Method and apparatus for reducing speckle in optical coherence tomography images
First Claim
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1. A method of improving quality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and detectability of sub-surface structures of a sample, comprising:
- focusing incident light on the sample via a lens;
reducing speckle due to detected multiply scattered light (MSL) by performing an average of the detected MSL over different angles of incident light while maintaining a constant optical path length; and
collecting backscattered light from the sample at a full resolution of the lens along an output optical path which is different from optical path of the incident light.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for reducing speckle due to MSL, without any loss of resolution, by averaging over different angles of the incident light at low input resolution, while collecting the backscattered light at a full resolution of a lens is described. The present invention allows discrimination against the speckle due to coherent MSL.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of improving quality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and detectability of sub-surface structures of a sample, comprising:
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focusing incident light on the sample via a lens;
reducing speckle due to detected multiply scattered light (MSL) by performing an average of the detected MSL over different angles of incident light while maintaining a constant optical path length; and
collecting backscattered light from the sample at a full resolution of the lens along an output optical path which is different from optical path of the incident light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, a method of improving quality of OCT images and detectability of sub-surface structures of a sample, comprising:
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focusing incident light on the sample;
reducing speckled noise due to detected multiply scattered light (MSL) by performing an average of the detected MSL over different angles of incident light; and
collecting backscattered light from the sample at a full resolution of a lens, focusing the incident light on the sample, along an output optical path which is different from optical path of the incident light. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for improving quality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and detectability of sub-surface structures of a sample, comprising:
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means for focusing incident light on the sample;
means for reducing speckled noise due to detected multiply scattered light (MSL) by performing an average of the detected MSL over different angles of incident light while maintaining a constant optical path length;
means for collecting backscattered light from the sample at a full resolution of the means focusing the incident light on the sample, wherein the backscattered light is collected along an output optical path which is different from optical path of the incident light, and means for beamsplitting positioned between the means for focusing and the means for collecting along the optical path of the incident light for splitting the backscattered light into the different output optical path to thereby discriminate against speckle due to coherent MSL. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for improving quality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and detectability of sub-surface structures of a sample, comprising:
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a lens for focusing incident light on the sample;
a processor for reducing speckled noise due to detected multiply scattered light (MSL) by performing an average of the detected MSL over different angles of incident light while maintaining a constant optical path length;
an optical device for collecting backscattered light from the sample at a full resolution of the lens along an output optical path which is different from optical path of the incident light, and a beamsplitter positioned between the lens and the optical device along the optical path of the incident light for splitting the backscattered light into the different output optical path to thereby discriminate against speckle due to coherent MSL. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification