster, interrupting the
located behind light receiving window. Light through the battery connection. When the package is opened and
window will falls on the lens. . the capsule is removed from its holster for
Illuminating LEDs: These Light Emitting Diodes ensure swallowing, the reed switch closes and power to the
proper lighting for taking pictures. This LEDs will illuminate pill camera begins to flow.
an object. There are 4 LEDs which are arranged in donut 4. Transmitting Layer: The final layer of the pill
(ring) shape around the lens and CMOS image sensor. camera which consists of the ASIC transmitter and
CMOS Image Sensor: This Complementary Metal Oxide antenna. The chip must provide system control along
Semiconductor image sensor is the most important part of the with radio transmission. At 27MHz crystal located on
capsule. It is highly sensitive and can produce very high the reverse side of the transmitter layer. The 3.2-by-
quality images. It has of 140° field of view and detects object 3.5mm flip-chip ASIC contains a small block of
as small as 0.1 mm. logic, a very small memory array and a variety of
Battery: There are 2 button shaped batteries. The mixed-signal circuits. The switch layer located
batteries are arranged together just behind the CMOS image behind the batteries provides the means to preserve
sensor. It is made up of silver oxide which is Disposable and precious battery energy before the pill camera is
Harmless. Also it can give an even discharge voltage. It works ingested by the patient. A reed switch mounted on the
for 8 hrs. switch layer circuit Here also the reed switch closes
ASIC Transmitter: This Application Specific Integrated and power the transmitting circuit as well as helping
Circuits is arranged behind the battery. Two transmitting pill camera to begin its flow only after the package is
electrode connected to the outline of this ASIC transmitter are opened and the capsule is removed from its holster
electrically isolated from each other. Transmitter operates at for swallowing.
either 432.13MHz or 433.94MHz, with minimum-shift keying
modulation. MSK has the general benefits of providing
constant-envelope modulation, transmitter simplicity and good
spectral efficiency
Antenna: It is arranged at the end of the capsule, enclosed
in a dome shaped chamber. A simple air coil is the radiating
antenna element, tucked into the rounded capsule end opposite
the camera. Transmit power is held low to manage power
consumption, as the receiver antennas are in close proximity
with the monitor. It receives data from ASIC transmitter and
sends to a data recorder.

A. Layers
There are 4 layers are in the pill camera based on the
above 8 components. They are; Figure-V.A.1: Layers of pill
1. Lens/Illumination Layer: It consists of the
components up to illuminating LEDs. An annular
PCB surrounds the single plastic molded lens, VI. ENDOSCOPY PROCEDURE
supporting the LEDs and their associated current- A typical capsule endoscopy using pill camera begins
limit resistors with the patient fasting after midnight one day before the
2. Image Layer: This layer is up to the batteries. We are examination. This is for enhancing the view during the
using 256-by-256pixel CMOS color image sensor. examination. After a careful medical examination, the patient
Combined with the plastic lens, the camera offers a is fitted with a special belt in which the antenna array and an
claimed 140 viewing angle and 0.1mm feature image recorder attached on it. The special belt will allow the
resolution within the gastrointestinal tract. Behind the patient to move freely. After this, a fully charged capsule is
imager layer is a pair of silver oxide batteries, wired removed from the holder; once the indicator lights on the
in series to create the sole 3V supply for the pill capsule and recorder shows that data is being transmitted and
camera. The two button cells provide 3V at 55mA-hr, received, the capsule is swallowed with a small amount of
or 165mW-hr of total available energy. Since the water. At this point, the patient is free to move about but the
device runs for up to eight hours, a time-averaged patient is not supposed to ingesting anything other than clear
power draw of approximately 20mW is implied. liquids approximately for two hours after capsule ingestion.
3. Switch Layer: This is an important layer. It is located Approximately after four hours of capsule ingestion, the
behind the batteries provides the means to preserve patient can eat food without interfering with the examination.
precious battery energy before the pill camera is The examination can be considered complete after seven
ingested by the patient. A reed switch mounted on the to eight hours of capsule ingestion. Now, the patient can return
switch layer circuit board is held open by a magnet in
the special belt consist of antenna array and recording device  Made of bio-compatible material, so
to the physician. It will take 2.5 to 3 hours to download of data doesn‟t cause any harm
from the recording device to the workstation. Interpretation of  Avoids risk of sedation
the study takes approximately 1 hour. The capsule transmits  Simple procedure
the images to a data recorder, which is worn on a belt around  Efficient than normal endoscopy, X-ray and
the patient's waist while going about his or her day as usual. CT scan.
