Enhancement of the visibility of objects located below the surface of a scattering medium
US8586924B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 2010 |
| Grant date | Nov 19, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 5, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/489
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Techniques are provided for enhancing the visibility of objects located below the surface of a scattering medium such as tissue, water and smoke. Examples of such an object include a vein located below the skin, a mine located below the surface of the sea and a human in a location covered by smoke. The enhancement of the image contrast of a subsurface structure is based on the utilization of structured illumination. In the specific application of this invention to image the veins in the arm or other part of the body, the issue of how to control the intensity of the image of a metal object (such as a needle) that must be inserted into the vein is also addressed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.