Method and apparatus for motion correction and image enhancement for optical coherence tomography

US9978159B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITÄT ERLANGEN-NÜRNBERG · DE

Inventors

• Martin Kraus · Wertingen, DE
• Benjamin Michael Potsaid · Cambridge, US
• James G. Fujimoto · Cambridge, US
• Markus Mayer · Taufkirchen, DE
• Ruediger Bock · Langenzenn, DE
• Joachim Hornegger · Effeltrich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 28, 2015
• Grant date: May 22, 2018
• Expiry date: Dec 28, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2207/30041
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Images of an object, such as OCT scans of a human eye, can include distortions and data gaps due to relative motion of the object and the image acquisition device. Methods and systems for correction of such distortions and data gaps are described herein. Motion-corrected data is arrived at by applying three-dimensional transforms to input three-dimensional data sets that represent at least partially overlapping regions of the imaged object. The three dimensional transforms are computed based on an objective function that accounts for similarity between the transformed three-dimensional data sets and the estimated motion of the object relative to an imaging instrument. Methods and systems described herein advantageously eliminate the need for postulated assumptions and reliance on landmarks and are capable of filling data gaps, thereby producing high quality, undistorted images of objects subject to movement during imaging. Multiple motion-corrected data sets can be merged or combined to produce a data set with improved image quality.