Parallel optical coherence tomography apparatuses, systems, and related methods
Inventors
Abramoff, Michael • DeHoog, Edward
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10624537-B2
Publication Date
2020-04-21
Expiration Date
Abstract
Provided is a snapshot spectral domain optical coherence tomographer comprising a light source providing a plurality of beamlets; a beam splitter, splitting the plurality of beamlets into a reference arm and a sample arm; a first optical system that projects the sample arm onto multiple locations of a sample; a second optical system for collection of a plurality of reflected sample beamlets; a third optical system projecting the reference arm to a reflecting surface and receiving a plurality of reflected reference beamlets; a parallel interferometer that provides a plurality of interferograms from each of the plurality of sample beamlets with each of the plurality of reference beamlets; an optical image mapper configured to spatially separate the plurality of interferograms; a spectrometer configured to disperse each of the interferograms into its respective spectral components and project each interferogram in parallel; and a photodetector providing photon quantification.
Core Innovation
The snapshot spectral domain optical coherence tomographer comprises a light source and an optical system that projects a plurality of beamlets onto multiple locations of a sample. The optical system recombines beamlets reflected from the sample with a reference beam reflected from a reference surface to generate a plurality of beamlet interferograms, which are spatially mapped and their spectra detected simultaneously.
The system computes depth-resolved intensities from photon quantifications using inverse transforms and may aggregate responses to quantify nerve fiber layer thinning or the amount of retinal thickening. Parallel snapshot acquisition avoids XY scanning and its associated moving mirrors, latency, complexity, and cost. The disclosed imaging includes an eye, with samples that may include retina, cornea, epithelium, nervous tissue, or endothelium.
Claims Coverage
The two independent claims cover two inventive features: a snapshot spectral domain optical coherence tomographer and a method of imaging an eye.
Snapshot spectral domain optical coherence tomographer
A light source and an optical system configured to receive light from the light source, project a plurality of beamlets onto multiple locations of a sample, and generate a plurality of beamlet interferograms by recombining the beamlets reflected from the sample with a reference beam reflected from a reference surface.
Method of imaging an eye
Providing a plurality of beamlets, transmitting them to a reflecting surface and to multiple locations of an eye, recombining beamlets reflected from the reflecting surface and the eye to generate a plurality of interferograms, and performing photon quantification of each beamlet.
The independent claims cover an apparatus that generates beamlet interferograms from multiple sample locations and a method that generates interferograms and quantifies photons for beamlets directed to multiple eye locations.
Stated Advantages
Parallel snapshot acquisition avoids XY scanning and its associated moving mirrors, latency, complexity, and cost.
Documented Applications
Imaging an eye and quantifying nerve fiber layer thinning or the amount of retinal thickening.
Imaging samples selected from retina, cornea, epithelium, nervous tissue, or endothelium.
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