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US 7,582,872 B2Granted
Volumetric spectral imaging
AssigneeMalvern Instruments Limited
InventorsE. Neil Lewis, Donald Craig Lynch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spectral acquisition method includes actively processing a sample, such as a an opaque, friable pharmaceutical dosage unit, to expose characteristics of interior portions of the sample, and acquiring spectral information from the interior portions.
Claims43
A spectral acquisition apparatus, comprising:
- an exploration subsystem operative to repeatedly expose different interior portions of a three-dimensional sample while the sample remains in a same position, wherein the exploration subsystem includes a cutting implement and a guide,
- a spectral acquisition subsystem operative to acquire images of each of the interior portions exposed by the exploration subsystem:
- while the sample remains in the same position, wherein the exploration subsystem is operative in the field of view of the spectral acquisition system, and
- a control module operative to control the exploration subsystem, and an analysis module for assembling the acquired spectral images into a three-dimensional data representation that includes spectral information for positions in three spatial dimensions.
1 more element
A spectral acquisition method, comprising:
- repeatedly actively processing a sample to expose characteristics of interior portions of the sample in a series of steps of processing while the sample remains in a same position,
- acquiring spectral information from the interior portions of the sample exposed in each of the steps of processing while the sample remains in the same position, wherein the steps of actively processing and acquiring are applied to a friable material,
- preparing the friable material to withstand the step of actively processing before the step of actively processing, wherein the step of preparing includes fixing the sample in a fixing material and the step of actively processing includes cutting the sample, and
- assembling the acqiuired spectral information into a three-dimensional data representation that includes spectral information for positions in three spatial dimensions.
1 more element
A spectral acquisition method, comprising:
- actively processing a sample to expose characteristics of interior portions of the sample while the sample remains at a same position in a series of steps of actively processing,
- acquiring spectral information from the interior portions of the sample exposed in the steps of actively processing while the sample remains at the same position, and
- processing the spectral information acquired in the step of acquiring to obtain two-dimensional chemical image planes and reconstructing at least one three-dimensional image from the two dimensional chemical image planes.
A spectral acquisition apparatus, comprising:
- means for holding a friable pharmaceutical tablet,
- means for repeatedly exposing interior portions of the friable pharmaceutical tablet while the friable pharmaceutical tablet remains in a same position, wherein the means for exposing includes a cutting implement and a guide,
- means for repeatedly obtaining spectral images of the exposed interior portions:
- while the friable pharmaceutical tablet remains in the same position, wherein the means for repeatedly obtaining is operative to obtain a set of images of the exposed interior portions of the tablet, and
- means for assembling the obtained spectral images into a three-dimensional data representation that includes spectral information for positions in three spatial dimensions.
2 more elements
A spectral acquisition method comprising,
- positioning a pharmaceutical tablet at a first position within an optical field of view of an acquisition system,
- removing material from the tablet while the tablet remains at the first position within the field of view,
- acquiring a first spectral image of the tablet by the acquisition system after the step of removing, while the tablet remains at the first position within the field of view,
- removing further material from the tablet while the tablet remains at the first position within the field of view in one or more further steps of removing,
- acquiring a further spectral image of the tablet by the acquisition system after each further step of removing, while the tablet remains at the first position within the field of view, and
- assembling the acquired spectral images into a three-dimensional data representation that includes spectral information for positions in three spatial dimensions.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.