Imaging system

Claim 2

An imaging method according to claim 2 wherein said elastomer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of water based gels and dimethylpolysiloxane based silicone gels.

Claim 3

An imaging method according to claim 2 wherein steps (b) and (c) of claim 1 are repeated at least once after allowing the elastomer to snap back to its original substantially smooth surface condition after the previous ultrasonic imaging.

Claim 4

An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein said substrate comprises a plastic layer with at least one outer surface layer protecting said plastic layer from any degrading effect from either the propagating medium for said ultrasonic beams or the deformable solid elastomer layer.

Claim 5

An imaging method according to claim 1 including directing a reconstructing light to said deformable solid elastomer layer upon which has been formed a hologram in the form of surface ripples wherein said deformable solid elastomer layer contains a colorant to prevent multiple reflections of the reconstructing light within the volume of said deformable solid elastomer layer.

Claim 6

An ultrasonic holography imaging method comprising the steps of: a. providing an imaging member comprising a substrate at least partially transparent to ultrasonic radiation with a deformable substantially smooth surface solid elastomer layer thereon; b. directing an object modulated coherent ultrasonic beam at said member; and c. directing a coherent reference beam of ultrasonic radiation phase correlated with the coherent radiation of said object modulated ultrasonic beam at said member to create a stationary ultrasonic interference pattern in said solid elastomer layer to thereby create an ultrasonic hologram in the form of surface ripples on said solid elastomer layer.

Claim 7

An imaging method according to claim 7 wherein both said object modulated and said reference beams are propagated through water to said imaging member, both means impinging upon the imaging member from the substrate side.

Claim 8

An imaging method according to claim 7 wherein said substrate substantially dampens multiple acoustic reflections within the substrate.

Claim 9

An imaging method according to claim 7 including directing a reconstructing light to said solid elastomer layer upon which has been formed a hologram in the form of surface ripples wherein said solid elastomer layer contaIns a colorant to prevent multiple reflections of the reconstructing light within the volume of said solid elastomer layer.

Claim 10

An imaging method according to claim 7 wherein said substrate comprises a plastic layer with at least one outer surface layer protecting said plastic layer from any degrading effect from either the propagating medium for said ultrasonic beams or the solid elastomer layer.

Claim 11

An imaging method according to claim 9 wherein said substrate comprises a plastic.

Claim 12

An acoustic holographic imaging apparatus comprising: a. a substrate at least partially transparent to acoustic radiation, and a deformable substantially smooth surface solid elastomer layer on said substrate for detecting the interference pattern resulting from the impingement of the two phase correlated beams of acoustic energy, recited below; and b. means for directing at least two phase correlated beams of acoustic energy at said deformable solid elastomer layer by directing said beams through said substrate, one beam being a reference beam and the other an object modulated beam, the thickness of said deformable layer being a predetermined magnitude relative to the wavelength of the interference pattern impinging on the deformable layer so as to substantially dampen extraneous sources of acoustic noise.

Claim 13

Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said substrate is at least partially transparent to said two phase correlated beams but substantially dampens multiple acoustic reflections within the substrate.

Claim 14

Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 further including optical readout means comprising a reconstructing light source directed to said deformable solid elastomer layer upon which has been formed a hologram in the form of surface ripples in said deformable solid elastomer layer due to a stationary acoustic interference pattern caused by said reference and object modulated beams, and detection means for detecting the phase modulated beams from said deformable solid elastomer layer for optical readout of the hologram formed thereon.

Claim 15

Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said deformable solid elastomer layer contains a colorant to prevent multiple reflections of the optical readout beam within the volume of said deformable solid elastomer layer.

Claim 16

Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said solid elastomer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of water based gels and dimethylpolysiloxane based silicone gels.

Claim 17

Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said substrate comprises a plastic.

Claim 18

Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said plastic comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene and acrylics.

Claim 19

Apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said plastic layer has at least one outer surface of tetrafluoroethylene fluorocarbon.

