Method and system for providing plasma treatment to an optical surface

Abstract

A plasma generation apparatus for treating an object, the apparatus including a housing, a plasma generation zone within the housing configured to accommodate an object, circuitry for supplying energy and performing plasma treatment to increase the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level, at least one sensor configured to measure at least one plasma activation parameter during plasma treatment, and at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to determine, based on the at least one plasma activation parameter, that the plasma treatment falls below a threshold for increasing the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level and output a notification indicating a failure of the plasma treatment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 178,024, filed on April 22, 2021, and Israeli Patent Application No. 288770, filed on December 8, 2021, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to the field of observation devices, and more particularly, to techniques for improving the effectiveness of observation devices by reducing the accumulation of condensation.

Background Art

[0003] Medical scopes are widely used in medical procedures, particularly minimally invasive surgical procedures. Such scopes are generally classified into two categories, namely endoscopes and laparoscopes, and both are used to visualize internal regions of the body. Endoscopes are commonly used to obtain visual information inside hollow organs or cavities such as the digestive tract. Laparoscopes are generally inserted through a small incision in the patient's skin. Briefly speaking, both are often called endoscopes. By way of example only, arthroscopic examination, bronchoscopic examination, colonoscopic examination, cystoscopic examination, enterostomy, hysteroscopic examination, laparoscopic examination, laryngoscopic examination, mediastinoscopic examination, sigmoidoscopic examination, esophagogastroduodenoscopic examination, and ureteroscopic examination can be performed using an endoscope. The medical scopes used to perform these procedures have an optical system (e.g., a lens) at one end, as described below.

[0004] Endoscopes often include a distal end configured to be inserted into a patient's body and a proximal end configured to remain outside the patient's body during a procedure. Typically, the distal end includes a viewport such as a lens or window, or a bare end of an optical fiber, or even a mirror (e.g., a dental mirror). Through the viewport, the scope can collect an image around the viewport using a photosensitive device such as a CCD. The viewport may be intended to collect light from in front of the device (i.e., from a region that aligns with the longitudinal axis of the device), or the viewport may be tilted at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, or (as demonstrated in colonoscopy, for example) may be oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device. The proximal end often includes or is connected to a control unit, which (e.g., a handle) is configured to be operated by a doctor and may optionally include user interface components such as switches, navigation sticks, touchscreens, and touch pads.

[0005] Laparoscopes often include a rod or shaft, which is in a fixed or relatively fixed position and can include a viewport and, optionally, an objective lens at its distal end and an eyepiece and / or an integrated visual display at its proximal end. To record a surgical procedure, the scope can also be connected to a remote visual display device or a video camera.

[0006] In laparoscopic procedures, when access can be obtained through one or more relatively small incisions (usually between about 3 mm and about 15 mm) in the patient's abdominal or pelvic cavity and the laparoscope can be inserted through one of these incisions, a view of the internal organs targeted for surgery by the doctor becomes possible. Typically, an insufflation device is used to inflate the abdomen with gas (usually carbon dioxide, which is commonly used for insufflation), expanding the abdominal space by raising the abdominal wall above the internal organs, creating sufficient working and observation space for the surgeon.

[0007] The local environment within the abdominal cavity of a patient is generally moist and warm compared to the inserted endoscope or laparoscope. As a result, the viewport of the laparoscope tends to become blurred, for example, by spraying, i.e., by condensation of vapor on the viewport, or by accumulation of droplets such as blood droplets resulting from surgical activities during a procedure. A similar phenomenon can occur with endoscopes that are not laparoscopes. When such fogging occurs, the surgeon's view is obstructed, and in some cases, the surgeon is required to remove the scope from the body to wipe the lens.

Summary of the Invention

[0008] Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide systems and methods generally related to plasma treatment for preventing fogging on an optical surface. The disclosed systems and methods may be implemented using a combination of dedicated hardware and software, such as conventional hardware and software, and machines specifically constructed and / or programmed to perform functions associated with the disclosed method steps. In accordance with other disclosed embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may store program instructions, which are executable by at least one processing device and perform any of the steps and / or methods described herein.

[0009] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, a system, a device, a method, and a computer-readable medium for processing an object with plasma are disclosed. For example, a plasma generator for processing an object is disclosed. These embodiments may include a housing, a plasma generation zone within the housing configured to allow accommodation of the object, a circuit for supplying energy and performing plasma processing to increase the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level, at least one sensor configured to measure at least one plasma activation parameter during plasma processing, and at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured to determine that the plasma processing falls below a threshold for increasing the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level based on the at least one plasma activation parameter, and output a notification indicating a malfunction of the plasma processing.

[0010] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, a system, a device, a method, and a computer-readable medium for processing an elongated tool with plasma are disclosed. These embodiments may include a housing, a hole within the housing having an open end on the surface of the housing for inserting the elongated tool therein, at least one vacuum pump for creating a vacuum in at least a portion of the hole, an insertion detector for determining when the elongated tool is inserted into the hole, a vacuum sensor associated with the housing for determining the degree of negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole, a plasma generator for generating plasma within the hole, and at least one processor. The at least one processor may receive an insertion signal from the insertion detector indicating that the elongated tool is within the hole, and in response to the insertion signal, operate at least one vacuum pump to create a negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole, receive a signal from the vacuum sensor and determine therefrom that the negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole is sufficient for plasma generation, and after determining that the negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole is sufficient for plasma generation, operate the plasma generator to expose a distal end region of the elongated tool to the plasma.

[0011] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, a system, device, method, and computer-readable medium for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element are disclosed. For example, an apparatus for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured to be inserted into a body cavity is disclosed. These embodiments may include a housing, a cavity within the housing sized to removably hold at least a portion of the medical device therein, the portion including the optical element, a plasma activation zone within the cavity configured such that when at least a portion of the medical device is held within the cavity, the optical element is positioned within the plasma activation zone, a plasma generator configured to form a plasma cloud within the plasma activation zone in the vicinity of the optical element when activated, and a controller configured to activate the plasma generator for a period sufficient to make the optical element hydrophilic prior to insertion into the body cavity.

[0012] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, a system, device, method, and computer-readable medium for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element are disclosed. These embodiments may include a housing, a chamber within the housing, an electrical circuit within the housing, a plasma activation region associated with the chamber and configured to hold the optical element in a manner that exposes an optical surface of the optical element to the plasma activation region, the plasma activation region being configured to contain a gas above a first side of a dielectric barrier, the electrical circuit being configured to form an electrical connection with a first electrode positioned above the first side of the dielectric barrier, a second electrode connected to the electrical circuit and positioned above a second side of the dielectric barrier opposite the plasma activation region, and at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to control an electrical flow through the circuit to generate a plasma within the plasma activation region by causing an electric field associated with a voltage drop between the first electrode and the second electrode, and to maintain the plasma generated within the plasma generation region for a period sufficient to make the optical surface hydrophilic.

[0013] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, a system, device, method, and computer-readable medium for generating a plasma to process an object are disclosed. For example, a plasma generator for processing an object is disclosed. These embodiments may include a housing, a plasma generation zone within the housing configured to allow accommodation of the object, a plasma generator for enabling formation of a plasma within the plasma generation zone, a plurality of vacuum pumps within the housing, each pump having a vacuum inlet, a plurality of conduits within the housing, the plurality of vacuum pumps being connected in series such that, during operation, the pumps in series create a vacuum within the plasma generation zone, and at least one processor configured to operate the plurality of vacuum pumps simultaneously while the object is within the region of the plasma generation zone.

[0014] Some of the disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured to be inserted into a body cavity. The optical element of the medical device may be treated to make at least one surface of the optical element superhydrophilic. When treated, the medical device, together with the superhydrophilic optical element, is inserted into the body cavity and exposed to moisture, which forms a thin film barrier on at least one surface of the optical element to suppress condensation distortion.

[0015] In accordance with some disclosed embodiments, a system, device, method, and computer-readable medium for processing devices of different dimensions in a vacuum environment are disclosed. These embodiments may include a housing having a channel for receiving elongated tools of various diameters, the housing being divisible into a vacuum chamber region and a non-vacuum region. These embodiments may also include an annular seal disposed between the vacuum chamber region and the non-vacuum region, the annular seal being formed of a flexible material and configured to form a vacuum seal against the wall of a first tool when the first tool is inserted therein and against the wall of a second tool when the second tool is inserted therein, the first tool having a diameter at least 1.5 times larger than the diameter of the second tool.

[0016] Some embodiments may include inserting a removable first housing into a housing during a first treatment session, the removable first housing being divided into a vacuum chamber region and a non-vacuum region separated by a first annular seal configured to adjust to various tool sizes; inserting an elongate first tool into the removable first housing during the first treatment session, the elongate first tool having a first region of a first dimension; sealing the first region of the first dimension with the first annular seal upon insertion of the elongate first tool; maintaining the elongate first tool within the first housing during establishment of at least a partial vacuum within the vacuum chamber region; and withdrawing the elongate first tool from the first housing. These embodiments may also include inserting a removable second housing into the housing during a second treatment session, the removable second housing being divided into a second vacuum chamber region and a second non-vacuum region separated by a second annular seal disposed in an arrangement corresponding to the first annular seal; inserting an elongate second tool into the removable second housing during the second treatment session, the elongate second tool having a second region of a second dimension different from the first dimension; sealing the second region of the second dimension with the second annular seal upon insertion of the elongate second tool; maintaining the elongate second tool within the second housing during establishment of at least a partial vacuum within the second vacuum chamber region; and withdrawing the elongate second tool from the second housing. Some of the disclosed embodiments may also include maintaining the removable first housing within the housing during the second treatment session; inserting an elongate second tool into the removable first housing during the second treatment session, the elongate second tool having a second region of a second dimension different from the first dimension; sealing the second region of the second dimension with the first annular seal upon insertion of the elongate second tool; maintaining the elongate second tool within the first housing during establishment of at least a partial vacuum within the vacuum chamber region; and withdrawing the elongate second tool from the first housing.

[0017] Some of the disclosed embodiments include an apparatus for preparing a medical device for a medical procedure. The medical device can have a distal segment configured to be inserted into a patient's body, and the distal segment can include an optical member having an optical surface. Some of the disclosed apparatuses include an operating unit, an adapter configured to be detachably coupled from the operating unit, and at least one electrode, which can be included within the operating unit or the adapter or both (if more than one electrode is present). The operating unit can include an EM power source and a housing having a slot, and the housing can be configured to receive the adapter within the slot. The operating unit can also include an adapter identifier configured to receive an identification signal from a corresponding transponder, and a controller functionally associated with the adapter identifier. The adapter can include a hollow cylinder extending between an opening and a distal end of the hollow cylinder, and the opening can be sized to allow insertion of the distal segment into the hollow cylinder. The adapter can also include a seal, which can be positioned within the hollow cylinder and can define a distal portion of the hollow cylinder between the seal and the distal end of the hollow cylinder. The seal can be sized to closely fit around an outer periphery of the distal segment when the distal segment is inserted into the hollow cylinder. The adapter can also include a transponder, which can be configured to transmit an identification signal identifying the adapter or its position relative to the adapter identifier when the adapter is within the slot. The apparatus is configured such that when the distal segment is within the hollow cylinder of the adapter, the adapter is within the slot, the adapter identifier receives the identification signal from the transponder, and a plasma generating EM field is applied to the distal portion of the hollow cylinder by at least one electrode, and the electrode is configured to receive EM power from the power source.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the adapter includes a hollow cylinder that extends between an opening sized and configured to receive a distal segment of a medical device and a distal end of the hollow cylinder. The adapter may also include a seal positioned within the hollow cylinder that may define a distal portion of the hollow cylinder between the seal and the distal end of the hollow cylinder, and the seal may be sized to tightly fit around an outer perimeter of the distal segment when the distal segment is inserted into the hollow cylinder. The adapter may also include a transponder configured to transmit an identification signal that identifies the adapter when the adapter is within a slot. In some embodiments, the transponder stores information that identifies the adapter. In some embodiments, the transponder is configured to identify the adapter by transmitting an identification signal in response to a coded signal.

[0019] According to some embodiments, in the adapter the seal is sized to tightly fit around a distal segment having an outer perimeter within a range between a first perimeter of L and a second perimeter greater than 1.5L. The adapter may also include an electrical feedthrough that may electrically connect an external contact outside of the hollow cylinder to a conductor inside of the hollow cylinder within its distal portion.

[0020] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a method of providing at least a first medical device and a second medical device for a medical procedure to be performed on a single patient. Each such medical device has a distal segment that includes an optical member. The periphery of the distal segment of one of the first and second medical devices is L, and the periphery of the distal segment of the other medical device is greater than 1.2L. Some of the disclosed methods include providing a plasma chamber having at least one electrode, the at least one electrode being electrically connectable to a power source and configured to apply a plasma-generating EM field within the plasma chamber. The plasma chamber may also include an opening and a seal, the seal being sized and configured to receive the respective distal segments of the first and second medical devices within the opening. The associated method may further include inserting the distal segment of the first medical device through the opening into the plasma chamber such that the seal and the distal end are mated to seal the opening. Such a method may also include applying the plasma-generating EM field by supplying EM force from the power source to the at least one electrode to generate plasma in the vicinity of the optical member. The method may further include repeating the step of inserting the distal segment and the step of supplying EM force to the second medical device.

[0021] In accordance with some of the disclosed embodiments, an adaptive seal made of a flexible material is disclosed. The seal may be formed in a shape that combines an outer tube and an inner annular ring, and the inner annular ring may extend radially along a wavy curve having at least one wave crest between the outer tube and the central opening of the seal. Thus, such an adaptive seal is configured to fit snugly on the outer surface of a member having a smooth periphery within a range between a first periphery of L and a second periphery of 1.5L, which is positioned within the central opening. The smooth periphery may depict a convex shape and may include a convex curve having no corners or sharp edges.

[0022] The foregoing summary is provided to introduce a particular example of the disclosed embodiments in order to provide the gist of the present disclosure, and is not intended to summarize all aspects of the disclosed embodiments. Additional features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be described in part in the following description, will become apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosed embodiments. The features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments are realized and achieved by the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

[0023] It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely illustrative and explanatory by way of example, and are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments as claimed.

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments described in the appended claims.

[0025] The accompanying drawings, incorporated herein and constituting a part of this disclosure, illustrate various disclosed embodiments. The dimensions of the components and features shown in the figures are generally selected for convenience of presentation and clarity and are not necessarily shown to scale. The drawings are shown below.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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[0027] Exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figures which are not necessarily drawn to scale, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. For convenience, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Although examples and features of the disclosed principles are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. Also, the words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning and are not intended to be open-ended in the sense that any one of these words followed by one or more items is not meant to mean that the one or more items are completely listed or limited to only the one or more items listed. It should be noted that, as used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0028] Unless otherwise specified, as will be apparent from the following description, throughout this specification, discussions using terms such as "processing", "calculating", "computing", "determining", "generating", "setting", "configuring", "selecting", "defining", "applying", "acquiring", "monitoring", "providing", "identifying", "segmenting", "classifying", "analyzing", "associating", "extracting", "storing", "receiving", "transmitting", etc. include computer actions and / or processes that manipulate data and / or transform data into other data, where this data is represented as a physical quantity such as an electronic quantity and / or this data represents a physical object. The terms "computer", "processor", "controller", "processing unit", "computing unit", and "processing module" are, by way of non-limiting example, personal computers, wearable computers, smart glasses, tablets, smartphones, servers, computing systems, cloud computing platforms, communication devices, processors (e.g., digital signal processors (DSPs), image signal processors (ISRs), microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), vision processing units (VPUs), etc.), optionally with embedded memory, single-core processors, multi-core processors, cores within a processor, any other electronic computing device, or any combination of the above, and should be construed broadly to include any type of electronic device, component, or unit having data processing capabilities.

[0029] In this specification, operations according to the teachings can be performed by a computer specifically configured or programmed to perform the described functions.

[0030] As used herein, the phrases "for example," "such as," "for instance," and variations thereof describe non-limiting embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure. References in this specification to the features of "an embodiment," "one example," "some examples," "other examples," or variations thereof mean that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic described may be included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure. Thus, the appearance of such terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0031] The features of the subject matter of this disclosure are described from the perspective of specific embodiments for the sake of brevity. However, it should be understood that features described in relation to one embodiment may also be applicable to other embodiments. Similarly, features described from the perspective of a particular combination may be regarded as separate embodiments, either alone or from a perspective other than this particular combination.

[0032] In embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure, one or more of the steps shown in the drawings may be performed in a different order and / or one or more groups of steps may be performed simultaneously, and vice versa. The drawings show a general schematic diagram of a system architecture according to an embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure. Each module in the figure can be composed of any combination of software, hardware, and / or firmware that performs the functions defined and described herein. The modules in the figure may be concentrated in one location or distributed over more than one location.

[0033] Examples of the subject matter of this disclosure are not limited to the details of the configurations and the arrangements of the components described in the following description or shown in the drawings. The subject matter may be implemented or executed in various ways. It should also be understood that the expressions and terms employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0034] In this document, elements of the drawings that are not described within the scope of the drawings and are labeled with numbers described in the previous drawings may have the same use and description as in the previous drawings.

[0035] The drawings in this document may not be to scale. Different scales may be used for different drawings, and different scales may also be used within the same drawing. For example, different scales may be used for different views of the same object or for two adjacent objects.

[0036] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, "at least one processor" can constitute any physical device or group of devices having an electrical circuit that performs logical operations on one or more inputs. For example, at least one processor can include all or part of one or more integrated circuits (ICs) including application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microchips, microcontrollers, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), servers, virtual servers, or other circuits suitable for executing instructions or performing logical operations. The instructions executed by at least one processor may be pre-loaded, for example, into memory integrated or embedded in the controller, or stored in a separate memory. The memory may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, magnetic media, flash memory, other permanent, fixed, or volatile memory, or any other mechanism capable of storing instructions. In some embodiments, at least one processor may include more than one processor. Each processor may have a similar configuration, or the processors may be of different configurations that are electrically connected or disconnected from each other. For example, the processors may be separate circuits or integrated into a single circuit. When more than one processor is used, these processors may be configured to operate independently or cooperatively. The processors may be coupled electrically, magnetically, optically, acoustically, mechanically, or by other means that enable them to interact.

[0037] The disclosed embodiments may include a data structure and / or may access a data structure. A data structure in accordance with the present disclosure may include any collection of data values and the relationships between them. The data may be stored linearly, horizontally, hierarchically, relationally, non-relationally, one-dimensionally, multi-dimensionally, operationally, in an ordered fashion, in an unordered fashion, in an object-oriented fashion, in a centralized fashion, in a decentralized fashion, in a distributed fashion, in a custom fashion, or in any fashion that enables data access. By way of non-limiting example, the data structure may include an array, an associative array, a linked list, a binary tree, a balanced tree, a heap, a stack, a queue, a set, a hash table, a record, a tagged union, an ER model, and a graph. For example, the data structure may include an XML database, an RDBMS database, a SQL database, or a NoSQL alternative, such as MongoDB, Redis, Couchbase, Datastax Enterprise Graph, Elastic Search, Splunk, Solr, Cassandra, Amazon DynamoDB, Scylla, HBase, and Neo4J, for data storage / search. The data structure may be a component of the disclosed system or a remote computing component (e.g., a cloud-based data structure). The data within the data structure may be stored in contiguous or non-contiguous memory. Further, the data structure as used herein does not require the co-location of information. It may be distributed across multiple servers, which may be owned or operated by the same or different entities, for example. Accordingly, the term "data structure" as used herein in the singular encompasses plural data structures. Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for making an object hydrophilic and / or processing an object using plasma are disclosed herein. Some embodiments include a plasma generator for performing plasma treatment of an object. When plasma treatment is applied to the surface of an object, the hydrophilicity of the surface may be increased, thereby preventing condensation of a fluid droplet (e.g., a spray) thereon.Since droplets can affect the interaction between an object and light and cause distortions that can impede optical performance, the presence of droplets can be important when the object includes one or more optical elements. Each fluid droplet can function as an individual lens, and light rays passing through or reflecting off its surface can cause separate distortions. Due to the collective effect of many individual droplets, each having different optical properties, the optical surface may become rough, preventing a clear image from being obtained from the light passing through or reflected from its surface, and as a result, the optical quality may deteriorate. However, by increasing the hydrophilicity of the object surface and changing the surface tension thereon, plasma treatment can be applied to the object surface to prevent the fluid from accumulating as droplets. By increasing hydrophilicity, the fluid can coat the object as a thin, uniform layer of fluid rather than accumulating as individual droplets. Dispensing the fluid as a thin, uniform coating on the object can reduce the distortion of light waves interacting with the object surface by maintaining a uniform refractive index and thus maintaining optical quality and / or limiting degradation. Thus, plasma treatment can reduce variations in the thickness of the fluid coating the object surface and thus reduce variations in the optical path length of the light passing through the fluid coating.

[0038] In some embodiments, the object may be a medical device having optical elements such as a laparoscope or endoscope viewport, lens, mirror, or any other medical device having an optical function. Inserting an untreated optical element into a moist body cavity can cause water and / or aqueous fluid (e.g., body fluid) to condense as droplets on the surface of the optical element, and spray can accumulate thereon. Condensation can cause distortion in the interaction between light waves and the optical element, which may adversely affect visibility through the optical element. Such distortion can be reduced by increasing the hydrophilicity of the optical element and preventing the fluid from accumulating as individual droplets on the optical element.

[0039] For ease of explanation in this specification, references to endoscopes or laparoscopes are intended to broadly refer to both, and disclosures related to one are intended to equally apply to the other, unless otherwise specified.

[0040] When the viewport (e.g., optical element) of an endoscope is treated with plasma, the hydrophilicity of the viewport increases, and complete wetting of the viewport by water and / or aqueous fluids can be achieved. Complete wetting can be achieved by increasing the surface tension of the treated surface of the viewport to be greater than the surface tension of water, i.e., greater than 0.072 N / m. In some embodiments, the plasma treatment can increase the surface tension of the viewport surface to greater than 0.08 N / m, or greater than 0.1 N / m, for example, during a limited period after the plasma treatment. When the surface tension of the treated surface of the viewport is greater than the surface tension of water, rather than the aqueous fluid being unable to accumulate as droplets on the surface, the viewport surface can be wetted such that the contact angle formed between, for example, the aqueous fluid molecules and the viewport is less than 10 degrees (e.g., less than 5 degrees, or substantially 0 degrees). Thus, by enhancing hydrophilicity, blurring caused by the condensation of moisture (e.g., spray) as droplets on the surface of the viewport can be removed or significantly reduced. Instead, due to the increased hydrophilicity, the fluid can form a thin and uniform layer on the surface of the viewport. This can maintain the optical quality of the viewport in its original (e.g., dry) state or at least limit the degradation of the optical quality when an aqueous fluid is introduced into the viewport. Similarly, by enhancing the hydrophilicity of the viewport through plasma treatment, the variation in fluid thickness on the surface of the treated viewport can be reduced, and as a result, the variation in the optical path length of the light wave passing through the fluid condensed on the treated viewport can be reduced. The reduction in the variation of the optical path length can improve the optical quality of the treated viewport when it comes into contact with the fluid compared to the degradation of the optical quality typically associated with an untreated viewport after coming into contact with the fluid.

[0041] In some embodiments, a viewport at the distal end of the endoscope may be configured to collect an image, for example, when the distal end of the endoscope is inserted into the body. In some embodiments, the viewport may be transparent, such as, for example, a viewport of a laparoscope. In some embodiments, the viewport may be reflective, such as, for example, a mirror for a dental instrument. In some embodiments, the viewport may be both transparent and reflective (e.g., by a two-way mirror). The viewport may be made of glass, quartz, plastic, semiconductor, metal, or any other material suitable for optical applications.

[0042] According to some embodiments, a plasma generating device may be provided for treating an object by plasma. The plasma generating device may be located within a housing having a hole, a slot, or other opening. Such an opening within the housing may be configured to receive an object while being, for example, enclosed within a sheath for convenience and sterility. Alternatively, the opening within the housing may be configured to receive a shroud or sheath that is configured to receive the object to be treated later. The plasma generating device may be capable of applying an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field suitable for generating plasma inside the hole, thereby enabling treatment of an object, such as a viewport located at the distal end of the object positioned, for example, inside the sheath. According to some embodiments, the sheath may be provided with at least one electrode and at least one electrical contact of the sheath, and this electrical contact may be configured to make electrical contact with a corresponding electrical contact within the plasma generating device when the sheath is inserted into the hole. Thus, at least one electrode can apply an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field for generating plasma within the sheath. When the object is treated with plasma generated while the object is enclosed within the sheath, the surface tension of the outer surface of the object can become higher than the surface tension of water. As a result, the object becomes highly hydrophilic (e.g., super-hydrophilic) and can prevent blurring caused by the accumulation of condensation when in contact with a fluid.

[0043] FIG. 1A schematically shows a plasma generation system 100 according to aspects of some embodiments. The plasma generation system 100 can include an operation unit 120 and a plasma applicator 130 (also referred to herein as a plasma generation field applicator), and this plasma applicator can be electrically connected to the operation unit 120 via, for example, a cable 112. The term "plasma generator" can refer to any device or system capable of forming a plasma. Such a device or system can be configured to process an object with a plasma cloud by performing one or more actions and / or functions based on computer program instructions that can be generated by and / or received by at least one processor. The formation of the plasma cloud can be achieved by the gas being subjected to a strong electromagnetic field until the ionized gaseous substance increases its conductivity. The operation unit 120 can be associated with at least one processor 102 (e.g., a controller), a power source 104 such as a battery, a circuit 106, and at least one memory 108. The at least one processor 102 can be communicatively coupled to the at least one memory 108 using wired and / or wireless means, for example, via a bus system 110. The at least one processor 102 can be further electrically coupled to the power source 104 and the circuit 106, for example, via a bus system 110. The at least one processor 102 may be configured to execute one or more program code instructions regarding one or more data items stored in the at least one memory 106. The one or more program code instructions can facilitate the control of one or more operation modes of the plasma generation system 100, for example, to control the generation of plasma via the plasma applicator 130. For example, the at least one processor 102 can control one or more attributes of the energy supplied by the power source 104 (e.g., as electrical power) to the plasma applicator 130 to make it appropriate by controlling one or more components (e.g., switches, diodes, and other logic components) of the circuit 106 for the purpose of generating plasma to process an object.At least one processor 102, a power supply 104, circuitry 106, and at least one memory 108 are shown inside the operation unit 120, but this is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the present invention to the illustrated configuration. For example, at least one processor 102 and at least one memory 108 may include multiple local and / or remote processor and memory units, as is known in the art of distributed computing. Similarly, although FIG. 1A shows a power supply 104 and circuitry 106 positioned within the operation unit 120, this is not essential, and the power supply 104 and / or circuitry 106 may be external to the operation unit 120. For example, the power supply 104 may be within a wall unit coupled to the operation unit 120 via a cable.

