Capsule endoscope, control method of capsule endoscope and preparation method of capsule endoscope

Abstract

The invention is suitable for the technical field of biology, and provides a capsule endoscope and a control method and preparation method of the capsule endoscope, and the capsule endoscope comprises a sealing shell and at least one cabin located on the outer surface of the sealing shell; the cabin body is used for placing at least one hydrogel microneedle; the hydrogel microneedle is used for absorbing liquid which penetrates through the porous film and flows into the porous film through the hydrogel particles at the target position, so that the hydrogel microneedle is expanded, and the drug delivery needle body is punctured into tissue at the target position. When the capsule endoscope arrives at a target position, the hydrogel microneedle in the capsule body is released, the capsule endoscope accurately pierces the tissue at the target position through the characteristic that the hydrogel microneedle encounters liquid to expand, and medicine delivery can be completed while the interior of the tissue is detected; the difficulty and complexity of medicine injection at a specified position in a living body are reduced, and the injection efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of biotechnology, and in particular relates to a capsule endoscope, a method for controlling the capsule endoscope, and a method for preparing the capsule endoscope. Background Technology

[0002] Capsule endoscopy, as a novel tool for detecting tissues in living organisms, has advantages that traditional intubation-type gastrointestinal endoscopes cannot match, such as easier operation and less discomfort for patients. In recent years, it has been widely used in many fields such as biology and medicine.

[0003] Existing capsule endoscopes are mainly used for observing internal tissues. When it is necessary to inject drugs into target tissues, other instruments or methods are required. However, injecting drugs into already detected target tissues using other instruments or methods requires moving the instrument back to the target tissue or performing surgery, which greatly increases the difficulty and complexity of drug injection. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a capsule endoscope, a control method for the capsule endoscope, and a preparation method for the capsule endoscope. This solves the problem that existing capsule endoscope technology can only be used to observe in vivo tissues. When it is necessary to inject drugs into the target tissue, other instruments or means are required, which greatly increases the difficulty and complexity of drug injection.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a capsule endoscope, the capsule endoscope comprising a sealed housing and at least one chamber located on the outer surface of the sealed housing; the outer wall of the chamber is a controllable structural component;

[0006] The chamber is used to house at least one hydrogel microneedle; the hydrogel microneedle includes a perforated film, a plurality of drug delivery needles attached to the perforated film, and hydrogel microparticles encapsulated inside the perforated film; The controllable structural component is used to open the capsule when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position to release the hydrogel microneedles; The hydrogel microneedle is used at the target location to absorb liquid flowing into the porous membrane through the hydrogel microparticles, thereby causing the hydrogel microneedle to expand and insert the drug delivery needle into the tissue at the target location.

[0007] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the controllable structure includes a thermofusible film and a heating element in contact with the thermofusible film; the heating element is used to heat the thermofusible film when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position to melt the thermofusible film.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the controllable structure includes an electrolytic film and a power source in contact with the electrolytic film; the power source is used to release a point when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position to ablate the electrolytic film.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the controllable structural component is a retractable structural component; the retractable structural component is in an unfolded state before reaching the target position to close the cabin; the retractable structural component is in a folded state upon reaching the target position to release the hydrogel microneedles.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the sealed housing includes a drive unit, a camera module, and a control module; the control module establishes a communication link with the drive unit and the camera module. The drive component is used to control the movement of the capsule endoscope according to the control instructions of the control module; The camera module is used to acquire environmental images of the environment in which the capsule endoscope is located; The control module is used to control the movement of the drive component and to send the environmental image to an electronic device for controlling the capsule endoscope; The control module is also used to control the release of the hydrogel microneedles by the controllable structural component.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the drug delivery needle body includes a needle body cast onto the perforated film and a separate needle tip cast onto the needle body; the separate needle tip contains a drug delivery component.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the porous film is generated based on a solution of polyvinyl alcohol, acrylamide, and / or a photoinitiator and cured by ultraviolet light. The drug delivery needle is cast onto the porous film by means of a solution made of polyethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene glycol and / or a photoinitiator and UV curing.

[0013] In a second aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for controlling a capsule endoscope, used to control a capsule endoscope as described in any of the first aspects, the control method comprising: During the movement of the capsule endoscope, environmental images captured by the capsule endoscope are obtained; If the capsule endoscope is determined to have reached a preset target position based on the environmental image, the controllable structural components of the capsule endoscope are controlled to open the chamber, thereby releasing the hydrogel microneedles in the chamber so that the hydrogel microneedles can pierce into the tissue at the target position.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the step of controlling the controllable structural components of the capsule endoscope to open the capsule body if it is determined based on the environmental image that the capsule endoscope has reached a preset target position includes: Based on the correspondence between each compartment and its position, determine the target compartment corresponding to the target position from at least one compartment; The controllable structural component of the target chamber in the capsule endoscope is controlled to open the target chamber.

