Image enhancement in optical coherence tomography using deconvolution
First Claim
1. A method for generating interferogram data of a sample in an optical coherence tomography system, the optical coherence tomography system including a main interferometer having an optical radiation source and a sample arm, the method comprising the steps of:
- acquiring auto-correlation data for the main interferometer;
acquiring cross-correlation data from the main interferometer with the sample in the sample arm; and
processing the auto-correlation data and the cross-correlation data to produce an optical impulse response of the tissue.
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Abstract
The present invention provides an improved optical coherence tomography system and involves estimating the impulse response (which is indicative of the actual reflecting and scattering sites within a tissue sample) from the output interferometric signal of an interferometer according to the following steps: (a) acquiring auto-correlation data from the interferometer system; (b) acquiring cross-correlation data from the interferometer system having the biological tissue sample in the sample arm; and (c) processing the auto-correlation data and the cross correlation data to produce an optical impulse response of the tissue. The impulse response may be obtained from the cross-correlation and auto-correlation data by: (d) obtaining an auto-power spectrum from the auto-correlation data by performing a Fourier transform on the auto-correlation data; (e) obtaining a cross-power spectrum from the cross-correlation data by performing a Fourier transform on the cross-correlation data; (f) obtaining a transfer function of the LSI system by taking a ratio of the cross-power spectrum to the auto-power spectrum; and (g) obtaining the optical impulse response of the LSI system by performing an inverse-Fourier transform on the transfer function. Preferably, coherent demodulation is used in combination with the above deconvolution technique to resolve closely-spaced reflecting sites in the sample. By utilizing both the magnitude and phase data of the demodulated interferometric signals, the OCT system of the present invention is able to distinguish between closely spaced reflecting sites within the sample.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method for generating interferogram data of a sample in an optical coherence tomography system, the optical coherence tomography system including a main interferometer having an optical radiation source and a sample arm, the method comprising the steps of:
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acquiring auto-correlation data for the main interferometer; acquiring cross-correlation data from the main interferometer with the sample in the sample arm; and processing the auto-correlation data and the cross-correlation data to produce an optical impulse response of the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An optical coherence tomography system comprising:
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a low coherence optical radiation source; a first translating reference optical reflector; a first beam splitter, splitting the radiation source into two paths, one path directed to a sample and the other path directed to the first reference reflector; a first beam combiner for combining beams reflected from the sample with beams reflected from the first reference reflector; a first optical detector for acquiring a data package from the first beam combiner; a Fourier transform device, operatively coupled to an output of the first optical detector for generating a power spectrum from the data package; a processor device, operatively coupled to an output of the Fourier transform device and having access to a memory device, for generating a transfer function with the power spectrum; and an inverse-Fourier transform device, operatively coupled to an output of the processor device, for generating an impulse response from the transfer function. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An optical coherence tomography system comprising:
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a main interferometer including an optical radiation source and a sample arm, the main interferometer generating a cross-correlation data output of a sample in the sample arm; a means for generating or calculating an auto-correlation data output; and a data processing system, operatively coupled to an output of the main interferometer, processing the auto-correlation data and the cross-correlation data to produce an optical impulse response of the sample. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An optical coherence tomography system, comprising:
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an electromagnetic radiation source generating source radiation; a reference optical reflector; means for directing the source radiation to a sample; means for directing the source radiation to a reference reflector; means for combining reflected radiation from the sample and from the reference reflector, to produce combined reflected radiation; and means for obtaining an estimate of an optical impulse response from the combined reflected radiation. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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39. A method for generating interferogram data of a sample in an optical coherence tomography system, the optical coherence tomography system including a main interferometer having an optical radiation source and a sample arm, the method comprising the steps of:
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acquiring auto power spectra for the main interferometer; acquiring cross power spectra from the main interferometer with the sample in the sample arm; and processing the auto power spectra and the cross power spectra to produce an optical impulse response of the tissue.
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Specification