Process and apparatus for measuring density fluctuations occurring with pulsed irradiation of a material

• US 6,671,043 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medizinisches Laserzentrum Lübeck GmbH
• Original Assignee: Medizinisches Laserzentrum Lübeck GmbH
• Inventors: Huettman, Gereon
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda C. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FARAH, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US09/614,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 606/2, 606/4-6, 606/8-12, 606/27, 606/31, 606/127, 606/128, 356/43, 356/300, 356/335-343, 356/51, 250/226, 250/336.1, 250/340, 250/341.1, 250/341.6, 250/341.8, 250/342-346, 374/100, 600/310, 128/898
• US Class Current: 356/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00066 intensity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0011 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00128 related to intensity or progress of surgical action
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1225 using coherent radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00855 Calibration of the laser system
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00863 Retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00821 for coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/009 Auxiliary devices making contact with the eyeball and coupling in laser light, e.g. goniolenses apparatus for eye examination A61B3/0008
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/1702 with opto-acoustic detection, e.g. for gases or analysing solids

Abstract

A process and an apparatus preferably used during the photocagulation of the fundus of human eyes or animals measures density fluctuations caused by pulsed irradiation, such as a laser irradiation source, on a material. A wherein a measuring signal is acoustically or optically detected. The change of the intensity and/or of the time slope of the measuring signal resulting from the irradiation of a specific material point is detected. A linear thermo-elastic signal fraction is removed from the measuring signal.

Claims

1. Process for measuring density fluctuations caused by pulsed irradiation on a material, comprising detecting a measuring signal acoustically or optically, wherein at least one of a change of intensity and time slope of the measuring signal occurring during the irradiation of a specific material point is detected, removing a linear thermo-elastic signal fraction from the measuring signal, and setting an irradiation dose as a function of at least one of the change of intensity and the time slope of the measuring signal except for the removed fraction.

2. Process according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation is laser radiation.

3. Process according to claim 1, wherein one of pulse energy and pulse length is set.

4. Process according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation dose comprising pulse energy is set close to an energy threshold triggering a material change or a phase transition.

5. Apparatus for measuring density fluctuations caused by a pulsed irradiation source on a material, comprising a measuring transducer configured to be acoustically coupled to the irradiated material and to supply an electrically analyzable measuring signal, and an analyzing device operatively connected to the measuring transducer, wherein the analyzing device has a separating device operable to separate a linearly increasing thermo-elastic signal fraction from the measuring signal, a measuring device operable to detect intensity and time slope of the measuring signal freed of the linearly increasing thermo-elastic signal fraction, and a detector device operable to detect a change of at least one of the intensity and the time slope of the measuring signal wherein said pulsed irradiation source is operable to be set to a specific pulse energy as a function of at least one of the change of the intensity and of the time slope of the measuring signal except for the separated fraction.