[0015] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a method for preparing a capsule endoscope, used to prepare a capsule endoscope as described in any of the first aspects, the method comprising: A first hydrogel precursor solution is injected into the mold containing the needle and cured by ultraviolet light to fix each of the needles onto a hydrogel film formed based on the first hydrogel precursor solution. Each of the separate needle tips, to which the drug delivery was added, was placed in the second hydrogel precursor solution; The hydrogel film with the needle body fixed is immersed in the second hydrogel precursor solution to solidify each of the separate needle tips onto each of the needle bodies of the hydrogel film, thereby obtaining each drug delivery needle body. The hydrogel film containing each drug delivery needle body is perforated, and hydrogel microparticles are filled into the interior of the hydrogel film to obtain hydrogel microneedles; Each hydrogel microneedle was added to the capsule to obtain the capsule endoscope.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, adding the individual hydrogel microneedles into the capsule to obtain the capsule endoscope includes: After adding the hydrogel microneedles to the chamber, a chamber cover is added to the chamber. A controllable structural component is provided in the hatch to seal the cabin.

[0017] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the method described in any of the second aspects or the method described in any of the third aspects above.

[0018] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in any of the second or third aspects above.

[0019] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that, when run on an electronic device, causes the electronic device to perform the method described in any of the second aspects or the method described in any of the third aspects above.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this application embodiment compared to the prior art are as follows: By constructing at least one chamber within a capsule endoscope, placing hydrogel microneedles within the chamber, and maintaining the chamber closed before the capsule endoscope reaches the target location via a controllable structural component; upon reaching the target location, the hydrogel microneedles are released from the chamber via the controllable structural component, and the hydrogel microparticles in the microneedles absorb liquid at the target location, causing the microneedles to expand, thereby inserting them into the tissue at the target location. This allows for simultaneous in vivo detection and drug delivery to the target location. Compared to existing capsule endoscope technology, this application embodiment not only achieves internal detection through the capsule endoscope, but also releases the hydrogel microneedles within its chamber upon reaching the target location. Utilizing the property of the hydrogel microneedles expanding upon contact with liquid, they are precisely inserted into the tissue at the target location. This simultaneous tissue detection and drug delivery reduces the difficulty and complexity of injecting drugs into designated locations within the body, and improves injection efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a capsule endoscope provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a controllable structural component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a capsule endoscope provided in another embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a method for preparing a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the preparation of hydrogel microneedles according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of a capsule endoscope preparation device provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a control method for a capsule endoscope provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a hydrogel release microneedle provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a hydrogel microneedle release according to another embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a structural block diagram of a control device for a capsule endoscope provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0024] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.

[0025] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0026] This application provides a capsule endoscope, a control method for the capsule endoscope, and a preparation method for the capsule endoscope. It enables the construction of at least one chamber within the capsule endoscope, the placement of hydrogel microneedles within the chamber, and the sealing of the chamber by a controllable structural component before the capsule endoscope reaches the target location. Upon reaching the target location, the hydrogel microneedles are released from the chamber via the controllable structural component. The hydrogel microparticles in the microneedles absorb liquid at the target location, causing the microneedles to expand and insert into the tissue at the target location. This allows for simultaneous in vivo detection and drug delivery to the target location. Compared to existing capsule endoscope technology, this application not only achieves in vivo detection through the capsule endoscope but also releases the hydrogel microneedles from its chamber upon reaching the target location. Utilizing the property of the hydrogel microneedles expanding upon contact with liquid, they are precisely inserted into the tissue at the target location. This simultaneous tissue detection and drug delivery reduces the difficulty and complexity of drug injection at designated locations within the body and improves injection efficiency.

[0027] For example, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of this application is shown. See also Figure 1 As shown, the capsule endoscope includes a sealed housing 11 and at least one chamber 12 located on the outer surface of the sealed housing 11. Figure 1 Taking a sealed housing 11 with a compartment 12 as an example, in some implementations, the sealed housing 11 can be configured with two or more compartments. The number and size of the compartments can be set according to the actual situation.

[0028] The aforementioned chamber 12 is specifically used to house at least one hydrogel microneedle 13, which includes a perforated film 131, a plurality of drug delivery needles 132 attached to the perforated film, and hydrogel microparticles 133 encapsulated inside the perforated film.

[0029] In some implementations, the number of drug delivery needles 132 can be set according to actual usage requirements. For example, if a large amount of drug needs to be delivered, a larger number of drug delivery needles 132 can be set on the hydrogel microneedles 13; or, if the area of ​​the tissue to be delivered is large, the number of drug delivery needles 132 on the hydrogel microneedles 13 can be increased. The number of drug delivery needles 132 can be determined based on factors such as the amount of drug to be delivered and the tissue area, and no limit is placed on the number of drug delivery needles 132 here.

[0030] In some implementations, the number of hydrogel microparticles 133 within the aforementioned hydrogel microneedles 13 can be determined according to actual conditions. For example, if the area of ​​the tissue to be delivered is large, i.e., the volume that the hydrogel microneedles 13 need to expand to is larger, then a larger number of hydrogel microparticles 133 can be set within the hydrogel microneedles 13, thereby making its volume larger after absorbing water and expanding. Or, for example, if the tissue to be delivered is far from the target location, then even more hydrogel microparticles 133 can be set, thereby increasing their volume after absorbing water and expanding, so as to deliver the drug to the tissue far from the target location and improve delivery accuracy.

[0031] In this embodiment, the outer wall of the aforementioned chamber 12 is a controllable structural component 14. Specifically, the controllable structural component 14 is used to seal the aforementioned chamber 12, isolating the chamber 12 from the outside world and preventing liquid from entering the chamber before reaching the target location. That is, before reaching the target location, the hydrogel microneedles 13 inside the aforementioned chamber 12 are isolated from the external liquid, and the hydrogel microneedles 13 inside the chamber will not absorb water and expand, nor will they be squeezed out of the aforementioned chamber 12 due to expansion, thus preventing the premature release of the hydrogel microneedles 13 and achieving controllable timing of drug delivery.

[0032] In this embodiment, the controllable structural component 14 is also used to open the chamber 12 when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, so as to release the hydrogel microneedles 13 placed inside the chamber 12. Since the hydrogel microneedles 13 have the property of absorbing water and expanding, after the controllable structural component 14 reaches the target position and opens the chamber 12, the tissue fluid at the target position will flow into the chamber 12 and be absorbed by the hydrogel microneedles 13, causing the hydrogel microneedles 13 to expand, squeeze out of the chamber 12, and be exposed at the target position. Since the hydrogel microneedles 13 are provided with multiple drug delivery needles 132, after being exposed to the target position, the hydrogel particles 133 in the hydrogel microneedles 13 will further absorb the tissue fluid and expand again, further increasing the volume of the hydrogel microneedles 13. Finally, the drug delivery needles 132 on the hydrogel microneedles 13 will pierce the tissue at the target position, thereby achieving the purpose of precisely delivering drugs to the tissue at the target position.

[0033] In some possible implementations, the aforementioned hydrogel microparticles 133 can be made of a flexible material that is cross-linked into a three-dimensional network of hydrophilic organic polymers, which has strong water retention capacity and good biocompatibility. Specifically, the aforementioned hydrogel microparticles 133 can be hydrogels with large pores and a large number of hydrophilic groups, so that the water absorption of the hydrogel microparticles can reach several times their own weight and expand significantly.

[0034] In some implementations, the aforementioned hydrogel microparticles 133 can also be made of special materials that allow them to expand or contract in response to external stimuli, such as expansion in the environment of tissue fluid.

[0035] In some implementations, the controllable structural component 14 includes a heat-fusible film and a heating element in contact with the heat-fusible film. The heating element may be embedded in the heat-fusible film or attached to its surface. The heating element may be electrically connected to a processing module that controls the capsule endoscope. The processing module may be housed within the sealed housing of the capsule endoscope, such as a processor for the capsule endoscope. Alternatively, the processing module may be another electronic device separate from the capsule endoscope, such as a terminal that controls the capsule endoscope, communicating with it via a wireless WiFi module or Bluetooth module and controlling the heating element to activate.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, the heating element can be activated. That is, the heating element can be heated and heated when it reaches the target position, so that the thermoplastic film in contact with the heating element will also heat up synchronously. When the temperature of the thermoplastic film reaches the preset melting point, the thermoplastic film will melt, thereby exposing the hydrogel microneedles 13 inside the chamber 12 to the target position. Then, the tissue fluid at the target position can come into contact with the hydrogel microneedles 13. Subsequently, the hydrogel microneedles 13 can absorb the tissue fluid at the target position, causing the hydrogel microneedles 13 to expand and penetrate the tissue at the target position.

[0037] For example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a controllable structural component 14 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. See also Figure 2 As shown in (a), before the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, the heating element 22 on the controllable structure 21 of the capsule endoscope can be in the off state, that is, it will not heat up, and the thermoplastic film 23 will not melt. When the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, the capsule endoscope can activate the heating element 22 on the controllable structure 21, so that the heating element 22 will heat up, and the thermoplastic film 23 will melt after reaching its melting point, and the capsule chamber in the capsule endoscope will be exposed to the target position, as shown in (a). Figure 2 As shown in (b) of the diagram.

