The present invention relates to diagnostic imaging inside the human body. In particular, the present invention relates to a docking station for supplying power to and retrieving data from a capsule camera.
Devices for imaging body cavities or passages in vivo are known in the art and include endoscopes and autonomous encapsulated cameras. Endoscopes are flexible or rigid tubes that pass into the body through an orifice or surgical opening, typically into the esophagus via the mouth or into the colon via the rectum. An image is formed at the distal end using a lens and transmitted to the proximal end, outside the body, either by a lens-relay system or by a coherent fiber-optic bundle. A conceptually similar instrument might record an image electronically at the distal end, for example using a CCD or CMOS array, and transfer the image data as an electrical signal to the proximal end through a cable. Because of the difficulty traversing a convoluted passage, endoscopes cannot reach the majority of the small intestine and special techniques and precautions, that add cost, are required to reach the entirety of the colon. An alternative in vivo image sensor that addresses many of these problems is capsule endoscope. A camera is housed in a swallowable capsule, along with a radio transmitter for transmitting data, primarily comprising images recorded by the digital camera, to a base-station receiver or transceiver and data recorder outside the body. Another autonomous capsule camera system with on-board data storage was disclosed in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/533,304, filed on Sep. 19, 2006.
For the above in vivo devices, a large amount of image data is collected as it passes through a lumen in human body such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The images captured, along with other information, are stored in the on-board archival memory inside the capsule camera. The archival memory may come in various forms of non-volatile memories. After the capsule camera is excreted or otherwise removed from the body, it is retrieved to recover the data stored on-board. In a conventional approach, it would require a fairly expensive data access system that includes opening the capsule and docking to it. Because of the requirement to open the capsule and align the contact pins to pads in the capsule, some degree of mechanical complexity is inevitable. Therefore, such tasks usually are performed by specially trained persons. It is desirable to develop a new system that allows data retrieval from the capsule camera without opening the sealed enclosure and with simplified operation for clinicians accessing the capsule data.
A capsule endoscopic system is disclosed, wherein the system comprises a capsule endoscope, a docking station, second circuits and contact means to cause the second circuits connected to first circuits inside the capsule endoscope when the capsule endoscope is docked in the docking station in a first rotational orientation and in a second rotational orientation. The capsule endoscope comprises a capsule housing, the first circuits, and one or more first contacts disposed fixedly on or through the capsule housing, wherein the first contacts are connected to the first circuits. The docking station comprises one or more second contacts. The docking station also includes a docking bay to receive the capsule endoscope. The second contacts are configured to contact the first contacts and to cause the first circuits to connect to the second circuits when the capsule endoscope is docked in the first rotational orientation and the second rotational orientation.
The first contacts may comprise one or more feedthrough connectors located at one end of the capsule endoscope. The feedthrough connectors are substantially flush with exterior surface of the capsule housing. The feedthrough connectors or the second contacts are configured to be circular symmetric around a longitudinal axis through a center of the capsule endoscope. In one embodiment, the feedthrough connectors comprise studs and the second contacts comprise one or more annular connectors. Furthermore, the annular connectors may comprise a series of spokes extended radially inward from an annular outer ring. In another embodiment, the feedthrough connectors comprise one or more concentric ring connectors and the second contacts comprise one or more plunger contacts. Furthermore, the feedthrough connectors comprise a center connector located at a center of said one or more concentric ring connectors.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the first connectors are located at a wall section of the capsule endoscope. The feedthrough connectors or the second contacts are configured to be circular symmetric around a longitudinal axis through a center of the capsule endoscope. In one embodiment, the feedthrough connectors comprise studs and the second contacts comprise multiple plunger contacts arrayed in a circle around the capsule endoscope. In another embodiment, the feedthrough connectors comprise one or more concentric ring connectors and the second contacts comprise one or more plunger contacts.
One aspect of the present invention addresses power control for the capsule endoscope. The capsule endoscope further comprises a battery and a diode inside the capsule housing, wherein power is provided from or through the docking station to the capsule endoscope through a first connector and a second connector, and the diode is connected to the first connector so as to block current from flowing from the battery to the first connector while allowing current to flow from the first connector to the first circuits. In another arrangement, a switch is used instead, wherein the switch is connected to the first connector so as to block current from flowing from the battery to the first connector while the capsule endoscope is not docked in the docking station.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the contact means comprises one or more first contacts disposed fixedly on or through the capsule housing, one or more second contacts in the docking stations and wherein the second contacts are configured to contact the first contacts and to cause the first circuits to connect to the second circuits when the capsule endoscope is docked in or rotated to an aligned rotational orientation. Two detection contacts are located in the docking station, wherein said two detection contacts are configured to cause connection with a location contact disposed on exterior surface of the capsule housing when the capsule endoscope is at the aligned rotational orientation in the docking bay. The first contacts are connected to the first circuits and the second contacts are coupled to the second circuits.
It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the systems and methods of the present invention, as represented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of apparatus and methods that are consistent with the invention as claimed herein.
Systems for receiving data from a capsule endoscope or transmitting data to a capsule endoscope have been disclosed. U.S. 2003/0023150 describes a capsule that may be opened after excretion exposing electrical contacts. A “rewriting unit” or docking station has corresponding contacts that mate with the capsule contacts for data transfer via electrical signals. U.S. Pat. No. 7,983,458, assigned to CapsoVision, discloses “a connector at the output port” which provides “a hermetic or near-hermetic bulkhead feedthrough imbedded in the housing wall, such than an electrical connection can be made between the connector at the output port of the capsule and its mate at the upload device, without breaking the seal.” The connection made can provide power to the capsule as well as transmitting data from and to the capsule.