Claim 20

Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein the intensity of any multiply reflected beam emerging from the substrate to the deformable solid elastomer layer is less than about 2 percent of the intensity of a directly transmitted beam.

Claim 21

An ultrasonic holography imaging method comprising the steps of: a. providing an imaging member comprising a substrate at least partially transparent to ultrasonic radiation with a deformable liquid layer thereon; b. directing an object modulated coherent ultrasonic beam at said member; c. directing a coherent reference beam of ultrasonic radiation phase correlated with the coherent radiation of said object modulated ultrasonic beam at said member to create a stationary ultrasonic interference pattern in said deformable liquid layer; and d. applying an electric field to said deformable liquid layer so that said electric field is present at least during part of steps (b) and (c) to thereby create an amplified ultrasonic hologram in the form of surface ripples on said deformable liquid layer.

Claim 22

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said field is applied by electrostatiCally charging the free surface of an electrically insulating deformable liquid layer.

Claim 23

An imaging method according to claim 23 wherein the electric field established across the deformable liquid layer is in the range of from between about 1 volt/micron to about 10 volts/micron.

Claim 24

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein an electrode is positioned contiguous the deformable liquid layer, the electrode at a bias between about 100 and 20,000 volts.

Claim 25

An imaging method according to claim 25 wherein the electrode is not spaced from the deformable liquid layer by a distance of more than about 1 inch.

Claim 26

An imaging method according to claim 25 is a thin overlayer of electrically conductive liquid overlying said deformable liquid layer.

Claim 27

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said deformable liquid layer is an elastomer.

Claim 28

An imaging method according to claim 28 wherein, before imaging, said elastomer layer has a substantially smooth surface.

Claim 29

An imaging method according to claim 28 wherein said elastomer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of water based gels and dimethylpolysiloxane based silicone gels.

Claim 30

An imaging method according to claim 28 wherein steps (b) and (c) of claim 22 are repeated at least once after allowing the elastomer to snap back to its original substantially smooth surface condition after a previous ultrasonic imaging.

Claim 31

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said substrate substantially dampens multiple acoustic reflections within the substrate.

Claim 32

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said substrate comprises a plastic layer with at least one outer surface layer protecting said plastic layer from any degrading effect from either the propagating medium for said ultrasonic beams or the deformable liquid layer.

Claim 33

An imaging method according to claim 22 including directing a reconstructing light to said deformable liquid layer upon which had been formed a hologram in the form of surface ripples wherein said deformable liquid layer contains a colorant to prevent multiple reflections of the reconstructing light within the volume of said deformable liquid layer.

Claim 34

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said reconstructing light is directed through an at least partially transparent window before it reaches said deformable liquid layer, the window to protect said deformable liquid layer from external foreign material.

Claim 35

An imaging method according to claim 24 wherein said deformable liquid layer has a bulk electrical resistivity greater than about 1013 ohm-cm.

Claim 36

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein at least a portion of said electric field is applied between an electrically conductive layer on the top surface of said deformable liquid layer and another source of potential or ground on the opposite side of said deformable liquid layer from said electrically conductive layer.

Claim 37

An imaging method according to claim 37 wherein said electrically conductive layer is immiscible with the material of the deformable liquid layer and capable of deforming in accordance with and corresponding to the deformations in said deformable liquid layer and wherein the combined thickness of said electrically conductive layer and said deformable liquid layer is between about 1/30 to about 2 times the wavelength of the ultrasonic interference pattern to be produced in the deformable liquid layer.

Claim 38

An imaging method according to claim 38 wherein said electrically conductive layer comprises a reflective metal.

Claim 39

An imaging method according to claim 38 wherein said electrically conductive layer is a liquid.

Claim 40

An imaging method according to claim 35 wherein the space between said window and the top surface of said deformable layer is filled with an electrically conductive liquid.

Claim 41

An imaging method according to claim 41 wherein the electrical field is applied between Said electrically conductive liquid and a potential source or ground on the opposite side of said deformable liquid layer from said electrically conductive layer.

