GB2586570A

GB2586570A - Imaging apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2586570A
Application number: GB1907372.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alistair Thomas Paul
Original assignee: CUPRIS Ltd
Current assignee: CUPRIS Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-24
Filing date: 2019-05-24
Publication date: 2021-03-03
Also published as: WO2020239650A1; GB201907372D0

Abstract

An imaging apparatus 1 for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device as an otoscope. The imaging apparatus has a housing with a handle portion 5 and an imaging portion 3, the handle extending away from the imaging portion at an inclined angle. The imaging portion contains an optical detector and an illumination source, such as a ring of LEDs, and has a connector 7 for a medical tool, such as a speculum, such that an aperture of the connector is aligned with the detector and the illumination source. The housing has a controller connected to the detector and a communications interface 9, that may be wireless, such that it receives signals from the detector and transmits them to the electronic device. The housing may include an adjustable holder 11 for the electronic device, such that it may mount devices of different sizes without obscuring the imaging portion.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No. GII1907372.5 RTM Date:19 November 2020 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Bluetooth Zigbee Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk /ipo

IMAGING APPARATUS

Field

This invention relates to imaging apparatus, particularly but not exclusively to imaging apparatus that can be used as an otoscope.

Whilst preferred embodiments implementing the teachings of the invention will be described below with particular reference to otoscopes for human and veterinary applications, it should be remembered that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the teachings of the invention and that the apparatus described herein may have a number of other applications.

Background

International PCT Patent Application No. W02012/058641 (owned by The Regents of the University of California and entitled "Cellscope Apparatus and methods for imaging") discloses a sleeve that is configured to be slipped over the top of a mobile telephone. The sleeve carries an optical imaging device that is offset towards one corner of the sleeve so as to be aligned with the camera lens and flash of the mobile phone to which it is fitted. The optical imaging device includes an optic fibre bundle that is configured to direct light from the flash of the mobile phone into the ear of a subject.

Reflected light from the inner ear of the subject is directed towards the camera lens of the mobile phone so that an image can be captured of the interior of the subject's ear. Whilst this apparatus allows a medical practitioner to capture still and video images of the inside of the subject's ear, it can be cumbersome and inconvenient to use. For example, as the optical imaging device is offset towards one corner of the phone (so that it aligns with the camera of the phone) and is hidden by the phone in use, it can be difficult for the practitioner to cleanly insert the speculum into the subject's inner ear. The offset nature of the imaging device can also cause the device as a whole to be cumbersome to use, particularly in circumstances where the practitioner rotates the phone to look into the left and right ear or because the user is left or right handed. In addition, as the optical imaging device extends perpendicularly from the rear of the phone it can be difficult for the practitioner to hold the phone without interfering with the subject's face, and for the practitioner to view images on the phone.

Aspects of the present invention have been conceived with the foregoing in mind.

Summary

In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided imaging apparatus for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device as an otoscope, the apparatus comprising: a housing comprising a handle portion and an imaging portion; an optical detector provided within said imaging portion; an illumination source provided within said imaging portion; a connector for a medical tool connected to said imaging portion so that an aperture defined by said connector is aligned with said optical detector and so that light from said illumination source can pass through said aperture; and a controller provided within said housing for the receipt of signals from said optical detector and an interface coupled to said controller for transmitting signals to a portable electronic device; wherein said handle portion includes a proximal region and a distal region, said proximal region being coupled to said imaging portion so that said handle portion extends at an angle from said imaging portion and is inclined away from said imaging portion in a distal direction.

An advantage of this arrangement is that the housing tends not to touch the face of the subject when the apparatus is being used.

Preferably the apparatus further comprises a holder for a portable electronic device, said holder being configured and attached to said handle portion in such a way that a portable electronic device mounted in said holder does not obscure the imaging portion of the housing. This is advantageous as it provides the practitioner with a clear view of the imaging portion whilst the device is being used.

Preferably the holder is arranged so that a portable electronic device mounted in said holder is aligned with said imaging portion so that said imaging portion is substantially midway between a pair of opposing sides of said device.

The holder may be adjustable to accommodate differently sized mobile devices. The holder may be detachable from said handle portion. The holder may be configured so that a screen of a portable electronic device secured in said holder is generally parallel to said handle portion. The interface may comprise a short range wireless interface, such as BluetoothTM or ZigbeeTM, operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from a portable electronic device. The interface may comprise a socket provided in said housing, the socket being configured to receive a plug of a cable for connecting the apparatus to a portable electronic device.

In a preferred arrangement the angle between said imaging and handle portions is greater than 90 degrees. The angle may be between 100 and 120 degrees, preferably substantially 105 degrees.

The connector may comprise a mount for a speculum.

The illumination source comprises a ring of light emitting diodes. A lens assembly of at least one lens may be located between said aperture and said detector, the lens assembly being configured to focus light reflected from a subject onto said detector. The apparatus may comprise means operable to shield said detector from directly incident light from said illumination source.

Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention are described below and will be apparent from the following detailed description of aspects of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Various aspects of the teachings of the present invention, and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation of apparatus embodying the teachings of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus depicted in Fig. 1 with a component of the apparatus in a first state; Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus depicted in Figs. 1 and 2 with a component of the apparatus in a second state; and Fig. 4 is a schematic front perspective view of part of the apparatus depicted in Figs. 1 to 3.

Detailed Description

As mentioned above, preferred embodiments implementing the teachings of the invention will be described below with particular reference to otoscopes for human and veterinary applications. However, it should be remembered that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the teachings of the invention and that the apparatus described herein or adaptations thereof may have a number of other applications.

With that proviso in mind, Fig. 1 is an illustrative side elevation of apparatus 1 embodying the teachings of the present invention.

The apparatus 1 comprises a main housing consisting of an imaging portion 3 and a handle portion 5. As shown in Fig. 1, the handle portion 5 is set at an angle A to the imaging portion 3, which angle is greater than 90 degrees. The advantage of this arrangement is that when the imaging portion is held generally horizontal (as it would tend to be in use) the handle portion is angled away from the imaging portion so that it does not interfere with a subject's face. This arrangement contrasts sharply with previously proposed devices, such as the aforementioned device disclosed in W02012/058641, where the phone inevitably tends to touch the subject's face when the device is in use.

In an envisaged implementation, angle A is between 100 and 120 degrees, most preferably substantially 105 degrees. This is advantageous as it tends to mimic the configuration of typical previously proposed otoscopes, and is as a consequence familiar to practitioners.

A connector 7 for a medical tool is coupled to the imaging portion 3. In the particular example shown in the figures, the connector 7 is configured for attachment to a speculum, but it will be appreciated that other types of connector (suitable for other applications) may be provided. In this example, the connector is configured for twist-on/twist-off coupling to a speculum, as is conventional in the otoscope art.

The imaging portion 3, as is known in the art, houses an optical detector (such as a CCD array, for example) for receiving light reflected from the inside of -in this particular case -the subject's ear to enable the formation of an image. A controller is also provided to receive signals from the optical detector and convert those signals into a form that is suitable to transmission to a portable electronic device, such as a mobile telephone or tablet, and to pass those signals to an interface with the aforementioned device. The portable electronic device is configured to display those signals as an image of, in this case, the inner ear of the subject; and may also be configured to enable a user to control the apparatus to capture images of the inner ear.

The connector 7 includes an aperture (not visible) at its' outermost end, and the optical detector is aligned with that aperture for the receipt of light from the subject via the aperture. A lens assembly, consisting of one or more lenses, may be provided to focus light onto the optical detector. A source of illumination, such as a ring of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is provided within the imaging portion so that -in this case -the inside of the subject's ear can be illuminated. In a preferred arrangement, means are provided to obstruct the direct passage of light from the illumination source to the light detector. For example, a tubular shroud may be provided within the imaging portion, the source of illumination being provided outside of the shroud.

In one envisaged implementation of the teachings of the invention, the interface is a short range wireless interface configured for wireless transmission of signals from the interface to the portable electronic device. For example, the interface may comprise a BluetoothTM or ZigbeeTM wireless interface. In another envisaged implementation, the interface may comprise a socket 9 (in this instance a socket in a distal region of the handle portion) into which a plug at one end of a data cable may be inserted, the other end of the cable being coupled (permanently or temporarily) to the portable electronic device. The socket 9 may comprise, for example, a socket that is compatible with USB plugs.

