METHOD AND SYSTEM OF ADJUSTING A FIELD OF VIEW OF AN INTERFEROMETRIC IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20100315652A1
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD.
• Original Assignee: TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD.
• Inventors: Merman, Michal, YELIN, Dvir
• Granted Patent: US 8,804,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/521
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2290/20 Dispersive element for generating dispersion
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/0201 using temporal phase variation
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02027 Two or more interferometric channels or interferometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02044 Imaging in the frequency domain, e.g. by using a spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/0209 Low-coherence interferometers

Abstract

A method of imaging at least a part of an object. The method comprises splitting electro-magnetic radiation to first and second portions, propagating the first and second portions, spectrally dispersing the first portion toward the part and the second portion toward a reference element, combining between reflections of the spectrally dispersed first and second portions to produce an interference signal, capturing an image of the part from the interference, and adjusting at least one of a tilt of said image plane and a curvature of the image by changing a deviation between the phase of at least one spectral component of the first portion and the phase of at least one spectral component of the second portion.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting imaging at least a part of an object, comprising:

splitting electro-magnetic radiation to first and second portions;

propagating said first and second portions;

spectrally dispersing said first portion toward said part and said second portion toward a reference element;

combining between reflections of said spectrally dispersed first and second portions to produce an interference signal;

capturing an image of the part from said interference; and

adjusting at least one of a tilt of said image plane and a curvature of said image by changing a deviation between the phase of at least one spectral component of said first portion and the phase of at least one spectral component of said second portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said capturing comprise presenting said image to a user and receiving instruction for adjusting said at least the image plane therefrom, said adjusting being performed according to said instructions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said propagating is performed in first and second mono-mode optical fibers, said reflections being propagated in said first and second mono-mode optical fibers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is an intrabody surface;

further comprising conducting said first mono-mode optical fiber in an intrabody tubular lumen so as to image said intrabody surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said deviation induces a linear chirp in said interference.

6. An interferometric imaging device for imaging at least a part of an object, comprising:

a beam splitter which splits a coherent light to first and second portions;

a first waveguide which propagates said first portion toward an imaging spectral dispersion element mounted on its tip so as to spectrally dispersing said first portion onto the part;

a second waveguide which propagates said second portion toward a reference element;

a spectral dispersion element which forms a deviation between the phase of at least one spectral component of said first portion and the phase of at least one spectral component of said second portion; and

a combining element which combines between a first reflection of said first portion and a second reflection of said second portion to produce an interference signal;

wherein said spectral dispersion element adjusts at least one of a tilt of said image plane and a curvature of an image formed according to said interference signal by changing said deviation.

7. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, wherein said spectral dispersion element is a controllable spectral dispersion element.

8. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, wherein said object is an intrabody surface and said first waveguide and said imaging spectral dispersion element being sized and shaped for being disposed along an intrabody tubular lumen.

9. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, further comprising a detector which captures an image of the part from said interference.

10. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, further comprising a coherent light source of generating said coherent light.

11. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, wherein said interferometric element and said beam splitter are part of a common interferometer.

12. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, wherein said imaging spectral dispersion element is a grating slanted in relation to a longitudinal axis of the first waveguide.

13. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, wherein said first and second waveguides are single-mode optical fibers.

14. The interferometric imaging device of claim 7, further comprising a man machine interface for allowing a user to control said controllable spectral dispersion element.

15. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, further comprising a variable neutral density (ND) filter for filtering said second portion.

16. The interferometric imaging device of claim 6, wherein said spectral dispersion element is placed to spectrally disperse said second portion.

17. An interferometric imaging device of imaging at least a part of an object, comprising:

a light transmission path arrangement which includes a beam splitter set to split electro-magnetic radiation to first and second portions and first and second waveguides for propagating said first and second portions to radiate, respectively, via an imaging spectral dispersion element and a reference element; and

a light collection path arrangement which includes an interferometric element to interfere between first and second reflections of said first and spectrally dispersed portions and a detector which captures an image of the part from said interfered reflections; and

a spectral dispersion element which changes a deviation between the phase of at least one spectral component of said first portion and the phase of at least one spectral component of said second portion;

wherein said deviation set at least one of a tilt of said image plane and a curvature of said image.

18. A method of planning an imaging instrument, comprising:

receiving at least one of a predefined image plane tilt and a curvature for an image captured by an interferometric imaging device;

calculating a deviation between a phase of at least one spectral component of a first reflection propagated by said interferometric imaging device and a phase of at least one respective spectral component of a second reflection propagated by said interferometric imaging device according to said predefined image plane tilt and said curvature; and

instructing a planning of said imaging instrument using said deviation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said interferometric imaging device is set to capture said image by processing an interference signal generated by a combination of said first and second reflections, said first and second reflections being of first and second portions of electro-magnetic radiation, said first portion being emitted via a selected spectral diffraction imaging element toward an imaged object and said second portion being emitted toward a reference element reflecting said electro-magnetic radiation.