DEVICE FOR IMAGING A TURBID MEDIUM

• US 20090069695A1
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Steinkellner, Oliver Heinz, Grosenick, Dirk, Rinneberg, Herbert Heinrich, Nielsen, Tim
• Application Number:
  US12/293,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069695A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/473
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0073 by tomography, i.e. reconstruction of 3D images from 2D projections A61B5/0066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0091 for mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4312 Breast evaluation or disorder diagnosis A61B5/0091 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for imaging a turbid medium (130, 132; 184) comprising: means (110; 134, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146) for optically scanning a predefined maximum area of a scanning plane (102; 104) for acquisition of imaging data, means (134, 136; 206, 208, 210) for detection of an outer contour of the turbid medium, means (112, 120, 122) for controlling the optical scanning such that a sub-area of the maximum area is scanned that is smaller than the maximum area and that covers the outer contour.

Claims

1. A device for imaging a turbid medium (130, 132;

184) comprising;

means (110;

134, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146) for optically scanning a predefined maximum area of a scanning plane (102;

104) for acquisition of imaging data,

means (134, 136;

206, 208, 210) for detection of an outer contour of the turbid medium,

means (112, 120, 122) for controlling the optical scanning such that a sub-area of the maximum area is scanned that is smaller than the maximum area and that covers the outer contour.

2. The device of claim 1, the means for optically scanning comprising a moveable optical fiber (134) and means for moving the optical fiber for performing the optical scanning.

3. The device of claim 1, the means for optically scanning comprising a controllable mirror.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising means (148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158) for detecting return radiation that is returned from the turbid medium in response to the optical scanning.

5. The device of claim 4, the means for detecting the return radiation comprising a plurality of detectors (154, 156, 158) for detection of the return radiation at a plurality of positions.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a moveable head (134) for carrying the first optical fiber for irradiating the turbid medium and second optical fibers (148, 150, 152) for detection of return radiation that is returned from the turbid medium in response to the irradiation.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the means for detecting the return radiation comprises a charged coupled device sensor array.

8. The device of claim 1, operable to use continuous wave or pulsed radiation for performing the optical scanning and further comprising means (124) for a time resolved acquisition of pulse shapes of pulses of primary and/or secondary radiation.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising detector means (134, 136, 154, 156, 158, 170, 172, 174, 176;

196, 198, 198′

, 200, 200′

, 202) for detecting primary and/or secondary radiation, the secondary radiation having a different frequency than the primary radiation.

10. The device of claim 1, the means for optical scanning being adapted to perform the optical scanning from two opposite directions.

11. The device claim 1, the means for optically scanning comprising at least one component that is rotatably mounted for performing the acquisition of the imaging data from at least two different directions.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising means for compressing the turbid medium.

13. The device of claim 1 being a scanning laser-pulse mammograph.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical scanning is performed from two different directions.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein primary and secondary radiation is detected.

14. A method of imaging a turbid medium (130, 132;

184) comprising;

detecting an outer contour of the turbid medium,

optically scanning a sub-area of a maximum scanable area, wherein the sub-area is smaller than the maximum scanable area and covers the outer contour.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting radiation that is returned from the turbid medium in response to the optical scanning in a reverse direction.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the contour of the turbid medium is detected by taking a picture using a charge coupled device camera.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the charge coupled device camera is used for detecting the transmitted and/or return radiation.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein pulsed radiation is used for the optical scanning and further comprising time-resolved acquisition of the pulse shapes of the return radiation and/or transmitted radiation.

21. A computer program product comprising executable instructions for:

detecting an outer contour of a turbid medium,

controlling an optical scanner for optically scanning a sub-area of a maximum scanable area, wherein the sub-area is smaller than the maximum scanable area and covers the outer contour.