[0044] FIG. 1B schematically shows an object 200 (e.g., a medical device such as an endoscope) according to aspects of some embodiments. The object 200 can have a surface on which fluid may tend to accumulate as droplets. The plasma generation system 100 can be used to prepare the object 200, for example, for a medical procedure. The object 200 can include a distal end 210. The distal end 210 can include an optical element (e.g., a viewport) 220 configured to enable collection of light from around the optical element 220. In some embodiments, the optical element 220 can include one or more substantially transparent elements such as a window or a lens, and can be made of a material such as glass or quartz, a semiconductor, or a plastic such as Perspex, and enables light from outside the object 200 to be collected inside the object 200 by a photosensitive device (not shown herein, e.g., a camera). Additionally or alternatively, according to some embodiments, the optical element 220 can include one or more substantially reflective elements such as a mirror that reflects light (e.g., rather than transmitting it therethrough) toward, for example, a light collection device and / or a light reflection device (not shown herein) or a photosensitive device. The optical element 220 can include a surface 222 that can be exposed to moisture, for example, during a medical procedure. As a result, if left untreated, for example, without protection against fogging, the surface 222 can become covered with droplets on the surface 222, for example, by condensation of vapor (although not limited thereto).

[0045] In some embodiments, the plasma generation system 100 may further include a protective shroud 110, which may be sized to receive the distal end 210 of the object 200 therein. The protective shroud 110 may alternatively be referred to as a sheath. The plasma applicator 130 may include a slot 132 (e.g., a hole, cavity or other opening), which may be configured to receive the distal end 210 of the object 200 therein while the distal end 210 is enclosed within the protective shroud 110. In some embodiments, for use, the distal end 210 of the object 200 may be inserted into the protective shroud 110 and then the protective shroud 110 may be inserted into the slot 132 with the distal end 210 enclosed therein. According to some embodiments, the protective shroud 110 may be inserted into the slot 132 and then the distal end 210 may be inserted into and advanced through the protective shroud 110.

[0046] Referring now to FIGS. 1C - 1E, which together show schematic views of a sterile screen 140 according to several disclosed embodiments. According to several embodiments, the plasma generation system 100 (FIG. 1A) can further include a sterile screen 140 having an opening 142. When using the sterile screen 140 with the plasma generation system 100, the protective shroud 110 can be inserted through the opening 142 of the sterile screen 140 into the slot 132, as further detailed and described below herein. According to several embodiments, the protective shroud 110 can be a disposable, single - use, or replaceable component configured to be used during a single, e.g., partial, medical procedure performed on a patient. According to several embodiments, the protective shroud 110 functions as a sterile barrier for the object 200 (FIG. 1B) and can prevent, for example, exposure of the object 200 to a patient's body fluid during a medical procedure. The protective shroud 110 can further prevent exposure of the object 200 to contaminants present within the plasma applicator 130 and may or may not be maintained in a sterile state during and after use. According to several embodiments, the sterile screen 140 can facilitate maintaining removal of fluid (e.g., body fluid) transferred through the object 200 from the plasma applicator 130 during and after use.

[0047] According to some embodiments, the sterile screen 140 can be attached to the sterile sleeve 144, as schematically shown in FIGS. 1C, 1D, and 1E. The sterile sleeve 144 can extend between the sterile screen 140 and the sleeve distal end 146. According to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve 144 may be flexible or, for example, flexible like a sock. Before use, the sterile sleeve 144 may be folded or wound, as schematically shown in FIG. 1C. For use, the sterile sleeve 144 can be unfolded or unwound by inserting, for example, the plasma applicator 130 through the sleeve distal end 146 into the sterile sleeve 144, and the plasma applicator 130 or a part thereof may be wrapped, adhered, or attached. During use, the sterile sleeve 144 may be disposed around the plasma applicator 130 so as to wrap and adhere to the plasma applicator 130. Thus, by wrapping the plasma applicator 130, it can be ensured that contaminants of the plasma applicator 130 can be substantially reduced by passing the protective shroud 110 through the opening 142 into the slot 132 and / or inserting the object 200 into the protective shroud 110. According to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve 144 may be substantially rigid, have a shape such as a tube, and may be configured to accommodate the protective shroud 110 therein. According to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve 144 can include a double-sided adhesive pad (not shown herein) within its bottom, one side of the double-sided adhesive pad may be configured to adhere to the plasma applicator 130, and the opposite side of the double-sided adhesive pad may be configured to adhere to a flat surface such as a desk or table or another workbench. Thus, by attaching the plasma applicator 130 to the workbench, the plasma applicator 130 can be stabilized, and it can be made easier to insert and remove the protective shroud 110 (or the object 200) from the plasma applicator 130.According to some embodiments, the sterile screen 140 can be attached to the protective shroud 110 together with the sterile sleeve 144, so that the insertion of the protective shroud 110 into the slot 132 and the envelopment of the plasma applicator 130 by the sterile sleeve 144 can be substantially carried out together.

[0048] When the power supply 104 is in operation, the plasma applicator 130 may be further configured to apply an electric field and / or electromagnetic field suitable for plasma generation when the distal end 210 (FIG. 1B) of the object 200 wrapped in the protective shroud 110 is positioned inside the slot 132. An electric field and / or electromagnetic field may be applied inside the protective shroud 110 inside the slot 132 with the distal end 210 positioned therein. In some embodiments, the distal end 210 includes a viewport 222 (FIG. 1B) having one or more optical elements, such as a viewport of an endoscope. Accordingly, an electric field and / or electromagnetic field suitable for plasma generation can be applied near the viewport 222.

[0049] According to some embodiments, the plasma applicator 130 can be in fluid communication with a gas pump and / or alternatively a gas reservoir (neither of which is shown herein). As will be described in more detail below, to facilitate plasma ignition, the gas pump and gas reservoir can be used to controllably evacuate and / or controllably flush with a preferred gas, respectively, near the distal end of the endoscope. According to some embodiments, the preferred gas can be argon or nitrogen. According to some embodiments, the gas pressure suitable for plasma ignition after evacuation can be less than 0.1 Atm. According to some embodiments, the vicinity of the distal end of the endoscope can be pumped to evacuate and then flushed with the desired gas. According to some embodiments, the gas pump and / or gas reservoir may optionally be disposed within the operation unit 120 (FIG. 1A) in some cases.

[0050] The operation unit 120 may be configured to enable a user of the plasma generation system 100 to operate and control the device. Accordingly, the operation unit 120 can include one or more command switches and one or more controllers, such as physical or virtual switches, buttons, and controllers. The control unit may further include an indicator for providing the user with data and information necessary for operating the device, such as an indication LED, a display, and optionally, operation software executable by at least one processor 102 for providing the user with an operation screen and a command screen for enabling the user to operate and command the device.

[0051] Referring next to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the protective shroud 310 is shown according to aspects of some embodiments. The protective shroud 310 may be suitable for use with an object, such as an endoscope 380, schematically shown inside the protective shroud 310 by a dashed line. The endoscope 380 may include a distal end 382 and a conductive surface (e.g., metal surface 384) at the distal end 382. The distal end 382 of the endoscope 380 may be disposed with a viewport 390. The viewport 390 may further include an optical element 392 that can be subjected to plasma treatment as described herein.

[0052] The protective shroud 310 may include a hollow cylinder 312 that extends between a proximal opening 314 and a distal end portion 316 of the cylinder. The protective shroud 310 can further include a vacuum seal 320 having one or more (e.g., three) O-rings, such as O-rings 320a, 320b, and 320c. The vacuum seal 320 can be adapted to fit the outer dimensions (e.g., outer diameter) of the endoscope 380, as is known in the art, to allow the endoscope 380 to be inserted into the protective shroud 310 using, for example, a slight force by hand. Thus, the vacuum seal 320 can be configured to maintain a pressure difference (or gas concentration difference) between an inner portion 322 and an outer portion 324 of the protective shroud 310 when the endoscope 380 is positioned inside the protective shroud 310. The vacuum seal 320 can also assist in preventing gas leakage between the inner portion 322 and the outer portion 324 of the protective shroud 310 by helping to mechanically stabilize the endoscope 380 inside the protective shroud 310. The vacuum seal 320 can further assist in plasma generation near the viewport 390, as will be further described below.

[0053] The protective shroud 310 can further include a cathode 330, which can be disposed on the hollow cylinder 312 and configured to establish an electrical feedthrough between the outer portion 324 and the inner portion 322 of the protective shroud 310. The cathode 330 can be flexible and electrically exposed on the inner portion 322 and the outer portion of the protective shroud 310, so as to form an electrical contact between the cathode 330 and the metal surface 384 while allowing the insertion of the endoscope 380 into the protective shroud 310. The protective shroud 310 can further include an anode 340 disposed near the distal end 316 of the cylinder. The anode 340 can be formed as a metal block, for example, having a circular smooth surface 342 facing the inner portion 322. According to some embodiments, the surface 342 can be curved. According to some embodiments (not shown herein), the anode 340 can be formed as a pointed tip facing the inner portion 322. According to some embodiments, the anode 340 can be formed as a ring. Since the anode 340 can be mounted on a disk 344 made of a dielectric material, the disk 344 forms a dielectric barrier between the anode 340 positioned on one side of the dielectric barrier and the cathode 330 with the metal surface 384 of the endoscope 380 positioned on the other side of the dielectric barrier, and the metal surface 384 is at the same potential as the cathode 380. In other words, the disk 344 can be configured to ensure plasma generation during the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operation mode by forming a dielectric barrier, for example, by blocking the line of sight between the anode 340 on one side of the dielectric barrier and the cathode 330 and the metal surface 384 of the endoscope 380 on the other side of the dielectric barrier. During the DBD mode, the plasma can be generated more uniformly across the available space near the viewport, while preventing arc discharge or other types of specific and narrow electrical transport paths between the anode and the cathode.The cathode 330 and / or the anode 340 can receive electrical energy to generate an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field suitable for performing plasma processing via the circuit 106, the power supply 104 and / or 530, the at least one processor 102, and the cable 112 (FIG. 1A).

[0054] Note that the thickness of the dielectric barrier can substantially strongly affect the uniformity of the electric field and / or electromagnetic field that generates plasma in the vicinity of the viewport 390, and thus the quality of the plasma processing. The "quality" of the plasma processing herein can refer to the level of hydrophilicity achieved and the duration for which the electric field and / or electromagnetic field is activated to obtain that hydrophilicity. In other words, high-quality plasma processing can achieve a relatively high level of hydrophilicity (e.g., obtaining a surface tension exceeding the surface tension of water on the processed surface, i.e., exceeding 0.072 N / M) within a relatively short duration (e.g., activation of the electric field and / or electromagnetic field for 5 minutes, or 1 minute, or at least 10 seconds, or even at least 5 seconds). The thickness of the dielectric barrier can generally be as thin as possible to facilitate plasma ignition, but can also be thick enough to prevent dielectric breakdown and arc discharge. An exemplary thickness of a dielectric material such as PET or polycarbonate in the embodiments described herein can be in the range of about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm for RF electric fields and / or electromagnetic fields at frequencies within the MHz range (e.g., about 2 MHz).

[0055] According to some embodiments, the anode 340 can be configured to be flexibly displaceable with respect to the hollow cylinder 312 to facilitate a reliable electrical contact between the anode 340 and the feed contact, as further described below. According to some embodiments, the disk 344 can be supported by a spring 346 with respect to the cylinder 312.

[0056] During operation, the plasma generation power (e.g., supplied by the power supply 530) may be supplied between the anode 340 and the cathode 330. As a result, the plasma that generates an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field during the DBD mode can be generated between the anode 340 and the metal surface 384 that is in electrical contact with the cathode 330. The electric field and / or electromagnetic field that generates the plasma can generate the plasma in the space between the anode 340 and the cathode 330, particularly in the vicinity of the viewport 390 and the adjacent optical element 392.

[0057] Next, referring to FIG. 3A, FIG. 3A shows a portion of an embodiment of a plasma applicator 348 suitable for use with a protective shroud 310a, which is slightly different from the protective shroud 310 of FIG. 2. The plasma applicator 348 can be configured to receive energy for performing plasma processing, for example, via a circuit 106, a power supply 104, at least one processor 102, and a cable 112 (FIG. 1A). The plasma applicator 348 may include a hole 350 that can be configured to receive the protective shroud 310a therein. In some embodiments, the endoscope 380 can be enclosed within the protective shroud 310a. The plasma applicator 348 may further include a cathode contact 352 that can be configured to contact the cathode 330 when the protective shroud 310a is inside the hole 350. Conductors 354, such as electrical wires, that are electrically connected to the cathode contact 352 can be used to supply power generated by a power supply (e.g., power supply 104) to the cathode contact 352 and the cathode 330. The plasma applicator 348 may further include an anode contact 356 that can be configured to contact the anode 340 when the protective shroud 310a is inside the hole 350. Conductors 358, such as electrical wires, that are electrically connected to the anode contact 356 can be used to supply power generated by the power supply to the anode 340. The anode contact 356 can be flexibly supported, for example, by a spring 360, so that when the protective shroud 310a is inserted into the hole 350, a reliable electrical contact between the anode contact 356 and the anode 340 can be facilitated.

[0058] Note that the characteristics of the electric and / or electromagnetic fields capable of generating plasma from a gas may depend strongly on the characteristics of the gas itself, in addition to the geometry of the associated electrodes (e.g., the shape and arrangement of the electrodes used to apply the electric and / or electromagnetic fields, the distance between the electrodes, and any other physical aspects of the electrodes that affect the electric field). Generally, the higher the pressure of the gas, the higher the electric and / or electromagnetic fields required to ignite plasma from the gas. Also, some gases ignite at lower fields than other gases. For example, when the gas is at a pressure of 0.8 KPa, the plasma may be ignited at a voltage of about 200 V using an RF field of about 7 KV (within a frequency between 1 MHz and 15 MHz) across an electrode distance of 1 cm in atmospheric helium gas. When the electrode arrangements are similar and the field frequencies are similar, the plasma can be ignited at a voltage of about 20 KV in air at atmospheric pressure and at a voltage of about 800 V within 0.8 KPa.

[0059] Accordingly, according to some embodiments, the plasma applicator 348 may be configured to flow gas from a gas reservoir (not shown herein) to the aperture 350, or pump air from the aperture 350, to create a low-pressure zone within the space between the electrodes 330 and 340 to facilitate plasma ignition. Accordingly, according to some embodiments, the plasma applicator 348 may be connected to a hose 364, which may fluidly communicate a gas reservoir (not shown herein) containing a gas suitable for plasma generation, such as helium or argon or nitrogen, to the aperture 350. A valve 366 controlled by a user-operable control unit (not shown herein) may be used to schedule and adjust the inflow of gas to the aperture 350. During operation, according to some embodiments, after introducing the protective shroud 310a with the endoscope 380 positioned therein into the aperture 350, the valve 366 may be opened to allow the inflow of gas to the aperture 350. The protective shroud 310a may be permeable to the gas flow through the opening 368 between the hollow cylinder 312 and the disk 344, allowing the gas to enter the protective shroud 310a and flow towards the viewport 390. When the gas flowing into the aperture 350 becomes excessive, it can freely escape through the gap within the aperture 350 between the protective shroud 310a and the plasma applicator 348 (e.g., the gap is not sealed). After an appropriate period of gas flow (e.g., 5 seconds or 10 seconds or 30 seconds or even 1 minute), the power supply may be activated to supply power to the anode 340 and the cathode 330 to generate a plasma-generating electric field near the viewport 390. According to some embodiments, the gas reservoir may be portable and suitable for single-use.

[0060] According to some embodiments, the hose 364 may be used to pump gas (e.g., air) from the protective shroud 310a, particularly from the space near the viewport 390, to facilitate plasma ignition. The air may pass from the vicinity of the viewport 390 through the opening 368 and toward the hole 350 and be sucked into the hose 364. The vacuum seal 370 may be capable of creating a vacuum near the viewport 390 by maintaining a pressure difference between the region near the cylinder end 316 and the region near the opening 314 of the protective shroud 310a. According to some embodiments, the air may be pumped through the hose 364 by a vacuum pump (not shown herein) in fluid communication with the hose 364. According to some embodiments, the hose 364 may be in fluid communication with a pump-type container (not shown) that can be continuously pumped, for example, by a small vacuum pump. Fluid communication may be provided by the hose 364, and the hose may be continuously pumped by being always in fluid communication with the container. When the valve 366 is opened, depending on the characteristics of the embodiment, the space near the hole 350, particularly near the viewport 390, may be pumped by the vacuum pump or the pump-type container. The volume of the pump region within the fluid connection of the hole 350 and the protective shroud 310a may, according to some embodiments, be less than 10 cc. For example, a pump-type container and hose of about 1000 cc (1 liter) may be sufficient to establish an appropriate vacuum level between, for example, about 0.1 atm and about 0.01 atm in less than about 5 seconds or less than about 10 seconds, which may be sufficient for about 30 seconds or even about 1 minute of plasma excitation to satisfactorily plasma-treat the optical element 392.

[0061] Next, referring to FIG. 3B, an enlarged view of the anode 340 in contact with the boundary of the disk 344 is shown according to some embodiments. The protective shroud 310a can further include a sterile filter 372 positioned within the opening 368 to maintain a sterile barrier between the protective shroud 310a and the plasma applicator 348. Maintaining the sterile barrier can be understood to mean that microorganisms cannot penetrate the sterile filter 372. For example, microorganisms can include any form of prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell, including fungi and bacteria. According to some embodiments, the sterile filter 372 can be disposed within the opening 368 across the cylinder end 316, so that when gas flows from the plasma applicator 348 into the protective shroud 310a, it can enter the protective shroud 310a without introducing contaminants (e.g., sterile), and / or when gas flows from the inner portion 322 of the protective shroud 310a into the plasma applicator 348, it can enter the plasma applicator 348 without introducing contaminants (e.g., sterile). Thus, the sterile filter 372 may prevent the movement of contaminants from the plasma applicator 348 (e.g., around the holes 350) onto the endoscope 380, and / or prevent the movement of contaminants from the endoscope 380 onto the plasma applicator 348. Further, or alternatively, the sterile filter can also be positioned within the plasma applicator 348, or for example within the hose 364.

[0062] FIG. 3C schematically shows a plasma applicator 448 and a corresponding sheath 410 (e.g., a protective shroud) according to some exemplary embodiments. The plasma applicator 448 only includes an applicator gas port 402 in fluid communication with a hose 364, and the sheath 410 only includes a sheath gas port 404 configured to be in fluid communication with the applicator gas port 402, which is different from the plasma applicator 348. For example, within the space of the hole 450 of the plasma applicator 448, the fluid communication between the inner portion 322 and the outer portion 324 of the sheath 410 may be prevented by a vacuum seal 408 such as an O-ring. Thus, when the sheath 410 is inserted into the plasma applicator 448, the sheath gas port 404 can be in fluid communication with the applicator gas port 402, whereby fluid communication of the hose 364 to the inner portion 322 of the sheath 410 can be established. As a result, a plasma ignition promoting gas (e.g., helium or argon) can be directly driven to the sheath 410 through the hose 364, and / or alternatively, a gas (e.g., air) can be pumped from the sheath 410 through the hose 364. Thereby, fluid communication between the hole 450 and the inner portion 322 of the sheath can be prevented. To maintain a sterile barrier between the inner portion 322 of the sheath 410 and the plasma applicator 448, a sterile filter 472 can be positioned inside the sheath gas port 404. As described above with respect to the sterile filter 372 in FIG. 3B, when the gas flows from the plasma applicator 448 into the inner portion 322 of the sheath 410, it can enter the sheath 410 in a sterile state, and / or when the gas flows from the inner portion 322 of the sheath 410 into the plasma applicator 448, it can enter the sterile plasma applicator 448. Thus, the sterile filter 472 can prevent contamination from the plasma applicator 448 (e.g., around the hole 450) onto the endoscope 380, and / or prevent contamination from the endoscope 380 onto the plasma applicator 448.

[0063] The sheath 410 may further differ from the protective shroud 310 in that it has a ring anode 440 formed as a ring (instead of the anode 340 within the protective shroud 310) on the outer periphery of the hollow cylinder 312 near the distal cylinder end 316. Thus, if the hollow cylinder 312 is made of a dielectric material, it can function as a dielectric barrier 444 between the anode 440 on one side of the dielectric barrier 444 and the cathode 330 and the metal surface 384 of the endoscope on the other side of the dielectric barrier 444, whereby plasma is generated within the sheath 410 during DBD operating mode as described above with respect to the protective shroud 310. According to some embodiments, the sheath 410 may include a stopper 442 inside the hollow cylinder 412. Since the stopper 442 can be configured to limit the advancement of the endoscope 380 into the sheath 410, a predetermined, desired gap can be established between the anode 440 and the metal surface 384 of the endoscope 380, whereby plasma generation in a known field (determined by the voltage supplied between the cathode 330 and the anode 440 and the gap between them) can be ensured. Further, by being able to use the stopper 442 as a dielectric barrier on the line of sight between the anode 440 and the cathode 330, it can assist in focusing the plasma towards the viewing port 390.

[0064] When the sheath 410 is inserted into the hole 450 of the plasma applicator 448, the anode contact 456 of the plasma applicator 448 can contact the ring anode 440. The anode contact 456 may be electrically connected to the conductor 458, as described above, and this conductor is configured to be connected to a power source (e.g., power source 530) to supply energy (e.g., as electricity) to the ring anode 440, thereby generating an electric field and / or electromagnetic field that generates plasma. Note that when the sheath 410 is inserted into the hole 450 as described above, the cathode 330 of the sheath 410 can be electrically connected to the cathode contact 352. Thus, during operation, when appropriately connected, the power source can provide a plasma generation electric field and / or electromagnetic field between the ring anode 440 and the metal surface 384 of the endoscope 380 (during DBD mode), and also to the plasma generated in the vicinity of the viewing port 390.

[0065] FIG. 4 schematically shows a sheath 510 according to aspects of some embodiments. The sheath 510 can be configured to facilitate plasma ignition without pumping the space around the endoscope or allowing gas to flow into that space, as described in the above embodiments. In other words, the sheath 510 can be used with a plasma applicator that is not connected to a gas reservoir or a gas pump to provide plasma treatment to the viewing port of the endoscope according to the teachings herein. Thus, the sheath 510 may not have a gas port such as the gas port 402 and may not be connected to a hose such as the hose 364.

[0066] The sheath 510 may include a hollow cylinder 312 that extends between the opening 314 and the cylinder end 316. The sheath 510 may be different from the protective shroud 310 in that the hollow cylinder 312 is coupled near the cylinder end 316 and sealed to substantially prevent the permeation or intrusion of gas molecules through the cylinder end 316. Further, the sheath 510 may be different from the protective shroud 310 in that it has a leak seal 530 inside the hollow cylinder 312 and a hermetic screen 518 in the hollow cylinder 312 disposed between the leak seal 530 and the cylinder end 316. The hermetic screen 518 may be configured to define a closed space 520 closed between the hermetic screen 518 and the cylinder end 316 by being impermeable to gas molecules. Accordingly, the closed space 520 inside the sheath 510 may be airtight, that is, it may be maintained in a sealed state from the outer portion 324 of the sheath 510. The closed space 520 may contain a gas (e.g., argon) suitable for plasma ignition at a gas pressure of about 1 atmosphere, so that there is only a very slight pressure gradient at most on the hermetic screen.

[0067] The Hermetic screen 518 can be configured to break (tear) when an endoscope such as endoscope 380 is inserted into the sheath 510, due to its potential for damage. According to some embodiments, the sheath 510 may further include one or more tearing needles 522 that are flexibly attached to the hollow cylinder 312 near the Hermetic screen 518 outside the closed space 520. The tearing needle 522 may be configured to flexibly tilt towards the Hermetic screen 518 when pushed by an object inserted into the sheath, and to tear the Hermetic screen. Thus, during use, by inserting the endoscope into the sheath 510 and pushing the tearing needle 522 towards the Hermetic screen 518, the breakage of the Hermetic screen 518 can be affected. The endoscope can be further advanced until the viewport of the endoscope is between the cathode 330 and the anode 340. Note that the endoscope can be damaged if it advances during insertion and first passes through the leak seal 530 and then through the Hermetic screen 518. Thereafter, the endoscope can be further advanced and positioned in place within the sheath 510. When the Hermetic screen 518 is damaged, the seal formed between the leak seal 530 and the endoscope can prevent the gas inside the space 520 from freely flowing towards the opening 324. During further advancement of the endoscope into the sheath 510, the free volume of the gas space 520 can decrease, but the pressure difference across the leak seal 530 allows the gas to escape, preventing a pressure increase within the region of the closed space 520. As a result, when the endoscope 380 is fully inserted into the sheath 510, the closed space 520 between the anode 340 and the cathode 330, particularly the space near the viewport of the endoscope, can contain the gas that was substantially contained within the space 520 before the tearing of the Hermetic screen 518, at approximately atmospheric pressure, thereby facilitating plasma ignition therein. According to some embodiments, the Hermetic screen 518 can be made of Mylar or metallized Mylar or Kapton or metallized Kapton, etc.

[0068] Accordingly, according to aspects of the present disclosure, an apparatus (e.g., the plasma generation system 100 of FIG. 1A) is provided for preparing an endoscope (200 of FIG. 1, 380 of FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3C) for an endoscopic procedure. The apparatus may include a sheath (110 of FIG. 1A, 310, 310a of FIGS. 2 and 3A, 410 of FIG. 3C, 510 of FIG. 4), which may be sized to receive the distal end portion (210, 382) of the endoscope therein. The distal end portion may include a viewport (220, 390), which may be configured to enable collection of an image around the viewport therethrough.

[0069] The apparatus may further include a plasma generation field applicator (130, 348, 448) electrically connected to a power source. The plasma generation field applicator may have holes (132, 350, 450), which may be configured to receive therein the distal end portion of the endoscope enclosed within the sheath. The plasma generation field applicator may be configured to apply power suitable for plasma generation within the sheath. The sheath may be detachable from the distal end portion of the endoscope and the plasma generation field applicator. According to some embodiments, the viewport of the endoscope may be transparent or may be a mirror.

[0070] According to some embodiments, the device may further include a sterile sleeve (144) extending between a first end portion (146) and a second end portion (140), the sterile sleeve being configured to enclose the plasma generating field applicator and having a first opening on the first end portion configured to allow insertion of the plasma generating field applicator into the sterile sleeve, and may have a second opening (142) on the second end portion configured to allow insertion of an endoscope into the plasma generating field applicator. According to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve may be flexible, and according to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve may be rigid. The sterile sleeve can be detached from the plasma generating field applicator. According to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve can be attached to the sheath, and according to some embodiments, the sterile sleeve can be detached from the sheath.

[0071] According to some embodiments, the sheath may include at least one electrode (340, 440) and a first sheath electrical contact (340, 440) electrically connected to the electrode. The first sheath electrical contact may be configured to make electrical contact with a corresponding first applicator electrical contact (356, 456) within the plasma generating field applicator when the sheath is inserted into the hole (350, 450). Thereby, when the at least one electrode receives power from the plasma generating field applicator, it can be configured to apply a plasma generating field to the inner portion (322) of the sheath.

[0072] According to some embodiments, the sheath may further include a second sheath electrical contact (330), which may be configured to contact the endoscope when the distal end portion of the endoscope is received within the sheath. The second sheath electrical contact may be configured to make electrical contact with a second applicator electrical contact (352) when the sheath is inserted into the hole (350, 450).

[0073] According to some embodiments, the sheath may include a hollow substantially rigid tube (312, 412) extending between an opening (314) configured to receive a distal end of the endoscope and a distal end (316) of the sheath. According to some embodiments, the hollow tube may be a hollow cylinder (312, 412).

