Micro vein enhancer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10813588-B2
Application number	US-201414249462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2014
Priority date	Jan 10, 2006
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

The present invention is a Miniature Vein Enhancer that includes a Miniature Projection Head. The Miniature Projection Head may be operated in one of three modes, AFM, DBM, and RTM. The Miniature Projection Head of the present invention projects an image of the veins of a patient, which aids the practitioner in pinpointing a vein for an intravenous drip, blood test, and the like. The Miniature projection head may have a cavity for a power source or it may have a power source located in a body portion of the Miniature Vein Enhancer. The Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to one of several improved needle protectors, or the Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to a body similar to a flashlight for hand held use. The Miniature Vein Enhancer of the present invention may also be attached to a magnifying glass, a flat panel display, and the like.

First claim

We claim:

1. A portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer, for imaging subcutaneous blood vessels of a target area, said vein enhancer comprising:
a first laser configured to emit a beam of light at a first wavelength;
one micro scanning mirror configured to move about two axes to scan said first wavelength of light from said first laser onto the target area in a non-repeated and non-diffuse pattern;
one photo detector responsive to said first wavelength of light and associated photodetector circuitry, said one photo detector configured to receive said first wavelength of light reflected from the target area, said reflected light comprising a contrasted image formed by differential absorption of said first wavelength of light by the target, being amplitude modulated according to differential amounts of absorption and reflection between one or more subcutaneous blood vessels and surrounding tissue therein; said one photo detector configured to output a signal representing said contrasted image;
a second laser configured to emit a beam of visible light at a second wavelength;
one or more fixed mirrors, at least a first one of said one or more fixed mirrors comprising optical characteristics configured to cause either reflection of said first wavelength of light and transmission of said second wavelength of light, or transmission of said first wavelength of light and reflection of said second wavelength of light;
wherein said first laser, said second laser, and said first fixed mirror are positioned to combine said beam of light from said first laser and said beam of light from said second laser using said first fixed mirror, to form a single coaxial beam of laser light; and
wherein said second laser is configured to receive and use said signal from said one photodetector to emit said beam of visible light, for said micro scanning mirror to scan said visible light in said co-axial beam to result in projection of said contrasted image substantially instantaneously, and in focus on the target area for imaged blood vessels in said projection of said contrasted image to overlie the subcutaneous blood vessels therein, regardless of a distance of said miniature vein enhancer from the target area.

2. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 1 wherein said substantially instantaneous projection of said contrasted image is dependent upon only a speed of said photo detector and a speed of said second laser.

3. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 2 further comprising a hand-holdable housing configured to receive and support said one photo detector and said one micro scanning mirror, and to support said positioned first laser, second laser, and first fixed mirror; said housing further configured to permit single-handed lifting and use of said miniature vein enhancer during said in-focus projection of said contrasted image onto the target area.

4. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 3 wherein said micro scanning mirror is configured to scan about a first axis of said two axes at a deflection frequency of 9.4 kHz, and to scan about a second axis of said two axes at a deflection frequency of 1.4 Hz.

5. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 3 wherein said micro scanning mirror is configured to scan at its natural resonance frequency to minimize power usage.

6. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 3 , further comprising a cap; and wherein said hand-holdable housing comprises a holder configured to receive a battery; said cap configured to be releasably secured to said housing to provide access to said battery holder.

7. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 3 further comprising a sensor, and wherein said first laser is turned on only when said sensor detects the target area.

8. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 3 wherein said first wavelength is in the range of 700 nm to 1000 nm; and wherein said second wavelength comprises a red color.

9. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 1 further comprising means for controlling gain, for preventing saturation of said photo detector circuitry.

10. A portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer for imaging subcutaneous blood vessels of a target surface, said vein enhancer comprising:
a first laser configured to emit a beam of light at a first wavelength;
one or more movable mirrors configured to selectively move to cause said first wavelength of light from said first laser to be transmitted onto the target surface in a non-diffuse pattern;
one or more photo detectors responsive to said first wavelength of light, said one or more photo detectors configured to receive said first wavelength of light reflected from the target surface, said reflected light comprising a contrasted image formed by said reflected light from the target surface being amplitude modulated according to differential amounts of absorption and reflection between one or more subcutaneous blood vessels and surrounding tissue therein; said one or more photo detectors configured to output a signal representing said contrasted image;
a second laser configured to emit a beam of visible light at a second wavelength;
one or more fixed mirrors, at least a first one of said one or more fixed mirrors comprising optical characteristics configured to cause either reflection of said first wavelength of light and transmission of said second wavelength of light, or transmission of said first wavelength of light and reflection of said second wavelength of light;
wherein said first laser, said second laser, and said first fixed mirror are positioned to combine said beam of light from said second laser with said beam of light from said first laser using said first fixed mirror, to form a single coaxial beam of light; and
wherein said second laser is configured to receive and use said signal from said one or more photo detectors to emit said beam of visible light, for said one or more moving mirrors to scan said visible light of said single coaxial beam to result in projection of said contrasted image substantially instantaneous, to be in-focus on the target surface for the imaged blood vessels in said projection of said contrasted image to overlie the subcutaneous blood vessels therein, regardless of a distance of said vein enhancer from the target surface.

11. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 10 wherein a delay causing said projection to be substantially instantaneous comprises a delay resulting from a speed of said one or more photo detectors and a speed of said second laser.

12. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 11 further comprising a hand-holdable housing configured to receive and support said one or more photo detectors and said one or more movable mirrors, and to support said positioned first laser, second laser, and first fixed mirror; said hand-holdable housing further configured to permit single-handed lifting and use of said miniature vein enhancer during said in-focus imaging of the target area.

13. The portable hand-held miniature vein enhancer according to claim 12 wherein said one or more movable mirrors configured to selectively move comprises a mirror arrangement selected from the group of mirror arrangements consisting of:
a MEMS scanner;
a single moving mirror capable of oscillations about two axes to produce said pattern; and
a first moving mirror and a second moving mirror, said first moving mirror configured to move about a first axis, said first moving mirror being

Assignees

• Accuvein Inc

Inventors

• Goldman Ron
• Hunt David
• Mock Mark
• Marshall Graham
• Conlon Stephen P
• Roth Robert H

Classifications

• A61B2562/0257

  Proximity sensors · CPC title

• A61B2090/366

  using projection of images directly onto the body · CPC title

• A61B5/0064

  Body surface scanning · CPC title

• A61B5/0082

  adapted for particular medical purposes · CPC title

• A61B5/150748

  Having means for aiding positioning of the piercing device at a location where the body is to be pierced (means for aiding positioning of devices for bringing media into the body A61M5/427, locating blood vessels A61B5/489) · CPC title