[0038] In some implementations, the controllable structural component 14 may include an electrolytic film and a power source in contact with the electrolytic film. The power source may be in electrical contact with the electrolytic film, and the heating element may be electrically connected to the processing module controlling the capsule endoscope. When the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, the electrical circuit between the power source and the electrolytic film can be activated, causing the electrolytic film to dissolve upon energization. This exposes the hydrogel microneedles 13 within the capsule 12 to the target position, allowing the tissue fluid at the target position to contact the hydrogel microneedles 13. Subsequently, the hydrogel microneedles 13 absorb the tissue fluid at the target position, causing them to expand and penetrate the tissue at the target position.

[0039] In some implementations, the controllable structural component 14 can be a retractable structural component. The retractable structural component can be in an unfolded state before reaching the target position to close the capsule endoscope 12; the retractable structural component can be in a folded state when reaching the target position to release the hydrogel microneedles 13 in the capsule 12.

[0040] In this embodiment, the sealed housing 11 can be used to drive the capsule endoscope to move, collect environmental images of the scene where the capsule endoscope is located, and send the environmental images back to the electronic device that controls the capsule endoscope to determine whether the capsule endoscope has reached the target position. When the target position is reached, the controllable structural component 14 is controlled to release the hydrogel microneedles 13 in the cabin 12.

[0041] In some implementations, the aforementioned sealed housing may include a drive unit, a camera module, and a control module. The control module may establish a communication link with the drive unit and the camera module. For example, Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a capsule endoscope according to another embodiment of this application is shown. See also Figure 3 As shown, in addition to the capsule body, controllable structural components and hydrogel microneedles, the sealed housing 31 of the capsule endoscope may include a camera module 32, a control module 33 and a drive unit 34.

[0042] The aforementioned drive unit 34 is used to control the movement of the capsule endoscope according to the control instructions of the control module 33, such as controlling the capsule endoscope to move forward, or backward, or rotate clockwise, or rotate counterclockwise.

[0043] The aforementioned camera module 32 can be used to acquire environmental images of the capsule endoscope's environment. For example, it can transmit one environmental image of the environment to the control module 33 every minute, and the control module 33 can send the environmental images to the electronic device controlling the capsule endoscope. Alternatively, the electronic device can send a shooting command to the capsule endoscope, and the control module in the capsule endoscope can respond to the shooting command and acquire the environmental images through the aforementioned camera module 32.

[0044] The aforementioned control module 33 can control the movement of the capsule endoscope through the drive component 34, acquire environmental images of the surrounding environment through the camera module 32, and control the release of hydrogel microneedles by the controllable structural component.

[0045] In this embodiment, the porous film 131 on the hydrogel microneedles 13 can be made of materials such as an aqueous solution of a photoinitiator, polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and is generated by ultraviolet curing.

[0046] In some implementations, the drug delivery needle body 132 on the hydrogel microneedle 13 may include a needle body cast onto a porous film 131 and a separate needle tip cast onto the needle body, wherein the separate needle tip may contain a drug delivery component. For example, the separate needle tip may be soaked in drug or filled with drug. The separate needle tip may be made of a biodegradable material and may degrade and ablate after a certain period of time after the separate needle tip is inserted into the tissue.

[0047] In this embodiment, the aforementioned split needle tip may be cast onto the needle body, for example, by casting a solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), acrylamide (Aam), and / or a photoinitiator onto the needle body.

[0048] As can be seen from the above, the capsule endoscope provided in this embodiment constructs at least one chamber within the capsule endoscope, places hydrogel microneedles within the chamber, and keeps the chamber closed before the capsule endoscope reaches the target location via a controllable structural component. After reaching the target location, the hydrogel microneedles are released from the chamber via the controllable structural component. The hydrogel microparticles in the microneedles absorb liquid at the target location, causing the microneedles to expand and thus insert into the tissue at the target location. This allows for simultaneous in vivo detection and drug delivery to the target location. Compared with existing capsule endoscope technology, this embodiment not only achieves in vivo detection through the capsule endoscope but also releases the hydrogel microneedles within its chamber upon reaching the target location. Utilizing the property of the hydrogel microneedles to expand upon encountering liquid, they are precisely inserted into the tissue at the target location. This simultaneous tissue detection and drug delivery reduces the difficulty and complexity of injecting drugs into designated locations within the body and improves injection efficiency.

