Distal PCB Imaging Assembly With Clear Sealing Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical imaging devices often malfunction due to overcrowding and interference between components, leading to field failures, compromised image feeds, and wear between cables and components, resulting in significant rework or replacement costs.
Innovation Solution
A medical device design featuring a printed circuit board (PCB) with an optically clear covering, secured to a shaft via an overmold, which seals electronic components from external environments and allows for clear imaging and illumination while accommodating steering cables and fluid channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If components are potted into a distal cap, then component integration is achieved, but component overcrowding and interference occur
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: the PCB assembly with electronic components is separated from the distal cap, and the distal cap is separated from the shaft. This segmentation eliminates component overcrowding by distributing components across different modules rather than confining them all within the distal cap.
Solution Approach 2:
The PCB is positioned in a different spatial dimension (adjacent to the distal end of the shaft rather than inside the distal cap), creating additional space and eliminating interference between optical fibers and cables that would occur in a confined three-dimensional space.
2Area of stationary object
If plastic optical fibers are placed near cables, then space utilization is improved, but image feed is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The imager and lights are extracted from the distal cap and mounted on a separate PCB assembly. This extraction creates physical separation between the plastic optical fibers (used for illumination) and the cables (used for image transmission), preventing interference while maintaining efficient space utilization through modular design.
3Volume of moving object
If components are crowded in the distal cap, then device size is reduced, but wear and corrosion increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into modular components (PCB assembly, distal cap, shaft), each component can be optimized independently. The PCB assembly with mounted components is positioned adjacent to the distal end rather than crowded inside the distal cap, reducing mechanical stress, wear, and corrosion while maintaining a compact overall device size.
4Reliability
If an optically clear covering is added to seal the PCB, then fluid ingress is prevented, but optical transmission may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The covering material is selected to have optically clear properties in the specific regions where light transmission is needed, while providing fluid sealing in other regions. This local differentiation of material properties allows the covering to simultaneously prevent fluid ingress and maintain optical transmission for imaging and illumination functions.
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 effectively prevents fluid ingress, reduces wear, and maintains clear image and light transmission, thereby minimizing device malfunctions and associated costs.
Implementation Method 1
an optically clear covering that seals the PCB from the external environment
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device comprising a shaft defining a first channel having a distal opening, a printed circuit board (PCB) coupled to a distal end of the shaft to expose the distal opening to an external environment, wherein the PCB includes an imager and at least one light, the imager and the at least one light mounted on a distal facing surface of the PCB, and an optically clear covering, wherein the covering covers the imager and the at least one light.