[0074] According to some embodiments, the sheath may further include a seal (320, 530) positioned between the opening and the distal end along an inner circumferential portion of the hollow tube and sized to surround the endoscope (380) such that the seal is configured to be in close contact with the endoscope when the endoscope is received inside the hollow tube. According to some embodiments, the seal may include an O-ring.

[0075] According to some embodiments, the plasma generating field applicator (348, 448) can be connected to a hose (364). The hose may be controllably in fluid communication with the holes (350, 450). According to some embodiments, the plasma generating field applicator (348, 448) may include a control valve (366) for controllably fluidly connecting the hose (364) to the holes (350, 450). According to some embodiments, the plasma generating field applicator (348) can include an applicator gas port (402) in fluid communication with the hose, and the sheath (410) can include a sheath gas port (404). The sheath gas port may be configured to sealingly connect with the applicator gas port for fluidly connecting the hose to an inner portion (322) of the sheath. The sealed connection between the sheath gas port and the applicator gas port can prevent fluid communication between the inner portion (322) of the sheath (in fluid communication with the hose 364) and the hole (450) when the sheath is inserted into the hole, for example by a seal 408.

[0076] According to some embodiments, the sheath (510) may include a seal (530) inside the hollow tube (312), and this seal may be configured to be in close contact with the endoscope when the distal end of the endoscope is inserted into the hollow tube. The sheath (510) may further include a hermetic screen (518), and this hermetic screen may be configured to define a closed and sealed space (520) between the hermetic screen and the distal end (316) of the hollow tube by spreading across the hollow tube. According to some embodiments, the sheath may further include one or more tearing needles (522), and these tearing needles may be positioned inside the hollow tube between the seal (530) and the hermetic screen (518), and may be configured to tear the hermetic seal when the endoscope is inserted into the hollow tube.

[0077] According to aspects of some embodiments, a method of preparing an endoscope for an endoscopic procedure is provided. The method may include providing a sheath (110, 310, 310a, 410, 510) sized to receive the distal end (210, 382) of the endoscope therein, the distal end including a viewport (220, 390) configured to enable collection of an image around the viewport therethrough. The method may further include providing a plasma generating field applicator (130, 348, 448) electrically connected to a power source. The plasma generating field applicator may have a hole (132, 350, 450) configured to receive the distal end of the endoscope enclosed within the sheath therein. The plasma generating field applicator may be configured to apply power (e.g., by electrodes 330, 340, and 440) suitable for plasma generation within the sheath. The sheath may be detachable from the plasma generating field applicator and the distal end of the endoscope. The method may further include positioning the distal end of the endoscope enclosed within the sheath within the hole of the plasma generating field applicator and plasma treating the viewport at the distal end of the endoscope by activating the power source to generate plasma within the sheath.

[0078] According to some embodiments, the method may further include preventing contamination of the plasma generation field applicator by the fluid dispersed on the distal end by a sheath. According to some embodiments, the plasma generation field applicator may include a hose (364), and the method may further include controllably flowing gas (by opening and closing valve 366) into the inner portion (322) of the sheath, or pumping the inner portion of the sheath via the hose.

[0079] According to aspects of some embodiments, there is further provided a method of preparing an endoscope (380) for an endoscopic procedure, the endoscope comprising a distal end (382) including a viewport (390). The viewport may be made of a dielectric material and is proximal to the metal segment (384) at the distal end of the endoscope. The method may include placing the distal end of the endoscope within a closed plasma chamber (e.g., sheath 310, 310a, 410 or 510, insertion of the endoscope defines a closed plasma chamber therein by sealing the inner portion 322 of the sheath). The closed plasma chamber may have at least an anode (340, 440) and a cathode (330), and the cathode is in electrical contact with the metal segment. The line of sight between the anode and the cathode is blocked by a dielectric barrier (344, 444), and the method may further include generating plasma in the vicinity (322) of the viewport in DBD mode by applying a plasma generating electromagnetic field between the anode and the cathode. According to some embodiments, the electrical barrier (444) can electrically insulate the anode (440) from the gas within the vicinity (322) of the viewport. According to some embodiments of the method, the viewport may be transparent, or alternatively reflective (e.g., a mirror), or translucent (e.g., a bidirectional mirror that reflects and transmits light). According to some embodiments of the method, the viewport may be made of glass or quartz or plastic.

[0080] Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C show three views of a plasma generation system 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The plasma generation system 500 may include a housing 510 having a cavity 502 and accommodating a plasma generation zone 504 (e.g., a plasma activation zone), and a plasma generator having at least a first electrical contact 522, a second electrical contact 524, an energy source 530 (e.g., a battery), and a transformer 526. The housing 510 may also accommodate a filter 506 and a controller 508. The transformer 526 may be a ring-shaped solenoid shown in cross-section as sections 526a and 526b. The transformer 526 may be electrically coupled to the power source 530 on one side (e.g., the input side), and on the other side (e.g., the output side), may be electrically coupled to the first electrical contact 522, for example, via one or more conductive wires and screws 528. The transformer 526 can convert an input voltage (e.g., 24V) to a substantially higher voltage (e.g., 10kV - 20kV). The first electrical contact 522 can be electrically coupled to the higher voltage level generated by the transformer 526, and the second electrical contact 524 can be connected to a lower potential, such as ground, so that a substantially high potential can be generated between the first electrical contact 522 and the second electrical contact 524. The first electrical contact 522 may be electrically coupled to the outer insulating surface of a protective shroud, such as the protective shroud 310a of FIG. 3A configured to wrap around the viewport 390 and insert into the cavity 502. The second electrical contact 524 can be electrically coupled to an optical element (e.g., the viewport 390 of FIG. 3A) inside the insulating protective shroud, such that a potential can be substantially generated between the optical element positioned inside the insulating protective shroud and the first electrical contact 522.

[0081] The plasma generation system 500 may include a plasma generation zone 504 within a cavity 502, and the plasma generation zone may be arranged such that at least a portion of an object having an optical element (e.g., the endoscope 308 having the viewport 392 of FIG. 2) is retained within the cavity 502, the optical element being located within the plasma generation zone 504. Thus, the plasma generation zone 504 may be easily caused to generate plasma inside by receiving the same electric potential between the first electrical contact 522 and the second electrical contact 524. By creating a low pressure (e.g., vacuum) inside the plasma generation zone 504, the generation of plasma inside the plasma generation zone 504 can be further promoted. The plasma generator can generate plasma for processing an object (e.g., a medical device) within the plasma generation zone 504 according to the embodiments disclosed herein. The cavity 502 of the housing 510 may correspond to one or more of the slot 132 (FIG. 1A), the opening 142 (FIG. 1D), the opening 314 (FIG. 2), the hole 350 (FIG. 3A), and the hole 450 (FIG. 3C). The plasma generation zone 504 can correspond to the plasma applicator 348 (FIG. 3A). The cavity 502 may provide access to the plasma generation zone 504, so that, for example, it may be possible to insert an object into the plasma generation zone 504 to perform plasma treatment to enhance the hydrophilicity of the object. The controller 508 can control one or more aspects of the plasma generator, such as the inflow and / or outflow of gas to the plasma activation zone 504 to generate plasma, the generation of an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field for generating plasma, and any other parameters related to plasma generation by the plasma generator. The plasma generation system 500 may further include one or more sensors such as a pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11), a voltage sensor 514, and a plasma frequency sensor 512. Although the voltage sensor 514 and the plasma frequency sensor 512 are shown inside the plasma generation zone 504, this is only one exemplary implementation, and it should be noted that the voltage sensor and the plasma frequency sensor may be positioned at any location where they are electrically coupled to a voltage source (e.g., the transformer 526).

[0082] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a method 600 for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured for insertion into a body cavity, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Step 602 of method 600 may include exposing the optical element of the medical device to plasma. Step 604 of method 600 may include maintaining the plasma in contact with the optical element for a period sufficient to make the optical element hydrophilic. Step 606 of method 600 may include removing the optical element from the plasma. Step 608 of method 600 may include inserting the medical device having the hydrophilic optical element into the body cavity. Step 610 of method 600 may include suppressing condensation distortion by forming a thin film barrier on the optical surface of the optical element when the hydrophilic optical element is exposed to moisture.

[0083] FIG. 7 shows another cross-sectional view of a plasma generation system 500 (FIGS. 5A - 5C) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the plasma generation system 500 can be configured to process the optical surface 706 of a medical device and includes an electrical circuit 700, a first pair of electrodes 702A and 702B designed to touch a disposable product, and a second pair of electrodes 704A and 704B designed to touch the medical device.

[0084] FIG. 8A shows a cross-sectional view of a sheath 800 with an endoscope 802, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the sheath 800 can include an annular seal 804, an opening 806 associated with a one-way valve 808, and an electrode 810. FIG. 8B shows another cross-sectional view of the sheath 800, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sheath being configured to removably receive a medical device (e.g., endoscope 802) inserted therein. As shown, the sheath 800 can include at least one stopper 812 configured to limit movement of the endoscope 802.

[0085] FIG. 9 shows how the sheath 800 can be inserted into the plasma generation system 500. As shown, the plasma generation system may include a hole 900 sized to hold the sheath 800. Other related elements are shown in other drawings.

[0086] FIG. 10A shows a plurality of vacuum pumps disposed within the plasma generation system 500 according to the following embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the plasma generation system 500 may include a plurality of vacuum pumps (e.g., vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D) and a conduit (e.g., conduit 1002) connecting them in series. Other related elements are shown in other drawings. FIGS. 10B and 10C show exemplary cross-sectional views of the pump manifold of the plasma generation system 500, showing how the plurality of vacuum pumps are connected in series.

[0087] FIG. 11 shows another cross-sectional view of the plasma generation system 500 according to the present disclosure. As shown, the plasma generation system 500 may further include one or more sensors (e.g., pressure sensor 1100 and other sensors configured to measure plasma activation parameters) and a display 1102 for displaying notifications.

[0088] FIG. 12 shows another cross-sectional view of the sheath 800 according to some embodiments. As shown, the sheath 800 may include an annular seal 1200 configured to enable the formation of a vacuum chamber regardless of the diameter of the scope, and an adjustment cap 1202 that can be utilized when using a scope with a smaller diameter.

[0089] FIG. 13 shows an integrated sheath and cover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, in FIG. 13, a receptacle 1300 (e.g., sheath 800) configured to be inserted into the cavity of the plasma generation system 500, a shield 1302 aseptically attached to the proximal end of the receptacle 1300, and an adhesive 1304 for securing the shield 1302 are shown.

[0090] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing a method 1400 for processing an elongated tool by plasma according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Step 1402 of method 1400 can include receiving, from a detector, an insertion signal indicating that the elongated tool is within the hole. Step 1404 of method 1400 may include, in response to the insertion signal, operating at least one pump to generate a negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole. Step 1406 of method 1400 can include receiving a signal from a vacuum sensor and determining therefrom that the negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole is sufficient for plasma generation. Step 1408 of method 1400 can include exposing a distal end region of the elongated tool to plasma by operating a plasma generator after a determination has been made that the negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole is sufficient for plasma generation.

[0091] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured for insertion into a body cavity according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0092] To ensure that plasma treatment is sufficient to increase the hydrophilicity of an object to a desired level, at least one processor may execute one or more program code instructions for monitoring the plasma treatment. The at least one processor may determine the effectiveness of the plasma treatment based on one or more parameters that may be measured by one or more sensors. In some embodiments, when the parameters indicate that the plasma treatment is not sufficient to increase the hydrophilicity of the object, the processor can output a notification. In some embodiments, this notification may trigger adjustments and / or calibration for the plasma treatment.

[0093] The following detailed description includes reference to the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. Although several exemplary embodiments are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications can be made to the components shown in the drawings, and the exemplary methods described herein can be modified by substituting, reordering, removing, or adding steps of the methods of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not intended to limit the embodiments and examples of the present disclosure. Instead, the appropriate scope is defined by the appended claims.

[0094] In some embodiments, a plasma generation device for processing an object is provided. The term "plasma" can refer to a state of matter that is rich in charged particles, such as electrons and ions. As a result, a plasma can be highly conductive and sensitive to electric and / or electromagnetic fields. The term "plasma generation device" can include any device or combination of components that can generate a plasma by converting a gas (e.g., igniting the gas) to a plasma state or plasma cloud. The term "processing an object" can refer to a process, procedure, or protocol applied to change one or more properties of a physical object. For example, plasma generation systems 100 (FIG. 1A) and 500 (FIGS. 5A-5C) illustrate exemplary implementations of a plasma generation device according to the disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, the plasma generation device can house a gas and two electrodes (e.g., an anode and a cathode), and these two electrodes can apply an electric field or electromagnetic field to the housed gas. The electric field or electromagnetic field can ionize the housed gas until the gas becomes a conductive plasma cloud.

[0095] In some embodiments, the object may include an optical element. An "optical element" can include any manufactured article through which light may pass and / or be reflected. The optical element may be one or more combinations of a lens, a polarizer, a diffraction grating, a prism, a mirror, a filter, a viewing window, a lens, a protective window, or any other component that passes or reflects light. The optical element can change one or more characteristics of the light wave directed to or from the optical element, such as the intensity, phase, propagation direction, frequency, wavelength, or polarization of the light wave. For example, the optical element may be formed from metal, glass, plastic, semiconductor, or any other material exhibiting optical properties. The characteristics changed by this process may be related to the optical, electrical, magnetic, or conductive properties of the object. For example, the object may be processed by exposing the object to a plasma cloud generated by a plasma generator. Exposing the object to the plasma can change the optical properties of the object by affecting the hydrophilicity of the object, for example, by coating the object uniformly (e.g., evenly) instead of forming the fluid as individual (e.g., separate) droplets. An example of an optical element is the optical element 392 (FIG. 3C) such that a viewing port 390 (FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3C) may be provided.

[0096] In some embodiments, the plasma generating device may have a housing. The term "housing" can refer to any support structure, frame, cage, enclosure, or containment that can house the plasma generator. The housing may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, glass, wood, or any other material that can enclose the plasma generating device. In some embodiments, the housing can include one or more insulating materials, and these one or more insulating materials can insulate the plasma generating device enclosed therein from one or more environmental conditions, such as electric fields and / or electromagnetic fields, light, humidity, temperature, shock, mechanical and / or acoustic vibrations, and any other environmental attributes that may affect plasma generation by the plasma generating device. An example of the housing of the plasma generating device is shown by the housing 510 in FIGS. 5A - 5C that houses the plasma generation zone 504. Similarly, the exterior of the plasma generating field applicator 130 (FIG. 1A) can form a housing in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

[0097] In some embodiments, the housing may be provided with holes (e.g., "cavities" or "slots"). In some embodiments, the holes may be sized to removably hold at least a portion of an object. For example, the surface of the housing may expose an entrance to the hole for inserting an object therein. The holes may be of any suitable shape or size for accommodating an object. For example, the hole may be tubular for accommodating a sheath configured to hold an elongate medical device. The hole may have a circular, triangular, square, rectangular, oval, or any other regular or irregular cross-sectional shape. An example of a hole disposed within the housing of the plasma generating device may be shown by the slot 132 (FIGS. 1A and 1C), the opening 142 (FIG. 1D), the opening 314 (FIG. 2), the hole 350 (FIG. 3A), the hole 450 (FIG. 3C), and the hole 900 (FIG. 9).

[0098] Some embodiments can include a plasma generation device having a plasma generation zone within a housing. As used herein, the term "plasma generation zone" can refer to a physical volume or space that can form a plasma cloud, for example, by igniting a gas introduced therein. The size of the plasma generation zone can be arbitrary. For example, the plasma generation zone can be less than 15 cm 3 less than, 10 cm 3 less than, or 5 cm 3 less than. The plasma generation zone 504 of FIG. 5A is an exemplary implementation of a plasma generation zone according to the disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, the plasma activation zone can be positioned within a cavity that can be configured to expose at least a portion of an object to plasma treatment by retaining at least a portion of the object therein. For example, the plasma generation zone (e.g., plasma generation zone 504) can be positioned within a hole 350 (FIG. 3A) that can be configured to expose at least a portion of the endoscope 380 to plasma by retaining at least a portion of the endoscope 380 therein.

[0099] In some embodiments, the plasma generation zone can be associated with a cavity configured to hold an object in a manner that exposes at least a portion of the object to the plasma generation zone. The term "cavity" can refer to a chamber, crevice, or pit that can hold an object. The chamber within the plasma generation zone can expose at least a portion of the object to a plasma cloud (e.g., generated by igniting a gas flowing therein) by containing at least a portion of the object inside the plasma generation zone. For example, the cavity can hold an endoscope's viewport within the plasma generation zone to expose the viewport to a plasma cloud generated inside the plasma activation zone after the gas is ignited. As a result, the hydrophilicity of the viewport can be increased, and subsequently, when the viewport is inserted into the body, the formation of a spray can be prevented. For example, referring to FIG. 5A, the processing device may have a cavity 502 disposed within a housing 510. The cavity 502 can be configured to hold a medical device (e.g., the endoscope 380 of FIG. 2) in a manner that exposes an optical element 392 disposed at the distal end of the endoscope 380 to the plasma generation zone 504.

[0100] In some embodiments, the plasma generation zone can be configured to allow for the containment of an object. The term "containment" can refer to the ability to surround, hold, enclose, support, or otherwise envelop an object, e.g., within the plasma generation zone. For example, an object can be supported within the plasma generation zone and exposed to a plasma cloud. The term "object" can be any physical component, such as one that can include an optical element. The optical element can include one or more of a mirror, lens, viewing window, or other optical surface. In some embodiments, the term "object" can further or alternatively include a medical device that can be configured to be inserted into a patient's body. For example, the endoscope 380 (FIG. 3A) shows an exemplary implementation of an object according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0101] In some embodiments, the object is at least part of a medical device, and the at least one processor is configured to output a notification indicating a plasma processing failure before using the medical device during a medical procedure. The term "medical device" can refer to any device or instrument used to perform a medical procedure. For example, the medical device can be an endoscope, laparoscope, gastroscope, cystoscope, ureteroscope, arthroscope, colonoscope, mirror (e.g., dental mirror), intraoral scanner, and any other device suitable for insertion into a patient's body. In some embodiments, the medical device can have an elongated shape. The cross-section of the medical device can be circular, square, triangular, rectangular, oval, or any shape suitable for insertion into a patient's body. The width of the medical device can be uniform or different, and the edges of the medical device can be angular or curved. The term "notification" can refer to communicated information or transmitted information. For example, after determining that the plasma processing of an endoscope has failed, the at least one processor can communicate information indicating the failure to the doctor before the doctor uses the endoscope to perform an endoscopy. This notification can be in the form of text, sound, vibration, visual warning (e.g., flashing light), or any combination thereof. Referring to FIG. 2, the optical element 392 positioned at the distal end of the endoscope 380 is an exemplary implementation of an object that is at least part of a medical device according to the disclosed embodiments. The controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can output a notification indicating a plasma processing failure via the display 1102 before using the endoscope 380 during a medical procedure.

[0102] In some embodiments, the plasma generating device may include a circuit for supplying energy to perform plasma processing. The term "circuit" refers to an electronic component (e.g., a memory unit, a switch, a gate, a wire, a transformer, and other electronic components) that, in response to receiving an electrical signal as an input (e.g., from a processor operating as a controller), performs one or more operations (e.g., logical operations). The circuit may couple an energy source, such as a power supply, a generator, a battery, or a rechargeable battery, to the plasma generating device, enabling ignition of the gas for the purpose of converting the gas into a plasma cloud. The energy source may be external to the plasma generating device, for example, via a cable from a wall outlet. In some embodiments, the operating unit may be energized by an internal energy source, such as a battery, for example, a rechargeable battery. The circuit can control not only one or more aspects of the energy delivered by the energy source, such as magnitude, intensity, frequency, phase, timing, polarity, but also the voltage associated with the energy, the current associated with the energy, and any other arbitrary attributes characterizing the energy. The circuit can adapt the energy according to the requirements of the plasma generating device, for example, to ignite the gas to generate a plasma cloud and perform plasma processing. Thus, the circuit may include a transformer, connection wires and contacts, and one or more integrated circuits (ICs), and these one or more integrated circuits may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microchips, microcontrollers, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerated processing units (APUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or all or part of any other circuits suitable for executing computational instructions and / or capable of performing logical operations based on, for example, computational instructions or input signals.This circuit may further include one or more memory units, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, magnetic media, flash memory, other persistent, fixed, or volatile memory, or any other mechanism capable of storing data and / or computational instructions for performing logical operations. The circuit may further include one or more communication channels, and by coupling one or more ICs to the memory, the one or more ICs can receive the computational instructions and / or data stored therein necessary for performing the logical operations corresponding to controlling the energy delivered to the plasma generator. The communication channel coupling the one or more ICs to the memory can include wired channels, such as one or more cables, fibers, wires, buses, and any other mechanically coupled communication channels. The communication channel can further or alternatively include wireless channels, such as shortwave, mediumwave, and longwave wireless communication channels (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, cellular, satellite), optical communication channels, as well as acoustic communication channels.

[0103] The term "energy" may refer to an electrical signal and / or a magnetic signal that can induce an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field. A circuit can control parameters of energy such as the timing, frequency, intensity, magnitude, and phase of an electrical (e.g., voltage, current) and / or magnetic signal (e.g., direction, intensity, density) to generate an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field that can convert a gas subjected to the electric field and / or the electromagnetic field into a plasma cloud. For example, a transformer can convert a relatively low voltage supply (e.g., several tens of volts) supplied from a power source into a high voltage supplied to a plasma generation zone to generate an electromagnetic field in which plasma can be ignited. For example, an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field can ionize a gas until its conductivity increases until the gas reaches a plasma state. Accordingly, the circuit can supply energy in a form suitable for performing plasma processing by adapting the energy from an energy source to a signal that can induce an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field that can, for example, convert a gas into a plasma cloud. For example, circuit 106 (FIG. 1A) can supply energy to perform plasma processing according to the disclosed embodiments. Circuit 106 can adapt the electrical energy supplied by power source 530 (e.g., in response to one or more control operations by at least one of processors 102 or 508) into a form suitable for generating an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field capable of generating plasma. The adapted energy can be supplied to any of cathode 330, anode 340, dielectric barrier 344 via any of cathode contact 352, conductor 354, and conductor 358 (FIG. 3A). For example, when power source 530 is operating, circuit 106 can adapt the electrical energy supplied by power source 530 (e.g., in response to a control instruction by at least one of processors 102 or 508), deliver the adapted electrical energy to cathode 330 and anode 340 via conductors 354 and 358, and generate an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field suitable for generating plasma from the gas present therein. As another example, circuit 700 of FIG. 7 can supply energy for performing plasma processing.

[0104] Some embodiments may include supplying energy to perform plasma treatment to increase the hydrophilicity of an object to a desired level. The term "hydrophilicity" refers to the tendency or preference of a molecule to be hydrated. A hydrophilic compound may have thermodynamic properties that allow it to bind to water molecules more readily than a non-hydrophilic compound, such as a hydrophobic compound that does not readily bind to water (e.g., polar) molecules. A hydrophilic object may be wettable, such that intermolecular interactions that maintain a balance of adhesive and cohesive forces between a liquid (e.g., water) and the object allow the liquid to maintain contact with the object. The term "desired level" may refer to a level of hydrophilicity that, when a fluid comes into contact with an object, achieves the formation of a substantially uniform layer of fluid on the surface of the object, thereby preventing, suppressing, or at least somewhat preventing the formation of fluid droplets (e.g., spray). The desired level may vary depending on the particular object and the particular intended use. The desired level of hydrophilicity may result in a sufficiently uniform layer of fluid and ensure a minimum level of optical quality. For example, the desired level of hydrophilicity may be associated with a minimum variable thickness of the layer of fluid that accumulates on the object, or a minimum angle of incidence between the fluid that accumulates on the surface of the object and the surface of the object, such as less than 30 degrees, less than 15 degrees, or less than 10 degrees. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, a circuit partially represented by a cathode 330, an anode 340, a dielectric barrier 344, a cathode contact 352, a conductor 354, and a conductor 358 can supply energy to perform plasma treatment to increase the hydrophilicity of an endoscope 380 to a level such that the visibility through the endoscope 380 is not significantly reduced by the accumulation of spray during a medical procedure.

[0105] Some embodiments may include maintaining plasma treatment by at least one processor for a predetermined duration. For example, to reach a desired level of hydrophilicity, the at least one processor may operate the plasma generator for a period sufficient to make the optical element hydrophilic before insertion into the body cavity. In some embodiments, the predetermined duration can be based on the characteristics of the plasma generated for the plasma treatment, such as the type of gas used to generate the plasma, and the conditions under which the plasma is generated (e.g., pressure, temperature, electric and / or electromagnetic fields, voltage, current). In some embodiments, the predetermined duration may be based on the physical properties of the object, such as the material the object is made of, the shape of the object, the size of the object, the sharpness or smoothness of the object, the optical properties of the object (e.g., transparency, reflectivity). In some embodiments, the predetermined duration is based on the desired level of hydrophilicity of the object. For example, a first object intended for a medical procedure requiring high accuracy may require a greater hydrophilicity than a second object intended for a medical procedure requiring lower accuracy. Further, or alternatively, in some embodiments, the predetermined duration may be based on the desired and / or acceptable levels of optical quality, the intended use of the object, and any other parameter (e.g., performance parameter) that can be affected by the hydrophilicity of the object. According to some of the disclosed embodiments, the period sufficient to make the object hydrophilic can be less than 1 minute, less than 45 seconds, less than 30 seconds, or less than 15 seconds.

[0106] At least one processor 102 in FIG. 1A shows an exemplary implementation of a controller for maintaining plasma processing for a predetermined duration, for example, via a clock inside at least one processor 102. The at least one processor 102 may adapt one or more aspects of the energy supplied by the power supply 104, for example, via the circuit 106, and supply this adapted energy to the plasma generation field applicator 130 via the cable 112. Further, the processor 102 may determine a predetermined duration based on, for example, the characteristics of the plasma generated by the plasma generation field applicator 130 for plasma processing and / or the physical properties of the object 200, which may be stored in the memory 104, for example. In some embodiments, the at least one processor may determine a predetermined duration based on, for example, a desired level of hydrophilicity of the object 200 to prevent condensation of the spray on the optical element of the object 200 when the object is inserted into the body during a medical procedure. FIG. 5B further shows an exemplary implementation of a controller 508 (e.g., at least one processor) for maintaining plasma processing by the plasma generation system 500 for a predetermined duration according to the desired level of hydrophilicity of the object. For example, if one object is required for a procedure that requires a high level of accuracy, the controller 508 can apply the treatment to this object for a relatively long period (e.g., 45 seconds). On the other hand, if another object is required for a procedure that requires a lower level of accuracy, the controller 508 can apply the treatment to this object for a relatively short period (e.g., 15 seconds).

[0107] In some embodiments, at least one processor is further configured to increase the duration of subsequent plasma processing in response to determining that the plasma processing has fallen below a threshold. For example, if the first plasma processing on an object only lasts for 15 seconds and the object does not reach a hydrophilic state (e.g., there is a possibility of spray formation on the object because the plasma processing has fallen below the threshold), at least one processor can increase the duration of the second plasma on the object up to 30 seconds. The second (e.g., longer) plasma processing can make the processed object superhydrophilic (e.g., the plasma processing exceeds the threshold and no spray is formed on the object). For example, at least one of processors 102 or 508 can increase the duration of subsequent plasma processing by plasma generation field applicator 130 in response to determining that a threshold for preventing spray formation on the optical element of object 200 is below the previous plasma processing applied to object 200.