[0049] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a method for fabricating a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of this application. The method for fabricating the capsule endoscope may include two stages: a preparation stage for preparing hydrogel microneedles and a packaging stage for the hydrogel microneedles. Specifically, the method for fabricating the capsule endoscope may include the following steps: Phase 1: Preparation of Hydrogel Microneedles In S401, a first hydrogel precursor liquid is injected into the mold containing the needle and cured by ultraviolet light to fix each of the needles to a hydrogel film formed based on the first hydrogel precursor liquid.

[0050] In this embodiment, the hydrogel microneedle includes a porous film, a drug delivery needle body, and hydrogel microparticles. The drug delivery needle body comprises a needle body cast onto the film and a separate needle tip cast onto the needle body. Since the separate needle tip is cast onto the needle body, and the needle body is cast onto the film, meaning the film serves as the substrate for preparing the hydrogel film, it is necessary to first cure the film to obtain it.

[0051] In this embodiment, the user can first inject a first hydrogel precursor liquid into the mold. The first hydrogel precursor liquid can be made of materials such as polyethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene glycol and / or a photoinitiator solution. After the first hydrogel precursor liquid is injected into the mold, the needle body can be fixed in the first precursor liquid, and the mold with the fixed needle body is irradiated under ultraviolet light. The first hydrogel precursor liquid that has fixed the needle body is cured by ultraviolet light, so that each needle body can be fixed on the hydrogel film.

[0052] For example, Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication of hydrogel microneedles according to an embodiment of this application is shown. See also... Figure 5 As shown in (a), each needle 51 can be fixed on the mold 52. The user can cast the first hydrogel precursor liquid into region 53 of the mold 52 to obtain the mold 52 with the first hydrogel precursor liquid cast in it, as shown in (a). Figure 5 As shown in (b) above. The user can place the mold 52, which has been cast with the first hydrogel precursor liquid, under ultraviolet light to solidify the first hydrogel precursor liquid and obtain a hydrogel film 54 with each needle 51 fixed in place.

[0053] In S402, each of the separate needle tips containing the drug delivery solution is placed in the second hydrogel precursor solution.

[0054] In this embodiment, the user can immerse the separate needle tip in the drug to be delivered, or fill the separate needle tip with the drug, and then place the separate needle tip in the second hydrogel precursor solution. Continuing... Figure 5 For example, see [link to example]. Figure 5 As shown in (c), each of the separate needle tips 55 can be placed in the second hydrogel precursor solution 56.

[0055] In some implementations, the aforementioned second hydrogel precursor solution may be made based on a solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), acrylamide (Aam), and / or a photoinitiator.

[0056] In S403, the hydrogel film with the needle body fixed is immersed in the second hydrogel precursor solution to solidify each of the separate needle tips onto the respective needle body of the hydrogel film, thereby obtaining each drug delivery needle body.

[0057] In this embodiment, the user can immerse the film with the needle fixed in it into the second hydrogel precursor solution, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (c), after entering the second hydrogel precursor solution, the detachable needle tip can also be fixed to the needle body by ultraviolet curing to obtain individual drug delivery needles, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (d), each drug delivery needle body 57 is obtained.

[0058] In S404, the hydrogel film on which each drug delivery needle body is cast is perforated, and hydrogel microparticles are filled into the interior of the hydrogel film to obtain hydrogel microneedles.

[0059] In this embodiment, the user can punch holes in the hydrogel film on which multiple drug delivery needles are cast, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (e), various pores 58 can be obtained, and the tissue fluid at the target location can enter the interior of the hydrogel microneedle through the various pores 58, causing the hydrogel microparticles inside the hydrogel microneedle to absorb water and swell.

[0060] In this embodiment, after the user completes the perforation of the hydrogel film, it can be encapsulated and filled with hydrogel microparticles 59 to obtain the following result: Figure 5 The hydrogel microparticles shown in (f) are shown in the figure.

[0061] Phase Two: Encapsulation of Hydrogel Microneedles In S405, individual hydrogel microneedles are added to the capsule body to obtain the capsule endoscope.

[0062] In this embodiment, the user can fill the capsule with hydrogel microneedles and seal it with a controllable structural component to obtain the capsule endoscope.

[0063] In some implementations, S405 above may include the following steps: In S405.1, after the hydrogel microneedles are added to the chamber, a chamber cover is added to the chamber.

[0064] In S405.2, a controllable structural component is provided in the hatch cover to close the hatch body.

[0065] In this embodiment, the cover of the aforementioned cabin is equipped with a controllable structural component, thereby controlling whether to release the hydrogel microneedles stored inside the cabin by controlling the opening and closing state of the controllable structural component.

