Capsule Endoscope Enteric Coating Balloon Expansion Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing capsule endoscopes face challenges in traversing the gastrointestinal tract due to invasive procedures, limited reach, and unreliable specific gravity control, which affects their ability to maintain a steady speed and accurately navigate through different regions of the GI tract for effective imaging.
Innovation Solution
A capsule endoscope with an inflatable device and an enteric coated shell that controls specific gravity by using an effervescent formulation and enteric coating, allowing the capsule to adjust its density in response to different environments within the GI tract, ensuring consistent travel and accurate imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If endoscopes are used to image body cavities, then control over field of view is achieved, but patient discomfort and procedural risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscopic system is divided into two separate components: a swallowable capsule endoscope that captures images internally, and an external base station that processes and displays the images. This segmentation eliminates the need for invasive insertion while maintaining imaging capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A radio frequency transmitter serves as an intermediary between the capsule endoscope and the base station, enabling wireless transmission of image data and control signals without physical connection, thus avoiding invasive procedures.
2Measurement precision
If capsule endoscopes are made to traverse the GI tract, then imaging capability is achieved, but specific gravity control becomes unreliable affecting steady speed maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule incorporates an inflatable balloon that can dynamically adjust its volume to change the capsule's specific gravity. This dynamic adjustment allows the capsule to adapt to different GI tract environments and maintain steady speed throughout the journey.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of specific gravity by controlling the inflation state of the balloon. By adjusting the balloon's volume, the capsule's overall density is modified to match different environmental conditions in the GI tract, ensuring reliable and steady traversal.
3Reliability
If enteric coating is used to control balloon expansion, then specific gravity control is improved, but coating dissolution timing must be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
An enteric coating is introduced as an intermediary layer between the inflatable balloon and the GI tract environment. This coating acts as a timed release mechanism that controls when the balloon inflates by dissolving at specific pH levels or locations in the digestive system.
Solution Approach 2:
The enteric coating utilizes phase transition or chemical dissolution at specific pH conditions to trigger balloon inflation. The coating remains intact in acidic environments and dissolves in less acidic environments, providing automatic timing control for specific gravity adjustment based on the capsule's location in the GI tract.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables the capsule endoscope to maintain a steady speed and navigate effectively through various regions of the GI tract, improving image quality and diagnostic accuracy by adjusting its specific gravity in response to different environments, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
The enteric coating on the enteric coated shell prevents or delays body liquid infusion or dissolution of the enteric coated shell when the capsule unit is in stomach
Implementation Method 2
The inflatable device starts to inflate when the enteric coated shell is dissolved and the body liquid enters the inflatable balloon and gets in touch with the effervescent formulation inside the inflatable balloon
Implementation Method 3
controls specific gravity via controlling design parameters for an inflatable device and an associated enteric coated enclosure
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a capsule endoscope with specific gravity control. The capsule endoscope comprises a housing to enclose various components, an inflatable device attached to a first longitudinal end of the capsule unit and an enteric coated shell attached to the first longitudinal end of the capsule unit to enclose the inflatable device between the enteric coated shell and the capsule unit. The various components include a camera sub-system for capturing image frames. The inflatable device comprises an inflatable membrane and an effervescent formulation inside the inflatable membrane. The enteric coated shell fits tightly onto the first longitudinal end of the capsule unit to prevent body liquid from leaking into a space between the enteric coated shell and the capsule unit when the capsule unit travels in human gastrointestinal tract after being swallowed.