System and method for improved resolution, higher scan speeds and reduced processing time in scans involving swept-wavelength interferometry
US8873066B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 14, 2011 |
| Grant date | Oct 28, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 14, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B2290/70
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system and method for measuring an interferometric signal from a swept-wavelength interferometer by scanning a tunable laser source over two wavelength ranges, whose centers are separated substantially more than the length of wavelength ranges. The spatial resolution of the measurement is determined by the inverse of the wavelength separation between a first and second wavelength region, as well as by the wavelength range of the first and second regions. An electronically tunable laser may be utilized to produce two wavelength ranges that are widely separated in wavelength. Such a system and method has wide applications to the fields of optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) and swept-wavelength optical coherence tomography (OCT), for example.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.