초록 ▼

A minimally invasive, medical, image acquisition having a flexible optical fiber serving as an illuminating wave guide. In one resonance mode, the distal end of the fiber is a stationary node. The fiber includes a lens at the distal tip which collimates emitted light. A scan lens is positioned off t

A minimally invasive, medical, image acquisition having a flexible optical fiber serving as an illuminating wave guide. In one resonance mode, the distal end of the fiber is a stationary node. The fiber includes a lens at the distal tip which collimates emitted light. A scan lens is positioned off the end of the fiber. The relative magnifications of the lenses and the relative positions determines the pixel resolution. In particular, the illumination fiber outputs a light beam or pulse which illuminates a precise spot size. A photon detector detects reflected photons from the object, including the spot. Pixel resolution is determined by the area of the illumination spot (and thus the lens configuration), rather than an area sensed by the detector.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A method for acquiring an image of a target surface, comprising the steps of:outputting a beam of light from a resonant fiber waveguide, the waveguide scanning the output beam along a scan path;focusing the beam with a scan lens onto a target surface being scanned, wher

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A method for acquiring an image of a target surface, comprising the steps of:outputting a beam of light from a resonant fiber waveguide, the waveguide scanning the output beam along a scan path;focusing the beam with a scan lens onto a target surface being scanned, wherein at a given time the beam is focused to impinge on a spot of the target, the spot being an illuminated spot, the illuminated spot varying with time as the beam is scanned onto the target surface;detecting light reflected from an area of the target surface which is greater than an area defined the illuminated spot;correlating the given time at which the beam focuses onto the illuminated spot with the detected reflected light to acquire a pixel of the image, wherein resolution of the pixel corresponds to the area defined by the illuminated spot, wherein over time a plurality of pixels are acquired.