System and method for subdermal imaging
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsJack Conway KITCHENS, John Keith Schneider, Stephen Michael Gojevic, Evan Michael Breloff
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Abstract
A subdermal imaging system which may determine whether a person's body is in contact with a display, and perform a subdermal imaging process to determine subdermal characteristics by a photoacoustic imaging process. Ultrasonic emissions emitted from the photoacoustic process may be received with an ultrasonic receiver array. The subdermal imaging system may adjust the wavelength and/or intensity of the photoacoustic process in order to image desired subdermal features.
Claims26
An apparatus for subdermal imaging, the apparatus comprising:
- a two-dimensional ultrasonic receiver array;
- a light-energy emitter;
- a display;
- and
- a control system configured to:
- determine whether an object is in contact with the display;
- in response to a determination that the object is in contact with the display, cause the light-energy emitter to emit light-energy at a first wavelength and a first intensity, the first wavelength and the first intensity being sufficient to photoacoustically generate first ultrasonic waves from a first subdermal feature of the object;
- set a first range gate and a first range gate delay for the two-dimensional ultrasonic receiver array corresponding to a depth of the first subdermal feature;
- receive, from the two-dimensional ultrasonic receiver array, first signals representing the first ultrasonic waves from the first subdermal feature within the first range gate;
- and
- process the first signals representing the first ultrasonic waves to generate first image data of the first subdermal feature.
A method for subdermal imaging, the method comprising:
- determining, by a control system, whether an object is in contact with a display;
- in response to a determination that the object is in contact with the display, emitting light-energy, by a light-energy emitter, at a first wavelength and a first intensity, the first wavelength and the first intensity being sufficient to photoacoustically generate first ultrasonic waves from a first subdermal feature;
- setting a first range gate and a first range gate delay, for a two-dimensional ultrasonic receiver array, corresponding to a depth of the first subdermal feature;
- receiving, from the two-dimensional ultrasonic receiver array, first signals representing the first ultrasonic waves from the first subdermal feature within the first range gate;
- and
- processing the first signals representing the first ultrasonic waves to generate first image data of the first subdermal feature.
A subdermal imager comprising:
- means for determining whether an object is in contact with a display;
- means for emitting light at a first wavelength and a first intensity, the first wavelength and the first intensity being sufficient to photoacoustically generate first ultrasonic waves from a first subdermal feature;
- means for setting a first range gate and a first range gate delay, for a two-dimensional ultrasonic receiver array, corresponding to a depth of the first subdermal feature;
- means for receiving first signals representing the first ultrasonic waves from the first subdermal feature within the first range gate;
- and
- means for processing the first signals representing the first ultrasonic waves to generate first image data of the first subdermal feature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.