[0108] According to some embodiments, the desired level of hydrophilicity is superhydrophilicity. The term "superhydrophilicity" can refer to a very high level of hydrophilicity, e.g., hydrophilicity sufficient to substantially reduce the contact angle between a fluid and the surface of an object, such that, for example, the fluid can coat the surface of the object as a substantially uniform (e.g., flat) layer. In some embodiments, after increasing the hydrophilicity of an object to the desired level, the contact angle between the fluid and the superhydrophilic surface of the object can be, for example, less than about 30°, e.g., less than about 15° or less than about 10° when measured at 20°C and atmospheric pressure. Thus, prior to plasma treatment, droplets can accumulate on the surface of the object, causing distortion in the optical behavior of the object, whereas after plasma treatment, the surface of the object can be coated with a substantially uniform layer of fluid and not cause distortion in the optical behavior of the object in a meaningful way. In some embodiments, increasing the hydrophilicity of an object to the desired level enables the binding of water molecules to the surface of the object by enhancing the surface charge and surface energy of the object. According to some embodiments, the effect of plasma treatment on the hydrophilicity of an object can be limited within a time, e.g., less than 48 hours, less than 36 hours, less than 24 hours, or less than 12 hours.

[0109] In some embodiments, the desired level of hydrophilicity can be related to the quality of the plasma treatment. The "quality of the plasma treatment" can be related to the level of hydrophilicity achieved after activating an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field to generate plasma for a given duration. For example, a high-quality plasma treatment can achieve a relatively high level of hydrophilicity (e.g., obtain a surface tension greater than the surface tension of water on the treated surface, i.e., greater than 0.072 N / M) after activating the electric field and / or the electromagnetic field for a relatively short time (e.g., 5 minutes, or 1 minute, or at least 10 seconds, or even at least 5 seconds).

[0110] In some embodiments, the plasma generation device can include at least one sensor configured to measure at least one plasma activation parameter during plasma processing. The term "sensor" may refer to a device or element that can be detected. For example, a sensor can detect a change in an absolute value or quantity and generate a corresponding signal or data. The sensor can be a physical sensor configured to sense a physical (e.g., analog and / or digital) signal, a software sensor configured to sense a digital signal (e.g., an analog signal converted to a digital format, a digital signal generated by at least one processor, a digital signal received from another device), or a combination of a physical sensor and a software sensor. The term "measurement" can be related to the detection, checking, evaluation, estimation, or quantification of an attribute, e.g., a physical attribute. The sensor can measure the attribute as an instantaneous characteristic, a time-dependent characteristic, or a combination thereof. The term "plasma activation parameter" can be related to any state within and / or near the plasma activation zone. For example, the sensor can be a pressure sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a plasma frequency sensor, a touch sensor, a time sensor, an optical sensor, a temperature sensor, an electric field sensor, a magnetic field sensor, or any other detector for measuring parameters related to plasma processing. In some embodiments, the sensor can measure the negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole (e.g., via a vacuum sensor). In some embodiments, the sensor can detect when at least a portion of an object (e.g., an optical element) is within the hole, e.g., when it is ready to be exposed to the plasma. For example, the sensor can be sensitive to touch, pressure, weight, magnetic or electrical conductivity, temperature, optical properties, or any other physical attribute for detecting the presence of at least a portion of the object. The term "during plasma processing" can refer to the time span during which an object is exposed to the plasma cloud for the purpose of enhancing the hydrophilicity of the object. The time span can be related to a conceivable time range, a minimum time, a maximum time, or a recommended time.In some embodiments, this time span can include the period necessary to generate a plasma cloud from the gas present within the plasma generation zone. In some embodiments, this time span can include the period necessary to introduce gas into the plasma generation zone. In some embodiments, the time span can include the period necessary to exhaust other gases (e.g., air) from the plasma generation zone. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 11, plasma generation system 500 includes one or more sensors for measuring plasma activation parameters, such as pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11) for measuring pressure, plasma frequency sensor 512 for measuring the frequency of the plasma generated within plasma generation zone 504, and voltage sensor 514 for measuring voltage, for example, between anode 340 and cathode 330 (FIG. 4).

[0111] In some embodiments, the plasma generation device can include at least one processor. The at least one processor can include an electrical circuit for performing logical operations on input signals. For example, the at least one processor can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) including ASICs, microchips, microcontrollers, microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, APUs, DSPs, FPGAs, or all or part of other circuits suitable for executing computational instructions and / or capable of performing logical operations based on, for example, computational instructions or input signals. The instructions executed by the at least one processor may be preloaded into a memory integrated with or embedded in the controller (e.g., the processor), or stored in a separate memory. The memory may include RAM, cache memory, ROM, hard disk, optical disk, magnetic media, flash memory, other persistent, fixed, or volatile memory, or any other mechanism capable of storing such instructions. In some embodiments, the at least one processor can include a plurality of processors. Each processor may have a similar configuration, or different configurations that may be electrically connected or disconnected from each other. The processors may be separate circuits or integrated into a single circuit. The plurality of processors may be configured to operate independently or cooperatively. The processors may be coupled electrically, magnetically, optically, acoustically, mechanically, or by other means that enable them to interact. The processors may be physical and / or virtual (i.e., software-based). In some embodiments, as is known in the art of cloud computing, the plurality of processors may be distributed and accessed remotely and / or locally in a batch. Referring to FIG. 5B, controller 508 shows an exemplary implementation of at least one processor according to the disclosed embodiments. Similarly, at least one processor 508 shows another exemplary implementation of at least one processor.

[0112] In some embodiments, at least one processor may be configured to determine that the plasma treatment is below a threshold for increasing the hydrophilicity of an object to a desired level based on at least one plasma activation parameter. The term "determine" may relate to measurements, comparisons, estimations, or calculations performed by at least one processor on at least one plasma activation parameter and one or more additional values, e.g., stored in memory or received from another device. For example, at least one processor may determine by comparing at least one plasma activation parameter to a value (e.g., a minimum value, a maximum value, or an average value) stored in memory prior to the plasma treatment, based on the at least one plasma activation parameter. In some embodiments, the term "threshold" may relate to aspects of the plasma treatment, such as power level, energy level, duration, intensity, magnitude, pressure, frequency, phase, temperature, or any other attribute that may affect the effectiveness of the plasma treatment in increasing the hydrophilicity of the object. In some embodiments, the term "threshold" may relate to characteristics of the treated object, such as the level of hydrophilicity achieved, the angle of incidence of a fluid coming into contact with the treated object, the surface tension of the treated object, the surface charge of the treated object, the variation of the fluid condensed on the surface of the treated object, the optical quality achieved through the treated object after the treated object comes into contact with the fluid, and any other characteristic indicating the level of hydrophilicity achieved by the plasma treatment. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) may determine, based on a plasma activation parameter (e.g., the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 1100 of FIG. 11), that the plasma treatment provided by the plasma generation system 500 (FIGS. 5A-5C) is not sufficient (e.g., below a threshold) to increase the hydrophilicity of the optical element 390 (FIG. 2) of the endoscope 380 to a desired level for preventing condensation that would reduce the visibility through the viewport of the endoscope 380. As a result, the controller 508 can determine a malfunction of the plasma treatment. According to some embodiments, the sensor input may be pressure and RF voltage measurements.Pressure measurements can be taken before igniting the plasma, and any changes in pressure over time (e.g., above a threshold such as 0.3 atm) can be reported. Thus, the transformer 526 (FIG. 5B) can include a sensor for RF output so that a voltage drop below the threshold can communicate a malfunction in the plasma process.

[0113] In some embodiments, at least one processor can be configured to output a notification indicating a malfunction in the plasma process. The term "output" can relate to the indication of information via an interface. The information can be visually indicated (i.e., output) via, for example, a visual display, a printer, one or more light-emitting diodes or bulbs, a dial, a gauge, a meter, or any other visual indicator. In some embodiments, the information can be audibly indicated (e.g., via a speaker) or indicated in a tactile manner (e.g., as vibrations generated by a DC motor coupled to an eccentric rotating mass (ERM)). In some embodiments, the notification can be a binary indication that clarifies whether the plasma process was successful or malfunctioned. In some embodiments, the notification can further indicate on which of at least one plasma activation parameter the malfunction determination is based. In some embodiments, the notification can include a recommendation to adjust or calibrate one or more system parameters to improve the malfunction in the plasma process. In some embodiments, the notification can include a recommendation to replace or fix one or more components of the plasma generation device to improve the malfunction in the plasma process. In some embodiments, the notification can be a warning indicating that the malfunction in the plasma process is imminent. In some embodiments, the warning can be related to one or more of the system parameters and / or system components mentioned above. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can output a notification indicating a malfunction in the plasma process via the display 1102 (FIG. 11).

[0114] In some embodiments, at least one sensor is configured to measure at least one plasma activation parameter by detecting the pressure within the plasma generation zone during plasma processing, and at least one processor is further configured to determine that the plasma processing cannot meet the threshold when the pressure is outside the pressure range. The term "pressure" can be related to the strain or force applied over a certain area. For example, the gas contained within the plasma generation zone can apply a force to the inner wall portion of the plasma generation zone. The force applied by the gas can be measured as a plasma activation parameter, and this plasma activation parameter can indicate, for example, after the air is exhausted from the plasma generation zone or after the gas for plasma ignition flows into the plasma generation zone, when the gas is at a pressure suitable for plasma ignition. The term "pressure range" can be related to one or more of a pressure window, a minimum pressure, a maximum pressure, an average pressure, or a tolerance near the average pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure suitable for plasma ignition can be less than 0.1 Atm. At least one processor can compare the detected pressure with a predetermined pressure range (e.g., less than 0.1 Atm) stored in the memory and determine that the detected pressure does not meet the conditions required for normal plasma generation. As a result, at least one processor can determine that the plasma processing may malfunction. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can determine, based on the pressure sensed via the pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11), that the plasma processing provided to the object by the plasma generation system 500 (FIGS. 5A - 5C) is not sufficient (e.g., cannot meet the threshold) to increase the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level, such as preventing condensation that may reduce visibility through the object.

[0115] In some embodiments, at least one sensor is configured to measure at least one plasma activation parameter by detecting a voltage across an electrode that generates plasma during plasma processing, and at least one processor is further configured to determine that the plasma processing cannot meet a threshold when the detected voltage is outside a pressure range. The term "voltage" may relate to the potential difference (e.g., measured in volts) between two points, such as between two electrodes (e.g., between an anode and a cathode). The term "voltage range" may relate to one or more of a minimum voltage, a maximum voltage, an average voltage, or a tolerance near the average voltage. For example, the voltage detected near the plasma generation zone can determine the form of the electric field and / or electromagnetic field for generating plasma. The term "electrode" may relate to an electrical contact made of a conductive material, such as metal, semiconductor, graphite, conductive polymer, and any other material capable of conducting current. The electrode may be an anode or a cathode, and the current typically flows out of the cathode and towards the anode. Thus, in some embodiments, at least one sensor may include a voltage sensor that measures the voltage inside or near the plasma generation zone. At least one processor can receive the measured voltage and determine whether the voltage is sufficient to drive an electric field and / or electromagnetic field capable of generating plasma to increase the hydrophilicity of an object to a desired level. At least one processor can compare the detected voltage with a predetermined voltage range stored in memory and determine that the detected voltage does not meet the conditions required for normal plasma generation. As a result, at least one processor can determine that the plasma processing may malfunction. Referring to FIG. 5A, the voltage sensor 514 can measure the voltage, for example, between the anode 340 and the cathode 330 (FIG. 4). The controller 508 can receive the measurement from the voltage sensor 514 and determine based on that measurement whether the plasma processing can meet a threshold.

[0116] In some embodiments, the characteristics of the electric and / or electromagnetic fields that can generate plasma from a gas may depend on the geometry of the electrodes, e.g., the shape, arrangement, and the distance between the electrodes provided to induce the electric field. Further, or alternatively, the electric and / or electromagnetic fields required to generate plasma may depend on the gas used to generate the plasma. Generally, a high-pressure gas requires a higher electric and / or electromagnetic field (e.g., measured as voltage per unit area) to ignite the plasma in the gas. However, some gases may require a lower electric and / or electromagnetic field to ignite and form plasma than other gases. For example, plasma can be ignited using a high-frequency (RF) field of about 7 KV over an electrode distance of 1 cm in atmospheric pressure helium gas (e.g., within a frequency between 1 MHz and 15 MHz), but when the helium gas is at a pressure of 0.8 KPa, a voltage of about 200 V may be sufficient. Using a similar arrangement of electrodes with a similar field frequency, plasma can be ignited using a voltage of about 20 KV in atmospheric pressure air, but when the air is at a pressure of 0.8 KPa, a lower voltage, e.g., 800 V, may be sufficient.

[0117] In some embodiments, at least one sensor is configured to measure at least one plasma activation parameter by detecting the plasma frequency during plasma processing, and at least one processor is configured to determine that the plasma processing cannot meet a threshold when the detected plasma frequency is outside the plasma frequency range. The term "plasma frequency", such as "electron plasma frequency", may be related to the frequency at which electrons (e.g., negatively charged particles) in the plasma naturally oscillate with respect to the ions (e.g., positively and negatively charged particles) present in the plasma. The plasma frequency can be in the range between 2 and 20 MHz. Each type (e.g., species) of plasma can have a different frequency. The term "plasma frequency range" can be related to one or more of a minimum plasma frequency, a maximum plasma frequency, an average plasma frequency, or a tolerance near the average plasma frequency. Referring to FIG. 5A, the plasma frequency sensor 512 can measure the frequency of the plasma generated within the plasma generation zone 504. The controller 508 can receive the measurement from the plasma frequency sensor 512 and determine, based on that measurement, whether the plasma processing can meet a threshold.

[0118] In some embodiments, at least one sensor includes at least one of a pressure sensor, a voltage sensor, or a plasma frequency sensor. The pressure sensor can include one or more of a pressure transducer, a pressure transmitter, a pressure sender, a pressure indicator, a piezometer, a manometer, or any other device capable of detecting or measuring pressure. The pressure sensor can be, for example, an absolute pressure sensor that measures pressure relative to a perfect vacuum for situations where a certain reference is required, such as for monitoring a vacuum pump. Alternatively, the pressure sensor can measure pressure relative to atmospheric pressure or ambient pressure, or relative to a pressure different from ambient pressure. The pressure sensor can include a force collector for measuring compression, load, or stress caused by the pressing or pushing of a gas against the pressure sensor (e.g., when the pressure sensor is located inside a plasma generation zone). Further, or alternatively, the pressure sensor can include one or more vibrating components for measuring changes in the resonant frequency of a gas, such as a vibrating wire, a crystal (e.g., quartz), a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), and any other vibrating component sensitive to resonant frequency. The voltage sensor can detect a magnetic field, an electric field, or an electromagnetic field and calculate the amount of voltage (e.g., potential) within an object. In some embodiments, the voltage sensor can be a contact sensor having a test probe configured to contact an electrical circuit. In some embodiments, the voltage sensor can be a non-contact voltage sensor configured to sense a weak current capacitively coupled from a circuit to the voltage sensor. The plasma frequency sensor can be a resonant frequency detector configured to measure the electron density of a plasma. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 11, the voltage sensor 514 and the plasma frequency sensor 512 (FIG. 5A) can measure voltage and plasma frequency, respectively, with respect to the plasma generated within the plasma generation zone 504. Similarly, the frequency sensor 1100 (FIG. 11) can measure the frequency of the plasma generated within the plasma generation zone 504 (FIG. 5A).The controller 508 (FIG. 5B) may receive measurements from one or more of the voltage sensor 514, the plasma frequency sensor 512, or the frequency sensor 1100, and may determine based on the measurements whether the plasma process can meet the threshold.

[0119] In some embodiments, the plasma generating device may further include a gas reservoir configured to allow gas to flow into the plasma generation zone for performing the plasma process, and at least one processor may be further configured to determine that the plasma process cannot meet the threshold based on the characteristics of the gas. The term "gas reservoir" can refer to, for example, a sealable tank, balloon, or canister configured to contain gas at a pressure higher or lower than atmospheric pressure. In some embodiments, the gas reservoir may be portable, for example, for a single plasma process. In some embodiments, the gas reservoir is a non-portable central gas reservoir. The gas reservoir may be configured to be in fluid communication with the plasma generation zone of the plasma generating device, for example, via a hose. The gas reservoir may be further configured to be in fluid communication with one or more pumps and / or valves for controlling and slowing down the flow of gas from the gas reservoir to the plasma generation zone.

[0120] In some embodiments, the object is an endoscope, and the plasma generating device further includes a detachable sheath sized to receive the distal end of the endoscope, and the plasma generation zone is configured to apply plasma treatment to the distal end of the endoscope within the sheath. The term "detachable" can refer to being removable or separable. For example, the sheath can be removable from the distal end of the endoscope and the plasma generating device. The term "sheath" or "protective shroud" can refer to a cover or support structure that fits around an object. For example, the sheath can enclose the optical elements of a medical device. In an exemplary embodiment, the sheath can be an elongated, flexible, disposable tube that holds a portion of the medical device within it when the medical device is inserted into the plasma generation zone. In some embodiments, the sheath can include an authentication element (e.g., an RFID tag or any other automatically detectable identification device), and this authentication element enables at least one processor to test the sheath before operation of the plasma generating device equipped with the sheath. The authentication element allows at least one processor to determine whether the sheath is new and / or whether the sheath has been used an acceptable number of times. In addition to or alternatively, the authentication element allows at least one processor to test the sheath to determine whether the sheath is from an approved manufacturer. Without such verification, an unapproved sheath may be used, compromising sterility and / or effectiveness in suppressing spraying on the object. The term "sized to" can refer to being sized or designed (e.g., configured or constructed) according to a measured ratio, such as length, width, and / or height. For example, the sheath may be sized to accommodate the distal end of the endoscope. The term "endoscope" can include any of the medical scopes described above. For example, an endoscope includes an elongated tubular instrument having an optical sensor (e.g., a camera) and a light source disposed at the distal end. An endoscope can be used to examine the interior of a human body, for example, during a medical procedure commonly called an endoscopy.For example, the distal end of the endoscope can be disposed inside a removable sheath, and the sheath with the distal end of the endoscope can be disposed inside the plasma generation zone so that the distal end of the endoscope is exposed to the plasma cloud while being inside the sheath, for example, for performing plasma treatment. After the plasma treatment is completed, the endoscope may be removed from the plasma generation zone while being inside the sheath to maintain sterility, or the endoscope may be completely removed from the housing while the sheath remains within the housing. The protective shroud 110 of FIG. 1A, the protective shroud 310 of FIG. 2, and the sheath 800 of FIG. 8A are some examples of sheaths according to the disclosed embodiments. As another example, the protective shroud 310 may be sized (e.g., dimensioned) to receive the distal end 382 (FIG. 2) of the endoscope 380, and a viewport 390 is provided at the distal end 382. The plasma generation zone 504 (FIG. 5A) can apply plasma treatment to the viewport 390 while the viewport 390 is inside the protective shroud 310 by applying plasma treatment to the distal end 382.

[0121] In some embodiments, the plasma generation zone is configured to contain a plasma cloud on a first side of the dielectric barrier while an object is disposed on a second side of the dielectric barrier. The disks 344 of FIGS. 3A-3B show an exemplary implementation of a dielectric barrier that separates an anode 340 positioned on one side of the disk 344 from a cathode 330 positioned on the other side of the disk 344. A plasma cloud can be formed over the cathode side 330 while preventing arc formation, and the viewport 390 of the endoscope 380 can be exposed thereto.

[0122] In some embodiments, the plasma generating device further includes a plasma generator, which, when activated, is configured to form a plasma cloud within a plasma generation zone, and at least one processor is further configured to activate the plasma generator for a period sufficient to increase the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level. The plasma generators of FIGS. 5A - 5C show exemplary implementations of the plasma generator according to the disclosed embodiments. Plasma generator 506 can, when activated, for example via controller 508, form a plasma cloud within plasma generation zone 504. Further, controller 508 can activate the plasma generator for a period sufficient to increase the hydrophilicity of viewport 390 of endoscope 380 (FIG. 2) to a desired level, for example to prevent the formation of a spray on viewport 390 during an endoscopic procedure.

[0123] In some embodiments, the desired level of hydrophilicity of the object is such that, for at least 1 hour after plasma treatment, the droplets impinging on the surface of the object have a contact angle of less than 10 degrees. In some embodiments, the contact angle of the droplets impinging on the surface after at least 1 hour of treatment can be less than 8.5 degrees, or less than 7.5 degrees.

[0124] The contact angle can indicate the degree of hydrophilicity, for example, the desired hydrophilicity required for using the object, such as for a medical procedure, or a threshold level of hydrophilicity. The desired contact angle (e.g., less than 10 degrees, less than 8.5 degrees, or less than 7.5 degrees) can be associated with the desired optical quality of the optical elements of the object when the object is used for a medical procedure. Referring to FIG. 2, when viewport 390 of endoscope 380 can be treated by the plasma according to the present disclosure, the surface tension of viewport 390 becomes greater than the surface tension of water for at least 1 hour after plasma treatment, so that the contact angle of the water droplets impinging on the surface of viewport 390 is less than 10 degrees. As a result, at least 1 hour of plasma treatment of viewport 390 can be substantially free from the accumulation of spray, and endoscope 380 can be used in a medical procedure and provide high optical quality.

[0125] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an exemplary process 1600 for generating plasma to process an object, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The block diagram may be described below in relation to embodiments of a particular implementation shown in other drawings, but these implementations are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to function as limitations to the block diagram of FIG. 16. Examples of processes are described throughout the present disclosure, and these aspects are not repeated or merely summarized in relation to FIG. 16. In some embodiments, process 1600 may be executed by at least one processor (e.g., controller 508 of FIG. 5B) to perform the operations or functions described herein. In some embodiments, some aspects of process 1600 may be implemented as software (e.g., program code or instructions) stored in a memory provided in at least one processor, or as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, some aspects of process 1600 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., a dedicated circuit). In some embodiments, process 1600 may be implemented as a combination of software and hardware.

[0126] FIG. 16 includes process blocks 1602-1610. At block 1602, entry of an object into the plasma generation zone is identified. This can be done, for example, via processing means (e.g., controller 508 of FIG. 5B). For example, controller 508 can identify that the distal end 382 (FIG. 2) disposed with the viewport 390 of the endoscope 380 enters the plasma generation zone 504 of the plasma generation system 500.

[0127] In block 1604, a circuit for supplying energy to generate plasma within a plasma generation zone can be activated to perform plasma processing to increase the hydrophilicity of an object to a desired level. For example, at least one processor 508 can activate circuit 106 to supply energy from power supply 104 to device 130 to generate plasma within the plasma generation zone of device 130 and perform plasma processing on object 200. Alternatively, the activation of the circuit can be performed by a switch or sensor that determines the entry of the object. The plasma processing may be controlled by at least one processor 508 to increase the hydrophilicity of object 200 to a desired level, for example, to prevent a fluid from condensing as droplets on the optical surface of object 200. As another example, controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can activate a circuit (e.g., circuit 700 of FIG. 7) to supply energy to cathode 330 and anode 340 via conductor 354 and conductor 358 (FIG. 3A) (e.g., via cable 112 of FIG. 1A) to generate plasma within plasma generation zone 504 of plasma generation system 500. The plasma processing can increase the hydrophilicity of viewing port 390 (FIG. 3A) of endoscope 380 to a desired level. The desired level can be associated with a desired optical quality when using endoscope 380 during subsequent medical procedures.

[0128] In block 1606, during plasma processing, at least one plasma activation parameter is measured. As used in this context, "measuring" can refer to one or more of detecting, sensing, determining, or obtaining a value indicating a plasma activation parameter. For example, controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can measure a pressure parameter related to plasma processing by pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11). Further, or alternatively, controller 508 can also measure a voltage parameter related to plasma processing by voltage sensor 514. Similarly, controller 508 can measure a plasma frequency parameter related to plasma processing by plasma frequency sensor 514.

[0129] In block 1608, a determination is made that the plasma treatment falls below a threshold for increasing the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can determine, based on the pressure parameter measured by the pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11), that the plasma treatment provided by the plasma generation system 500 falls below a threshold for increasing the hydrophilicity of the viewport 390 of the endoscope 380 to a desired level (e.g., for ensuring a desired optical quality when the endoscope 380 is subsequently used in a medical procedure). In a similar manner, the controller 508 can determine that the plasma treatment provided by the plasma generation system 500 falls below the threshold based on the voltage parameter measured by the voltage sensor 514 and / or the plasma frequency parameter measured by the plasma frequency sensor 512.

[0130] In block 1610, a notification indicating a defect in the plasma treatment can be output. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can display, via the display 1102 (FIG. 11), a notification indicating that a defect has occurred in the plasma treatment.

[0131] To facilitate processing an object by plasma, when the plasma generation device detects the insertion of an object (i.e., within the hole of the housing of the plasma generation device), it may automatically trigger the generation of plasma. One or more sensors for detecting the insertion of the object may be provided in the hole. The one or more sensors can communicate information related to the detection to at least one processor configured to trigger, for example automatically, the plasma treatment of the object. When plasma generation is performed in a vacuum (e.g., a partial vacuum), a signal can be received from a vacuum sensor, and it can be determined that there is a sufficient negative pressure for plasma generation. When the determination of sufficient negative pressure is made, plasma is generated by supplying energy to the electrodes, and the object can be exposed to the plasma. In the case of a medical scope where speed, efficiency, and sterility are emphasized, plasma can be used for the treatment of the optical system, and significant benefits can be obtained if human intervention can be limited.

[0132] In some embodiments, the at least one processor may trigger a plasma treatment corresponding to the type of the object based on information received, for example, from one or more sensors. For example, the first object may be of a type that requires a shorter plasma treatment than a second object that requires a longer plasma treatment. Alternatively, the first object may have a different hydrophilicity threshold (e.g., corresponding to different uses and preventing fogging during use) from the second object. Thus, the at least one processor can trigger different plasma treatments for the first and second objects respectively corresponding to different hydrophilicity thresholds.

[0133] In some embodiments, an apparatus for processing an elongate tool by plasma may be provided. The term "apparatus" can include any apparatus or combination of components that can process an object by plasma, for example, by converting a gas (e.g., igniting the gas) to transfer the gas to a plasma state or plasma cloud and exposing the object to the plasma cloud. Examples of implementations of plasma generation devices according to the disclosed embodiments are shown not only in plasma generation systems 100 (FIG. 1A) and 500 (FIGS. 5A - 5C), but also in plasma applicator 348 (FIG. 3A). The term "elongate tool" can refer to an object having a length that is substantially longer than the width of the object. Examples of implementations of elongate tools are shown in object 200 (FIG. 1B), endoscope 380 (FIG. 2), and endoscope 802 (FIG. 8A). The term "plasma" can refer to a state of matter that is rich in charged particles, such as electrons and ions. As a result, plasma can be highly conductive and highly sensitive to electric and / or electromagnetic fields.