In order to supply power to the capsule by electrical conduction, a minimum of two contacts is required. Using certain modulation formats, data can be transferred serially via these contacts as well. More commonly, at least one additional contact is utilized for data transfer. The data clock may be recovered in the docking station receiver. Alternatively, a separate contact may be used to transmit the clock signal or data may be transferred asynchronously, for example to/from a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART). If the capsule has feedthrough contacts that terminate on the capsule's surface, then the capsule does not need to be cut open in order to make electrical contact to the capsule electronics and transfer data from or to the capsule.
The capsule housing should have a smooth surface so that it is easy to swallow and passes easily and safely through the gastrointestinal (GI) system with minimal drag and without snagging on or puncturing bodily tissues in the GI tract. A smooth surface also limits fouling of the capsule by debris in the GI tract, which could impair imaging of the mucosal surfaces by one or more cameras in the capsule. Moreover, capsules typically have circular symmetry to simplify their manufacture and in order to maximize the interior volume, with a limit on the largest lateral dimension imposed by the need to easily swallow the capsule.
If the electrical contact points on the capsule and in the docking station lack approximate circular symmetry about the capsule's longitudinal axis, then the capsule must be aligned rotationally in order to make the correct connection to the docking station. If the capsule housing's morphology has circular symmetry, then no key can be provided on the capsule to mechanically set the rotational alignment of the capsule in the docking station. The user may make a visual alignment to a mark on the capsule, but this may be difficult to do with sufficient accuracy given the small size of the capsule (typically <12 mm in diameter). Alternatively, a sensor (e.g. a vision system or inductive or optical proximity sensor) in the docking station may be used to automatically sense the capsule rotation. The capsule may be rotated manually or by an electromechanical mechanism until the sensor determines that the correct alignment is achieved. Including such a sensor increases the cost of the system, however.
Therefore it is desirable to make either the contacts on the capsule surface and/or those in the docking station with approximate circular symmetry about the longitudinal axis of the capsule. The contacts do not need to have perfect circular symmetry, but the connection between the contacts must be maintained regardless of the relative rotational angle between the capsule and the docking station. For example, a contact with approximate circular symmetry may have an annular shape and the annulus may have small gaps, regularly or irregularly spaced, as long as the gaps are smaller than the width of the mating contact (e.g. a pin) in the tangential direction. Moreover, since one contact in a mating pair is usually compliant, the point of contact need not remain in a plane as the capsule is rotated. As the capsule is rotated, the contact point between two mating contacts should follow a path, whose projection onto a plane normal to the compliant contact's direction of motion does not deviate from a circle more than does either contact. The path may have gaps in it, but these should be smaller than the width, tangent to the capsule rotation, of that contact which lacks approximate circular symmetry. A contact satisfying these conditions has “approximate circular symmetry”. If an interconnection is made between contacts on the capsule and those in the docking station for any rotational orientation of the capsule, then one or both sets of contacts has “approximate circular symmetry”.
One capsule endoscope and docking station configuration embodying the feedthrough interconnect according to the present invention is shown in
The capsule may be made water tight by creating a seal around each stud. The housing may consist of two or three sections that are pushed together and sealed by an adhesive or welding process during the capsule manufacturing. For example, the housing may comprise a cylindrical center section with two end caps. One housing section may be fabricated with a hole for each stud. The studs may be inserted and an adhesive may be applied to affix the studs and form a seal. Heat may be used to soften or locally melt the housing in order to form a seal around the studs. Alternately, a gasket may be provided around each stud. The capsule housing section may be formed with the studs pre-positioned using mold-in place technology to mold a housing material such as a thermoplastic around the studs.
Each stud (117a-c) must electrically connect to the capsule endoscope internal electronic system so that power can be supplied to the endoscope and data may be transferred from or to memory in the endoscope. Such memory could include an archival non-volatile memory 114 (e.g. flash memory) and/or a volatile memory contained in the processor (e.g. RAM). In
Alternatively, the studs 217a-c themselves could have compliant members, the tips of which contact either contact pads on the PCB directly or contact electrodes connected to the PCB as shown in
In
The connectors may be rigid instead of flexible if they are mounted on a compliant structure. For example, in
The ring contacts in
An alternative embodiment is shown in
The contacts in the docking station are shown as spring-loaded pins 322 (pogo pins). Other types of compliant contacts could be utilized. One of the docking station contacts could be noncompliant.
The capsule feedthrough contacts need not be located at the tip of the capsule but could be at other locations.
When the capsule is inside the body, the magnetically actuated switch is closed and the battery is connected to the system. However, the battery should not be connected to both of the feedthrough contacts. Otherwise a current could flow through the bodily tissues or through liquids in the GI tract. These currents would drain the battery and could cause local heating, which could be a safety concern. Also, if the capsule is in the stomach, the HCl is corrosive and a voltage applied to the terminal will accelerate any corrosion of the terminal that might occur should the protective noble-metal plating on the contacts be damaged prior to swallowing the capsule.
If the capsule and the docking station contacts both lack circular symmetry, the capsule must be rotationally aligned so that the correct connections are made. The capsule endoscope (700) in
In
The above description is presented to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention as provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the described embodiments will be apparent to those with skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments shown and described, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features herein disclosed. In the above detailed description, various specific details are illustrated in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Nevertheless, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described examples are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/657,747, filed on Jun. 9, 2012, entitled “Capsule Camera Docking System with Feedthrough Interconnect”. The U.S. Provisional Patent Application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2013/042490 | 5/23/2013 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61657747 | Jun 2012 | US |