Patent Publication Number: US-2006004258-A1

Title: Image-type intubation-aiding device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an electronic surgical image examination instrument for penetration into a body and, more particularly, to an image-type intubation-aiding device for helping a doctor with the intubation of tracheal tube.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      An endoscope is an instruments widely used in medicine. It is generally used to examine hollow internal organs or cavities. An endoscope can increase the brightness within the range of a wound and can also enlarge the field of vision for a doctor. A doctor can make use of an endoscope to perform an operation for many wounds without resulting in a larger wound.  
      Conventionally, many fibers bundled together with a charge couple device (CCD) used to take pictures to form an endoscope, which is used to penetrate hollow organs (e.g., stomach, large intestine and trachea) to get tissue images for determining the type and development degree of diseases. Light from a light source is transmitted through the fibers to illuminate a tissue of the human body. The reflected light is transmitted back via the fibers to the CCD for formation of an image displayed on a screen. The diameter of common fibers is smaller than 200 μm. In order to observe an image region from several millimeters to several centimeters, it is necessary to bundle a considerable number of fibers to obtain an image with a sufficient resolution. Moreover, the size of CCD is generally large. The above fiber-type endoscope has the disadvantages of high price and complexity and difficult assembly and maintenance. Because, the above fiber-type endoscope has a high price, it is usually used repetitively for many times so that infection may occur due to difficult sterilization.  
      In order to solve the above problems of the fiber-type endoscope, U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,043 discloses a transmission type endoscope, wherein a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor replaces the CCD. As shown in  FIG. 1   a , a transmission type endoscope  10  applies to common surgical operations or endoscopic operations. The transmission type endoscope  10  comprises a penetrating member  102 , a hollow portal sleeve  104  connected with the penetrating member, and a main body  106  at the rear end. As shown in  FIG. 1   a , the penetrating member  102  has a sharp front end  1022  for penetrating tissues, LED light sources  1024  and  1026  for illumination, object lenses  1028  and  1030  for focusing images, and CMOS image sensors  1032  and  1034  for converting optical signals into electric signals. After the electric signals are sent to the main body  106  via signal lines  108  and  110  and then processed, images will be displayed on a display  112  disposed on the main body  106 . A handle  114  for convenient holding is also disposed below the main body  106 .  
      U.S. application Ser. No. 2002/0080248 A1 discloses an endoscope of another type. Light from the light source and reflected light are sent via fibers in conventional endoscopes. In this disclosure, the illumination way of the light source is reserved. Only the CCD image sensor is replaced with a CMOS image sensor. As shown in  FIG. 2 , an endoscope  20  comprises a flexible sleeve  202 , a handle  204 , and a control box  206 . An optical imaging device  208  is installed at the front end of the flexible sleeve  202 . The optical imaging device  208  comprises from outside to inside an outer cover  2082 , fibers  2084 , and an image sensing device  2086 . An optical lens  210  is disposed at the front end of the image sensing device  2086 . A CMOS sensor is disposed behind the image sensing device  2086 . The CMOS sensor can be a circular image sensor  212  or a square image sensor  214 . The handle  204  is used for convenient maneuvering of the endoscope  20 . The control box  206  provides electric power and has an image processing board  216  for processing image signals.  
      Although the above two disclosures solve the problems of fiber-type endoscopes and avoid the situation of using too many fibers. The advantages of the CMOS image sensor like small size and power saving aren&#39;t fully made use of.  
      Accordingly, the present invention aims to propose an image-type intubation-aiding device to solve the above problems in the prior art.  
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
      The primary object of the present invention is to provide an image type intubation-aiding device comprising a small-size image sensor and a light source placed in an endotracheal tube to help doctors with quick intubation. Surgeon can rotate or move the probing device through the handle to quickly find the position of trachea. The image type intubation-aiding device of the present invention also applies to other hollow organs.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide an image type intubation-aiding device, which makes use of the advantages of a CMOS image sensor like small size and power saving and new optical techniques to increase the spot ratio of nidus.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide an image type intubation-aiding device, wherein a tiny CMOS image sensor and light emitting diodes (LED) or organic light emitting diodes (OLED) used as the illumination light source replace the conventional expensive and vulnerable fiber-type endoscope to effectively lower the cost of medical treatment.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide an image type intubation-aiding device, whereby disposable endoscopes are available to avoid infection of the human body due to repetitive use of conventional endoscopes.  
      To achieve the above objects, the present invention proposes an image type intubation-aiding device comprising a probing device made of material compatible with the human body, a flexible soft tube, a display device, and a power source device. The probing device comprises a housing, a light source module behind the housing for illuminating the front, and an optical and imaging device behind the light source module for converting the optical signal into an electric signal. The flexible soft tube is connected with the probing device. The display device is connected with the flexible soft tube and the optical and imaging device. The display device is used to receive the electric signal for displaying after processing. The power source device is connected with all the above devices for providing electric power.  