[0134] In some embodiments, the device may include a hole in the housing, and the hole may have an open end on the surface of the housing for insertion of an elongated tool therein. The term "hole" can refer to a cavity, chamber, crevice, or pit capable of accommodating an object. This hole can accommodate at least a part of an object inside the plasma generation zone and expose at least a part of this object to the plasma cloud. For example, the hole may accommodate an optical element of an endoscope and expose the optical element to the plasma cloud generated by igniting the gas flowing into the hole. As a result, the hydrophilicity of the optical element can be enhanced, and subsequently, when the optical element is inserted into the body, the formation of spray can be prevented. In some embodiments, the hole may have an elongated shape so as to accommodate an elongated tool. The surface of the housing may include an opening exposing the entrance to the elongated hole. This opening enables the insertion of the elongated tool into the hole. Examples of holes disposed within the housing of the plasma generation device may be shown by slot 132 (FIGS. 1A and 1C), hole 350 (FIG. 3A), hole 450 (FIG. 3C), cavity 502 (FIGS. 5A - 5C), and hole 900 (FIG. 9). Proximal openings 142 (FIG. 1D) and 314 (FIG. 2) show exemplary implementations of the open ends of the holes on the surface of the housing in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

[0135] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one vacuum pump for creating a vacuum within at least a portion of the aperture. The term "vacuum" can refer to a region having a gas-phase pressure that is substantially lower than atmospheric or ambient pressure. As used herein, the term "vacuum" is intended to include a partial vacuum. That is, in the context of the present disclosure, a vacuum includes an enclosed space from which at least a portion of air or other gas has been removed. The term "vacuum pump" can refer to a device that withdraws or sucks particles from a sealed volume in order to create a vacuum within the volume. An example of a vacuum pump for creating a vacuum can be shown in FIG. 10A depicting a plurality of vacuum pumps (e.g., vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D). One or more of vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D may be configured to create a vacuum within at least a portion of the aperture, such as slot 132 (FIGS. 1A and 1C), aperture 350 (FIG. 3A), aperture 450 (FIG. 3C), cavity 502 (FIGS. 5A-5C), and aperture 900 (FIG. 9).

[0136] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an insertion detector for determining when an elongate tool is inserted into the aperture. An “insertion detector” can be any sensor capable of detecting the insertion of an object into the aperture, such as a touch (contact) sensor that detects contact with the object, an optical sensor that can detect interruption of a line of sight by an object within the aperture or reflection of light by an object within the aperture, a pressure sensor that can detect pressure applied by the object, a weight sensor that can sense the weight of the object, a voltage and / or current sensor that can detect changes in potential and / or current caused by insertion of the object into the aperture, and any other sensor capable of sensing the object. In some embodiments, the insertion detector may include a wireless receiver for detecting an identification tag associated with the object, such as an RFID tag (e.g., an authentication tag), which may be included, for example, in a sheath provided to retain the object within the aperture. In some embodiments, the insertion detector may include a mechanical sensor for detecting tearing of a hermetic seal covering an entrance to the aperture. Non-limiting examples of the insertion detector include one or both of the transmitter 24650 and the transponder 24654 shown in FIGS. 25A-25E.

[0137] For example, electrodes 704A and 704B (FIG. 7) configured to physically contact an object illustrate an exemplary implementation of a sensor (e.g., a voltage sensor) for detecting insertion of an object into a hole. Electrodes 704A and 704B may be configured to facilitate detection when an object is inserted into the hole by electrically coupling the inserted object to a cathode and / or anode associated with the hole. As another example, a sensor (not shown) associated with a fragile hermetic screen 518 (FIG. 4) and configured to emit a signal when the fragile hermetic screen 518 breaks upon insertion of an elongated object into the hole may represent another exemplary implementation for detecting when an object is inserted into the hole. As another example, a pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11) may represent another exemplary implementation of an insertion sensor according to the disclosed embodiments. Signals sensed by the insertion sensor can be provided to at least one processor (e.g., at least one processor 102 of FIG. 1A and / or controller 508 of FIG. 5B) using wired and / or wireless communication means. Based on the insertion signal, the at least one processor can determine the insertion of an object (e.g., object 200 of FIG. 1B, endoscope 380 of FIG. 2, or endoscope 802 of FIG. 8A) into a hole (e.g., slot 132 of FIG. 1A, hole 350 of FIG. 3A, hole 450 of FIG. 3C, cavity 502 of FIGS. 5A - 5C, or hole 900 of FIG. 9).

[0138] In some embodiments, the device includes a vacuum sensor associated with the housing to determine the degree of negative pressure within at least a portion of the aperture. In some embodiments, the vacuum sensor can include a pressure transducer that can, for example, measure pressure and convert that pressure into an electrical signal by one or more strain gauges. In some embodiments, the vacuum sensor can detect pressure relative to a threshold value and output a binary signal indicating that the pressure is above or below the threshold value. In some embodiments, the vacuum sensor can output an electrical signal proportional to the measured pressure. The vacuum sensor may be positioned proximate to the aperture, for example while in fluid communication with the aperture, to determine the degree of negative pressure inside the aperture. Pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11) shows an exemplary implementation of a vacuum sensor according to the disclosed embodiments. Pressure sensor 1100 may be enclosed within housing 510 (FIGS. 5A - 5C) (e.g., may be associated with the housing) and can determine the degree of negative pressure within cavity (e.g., aperture) 502.

[0139] In some embodiments, the device can include a plasma generator for generating plasma within the aperture. The term "plasma generator" can refer to a device configured to generate plasma, for example, inside a plasma generation zone. The term "plasma generation zone" can refer to a physical volume or space where a plasma cloud can be formed, for example, by igniting a gas introduced therein. The size of the plasma generation zone can be arbitrary. For example, the plasma generation zone can be less than 15 cm 3 less than, 10 cm 3 less than, or 5 cm 3It can be less than. Since the plasma generator can generate an electromagnetic field within the plasma generation zone, when the gas is exposed to the electromagnetic field, the gas can be ignited and plasma can be generated. Plasma applicators 130 (FIG. 1A) and 348 (FIG. 3A), and the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A - 5C (e.g., including an energy source such as at least a first electrical contact 522, a second electrical contact 524, a battery 530, and a transformer 526) show exemplary implementations of the plasma generator according to the disclosed embodiments. Plasma applicators 130 and 348, and the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A - 5C can be configured to generate plasma within slots 132, holes 350, and cavities 502, respectively.

[0140] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor. In some embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to receive an insertion signal from an insertion detector indicating that an elongate tool is within the aperture. The term "insertion signal" can refer to any signal indicating the presence of an elongate tool within the aperture. For example, the output of any of the above-described insertion detectors can constitute an insertion signal. In some embodiments, the insertion signal can be an analog signal (e.g., an analog value received from an analog insertion detector or a signal as such). In some embodiments, the insertion signal can be a digital signal (e.g., received by a digital device such as a digital processor, a digital filter, a diode, and any other device capable of providing a digital signal). In some embodiments, the insertion signal can be a binary signal indicating whether the elongate tool has been inserted into the aperture. In some embodiments, the insertion signal can be a value equivalent to one or more threshold values (e.g., stored in a memory) for determining whether the elongate tool has been inserted into the aperture (e.g., by at least one processor). In some embodiments, the insertion signal can include one or more of a touch signal from a touch (contact) sensor indicating physical contact between the elongate tool (or a sheath enclosing the elongate tool) and the aperture, an optical signal from an optical sensor indicating occlusion of a line of sight or reflection of light by an elongate object within the aperture, a pressure signal from a pressure sensor indicating pressure applied by an elongate object within the aperture, a weight signal from a weight sensor indicating weight applied by an elongate object within the aperture, a voltage (and / or current) signal from a voltage (and / or current) sensor indicating a voltage (and / or current) level caused by inserting an elongate object into the aperture, a wireless signal from a wireless receiver indicating insertion of an elongate object (e.g., associated with an authentication tag such as an RFID tag) into the aperture, or any other measure indicating insertion of an elongate object into the aperture. For example, as described herein with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25A-25E, the identification signal from transponder 24654 can correspond to the insertion signal from the insertion detector.

[0141] In some embodiments, the insertion signal may be associated with an insertion detector configured such that the sheath encloses an elongate tool. For example, the sheath may be provided with at least one electrode and at least one sheath electrical contact that may be configured to electrically contact a corresponding contact within the plasma generator when the sheath is inserted into the aperture. As another example, the sheath may be provided with an authentication tag, such as an RFID tag, that transmits a wireless signal receivable by a wireless receiver associated with the aperture. In some embodiments, the insertion signal may be mechanical in nature, for example, associated with the tearing of a hermetic seal covering an entrance to the aperture. In some embodiments, the insertion signal may be associated with a portion of the elongate tool, for example, the distal end of the elongate tool. For example, the insertion detector may transmit an insertion signal when the distal end of the elongate tool is inserted into the aperture.

[0142] An exemplary implementation of an insertion sensor configured to transmit an insertion signal can be shown in FIG. 7. For example, when a medical device 708 (e.g., an elongated tool) is inserted into the hole 712, the electrodes 702A and 702B are electrically coupled to the medical device 708 via the electrodes 704A and 704B, so that, for example, the medical device 708 or 200 (FIG. 1A) may be electrically coupled to the power supply 530. As a result, any of the electrodes 702A and 702B or 704A and 704B can transmit a voltage signal as an insertion signal indicating the insertion of an object into the hole. Similarly, when the endoscope 380 is inserted into the sheath 510 (e.g., with the sheath 510 fitted inside the hole of the device), detecting damage to the hermetic screen 518 (FIG. 4) by the endoscope 380 (e.g., an elongated tool) can be another exemplary implementation of an insertion signal for detecting when an object is inserted into the hole. As another example, when the endoscope 810 (FIG. 8) is inserted into the sheath 800 (e.g., with the sheath 800 fitted inside the hole of the device), the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11) can constitute an additional exemplary implementation of the insertion signal received from the insertion detector according to the disclosed embodiments. The insertion sensor can use wired and / or wireless communication means to transmit an insertion signal indicating the insertion to at least one processor (e.g., at least one processor 102 in FIG. 1A and / or the controller 508 (FIG. 5B)). The at least one processor 102 and / or the controller 508 can determine, based on the insertion signal, that an elongated object (e.g., the object 200 in FIG. 1B, the endoscope 380 in FIG. 2, the medical device 708 (FIG. 7), or the endoscope 802 in FIG. 8A) has been inserted into a hole (e.g., the slot 132 in FIG. 1A, the hole 350 in FIG. 3A, the hole 450 in FIG. 3C, the cavity 502 in FIGS. 5A - 5C, and the hole 900 in FIG. 9).

[0143] In some embodiments, at least one processor may be further configured to operate at least one vacuum pump in response to an insertion signal to generate a negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole. The term "operate" may refer to triggering (e.g., by sending an electrical signal), turning on or switching on, or performing any other action to initiate pumping by the vacuum pump. The term "negative pressure" may refer to an air or gas pressure that is less than or lower than a reference pressure, such as atmospheric pressure or ambient pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure may be less than 0.3 atm, or less than 0.2 atm, or less than 0.1 atm. In some embodiments, the effective pressure range may be between 0.300 and 0.001 atm. In some embodiments, the effective pressure range may be between 0.1 and 0.01 atm. The term "at least a portion of the hole" can refer to a section or region of the hole that is proximate to the elongated tool such that a negative pressure is at least partially applied within the hole in the region of the elongated tool. Upon operation by the at least one processor, in response to receiving the insertion signal, the vacuum pump may generate a relatively low pressure (e.g., negative pressure) to draw out (e.g., suction) the air and / or gas present within the hole, such that the pressure of the air and / or gas within the hole in the region surrounding at least the elongated tool is lower than the reference pressure.

[0144] For example, at least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can receive an insertion signal from an insertion detector, such as a pressure signal from a pressure sensor 1100 (FIG. 11), a voltage signal from one or more of electrodes 704A and 704B (FIG. 7), a signal indicating damage to a hermetic screen 518 (FIG. 4), and any of the other pressure sensing implementations described above. In response to the insertion signal, at least one processor 102 and / or controller 508 can operate at least one vacuum pump (e.g., vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D of FIG. 10A) to generate a negative pressure (e.g., suction) within at least a portion of a hole (e.g., slot 132 of FIGS. 1A and 1C, hole 350 of FIG. 3A, hole 450 of FIG. 3C, cavity 502 of FIG. 5A, or hole 900 of FIG. 9). In some embodiments, at least a portion of the hole may be in the vicinity of an elongate object. Thus, the negative pressure can be generated near an elongate tool within the hole (e.g., object 200 of FIG. 1B, endoscope 380 of FIG. 2, or endoscope 802 of FIG. 8A).

[0145] In some embodiments, at least one processor receives a signal from a vacuum sensor and is configured to determine therefrom that the negative pressure within at least a portion of the hole is sufficient for plasma generation. The term "sufficient for plasma generation" can refer to a gas pressure low enough to enable any remaining gas, or any gas introduced after generating a negative pressure within the hole, to ionize and generate a plasma. Additionally, or alternatively, the negative pressure generated by the vacuum pump may be low enough to satisfy a gas concentration threshold necessary to generate a particular type of plasma corresponding to a particular type of gas (e.g., helium, argon, or nitrogen) introduced into the hole after the negative pressure is generated (e.g., after air is drawn out of the hole).

[0146] For example, at least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) and / or controller 508 (FIG. 5B) receives signals from one or more of vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D (FIG. 10A), and from those signals determines that the pressure within at least a portion of the apertures, such as a portion of slot 132 (FIGS. 1A and 1C), aperture 350 (FIG. 3A), aperture 450 (FIG. 3C), cavity 502 (FIGS. 5A-5C), aperture 712 (FIG. 7), and aperture 900 (FIG. 9), is low enough, e.g., by plasma applicator 130 (FIG. 1A), plasma applicator 348 (FIG. 3A), or the plasma generator of FIGS. 5A-5C, to generate plasma. In some embodiments, the negative pressure may be facilitated by a hose 364 (FIG. 3A) that fluidly couples the aperture to the vacuum pump. In some embodiments, the negative pressure may be maintained by a seal such as vacuum seal 370 (FIG. 3A). In some embodiments, a pressure low enough for plasma generation (e.g., negative relative to a reference pressure) may be less than 0.3 atm, or less than 0.2 atm, or less than 0.1 atm. In some embodiments, the effective pressure range may be between 0.300 and 0.001 atm. In some embodiments, the effective pressure range may be between 0.1 and 0.01 atm.

[0147] In some embodiments, the generation of negative pressure and the operation of the plasma generator are automatically performed in response to detecting that the elongated tool is within the hole. The term "automatically" can refer to being direct, spontaneous, or resultant, for example, without intervention from outside the plasma generation system by a human operator or the like, or without requiring an action from outside thereof. Thus, the plasma generator may automatically, for example, directly operate without intervention by a drug and / or component from outside the plasma generating device, or may operate as a result of detecting that the elongated tool is inserted into the hole. For example, in response to detecting by an insertion sensor that an elongated tool (e.g., the object 200 in FIG. 1B, the endoscope 380 in FIG. 3A, the medical device 708 in FIG. 7, or the endoscope 802 in FIG. 8A) is within a hole (e.g., the slot 132 in FIG. 1A, the hole 350 in FIG. 3A, the hole 450 in FIG. 3C, the cavities 502 in FIGS. 5A-5C, the hole 712 in FIG. 7, and the hole 900 in FIG. 9), at least one processor (e.g., the processor 102 or the controller 508) may automatically, for example, without intervention by a drug or component from outside the plasma generating device (e.g., the plasma applicator 130 in FIG. 1A, the plasma applicator 348 in FIG. 3A, or the plasma generator in FIGS. 5A-5C), operate one or more of the vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D (FIG. 10A) to generate negative pressure within the hole, and further operate a plasma generator, for example, the plasma generator in FIGS. 5A-5C or the plasma applicator 130.

[0148] In some embodiments, at least one processor is configured to expose a distal end region of an elongate tool to plasma by activating a plasma generator after a determination has been made that the negative pressure within at least a portion of the aperture is sufficient for plasma generation. The term "activating" can refer to triggering, turning on or switching on (e.g., by sending an electrical signal), or any other action to initiate plasma generation by a plasma generator, such as initiating the generation of an electric field and / or electromagnetic field with a plasma generator capable of igniting plasma within the aperture. For example, after determining that the pressure within any one of the apertures, such as slot 132 (Figs. 1A and 1C), aperture 350 (Fig. 3A), aperture 450 (Fig. 3C), cavity 502 (Figs. 5A - 5C), and aperture 900 (Fig. 9), is low enough to generate plasma, at least one processor (e.g., processor 102 or controller 508) sends an activation signal to plasma applicator 130, plasma applicator 348 (Fig. 3A), or any of the plasma generators of Figs. 5A - 5C to initiate plasma generation within at least a portion of the aperture, such as near the distal end 210 of object 200 (Fig. 1B), the distal end 382 (Fig. 2) having optical element 392 of endoscope 380, or the optical surface 706 of medical device 708 (Fig. 7), thereby exposing the distal end of the elongate object to the plasma.

[0149] According to some embodiments, the aperture is configured to receive a sheath therein, the sheath is sized to receive an elongate tool, and the apparatus is further configured to cause plasma generation within the sheath. The term "sheath" or "protective shroud" can be used interchangeably to refer to a cover or support structure that houses an object or a part thereof. For example, the sheath can enclose an optical element of a medical device. In an exemplary embodiment, the sheath can be an elongate, disposable tube for housing a part of a medical device when the medical device is inserted into a plasma generation zone. In some embodiments, the sheath can include an authentication element (e.g., an RFID tag or any other automatically detectable identification device), and at least one processor can be enabled to test the sheath before operation of the plasma generation device equipped with the sheath. The authentication element enables the at least one processor to determine whether the sheath is new and / or whether the sheath has been used an acceptable number of times. In addition to or alternatively, the authentication element enables the at least one processor to test the sheath to determine whether the sheath is from an approved manufacturer, thereby preventing the use of unapproved sheaths that could compromise sterility and / or effectiveness in suppressing spray on an object. The term "sized to receive an elongate tool" can refer to being formed, configured, or shaped to receive an object having dimensions corresponding to an elongate tool. Thus, the sheath can be formed to allow an elongate tool to be inserted therein. Similarly, the aperture can be formed in a shape and / or size to receive the sheath with an elongate tool inserted therein. The sheath can be further configured to allow the distal end of the elongate tool to be exposed to a plasma cloud while the distal end is enclosed within the sheath.

[0150] For example, protective shrouds (also known as (a / k / a) sheaths) 310 (FIG. 2), 310a (FIG. 3A), 410 (FIG. 3C), and 800 (FIG. 9) are exemplary implementations of sheaths sized to receive an elongate tool such as endoscope 380 in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, the distal end of the elongate tool may first be introduced into the sheath. Plasma applicator 130 (FIG. 1A), plasma applicator 348, or the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A - 5C may each be provided with an aperture such as slot 132, aperture 350, or cavity 502, which may be configured to receive the sheath referenced above therein. Additionally, the sheath may be provided with one or more electrodes (e.g., cathode 330 and anode 340 of FIGS. 3A and 3C) configured to be electrically coupled to a power source (e.g., power sources 104 and / or 530) by conductors 354 and 356, respectively. The cathode 330 and anode 340 may be positioned inside the sheath in the vicinity of the distal end (e.g., viewport 390) of endoscope 380 to maintain a potential for generating an electric field and / or electromagnetic field to generate plasma. A gas for generating plasma (e.g., helium, argon, nitrogen) may flow into sheath 410 in the vicinity of viewport 390 at the distal end of endoscope 380, for example, via hose 364. The electric field and / or electromagnetic field generated in this way can ignite the gas flowing into the sheath to form a plasma cloud in the vicinity of viewport 390, thereby exposing viewport 390 at the distal end of endoscope 380 to the plasma.

[0151] In some embodiments, the insertion detector is configured to sense the insertion of an elongate tool within a sheath in a bore and automatically initiate a plasma generation process upon sensing the insertion of the elongate tool into the sheath. The term "automatically" can, as described above, refer to something that is a direct result without the need for intervention from outside the plasma generation device. According to some embodiments, the term "automatically initiate a plasma generation process" can refer to generating plasma independently of (e.g., bypassing) a controller such that the detector directly triggers plasma generation. Thus, the plasma generation process may be automatically triggered upon insertion of an elongate tool into a sheath positioned within a bore of the plasma generation device. For example, FIGS. 1A, 3C, and 5A, taken together, illustrate an exemplary implementation for an insertion detector configured to sense the insertion of an elongate tool within a sheath in a bore and automatically initiate plasma generation in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. Sheath 410 (FIG. 3C) includes a cathode 330 configured to contact a metal surface 384, such as at a distal end of an endoscope 380. When the endoscope 380 is inserted into the sheath 410 positioned within the bore 450, the cathode 330 may become electrically coupled to the endoscope 380 via the metal surface 384. The cathode 330 may further be electrically coupled to a power source 530 such that, upon insertion of the endoscope 380 into the sheath 410 within the bore 450, the endoscope 380 is electrically coupled to the power source 530. When electrically coupled in this manner, at least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can detect the insertion of the endoscope 380 into the sheath 410 inside the bore 450, such as by receiving an electrical signal from the cathode 330, for example via circuit 106 or 700. Upon receiving the electrical signal (e.g., an insertion signal), the at least one processor may automatically activate a plasma generator, such as plasma applicator 130 (FIG. 1A), plasma applicator 348 (FIG. 3A), or the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A - 5C.

[0152] According to some embodiments, the hole includes an electrical contact therein, and the electrical contact is configured to enable plasma generation within the sheath by engaging with a contact on the sheath. The term "electrical contact" can refer to an electrical circuit component having a conductive section (e.g., made of metal or semiconductor) that allows current to pass when the electrical contact is electrically coupled (e.g., physically contacted) to another electrical contact. The term "engage" can refer to joining, attaching, or connecting for the purpose of interacting. Thus, by electrically coupling the electrical contact of the hole to the electrical contact of the sheath, engaging the electrical contact of the hole with the contact on the sheath enables, for example, passing a current from an external power source into the interior of the sheath for the purpose of generating an electromagnetic field within the sheath to generate plasma.

[0153] FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of a hole that includes an electrical contact therein configured to engage a contact on a sheath, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The hole 350 may include a cathode contact 352 configured to be coupled to an external power source (e.g., power source 104 and / or 530) via a conductor 354. The cathode contact 352 may further be configured to electrically couple to the cathode 330 of a protective shroud 310a (e.g., a sheath) and engage therewith to electrically couple the cathode 330 of the protective shroud 310a to the external power source. The hole 350 may further include an anode contact 356, which may be configured to engage the anode 340 of the protective shroud 310a by being electrically coupled thereto while the protective shroud 310a is positioned within the hole 350. As a result, a potential can be generated within the protective shroud 310a, for example, between the cathode 330 (electrically coupled to the power source) and the anode 340. This potential may enable generating a plasma generation electromagnetic field within the protective shroud 310a. The electromagnetic field can ignite a gas present within the protective shroud 310a to generate a plasma cloud therein.

[0154] In some embodiments, the sheath includes a vacuum port and a vacuum seal therein. The vacuum port is fluidly connectable to at least one vacuum pump when located within the aperture, enabling the generation of a negative pressure within the sheath. The vacuum seal is configured to engage with the elongate tool when the elongate tool is inserted into the sheath, maintaining a negative pressure proximal to the distal side of the elongate tool (i.e., in the immediate vicinity of the distal end of the elongate tool when inserted into the sheath within the aperture). The term "vacuum port" can refer to an opening configured to enable the suction of gas or fluid, for example from the sheath, when fluidly connected to a vacuum source or pump, e.g., via a hose. The term "vacuum seal" can refer to a plug, closure, ring, flap, engagement, or fastener that is substantially unaffected by gas or fluid leakage when the system is used within normal operating parameters. The term "fluidly connectable" can refer to the fluid being connected in a manner that enables fluid (e.g., including gas) to flow therethrough, e.g., being joined or attached. Thus, the sheath may be fluidly connected (e.g., fluidly connectable) to at least one vacuum pump via the vacuum port and the vacuum seal. This arrangement may enable the generation of a low-pressure zone (e.g., relative vacuum with respect to a reference pressure) within the sheath for the purpose of sucking in gas and / or air present within the sheath to generate plasma. In some embodiments, one or more vacuum seals may be provided with a sheath that encloses the elongate tool. Since the one or more vacuum seals can be adapted to fit over the outer diameter of the elongate tool, when the elongate tool is inserted into the sheath, engagement of the elongate tool with the one or more vacuum seals can seal the interior of the sheath from the exterior of the sheath (e.g., via the elongate tool enclosed by the vacuum seal). Such sealing enables the maintenance of a pressure difference (e.g., gas concentration difference) between the interior and exterior of the sheath, thereby assisting in plasma generation for plasma processing.

[0155] Collectively, FIGS. 3C and 10A show an exemplary implementation of a sheath that includes a vacuum port and a vacuum seal, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments, where the vacuum port is in fluid communication with at least one vacuum pump. Sheath 410 can be configured to include a sheath gas port 404 (e.g., a vacuum port) and a vacuum seal 408. Sheath gas port 404 can be in fluid communication with applicator gas port 402 of plasma applicator 448, and this applicator gas port can be in fluid communication with a vacuum source, e.g., one or more of vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D of FIG. 10A, via hose 364, to thereby place the vacuum source in fluid communication with the interior of sheath 410. Vacuum seal 408, e.g., an O-ring, can prevent leakage of gas or air flowing from the interior of sheath 410, through hose 364, into the space of aperture 450 outside of sheath 410. As a result, when gas (e.g., air) is pumped out of sheath 410 via hose 364, a low-pressure zone can be created within sheath 410 relative to ambient pressure. Further, vacuum seal 320 can engage with endoscope 380 to seal the interior of sheath 410 (e.g., into which the distal end of endoscope 380 is placed) from the exterior of sheath 410 (e.g., the space between sheath 410 and aperture 450). Accordingly, sealed sheath 410 can facilitate maintaining a negative pressure (e.g., relative to ambient pressure) inside sheath 410.

[0156] In some embodiments, the elongated tool is a scope having an optical element located within a distal end region. The term "scope" can refer to a medical device configured to enable inspection or observation, such as an arthroscope, an endoscope (as previously defined), a laparoscope, a stethoscope, or a microscope. The term "optical element" can refer to a component through which or off of which light passes, as described above. The scope may be configured to include an optical element that enables visual inspection. Since the optical element can be disposed in the distal end region of the scope, for example, from the distal end region, when the scope is inserted into the hole, for example, near the plasma generation zone associated with the hole, the optical element can be immersed in the hole. Thus, the optical element can be exposed to the plasma cloud after activating the plasma generator. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of a scope having an optical element located in the distal end region in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The optical element 392 can be configured such that the viewport 390 is located at the distal end of the endoscope 380. When the endoscope 380 first inserts its distal end into the protective shroud 310a inside the hole 450, the viewport 390 with the optical element 392 can be immersed within the protective shroud 310a between the cathode 330 and the anode 340. Positioned in this way, the optical element 392 located in the distal end region of the endoscope 380 can be exposed to the plasma cloud generated, for example, by the electromagnetic field generated by the potential between the cathode 330 and the anode.

