Imaging System Camera Attachment Docking and Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging systems face challenges in accurately and consistently analyzing target areas, such as skin regions, while maintaining system cleanliness and preventing contamination.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a handle, camera attachment with an image sensor, and a docking station, where the camera attachment can be coupled to the handle and docked within the station, allowing for image data generation of both external and internal target areas, with integrated alignment mechanisms and test zones for property characterization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the camera attachment is used to analyze target areas outside the docking station, then the imaging capability is improved, but the risk of contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera attachment is extracted from the docking station during external imaging operations and returned to the docking station for cleaning and sterilization. This separation allows the imaging component to be used externally while maintaining a clean, controlled environment within the docking station, thereby resolving the contradiction between imaging capability and contamination risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The docking station is designed with integrated cleaning and sterilization mechanisms that automatically service the camera attachment when docked. This self-service capability allows the system to maintain its own cleanliness without external intervention, reducing contamination risk while preserving imaging capability.
2Reliability
If the camera attachment is docked within the station for cleaning, then system cleanliness is improved, but the imaging availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera attachment undergoes periodic cleaning and sterilization cycles when docked at the station, rather than continuous cleaning. This periodic action allows the system to maintain cleanliness while minimizing downtime for imaging operations, resolving the contradiction between system cleanliness and imaging availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically manages the camera attachment's state between imaging mode (external use) and maintenance mode (docked for cleaning). This dynamic transition allows the system to optimize between imaging availability and cleanliness based on operational needs, reducing the trade-off between these two parameters.
3Measurement precision
If alignment mechanisms and test zones are integrated into the docking station, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The docking station is designed as a multi-functional platform that combines cleaning, sterilization, alignment, and test zone functions into a single integrated system. This universal design allows the docking station to perform multiple functions without proportionally increasing complexity, as shared components and mechanisms serve multiple purposes simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment mechanisms and test zones are merged with the cleaning and sterilization infrastructure of the docking station. For example, alignment features are integrated into the docking interfaces, and test zones utilize the same optical paths and sensors as the cleaning verification systems, thereby improving measurement precision without adding significant structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a handle, a camera attachment, and a docking station. The camera attachment is configured to be coupled to the handle, and includes an image sensor. The docking station includes a housing that defines a first aperture. The first aperture is configured to receive at least a portion of the camera attachment therein. When the camera attachment is coupled to the handle and not received in the first aperture, the image sensor is configured to generate first image data that is reproducible as an image of a first target area located outside the housing of the docking station. When the camera attachment is received in the first aperture, the image sensor is disposed within the housing of the docking station and is configured to generate second image data that is reproducible as an image of a second target area located within the housing of the docking station.