Multi-modal skin imaging
AssigneeCanfield Scientific, Incorporated
InventorsSachin V. PATWARDHAN, Daniel E. DIGREGORIO
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Abstract
Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for capturing and analyzing images of tissue, such as human skin, using multiple modalities. Exemplary devices are described having a detection polarizer via which an area of tissue is imaged and one or more light sources whose emitted light is polarized with a source polarizer. In exemplary operation, an area of tissue can be imaged as the illumination emitted from an exemplary device is varied among plain white, polarized white, and light of one or more bands of wavelengths, such as narrow-band blue, for fluorescence imaging of one or more fluorophores. In further implementations, absorption imaging can be carried out with cross-polarized narrow-band illumination.
Claims20
A tissue imaging apparatus comprising:
- an optical opening;
- a plurality of light sources including three groups of light sources arranged about the optical opening, wherein first and second groups of light sources are configured to emit white light, and a third group of light sources is configured to emit light of a first band of wavelengths narrower than a band of wavelengths of visible light;
- a detection polarizer configured to polarize light passing through the optical opening;
- detection filtering configured to filter light passing through the optical opening, the detection filtering being configured to block light of the first band of wavelengths;
- and
- a source polarizer configured to polarize light emitted from the first group of light sources.
A tissue analysis imaging method comprising:
- illuminating a tissue with polarized white light emitted from a first group of light sources arranged about an optical opening of a tissue imaging apparatus;
- illuminating the tissue with unpolarized white light emitted from a second group of light sources arranged about the optical opening;
- illuminating the tissue with light of a first band of wavelengths narrower than a band of wavelengths of visible light, said light emitted from a third group of light sources arranged about the optical opening;
- polarizing light passing through the optical opening;
- and
- filtering light passing through the optical opening so as to block light of the first band of wavelengths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.