[0157] In some embodiments, at least one processor is configured to maintain operation of the plasma generator for a period sufficient to make the outer surface of the optical element hydrophilic. The term "hydrophilic" can refer to the tendency or preference of a molecule to be hydrated. A hydrophilic compound can have thermodynamic properties that make it more likely to bind the compound to water molecules than a non-hydrophilic compound, such as a hydrophobic compound that does not readily bind to water (e.g., polar) molecules. A hydrophilic object can be wettable, allowing a liquid (e.g., water) to maintain contact with the object through intermolecular interactions that balance the adhesive and cohesive forces between the liquid and the object. The plasma generators of FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C show exemplary implementations of plasma generators according to the disclosed embodiments. At least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 maintains operation of the plasma applicator 130 or the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively, for a period of time long enough to make the outer surface of the optical element 392 of the viewport 390 hydrophilic, for example, to prevent the formation of a spray on the viewport 390 during an endoscopic procedure. According to some disclosed embodiments, the period sufficient to make the optical element 392 hydrophilic can be less than 1 minute, less than 45 seconds, less than 30 seconds, or less than 15 seconds.

[0158] In some embodiments, at least one processor is further configured to output a signal indicative of the processing state of the plasma generator to a display. The term "display" can refer to an output device that visually presents information. The display can include, for example, one or more LEDs or light bulbs, a dial, a gauge, a meter, or any other means for visually rendering data, configured with a screen. FIGS. 5A and 11 together show an exemplary embodiment of a display 1102 of FIG. 11 that outputs a signal (e.g., "warning") indicative of the processing state of a plasma generator according to the disclosed embodiments. The controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can output a signal indicative of the plasma processing state by the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A-5C to the display 1102.

[0159] In some embodiments, at least one processor is further configured to calculate the number of plasma processes remaining before required maintenance. The term "maintenance" can refer to restoring, repairing, refurbishing, or otherwise ensuring continued functionality. For example, required maintenance of a plasma generator can be related to any of charging a battery, replacing a power supply, replacing a seal, replacing or cleaning electrical contacts, replacing or cleaning a filter, refilling a gas canister, replacing a hose, securing a wire, or performing any other action that affects plasma processing by the plasma generator. At least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 (FIG. 5B) is an exemplary implementation of at least one processor configured to calculate the remaining number of plasma processes before maintenance of the device is required, according to the disclosed embodiments. For example, at least one processor 102 can monitor one or more factors that affect subsequent plasma processing by plasma applicator 130, such as recording the number of plasma processes already performed, monitoring the state of a power supply (e.g., a battery) 530, monitoring the duration of plasma processing, monitoring the remaining amount of gas in a gas reservoir, monitoring the pressure in a plasma generation zone, monitoring the state (e.g., conductivity) of cathode 330 and anode 340, monitoring the pressure maintained in a hole indicating seal breakage, and monitoring any other metric that can affect plasma processing by the plasma applicator. Based on one or more factors, at least one processor 102 can determine the number of processes that can be performed by plasma applicator 130 before maintenance is required. Similarly, controller 508 can monitor one or more factors that affect subsequent plasma processing by plasma generation system 500 to determine the number of plasma processes remaining before maintenance is required.

[0160] In some embodiments, at least one processor is further configured to detect at least one malfunction of a plasma generator or at least one vacuum pump and output a malfunction indicator. The term "malfunction" can refer to a failure or defect that adversely affects performance. The term "output a malfunction indicator" can refer to indicating a malfunction by a user interface, for example, visually (e.g., by a display screen, warning light, gauge, or dial), audibly (e.g., by a speaker that emits a beep sound), or as vibrations generated using ERM. At least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) and controller 508 (FIG. 5B) illustrate an exemplary implementation of at least one processor configured to detect a malfunction of a plasma generator or a vacuum pump and output a malfunction indicator according to the disclosed embodiments. For example, controller 508 can detect a malfunction of plasma generation system 500 (e.g., by detecting a shortage of power stored in power supply 530, a shortage of gas held in the gas reservoir, a shortage of low pressure in plasma generation zone 502, a seal malfunction, a wire or electrical contact malfunction, a shortage of electromagnetic field generated in plasma generation zone 502, and any other factor that affects the performance of plasma generation system 500). Similarly, controller 508 can detect a malfunction of one or more of vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D, for example, by detecting that the low pressure in plasma generation zone 502 is insufficient or by detecting that the plasma generation gas flowing into plasma generation zone 502 is insufficient. As a result, controller 508 can output a malfunction indicator (e.g., "Warning") via display 1102 (FIG. 11). In a similar manner, at least one processor 102 can detect a malfunction of either plasma applicator 130 or any of vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D and output a malfunction indicator by display 1102.

[0161] In some embodiments, at least one processor is further configured to output a warning signal when the optical element has not been sufficiently processed to achieve a predetermined level of hydrophilicity. The term "predetermined level of hydrophilicity" can refer to a level of hydrophilicity that enables a sufficient level of performance (e.g., optical quality) when the elongated object is used for a procedure such as a medical procedure. For example, when the elongated tool is an endoscope, the predetermined level of hydrophilicity can correspond to a level of hydrophilicity that enables the field of view to not be obstructed through the endoscope (e.g., for spraying) for the duration of a colonoscopy, e.g., for an entire hour. However, when the elongated tool is a dental mirror, the predetermined level of hydrophilicity can correspond to an unobstructed field of view through the mirror for a few minutes. In some embodiments, the predetermined level of hydrophilicity can be stored in a memory corresponding to one or more system parameters required to achieve the predetermined level of hydrophilicity. Such system parameters can include time, temperature, pressure level, electromagnetic field parameters, gas species, gas level, battery level, and any other parameters that affect plasma processing. At least one processor can identify the elongated tool, e.g., based on an RFID tag, and can obtain one or more system parameters required to achieve the predetermined level of hydrophilicity corresponding to the elongated tool. At least one processor can measure one or more system parameters to determine whether the optical element has not been sufficiently processed and, accordingly, output a warning signal.

[0162] FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment of a display 1102 that outputs a warning signal indicating that an optical element, e.g., the optical element 392 of FIG. 3A, has not been sufficiently processed to achieve a predetermined level of hydrophilicity. For example, at least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 (FIGS. 5A-5C) may identify an elongated tool based on an RFID tag and then obtain a predetermined hydrophilicity level, e.g., from memory 108, and determine that the plasma treatment applied to the optical element 392 of the endoscope 380 by the plasma applicator 130 or the plasma generator of FIGS. 5A-5C is not sufficient to achieve a predetermined level of hydrophilicity based on, e.g., the timing of the treatment, the type of gas used, the type of material being processed, the intended use, the pressure level, the electromagnetic field characteristics, or any other parameter that affects the plasma treatment.

[0163] In some embodiments, a warning signal is output if the optical element has not been sufficiently processed to achieve sufficient hydrophilicity. The term "sufficient hydrophilicity" can refer to a level of hydrophilicity that enables a threshold optical quality for the field of view, such as during a medical procedure. For example, if the elongated tool is an endoscope, sufficient hydrophilicity may correspond to enabling the field of view to not be obstructed through the viewport of the endoscope (e.g., for spraying) throughout a colonoscopy procedure. As another example, for a procedure where the viewport of the elongated tool needs to be immersed in air, such as when the elongated tool is configured for a laparoscopy procedure, sufficient hydrophilicity may correspond to enabling the field of view through the viewport to not be obstructed by fogging or condensation throughout the procedure. FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C and FIG. 11 together show an exemplary embodiment of a display 1102 that outputs a warning signal indicating that an optical element, e.g., the optical element 392 of FIG. 3A, has not been sufficiently processed to achieve a level of hydrophilicity that enables viewing through the optical element 392, e.g., when performing a colonoscopy using the endoscope 380.

[0164] In some embodiments, the elongate tool includes a lens, and at least one processor is configured to operate a plasma generator for a period sufficient to make the lens superhydrophilic. The term "lens" can refer to an optical element that transmits light. The lens may be made of glass, plastic, or other crystals having refractive properties. The lens may also include a transparent protective cover having minimal refractive properties or no refractive properties. The term "superhydrophilic" refers to a very high level of hydrophilicity, e.g., hydrophilicity sufficient to substantially reduce the contact angle between a fluid and the surface of an object such that, for example, the fluid can coat the surface of the object as a substantially uniform (e.g., flat) layer. In some embodiments, after increasing the hydrophilicity of the object to a desired level, the contact angle between the fluid and the superhydrophilic surface of the object may be less than about 5°, e.g., less than about 4°, less than about 3°, less than about 2°, less than about 1°, or, for example, about 0° when measured at 20°C and atmospheric pressure. For example, at least one processor can detect the insertion of the lens (or an element associated with the lens) and, based on that detection, operate a plasma generator to expose the lens to plasma for a period to make the lens superhydrophilic. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary embodiment of an elongate tool (e.g., endoscope 380) that includes a lens (e.g., optical element 392 of viewport 390). At least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can operate plasma generator 130 or the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A - 5C for a long enough period (e.g., between 15 seconds and 1 minute) sufficient to make optical element 392 superhydrophilic when it detects the optical element 392 (e.g., by an RFID tag disposed with endoscope 380).

[0165] In some embodiments, the period sufficient to make the surface of the optical element hydrophilic is the period sufficient to make the surface of the optical element superhydrophilic. For example, when the processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) activates the plasma generator 130 or the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A-5C respectively to make the surface of the optical element 392 of the endoscope 380 hydrophilic, the surface of the optical element 392 of the endoscope 380 can become superhydrophilic. The processor can determine that superhydrophilicity has been reached based on one or more of the duration of plasma exposure, pressure, temperature, and the identity of the object being processed.

[0166] In some embodiments, the plasma generator is configured to cause dielectric barrier discharge. The term "dielectric barrier discharge" can refer to the discharge between two electrodes when the electrodes are separated by an insulating dielectric barrier. FIGS. 3A-3B show a plasma generator according to the disclosed embodiments, which can cause dielectric barrier discharge when it operates. The cathode 330 and the anode 340 of the plasma applicator 348 are separated by a dielectric barrier 344. When separated by the dielectric barrier 344, a potential can be generated between the cathode 330 and the anode 340, causing or resulting in the dielectric barrier discharging. The cathode 330 separated from the anode 440 by the dielectric barrier 444 in FIG. 3C shows another exemplary implementation of a plasma generator according to the disclosed embodiments, which, when it operates, causes and results in the dielectric barrier discharging.

[0167] In some embodiments, at least one processor is configured to control a plasma generator in a manner that causes a voltage drop of at least 1000 volts. The term "voltage drop" can refer to a difference in voltage or potential between two electrodes, such as between a cathode and an anode. At least one processor 102 (FIG. 1A) or controller 508 (FIG. 5B) illustrates an exemplary implementation of at least one processor configured to control a plasma generator (e.g., plasma generators 130 and the plasma generators of FIGS. 5A-5C, or plasma applicator 348). For example, at least one processor can cause a voltage drop of at least 1000V between cathode 330 and either anode 340 or anode 440 by changing an electrical signal supplied from power supply 530 to cathode 330 via circuit 106 or 700.

[0168] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an exemplary process 1700 for processing an elongated tool with plasma in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The block diagram may be described below in relation to embodiments of a particular implementation shown in other drawings, but these implementations are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to function as limitations in the block diagram. Since examples of the process are described throughout the present disclosure, these aspects are not repeated or simply summarized in relation to FIG. 17. In some embodiments, process 1700 may be executed by at least one processor (e.g., at least one processor 102 of FIG. 1A or controller 508 of FIG. 5B) to perform the operations or functions described herein. In some embodiments, some aspects of process 1700 may be implemented as software (e.g., program code or instructions) stored in a memory (e.g., memory 108) provided in at least one processor, or as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, some aspects of process 1700 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., dedicated circuitry). In some embodiments, process 1700 may be implemented as a combination of software and hardware. Unless otherwise indicated, the sequence of process blocks may be arbitrary, and the order of execution of one or more process blocks may be changed. Similarly, one or more process blocks may be omitted.

[0169] FIG. 17 includes process blocks 1702-1710. In block 1702, an elongate tool is detected within a bore of a housing, and the elongate tool includes an optical element on its distal end. The detection may include determining, sensing, or identifying the elongate tool within the bore. This detection may further include detecting the elongate tool within a sheath housed within the bore. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can identify that the endoscope 380 (FIG. 3A) is within the bore 502 of the housing 510. The endoscope 380 may include an optical element 392 configured such that the viewport 390 is positioned at the distal end of the endoscope 380. When the endoscope 380 is inserted into the bore 502, the optical element 392 can be positioned within the plasma generation zone 504 of the bore 502. The detection can also include determining that a protective sheath (e.g., 310 or 410) surrounding the elongate tool 380 is also within the bore 450.

[0170] In block 1704, upon detection of a tool within the bore, a negative pressure is generated within at least a portion of the bore within the region of the optical element. Generating the negative pressure may include removing gas or air such that the pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure within at least a region of the bore (e.g., a region within a sheath within the bore). For example, when it is detected that the endoscope 380 (FIG. 2) is inserted into the bore 502 (FIG. 5A) of the housing 510, the controller 508 can activate one or more of the vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D (FIG. 10A). This may generate a negative pressure within the plasma generation zone 504 of the bore 502, for example, within the region of the optical element 392 of the endoscope 380.

[0171] In block 1706, by operating the plasma generator during the period of negative pressure, the optical element is exposed to the plasma for a period sufficient to make the surface of the optical element hydrophilic. The operation of the plasma generator can be performed by any of the methods described above. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) can operate the plasma generator of FIGS. 5A-5C during the period when one or more of the vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D (FIG. 10A) create a negative pressure inside the plasma generation zone 504. Thereby, the optical element 392 of the endoscope 380 is exposed to the plasma for a certain period (for example, in the range of 15 seconds to 1 minute), and by making the surface of the optical element 392 hydrophilic, the accumulation of the spray on the optical element 392 during subsequent endoscopy can be prevented.

[0172] In block 1708, the generation of negative pressure and the operation of the plasma generator are automatically performed in response to detecting that the elongated tool is inside the hole. These being automatically performed can be done by any of the methods described above. For example, in response to detecting that the endoscope 380 (FIG. 3A) is inside the cavity 502 (FIG. 5A), the controller 508 can automatically operate one or more of the vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D (FIG. 10A) to generate a negative pressure inside the cavity 502 and operate the plasma generator (for example, the plasma generator of FIGS. 5A-5C) without, for example, intervention from outside the system 500.

[0173] In block 1710, the distal end region of the elongated tool is exposed to the plasma within the sheath, the aperture is configured to receive the sheath therein, and the sheath is sized to receive the elongated tool. The foregoing can be done in any of the methods described previously. For example, the sheath 410 (FIG. 3C) can be sized to receive (e.g., accommodate) the endoscope 380. Further, the aperture 350 can be configured to receive the sheath 410 therein, such as by being sized to receive the sheath 410, and the cathode 330 of the sheath 410 can be configured to be electrically coupled to the power source 530, such as via the cathode contact 352 and the conductor 354. Thus, by electrically coupling the cathode 330 of the sheath 410, it may be possible to generate an electromagnetic field within the sheath 410 to generate plasma near the distal end region (e.g., the optical element 392) of the endoscope 380. Thereby, it may be possible to expose the distal end region of the endoscope 380 to the plasma within the sheath 410.

[0174] In block 1712, if the optical element is not processed sufficiently to achieve sufficient hydrophilicity, a warning signal is output. The warning signal and the insufficiency determination can be made in any of the methods described above. For example, the controller 508 (FIG. 5B) may determine the tool type corresponding to the optical element 392 (FIG. 3C) of the endoscope 380 via an RFID tag provided on the sheath 410 or a camera. The controller 508 can obtain one or more parameters, for example, from the memory 108 (FIG. 1A), to perform processing to achieve sufficient hydrophilicity of the optical element 392. For example, the one or more parameters may be related to the amount of power available via the power supply 530, the level of negative pressure generated by any of the vacuum pumps 1000A, 1000B, 1000C, and 1000D (FIG. 10A), the type of gas flowing into the plasma generation zone 504, the pressure of the gas or air in the plasma generation zone 504, the characteristics of the electromagnetic field generated between the cathode 330 and either the anode 340 or 440, timing parameters, temperature parameters, and any other parameter that affects the plasma processing by the system 100 or 500. The controller 508 can obtain one or more measurements related to the plasma processing applied to the optical element 392 (e.g., via one or more sensors) and determine that the hydrophilicity of the optical element 392 is insufficient based on the one or more measurements and the one or more parameters. Thus, the controller 508 can output a warning via a display 1102 (FIG. 11) or the like.

[0175] Some of the disclosed embodiments include suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured to be inserted into a body cavity. Condensation can include moisture, water vapor, wetness, water droplets, or any other phenomenon in which water or other fluid accumulates on a surface. For example, condensation can include the formation of water droplets on a surface such as glass. Condensation distortion can include exaggeration, blur, misrepresentation, distortion, or any other change caused by condensation that makes something appear different from its actual appearance. For example, condensation distortion can include a foggy image visualized through a glass surface when the glass surface is covered with water droplets. During a surgical procedure, condensation distortion causes various problems including lens fogging, limiting clear visualization during such procedures. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress condensation distortion. Suppressing condensation distortion can include restricting, suppressing, preventing, inhibiting, impeding, deterring, preventing, minimizing, or any other method of limiting condensation distortion. For example, suppressing condensation distortion on a glass surface can include reducing fogging on the surface by limiting the number or size of water droplets that accumulate on the surface. Some of the disclosed embodiments include the use of a device. The device can include any one or more individual or combinations of accessories, devices, components, instruments, machines, mechanisms, or arrangements configured to achieve any of the functions disclosed herein.

[0176] An optical element can include a lens, a prism, a mirror, or any other part of an optical device that either reflects light or allows light to pass through. Since water collected on the surface of the optical element can cause distortion in the characteristics of the light passing through the optical element, it may be desirable to suppress condensation distortion on the optical element. For example, the optical element can include a lens of a medical device such as an endoscope. The medical device can include a scope, a catheter, a tube, or any other device used on an internal or external body site for diagnosing or treating a medical condition. The body cavity can include the peritoneum, the dorsal cavity, the dorsal body cavity, the cranial cavity, the spinal cavity, the ventral cavity, the thoracic cavity, the abdominopelvic cavity, the abdominal cavity, the pelvic cavity, the intestine, the stomach, the esophagus, the lungs, the blood vessels, the organs, or any other space or compartment within the body. In some examples, the body cavity may include a space that houses multiple organs, such as the thoracic cavity. In other examples, the body cavity can include a single organ, such as the heart. In still other examples, the body cavity can include a blood vessel, such as the aorta. Insertion into the body cavity can include introduction, injection, entry, implantation, embedding, or any other placement method into the body cavity. In one example, insertion into the body cavity can include introducing an endoscope into a blood vessel by guiding the endoscope within the blood vessel.

[0177] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a housing. The housing can include any support structure, frame, cage, enclosure, containment that can house any component of any of the devices or methods disclosed herein. The housing can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, glass, wood, or any other material that can enclose a plasma generation device. In some embodiments, the housing can include one or more insulating materials that can insulate the plasma generation device enclosed therein from one or more environmental conditions, such as an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field, light, humidity, temperature, shock, mechanical and / or acoustic vibrations, and any other environmental attribute that can affect plasma generation by the plasma generation device.

[0178] Some embodiments include a cavity within a housing, the cavity being sized to removably hold at least a portion of a medical device therein, the portion including an optical element. The cavity can include a chamber, a recess, a cup, a hole, a pocket, an aperture, a depression, a socket, or any other type of empty space within the housing. Removably holding at least a portion of the medical device within the housing can include housing, holding, maintaining, retaining, collecting, securing, or otherwise holding any part, section, segment, component, element, factor, unit, or other arbitrary portion of the entire medical device within the housing. The portion including the optical element can include the entirety of the portion including the optical element, or a part of the portion including the optical element. For example, the cavity can include a hole formed within the housing, and the portion of the medical device can include a distal end of an endoscope including a lens configured to slide inside and outside of the hole.

[0179] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a plasma activation zone within the cavity, the plasma activation zone being arranged such that when at least a portion of the medical device is held within the cavity, the optical element is located within the plasma activation zone. The plasma activation zone can include a physical volume or space that can form a plasma cloud, for example, by igniting a gas introduced therein. The size of the plasma activation zone can be arbitrary. For example, the plasma activation zone can be less than 15 cm 3 less than 10 cm 3 less than 5 cm 3 less than 3 cm 3 less than 2 cm 3 less than, or 1.4 cm 3It can be less than. In some examples, since an electromagnetic field can be generated within the plasma activation zone, when the gas is exposed to the electromagnetic field, the gas can be ignited and a plasma can be generated. The term "plasma" can refer to a state of matter rich in charged particles, such as electrons and ions. As a result, the plasma can be highly conductive and highly sensitive to electric fields and / or electromagnetic fields. In some examples, the plasma is a low-temperature plasma, i.e., the plasma contains electrons with much higher energy than ions. Low-temperature plasma can be particularly advantageous in applications involving frequent use of medical devices that can be sensitive to harsh processing. It may be desirable to expose the optical surface to plasma to improve the hydrophilicity of the optical element. Specifically, during the hydrophilization process, the surface is oxidized and the impact of plasma ions forms hydroxyl groups on the surface. These hydroxyl groups are polar, and since water is polar, it is attracted to the hydroxyl groups. Ultimately, this makes the surface more hydrophilic by enhancing the wettability and adhesion of the surface.

[0180] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a plasma generator configured to operate to cause the formation of a plasma cloud within a plasma activation zone in the vicinity of an optical element. The plasma generator can include, for example, a device configured to generate plasma, inside the plasma activation zone. In some examples, the plasma is formed inside the plasma generator by creating a vacuum inside the chamber. In some embodiments, a small amount of gas can be sent through a channel into the chamber, and when its molecules become ionized, a phase change from the gas to plasma occurs. When the surface is impacted by plasma ions inside the chamber of the plasma generator, the surface is modified on a very small scale. These plasma processes can change the surface by improving their adhesion capabilities, such as hydrophilizing or even super-hydrophilizing the surface. In other examples, the plasma can be generated inside a nozzle and then discharged by a flow of compressed air. The plasma cloud can include any volume of plasma generated by the plasma generator. The plasma generator can cause the formation of a plasma cloud within the plasma activation zone by any mode of generating or activating plasma, including arc discharge or corona discharge.

[0181] In some embodiments, the plasma generator causes the formation of a plasma cloud by dielectric barrier discharge. The dielectric barrier discharge occurs between two electrodes separated by a dielectric. Due to the presence of the dielectric barrier, such plasma sources can operate with a high voltage sine wave or pulse. The discharge may consist of a plurality of microdischarges, but in some cases, a uniform discharge may also occur. A preionization system can be used to increase the uniformity and the discharge gap. In embodiments of dielectric barrier discharge, air can function as the basis for plasma formation (as opposed to another gas flow). The vicinity of the optical element can include the range within the optical element, the environment of the optical element, or any area near or surrounding the optical element. In one example, the plasma cloud in the vicinity of the optical element may include a plasma cloud surrounding the optical element. In another example, the plasma cloud in the vicinity of the optical element may include a plasma cloud near a part of the optical element.

[0182] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a controller configured to operate a plasma generator for a period sufficient to make an optical element hydrophilic before insertion into a body cavity. The controller may be configured to enable a user of the device to operate and control the device to operate the plasma generator. Thus, the controller can include one or more command switches and one or more controllers, such as physical or virtual switches, buttons, and controllers. The controller may further include operating software executable by at least one processor for providing the user with indicators, such as indication LEDs, displays, and, optionally, an operation screen and a command screen for providing the user with an operation screen and a command screen for enabling the user to operate and command the device to operate the plasma generator. The controller (e.g., at least one processor) may include an electrical circuit for performing logical operations on input signals. For example, the controller may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) including ASICs, microchips, microcontrollers, microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, APUs, DSPs, FPGAs, all or part of them, or other circuits suitable for executing computational instructions and / or performing logical operations, for example, based on computational instructions or input signals. The instructions executed by the controller may be preloaded into a memory integrated or embedded in the processor or stored in a separate memory. The memory may include RAM, cache memory, ROM, hard disk, optical disk, magnetic media, flash memory, other permanent, fixed, or volatile memory, or any other mechanism capable of storing such instructions. The memory may further store data that can include one or more inputs for executing one or more program code instructions and one or more outputs generated by executing the one or more program code instructions. In some embodiments, the controller can include multiple processors.Each processor may have a similar configuration, or may have different configurations that may be electrically connected or disconnected from each other. The processor may be a separate circuit or may be integrated into a single circuit. The plurality of processors may be configured to operate independently or cooperatively. The processors may be coupled electrically, magnetically, optically, acoustically, mechanically, or by other means that enable them to interact. The processor may be physical and / or virtual (i.e., software-based).

[0183] Figures 5A - 5C show three views of a plasma generation system 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the plasma generation system 500 can include a housing 510 that has a cavity 502 and can accommodate a plasma activation zone 504, a plasma generator 506, and a controller 508. The plasma generation system 500 may include a plasma activation zone 504 within the cavity 502, and the plasma activation zone may be arranged such that when at least a portion of a medical device having an optical element (e.g., an endoscope having a viewport) is held within the cavity 502, the optical element is located within the plasma activation zone 504. The plasma generator 506 can generate plasma to process an object (e.g., a medical device) within the plasma activation zone 504 according to the embodiments disclosed herein. The cavity 502 can provide access to the plasma activation zone 504, such that, for example, it may be possible to insert an object into the plasma activation zone 504 to perform plasma treatment to enhance the hydrophilicity of the object. The controller 508 can control one or more aspects of the plasma generator 506, such as the inflow and / or outflow of gas to the plasma activation zone 504 for generating plasma, the generation of an electric field and / or electromagnetic field for generating plasma, and any other parameters related to plasma generation by the plasma generator 506. The plasma generation system 500 may further include one or more sensors such as a pressure sensor, a voltage sensor 514, and a plasma frequency sensor 512.

[0184] The period sufficient to make the optical element hydrophilic prior to insertion into the body cavity can include any desired time necessary for any desired procedure associated with the optical element to result in the desired level of hydrophilicity of the optical element. In some examples, the period sufficient to make the optical element hydrophilic prior to insertion into the body cavity can be less than 1 minute, less than 45 seconds, less than 30 seconds, or less than 15 seconds.

[0185] In some embodiments, the medical device includes a scope having an elongate shaft, the cavity includes an elongate channel for receiving the elongate shaft, and the plasma activation zone is positioned proximate to the distal end of the elongate channel. The scope can include any device as described in more detail herein for visually inspecting or examining any part of the body. The elongate shaft can include any long, narrow portion or section of the scope. The elongate channel can include any open or closed path. In some examples, the elongate channel can be tubular. The distal end of the elongate channel can include any site located away from a particular region of the elongate channel that includes the center of the elongate channel. In some examples, the distal end can include a portion of the elongate channel that is further away from the center of the elongate channel. In some examples, the distal end of the elongate channel can include both ends of the elongate channel.

[0186] In some embodiments, the scope includes a laparoscope or an endoscope. As used herein, "endoscope" can include any scope having a distal end configured to be inserted into a patient's body and a proximal end configured to remain outside the patient's body during a procedure. In some embodiments, the optical element includes a lens element on the distal end of an elongate shaft. The lens element can include any transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by refraction. One lens element can consist of a single piece of transparent material, or several lenses, usually arranged along a common axis. The lens element may be made of a material such as glass or plastic. Typically, the distal end includes a viewport such as a lens or window, or a bare end of an optical fiber, or even a mirror (e.g., a dental mirror). Through the viewport, the scope enables collection of an image around the viewport using a photosensitive device such as a CCD. The viewport may be intended to collect light from the front of the device (i.e., from the area that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the device), or the viewport may be tilted at an angle to the longitudinal axis, or (as demonstrated in, for example, colonoscopy) may be oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device. The proximal end generally includes or is connected to a handle, which is held by a doctor and optionally includes user interface components such as switches, navigation sticks, touchscreens, and touch pads. Endoscopes include a wide range of scopes, such as bronchoscopes, colonoscopes, cystoscopes, and laparoscopes. As a specific example, a laparoscope includes a rigid or relatively rigid rod or shaft, which includes a viewport and optionally an objective lens at its distal end and an eyepiece and / or an integrated visual display at its proximal end. The scope can also be connected to a remote visual display device or a video camera to record a surgical procedure.

