Smart phone attachment for 3-D optical coherence tomography imaging

摘要

Methods and apparatus for tomographic imaging of a sample. Low-coherence light is split into a sample path and a reference path. A steering optic recombines light in the reference path with light scattered by a sample onto a camera having an areal focal plane array of detector elements such that light in the reference path and light scattered by the sample are characterized by respectively offset propagation vectors at incidence upon the camera. A processor derives depth information from light scattered by the sample on the basis of interference fringes between light in the reference path and light scattered by the sample. The apparatus tracks lateral motion and may be hand-held or attached to a mobile device such as a smartphone, thus enabling 3-D imaging with the mobile device.

主权项

1. A tomographic imaging system comprising:
a. a source of low-coherence light for emitting a low-coherence light beam; b. a first beam splitter for dividing the low-coherence light beam into sample path and a reference path; c. a steering optic for recombining light in the reference path with light scattered by a sample along a path containing only a single point on a surface of the sample, with no intervening dispersive element, onto an entire area of an areal focal plane array of detector elements of a camera each detector element characterized by a dynamic range,wherein the first beam splitter, the camera and the steering optic are disposed within a hand-held probe; and
d. a processor coupled to receive signal input from the areal focal plane array of detector elements,wherein light in the reference path and light scattered by the sample along the path containing only the single point on the surface of the sample are characterized by respectively offset propagation vectors at incidence upon the camera;wherein the processor is configured to derive depth information from light scattered by the sample along the path containing only the single point on the surface of the sample on the basis of interference fringes between light in the reference path and light scattered by the sample; andwherein a signal dynamic range exceeds the dynamic range of each detector element.