Design and Development of a Miniaturized Wireless Imaging System for Capsule Endoscopy

This thesis focuses on the development of a wireless data transfer system for an implantable endoscopic capsule consisting of a miniaturised camera module, a microprocessor and a wireless transceiver. This architecture comprises two subsystems: a Wi-Fi HaLow (IEEE 802.11ah) module and a white light imaging (WLI) module. The WLI module include the camera module and two white LEDs. Therefore, a low-power LED drive circuit was investigated to ensure adequate brightness while minimising power consumption. A dissertation on the historical importance of capsule endoscopy has been conducted, providing a comprehensive overview of modern products used by physicians in clinical centres. Since the dimensions of the capsules are minimal, a comparison of the available hardware must be made in terms of dimensions and performance, for example, resolution and frame rate for the camera module, and transmission data rate for the transceiver. The characteristics of each device have been explained in depth. Several PCBs were developed, including an initial flexible PCB prototype for the camera module. The development of the C/C++ firmware for the microcontroller was the pivotal assignment of the project; the code was then verified by means of several prototypes and creating a final working demonstrator. The conclusive task pertained the design of a miniaturized version of the flexible PCB for the camera module to enable the integration of the complete system inside the capsule.