A swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of optical imaging systems, and in particular to a frequency-sweeping all-fiber OCT optical imaging system. The frequency-sweeping all-fiber OCT optical imaging system comprises: a light source; a first fiber coupler; a sample arm assembly; a reference arm assembly; the reference arm assembly is an optical fiber; a second fiber coupler; and a processing system; the light emitted by the light source is incident on the sample arm assembly and the reference arm assembly respectively through the first fiber coupler, the light reflected from the sample arm assembly and the light transmitted through the reference arm assembly interfere with each other in the second fiber coupler, and the interference result is processed by the processing system to obtain OCT optical imaging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical imaging systems, and in particular to a frequency-sweeping all-fiber OCT optical imaging system. Background Art

[0002] Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a three-dimensional tomographic imaging technology that can detect reflected or scattered signals at different depths in biological tissues. It has the advantages of non-contact, high resolution, and high speed. Since the invention of OCT technology, it has developed from the early time domain OCT to the latest frequency domain OCT, among which the frequency domain system is divided into spectral domain OCT and swept frequency OCT. The advantages in signal-to-noise ratio and imaging speed have made frequency domain OCT more widely used and recognized.

[0003] The energy of the reference arm is the main component of the OCT background signal. High energy stability has great advantages in subsequent image processing, especially in removing background signals. In the current prior art, due to the movement of the reference arm, if the energy stability of the reference arm needs to be maintained within a larger range, the processing and adjustment accuracy of the reference arm needs to be very high, which is not conducive to production. At the same time, because the reference arm based on this structure requires a larger volume to accommodate the structure of the reference arm, it needs to occupy a larger space.

[0004] In view of the above problems, it is necessary to provide a swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system, the swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system comprising:

[0006] light source;

[0007] A first optical fiber coupler; the first optical fiber coupler comprises a first port, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port; the first port is connected to a light source; the second port is connected to a second optical fiber coupler; the third port is connected to a sample arm assembly; and the fourth port is connected to a reference arm assembly;

[0008] A sample arm assembly; the sample arm assembly includes an eyepiece, a lens, and a movable prism; the incident light enters the eye after passing through the movable prism, the lens, and the eyepiece, and then is reflected by the eyepiece, the lens, and the movable prism to form light reflected from the sample arm assembly;

[0009] A reference arm assembly; the reference arm assembly is an optical fiber;

[0010] a second optical fiber coupler;

[0011] Processing systems;

[0012] The light emitted by the light source is incident on the sample arm assembly and the reference arm assembly respectively through the first fiber optic coupler, and the light reflected from the sample arm assembly interferes with the light transmitted through the reference arm assembly in the second fiber optic coupler. The interference result is processed by the processing system to obtain OCT optical imaging.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the light source is a swept frequency light source.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system further includes a detection system; the detection system is connected to the rear end of the second fiber coupler to detect the balanced interference signal.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system further includes a third fiber coupler.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the third optical fiber coupler is arranged at the rear end of the second optical fiber coupler.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the sample arm assembly further comprises a collimator, and the collimator is arranged at the front end of the movable prism;

[0018] The incident light enters the eye after passing through the collimator, movable prism, lens, and eyepiece, and then is reflected by the eyepiece, lens, movable prism, and collimator to form light reflected back from the reference arm assembly.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the lens is a single lens or a lens group.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the reference arm assembly further includes a protective cover.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the reference arm assembly further includes a protective cover, and the protective cover matches the protective sleeve.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the movable prism is any one of a corner cube prism and a dove prism.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention innovatively designs a sample arm assembly and a reference arm assembly. A movable prism is designed in the sample arm assembly, which can self-adjust the optical path at the sample arm stage. The reference arm assembly adopts an all-fiber design, eliminating the optical structure and mobile structure in the traditional design. In this way, the adjustment of the reference arm assembly is reduced, thereby reducing the noise of the OCT optical imaging system and improving the stability of the reference arm assembly. At the same time, the volume of the reference arm assembly is reduced, and the processing difficulty and precision of the reference arm assembly are reduced, so that the OCT optical imaging system has a compact structure, high reliability, and is easier to integrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system in a preferred embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the optical path of the sample arm assembly.

[0026] Figure numerals: 1 - light source; 2 - first fiber optic coupler; 3 - reference arm assembly; 4 - sample arm assembly; 41 - collimating mirror; 42 - movable prism; 43 - lens; 44 - eyepiece; 45 - eye; 5 - second fiber optic coupler; 6 - detection system; 7 - processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the technical solution of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0028] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first aspect of the present invention discloses a swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system, the swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system comprising:

[0029] Light source 1;

[0030] The light source 1 is used to provide the laser required by the system;

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the light source is a swept-frequency light source; more preferably, a high-speed swept-frequency light source.