[0066] In this embodiment, the functional modules of the capsule endoscope, such as the camera module, control module and drive module mentioned above, can be installed in a sealed housing and sealed using a specified method, such as welding or adhesive bonding, to seal the housing; an appropriate amount of hydrogel microneedles are filled into the capsule endoscope chamber and the chamber cover is closed and sealed using a specified method, such as welding or adhesive bonding, and a controllable structure that can control the dissolution is configured on the chamber cover.

[0067] As can be seen from the above, the method for preparing a capsule endoscope provided in this application embodiment can prepare hydrogel microneedles filled with hydrogel microparticles by casting, fill the capsule endoscope chamber with the hydrogel microneedles, and seal the chamber with a controllable structural component. This allows the hydrogel microneedles to be released from the chamber after the capsule endoscope reaches the target location. The hydrogel microparticles in the microneedles absorb liquid at the target location, causing the microneedles to expand and insert into the tissue at the target location. This allows for simultaneous in vivo detection and drug delivery to the target location. Compared with existing capsule endoscope technology, this application embodiment not only achieves internal detection through the capsule endoscope, but also releases the hydrogel microneedles from its chamber upon reaching the target location. Utilizing the property of the hydrogel microneedles expanding upon contact with liquid, they are precisely inserted into the tissue at the target location. This simultaneous tissue detection and drug delivery reduces the difficulty and complexity of injecting drugs into designated locations within the body and improves injection efficiency.

[0068] In this embodiment, Figure 6 This illustration shows a structural block diagram of a capsule endoscope fabrication apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. The apparatus includes units for performing various operations. Figure 4 The corresponding steps are implemented by the electronic device in the embodiment. Please refer to the details. Figure 4 and Figure 4 The relevant descriptions in the corresponding embodiments are shown below. For ease of explanation, only the parts relevant to this embodiment are shown.

[0069] See Figure 6 The apparatus for preparing a capsule endoscope includes: The first casting unit 61 is used to inject the first hydrogel precursor liquid into the mold where the needle body is located and cure it with ultraviolet light to fix each of the needle bodies to the hydrogel film formed based on the first hydrogel precursor liquid. The second casting unit 62 is used to place each of the separate needle tips with added drug delivery into the second hydrogel precursor solution; The needle tip fixing unit 63 is used to immerse the hydrogel film with the needle body fixed in it into the second hydrogel precursor solution to solidify each of the separate needle tips onto each of the needle bodies in the hydrogel film, thereby obtaining each drug delivery needle body. The microparticle filling unit 64 is used to punch holes in the hydrogel film on which each drug delivery needle body is cast, and to fill the interior of the hydrogel film with hydrogel microparticles to obtain hydrogel microneedles. The capsule sealing unit 65 is used to add each hydrogel microneedle into the capsule to obtain the capsule endoscope.

[0070] Please see Figure 7 , Figure 7 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a control method for a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of this application. Specifically, the control method for the capsule endoscope may include the following steps: In S701, during the movement of the capsule endoscope, environmental images captured by the capsule endoscope are obtained.

[0071] In this embodiment, the capsule endoscope may be equipped with a camera module and a driving component. The driving component can control the movement of the capsule endoscope within the organism. During the movement, the camera module in the capsule endoscope acquires environmental images within the organism. By performing image recognition on the environmental images, it can be determined whether the target location has been reached.

[0072] In this embodiment, if the capsule endoscope has not reached the target position based on environmental image recognition, the capsule endoscope can be controlled to continue moving; conversely, if the capsule endoscope has reached the target position based on environmental image recognition, operation S702 can be executed.

[0073] In S702, if it is determined based on the environmental image that the capsule endoscope has reached a preset target position, the controllable structure of the capsule endoscope is controlled to open the chamber to release the hydrogel microneedles in the chamber so that the hydrogel microneedles can pierce into the tissue at the target position.

[0074] In this embodiment, when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, the controllable structure in the capsule endoscope can be controlled to open the chamber. For example, the controllable structure made of a thermoplastic film can be heated by a heating element to melt the controllable structure. Alternatively, the controllable structure can be folded to release the hydrogel microneedles inside the chamber.

[0075] In this process, after the hydrogel microneedles are released, the hydrogel microparticles inside the hydrogel microneedles absorb tissue fluid and expand, thereby allowing the drug delivery needle on the hydrogel microneedles to penetrate the tissue at the target location to achieve the purpose of drug delivery.

