Capsule Sensor Shielding Plate Blocks Light Bypass
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood-detecting capsules in the intensive care unit face reliability issues due to deviations in measurement results despite unchanged boundary conditions, primarily caused by light bypassing through the capsule casing rather than the intended fluid path, leading to inaccurate blood detection.
Innovation Solution
A medical capsule equipped with a sensor device featuring a shielding plate or membrane at the bottom of the recess, extending along the width and protruding beyond it, to block light from bypassing through the casing material, ensuring light transmission only occurs through the intended path between the LEDs and the light sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the recess is dimensioned to allow fluids to flow into the optical pathway without additional shielding structures, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but light bypasses through the capsule casing causing measurement precision to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A shielding plate is introduced as an intermediary element between the light source and light detector. This plate selectively blocks light paths that bypass the fluid sample while allowing light that passes through the fluid to reach the detector, thereby improving measurement accuracy without requiring complete redesign of the optical system
Solution Approach 2:
The optical pathway is segmented into valid and invalid regions using the shielding plate. The plate creates distinct light paths: one that passes through the fluid sample (valid) and one that bypasses it (invalid), allowing the system to maintain simplicity while improving precision by blocking only the unwanted light paths
2Reliability
If the capsule casing material is made translucent to allow light transmission, then the optical sensor can function, but light bypasses through the casing causing reliability to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The translucent property of the capsule casing, which initially causes harmful light bypass, is converted into a benefit by using the shielding plate to selectively block only the unwanted bypass light while allowing the necessary light transmission through the fluid path to occur. The casing's translucence is thus transformed from a source of error into an acceptable feature
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding plate acts as a mediator between the translucent capsule casing and the optical sensor. It prevents the harmful effect of light bypass through the casing while maintaining the beneficial light transmission through the fluid, thereby improving reliability without requiring the casing to be opaque
3Manufacturing precision
If the recess width is reduced to improve manufacturing precision, then the optical pathway is better controlled, but the signal strength decreases causing measurement precision to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding plate is strategically positioned and dimensioned to provide localized light blocking only where needed. By extending the plate to exceed the recess width, it prevents light bypass at the edges while maintaining an optimized recess width for signal strength, thus achieving both manufacturing precision and measurement precision
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
This solution enhances measurement accuracy and reproducibility by preventing light bypass and reducing noise from the capsule's material translucence and surface quality, thereby improving the reliability of blood detection in gastrointestinal bleeding scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
A medical capsule (1) equipped with a sensor device (2)... the capsule (1) is provided with a shielding plate/layer/membrane (14)... to prohibit emitted light from bypassing the recess (8) via the capsule material
Implementation Method 2
blood has the characteristic optical property of high absorption of violet light, while red light is comparatively well transmitted... a quotient of the measured intensity of red light divided by the measured intensity of violet light is used as a single indicator value to predict the presence of blood
Data Source
AI summary
A medical capsule is equipped with a sensor device having light emitting and light receiving elements. The sensor device can detect blood on the basis of light absorption properties of the blood. The capsule has a casing forming a recess or gap at its outer surface. The recess has a pre-selected width which represents a fixed measuring track between the light emitting and light receiving elements being arranged at opposing sides of the recess or gap when seen in its width direction. The medical capsule also has a shielding plate/layer/membrane arranged at least at or near the bottom of the recess or gap and extending along the width direction of the recess or gap preferably to exceed the recess at both sides into its width direction to prohibit emitted light from bypassing the recess via the casing material of the capsule.