[0032] A first optical fiber coupler 2; the first optical fiber coupler 2 comprises a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port; the first port is connected to a light source 1; the second port is connected to a second optical fiber coupler 5; the third port is connected to a sample arm assembly 4; the fourth port is connected to a reference arm assembly 3;

[0033] The sample arm assembly 4 includes an eyepiece 44, a lens 43, and a movable prism 42; the incident light enters the eye after passing through the movable prism 42, the lens 43, and the eyepiece 44, and then is reflected by the eyepiece 44, the lens 43, and the movable prism 42 to form light reflected from the sample arm assembly;

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the sample arm assembly 4 further includes a collimator 41, and the collimator 41 is disposed at the front end of a movable prism 42;

[0035] The incident light enters the eye after passing through the collimator 41, the movable prism 42, the lens 43, and the eyepiece 44, and then is reflected by the eyepiece 44, the lens 43, the movable prism 42, and the collimator 41 to form light reflected from the reference arm assembly.

[0036] The lens is a single lens or a lens group.

[0037] The movable prism only needs to be able to move the prism, and the movable prism may be moved by, for example, setting a motor drive or the like.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the movable prism is any one of a corner cube prism and a dove prism.

[0039] In the present invention, the component for adjusting the optical path is innovatively moved from the reference arm component to the sample arm component, thereby avoiding the noise caused by adjusting the reference arm component and making the reference arm component more stable.

[0040] Reference arm component 3; the reference arm component 3 is an optical fiber;

[0041] The reference arm assembly 3 is of all-fiber design, that is, the entire components of the reference arm assembly 3 are optical fibers, eliminating the optical structure and moving structure in the traditional design. This reduces the adjustment of the reference arm assembly 3, thereby reducing the noise of the OCT optical imaging system, improving the stability of the reference arm assembly 3, and reducing the volume of the reference arm assembly 3.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the reference arm assembly 3 further includes a protective cover.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the reference arm assembly 3 further includes a protective cover, and the protective cover matches the protective sleeve.

[0044] The protective sleeve and the protective cover can protect the reference arm assembly 3 .

[0045] A second optical fiber coupler 5;

[0046] Processing system 7;

[0047] The light emitted by the light source 1 is incident on the sample arm assembly 4 and the reference arm assembly 3 respectively through the first fiber optic coupler 2. The light reflected from the sample arm assembly 4 and the light transmitted through the reference arm assembly 3 interfere with each other in the second fiber optic coupler 5. The interference result is processed by the processing system 7 to obtain OCT optical imaging.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system further includes a detection system 6; the detection system 6 is connected to the rear end of the second fiber coupler 5 to detect the balanced interference signal.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system further includes a third fiber coupler.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment, the third optical fiber coupler is arranged at the rear end of the second optical fiber coupler 5 .

[0051] Compared with the prior art, the present invention innovatively designs a reference arm assembly, which adopts an all-fiber design and eliminates the optical structure and moving structure in the traditional design. This reduces the adjustment of the reference arm assembly, thereby reducing the noise of the OCT optical imaging system and improving the stability of the reference arm assembly. At the same time, it reduces the volume of the reference arm assembly and reduces the processing difficulty and precision of the reference arm assembly, making the OCT optical imaging system compact, highly reliable, and easier to integrate.

[0052] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system, characterized in that: The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system comprises: light source; A first optical fiber coupler; the first optical fiber coupler comprises a first port, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port; the first port is connected to a light source; the second port is connected to a second optical fiber coupler; the third port is connected to a sample arm assembly; and the fourth port is connected to a reference arm assembly; A sample arm assembly; the sample arm assembly includes an eyepiece, a lens, and a movable prism; the incident light enters the eye after passing through the movable prism, the lens, and the eyepiece, and then is reflected by the eyepiece, the lens, and the movable prism to form light reflected from the sample arm assembly; A reference arm assembly; the reference arm assembly is an optical fiber; a second optical fiber coupler; Processing systems; The light emitted by the light source is incident on the sample arm assembly and the reference arm assembly respectively through the first optical fiber coupler, and the light reflected from the sample arm assembly and the light transmitted by the reference arm assembly interfere with each other in the second optical fiber coupler, and the interference result is processed by the processing system to obtain OCT optical imaging; The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system further includes a third fiber coupler; The third optical fiber coupler is arranged at the rear end of the second optical fiber coupler; The sample arm assembly further comprises a collimator mirror, which is arranged at the front end of the movable prism; The incident light enters the eye after passing through the collimator, movable prism, lens, and eyepiece, and then is reflected by the eyepiece, lens, movable prism, and collimator to form light reflected from the reference arm assembly; The lens is a single lens or a lens group.

2. The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light source is a swept frequency light source.

3. The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swept-frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system also includes a detection system; the detection system is connected to the rear end of the second optical fiber coupler to detect the balanced interference signal.

4. The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reference arm assembly also includes a protective cover.

5. The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The reference arm assembly also includes a protective cover, and the protective cover matches the protective sleeve.

6. The swept frequency all-fiber OCT optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable prism is any one of a corner cube prism and a dove prism.

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