Ingestible endoscopic optical scanning device

Abstract

An ingestible scanning device includes, in an embodiment, a capsule housing having a transparent window and sized so as to be ingestible, a photo-sensing array located within the capsule housing, a mirror located within the housing and oriented to direct an image from a surface outside the transparent window to the photo-sensing array, and a light source for illuminating the surface outside the transparent window.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ingestible scanning device, comprising:
 an ingestible capsule housing having a transparent window;   a photo-sensing array located within the ingestible capsule housing; and   a stationary conical reflector, located within the ingestible capsule housing, configured to deflect an image into a circular band to project a toroidal shaped image onto the photo-sensing array.   
     
     
         2 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 1 , wherein the photo-sensing array comprises a two dimensional photodetector array. 
     
     
         3 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 1 , wherein the stationary conical reflector is arranged to be oriented along a center axis of the ingestible scanning device. 
     
     
         4 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a lens, situated between the photo-sensing array and the stationary conical reflector, configured to focus the image onto the photo-sensing array.   
     
     
         5 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 4 , wherein the lens comprises a cylindrical lens. 
     
     
         6 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 5 , wherein the circular band is approximately centered at ninety degrees to an axis of the cylindrical lens. 
     
     
         7 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light source configured to illuminate a surface corresponding to the image with light.   
     
     
         8 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 7 , wherein the image is associated with the light being reflected from the surface. 
     
     
         9 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 7 , wherein the light source comprises one or more light emitting diodes. 
     
     
         10 . The ingestible scanning device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a mirror, arranged to be at an angle to the photo-sensing array, configured to view the image through an aperture of the ingestible capsule housing.