[0076] For example, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a hydrogel-releasing microneedle according to an embodiment of this application is shown. See also Figure 8 As shown in (a), the capsule endoscope 81 can move within the intestine until it reaches a target location. After the capsule endoscope 81 reaches the target location, the controllable structural element 82 on the capsule endoscope 81 can be ablated, such as... Figure 8 As described in (b) above. The hydrogel microneedles 83 in the aforementioned chamber will be released from the chamber to the target location, as... Figure 8 As shown in (c) above. The hydrogel microparticles in the hydrogel microneedles 83 can absorb tissue fluid from the intestines, causing the hydrogel microneedles 83 to swell, as shown in... Figure 8 As shown in (d), the hydrogel microneedles 83 expand and penetrate into the tissue to achieve drug delivery.

[0077] For example, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a release hydrogel microneedle according to another embodiment of this application is shown. See also Figure 9 As shown in (a), the capsule endoscope 91 can move within the intestine until it reaches a target location. After the capsule endoscope 91 reaches the target location, the controllable structural element 92 on the capsule endoscope 91 can be ablated, such as... Figure 9 As described in (b) above. At this time, intestinal tissue fluid enters the capsule endoscope 91. The hydrogel microparticles in the hydrogel microneedles 93 within the capsule absorb the tissue fluid, causing the hydrogel microneedles 93 to expand within the capsule, as... Figure 9 As shown in (c) above. The capsule endoscope 91 can continue to move via the drive mechanism, allowing the expanded hydrogel microneedles 93 within the capsule endoscope 91 to pierce the tissue, as shown in (c). Figure 9 As shown in (d) in the figure.

[0078] In some possible implementations, when there are two or more capsules, different capsules can be equipped with hydrogel microneedles containing different drugs. In this case, the capsule endoscope has a correspondence between each capsule and its position. The capsule endoscope can determine the capsule corresponding to the target position based on the current target position and control the controllable structure of the target capsule in the capsule endoscope to open the target capsule, for example, by ablating the controllable structure in the capsule, so as to release the hydrogel microneedles in the capsule corresponding to the target position, thereby releasing the hydrogel microneedles containing the specified drug to the target position.

[0079] As can be seen from the above, the capsule endoscope control method provided in this application involves constructing at least one chamber within the capsule endoscope, placing hydrogel microneedles within the chamber, and maintaining the chamber closed before the capsule endoscope reaches the target position via a controllable structural component. Upon reaching the target position, the hydrogel microneedles are released from the chamber via the controllable structural component. The hydrogel microparticles in the microneedles absorb liquid at the target position, causing the microneedles to expand and insert into the tissue at the target location. This allows for simultaneous in vivo detection and drug delivery to the target location. Compared to existing capsule endoscope technology, this application not only achieves internal detection through the capsule endoscope but also releases the hydrogel microneedles from its chamber upon reaching the target position. Utilizing the property of the hydrogel microneedles expanding upon contact with liquid, they are precisely inserted into the tissue at the target location. This simultaneous tissue detection and drug delivery reduces the difficulty and complexity of injecting drugs into designated locations within the body and improves injection efficiency.

[0080] In this embodiment, Figure 10 This diagram illustrates a structural block diagram of a control device for a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of this application. The capsule endoscope preparation device includes units for performing various operations. Figure 7 The corresponding steps are implemented by the electronic device in the embodiment. Please refer to the details. Figure 7 and Figure 7 The relevant descriptions in the corresponding embodiments are shown below. For ease of explanation, only the parts relevant to this embodiment are shown.

[0081] See Figure 10 The control device for the capsule endoscope includes: The environmental image acquisition unit 101 is used to acquire environmental images captured by the capsule endoscope during the movement of the capsule endoscope. The hydrogel microneedle release unit 102 is used to control the controllable structure of the capsule endoscope to open the chamber if the capsule endoscope is determined to have reached a preset target position based on the environmental image, so as to release the hydrogel microneedles in the chamber and allow the hydrogel microneedles to pierce into the tissue at the target position.

[0082] Figure 11 This is a structural block diagram of an electronic device provided in another embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 11The electronic device 1100 of this embodiment includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120, and a computer program 1130 stored in the memory 1120 and executable on the processor 1110, such as a program for a method of preparing hydrogel microneedles or a method of controlling hydrogel microneedles. When the processor 1110 executes the computer program 1130, it implements the steps of each embodiment of the above-described method of preparing hydrogel microneedles or method of controlling hydrogel microneedles, for example... Figure 4 S401 to S405 are described above. Alternatively, the processor 1110 may implement the above when executing the computer program 1130. Figure 10 The functions of each module in the corresponding embodiments, for example, Figure 6 For details regarding the functions of units 61 to 65, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 10 The relevant descriptions in the corresponding embodiments.

[0083] For example, computer program 1130 may be divided into one or more modules, one or more of which are stored in memory 1120 and executed by processor 1110 to complete this application. One or more modules may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, which describe the execution process of computer program 1130 in electronic device 1100. For example, computer program 1130 may be divided into various unit modules, each with the specific functions described above.

