Medical Imaging Device Stereo Sensor Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical imaging devices face challenges in downsizing due to the arrangement of imaging elements, where the long sides of their light receiving surfaces are aligned horizontally, leading to increased size and hindered miniaturization, particularly affecting the holdability and usability during medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
The imaging elements are arranged such that their short sides align with the direction of the optical axes of the observation lights, with long sides opposing each other, allowing for a more compact design and improved holdability by eliminating wasted space on the light receiving surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the two imaging elements are arranged with long sides along the horizontal direction and short sides opposing each other, then the light receiving surfaces can be properly oriented for image capture, but the device size increases in the horizontal direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement of imaging elements by rotating them 90 degrees. Instead of arranging long sides horizontally with short sides opposing, the imaging elements are arranged with short sides horizontally and long sides opposing each other. This inversion resolves the contradiction by maintaining proper light receiving surface orientation while reducing the horizontal device size.
2Manufacturing precision
If the imaging elements are arranged in the conventional posture with long sides horizontal, then the light receiving surfaces are properly oriented, but downsizing of the medical imaging device is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by rotating the imaging elements 90 degrees from their conventional orientation. This allows the light receiving surfaces to remain properly oriented for image capture while significantly reducing the horizontal space required, thereby enabling downsizing of the overall medical imaging device volume.
3Reliability
If the long sides of the light receiving surfaces are lined up in series, then the imaging elements can capture observation lights properly, but the medical imaging device increases in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the arrangement by rotating imaging elements 90 degrees, changing from series alignment of long sides to series alignment of short sides. This maintains the ability to properly capture observation lights while reducing the horizontal device length, as the long sides are now arranged vertically rather than horizontally.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical imaging device includes: a left eye imaging element including a left eye light receiving surface configured to receive left eye observation light from an observed region of a subject; and a right eye imaging element including a right eye light receiving surface configured to receive right eye observation light being an observation light from the observed region and having a parallax from the left eye observation light. The left eye imaging element and the right eye imaging element are arranged such that: short sides of the left eye light receiving surface and the right eye light receiving surface are along a direction in which an optical axes of the left eye observation light and the right eye observation light are juxtaposed with each other; and long sides of the left eye light receiving surface and long sides of the right eye light receiving surface oppose each other.