Capsule endoscopy

By using a heat-meltable valve core and a water-swelling anti-fouling component in a capsule endoscope, the problems of difficult installation and contamination of micro valves are solved, and the effects of simplifying the structure, reducing space occupancy and improving anti-fouling capabilities are achieved.

CN113925442BActive Publication Date: 2025-09-09ANKON TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202111286499.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-11-02
Publication Date
2025-09-09
Estimated Expiration
2041-11-02

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing microvalve-based capsule endoscopes are difficult to install, take up a lot of space, and lack anti-contamination mechanisms, making samples susceptible to contamination.

Method used

A valve core that can be heated and melted and an anti-fouling component that absorbs water and expands are used. The heating component is used to control the on-off of the valve core, and the anti-fouling component is used to absorb liquid and expand at the end of the sampling channel to close the opening, simplifying the valve structure and improving the anti-fouling ability.

Benefits of technology

It reduces the installation difficulty and space occupied by the valve, effectively prevents sample contamination and loss, and improves the sampling success rate and efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A capsule endoscope comprises a sampling channel and a sampling cavity, wherein one end of the sampling channel has an opening toward the outside of the capsule endoscope, and the other end of the sampling channel has an opening toward the sampling cavity; the capsule endoscope further comprises a valve core and a heating assembly, wherein the valve core is arranged in the sampling channel, and the heating assembly is connected to the valve core, and the heating assembly can heat the valve core to control the connection or disconnection between the sampling channel and the sampling cavity; the capsule endoscope further comprises an anti-fouling assembly, which is arranged on a side of the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity, and is configured to expand by absorbing liquid, and after expansion, the anti-fouling assembly closes the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical devices, and in particular to a capsule endoscope. Background Art

[0002] Capsule endoscopes, due to their high reliability and safety, have become an effective tool for diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases and have been highly recognized in the international medical device community. Capsule endoscopes typically have a sampling function, allowing them to collect fluid samples from the digestive tract. After the capsule endoscope is removed from the body, medical personnel can extract the fluid sample for pathological analysis. In existing technology, one type of capsule endoscope uses a microvalve, which controls the sampling process by opening and closing the microvalve.

[0003] However, the microvalves of existing capsule endoscopes based on microvalves are difficult to install and take up a large space. In addition, they lack anti-pollution mechanisms, which makes the samples collected by the capsule endoscope easily contaminated by downstream substances. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a capsule endoscope, which is conducive to reducing the difficulty of installing its microvalve, reducing the space occupied by its microvalve, and improving its anti-fouling ability.

[0005] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objects of the invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides a capsule endoscope having a sampling channel and a sampling cavity, wherein one end of the sampling channel has an opening toward the outside of the capsule endoscope, and the other end of the sampling channel has an opening toward the sampling cavity;

[0006] The capsule endoscope further comprises a valve core and a heating component, wherein the valve core is arranged in the sampling channel, the heating component is connected to the valve core, and the heating component can heat the valve core to control the connection or disconnection between the sampling channel and the sampling cavity;

[0007] The capsule endoscope further includes an anti-fouling component, which is arranged on a side of the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity. The anti-fouling component is configured to expand by absorbing liquid, and after expansion, the anti-fouling component closes the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity.

[0008] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the capsule endoscope includes a film valve, and the film valve includes a valve seat, the valve core, the heating component and the anti-fouling component;

[0009] The sampling channel is formed on the valve seat, and has openings on the outer wall of the valve seat facing the outside of the capsule endoscope and the sampling cavity respectively; the capsule endoscope also includes a main shell, which is fixedly connected to the valve seat, and the area enclosed by the main shell and the valve seat includes the sampling cavity, and the walls forming the sampling cavity include the inner wall of the main shell and the outer wall of the valve seat.

