Imaging an object of interest
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsSteffen Weiβ, Tobias Schaffter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for imaging an object of interest includes an ultrasound device configured to emit ultrasonic waves of at least two different frequencies onto the object of interest, and an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to detect electromagnetic fluorescence radiation emitted by the object of interest in response to an absorption of primary electromagnetic radiation and in response to the ultrasonic waves.
Claims28
An apparatus for imaging an object of interest including a particle, the apparatus comprising:
- an ultrasound device configured to emit an ultrasound pulse including ultrasonic waves of at least two frequencies onto the object of interest;
- a primary radiation source for emitting a primary electromagnetic radiation for absorption by a donor molecule of the particle;
- an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to detect a signal including electromagnetic fluorescence radiation emitted by the object of interest in response to an absorption of the primary electromagnetic radiation and in response to the ultrasonic waves that are configured to decrease a distance between the donor molecule and an acceptor molecule of the particle for allowing energy transfer from the donor molecule to the acceptor molecule and emission of the electromagnetic fluorescence radiation by the acceptor molecule in response to the energy transfer;
- and
- a computer processor configured to form a de-convolved signal by de-convolving the signal detected by the electromagnetic radiation detector with the ultrasound pulse, the de-convolved signal being used for reconstructing an image for display.
A method for imaging an object of interest including a particle, the method comprising the acts of:
- emitting by a primary electromagnetic radiation source primary electromagnetic radiation for absorption by a donor molecule of the particle;
- emitting an ultrasound pulse including ultrasonic waves of at least two frequencies onto the object of interest;
- and
- detecting a signal including an electromagnetic fluorescence radiation emitted by the object of interest in response to the absorption by the donor molecule of the primary electromagnetic radiation and in response to the ultrasonic waves;
- forming a de-convolved signal by de-convolving the signal detected by the electromagnetic radiation detector with the ultrasound pulse;
- and
- displaying an image using the de-convolved signal,
- wherein the ultrasonic waves are configured to decrease a distance between the donor molecule and an acceptor molecule of the particle for allowing energy transfer from the donor molecule to the acceptor molecule and emission of the electromagnetic fluorescence radiation by the acceptor molecule in response to the energy transfer.
A tangible computer-readable medium, in which a computer program including non-transitory computer instructions for imaging an object of interest is stored which, when being executed by a computer processor, configures the computer processor to carry out the acts of:
- causing a primary electromagnetic source to emit a primary electromagnetic radiation for absorption by a donor molecule of the particle;
- causing an ultrasound device to emit an ultrasound pulse including ultrasonic waves of at least two frequencies onto the object of interest, the object of interest including a particle;
- causing an electromagnetic radiation detector to detect a signal including electromagnetic fluorescence radiation emitted by the object of interest in response to the absorption by the donor molecule of the primary electromagnetic radiation and in response to the ultrasonic waves;
- forming a de-convolved signal by de-convolving the signal detected by the electromagnetic radiation detector with the ultrasound pulse;
- and
- causing a display to display an image using the de-convolved signal,
- wherein the ultrasonic waves are configured to decrease a distance between the donor molecule and an acceptor molecule of the particle for allowing energy transfer from the donor molecule to the acceptor molecule and emission of the electromagnetic fluorescence radiation by the acceptor molecule in response to the energy transfer.
A non-transitory program element embedded in a tangible computer readable medium for imaging an object of interest including a particle, which, when being executed by a computer processor, configures the computer processor to carry out the acts of:
- causing a primary electromagnetic source to emit a primary electromagnetic radiation for absorption by a donor molecule of the particle;
- causing an ultrasound device to emit an ultrasound pulse including ultrasonic waves of at least two different frequencies onto the object of interest
- causing an electromagnetic radiation detector to detect a signal including electromagnetic fluorescence radiation emitted by the object of interest in response to the absorption by the donor molecule of the primary electromagnetic radiation and in response to the ultrasonic waves;
- and
- forming a de-convolved signal by de-convolving the signal detected by the electromagnetic radiation detector with the ultrasound pulse;
- and
- causing a display to display an image using the de-convolved signal,
- wherein the ultrasonic waves are configured to decrease a distance between the donor molecule and an acceptor molecule of the particle for allowing energy transfer from the donor molecule to the acceptor molecule and emission of the electromagnetic fluorescence radiation by the acceptor molecule in response to the energy transfer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.