Motorized Zoom Focus Microscope for Surgical Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical microscopes require manual adjustment of zoom and focus, which is time-consuming and challenging during medical procedures, and there is inconsistency in image capture and light sources across different medical centers, making image comparison difficult.
Innovation Solution
A motorized optical imaging system with moveable zoom and focus optics, controlled by actuators and a processor that allows for independent adjustment of zoom and focus, and includes a camera for image capture, ensuring consistent image quality and reducing manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of zoom and focus is used in surgical microscopes, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment of zoom and focus with motorized actuators controlled by a controller. The zoom actuator adjusts the zoom lens position and the focus actuator adjusts the focus lens position based on control signals, eliminating the need for manual mechanical manipulation during surgical procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-adjustment through automated control mechanisms. The controller automatically manages the zoom and focus actuators based on pre-programmed sequences or real-time feedback, allowing the microscope to self-adjust without requiring continuous manual intervention by the surgeon.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate narrow field and wide field scopes are used, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic field-of-view adjustment by motorizing the zoom lens, allowing continuous transition between narrow and wide field views within a single microscope. The zoom actuator enables the field of view to be dynamically changed from wide to narrow or vice versa, replacing the need for separate fixed-field scopes.
Solution Approach 2:
A single surgical microscope is designed to perform multiple functions by incorporating both wide-field and narrow-field capabilities through motorized zoom. The system can switch between different field-of-view modes as needed, making one device universal for various surgical viewing requirements that previously required separate specialized scopes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate cameras and light sources are used at different medical centers, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inconsistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the camera and light source as built-in components of the surgical microscope system. The camera is positioned within the optical path of the microscope and the light source is integrated into the illumination system, ensuring that image capture and illumination are consistently coupled. This integration guarantees that the same optical train and imaging parameters are used across different installations, eliminating variability between separate equipment configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical imaging system for imaging a target during a medical procedure, the imaging system involving an optical assembly having moveable zoom optics and moveable focus optics, a zoom actuator and a focus actuator for positioning the zoom and focus optics, respectively, a controller for controlling the zoom and focus actuators independently in response to received control input, a camera for capturing an image of the target from the optical assembly, the system capable of performing autofocus during a medical procedure.