[0010] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the sampling channel includes a first channel and a second channel. Along the flow direction of the sampling channel, the first channel is closer to the outside of the capsule endoscope than the second channel, and the first channel has an opening facing the outside of the capsule endoscope on the outer wall of the valve seat; the second channel is closer to the sampling cavity than the first channel, and the second channel has an opening facing the sampling cavity on the outer wall of the valve seat; the first channel and the second channel are connected, and a valve port is formed at the connection between the first channel and the second channel;

[0011] The valve core and the heating component are arranged in the first channel, and the anti-fouling component is arranged on a side of the opening of the second channel facing the sampling cavity.

[0012] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the valve core is fixedly connected to the wall forming the first channel, and the valve core is located above the valve port and covers the valve port;

[0013] Along the axial direction of the second channel, the heating component is located between the valve core and the valve port, one end of the heating component is fixedly connected to the wall forming the first channel, and the other end of the heating component is fixedly connected to the valve core, and the heating components are circumferentially distributed around the valve port.

[0014] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the second channel is formed into a stepped structure, the second channel includes a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, along the axial direction of the second channel, one end of the large diameter portion is connected to the small diameter portion, and the other end of the large diameter portion is connected to the first channel, the valve port is formed at the connection between the large diameter portion and the first channel; the inner diameter of the large diameter portion is larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion;

[0015] The opening of the second channel toward the sampling cavity is formed at an end of the small diameter portion away from the large diameter portion.

[0016] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the anti-fouling component has a natural state and an expanded state, and the anti-fouling component is transformed from the natural state to the expanded state by absorbing liquid; the anti-fouling component is staggered with the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity in the natural state, and the anti-fouling component closes the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity in the expanded state.

[0017] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the anti-fouling component has a through hole, which runs through the anti-fouling component; when the anti-fouling component is in a natural state, the through hole is open, and the through hole connects the sampling channel and the sampling cavity; when the anti-fouling component is in an expanded state, the through hole is closed, and the anti-fouling component blocks the sampling channel and the sampling cavity.

[0018] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the main housing includes a first housing and a second housing, the first housing and the second housing are respectively fixed to opposite sides of the valve seat, the area enclosed by the first housing and the valve seat is formed as the sampling cavity, and the area enclosed by the second housing and the valve seat is formed as the accommodating cavity;

[0019] The capsule endoscope also includes a camera component, a wireless module and a control component. The control component is electrically connected to the heating component. The connecting wire between the control component and the heating component passes through the valve seat. The control component is used to control the opening or closing of the heating component.

[0020] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the valve core is made of polycaprolactone material, and the anti-fouling component is made of super absorbent resin material.

[0021] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the capsule endoscope includes a tail plug, which is arranged through the main shell, with one end of the tail plug facing the sampling chamber and the other end of the tail plug facing the outside of the main shell; the tail plug is elastic, and the needle of the syringe can pierce the tail plug to perform suction on the sampling chamber.

[0022] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the valve core has a notch portion, which is arranged on a side of the valve core away from the valve port, and the notch portion is recessed relative to the surface of the valve core, and is formed as a groove.

[0023] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the membrane valve includes a filter grid, which is arranged in the first channel and covers an opening of the first channel on the outer wall of the valve seat.

[0024] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention offers the following advantages: by providing a heat-fusing valve core within the sampling channel to control its connection or disconnection, the valve structure is simpler, installation is easier, and the overall valve footprint is smaller. Furthermore, by providing a water-swellable anti-fouling component at the end of the sampling channel, the capsule endoscope's anti-fouling capabilities are enhanced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a capsule endoscope before sampling in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a capsule endoscope sampling process according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 FIG1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the capsule endoscope after sampling is completed in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Combine Figure 1 A capsule endoscope 100 includes a main shell 1 and a thin film valve 2, wherein the main shell 1 is formed into a shell-like structure with a hollow interior, and the thin film valve 2 includes a valve seat 21, at least part of the valve seat 21 faces the hollow area of ​​the main shell 1, the main shell 1 is fixedly connected to the valve seat 21, and the area enclosed by the main shell 1 and the valve seat 21 includes a sampling cavity 10, and the walls forming the sampling cavity 10 include the inner wall of the main shell 1 and the outer wall of the valve seat 21. The sampling cavity 10 is used to store liquid samples collected by the capsule endoscope 100.

