Patent · US Active

Optical mapping apparatus with optimized OCT configuration

US7535577B2 · kind B2 · utility

16Cited by
13References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 26, 2007
Grant dateMay 19, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 1, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B2290/70
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

OCT apparatus includes an interferometer, having an input beam splitter and a 50/50 output splitter. The splitting ratio of the input splitter may be optimized depending on the source power of light source and on the mismatch of the balanced receiver. The input splitter is a plate beam-splitter to minimize the stray reflected light in the interferometer and allow sequential operation of the apparatus in the OCT or in the confocal regime. The switching between the two regimes may be at will, or synchronous with the en-face scanning which results in quasi-simultaneous OCT/confocal imaging or in alternatives frames, confocal and OCT. By using polarization sensitive elements, two channels are provided in each regime, OCT and confocal. The two confocal polarization sensitive channels may allow adjustments of compensators prior to OCT measurements or OCT imaging.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.