      The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of a conventional transmission type endoscope;  
       FIG. 1   b  is a perspective view of a penetrating member of a conventional transmission type endoscope;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a conventional endoscope;  
       FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3   b  is an enlarged perspective view of a probing device of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a rotation diagram of a display device of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a structure diagram of a biopsy device in a flexible soft tube of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a diagram showing how an image is transmitted to a mask type head-up display of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 8  is a diagram showing how an image is transmitted to a handheld display of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The present invention proposes an image type intubation-aiding device. As shown in  FIG. 3   a , an image type intubation-aiding device  30  comprises a probing device  302  made of material compatible with the human body. As shown in  FIG. 3   b , the probing device  302  comprises a housing  3022  with a diameter smaller than 15 mm. The housing  3022  is pervious to light or has several holes for light penetration. A light-collecting lens  3024  is disposed in the housing  3022 . The light-collecting lens  3024  can be integrally formed with the housing  3022 . The light-collecting lens  3024  is used for light collection to produce an optical signal. A light source module  3026  is disposed behind the housing  3022  for illuminating the front through the light-collecting lens  3024 . An optical and imaging device  3028  is disposed behind the light source module  3026  for converting the optical signal into an electric signal like a digital signal or an analog signal. The image type intubation-aiding device  30  also comprises a flexible soft tube connected with the probing device  302 . The image type intubation-aiding device  302  also comprises a black/white or color display device  306  capable of rotating for 360 degrees. The display device  306  can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting display, or a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL). The display device  306  is connected with the flexible soft tube  304 , and is connected to the optical and imaging device  3028  via electric wires. The display device  306  is rotatable to facilitate operation for medical staffs. The display device  306  receives the electric signal converted by the optical and imaging device  3028  for displaying after processing in a wired or wireless way. The image type intubation-aiding device  30  also comprises a power source device like a common AC power, a battery, or a rechargeable battery for providing electric power.  
      As shown in  FIG. 5 , a hole is formed on the flexible soft tube  304  with a biopsy device  305  disposed therein for sampling, sectioning, or inflation to facilitate sampling and providing oxygen for a patient in real time during intubation. Please refer to  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b . There is a thick metal wire in the flexible soft tube  304 . An operator holds the handle  308  to drive a soft tube retractable device  3082  for controlling the bend angle of the flexible soft tube  304 . When the soft tube retractable device  3082  is pushed to the bottom, the thick metal wire penetrates deeply into the flexible soft tube  304  to straighten it; otherwise, the flexible soft tube  304  will bend. In order to the thick metal wire, there are also electric wires for transmission or electric power and signal in the flexible soft tube  304 . The light source module  3026  comprises light emission devices  3030  of several wavelength bands like LEDs or OLEDs of white light, blue light, red light, other single color lights or mixed color lights. The housing  3022  is in front of the light emission devices  3030 . Light from the light emission devices  3030  is transmitted through the light-collecting lens  3024  in the housing  3022  compatible with the human body and pervious to light to illuminate the front. The light source module  3026  also comprises a light source drive circuit  3032  for driving the light emission devices  3030  to emit light. The optical and imaging device  3028  comprises a focusing lens  3034  having a visual angle larger than  36  degrees, an image sensor  3038  (e.g., a CMOS or a CCD) disposed on an image sensor drive circuit board  3036  having a voltage-regulating capacitor. The focusing lens  3034  is fixed on a lens holder  3042 . The image sensor  3038  converts the optical signal into an electric signal, and is sleeved in a cover body  3044  compatible with the human body. The power source device is disposed in the handle  308  behind and connected with the display device  306 . A control circuit  307  is disposed in the handle  308  for capturing a video or taking a picture so as to use the display device  306  to view the probed position inside the human body or transmit the image to a computer.  
      When the image type intubation-aiding device  30  is in use, the light emission devices  3030  with several wavelength bands in the housing  3022  emit light. The light is transmitted through the transparent housing  3022  and reflected by a target. Making use of the light emission devices  3030  with several wavelength bands to probe the human body can detect out the variation of disease region to produce special images. After illumination by the light source module  3026  integrated with the housing  3022  and light collection by the light-collecting lens  3024  to produce an optical signal, which is focused by the focusing lens  3034  in the lens holder  3042 . The optical signal is converted into an electric signal by the image sensor  3038  and then displayed on the display device  306  after processing. A common AC power, a battery, or a rechargeable battery provides the electric power for operation.  
      In the optical and imaging device  3028 , a CMOS image sensor is installed behind the light emission devices  3030 . Light reflected by the human body is focused by an object lens onto the CMOS image sensor, which converts the optical signal into an electric signal. The electric signal is processed by the image sensor drive circuit board  3036  and is then sent to the display device  306  via electric wires for real-time monitoring of images of the human body tissue. Further image processing can identify organs or nidus. Due to continual decrease of the feature size below 0.35 μm of the semiconductor fabrication process, the size of the CMOS image sensor will shrink constantly. Moreover, because of the packaging way changing from chip on board (COB) to chip size package (CSP), the packaged CMOS image sensor will be only slightly larger than the die. Besides, the size of the whole optical and imaging device  3028  can be reduced to be smaller than 5 mm due to progress of the fabrication technology of micro lens for the focusing lens  3034 . The size of LED light source is also very small. It is hopeful that the outer diameter of the part penetrating into the human body of the whole device be smaller than 5 mm.  
      As shown in  FIG. 6 , the flexible soft tube  304  is placed in an endotracheal tube, an inflation bag  312  is installed in front of the endotracheal tube  315 , and the inflation bag  312  is connected with an injector  314  for inflation. When an operator sticks the flexible soft tube  304  into the throat of a patient, he can inflate the inflation bag  312  using the injector  314 . The endotracheal tube  315  can thus be fixed on the trachea of the patient to facilitate operation for medical staffs.  
      As shown in  FIG. 7 , a wireless transmission device  316  can be installed in the original image type intubation-aiding device to wirelessly transmit images to a mask type head-up display  318  or a handheld display  320  shown in  FIG. 8 . This function can facilitate use for medical staffs, and can also avoid infection of the medical staffs due to short-distance contact with the patient.  
      To sum up, the present invention provides an image type intubation-aiding device to help doctors with intubation of the human body. Through control of a handheld handle, the lens can be turned or moved to quickly find the position of trachea. Moreover, the advantages of the CMOS image sensor like small size and power saving and new optical techniques are made use of to increase the spot ratio of nidus. The conventional expensive and vulnerable fiber type endoscopes can be replaced to lower the cost. Moreover, disposable endoscopes are available to avoid infection of the human body due to repetitive use of endoscope.  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.