[0030] The valve seat 21 has a sampling channel 20, one end of the sampling channel 20 has an opening toward the outside of the capsule endoscope 100, and the other end of the sampling channel 20 has an opening toward the sampling cavity 10. In this way, when the inside of the sampling channel 20 is connected, the sampling cavity 10 and the outside of the capsule endoscope 100 can be connected, so that the liquid outside the capsule endoscope 100 can enter the sampling cavity 10 through the sampling channel 20.

[0031] The film valve 2 also includes a valve core 22 and a heating component 23. In one embodiment, the valve core 22 is formed into a sheet-like film structure. The valve core 22 is disposed in the sampling channel 20. The heating component 23 is connected to the valve core 22. The heating component 23 can heat the valve core 22 to control the connection or disconnection between the sampling channel 20 and the sampling cavity 10. Specifically, the valve core 22 blocks the interior of the sampling channel 20 in the initial state. At this time, the liquid outside the capsule endoscope 100 cannot enter the sampling cavity 10 through the sampling channel 20, and the sampling channel 20 and the sampling cavity 10 are disconnected. When the capsule endoscope 100 reaches a specified section of the digestive tract, the heating component 23 heats the valve core 22 and causes it to melt. In this way, the melted valve core 22 no longer blocks the interior of the sampling channel 20, and the sampling channel 20 and the sampling cavity 10 are connected. In this embodiment, the capsule endoscope 100 uses a method of directly fusing the valve core 22 to conduct the inside of the sampling channel 20 so that the sampling channel 20 is connected to the sampling cavity 10. In this way, compared with the traditional capsule endoscope based on micro valves, the valve structure is simplified, the difficulty of valve installation is reduced, and the overall space occupied by the valve is reduced.

[0032] The membrane valve 2 also includes an anti-fouling component 24, which is disposed on the side of the sampling channel 20 that opens toward the sampling chamber 10, or the anti-fouling component 24 is disposed at the downstream end of the sampling channel 20 located after the valve core 22. Specifically, in one embodiment, the anti-fouling component 24 is fixed to the downstream end of the sampling channel 20 by a fixing mechanism 211 formed on the outside of the valve seat 21. The anti-fouling component 24 is configured to expand by absorbing liquid, and after expansion, the anti-fouling component 24 closes the opening of the sampling channel 20 toward the sampling chamber 10. In this way, the liquid outside the capsule endoscope 100 cannot enter the sampling chamber 10 due to the obstruction of the anti-fouling component 24. When the liquid outside the capsule endoscope 100 changes, the liquid sample already collected in the sampling chamber 10 can be effectively prevented from being contaminated by the changed liquid. For example, when the capsule endoscope 100 moves to the downstream of the digestive tract, the composition of the liquid in the digestive tract is significantly different from that of the liquid in the target digestive tract segment. If the liquid in the downstream digestive tract enters the sampling chamber 10, it will contaminate the previously collected liquid sample. At the same time, the liquid sample already collected in the sampling chamber 10 will also be retained in the sampling chamber 10 due to the obstruction of the anti-fouling component 24. This can effectively prevent the loss of sample, thereby further improving the sampling success rate.

[0033] In one embodiment, the sampling channel 20 includes a first channel 201 and a second channel 202. Along the flow direction of the sampling channel 20, the first channel 201 is closer to the exterior of the capsule endoscope 100 than the second channel 202. The first channel 201 has an opening on the outer wall of the valve seat 21 facing the exterior of the capsule endoscope 100. The second channel 202 is closer to the sampling cavity 10 than the first channel 201. The second channel 202 has an opening on the outer wall of the valve seat 21 facing the sampling cavity 10. The first channel 201 and the second channel 202 are connected, and a valve port 200 is formed at the connection between the first channel 201 and the second channel 202.