The images are received through special antenna pads placed
on the body. From this the images can be downloaded to the
computer for examination. The physician then transfers the VIII. DISADVANTEGES
stored data to a computer for processing and analysis. The data It is a revolution, no question about it but the capsule poses
recorder stores the images of examination. There is a real time medical risks.
viewer to view the images and also a workstation and rapid  Patients with gastrointestinal structures or narrowing
software which helps to convert the 2D images into 3D color are not good candidates for this procedure due to the
images. The film is downloaded to a computer workstation risk of obstruction. It might also happen that the pill
and processed using a software program called RAPID camera might not be able to traverse freely inside
(reporting and processing of images and data), condenses the digestive system, which may cause the tests to be
film into a 30-minute video. The software also provides an inconclusive.
image of the pill as it passes through the small intestine so the  If there is a partial obstruction in the small intestine,
doctor can match the image to the location of the capsule. there is a risk that the pill will get stuck there.
The capsule is capable of transmitting up to eight hours  The pill camera can transmit image from inside to
of video before being naturally expelled. No hospitalization is outside the body. Consequently it becomes
required for this procedure. The complete traversal takes impossible to control the camera behavior, including
around eight hours and after it has completed taking pictures it the on/off power functions and effective
comes out of body as excreta. The pill is moved around the illuminations inside the intestine
body with peristaltic contractions. Throughout the procedure  It is very expensive and not reusable
the patient can perform daily tasks without discomfort.
It should be noted that gastrointestinal motility is
variable among individuals and the hyper and hypo motility IX. OVERCOMES
states affect the free-floating capsule‟s transit rate through the Some of the disadvantages or drawbacks of the pill camera
gut. can be overcome by;
 The first drawback is overcome using another product
manufactured with the help of nanotechnology which is
the rice-grain sized motor.
i) This miniature motor, when connected to the pill
camera, gives it to propelling action inside the
body, which makes it easy for the pill to find its
way through the digestive system.
 The other two drawbacks can be overcome using a
bidirectional wireless telemetry camera.
i) The bidirectional wireless telemetry camera,
11mm in diameter, can transmit video images
from inside the human body and receive the
control signals from an external control unit.
Figure-VI.1: Patient during capsule endoscopy ii) It includes transmitting antenna and receiving
antenna, to demodulator, to decoder, four LED's,
to CMOS image sensor, along with their driving
circuits.
VII. ADVANTAGES iii) The receiver demodulates the received signal
The main advantages are; that is radiated from the external control unit.
iv) The total power consumption of the telemetry
 Painless and no complications capsule can be reduced by turning off the camera
 No side effects power during dead time and separately
 Accurate, precise and effective with high controlling the LEDs for proper illumination in
sensitivity the intestine.
 Images taken are of high quality which are
send almost instantaneously to the data
recorder
 X. CONCLUSION
The given endoscopy capsule is a pioneering concept for
medical technology of the 21st century. The endoscopy system
is the first of its kind to be able to provide non-invasive
imaging of the entire small intestine .It has revolutionized the
field of diagnostic imaging to a great extent and has proved to
be of great help to physicians all over the world.
Nanotechnology has the power to revolutionize the world of
production, but it is sure to increase unemployment.
Nanotechnology can be used to make miniature explosives,
which would create havoc in human lives. Every new
technology that comes opens new doors and horizons but
closes some. The same is true with nanotechnology too. Even
though nanotechnology has not evolved to its full capacity, yet
the products have already made an impact on the market
especially in medical field.
The wireless capsule endoscopy using pill camera
represents a significant technical breakthrough for the
examination of gastro intestinal tract, especially in light of
other available techniques to image this region. It has the
potential for use in a wide range of patients with a variety of
illnesses .It helps in visualization of the complete intestinal
tract .he ability of the capsule to detect small objects that
could cause recurrent bleeding due to cancer or ulcer make it
identical. Care must be taken in patient selection and image
interpretation. However the camera has to go a long way in
terms of lack of control options and difficulty in swallow,
capsule endoscopy using pill camera can provide valuable
information and assist in the management of patients with
difficult-to-diagonose gastrointestinal disease.
Hope the developing technology would give better
flexibility and controls for the pill camera.

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