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Non-invasive flow monitoring

  • US 10,178,959 B1
  • Filed: 07/10/2014
  • Issued: 01/15/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A device comprising:

  • a light source, wherein the light source is configured to emit a beam of coherent illumination into a portion of subsurface vasculature;

    a volume holographic grating optically coupled to the light source, wherein the volume holographic grating is configured to increase a coherence length of the beam of coherent illumination emitted by the light source;

    a light sensor, wherein the light sensor detects a pattern of constructive and destructive interference in light emitted from the portion of subsurface vasculature in response to the coherent illumination from the light source and outputs a detected light intensity waveform comprising a plurality of pulses corresponding to speckle events caused by motion of one or more individual particles in the subsurface vasculature, wherein each pulse in the plurality of pulses includes a respective rising edge, plateau, and falling edge; and

    a controller coupled to the light source and the light sensor, wherein the controller comprises an analog frontend that processes the output of the light sensor, wherein the analog frontend comprises a differentiator configured to output a signal indicative of a rate of increase during a rising edge of each respective pulse, and wherein the controller (i) determines velocities of the one or more individual particles based on the output of the differentiator, and (ii) determines a flow property of fluid in the portion of subsurface vasculature based on the determined velocities of the one or more individual particles.

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