Patent Application
20220035101
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of optical devices. Particularly but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to those optical devices that need to be brought in contact against a surface of a subject for investigation, therapeutic or curing purpose. Further embodiments of the disclosure disclose a mechanism for guiding or supporting an optical fiber on an examination surface.
Spectroscopy is a study of light matter interaction measured through the changes in the properties of the light before and after its interaction with the matter, matter being solid, liquid or gas. It may be frequently employed in qualitative and quantitative analysis of materials, wherein scattered beam or radiation may be collected and analyzed.
Spectroscopy may be broadly classified into two categories—contact type spectroscopy and a non-contact type spectroscopy. In the contact type spectroscopy, when the source and detector are placed at a distance from each other, the light may incident via the optical fiber system. Then the system may be placed over the examination site. Further, the source emits a wave through the examination site and this wave gets reflected and received by the detector. The detector provides the required output through the detected signal. In the non-contact type spectroscopy, the direct contact of the examination site with the source is eliminated. The source and the examination site will not have any physical contact during the examination process or before the examination process
Yet another classification of spectroscopy may be X-ray spectroscopy, flame spectroscopy, atomic emission spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, spark or arc spectroscopy, visible or ultraviolet spectroscopy, infrared (IR) and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Particularly, the infrared (IR) spectroscopy relies on the fact that molecules absorb specific frequencies which is determined by the mass of the atoms, wherein the near infrared (NIR) shows a greater penetration depth into a sample than mid-infrared radiation. it allows large samples to be measured in each scan by NIR spectroscopy. The NIR spectroscopy has numerous practical applications that include medical diagnosis, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, various analysis and chemical imaging of intact organisms.
Generally, there may be some challenges encountered with the NIR based contact spectroscopy, and such challenges may include difficulty to create an efficient, stable and comfortable optical interference with the sample surface, for example, scalp, especially in the presence of hair. Hair and hair follicles may act as strong attenuators leading to poor signal quality. Often, significant time and effort has to be invested to ensure that a minimum amount of hair or no hair remains under the probe.
Further, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy system may be used for examining the surface of sample. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy system includes probes with a plurality of source for emitting radiation of desired frequencies on the sample to be tested and plurality of detectors for receiving sample altered radiations. The radiation received by the detectors may be analyzed to determine the characteristics of the sample. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy system may be optical fiber based system. In such a case, there may be two kinds of optical fiber systems that may be employed in diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The existing optical fiber system consists of a bare fiber ends where the fibers come directly in contact with the surface of a skin or a material depending on the application. Although, the bare fiber may be able to come in contact with the most remote places of the sample surface such as skin or any other material to be tested, these bare fiber ends are not robust, since pressure applied on the fibers may break them due to the brittle nature of the fibers. Secondly, these bare fibers may be aligned at a random angle during each measurement, which may render the data collected inconsistent. Also, the bare fibers when pressed against the skin of a subject, it may cause discomfort to the subject.
In yet another kind of optical fiber system, a fiber bundle may be used to collect more signals thereby increasing the signal to noise ratio but if these fibers are also bare at the termination end, they will suffer from the same challenges as single bare fiber. which are less susceptible to damage that may be caused to the optical fibers when excessive pressure is applied on them during application. Also the multiple fiber system can detect more signals and is robust compared to the bare fiber system. However, such fiber bundle cannot come in contact with the remote places of the sample or the examination site. Additionally, these type of optical fiber systems are known to create air pockets between the fiber tip and the surface of the skin or material, especially when the surface is curved.
In conventional mechanism hair or any such material acts as a barrier between face of the optical fiber and the surface. This happens when the outer diameter of the optical fiber is not small enough to make contact with the skin in between hair follicles. Hence the detected signal intensity may reduce significantly and may produce low sound to noise ratio and unpredictability in the output signal.
The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or similar limitations associated with the conventional mechanisms.
The shortcomings of the conventional mechanisms are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the provision of mechanism as disclosed in the present disclosure.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a guarding wall mechanism for an optical fiber is disclosed. The mechanism comprises a housing adapted to house the optical fiber, wherein the housing defines a space between the optical fiber and a guarding wall of the housing. A plurality of suction units disposed in the space. Each of the plurality of suction units are configured to selectively exert suction pressure on an examination surface in contact with a free end of the optical fiber.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the housing is a hollow tube comprising an inner wall and an outer wall. The housing is made of polymeric material.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, an end of the housing proximal to the free end of the at least one optical fiber is defined with a chamfer.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the chamfer extends radially inward from the inner wall of the housing towards a substantially central portion of the housing up to a predetermined length and defining an opening at the substantially central portion of the housing.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, a flange portion is defined around the opening, wherein the flange portion is configured to support the free end of the optical fiber.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the plurality suction units comprises a suction tube extending from a cavity defined by the chamfer and a suction bulb at a free end of the suction tube.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of reflective plates are provisioned within the suction units, wherein the plurality of reflective plates are configured to reflect light entering the plurality of suction units.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, each of the plurality of suction units are coupled to an actuator.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the actuator is communicatively coupled to the control unit and the control unit is configured to selectively operate the actuator to activate and deactivate the plurality of suction units.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the optical fiber housed within the housing is at least one of a transmitter optical fiber and a receiver optical fiber.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the optical fiber housing includes at least a connector portion, a body portion and a ferrule.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the connector portion is configured to facilitate transmission of light between at least one of a light source, a detector and the ferrule.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the body of the optical fiber is configured to connect the ferrule of the optical fiber to the connector of the optical fiber and the body portion is made of at least one of a flexible material and a solid material.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the ferrule includes the free end of the optical fiber and the ferrule is configured to support the free end of the optical fiber.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, an optical system for examining a surface of a subject is disclosed. The optical system comprises at least one optical fiber. The optical fiber comprises a ferrule including a free end of the optical fiber. The optical fiber comprises a connector portion configured to facilitate transmission of light between at least one of a light source, a detector and a ferrule. Optical fiber comprises a body, wherein one end of the body is coupled to the ferrule and another end of the body is coupled to the connector. A core of the optical fiber extends throughout the ferrule, body portion and the connector portion, wherein the core of the optical fiber is configured to transmit the light from the source to the examination surface.
A guarding wall mechanism for the at least one optical fiber. The guarding wall mechanism includes a housing adapted to house at least one optical fiber, wherein the housing defines a space between the optical fiber and a guarding wall of the housing. A plurality of suction units disposed in the hollow space, wherein each of the plurality of suction units are configured to selectively exert suction pressure on an examination surface to bring the examination surface in contact with a free end of the optical fiber.
It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following description.
The above-mentioned aspects, other features and advantages of the disclosure will be better understood and will become more apparent by referring to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the mechanism illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the disclosure.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other devices for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, as to its organization, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and make part of this disclosure.
Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a guarding wall mechanism for an optical fiber. The guarding wall mechanism of the present disclosure ensures that a free end of the optical fiber is protected from any possible damage that may be caused due to uneven application of pressure on the probes. Also, with the provision of the guarding wall mechanism for the optical fiber, there may be reduction in Fresnel losses and light leakage. Further, with the guarding wall mechanism of the present disclosure, air pockets that may be caused between the examination surface and the free end of the optical fiber are significantly reduced.
The guarding wall mechanism for an optical fiber according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a housing adapted to house the optical fiber. In an embodiment, the optical fiber housed within the housing may be at least one of a transmitter optical fiber and/or a receiver optical fiber. The optical fiber may include a connector portion, a body portion and a ferrule. The connector portion of the optical fiber may be configured to transmit light efficiently between a light source or detector and the ferrule. The connector portion may be configured to connect the body portion of the optical fiber to the ferrule of the optical fiber. In an embodiment, the body of the optical fiber may be made of a flexible material. In an embodiment, the ferrule portion may include free ends of the optical fiber and the ferrule may be configured to support the free end of the optical fiber. In an embodiment, the optical fiber includes a core extending throughout the ferrule, the body portion and the connector portion. The core may be configured to transmit the light from the source to the free end of the optical fiber.
Further, the housing defines a space between the optical fiber and guarding wall of the housing. In an embodiment, the housing may be made of a polymeric material. In an exemplary embodiment, the polymeric material used may be a hard plastic. The guarding wall mechanism includes a plurality of suction units disposed in the space defined in the housing. In another embodiment, each of the plurality of suction units are configured to selectively exert suction pressure on the examination surface. The said suction pressure exerted by the suction units aid in bringing the examination surface in contact (or much closer) with the free end of the optical fiber.
Further, an end of the housing of the guarding wall mechanism proximal to the free end of the at least one optical fiber may be defined with a chamfer. In an embodiment, the chamfer extends inwardly from the inner wall of the housing towards a substantially central portion of the housing. The chamfer may extend up to a predetermined length and thus defining an opening at the substantially central portion of the housing. Further, a flange portion may be defined around the opening at the substantially central portion around the chamfer. The said flange defined around the chamfer is configured to support the free end of the optical fiber.
In an embodiment, the suction units includes a suction tube extending from a cavity defined by the chamfer and a suction bulb may be provided at the free end of the suction tube. In an embodiment, the suction units may be coupled to actuators and the actuators may be further coupled to a control unit. The control unit coupled to the actuators may be configured to selectively operate the actuator to activate and deactivate the plurality of suction units. In an embodiment, the suction units include a plurality of reflective plates positioned within the suction tubes. The said plurality of reflective plates may reflect light entering the plurality of suction units. In an embodiment, the reflective plates may be sized to cover only a part (say half) of the aperture of the suction tube. The said suction tubes are placed alternately on opposite sides of the suction tube in a configuration so as to cover the entire aperture or inner cross sectional area of the tube.
In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a mechanism that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such mechanism. In other words, one or more elements in the device or mechanism proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the mechanism.
In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying figures that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The optical fiber (101) may come in contact with the sample surface (200) during examination. However during usage of the optical fiber (101), there may be possibilities of user applying additional force or pressure on the optical fiber (101) which may cause damage to the optical fiber (101). Thus, the present disclosure discloses a guarding wall mechanism (100) for limiting the damage caused to the optical fiber (101) and thus safeguard it.
As shown in
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the housing (202) may be configured to house the optical fibers (101), wherein the optical fibers (101) are either placed in the housing (202) of the guarding wall mechanism (100) or it may be affixed to the housing (202) of the guarding wall mechanism (100), thereby providing a rigid support to the optical fiber (101) structure. In an embodiment, the optical fiber (101) may be affixed through means such as but not limited to adhesives.
Further, as shown in
Moving on to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In an embodiment, the guarding wall mechanism (100) of the present disclosure eliminates light leakage from the optical fiber (101) to the surroundings. Further, the guarding wall mechanism (100) ensures that there are minimal Fresnel losses in the optical system. Further, the guarding wall mechanism (100) increases comfort to the patient when it is positioned on the examination surface such as scalp or skin of the patient.
It may be noted that, one skilled in the art would modify the configuration of the guarding wall mechanism (100) to suit different packaging requirements without deviating from scope of the disclosure. Such modifications should be considered as a part of the present disclosure.
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding the description may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated in the description
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201821044486 | Nov 2018 | IN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2019/060148 | 11/26/2019 | WO | 00 |
