US4810875A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for examining the interior of semi-opaque objects
Assignee: Wyatt Technology LLC
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Filing: 1987-02-02
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Granted: 1989-03-07
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Expires: 2007-02-02
Abstract
Abstract A highly collimated light beam, such as produced by a laser, is coupled by optical means directly onto a semi-opaque object such as a human breast. The light transmitted and scattered therein is collected at a fixed surface element and direction relative to the incident light, and coupled optically into an image intensifier, preserving the spatial intensity variations passing through said fixed surface element. The intensified image is then collected on an array of detector elements which digitizes and then transfers said preserved image into memory means where it is processed to characterize the interior of said object. This invention has particular application to the early detection of breast cancer.
Inventors
- 👤 Philip J. Wyatt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:30
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/43; A61B5/4306; A61B5/4312; A61B5/0059; A61B5/0082; A61B5/0091; G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/17; G01N21/47; G01N21/4795
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 49
Claim 1
Independent Claim
280 words
A method for the examination of the interior of a semi-opaque object by collimated light means comprised of the following steps: A. forming a narrow, collimated beam of light; B. passing such beam into an optical transmission means; C. coupling said optical transmission means onto said semi-opaque object at a specified entrance surface region using a refractive index matching means, suitably selected to minimize the refractive index discontinuity between that of said optical transmission means and that of said semi-opaque object; D. coupling that fraction of said light which has scattered within and impinged upon a specified surface exit region of said object, by similar refractive index matching means to an optical collection means at said specified surface region; E. coupling said optical collection means into a light amplification means which preserves the spatial intensity variations incident thereon and collected at said specified surface region by said optical collection means; F. impinging said amplified light on an array of photodetectors; G. converting each detected intensity corresponding to each photodetector element of said array into a numerical value and then transmitting each such value into a memory storage means; H. processing and analyzing said numerical values in said memory means by computer means; and characterizing thereby the region of said examined object causing the spatial variation of said intensity values; I. repeating said measurement at different orientations of said incident coupled optical transmission means and said coupled optical collection means with respect to said specified surface regions; J. varying said entrance and exit surface regions and repeating steps G, H and I; K. characterizing thereby the inhomogeneities within said semi-opaque object causing the spatial variations of the said detected intensity values.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
280 words
A method for the examination of the interior of a semi-opaque object by collimated light means comprised of the following steps: A. forming a narrow, collimated beam of light; B. passing such beam into an optical transmission means; C. coupling said optical transmission means onto said semi-opaque object at a specified entrance surface region using a refractive index matching means, suitably selected to minimize the refractive index discontinuity between that of said optical transmission means and that of said semi-opaque object; D. coupling that fraction of said light which has scattered within and impinged upon a specified surface exit region of said object, by similar refractive index matching means to an optical collection means at said specified surface region; E. coupling said optical collection means into a light amplification means which preserves the spatial intensity variations incident thereon and collected at said specified surface region by said optical collection means; F. impinging said amplified light on an array of photodetectors; G. converting each detected intensity corresponding to each photodetector element of said array into a numerical value and then transmitting each such value into a memory storage means; H. processing and analyzing said numerical values in said memory means by computer means; and characterizing thereby the region of said examined object causing the spatial variation of said intensity values; I. repeating said measurement at different orientations of said incident coupled optical transmission means and said coupled optical collection means with respect to said specified surface regions; J. varying said entrance and exit surface regions and repeating steps G, H and I; K. characterizing thereby the inhomogeneities within said semi-opaque object causing the spatial variations of the said detected intensity values.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 where said collimated beam of light is essentially monochromatic.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the narrow, collimated beam of light is from a laser.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 3 where the laser light is linearly polarized.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 3 where the laser light is unpolarized.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 3 where said optical transmission means includes a first lens element focusing said laser beam onto a multimode optical fiber, and other end of said fiber is terminated at the focal point of a second lens element.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 where the light amplification means is a microchannel plate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 7 where the microchannel plate is a chevron plate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 7 where the microchannel plate is a C-plate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 7 where the microchannel plate is a Z-plate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 where the array of photodetectors is comprised of photodiodes.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 where the array of photodetectors forms a charge coupled device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 3 where the laser is a He-Ne laser.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 3 where the laser produces red light.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 3 where the laser produces infrared light.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 where the semi-opaque object is a human breast.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 where the conversion of said detected intensities is achieved by an analog-to-digital converter.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said amplified light is made to impinge upon a lens element before impinging on said array of photodetectors forming, thereby, an image of a region interior to said object on said photodetector array.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 where the processing of said numerical values in said memory includes the processes of signal recovery.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 6 where each said lens element is a half pitch gradient refractive index lens.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 where said refractive index matching means is a fluid.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