Claim 42

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein the electric field established across the deformable liquid layer is in the range of from between about 1/10 volt/micron to about 100 volts/micron.

Claim 43

An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said deformable liquid layer rests on an electrically conductive layer biased to a potential within the range of between about 100 volts and about 20,000 volts.

Claim 44

An imaging method according to claim 32 wherein said substrate comprises a plastic.

Claim 45

An acoustic holographic imaging apparatus comprising: a. a substrate at least partially transparent to acoustic radiation, and a deformable layer on said substrate for detecting the interference pattern resulting from the impingement of the two phase correlated beams of acoustic energy recited below; b. means for directing at least two phase correlated beams of acoustic energy at said deformable layer, one beam being a reference beam and the other an object modulated beam, the thickness of said deformable layer being a predetermined magnitude relative to the wavelength of the interference pattern impinging on the deformable layer so as to substantially dampen extraneous sources of acoustic noise; and c. means for applying an electric field to said deformable layer to amplify the acoustic hologram formed as surface ripples on said deformable layer.

Claim 46

Apparatus as set forth in claim 46 wherein said electric field applying means comprises a corona discharge apparatus.

Claim 47

Apparatus as set forth in claim 46 wherein said electric field applying means comprises an electrically conductive liquid layer on the top surface of said detecting layer.

Claim 48

Apparatus as set forth in claim 48 further including an electrically conductive layer at least partially transparent to acoustic radiation and positioned between said deformable layer and said substrate.

Claim 49

Apparatus as set forth in claim 48 wherein said substrate is electrically conductive.

Claim 50

Apparatus as set forth in claim 48 further including a potential source coupled to said conductive liquid layer for applying said electric field to said deformable layer.

Claim 51

Apparatus as set forth in claim 51 further including a frame supporting said substrate with an optically transparent window to provide enclosed chamber including said deformable layer and said conductive layer.

Claim 52

Apparatus as set forth in claim 52 wherein said frame is insulating and said potential source is external to and is applied through said frame to bias said conductive layer.

Claim 53

Apparatus as set forth in claim 52 wherein said frame is conductive and said potential source is external to and is coupled to said frame to bias the conductive layer on said deformable layer.

Claim 54

Apparatus as set forth in claim 54 wherein said conductive layer on said deformable layer occupies the entire space of the chamber formed by the frame and optically transparent window.

Claim 55

Apparatus as set forth in claim 52 wherein said conductive layer over said deformable layer occupies the space formed by said frame and said optically transparent window, and further including an electrically conducting electrode on the inner surface of said optically transparent window wherein said potential source is coupled to said conductive layer to provide said electric field.

Claim 56

Apparatus according to claim 46 wherein the intensity of any multiply reflected beam emerging from the substrate to the deformable layer is less than about 2 percent of the intensity of a directly transmitted beam.

Claim 57

An acoustic holographic imaging apparatus comprising: a substrate at least partially transparent to acoustic radiation, and a deformable layer on said substrate for detecting the interference pattern resulting from the impingement of the two phase correlated bEams of acoustic energy recited below; means for directing at least two phase correlated beams of acoustic energy at said deformable layer, one beam being a reference beam and the other an object modulated beam, the thickness of said deformable layer being a predetermined magnitude relative to the wavelength of the interference pattern impinging on the deformable layer so as to substantially dampen extraneous sources of acoustic noise; optical readout means comprising a reconstructing light source directed to said deformable layer upon which has been formed a hologram in the form of surface ripples in said deformable layer due to a stationary acoustic interference pattern caused by said reference and object modulated beams; detection means for detecting the phase modulated beams from said deformable layer surface for optical readout of the hologram formed thereon; and means for applying an electric field to said deformable layer to create an amplified acoustic hologram in the form of said surface ripples on said deformable layer.

Claim 58

Apparatus according to claim 58 wherein the intensity of any multiply reflected beam emerging from the substrate to the deformable layer is less than about 2 percent of the intensity of a directly transmitted beam.