APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING BODY lMAGING

• US 20180000336A1
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyto Care, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Tyto Care, Ltd.
• Inventors: GlLAD-GILOR, David, DUBIN, Uri, BYCHKOV, Eyal
• Granted Patent: US 11,298,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00142 with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/227 for ears, i.e. otoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal

Abstract

An otoscope, comprising: (a) a flexible speculum, operable to be inserted into an ear canal; (b) a stopper, coupled to the flexible speculum, operable to limit penetration depth of the flexible speculum into the ear canal; and (c) an imaging sensor, located inside the flexible speculum, operable to capture an image of an eardrum of the ear canal; wherein a flexibility of the flexible speculum allows alignment of the imaging sensor according to a shape of the ear canal.

Claims

1. An otoscope, the otoscope comprising:

a flexible speculum, operable to be inserted into an ear canal;

a stopper, coupled to the flexible speculum, operable to limit penetration depth of the flexible speculum into the ear canal; and

an imaging sensor, located inside the flexible speculum, operable to capture an image of an eardrum of the ear canal;

wherein a flexibility of the flexible speculum allows alignment of the imaging sensor according to a shape of the ear canal.

2. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is wider than the ear canal.

3. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the flexible speculum comprises a rigid tip which comprises the imaging sensor, and a flexible part coupling the rigid tip and a base of the flexible speculum.

4. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is operable to capture the image of the eardrum when a bending of the flexible speculum blocks any line of sight between a leading plane of the flexible speculum and a base of the flexible speculum.

5. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is operable to capture the image of the eardrum when an optical axis of the imaging sensor and a longitudinal axis of a back part of the flexible speculum define an angle of at least 10 degrees.

6. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is mechanically configurable to limit the penetration of the flexible speculum into the ear canal to different depths.

7. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the flexible speculum may be detachably coupled to a plurality of different sized stoppers.

8. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor is operable to capture the image of the eardrum when an auricle of the ear canal is at its rest position, wherein the rest position of the auricle is such which does not provide a line of sight to the eardrum from outside the ear canal.

9. The otoscope according to claim 1, wherein a distance of the imaging sensor from a leading plane of the flexible speculum smaller than a quarter of a distance between the stopper and the leading plane.

10. The otoscope according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible cover for covering the flexible speculum, the flexible cover comprising an optical tip which is operable to transfer light from the eardrum to the imaging sensor.

11. The otoscope according to claim 10, further comprising a coupling for detachably coupling the flexible cover and the flexible speculum.

12. The otoscope according to claim 1, further comprising a physiological sensor positioned inside the flexible speculum, the physiological sensor is operable to measure a nonvisual physiological parameter inside the ear canal.

13. A method for intraaural imaging, the method comprising:

inserting a flexible speculum into an ear canal, so that the inserting causes bending of the flexible speculum inside the ear canal, thereby aligning an imaging sensor comprised in the flexible speculum according to a shape of the ear canal; and

after the imaging sensor captures an image of an eardrum of the ear canal, removing the flexible speculum from the ear canal.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising stopping the insertion of the flexible speculum into the ear canal when a stopper coupled to the flexible speculum limits further penetration of the flexible speculum into the ear canal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the stopper is wider than the ear canal.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the inserting is preceded by mechanically configuring a penetration depth limit allowed by a stopper which is coupled to the flexible speculum and which limits a penetration depth of the flexible speculum into the ear canal;

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the inserting is preceded by selecting a stopper out of a plurality of different stoppers, and coupling the selected stopper to the flexible speculum, for limiting a penetration depth of the flexible speculum into the ear.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the inserting comprises inserting the flexible speculum which comprises a rigid tip which comprises the imaging sensor and a flexible part coupling the rigid tip and a base of the flexible speculum.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the inserting comprises inserting the flexible speculum to the ear canal to a depth in which a bending of the flexible speculum blocks any line of sight between a leading plane of the flexible speculum and a base of the flexible speculum.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the inserting diverts an optical axis of the imaging sensor by at least 10 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of a back part of the flexible speculum at a time in which the imaging sensor captures the image of the eardrum.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein the inserting comprises inserting the imaging sensor to the ear canal when an auricle of the ear canal is at its rest position, wherein the rest position of the auricle is such which does not provide a line of sight to the eardrum from outside the ear canal.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein the inserting is preceded by covering the flexible speculum with a flexible cover which comprises an optical tip which allows transmission of light through the optical tip to the imaging sensor.