[0187] In some embodiments, the elongated channel is sized to receive a sheath that surrounds a portion of the elongated shaft that includes the optical element. The sheath can include any cover or support structure that fits over an object. For example, the sheath can encapsulate the optical element of a medical device. In an exemplary embodiment, the sheath can be an elongated, flexible, disposable tube that holds a portion of the medical device in place when the medical device is inserted into the plasma activation zone. The term "sized to receive a sheath" can refer to being formed, configured, or shaped to accommodate an object having dimensions corresponding to the sheath. Thus, the elongated member can be formed to allow the sheath to be inserted therein.

[0188] In some embodiments, the sheath is formed from a dielectric material. The dielectric material can include any electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field. The dielectric material can include glass, quartz, ceramics, or polymers. The dielectric material can be of any thickness necessary to achieve the desired dielectric effect. In some examples, the dielectric material can constitute the entire sheath. In other examples, the dielectric material can constitute only a portion of the sheath.

[0189] In some embodiments, the housing is configured such that the sheath surrounds the optical element when the optical element is within the plasma activation zone. The sheath can include a sheath that surrounds the optical element when the optical element is within the plasma activation zone, but that encloses, surrounds, encompasses, or otherwise disposes itself around any of the perimeter of the optical element when the optical element is within the plasma activation zone. In some examples, the sheath can surround the entire optical element when the optical element is within the plasma activation zone. In other examples, the sheath can surround only a portion of the optical element when the optical element is within the plasma activation zone.

[0190] In some embodiments, it is further configured to generate a plasma cloud within the sheath. Generating a plasma cloud within the sheath may include causing the generation, activation, expansion, or any form of existence of the plasma cloud within the sheath. In some examples, the plasma cloud may be generated within the sheath. In other examples, the plasma cloud may be generated outside the sheath and then transported within the sheath. In some examples, the entire plasma cloud may be generated within the sheath. In other examples, only a portion of the plasma cloud may be generated within the sheath.

[0191] In some embodiments, the cavity is configured to receive the sheath, the sheath includes a sheath electrode therein and external electrical contacts, the cavity includes internal contacts, and the internal contacts are configured to supply energy to the sheath electrode by forming an electrical connection with the external contacts when the sheath is positioned within the cavity. The sheath can include any cover or support structure that fits over the object as described above. The sheath electrode can include any conductor used for making an electrical connection. For example, it may be electrically connected to a non-metallic portion of a circuit associated with the sheath. The electrical contacts can include any electrical circuit component having a conductive section (e.g., made of metal or semiconductor), through which current can pass when the electrical contact is electrically coupled to another electrical circuit component (e.g., when physically contacting or when enabling the completion of a circuit without physical contact). The external electrical contacts can include any electrical contacts that can be disposed on the outer surface of the sheath. The internal contacts can include any electrical contacts that can be disposed on the inner surface of the cavity. The electrical connection can include any structure that enables electricity to flow through. The supply of energy can include any electrical energy source such as a battery. By forming an electrical connection between the internal contacts of the cavity and the external contacts of the sheath, it becomes possible to pass a current from an external power source into the sheath, for example, for the purpose of generating an electromagnetic field within the sheath to generate plasma.

[0192] In some embodiments, at least a partial vacuum is established within a region that includes a plasma activation zone. A vacuum (referred to synonymously herein as at least a partial vacuum) can include any region having a gas phase pressure that is substantially lower than atmospheric pressure or ambient pressure. In some examples, the vacuum includes any free space lacking sufficient particle shielding to enable plasma formation.

[0193] Some embodiments include at least one pump configured to establish at least a partial vacuum within a sheath in the region of a sheath electrode. A pump configured to establish at least a partial vacuum within a sheath in the region of a sheath electrode can include any device that draws or sucks particles from that volume to make the ambient pressure within the enclosed volume lower. In some examples, the pump may establish at least a partial vacuum by applying a negative pressure between 0.1 atm and about 0.01 atm. The region of the sheath electrode can include any region within the desired extent of the sheath electrode. In some examples, the pump can establish a partial vacuum directly on the sheath electrode, within the sheath. In other examples, the pump can establish a partial vacuum within the sheath electrode, slightly away from the sheath electrode.

[0194] In some embodiments, the housing includes a housing electrode therein. The housing electrode can include any conductor used to make an electrical connection to another part of the circuit. For example, this may contact or otherwise electrically connect to a metallic or non-metallic part of the circuit associated with the sheath. The housing electrode can be positioned at any location on the housing. In some examples, the housing electrode may be connected to the housing. In other examples, the housing electrode can be incorporated either inside or outside the body of the housing.

[0195] In some embodiments, the housing electrode is configured to form an electrical circuit with the sheath electrode when the sheath is inserted into the elongate channel. The electrical circuit may include any closed-loop network that provides a return path for the flow of current. In some examples, the housing electrode may form an electrical circuit with the sheath electrode when the entire sheath is inserted into the elongate channel. In other examples, the housing electrode may form an electrical circuit with the sheath electrode when a portion of the sheath is inserted into the elongate channel. In certain examples, partial contact between the sheath electrode and the housing electrode may be sufficient to form the electrical circuit. In other examples, the sheath electrode and the housing electrode may be spaced apart, and a closed loop may occur as current passes through the gap between the housing electrode and the sheath electrode. Such a gap may at least partially coincide with the plasma generation zone.

[0196] Some embodiments further include a circuit for transmitting power to the sheath electrode. The circuit may include any closed-loop network that provides a return path for the flow of current, as described herein. Transmitting power to the sheath electrode may include any manner of supplying power from a power source, such as a battery, to the sheath electrode. For example, forming an electrical connection between an internal contact of the cavity and an external contact of the sheath enables power to be transmitted from the battery to the sheath electrode by passing current from the battery into the interior of the sheath. As described above, a closed loop includes a loop in which there is a gap between the electrodes, and occurs as long as current can flow through the gap, for example, when plasma is formed in the gap.

[0197] In some embodiments, at least one pump includes a plurality of interconnected pumps. The plurality of interconnected pumps may include two or more pumps that are interconnected with each other, as described herein. In some cases, it may be desirable to use a plurality of interconnected pumps instead of a single pump to achieve a vacuum level higher than that achievable with a single pump. In other examples, it may be desirable to use a plurality of interconnected pumps instead of a single pump to reduce the load or strain on a single pump. In yet other examples, it may be desirable to use a plurality of interconnected pumps instead of a single pump to provide a backup source of negative pressure in the event of a malfunction in one of the pumps during plasma generation. For example, at least one pump may include two interconnected pumps. In the case of a malfunction of the first pump, the second pump may operate to continue plasma generation without significant interruption.

[0198] In some embodiments, a plasma cloud is maintained for a period sufficient to make an optical element superhydrophilic before insertion into a body cavity. The term "superhydrophilic" refers to a very high level of hydrophilicity, e.g., hydrophilicity sufficient to substantially reduce the contact angle between a fluid and the surface of an object, such that, for example, the fluid can coat the surface of the object as a substantially uniform (e.g., flat) layer. In some embodiments, after increasing the hydrophilicity of an object to a desired level, the contact angle between a fluid and the superhydrophilic surface of the object may be less than about 10° or less than 5°, e.g., less than about 4°, less than about 3°, less than about 2°, less than about 1°, or, for example, about 0° when measured at 20° C. and atmospheric pressure. The period sufficient to make an optical element superhydrophilic before insertion into a body cavity may include any desired procedure associated with the optical element and any time necessary for the desired level of superhydrophilicity of the optical element to occur. In some examples, the period sufficient to make an optical element superhydrophilic before insertion into a body cavity may be less than 1 minute, less than 45 seconds, less than 30 seconds, or less than 15 seconds.

[0199] In some embodiments, the plasma generator is operated for a period sufficient to make the optical element superhydrophilic before inserting the optical element into the body cavity. The term "operate" can refer to triggering, turning on or switching on (e.g., by transmitting an electrical signal), or any other action to initiate the generation of plasma by the plasma generator, such as by initiating the generation of an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field with a plasma generator capable of igniting plasma within a cavity. The controller can operate the plasma generator for a period sufficient to make the optical element superhydrophilic either automatically or upon input by a user of the device, before inserting the optical element into the body cavity. In one example, the controller can automatically operate the plasma generator for 30 seconds when certain threshold conditions are met. In another example, the controller can operate the plasma generator for 45 seconds in response to a user input in the form of the user pressing a button on the controller.

[0200] The disclosed embodiments can include a method for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured to be inserted into a body cavity. FIG. 18 shows an exemplary method 1800 for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element of a medical device configured for insertion into a body cavity, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in step 1810, method 1800 can include removably inserting at least a portion of the medical device into the cavity, the portion including the optical element. Method 1800 can also include, as shown in step 1812, placing the optical element within a plasma activation zone inside the cavity when at least a portion of the medical device is retained within the cavity. Method 1800 can also include, as shown in step 1814, generating plasma to cause the formation of a plasma cloud within the plasma activation zone in the vicinity of the optical element. Method 1800 can further include, as shown in step 1816, maintaining the plasma cloud for a period sufficient to make the optical element hydrophilic. Method 1800 can further include, as shown in step 1818, inserting the hydrophilic optical element into the body cavity.

[0201] As described above, the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operation mode can provide one or more advantages, such as improving the quality of plasma processing by ensuring the uniformity of the electric field and / or electromagnetic field during plasma processing near the viewport. This can be useful for processing optical surfaces where a high level of hydrophilicity may be desirable. Systems and methods for providing plasma processing during the DBD operation mode are described hereinbelow. Further, in some embodiments, when an air plasma can be used during the DBD mode, the DBD operation mode described hereinbelow may simplify the plasma generator by, for example, avoiding the need for expensive gas canisters that require periodic replenishment or replacement.

[0202] Some embodiments include suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element. The term "suppress" can refer to restricting, impeding, limiting, or otherwise preventing an event from occurring. The term "distortion" can refer to a changed, skewed, or otherwise inaccurate representation. The term "optical element" can refer to any component of an optical system designed to manipulate light, such as a window or lens, a mirror that reflects light, or a viewport (e.g., of a medical scope). The optical element may be made of a material such as glass, quartz, or plastic such as Perspex that allows some or most visible light to pass through. In some embodiments, the optical element may be made of a reflective or semi-reflective material such as metal or semiconductor. When moisture accumulates as droplets on the surface of the optical element (e.g., as condensation or spray), an object viewed through the optical element will appear different (e.g., distorted) compared to when viewed through an optical element without condensation accumulation. Some of the disclosed embodiments can prevent the accumulation of droplets on the optical element by providing plasma treatment to achieve a relatively high level of hydrophilicity, so that the optical element is free from fogging or significantly reduces the fogging that would otherwise occur in the absence of plasma treatment. In other words, by applying plasma treatment to the optical element, condensation distortion can be suppressed when using the optical element, for example, during a medical procedure. The plasma applicator 130 of FIG. 1A shows an exemplary implementation of an apparatus for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element. By exposing the viewport 222 of the medical device 200 to plasma by the plasma applicator 130, the viewport 222 can be free from fogging (or at least significantly reduce fogging). Exposure to plasma may increase the hydrophilicity of the viewport 222 and prevent or limit the accumulation of droplets thereon. In other words, the plasma applicator 130 can suppress condensation distortion of the viewport 22.

[0203] Some embodiments include a chamber within a housing. The term "chamber" can refer to a slot, cavity, crevice, or pit that can accommodate an object. The chamber within the plasma generation zone is sized to accommodate at least a portion of the object inside the plasma generation zone along with a plasma cloud (e.g., generated by igniting a gas flowing therein), such that at least a portion of the object can be exposed to the plasma cloud. For example, the chamber can accommodate an endoscopic viewport within the plasma generation zone and expose the viewport to the plasma cloud generated inside the plasma activation zone after the gas is ignited. As a result, the hydrophilicity of the viewport can be increased, and subsequently, when the viewport is inserted into the body, the formation of spray can be restricted or prevented. According to some embodiments, the protective shroud can form the chamber, and insertion of the object into the protective shroud can define a closed plasma chamber therein by sealing the inside of the protective shroud that houses the object. For example, the slot 132 that exposes an opening on the outer surface of the plasma applicator 130 in FIG. 1A can illustrate an exemplary implementation of a chamber (i.e., slot) within the housing (i.e., outer surface) of an apparatus for suppressing condensation distortion on an optical element, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, a removable shroud can function as the chamber, and in other embodiments, the shroud can be omitted, and a slot or recess within the housing itself can constitute the chamber.

[0204] According to some embodiments, the chamber is configured to receive the elongate tool with the optical element proximate to the distal end of the elongate tool. The term "elongate tool" can refer to an object having a length that is substantially longer than the width of the object. Examples of elongate tools include cannulas, probes, or tubes for use during medical procedures. Thus, the optical element to be plasma treated can be positioned towards the distal end of an elongate tool, such as an optical element integrated with a camera positioned at the distal end of an endoscope, or a dental mirror positioned at the distal end of a handle. The chamber can have an elongate shape to accommodate the elongate tool. The surface of the housing can include a slot or an opening that exposes an entrance to the elongate chamber. The slot or opening allows the elongate tool to be inserted into the chamber. For example, FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of a chamber configured to receive an elongate tool with the optical element proximal to the distal end of the elongate tool, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The endoscope 380 (e.g., the elongate tool) can be provided with a viewport 390 (e.g., the optical element) having an outer surface 392 (FIG. 2). The viewport 390 can be positioned proximate to the distal end of the endoscope 380. The slot 350 can expose an entrance into the chamber (e.g., can form at least a portion of the chamber) and can be configured in an elongate shape to allow the distal end of the endoscope 380, with the viewport 390 fixed thereto, to be disposed within the chamber.

[0205] Some embodiments include an electrical circuit within a housing. The electrical circuit may include one or more electronic components such as wires, virtual and / or physical switches, and / or a plasma generation field applicator, like a controller configured to electrically connect to a power source used to supply power. Further, the circuit may be facilitated by one or more software instructions for controlling the device. In other words, the term “electrical circuit” may include any combination of electronic components (e.g., conductors, memory units, switches, gates, wires, and / or other electronic components) for transmitting electrical energy or signals. Depending on the embodiment, the electrical circuit may facilitate the execution of one or more operations (e.g., logical and / or arithmetic operations) in response to receiving an electrical signal as an input (e.g., from a processor operating as a controller). The circuit may couple an energy source, e.g., a power supply, a generator, a battery, or a rechargeable battery, to the plasma generation device, enabling ignition of the gas for the purpose of converting the gas into a plasma cloud. The energy source may be external to the plasma generation device, e.g., via a cable from a wall outlet. In some embodiments, the operating unit may be energized by an internal energy source such as a battery, e.g., a rechargeable battery. The circuit can control not only one or more aspects of the energy delivered by the energy source, such as magnitude, intensity, frequency, phase, timing, polarity, but also the voltage associated with the energy, the current associated with the energy, and any other arbitrary attribute characterizing the energy. The circuit may, for example, adapt the energy according to the requirements of the plasma generation device to ignite the gas and generate a plasma cloud to perform plasma processing.Accordingly, the circuit may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs), and the one or more integrated circuits may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microchips, microcontrollers, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerated processing units (APUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or all or part of other circuits suitable for executing computational instructions and / or capable of performing logical operations based on, for example, computational instructions or input signals. The circuit may further include one or more memory units, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, read-only memory (ROM), hard disks, optical disks, magnetic media, flash memory, other permanent, fixed, or volatile memories, or any other mechanism capable of storing data and / or computational instructions for performing logical operations. The circuit may further include one or more communication channels. By coupling one or more ICs to the memory, the one or more ICs can receive the computational instructions and / or data stored therein necessary for performing the logical operations corresponding to controlling the energy delivered to the plasma generator. The communication channel coupling one or more ICs to the memory can include a wired channel, such as one or more cables, fibers, wires, buses, and any other mechanically coupled communication channel. The communication channel can further or alternatively include a wireless channel, such as shortwave, medium wave, and longwave wireless communication channels (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, cellular, satellite), an optical communication channel, and an acoustic communication channel.

[0206] In some embodiments, the plasma activation region is associated with the chamber. The term "plasma activation region" can refer to a physical volume, space, or zone capable of generating plasma. In some embodiments, this region can be an electrically insulated space or volume within the chamber that promotes plasma generation during DBD mode. By virtue of the fact that the electrically insulated region can be realized by a dielectric layer, this region can be associated with the chamber. For example, referring to FIGS. 3A - 3B, the vicinity 322 of the viewport 390 shows an exemplary implementation of a plasma activation region associated with the chamber in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The vicinity 322 is located inside (e.g., associated with) the protective shroud 310a (e.g., the chamber). The disk 344 can form a dielectric barrier that blocks the line of sight between the anode 340 and the cathode 330 and can electrically insulate the anode 340 from the gas flowing into the vicinity 322. Thus, the vicinity 322 is a plasma activation region associated with the chamber.

[0207] Some embodiments include a plasma activation region associated with a chamber and configured to hold an optical element in a manner that exposes an optical surface of the optical element to the plasma activation region. The term "hold" can refer to inserting in place, containing, retaining, or positioning in some other way. For example, an optical element (e.g., a viewport) may be contained (e.g., held) inside a closed chamber to which a plasma-generating electromagnetic field is applied. The term "expose" can refer to uncovering, removing a cover, aligning, or otherwise exposing an object so that the object interfaces with its surrounding environment, e.g., a plasma cloud. The term "optical surface" can refer to the external or outer portion of an optical element, such as the surface of a viewport of a medical device or the surface of a lens, mirror, or glass. Thus, the viewport surface (e.g., the optical surface) can be exposed to the plasma activation region by containing (e.g., holding) the viewport surface inside a chamber to which a plasma-generating electromagnetic field is applied. For example, referring to FIGS. 3A-3B, by containing (e.g., holding) the viewport 390 (e.g., an optical element) of the endoscope 380 inside the vicinity portion 322 (e.g., the plasma activation region), the surface 392 (e.g., the optical surface) of the viewport 390 can be exposed to the plasma activation region of the protective shroud 310a.

[0208] According to some embodiments, the optical element includes a lens and the optical surface is the surface of the lens. The term "lens" can include one or more optical components through which light waves can be transmitted, focused, refracted, dispersed, filtered, magnified, miniaturized, or otherwise manipulated in terms of transmission. For example, an endoscope can be provided with one or more lenses for collecting and focusing light waves during an endoscopic examination to capture an image. To prevent the surface of the lens from fogging during an endoscopic examination, the lens surface of the endoscope can be treated with plasma using the techniques described herein. The surface 222 of the viewport 220 in FIG. 1A shows an exemplary implementation of the optical surface of a lens in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. For example, for medical procedures, to increase the hydrophilicity of the surface 222 and prevent fogging when using the viewport 222, the surface 222 can be treated with plasma by any of the techniques described herein.

[0209] Some embodiments include a plasma activation region configured to contain a gas on a first side of a dielectric barrier. The term "contain" can refer to enclosing, storing, or otherwise holding within a limited or closed space. For example, the plasma generating gas may be enclosed within the plasma activation region. The term "dielectric barrier" can refer to a layer made of a dielectric (e.g., insulating) material that can block the line of sight between two electrodes to which a plasma generating field is applied. Plasma generation during DBD mode can be caused, for example, by electrically insulating one of the electrodes used to apply the field. Such insulation may be achieved by a dielectric layer that insulates the electrodes from the gas within the region where the plasma is generated. In other words, one electrode may be disposed on the first side of the dielectric barrier and the other electrode may be disposed on the second side of the dielectric barrier. Thus, the dielectric barrier can divide the space into two sides, with the first electrode positioned within the first side and the second electrode positioned within the second side. For example, the two electrodes may be a cathode and an anode. The cathode may be positioned on one side (e.g., the first side) of the dielectric barrier and the anode may be positioned on the other side (e.g., the second side) of the dielectric barrier. According to some embodiments, the plasma activation region may enclose or store a gas on the cathode side (e.g., the first side) of the dielectric barrier. FIGS. 3A - 3B show an exemplary implementation of a plasma activation region configured to contain a gas on a first side of a dielectric barrier in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. Disk 344 can form a dielectric barrier between anode 340 and cathode 330 by blocking the line of sight therebetween. Plasma applicator 348 can allow gas to flow into the slot. The protective shroud allows gas to flow into protective shroud 310a, for example in the vicinity 322 of cathode 330, towards viewport 390, as the gas flow may be able to penetrate. Alternatively, air may be contained within protective shroud 310a.In any case, the vicinity portion 322 (for example, the plasma activation region) is configured to contain gas on the side portion (for example, the first side portion) of the disk 344 (for example, the dielectric barrier) where the cathode 330 is positioned.

[0210] According to some embodiments, the gas configured to be contained by the plasma activation region is air. Gases such as argon or helium are commonly used to ignite the plasma cloud, but it can be seen that these gases are costly and inconvenient for repeated use. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments provide a plasma generation field applicator that can ignite the plasma cloud from the air contained within the chamber or protective shroud 310a. For example, depending on the volume of the chamber, the plasma can be ignited in air at atmospheric pressure (for example, without using gas from an external source) using a voltage of about 10 - 20 KV. When the air pressure drops to about 0.8 KPa, a voltage of about 800 V can be used to ignite the plasma cloud from the air. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of plasma activation configured to contain air according to the disclosed embodiments. The hose 364 pumps out some air from the protective shroud 310a (for example, the chamber), and when the air pressure inside it can be reduced, an electric field is induced by maintaining a voltage difference between the cathode 330 and the anode 340, and the plasma cloud can be ignited from the remaining low-pressure air.

[0211] According to some embodiments, the gas configured to be contained in the plasma activation region is inert. An inert gas or noble gas, when made from elements such as helium or argon, does not form free radicals that can react with other atoms or molecules and thus can be used in plasma techniques, such as on the surface of an optical element. For this reason, an inert gas such as helium or argon can flow into the plasma activation region via a tube or hose. FIG. 3C shows an exemplary implementation of a plasma activation region configured to contain an inert gas in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. Hose 364 can be in fluid communication with a reservoir containing an inert gas such as helium or argon. Hose 364 can allow the inert gas to flow into protective shroud 310a via applicator gas port 402 and shroud gas port 404 and flow towards vicinity 322 (FIG. 3A) near viewport 390. Vacuum seal 408 can establish fluid communication between hose 364 and vicinity 322 of protective shroud 310a to allow the inert gas to flow directly into protective shroud 310a via the hose.

[0212] Some embodiments include at least one pump for creating at least a partial vacuum within a plasma activation region. The term "vacuum" can refer to a region having a gas-phase pressure lower than atmospheric pressure or ambient pressure. As used herein, the term "vacuum" is intended to include a partial vacuum. That is, in the context of the present disclosure, a vacuum includes an enclosed space from which at least a portion of air or other gas has been removed. The term "pump" can refer to a device that draws or sucks particles out of a sealed volume to create a vacuum or partial vacuum in the volume. For example, a hose fluidly connected to the interior of a device can remove air and create a partial vacuum therein. A partial vacuum can facilitate plasma generation, for example, by enabling a gas to ionize and form a plasma. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of a device including a pump for creating at least a partial vacuum within a plasma activation region in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. Hose 364 can pump gas (air) from protective shroud 310a through opening 368 into the vicinity 322 within viewport 390. A vacuum pump fluidly connected to hose 364 can pump air through hose 364.

[0213] In some embodiments, the gas pressure associated with the partial vacuum is less than 0.3 Atm or less than 0.1 Atm. As described above, a lower pressure (e.g., a partial vacuum) can facilitate plasma generation by enabling the plasma generation gas to ionize. Thus, after pumping out air or gas as described above, the pressure inside the plasma activation region can be significantly lower than atmospheric pressure. Referring to FIG. 3A, vacuum seal 370 may be able to create a partial vacuum near viewport 390 by maintaining the pressure difference between the inside and outside of protective shroud 310a at less than 0.1 Atm.

[0214] Some embodiments include a plasma activation region that contains a gas on a first side of a dielectric barrier, and an electrical circuit is configured to form an electrical connection with a first electrode disposed on the first side of the dielectric barrier. The term "electrode" refers to a conductor through which electricity enters or exits an object, substance, or region. Electrodes are typically configured in pairs, where one electrode is a cathode (e.g., a conventional sink for current and a source for electron flow), and the other electrode is an anode (e.g., a conventional source for current and a sink for electron flow). Thus, the cathode may be the first electrode of the pair, and the anode may be the second electrode of the pair. For example, an electrical circuit that delivers current to a device may be electrically coupled to a cathode (e.g., a first electrode positioned on the first side of a dielectric barrier) via one or more wires. FIGS. 1A and 3A together show an exemplary implementation of an electrical circuit configured to form an electrical connection with a first electrode located on a first side of a dielectric barrier in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. A plasma generation field applicator 348 (FIG. 3A) may be electrically connected to a power source via an operating unit 120 (FIG. 1A) that includes the electrical circuit. A conductor 354, such as a wire electrically connected to a cathode contact 352, can supply power from the power source to the cathode contact 352 and the cathode 330, for example, on the cathode side of the disk 344. In other words, the electrical circuit of the operating unit 120 can form an electrical connection with a cathode 330 located on a first (e.g., cathode) side of a dielectric barrier formed by a disk 344.

[0215] Some embodiments include a second electrode connected to an electrical circuit. The term "second electrode" can refer to the second electrode of the cathode and anode pair described above. Thus, the second electrode can correspond to an anode electrode that can be connected to an electrical circuit via one or more contacts or wires. FIGS. 1A, in combination with FIG. 3A, show an exemplary implementation of a second electrode connected to an electrical circuit according to some disclosed embodiments. The plasma generation field applicator 348 (FIG. 3A) may be electrically connected to a power source via an operating unit 120 (FIG. 1A) that includes an electrical circuit. The anode contact 356 can be in contact with the anode 340 while the protective shroud 310a is inside the slot 350. The conductor 358 can connect the anode 340 (e.g., the second electrode) to the electrical circuit by electrically connecting the anode contact 356 to the power source (e.g., via the electrical circuit of the operating unit 120). In other words, the anode 340 can be connected to the electrical circuit of the operating unit 120 via the conductor 358 and the anode contact 356.

