Method and apparatus for observing subsurfaces of a target material

• US 9,182,343 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Goldfain, Ervin
• Primary Examiner(s): Stock, Jr., Gordon J
• Application Number:
  US14/635,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20150176806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4887 Locating particular structures in or on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/489 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0224 using polarising or depolarising elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0272 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/4792 Polarisation of scatter light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8848 Polarisation of light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/21 Polarisation-affecting properties G01N21/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/474 Details of optical heads therefor, e.g. using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/49 within a body or fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0221 Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method for generating from a light source a light signal operating in a region of the light spectrum, modifying the light signal with a first polarization device having a first polarization state to generate a polarized light signal directed to a target, modifying a substantially specular reflection and a substantially diffused reflection of the polarized light signal generated from the target with a second polarization device having a second polarization state to generate mixed polarized light signals having a mixed polarization state, and adjusting the mixed polarization state to modify an observable range of subsurfaces of the target. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a light source that facilitates emitting a light signal;

a first polarizer incident with the light signal, wherein the first polarizer has a first polarization state that facilitates polarizing the light signal to generate a polarized light signal directed to a target;

a second polarizer incident with a first reflection of the polarized light signal emitted from a top surface of the target and incident with a second reflection of the polarized light signal emitted from subsurfaces of the target, wherein the second polarizer has a second polarization state, and wherein a combination of the first polarization state and the second polarization state creates a mixed polarization state for generating mixed polarized light signals from the first reflection and second reflection;

a mechanical control that facilitates adjusting the mixed polarization state to generate adjusted mixed polarized light signals;

a controller that performs operations comprising;

obtaining configuration information for adjusting the mixed polarization state according to a type of target; and

controlling the mechanical control to adjust the mixed polarization state according to the configuration information by performing a first sweep of wavelengths of light from the light source and a second sweep of mixed polarization states.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical control adjusts the mixed polarization state by adjusting one of the first polarization state or the second polarization state.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises one or more tunable light sources.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first polarizer, the second polarizer, or a combination thereof comprises a linear polarizer, a circular polarizer, an elliptical polarizer, or combinations thereof.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller further performs operations comprising generating an image from the adjusted mixed polarized light signals.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising an imager that facilitates presenting an observable range of the subsurfaces of the target according to the adjusted mixed polarized light signals.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the controller further performs operations comprising presenting the image.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the imager comprises an image sensor.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the image sensor comprises a charge-coupled device sensor.

10. A method, comprising:

generating, by a device comprising a processor, from a light source a light signal;

modifying, by the device, the light signal with a first polarizer having a first polarization state to generate a polarized light signal directed to a target;

modifying, by the device, reflections of the polarized light signal generated from the target with a second polarizer having a second polarization state to generate mixed polarized light signals having a mixed polarization state;

obtaining, by the device, configuration information according to a type of target; and

adjusting, by the device, the mixed polarization state according to the configuration information by performing a first sweep of wavelengths of light from the light source and a second sweep of mixed polarization states, wherein the adjusting generates adjusted mixed polarized light signals that adjust an observable range of subsurfaces of the target; and

generating, by the device, an image from the adjusted mixed polarized light signals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reflections comprise a first reflection of the polarized light signal emitted by a top surface of the target, and a second reflection of the polarized light signal emitted by a subsurface of the target.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the adjusting of the mixed polarization state comprises adjusting the first polarization state, the second polarization state, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting the image.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting the light signal of the light source to adjust the observable range of the subsurfaces of the target.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the target comprises a biological material.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the target comprises a non-biological material.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions, which when executed by a circuit, cause the circuit to perform operations comprising:

emitting a light signal from a light source, wherein the light signal is polarized by a first polarizer having a first polarization state to generate a polarized light signal directed to a target, and wherein a reflection of the polarized light signal generated from the target is modified with a second polarizer having a second polarization state to generate mixed polarized light signals having a mixed polarization state; and

initiating a mechanical control according to configuration information associated with the target that performs a first sweep of wavelengths of light generated by the light source and a second sweep of mixed polarization states to generate adjusted mixed polarized light signals that adjust an observable range of subsurfaces of the target.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise controlling the light source to adjust wavelengths of light emitted by the light source to adjust the observable range of subsurfaces of the target.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise generating an image from the adjusted mixed polarized light signals.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise presenting the image.