System and method for assembling a swallowable sensing device

• US 20090281380A1
• Filed: 01/01/2006
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Miller, Shahar, Fastovksy, Vitaly, Gilad, Zvika
• Application Number:
  US11/794,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281380A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1616 Near infrared radiation [NIR], e.g. by YAG lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1635 at least passing through one of the parts to be joined, i.e. laser transmission welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1641 making use of a reflector on the opposite side, e.g. a polished mandrel or a mirror pressing means reflective to electromagnetic radiation B29C66/81268
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1674 making use of laser diodes B29C65/167 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1677 making use of an absorber or impact modifier
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4845 Radiation curing adhesives, e.g. UV light curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/58 Snap connection
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1222 comprising at least a lapped joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1224 comprising at least a butt joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/5432 joining hollow covers and hollow bottoms to open ends of container bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/65 with a relative motion between the article and the welding tool B29C65/10, B29C65/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/652 moving the welding tool around the fixed article
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 : Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7174 : Capsules

Abstract

A system and method of assembling a swallowable sensor, including attaching a first piece of a shell of the sensor to a second piece of the shell of the sensor, where the attaching may include for example screwing the first piece to the second piece, welding or gluing the first piece to the second piece, snapping the first piece to the second piece or for example applying laser energy to a pigment in the first piece.

Claims

1. A shell of a swallowable in vivo sensing device comprising a plurality of shell pieces, said pieces joined together.

2. The shell of claim 1, wherein said pieces comprise a front piece and a back piece.

3. The shell of claim 1, wherein said pieces comprise a front piece, a back piece and a middle piece.

4. The shell of claim 1, wherein said pieces comprise horizontal pieces.

5. The shell of claim 1, comprising a screwing groove.

6. The shell of claim 1, comprising a glue.

7. The shell of claim 1, comprising a connecting ring.

8. The shell of claim 1, comprising a pigment, said pigment to bond said shell pieces upon application of laser energy.

9. The shell of claim 8, wherein said pigment has an absorbtion spectrum of 808 nanometers to 1064 nanometers.

10. The shell of claim 8, wherein a piece of said shell pieces have a concentration of said pigment of between 6% to 15%.

11. The shell of claim 8, wherein said pigment is applied to an edge of a piece of said plurality of shell pieces.

12. A method of assembling a swallowable sensor comprising attaching a first of a plurality of pieces of a shell of said sensor to a second of said plurality of pieces of said shell of said sensor.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein said attaching comprises a process selected from the group consisting of gluing, welding, screwing, spinning, snapping and applying laser energy.

14. The method as in claim 12, comprising applying laser energy to a pigment in said first piece of said plurality of pieces of said shell of said sensor.

15. The method as in claim 14, comprising rotating said sensor while applying said laser energy.

16. The method as in claim 12, comprising applying a pigment to an edge of a piece of said plurality of pieces, and applying laser energy to said pigment.

17. A method of binding a first material having a thickness of less than 0.5 millimeters to a second material having a thickness of less than 0.5 millimeters, comprising applying laser energy to a pigment in said first material.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein said applying comprises applying continuous laser energy.

19. The method as in claim 17, wherein said applying comprises applying 10 watts of laser energy.

20. The method as in claim 17, wherein said applying comprises applying laser energy to a spot size of approximately 600 microns.

21. A swallowable capsule comprising a capsule body and a viewing dome, said dome attached to said body by laser welding.

22. The capsule as in claim 21, comprising a pigment that upon the application of laser energy to said pigment, said pigment bonds said body to said dome.