[0216] According to some embodiments, the second electrode is connected to an electrical circuit and is located on a second side of the dielectric barrier that faces the plasma activation region. The term "second side of the dielectric barrier" can refer to the side opposite the first side of the dielectric barrier described above. Thus, if the first side corresponds to the side of the barrier where the cathode is positioned, the second side can correspond to the side of the barrier where the anode is positioned. The term "facing the plasma activation region" can refer to a zone or region on the side of the dielectric barrier that faces the zone where the plasma is activated. Thus, if the plasma is activated on the cathode side (e.g., the first side) of the dielectric barrier, the anode (e.g., the second electrode) can be positioned on the other (e.g., opposite) side of the dielectric barrier. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of a second electrode located on a second side of a dielectric barrier that faces a plasma activation region, in accordance with some of the disclosed embodiments. When the anode 340 can be mounted on the disk 344, a dielectric barrier can be formed between the anode 340 and the cathode 330. Thus, the anode 340 is positioned on the other (e.g., second) side of the disk 344 relative to the cathode 330 located on the first side of the disk 344. Further, the side of the disk 344 where the anode 340 is located is on the side opposite the side of the disk 344 of the vicinity 322 of the viewport 390 that corresponds to the plasma activation region.

[0217] According to some embodiments, the dielectric barrier and the first electrode are removable from the housing. The term "removable" can refer to being detachable, separable, or movable. For example, the dielectric barrier can be detached (e.g., removed) from the housing to change the operating mode from, for example, a DBD to a non-DBD operating mode. As another example, the first electrode may be detached from the housing to enable, for example, replacing or cleaning the electrode due to the accumulation of deposits. FIGS. 3A-3B show exemplary implementations of a dielectric barrier and a first electrode that can be removable from the housing in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The cathode 330 (FIG. 3A) and the disk 344 (FIG. 3B) may be removable from the housing of the application 348.

[0218] According to some embodiments, the dielectric barrier is configured to insulate the second electrode from the gas within the chamber. The term "insulate" can refer to shielding, isolating, or otherwise preventing something from interacting with nearby substances or energy. For example, an anode (e.g., the second electrode) positioned on one side of the dielectric barrier may be insulated by the dielectric barrier so as not to interact with the gas present on the other side of the dielectric barrier. FIGS. 3A-3B show exemplary embodiments of a dielectric barrier configured to insulate the second electrode from the gas within the chamber in accordance with the disclosed techniques. The disk 344 can form a dielectric barrier between the anode 340 and the cathode 330. The disk 344 may be an electrical barrier that electrically insulates the anode 340 from the gas present in the vicinity 322 of the viewport 390.

[0219] According to some embodiments, the thickness of the dielectric barrier is between about 0.3 mm and about 3 mm. The thickness of the dielectric barrier may affect the quality of the plasma treatment, and the quality of the plasma treatment can be measured by the level of hydrophilicity achieved and the time to activate the electric field to achieve that hydrophilicity. In other words, a high-quality plasma treatment may correspond to a relatively high level of hydrophilicity. The thickness of the dielectric barrier can be thin enough to facilitate plasma ignition, but can also be thick enough to prevent dielectric breakdown and arc discharge, for example, between the anode and the cathode. Exemplary thicknesses of dielectric materials such as PET or polycarbonate may be in the range between 0.3 mm and about 3 mm for RF electric fields at frequencies within the MHz range (e.g., about 2 MHz).

[0220] Some embodiments include a stopper for maintaining a gap between the optical element and the second electrode, the stopper functioning as a dielectric barrier between the first and second electrodes. The term "stopper" can refer to any type of barrier that can be positioned inside the container to isolate or separate a part of the container from another part of the container. For example, the stopper or barrier can be positioned inside the plasma activation region to control the advancement of the optical element and, for example, secure a predetermined gap between the optical element and the anode to generate plasma. Further, the stopper can function as a dielectric barrier between the cathode and the anode by blocking the line of sight therebetween, for example, enabling a DBD operating mode. FIG. 3C shows an exemplary implementation of a plasma generation device further including a stopper for maintaining a gap between the optical element and the second electrode in accordance with the disclosed embodiments, the stopper functioning as a dielectric barrier between the first and second electrodes. The protective shroud 410 may be provided with a stopper 442. The stopper 442 may limit the advancement of the viewport 390 into the protective shroud 410 to secure a predetermined gap between the surface 392 of the viewport 390 (FIG. 3A) and the ring anode 440. The predetermined gap can facilitate the generation of plasma therein. Further, the stopper 442 can block the line of sight between the cathode 330 and the anode 440 and function as a dielectric barrier therebetween, for example, enabling a DBD operating mode.

[0221] Some embodiments include at least one processor. The at least one processor may include electrical circuitry for performing logical operations on input signals. For example, the at least one processor may include one or more controllers including an ASIC, microchip, microcontroller, microprocessor, CPU, GPU, APU, DSP, FPGA, or all or part of other circuitry suitable for executing computational instructions and / or capable of performing logical operations based on, for example, computational instructions or input signals. Instructions executed by the at least one processor may be preloaded into memory integrated with or embedded in a controller (e.g., a processor), or stored in a separate memory. The memory may include RAM, cache memory, ROM, hard disk, optical disk, magnetic media, flash memory, other persistent, fixed, or volatile memory, or any other mechanism capable of storing such instructions. The memory may further store data that may include one or more inputs for executing one or more program code instructions and one or more outputs generated by executing the one or more program code instructions. In some embodiments, the at least one processor may include a plurality of processors. Each processor may have a similar configuration, or different configurations that may be electrically connected or disconnected from each other. The processors may be separate circuits or integrated into a single circuit. The plurality of processors may be configured to operate independently or cooperatively. The processors may be coupled electrically, magnetically, optically, acoustically, mechanically, or by other means that enable them to interact. The processors may be physical and / or virtual (i.e., software-based). The operation unit 120 of FIG. 1A may illustrate an exemplary implementation of at least one processor according to the disclosed embodiments. The operation unit 120 includes one or more command switches and controllers (e.g., processors).

[0222] Some embodiments are configured to control the electrical flow through a circuit. The term "control" can refer to managing, regulating, or adjusting in other ways. For example, at least one processor can adjust (e.g., control) the voltage difference between a cathode and an anode by adjusting the electricity flowing through the circuit. The voltage difference can affect the generation of plasma within the plasma activation region by affecting the electromagnetic field generated within it. Since the characteristics of the gas and electrodes can determine the attributes of the electromagnetic field necessary to ignite the plasma, at least one processor can adjust the electrical flow through the circuit to generate an electromagnetic field suitable for the gas type and electrode characteristics. For example, when the gas is at a pressure of 0.8 KPa, the plasma may be ignited at a voltage of about 200 V using an RF field of about 7 KV over a distance of 1 cm between the cathode and the anode in atmospheric pressure helium gas. The operation unit 120 of FIG. 1A can show an exemplary implementation of at least one processor configured to control the electricity flowing through a circuit in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The operation unit 120 includes one or more command switches and controllers (e.g., processors) that can adjust the flow of electricity through the entire device 100.

[0223] Some embodiments include controlling electricity flowing through a circuit to cause an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field related to a voltage drop between a first electrode and a second electrode. The term "voltage drop" may refer to the potential difference or gap between the voltage levels of two electrodes. When an electric field and / or an electromagnetic field can be defined between two electrodes by a voltage drop or potential difference, charged particles can be induced and made to move. Accordingly, at least one processor can control electrical parameters such as the timing, frequency, intensity, magnitude, and phase of electricity (e.g., voltage, current) and / or magnetic signals (e.g., direction, intensity, density). By controlling the electricity flowing through the circuit, at least one processor can control the electric field between the two electrodes by controlling the potential difference between them. The operation unit 120 of FIG. 1A shows an exemplary implementation of at least one processor (e.g., a controller) that can control the electricity flowing through the circuit of the plasma generation system 100 according to the disclosed embodiments. Referring to FIG. 3A, by controlling the electricity (e.g., via the operation unit 120 of FIG. 1A), a voltage drop (e.g., a potential difference) can be caused between the cathode 330 and the anode 340. The voltage drop can be related to the electric field between the cathode 330 and the anode 340.

[0224] According to some embodiments, the electrical circuit within the housing includes a plasma generating field applicator configured to achieve a voltage drop of at least 800V. According to some embodiments, the electrical circuit within the housing includes a plasma generating field applicator configured to achieve a voltage drop of at least 1000V. The properties of the gas (e.g., type, pressure, temperature) can determine one or more aspects of the electric field suitable for generating plasma from the gas. This can then determine the voltage level corresponding to the electric field. For example, when the electrodes are approximately 1 cm apart, the plasma can be ignited at a voltage of approximately 800V for RF frequencies in the range between 1 MHz and 15 MHz at 0.8 KPa in air (e.g., gas). Similarly, the plasma can be ignited at a voltage of approximately 1000V. Thus, causing a potential difference (e.g., voltage drop) between two electrodes of at least 800V or at least 1000V can facilitate plasma ignition inside the plasma generating field applicator. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of a plasma generating field applicator configured to achieve a voltage drop (e.g., potential difference) of at least 800V or at least 1000V in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The above is provided only as an example because the parameters can be variably changed according to design constraints as long as the plasma is ignited and maintained for a period sufficient to achieve the desired level of hydrophilicity due to the interrelationships existing between the parameters affecting plasma ignition.

[0225] In some embodiments, a plasma is generated in the plasma activation region by an electric field being generated between a first electrode and a second electrode. The term "plasma" can refer to a state of matter that is rich in charged particles, such as electrons and ions. As a result, the plasma can be highly conductive and highly sensitive to electric and / or electromagnetic fields. Thus, at least one processor can control electricity to generate an electric and / or electromagnetic field inside the plasma activation region, so that when the gas is subjected to the electric and / or electromagnetic field, it can be converted into a plasma cloud. For example, the electric and / or electromagnetic field can ionize the gas until its conductivity increases to the point where the gas reaches a plasma state. Thus, the circuit can control the electricity so that it is suitable for performing plasma processing by adapting (e.g., controlling) the electricity from the power source to a signal that can induce an electric and / or electromagnetic field capable of converting, for example, a gas into a plasma cloud. The operation unit 120 (FIG. 1A) shows an exemplary implementation of at least one processor that controls electricity to perform plasma processing according to the disclosed embodiments. The operation unit 120 can adapt (e.g., control) the electricity supplied by the power source so that it is suitable for generating an electric and / or electromagnetic field capable of generating a plasma. The electricity can be supplied to any of the cathode 330, anode 340, and dielectric barrier 344 via any of the cathode contact 352, conductor 354, and conductor 358 (FIG. 3A). For example, when the electricity controlled by the operation unit 120 is delivered to the cathode 330 and anode 340 via the conductors 354 and 358, an electric and / or electromagnetic field suitable for converting the gas present therein into a plasma cloud can be generated.

[0226] Some embodiments include maintaining plasma within a plasma generation region for a period sufficient to render an optical surface hydrophilic. As noted above, the “quality” of the plasma treatment can correspond to the level of hydrophilicity achieved by the plasma treatment. The duration (e.g., period) for which the electric field can be activated and thus the plasma ignited to treat the optical surface can correspond to the level of hydrophilicity (e.g., quality) required for a given application. For example, different applications (short vs. long) and optical elements (e.g., various shapes, sizes, and materials) may require various treatment qualities (e.g., hydrophilicity levels). Some optical elements may require a very high level of hydrophilicity (e.g., corresponding to a longer treatment), while other optical elements may be sufficient with a lower level of hydrophilicity (e.g., corresponding to a shorter treatment). In a similar manner, optical elements of different materials, shapes, or sizes may require plasma treatments of different durations (e.g., periods) to achieve the same level of hydrophilicity. Thus, the “period sufficient to render the optical surface hydrophilic” can depend on the material being processed (e.g., plastic, glass, metal), the shape of the optical element (e.g., flat or round), the type and duration of use (e.g., short dental procedure vs. long abdominal surgery), the type of gas used (e.g., helium, argon, or air), the gas pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure or lower pressure generated by a vacuum pump), the ambient temperature, and any other factors that can affect the hydrophilicity of the optical element. Accordingly, at least one processor can control the electricity within the circuit to maintain plasma within the plasma generation region for a duration that meets the hydrophilicity requirements of a given optical element. A user can input the hydrophilicity requirements of a specific optical element via the user interface of the control unit. Operating unit 120 (FIG. 1A) shows an exemplary implementation of at least one processor for maintaining plasma generated within a plasma generation region for a period sufficient to render an optical surface hydrophilic in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. Operating unit 120 can include a user interface (e.g., switches, controllers, buttons, indicators, displays) that enables a user to input one or more criteria for the plasma treatment of an object 200, e.g., an optical element.For example, the user can provide one or more criteria to the operation unit 120, such as a target processing quality level, the type of material to be processed, the size and shape of the optical element to be processed, and any other arbitrary criteria related to the plasma processing of the optical element. At least one processor of the operation unit 120 can control the characteristics of the electric flow through the circuit to generate plasma in any of the plasma generation field applicators (130, 348, 448) based on the criteria, for example, by controlling the duration (e.g., period) of the processing. In other words, the operation unit 120 (e.g., at least one processor) may maintain the plasma generated in the plasma generation region (e.g., the vicinity 322 in FIG. 3A) for a time sufficient to make the optical surface 392 of the optical element 390 hydrophilic.

[0227] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an exemplary process 1900 for suppressing dew condensation distortion on an optical element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The block diagram may be described below in relation to specific implementation embodiments shown in other drawings, but these implementations are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to function as limitations in the block diagram. Since examples of the process are described throughout the present disclosure, these aspects are not repeated or simply summarized in relation to FIG. 19. In some embodiments, the process 1900 may be executed by at least one processor (e.g., at least one processor operation unit 120 in FIG. 1A) to perform the operations or functions described herein. In some embodiments, some aspects of the process 1900 may be implemented as software (e.g., program code or instructions) stored in a memory provided in at least one processor, or as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, some aspects of the process 1900 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., a dedicated circuit). In some embodiments, the process 1900 may be implemented as a combination of software and hardware.

[0228] FIG. 19 includes process blocks 1902-1908. In block 1902, the method may include detecting an optical element inserted into a plasma generation region within a housing, where the plasma activation region is configured to contain a gas on a first side of a dielectric barrier. The term "detecting" may refer to determining, sensing, or identifying, e.g., sensing the insertion of an optical element into the plasma generation region. Detecting may further include sensing the insertion of an optical element into a sheath that includes the plasma generation region. The sheath may be contained within a housing that houses components of the plasma generation device. The plasma generation device may include a dielectric barrier that divides the plasma activation region from other internal regions where plasma is generated. In this way, the plasma activation region can contain gas only on one side of the dielectric barrier. For example, the cathode 330 (FIG. 3A) can come into physical contact with the metal surface 384 of the endoscope 380. By making an electrical contact, it becomes possible to detect the insertion of the endoscope 380 into the protective shroud 310a, thereby detecting the insertion of the optical surface 392 of the viewport 390 (e.g., an optical element) within the vicinity 322 (e.g., the plasma generation zone) within the housing (e.g., the applicator 130 of FIG. 1A). The vicinity 322 can contain gas on one side (e.g., the side of the cathode 330) of a disk 344 (e.g., a dielectric barrier).

[0229] In some embodiments, the optical element is part of a medical device having an elongated shaft, and the optical element includes a lens on a distal end of the elongated shaft. For example, the medical device may be configured for insertion into the body, and the insertion may be facilitated by an elongated cannula or handle (e.g., shaft), the distal end of which may be suitable for insertion into the body and the proximal end of which may be suitable for control from outside the body by a doctor. The distal end can include a camera configured by an optical element including one or more lenses. The cannula can include one or more wires, fibers, or cables, which enable controlling (e.g., operating) the distal end of the medical device within the body and communicating information therebetween, e.g., transferring an image collected by the camera (e.g., at the distal end) to memory (e.g., at the proximal end). FIG. 2 shows an optical element that is part of a medical device having an elongated shaft and includes a lens on a distal end of the elongated shaft, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. An endoscope 380 (e.g., medical device) can include an elongated shaft that is suitable for insertion into the body. The distal end of the elongated shaft of the endoscope 380 includes a viewport 390 (e.g., optical element). An outer surface 392 that can receive plasma treatment can be the outer surface of the lens.

[0230] In some embodiments, the medical device is a laparoscope or an endoscope. For example, medical devices such as laparoscopes and endoscopes can benefit from receiving plasma treatment so that the viewports of these devices are kept free of fogging during use. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of an endoscope 380 for receiving plasma treatment, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The distal end of the endoscope 380 includes a viewport 390. A protective shroud 310a is sized to accommodate the elongated shape of the endoscope 380, or any other elongated medical device, e.g., a laparoscope.

[0231] In block 1904, the process may include electrically connecting a first electrode located on a first side of the dielectric barrier to a second electrode located on a second side of the dielectric barrier facing the plasma activation region. Electrically connecting may refer to including components within a circuit and may not necessarily require a physical connection. For example, two electrodes may not be physically connected but may be spaced closely apart from each other, allowing a voltage drop to occur within a common circuit, and in such a case, the two spaced-apart electrodes are considered to be electrically connected. By electrically connecting the electrodes located on opposite sides of the dielectric barrier, if plasma can be generated within the plasma activation region during DBD operation mode, the plasma can be generated more uniformly, and arc discharge and other unpredictable and / or undesirable electrical transmissions between the first electrode and the second electrode can be prevented. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation of the electrically connected first and second electrodes according to the disclosed embodiment, where the first electrode is disposed on a first side of the dielectric barrier and the second electrode is disposed on the other (e.g., second) side of the dielectric barrier facing the plasma activation region. Disk 344 (e.g., the dielectric barrier) separates cathode 330 (e.g., the first electrode) and anode 340 (e.g., the second electrode). Cathode 330 is electrically connected to protective shroud 310a near vicinity 322 (e.g., the plasma activation region), while anode 340 is located on the opposite side (e.g., the second side) of disk 344 facing vicinity 322.

[0232] In block 1906, a plasma is generated in the plasma activation region by applying an electric field related to a potential drop exceeding 1000V between a first electrode and a second electrode. As described above, the voltage suitable for generating an electric field capable of igniting a plasma cloud may depend on a plurality of factors such as the type of gas used (e.g., argon, helium, or air), the pressure of the gas, and the geometric shape of the electrodes. Examples are shown where voltages of 7KV and 20KV are applied to generate a plasma. In other words, in some embodiments, a voltage exceeding 1000V can be applied between the first electrode and the second electrode to generate a plasma in the plasma activation region. FIG. 3A shows an exemplary implementation for generating a plasma in the plasma activation region by applying an electric field related to a potential drop exceeding 1000V between a first electrode and a second electrode according to the disclosed embodiment. When a voltage exceeding 1000V can be applied between a cathode 330 (e.g., the first electrode) and an anode 340 (e.g., the second electrode) via conductors 354 and 358, an electric field can be generated that can generate a plasma in the vicinity 322 (e.g., the plasma activation region).

[0233] In block 1908, the process may include maintaining plasma generated for a period sufficient to make the optical surface hydrophilic within the plasma generation region. As described above, the quality of the plasma treatment may correspond to the level of hydrophilicity achieved. For example, certain materials, devices, or applications may be associated with one or more hydrophilicity thresholds. An electric field can be maintained within the plasma generation region for a duration (e.g., sufficient) long enough to ensure that the level of hydrophilicity achieved meets the threshold. For example, the operation unit 120 (FIG. 1A) may include one or more processors, controllers, and switches that maintain plasma inside the plasma generation region for a duration sufficient to make the optical surface 390 (FIG. 3A) hydrophilic. The operation unit 120 can achieve this by controlling this to be delivered electrically to the cathode 330 and the anode 340 via the conductors 354 and 358, respectively, and the contacts 352 and 356, respectively, thereby controlling the electric field between them. For example, for a first set of uses and / or arrangements of the plasma generation region, the period sufficient to make the optical surface hydrophilic is an activation electric field of less than 1 minute. For a second set of uses and / or arrangements of the plasma generation region, the period sufficient to make the optical surface hydrophilic is an activation electric field of less than 10 seconds. For a third set of uses and / or arrangements of the plasma generation region, the period sufficient to make the optical surface hydrophilic is an activation electric field of less than 5 seconds. The period may be based on the type of material being processed (e.g., metal, glass, or plastic), the type and length of the treatment intended for use on the optical surface (e.g., a short dental procedure mirror versus a long abdominal surgery endoscope), the size and shape of the optical surface (a flat dental mirror versus a rounded camera lens), and any other factors that may affect the condensation of droplets on the optical surface.

[0234] Embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to a system, device, method, and computer-readable medium for generating plasma and processing an object with the plasma. For ease of explanation, in some cases, it is understood that the disclosed aspects of the system and method are equally applicable not only to each other but also to the device and the computer-readable medium, and the related embodiments are described below in relation to the system or method. Some aspects of the related method may be performed electronically via a network that is either wired, wireless, or both. Other aspects of such a method may be performed using non-electronic means. In the broadest sense, the systems, methods, and computer-readable media disclosed herein are not limited to specific physical and / or electronic means, but rather can be achieved using many different means.

[0235] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a plasma generation device. As described elsewhere in the present disclosure, the plasma generation device can include any device or combination of components that can generate plasma, for example, by converting a gas to cause the gas to transition to a plasma state or a plasma cloud. In some embodiments, the plasma generation device can include a mechanism for supplying a gas such as helium or argon, and two electrodes (e.g., an anode and a cathode), or any other means suitable for applying an electric field or an electromagnetic field to the supplied gas. The electric field or the electromagnetic field can ionize the gas until the gas becomes a conductive plasma cloud.

[0236] In some embodiments, the plasma generation device is configured to process an object. For example, the plasma generated by the plasma generation device can be applied to the object such that the plasma can react with molecules on the surface of the object. In some embodiments, the surface properties of the object can be changed by applying plasma, for example, by making the surface of the object hydrophilic or hydrophobic, or by changing the conductivity of the surface. Further, or alternatively, the surface of the object may be cleaned by applying plasma to decompose and remove organic residue. For example, the plasma generation system 500 shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 shows an exemplary implementation of a plasma generation device according to the disclosed embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7, the plasma generation system 500 may be configured to generate plasma to process the surface of an object, such as the optical surface 706 of an endoscope 708 or another medical device. In some embodiments, the plasma generation system 500 can be configured to apply plasma to an object (e.g., the optical surface 706) to change the hydrophilicity and / or other surface properties of the object.

[0237] Some of the disclosed embodiments include a housing. In some embodiments, the housing can include any structure, casing, frame, enclosure, or support that covers and / or protects other components of the plasma generation device. For example, the housing can cover and protect components of the plasma generation device (e.g., a vacuum chamber, one or more electrode pairs, and a mechanism for supplying reaction gas) configured to cause a reaction that generates plasma. As described elsewhere in this disclosure, the housing may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, glass, wood, or any other material that can enclose the plasma generation device, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the housing can be hollow, and thus the housing may hold or contain one or more other components. For example, the housing may include at least one aperture, cavity, or hollow interior chamber, which may hold or contain at least a portion of the object to be treated with plasma, and optionally may hold or contain at least a portion of a protective sheath or shroud that surrounds the object to be treated.

[0238] As an example, FIG. 7 shows an exemplary plasma generation device 500 that includes a housing 710, which may cover the outer surface of the plasma generation device and may enclose other components of the plasma generation device. The housing 710 can include an opening 712 through which a sheath 718 (also referred to as a protective shroud sheath 718) and an object to be treated (e.g., object 708) can be introduced into an internal cavity 714 (also referred to as an aperture 714) of the housing. The cavity 714 may be sized and configured to removably hold at least a portion of the sheath 718, and the sheath may be configured to contain at least a portion of the object 708. ...

Claims

1. A plasma generation device for treating an object, the plasma generation device comprising: a housing; a plasma generation zone within the housing, the plasma generation zone configured to allow accommodation of a first portion of the object while a second portion of the object is outside the plasma generation zone; a plasma generator for enabling formation of plasma within the plasma generation zone; a plurality of vacuum pumps within the housing, each pump having a vacuum inlet; a plurality of conduits within the housing, the plurality of conduits connecting the plurality of vacuum pumps in series such that, when operated, the pumps in series cause a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure within the plasma generation zone; at least one processor configured to simultaneously operate the plurality of vacuum pumps while the first portion of the object is within the region of the plasma generation zone; A plasma generation device comprising the above components.

2. The plasma generation device according to claim 1, wherein the pumps in series are configured to cause a vacuum between 0.1 atm and 0.01 atm.

3. The plasma generation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to operate the plasma generator after the pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is caused by the pumps in series.

4. The plasma generation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate plasma for a period sufficient to make the first portion of the object hydrophilic.

5. The plasma generation device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pumps includes at least three pumps.

6. The plasma generation device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of pumps includes at least four pumps.

7. The plasma generation device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of pumps includes at least five pumps.

8. The plasma generation device according to claim 1, wherein the object includes an optical surface of an endoscope.

9. The plasma generation device according to claim 8, wherein the plasma generation zone is configured to allow accommodation of the optical surface, and the optical surface is surrounded by a dielectric barrier.

10. The plasma generation device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one filter configured to filter the air pumped from the plasma generation zone.

11. The at least one processor receives an insertion signal indicating that a first portion of the object is within the region of the plasma generation zone, and in response to the insertion signal, operates the series of pumps to cause a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure within the plasma generation zone The plasma generation device according to claim 1, which is configured as described above.

12. The at least one processor determines that a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure within the plasma generation zone is sufficient for plasma generation, and after the determination that a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure within the plasma generation zone is sufficient for plasma generation is made, operates the plasma generator, thereby exposing the first portion of the object to plasma The plasma generation device according to claim 1, which is configured as described above.

13. The plasma generation zone is configured to enable accommodation of the object via a seal disposed between the plasma generation zone and the environment external to the plasma generation zone. The plasma generation device according to claim 1.

14. A plasma generation device for processing an object, the plasma generation device comprising: a housing; a plasma generation zone within the housing, the plasma generation zone being configured to enable accommodation of at least a portion of the object, the plasma generation zone being configured to enable accommodation of at least a portion of the object, at least a portion of the object being surrounded by a dielectric casing, a plasma generation zone; a plasma generator for enabling formation of plasma within the plasma generation zone; a plurality of vacuum pumps within the housing, each pump having a vacuum inlet, the vacuum pumps; a plurality of conduits within the housing, the plurality of conduits connecting the plurality of vacuum pumps in series, such that when operated, the series of pumps causes a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure within the plasma generation zone, the conduits; at least one processor configured to operate the plurality of vacuum pumps simultaneously while at least a portion of the object is within the region of the plasma generation zone; A plasma generation device comprising.

15. The plasma generating device according to claim 14, wherein the dielectric casing includes a one-way valve for enabling the formation of a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure within the dielectric casing.

16. The plasma generator according to claim 14, wherein when at least a part of the object and the dielectric casing are inserted into the housing, it is configured to enable the formation of plasma within the plasma generation zone in order to process at least a part of the object.

17. The plasma generating device according to claim 14, wherein the series of pumps is configured to cause a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure within a part of the dielectric casing.

18. The plasma generating device according to claim 14, wherein the plasma generation zone is configured to enable the accommodation of an object surrounded by the dielectric casing.

19. A method for generating plasma for processing an object, the method comprising: inserting a first part of the object into a plasma generation zone within a housing; while the first part of the object is within the region of the plasma generation zone and a second part of the object is outside the plasma generation zone, simultaneously operating a plurality of vacuum pumps to cause a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure within the plasma generation zone, wherein the vacuum pumps are connected in series within the housing; operating a plasma generator while the pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is being caused within the plasma generation zone, thereby exposing the first part of the object to plasma; and including.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is a pressure between 0.1 atm and 0.01 atm.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising generating plasma for a period sufficient to make the first part of the object hydrophilic.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of vacuum pumps includes at least three pumps.

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