[0034] In this embodiment, the valve core 22 and the heating component 23 are arranged in the first channel 201, and the anti-fouling component 24 is arranged on the side of the opening of the second channel 202 toward the sampling chamber 10. This is conducive to positioning the anti-fouling component 24 at the downstream end of the valve core 22 and the heating component 23, thereby avoiding the situation where the anti-fouling component 24 expands and blocks the sampling channel 20 before the valve core 22 is opened.

[0035] In a specific embodiment, the valve core 22 is fixedly connected to the wall forming the first channel 201. Specifically, the side wall of the valve core 22 can be fixed to the wall forming the first channel 201 by gluing. The valve core 22 is located above the valve opening 200 and covers the valve opening 200. In this way, the valve core 22 closes the valve opening 200, which helps the capsule endoscope 100 to keep the initial sampling channel 20 closed, preventing external liquid from entering the sampling cavity 10 through the sampling channel 20 before reaching the designated section of the digestive tract, thereby preventing the capsule endoscope 100 from collecting the wrong liquid sample.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heating assembly 23 is located between the valve core 22 and the valve port 200 along the axial direction of the second channel 202. One end of the heating assembly 23 is fixedly connected to the wall forming the first channel 201, and the other end of the heating assembly 23 is fixedly connected to the valve core 22. The heating assemblies 23 are distributed circumferentially around the valve port 200. This helps further stabilize the position of the valve core 22 and enhances the heating effect of the heating assembly 23 on the valve core 22.

[0037] Combine Figure 2In one embodiment, the second channel 202 is designed to be stepped, or in other words, the second channel 202 is formed into a stepped structure. Specifically, the second channel 202 includes a large diameter portion 2021 and a small diameter portion 2022. Along the axial direction of the second channel 202, the large diameter portion 2021 is located between the valve port 200 and the small diameter portion 2022. One end of the large diameter portion 2021 communicates with the small diameter portion 2022, and the other end of the large diameter portion 2021 is connected to the first channel 201. The valve port 200 is formed at the connection between the large diameter portion 2021 and the first channel 201. The inner diameter of the large diameter portion 2021 is larger than that of the small diameter portion 2022. In this way, when the heating component 23 melts the valve core 22, the melted valve core 22 will fall into the large diameter portion 2021. At this time, the liquid can enter the small diameter portion 2022 from the gap between the large diameter portion 2021 and the valve core 22 and finally enter the sampling cavity 10, avoiding the secondary blockage of the second channel 202 by the melted valve core 22, which is beneficial to improving the stability of the sampling work and thus improving the sampling success rate of the capsule endoscope 100. For ease of understanding, Figure 2 The spline curve with an arrow in the middle represents the direction of the liquid flow path.

[0038] In addition, the opening of the second channel 202 toward the sampling chamber 10 is formed at the end of the small-diameter portion 2022 away from the large-diameter portion 2021. In this way, after the anti-fouling component 24 expands, it closes the small-diameter portion 2022 with a smaller inner diameter, which is beneficial to improving the sealing success rate of the anti-fouling component 24, thereby ensuring that the anti-fouling and anti-loss functions of the capsule endoscope 100 can be normally realized.

[0039] In one specific embodiment, the anti-fouling component 24 is a structure capable of assuming different shapes in different states, and the state transition of the anti-fouling component 24 is achieved by absorbing liquid. Specifically, the anti-fouling component 24 has a natural state and an expanded state, and the anti-fouling component 24 transitions from the natural state to the expanded state by absorbing liquid. When the anti-fouling component 24 is in the natural state, it assumes a relatively contracted shape; when the anti-fouling component 24 is in the expanded state, its volume increases significantly compared to the natural state due to the expansion. Furthermore, in the natural state, the anti-fouling component 24 is offset from the opening of the sampling channel 20 toward the sampling cavity 10. In the expanded state, the anti-fouling component 24 blocks the opening of the sampling channel 20 toward the sampling cavity 10. In this way, the capsule endoscope 100 can control whether the sampling channel 20 is connected or disconnected from the sampling cavity 10 based on the different states of the anti-fouling component 24.

[0040] Specifically, when the capsule endoscope 100 performs normal sampling work in the human digestive tract, since the anti-fouling component 24 is initially in a natural state, the anti-fouling component 24 and the sampling channel 20 are offset. In this way, the process of the liquid in the digestive tract entering the sampling cavity 10 from the sampling channel 20 will not be blocked by the anti-fouling component 24, so that the liquid can directly enter the sampling cavity 10, thereby realizing the sampling of digestive tract liquid samples.

[0041] Combine Figure 3 When the capsule endoscope 100 completes sampling, the anti-fouling component 24 also expands due to the absorption of liquid. At this time, due to the increase in the volume of the anti-fouling component 24, the original positional relationship between the anti-fouling component 24 and the sampling channel 20 changes. The anti-fouling component 24 in the expanded state closes the opening of the sampling channel 20 toward the sampling cavity 10. In this way, the liquid outside the capsule endoscope 100 cannot enter the sampling cavity 10 due to the obstruction of the anti-fouling component 24, thereby effectively preventing sample contamination and sample loss.

[0042] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the anti-fouling component 24 has a through hole 240, and the through hole 240 is set through the anti-fouling component 24. When the anti-fouling component 24 is in a natural state, the through hole 240 is open, and the through hole 240 connects the sampling channel 20 and the sampling cavity 10; when the anti-fouling component 24 is in an expanded state, the through hole 240 is closed, and the anti-fouling component 24 blocks the sampling channel 20 and the sampling cavity 10. This is conducive to achieving smooth circulation of liquid during sampling, and preventing the liquid from being contaminated and lost after sampling is completed. In this embodiment, the through hole 240 is coaxially arranged with the second channel 202 in the sampling channel 20, which is conducive to improving the circulation efficiency of the liquid, thereby further improving the collection speed of the capsule endoscope 100.

[0043] In one embodiment, the main housing 1 includes a first housing 11 and a second housing 12, which are respectively fixed to opposite sides of the valve seat 21, wherein the area enclosed by the first housing 11 and the valve seat 21 is formed as a sampling chamber 10, and the area enclosed by the second housing 12 and the valve seat 21 is formed as a accommodating chamber 30.

[0044] In this embodiment, the capsule endoscope 100 also includes a camera component 3, a wireless module 4 and a control component 5, wherein the control component 5 is electrically connected to the heating component 23, and the connecting wire between the control component 5 and the heating component 23 is set through the valve seat 21, and the control component 5 is used to control the opening and closing of the heating component 23.

[0045] In one embodiment, the valve core 22 is made of PCL material (Polycaprolactone). PCL material is a low-melting-point polymer material with sufficient structural strength. Its melting point is between 40°C and 70°C, making it suitable as the material for the valve core 22. The valve core 22 has sufficient sealing properties and can be easily melted by heating to enable sampling. At the same time, PCL material has poor fluidity after melting and does not form droplets. This helps prevent the valve core 22 from causing secondary blockage of the sampling channel 20 after melting. In this embodiment, the sheet-like film valve core 2 made of PCL material is small in size, easy to install, and low in complexity.

[0046] The anti-fouling component 24 is made of SAP material (Super Absorbent Polymer). SAP material is a material with strong water absorption capacity, high expansion ratio, and fast water absorption speed. It is suitable as the material for making the anti-fouling component 24, so that the anti-fouling component 24 has strong anti-fouling ability. At the same time, after absorbing liquid, the expansion speed of the SAP material is delayed to a certain extent. This is conducive to ensuring that after the sampling cavity 10 completes the collection of the sample, the anti-fouling component 24 will gradually expand and close the opening of the sampling channel 20 toward the sampling cavity 10, thereby avoiding the volume of the liquid that can be collected in the sampling cavity 10 being affected, and ensuring that the sampling is completed smoothly. Compared with other mechanical anti-fouling and blocking structures, the anti-fouling component 24 made of SAP material has a simple structure, small size, and significant anti-fouling effect.

