Optical imaging system with symmetric optical probe
First Claim
1. An optical probe for an optical imaging system capable of generating images representing distribution of hemoglobins or their properties in target areas of a physiological medium, said optical probe including a plurality of wave sources and wave detectors, said wave sources configured to form optical coupling with said medium and to irradiate near-infrared electromagnetic waves thereinto and said wave detectors configured to detect said near-infrared electromagnetic waves and configured to generate output signals in response thereto, said optical probe comprising:
- a plurality of symmetrically disposed scanning units each of which including a first wave source, a second wave source, a first wave detector, and a second wave detector, said first wave source disposed closer to said first wave detector than said second wave detector and said second wave source disposed closer to said second wave detector than said first wave detector, wherein a first near-distance between said first wave source and said first wave detector is substantially similar to a second near-distance between said second wave source and said second wave detector, wherein a first far-distance between said first wave source and said second wave detector is substantially similar to a second far-distance between said second wave source and said first wave detector, and wherein said first and second wave detectors are configured to generate said output signals in response to said near-infrared electromagnetic waves irradiated by at least one of said first and second wave sources and detected thereby, said output signals representing optical interaction of said near-infrared electromagnetic waves with said hemoglobins in said target areas of said medium.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to optical probes of optical imaging systems and methods thereof for providing two-or three-dimensional images of spatial or temporal distribution of chromophores and/or their properties in a physiological medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to optical probes of optical imaging systems equipped with optical sensors such as wave sources and wave detectors which are disposed on scanning surfaces of the optical probes in a symmetric fashion. A typical optical probe of the present invention includes at least two wave sources (a first wave source and a second wave source) as well as at least two wave detectors (a first wave detector and a second wave detector), where the first wave source is disposed closer to the first wave detector than the second wave detector, and where the second wave source is disposed closer to the second wave detector than the first wave detector. More particularly, the foregoing wave sources and detectors are arranged so that a first near-distance between the first wave source and the first wave detector is substantially similar or identical to a second near-distance between the second wave source and the second wave detector, and that a first far-distance between the first wave source and the second wave detector is substantially identical or similar to a second far-distance between the second wave source and the first wave detector. The near-distance is preferably one half of the far-distance but may be longer or shorter than the far-distance. Each pair of one of the wave sources and one of the wave detectors is arranged to generate the output signal.
-
Citations
66 Claims
-
1. An optical probe for an optical imaging system capable of generating images representing distribution of hemoglobins or their properties in target areas of a physiological medium, said optical probe including a plurality of wave sources and wave detectors, said wave sources configured to form optical coupling with said medium and to irradiate near-infrared electromagnetic waves thereinto and said wave detectors configured to detect said near-infrared electromagnetic waves and configured to generate output signals in response thereto, said optical probe comprising:
a plurality of symmetrically disposed scanning units each of which including a first wave source, a second wave source, a first wave detector, and a second wave detector, said first wave source disposed closer to said first wave detector than said second wave detector and said second wave source disposed closer to said second wave detector than said first wave detector, wherein a first near-distance between said first wave source and said first wave detector is substantially similar to a second near-distance between said second wave source and said second wave detector, wherein a first far-distance between said first wave source and said second wave detector is substantially similar to a second far-distance between said second wave source and said first wave detector, and wherein said first and second wave detectors are configured to generate said output signals in response to said near-infrared electromagnetic waves irradiated by at least one of said first and second wave sources and detected thereby, said output signals representing optical interaction of said near-infrared electromagnetic waves with said hemoglobins in said target areas of said medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
-
46. An optical probe of an optical imaging system capable of generating images representing distribution of hemoglobins or their properties in target areas of a physiological medium, said optical probe including a plurality of wave sources and a plurality of wave detectors, said wave sources configured to form optical coupling with said medium and to irradiate near-infrared electromagnetic waves thereinto and said wave detectors configured to detect said near-infrared electromagnetic waves and configured to generate output signals in response thereto, said optical probe comprising:
four symmetric scanning units wherein a first scanning unit is identical to a fourth scanning unit and wherein a second scanning unit is identical to a third scanning unit, each of said symmetric scanning units including a first wave source, a second wave source, a first wave detector, and a second wave detector, wherein said first wave source is disposed closer to said first wave detector than said second wave detector and wherein said second wave source is disposed closer to said second wave detector than said first wave detector, wherein a first near-distance between said first wave source and first wave detector is arranged to be substantially similar to a second near-distance between said second wave source and second wave detector, wherein a first far-distance between said first wave source and second wave detector is arranged to be substantially similar to a second far-distance between said second wave source and first wave detector, and wherein said first and second wave sources are configured to be synchronized with said first and second wave detectors to generate said output signals which represent optical interaction of said near-infrared waves with said hemoglobins in said target areas of said medium.
-
49. An optical probe of an optical imaging system capable of generating images representing distribution of hemoglobins or their properties in target areas of a physiological medium, said optical probe including a plurality of wave sources and a plurality of wave detectors, said wave sources configured to form optical coupling with said medium and to irradiate near-infrared electromagnetic waves thereinto and said wave detectors configured to detect said near-infrared electromagnetic waves and configured to generate output signals in response thereto, said optical probe comprising:
-
a plurality of wave sources; and
a plurality of wave detectors, wherein at least one first wave source and at least one first wave detector define a first scanning element in which said first wave source irradiates said near-infrared electromagnetic waves and said first wave detector detects said waves irradiated by said first wave detector and generates a first output signal, wherein at least one second wave source and at least one second wave detector define a second scanning element in which said second wave source irradiates said near-infrared electromagnetic waves and said second wave detector detects said waves irradiated by said second wave detector and generates a second output signal, wherein said first and second scanning elements define a scanning unit in which said first and second wave sources are symmetrically disposed with respect to one of a line of symmetry and a point of symmetry and in each of which said first and second wave detectors are also symmetrically disposed with respect to one of said line of symmetry and said point of symmetry.
-
-
57. A method for generating two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of a target area of a physiological medium by an optical imaging system with an optical probe, said images representing spatial or temporal distribution of hemoglobins or their properties in said medium, wherein said optical probe includes a plurality of wave sources and a plurality of wave detectors, said wave sources configured to form optical coupling with said target area of said medium and to irradiate near-infrared electromagnetic waves thereinto, said wave detector configured to form optical coupling with said target area of said medium and to generate output signals in response to said near-infrared electromagnetic waves detected thereby, said image generating method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a plurality of scanning elements each of which includes at least one of said wave sources for irradiating said waves and at least one of said wave detectors for detecting said waves irradiated by said at least one of said wave sources of said each of said scanning unit;
defining a plurality of scanning units each of which includes at least two of said scanning elements and, therefore, each of which includes at least two of said wave sources and at least two of said wave detectors;
scanning said target area by irradiating electromagnetic waves thereinto by said wave sources and by generating said output signals therefrom by said wave detectors;
grouping output signals generated by each of said scanning units;
obtaining a set of solutions of wave equations applied to said wave sources and detectors of each of said scanning units;
determining said distribution of at least one of hemoglobins and properties thereof from said set of solutions; and
providing said images of said distribution.
-
Specification