Method and apparatus for infrared imaging in small passageways
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an elongate optical portion which has first and second ends and which can transmit infrared image information from said first end to said second end;
a first section which collects infrared image information and supplies it to said first end of said optical portion; and
a second section which includes an infrared image detector that receives infrared image information from said second end of said optical portion.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An infrared imaging system (10) includes a catheter (11). The catheter is inserted into a small passageway, such as a blood vein (23), in order to collect infrared information from the vein. The information is refracted by at least one lens (32, 46, 52, 57, 63) in a collecting section (17, 45, 56, 61) of the catheter, and is imaged onto the ends (38) of an array of optical fibers (34). The fibers transmit the information to a relay lens (42), which images the information onto respective detector elements of an infrared detector (12). The infrared detector converts the information received from the relay lens into electrical information, which is transmitted to a circuit (13). The circuit generates electrical data that is transmitted to a display (16), which displays a visible image based on the infrared radiation emitted by the scene.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. An apparatus comprising:
-
an elongate optical portion which has first and second ends and which can transmit infrared image information from said first end to said second end;
a first section which collects infrared image information and supplies it to said first end of said optical portion; and
a second section which includes an infrared image detector that receives infrared image information from said second end of said optical portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
18. An apparatus comprising:
-
an elongate optical portion which has first and second ends and which can transmit infrared image information from said first end to said second end, said optical portion including a plurality of optical fibers that each have two end portions respectively disposed at said first and second ends; and
a first section which collects infrared image information and supplies it to said first end of said optical portion, said optical portion being flexible, said first section and said optical portion each having a maximum transverse dimension less than approximately 3000 micrometers.
-
-
19. A method comprising the steps of:
-
transmitting infrared image information through an elongate optical portion from a first end thereof to a second end thereof;
collecting infrared image information and supplying it to said first end of said optical portion; and
receiving infrared image information at a section which includes an infrared image detector and which directs infrared image information from said second end of said optical portion onto said image detector.
-
Specification