Referring now to Fig. 2, a holder 11 for a portable electronic device is coupled to the handle portion 5, preferably to a side of the handle portion 5 furthest from the connector 7. The holder 11 comprises a pair of wings 13 that are moveable between the position illustrated in Fig. 2 and the position illustrated in Fig. 3 (where the apparatus is depicted with a speculum 15 attached to the connector) to accommodate portable electronic devices of varying widths. Each wing 13 is mounted on a pair of rods 17 (Fig. 4) that are resiliently biased, for example by means of springs, to draw the wings from the second position towards the first position, thereby ensuring that a portable electronic device located therebetween is securely grasped by the wings 13. The holder 11 also includes a rest 19 for supporting a part of the device that is not grasped between the wings 13.

In use, a portable electronic device will be supported by the holder in a position where a screen of that device is generally parallel with the handle portion.

Advantageously, a device so located will not obscure the imaging portion, thereby facilitating the insertion of the speculum 15 into a subject's ear canal.

In addition, as the wings are substantially parallel with one another, so a device secured therebetween will be arranged so that opposite parallel sides of the device closest and furthest from the imaging region 3 respectively, will be aligned with the imaging region 3 so that the imaging region is centred, at least roughly, with the electronic device. This is particularly advantageous as it makes it much easier for a practitioner to use the device regardless of the hand in which they are holding the device.

In a preferred implementation of the teachings of the invention, the holder is designed to be detachable from the handle portion, leaving a main housing as illustrated in Fig. 4. This is particularly advantageous in circumstances where the apparatus is to be used with an electronic device, such as a PC for example, that is not portable. In such circumstances the practitioner can remove the holder and connect the apparatus to the electronic device -either by means of a wireless connection or by means of a cable plugged into the electronic device at one end and the handle portion at the other.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination of features herein disclosed.

Finally, it should be noted that any element in a claim that does not explicitly state "means for" performing a specified function, or "steps for" performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a "means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. In particular, the use of "step of in the claims appended hereto is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Imaging apparatus for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device as an otoscope, the apparatus comprising: a housing comprising a handle portion and an imaging portion; an optical detector provided within said imaging portion; an illumination source provided within said imaging portion; a connector for a medical tool connected to said imaging portion so that an aperture defined by said connector is aligned with said optical detector and so that light from said illumination source can pass through said aperture; a controller provided within said housing for the receipt of signals from said optical detector and an interface coupled to said controller for transmitting signals to a portable electronic device; wherein said handle portion includes a proximal region and a distal region, said proximal region being coupled to said imaging portion so that said handle portion extends at an angle from said imaging portion and is inclined away from said imaging portion in a distal direction.
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising a holder for a portable electronic device, said holder being configured and attached to said handle portion in such a way that a portable electronic device mounted in said holder does not obscure the imaging portion of the housing.
3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein said holder is arranged so that a portable electronic device mounted in said holder is aligned with said imaging portion so that said imaging portion is substantially midway between a pair of opposing sides of said device.
4. Apparatus according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein said holder is adjustable to accommodate differently sized mobile devices.
5. Apparatus according to any of Claims 2 to 4, wherein holder is detachable from said handle portion.
6. Apparatus according to any of Claims 2 to 5, wherein said holder is configured so that a screen of a portable electronic device secured in said holder is generally parallel to said handle portion.
7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said interface comprises a short range wireless interface, such as BluetoothTM or Zigbeem, operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from a portable electronic device.
8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said interface comprises a socket provided in said housing, the socket being configured to receive a plug of a cable for connecting the apparatus to a portable electronic device.
9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the angle between said imaging and handle portions is greater than 90 degrees.
10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein said angle is between 100 and 120 degrees, preferably substantially 105 degrees.
11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said connector comprises a mount for a speculum.
12. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said illumination source comprises a ring of light emitting diodes.
13. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising a lens assembly of at least one lens located between said aperture and said detector, the lens assembly being configured to focus light reflected from a subject onto said detector.
14. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising means operable to shield said detector from directly incident light from said illumination source.
15. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, or with reference to Fig. 4.