[0084] Electronic device 1100 may include, but is not limited to, processor 1110 and memory 1120. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 11 This is merely an example of electronic device 1100 and does not constitute a limitation on electronic device 1100. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, electronic device may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0085] The processor 1110 may be a central processing unit, or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, off-the-shelf programmable gate arrays or other programmable logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0086] The memory 1120 can be an internal storage unit of the electronic device 1100, such as a hard disk or memory of the electronic device 1100. The memory 1120 can also be an external storage device of the electronic device 1100, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart memory card, flash memory card, etc. equipped on the electronic device 1100. Furthermore, the memory 1120 can include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the electronic device 1100.

[0087] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A capsule endoscope, characterized by, The capsule endoscope comprises a sealed shell and at least one cabin on the outer surface of the sealed shell; the outer wall of the cabin is a controllable structure; The cabin is used for placing at least one hydrogel microneedle; the hydrogel microneedle comprises a porous film, a plurality of drug delivery needles attached to the porous film, and hydrogel particles encapsulated inside the porous film; The controllable structure is used for opening the cabin when the capsule endoscope reaches a target position, so as to release the hydrogel microneedle; The hydrogel microneedle is used for absorbing liquid flowing into the inside of the porous film through the porous film at the target position by the hydrogel particles, so as to swell the hydrogel microneedle and make the drug delivery needles pierce into the tissue at the target position.

2. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, wherein The controllable structure comprises a hot melt film and a heating element in contact with the hot melt film; the heating element is used for heating when the capsule endoscope reaches the target position, so as to ablate the hot melt film.

3. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, wherein The controllable structure is a retractable structure; the retractable structure is in an unfolded state before reaching the target position, so as to seal the cabin; the retractable structure is in a folded state when reaching the target position, so as to release the hydrogel microneedle.

4. The capsule endoscope of claim 1, wherein The sealed shell comprises a driving element, a camera module and a control module; the control module is communicatively linked with the driving element and the camera module; The driving element is used for controlling the movement of the capsule endoscope according to the control instruction of the control module; The camera module is used for acquiring an environmental image of the environment where the capsule endoscope is located; The control module is used for controlling the movement of the driving element and sending the environmental image to an electronic device for controlling the capsule endoscope; The control module is also used for controlling the controllable structure to release the hydrogel microneedle.

5. The capsule endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The drug delivery needle comprises a needle cast on the porous film and a detachable needle tip cast on the needle; the detachable needle tip contains a delivery drug.

6. The capsule endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The porous film is a solution made of polyvinyl alcohol, acrylamide and / or a photoinitiator and is generated by ultraviolet curing; The drug delivery needle is cast on the porous film by a solution made of polyethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene glycol and / or a photoinitiator and is generated by ultraviolet curing.

7. A control method of a capsule endoscope, characterized by, A control method for controlling the capsule endoscope according to any one of claims 1-6, the control method comprising: acquiring an environmental image photographed by the capsule endoscope during the movement of the capsule endoscope; if it is determined based on the environmental image that the capsule endoscope reaches a preset target position, controlling the controllable structure of the capsule endoscope to open the cabin, so as to release the hydrogel microneedle in the cabin, so that the hydrogel microneedle pierces into the tissue at the target position.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized by, The if it is determined based on the environmental image that the capsule endoscope reaches a preset target position, controlling the controllable structure of the capsule endoscope to open the cabin, comprises: determining a target cabin corresponding to the target position from at least one cabin according to the correspondence between each cabin and the position; Controlling a controllable structure in the target capsule of the capsule endoscope to open the target capsule.

9. A method for producing a capsule endoscope, characterized by, The preparation method for preparing the capsule endoscope as claimed in any one of claims 1-6 comprises: injecting a first hydrogel precursor solution into a mold where the needle is located and fixing each needle to a hydrogel film formed based on the first hydrogel precursor solution by ultraviolet curing; placing each separate needle tip added with a delivery drug into a second hydrogel precursor solution; immersing the hydrogel film fixed with the needles into the second hydrogel precursor solution to fix each separate needle tip on each needle of the hydrogel film, obtaining each drug delivery needle; punching the hydrogel film on which each drug delivery needle is cast and filling hydrogel microparticles into the hydrogel film, obtaining a hydrogel microneedle; adding each hydrogel microneedle into a capsule to obtain the capsule endoscope.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The adding of each hydrogel microneedle into a capsule to obtain the capsule endoscope comprises: after the adding of the hydrogel microneedle into the capsule, adding a cap to the capsule; setting a controllable structure in the cap to close the capsule.

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