188 words
An instrument for the examination of the interior of a semi-opaque object by collimated light means comprised of: A. Collimated light means producing a narrow beam of light; B. Collimated light beam optical transmission means C. Coupled onto said semi-opaque object by refractive index matching means suitably selected to minimize the refractive index discontinuity between that of said optical transmission means and that of said semi-opaque object at a specified entrance surface; D. Optical collection means; said optical collection means being coupled by similar refractive index matching means to a specified exit surface region of said object through which light scattered within said object has scattered thereto; E. Light amplification means whereby light collected from said object in step D is amplified in intensity while maintaining its spatial variations at said optical collection means; F. Optical lens means by which said amplified light spatial variation is imaged on G. Photodetector array means transmitting output signals proportional to incident intensities to H. Analog-to-digital conversion means whereby each signal at each photo-detector element in converted into a digital representation stored in I. Memory means of a J. Computer processing means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
188 words
An instrument for the examination of the interior of a semi-opaque object by collimated light means comprised of: A. Collimated light means producing a narrow beam of light; B. Collimated light beam optical transmission means C. Coupled onto said semi-opaque object by refractive index matching means suitably selected to minimize the refractive index discontinuity between that of said optical transmission means and that of said semi-opaque object at a specified entrance surface; D. Optical collection means; said optical collection means being coupled by similar refractive index matching means to a specified exit surface region of said object through which light scattered within said object has scattered thereto; E. Light amplification means whereby light collected from said object in step D is amplified in intensity while maintaining its spatial variations at said optical collection means; F. Optical lens means by which said amplified light spatial variation is imaged on G. Photodetector array means transmitting output signals proportional to incident intensities to H. Analog-to-digital conversion means whereby each signal at each photo-detector element in converted into a digital representation stored in I. Memory means of a J. Computer processing means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The instrument of claim 22 where said collimated beam of light is essentially monochromatic.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
16 words
The instrument of claim 22 wherein the narrow, collimated beam of light is from a laser.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
12 words
The instrument of claim 24 where the laser light is linearly polarized.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
11 words
The instrument of claim 24 where the laser light is unpolarized.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
41 words
The instrument of claim 24 where said optical transmission means includes a first lens means focusing said laser beam onto a multimode optical fiber, and other end of said fiber is terminated at the focal point of a second lens means.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
14 words
The instrument of claim 22 where the light amplification means is a microchannel plate.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
13 words
The instrument of claim 28 where the microchannel plate is a chevron plate.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
12 words
The instrument of claim 28 where the microchannel plate is a C-plate.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
12 words
The instrument of claim 28 where the microchannel plate is a Z-plate.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
14 words
The instrument of claim 22 where the array of photodetectors is comprised of photodiodes.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
15 words
The instrument of claim 22 where the array of photodetectors forms a charge coupled device.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
12 words
The instrument of claim 24 where the laser is a He-Ne laser.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
11 words
The instrument of claim 24 where the laser produces red light.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
11 words
The instrument of claim 24 where the laser produces infrared light.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
13 words
The instrument of claim 22 where the semi-opaque object is a human breast.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
18 words
The instrument of claim 22 where the conversion of said detected intensities is achieved by an analog-to-digital converter.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
39 words
The instrument of claim 22 where said amplified light is made to impinge upon a lens element before impinging on said array of photodetectors forming, thereby, an image of a region interior to said object on said photodetector array.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
16 words
The instrument of claim 22 where said computer processing means includes the processes of signal recovery.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
18 words
The instrument of claim 27 where each said lens means is a half pitch gradient refractive index lens.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
14 words
The instrument of claim 22 where said refractive index matching means is a fluid.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 where measurement is made of the relative orientations and positions of the transmission and collection means coupled to the semi-opaque object being examined.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 43 where said measured relative orientations and positions of said optical transmission and collection means coupled to said semi-opaque object being examined are recorded.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 44 where the measurements derived therein are used to calculate the path through the semi-opaque object.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 44 where the measurements derived therein are used to calculate the locations of the scattering objects therewithin and the angle of scattering therefrom with respect to the direction of the incident light.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 3 where said processing and analysing of said collected numerical values include determination of the degree of coherence in said collected values.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-03-06 | 1992-09-05 | 1993-03-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-03-06 | 1996-09-05 | 1997-03-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-03-06 | 2000-09-05 | 2001-03-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |