Optical coherence tomography imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10129448-B2
Application number	US-201615215131-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2016
Priority date	Jul 20, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

An imaging system, a method for imaging an object of interest, and an image of the object of interest. In one embodiment, an imaging system includes a channel configured to receive information from an object of interest, a 3DSS sub-system configured to capture information from the object of interest and generate at least one of 3D surface data or 3D position data based on the information captured by the 3DSS sub-system, and an OCT sub-system configured to perform a line scan of light reflected from the object of interest, generate OCT image data from the line scan, receive the at least one of the 3D surface data or the 3D position data, and generate one or more OCT images using the OCT image data and the at least one of the 3D surface data or the 3D position data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging system comprising:
a channel configured to receive information from an object of interest;
a three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) sub-system configured to
capture information from the object of interest, and
generate at least one of three-dimensional surface data or three-dimensional position data based on the information captured by the 3DSS sub-system; and

an optical coherence tomography (OCT) sub-system configured to
perform a line scan of light reflected from the object of interest and captured by the OCT sub-system,
generate optical coherence tomography (OCT) image data from the line scan,
receive the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data from the 3DSS sub-system,
generate one or more optical coherence tomography (OCT) images using the OCT image data and the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data, wherein the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data is indicative of a common spatial frame of reference between the 3DSS sub-system and the OCT sub-system,
determine whether the OCT sub-system is within a measurement range of the object of interest based on the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data, and
output a user-perceptible indication when the OCT sub-system is not within the measurement range of the object of interest.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a housing that encloses the channel, the 3DSS sub-system, and the OCT sub-system.

3. The imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the housing is a handheld housing.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the 3DSS sub-system is configured to provide the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data at the same time that the OCT sub-system is configured to perform the line scan.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the OCT sub-system is further configured to generate the one or more OCT images using the OCT image data and the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data when the OCT sub-system is within the measurement range of the object of interest.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the OCT sub-system is further configured to adjust one or more imaging parameters associated with the OCT sub-system when the OCT sub-system is not within the measurement range of the object of interest.

7. An imaging system comprising:
a channel configured to receive information from an object of interest;
a three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) sub-system configured to
capture information from the object of interest, and
generate at least one of three-dimensional surface data or three-dimensional position data based on the information captured by the 3DSS sub-system; and

an optical coherence tomography (OCT) sub-system configured to
perform a line scan of light reflected from the object of interest and captured by the OCT sub-system,
generate optical coherence tomography (OCT) image data from the line scan,
receive the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data from the 3DSS sub-system, and
generate one or more optical coherence tomography (OCT) images using the OCT image data and the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data, wherein the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data is indicative of a common spatial frame of reference between the 3DSS sub-system and the OCT sub-system,
wherein the 3DSS sub-system is further configured to
determine whether the OCT sub-system is within a measurement range of the object of interest based on the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data, and
output a user-perceptible indication when the OCT sub-system is not within the measurement range of the object of interest.

8. The imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the 3DSS sub-system is further configured to control the OCT sub-system to generate the one or more OCT images using the OCT image data and the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data when the OCT sub-system is within the measurement range of the object of interest.

9. The imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the 3DSS sub-system is further configured to adjust one or more imaging parameters associated with the OCT sub-system when the OCT sub-system is not within the measurement range of the object of interest.

10. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the 3DSS sub-system includes
a memory;
a light source configured to emit light on the object of interest;
a three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) imaging sensor configured to capture the light reflected from the object of interest as the information captured from the object of interest; and
an electronic processor electrically connected to the memory and the 3DSS imaging sensor, the electronic processor configured to
control the light source to emit the light on the object of interest, and
generate the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data based on the light captured by the 3DSS imaging sensor.

11. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the OCT sub-system includes
a memory;
a light source configured to emit light on the object of interest;
an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging sensor configured to capture the light reflected from the object of interest; and
an electronic processor electrically connected to the memory and the OCT imaging sensor, the electronic processor configured to
control the light source to emit the light on the object of interest,
perform the line scan of the light captured by the OCT imaging sensor,
generate the OCT image data from the line scan,
receive the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data from the 3DSS sub-system, and
generate the one or more OCT images using the OCT image data and the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data.

12. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the 3DSS sub-system is further configured to:
generate three-dimensional surface scanning sub-system (3DSS) image data from the information captured a three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) imaging sensor, and
generate one or more three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) images from the 3DSS image data.

13. The imaging system of claim 12 , wherein the OCT sub-system is further configured to
receive the 3DSS image data from the 3DSS sub-system, and
generate one or more three-dimensional surface scan and optical coherence tomography (3DSS/OCT) images based on the OCT image data, the 3DSS image data, and the at least one of the three-dimensional surface data or the three-dimensional position data.

14. The imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising networking hardware configured to transmit the one or more OCT images to one or more computing devices via a network.

15. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the OCT image data is a volumetric optical coherence tomography (OCT) image data.

16. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the object of interest is a tooth and surrounding tissue.

17. A method of imaging an object of interest, the method comprising:
capturing, with a three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) sub-syste

Assignees

• Dental Imaging Technologies Corp
• Ormco Corp

Inventors

• Dillon Robert F
• Elbasiony Amr Medhat

Classifications

• H04N23/56 Primary

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• A61B5/4547

  Evaluating teeth · CPC title

• A61B5/0035

  adapted for acquisition of images from more than one imaging mode, e.g. combining MRI and optical tomography · CPC title

• A61C9/0053

  Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam · CPC title