Imaging method and apparatus
AssigneeThe University Court of the University of Edinburg
InventorsKev Dhaliwal, Michael G. Tanner, Robert R. Thomson
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Abstract
A method of determining a location of an optical fibre positioned at least partially inside a scattering medium, the method comprises transmitting pulsed light into the scattering medium, receiving, by a detector, photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium, selecting signals corresponding to some of the received photons, wherein the selecting is based on a time of arrival of the received photons; and determining a location of the optical fibre based on the selected signals.
Claims22
1-33. (canceled)
A method of determining a location of an optical fibre positioned at least partially inside a scattering medium, the method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting pulsed light into a proximal end of the optical fibre such that the pulsed light is guided along the optical fibre and emitted from the optical fibre into the scattering medium;
- receiving, by a detector positioned outside the scattering medium, photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium from the optical fibre;
- producing, by the detector, signals corresponding to the received photons;
- receiving, by a processor, the signals from the detector;
- selecting, by the processor, signals corresponding to some of the received photons, wherein the selecting is based on a time of arrival of the received photons;
- and
- determining a location of the optical fibre based on the selected signals.
An apparatus comprising:
- an optical fibre configured to be positioned at least partially inside a scattering medium;
- a pulsed light source configured to be coupled to a proximal end of an optical fibre to transmit pulsed light along the optical fibre into the scattering medium;
- a detector configured to be positioned outside the scattering medium and to receive photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium, wherein the detector is further configured to producing signals corresponding to the received photons;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- receive the signals produced by the detector,
- select signals corresponding to some of the received photons based on a time of arrival of the received photons, and
- determine a location of the optical fibre based on the selected signals.
A method of determining a location of an optical fibre positioned at least partially inside a scattering medium, the method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting pulsed light into the scattering medium from a light source outside the scattering medium;
- receiving, by a detector coupled to a proximal end of the optical fibre, photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium and have been guided along the optical fibre to the detector,
- producing, by the detector, signals corresponding to the received photons;
- receiving, by a processor, the signals from the detector;
- selecting, by the processor, signals corresponding to some of the received photons, wherein the selecting is based on a time of arrival of the received photons;
- and
- determining a location of the optical fibre based on the selected signals.
An apparatus comprising:
- an optical fibre configured to be positioned at least partially inside a scattering medium;
- a pulsed light source configured to be positioned outside the scattering medium and to transmit pulsed light into the scattering medium;
- a detector configured to be coupled to a proximal end of the optical fibre and to receive photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium and have been guided along the optical fibre to the detector, wherein the detector is further configured to producing signals corresponding to the received photons;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- receive the signals produced by the detector,
- select signals corresponding to some of the received photons based on a time of arrival of the received photons, and
- determine a location of the optical fibre based on the selected signals.
A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions embodied therein, the computer-readable instructions being executable by a processor to:
- select signals corresponding to received photons of pulsed light that have passed through a scattering medium, the selecting being based on a time of arrival of the received photons, and
- determine a location of an optical fibre based on the selected signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.