[0047] In one embodiment, the capsule endoscope 100 includes a tail plug 6, which is arranged through the main shell 1, with one end of the tail plug 6 facing the sampling chamber 10 and the other end of the tail plug 6 facing the outside of the main shell 1. The tail plug 6 is elastic, and the needle of the syringe can pierce the tail plug 6 to perform suction on the sampling chamber 10. Specifically, in one embodiment, the tail plug 6 is made of latex material. Before the capsule endoscope 100 enters the human body, the needle of the syringe is first used to pierce the tail plug 6 to extract the air in the sampling chamber 10, so that a low-pressure vacuum environment is formed inside the sampling chamber 10. Since the tail plug 6 is elastic, when the needle of the syringe is removed, the tail plug 6 will automatically close the needle hole under its own rebound force and extrusion, thereby maintaining the vacuum environment in the sampling chamber 10. When the capsule endoscope 100 enters the human body and reaches a designated section of the digestive tract, the valve core 22 melts open, and the liquid outside the capsule endoscope 100, under pressure, rapidly flows through the sampling channel 20 into the sampling cavity 10. This not only increases the sampling speed of the capsule endoscope 100, but also helps to further ensure that the anti-fouling component 24 does not seal the sampling channel 20 until sampling is complete. After the capsule endoscope 100 is recovered, the sample in the sampling cavity 10 is again extracted by piercing the tail plug 6 with a syringe.

[0048] In one embodiment, the valve core 22 has a notch 221 located on a side of the valve core 22 away from the valve port 200. The notch 221 is recessed relative to the surface of the valve core 22 and is formed as a groove. When the control assembly 5 controls the heating assembly 23 to generate heat, the valve core 22 softens and partially melts. Under the action of internal and external pressure, the valve core 22 is more easily separated from the notch 221, thereby forming a passage for the sampling channel 20.

[0049] In one embodiment, the membrane valve 2 includes a filter grid 7, which is arranged in the first channel 201. The filter grid 7 covers the opening of the first channel 201 on the outer wall of the valve seat 21. The filter grid 7 is used to filter larger impurities in the digestive tract liquid to prevent the sampling channel 20 of the capsule endoscope 100 from being blocked by impurities during the sampling process.

[0050] In another embodiment, the capsule endoscope 100 may also eliminate the valve seat 21 structure, and the sampling channel 20 and the sampling cavity 10 may be integrally formed in the shell of the main shell 1; the valve core 22, the heating component 23 and the anti-fouling component 24 are not enough to form a membrane valve 2, but are separately arranged in the sampling channel 20 or the sampling cavity 10 formed on the main shell 1 as an independent mechanism. This is conducive to improving the flexibility of the structural design of the capsule endoscope 100 and will not be described in detail.

[0051] In summary, compared to conventional microvalve-based capsule endoscopes, such as those using flexible tubes and pinch valves, the present capsule endoscope 100 utilizes the principle that the valve core 22 is directly melted by the heating component 23, thereby opening the sampling channel 20. This results in a simpler valve structure, easier installation, and a smaller overall valve footprint. Furthermore, by utilizing the principle of material expansion upon water absorption, the present capsule endoscope 100 possesses an automatic anti-fouling function, enhancing its anti-fouling capabilities.

[0052] The various technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the various technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this description.

[0053] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical solutions described in the present invention. Although this specification has described the present invention in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can still be modified or replaced by equivalents, and all technical solutions and improvements thereof that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A capsule endoscope, comprising a sampling channel and a sampling cavity, wherein one end of the sampling channel has an opening toward the outside of the capsule endoscope, and the other end of the sampling channel has an opening toward the sampling cavity; It is characterized by: The capsule endoscope further includes a valve core and a heating component, wherein the valve core is disposed in the sampling channel, and the heating component is connected to the valve core, and the heating component can heat the valve core to control the connection or disconnection between the sampling channel and the sampling cavity; The capsule endoscope further includes an anti-fouling component, which is arranged on a side of the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity, and is configured to expand by absorbing liquid, and after expansion, the anti-fouling component closes the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity; The sampling channel includes a first channel and a second channel, the first channel and the second channel are connected, and a valve port is formed at the connection between the first channel and the second channel; the second channel is formed into a step-like structure, the second channel includes a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, and the valve port is formed at the connection between the large diameter portion and the first channel; the valve core is located above the valve port and covers the valve port; The inner diameter of the large diameter portion is larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion.

2. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that The capsule endoscope comprises a film valve, which comprises a valve seat, the valve core, the heating component and the anti-fouling component; The sampling channel is formed on the valve seat, and has openings on the outer wall of the valve seat facing the outside of the capsule endoscope and the sampling cavity respectively; the capsule endoscope also includes a main shell, which is fixedly connected to the valve seat, and the area enclosed by the main shell and the valve seat includes the sampling cavity, and the walls forming the sampling cavity include the inner wall of the main shell and the outer wall of the valve seat.

3. The capsule endoscope according to claim 2, characterized in that Along the flow direction of the sampling channel, the first channel is closer to the outside of the capsule endoscope than the second channel, and the first channel has an opening facing the outside of the capsule endoscope on the outer wall of the valve seat; the second channel is closer to the sampling cavity than the first channel, and the second channel has an opening facing the sampling cavity on the outer wall of the valve seat; The valve core and the heating component are arranged in the first channel, and the anti-fouling component is arranged on a side of the opening of the second channel facing the sampling cavity.

4. The capsule endoscope according to claim 3, characterized in that The valve core is fixedly connected to the wall forming the first channel; Along the axial direction of the second channel, the heating component is located between the valve core and the valve port, one end of the heating component is fixedly connected to the wall forming the first channel, and the other end of the heating component is fixedly connected to the valve core, and the heating components are circumferentially distributed around the valve port.

5. The capsule endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that Along the axial direction of the second channel, one end of the large diameter portion is connected to the small diameter portion, and the other end of the large diameter portion is connected to the first channel; The opening of the second channel toward the sampling cavity is formed at an end of the small diameter portion away from the large diameter portion.

6. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that The anti-fouling component has a natural state and an expanded state. The anti-fouling component changes from the natural state to the expanded state by absorbing liquid. In the natural state, the anti-fouling component is staggered with the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity. In the expanded state, the anti-fouling component closes the opening of the sampling channel toward the sampling cavity.

7. The capsule endoscope according to claim 6, characterized in that The anti-fouling component has a through hole, and the through hole is set through the anti-fouling component; when the anti-fouling component is in a natural state, the through hole is open, and the through hole communicates with the sampling channel and the sampling cavity; When the anti-fouling component is in an expanded state, the through hole is closed, and the anti-fouling component blocks the sampling channel and the sampling cavity.

8. The capsule endoscope according to claim 2, characterized in that The main housing includes a first housing and a second housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing are respectively fixed to opposite sides of the valve seat, the area enclosed by the first housing and the valve seat is formed as the sampling cavity, and the area enclosed by the second housing and the valve seat is formed as the accommodating cavity; The capsule endoscope also includes a camera component, a wireless module and a control component. The control component is electrically connected to the heating component. The connecting wire between the control component and the heating component passes through the valve seat. The control component is used to control the opening or closing of the heating component.

9. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that The valve core is made of polycaprolactone material, and the anti-fouling component is made of high water absorbent resin material.

10. The capsule endoscope according to claim 2, characterized in that The capsule endoscope includes a tail plug, which is arranged through the main shell, with one end of the tail plug facing the sampling cavity and the other end of the tail plug facing the outside of the main shell; The tail plug is elastic, and the needle of the syringe can pierce the tail plug to perform suction on the sampling cavity.

11. The capsule endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that The valve core has a notch portion, which is arranged on a side of the valve core away from the valve port. The notch portion is recessed relative to the surface of the valve core and is shaped as a groove.

12. The capsule endoscope according to claim 3, characterized in that The film valve includes a filter grid, which is arranged in the first channel and covers an opening of the first channel on the outer wall of the valve seat.

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