# US 11,026,581 B2 · Optical probe for detecting biological tissue > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,026,581 B2 - Document ID: US11026581B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/717,116 - Filed: 2017-09-27 - Published: 2018-04-05 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-30 - Assignees: Industrial Technology Research Institute - Applicants: Industrial Technology Research Institute - Inventors: Chy-Lin Wang; Yuan-Chin Lee; Chun-Chieh Huang; Hung-Chih Chiang; Chih-Ming Cheng; Shuen-Chen Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11026581B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/0066: {Optical coherence imaging} - A61B 5/0064: {Body surface scanning} - A61B 5/441: {Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis} - A61B 1/043: {for fluorescence imaging} - A61B 5/0071: {by measuring fluorescence emission} - A61B 5/0073: {by tomography, i.e. reconstruction of 3D images from 2D projections (A61B5/0066 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/0082: {adapted for particular medical purposes} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract An optical probe for detecting a biological tissue includes a surface imaging module and a tomography capturing module. The surface imaging module captures and creates a surface image of the biological tissue, and at least includes a light source emitting a first detecting light. The tomography capturing module captures a tomography image of the biological tissue and receives a second detecting light. The first detecting light passes via a first optical path from the light source to an imaging sensor through the biological tissue, a telecentric lens, a first optical mirror, and a lens assembly in sequence. The second detecting light passes via a second optical path from a first collimator to the first collimator through a scanner, the first optical mirror, the telecentric lens, the biological tissue, the telecentric lens, the first optical mirror, the scanner, and the first collimator in sequence. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical probe for detecting a biological tissue, comprising: a surface imaging module, capturing and imaging a surface image of the biological tissue, wherein the surface imaging module includes a telecentric lens, a first optical mirror, a lens assembly, an imaging sensor, and a light source emitting a first detecting light; a tomography capturing module, capturing a tomography image of the biological tissue and receiving a second detecting light, wherein the tomography capturing module includes the telecentric lens, the first optical mirror, a scanner, and a first collimator; a first polarizer; and a second polarizer, wherein the first detecting light passes via a first optical path in the following sequence from the light source, through the biological tissue, the telecentric lens, the first optical mirror, the lens assembly, to the imaging sensor, and the second detecting light passes via a second optical path in the following sequence from the first collimator, through the scanner, the first optical mirror, the telecentric lens, the biological tissue, the telecentric lens, the first optical mirror, the scanner, to the first collimator, wherein the light source has a light emitting-surface for emitting the first detecting light directly toward the biological tissue, wherein the surface imaging module and the tomography capturing module are connected by the telecentric lens in the first optical path and the second optical path, wherein the light source is disposed adjacent to the telecentric lens, to have the first detecting light being emitted to the biological tissue, and transmitted to the imaging sensor via the first optical path, wherein the first polarizer has a hollow ring shape and is disposed between the light source and the biological tissue, and the second polarizer is disposed between the telecentric lens and the imaging sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein a focal length of the telecentric lens ranges from 25 mm to 40 mm, and the biological tissue is located on a front focal plane of the telecentric lens. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein a focal length of the telecentric lens is longer than a focal length of the lens assembly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 3, wherein a ratio of the focal length of the telecentric lens to the focal length of the lens assembly ranges from 1.4 to 2.8. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first optical mirror has the first detecting light penetrating and has the second detecting light being reflected. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first optical mirror has the first detecting light being reflected and has the second detecting light penetrating. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an aperture disposed between the telecentric lens and the lens assembly, and located in a position less than 0.56 times of a back focal length of the telecentric lens from the back focal plane of the telecentric lens to the biological tissue. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein a f-number of the surface imaging module near the imaging sensor ranges from 2 to 5. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein a size of the imaging sensor is smaller than a field of vision of the surface imaging module. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein a field of vision of the tomography capturing module ranges from 5 mm to 10 mm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein a f-number of the tomography capturing module near the biological tissue ranges from 5.8 to 8.75. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scanner includes a scan mirror located on a back focal plane of the telecentric lens to perform a linear scanning process. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scanner includes a first scan mirror and a second mirror, a back focal plane of the telecentric lens is located between the first scan mirror and the second mirror, and the first scan mirror and the second mirror performs a plane scanning process. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second collimator, a second optical mirror and a scanning indicating light; wherein the second collimator collimates a scanning indicating light beam emitted from the scanning indicating light, and the second optical mirror guides the second detecting light and the scanning indicating light beam which are collimated to pass via the second optical path and a third optical path, respectively; wherein the scanning indicating light beam passes via the third light path to the biological tissue through the second collimator, the second optical mirror, the scanner, the first optical mirror, and the telecentric lens. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second optical mirror has the second detecting light penetrating and has the scanning indicating light beam being reflected. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second optical mirror has the second detecting light being reflected and has the scanning indicating light beam penetrating. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 14, wherein a wavelength in 50% transmittance of the first optical mirror is within a range of a central wavelength of the scanning indicating light beam. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The optical probe for detecting the biological tissue as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent cover, wherein the transparent cover connects to the telecentric lens and a length of the transparent cover is equal to a front focal length of the telecentric lens.