Scanning control device, scanning system, scanning control method, and program

Abstract

In the present invention, a first region and a second region among regions to be scanned are scanned, and a lens is moved toward the second region while the first region is being scanned.

Description

Scanning control device, scanning system, scanning control method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a scanning control device, a scanning system, a scanning control method, and a recording medium.

[0002] A technology for scanning an object with a laser is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for synchronizing the laser scanning operation of a scanning means with the stage movement operation of a stage means, and performing laser scanning while moving the stage, with the aim of capturing and displaying an image scanned at high speed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-84643

[0004] In the technology for scanning an object and generating an image as described above, there is a demand for a technology that can scan two or more arbitrarily set areas within an object and generate images at higher speeds.

[0005] Therefore, an example of an object of this disclosure is to provide a scanning control device, a scanning system, a scanning control method, and a recording medium that solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, the scanning control device includes a control means for scanning a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area, and for moving the irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0007] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, the scanning system includes a control means for scanning a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area, and for moving an irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0008] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a scanning control method scans a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area, and moves an irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, the recording medium stores a program that causes the computer of the scanning control device to function as a control means that scans a first area and a second area of ​​the area to be scanned, and moves the irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an external view of the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is an external view of the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is an external view of the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a modified example of an optical coherence tomography image generating operation performed by an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a fingerprint region determining operation performed by an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 4 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a fingerprint region determining operation performed by an optical coherence tomography image generating apparatus 4 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 shows a fingertip scan region determined in some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 23 is a first diagram showing an overview of position control of an irradiation unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an overview of scan control of an irradiation unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 25 is a first diagram showing an overview of scan control according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an optical coherence tomographic image generation device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 27 is a second diagram showing a hardware configuration of an optical coherence tomographic image generation device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a scan control device and a first control unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a scan control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a first control unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a configuration of a scan control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the scan control device shown in FIG. 22. FIG. 29 is a block diagram schematically showing an example hardware configuration of a calculation processing device 80 capable of realizing a scan control device according to each embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] An optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus including a scan control device (scanning control device) according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] A scan control device, a scan control method, and a program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. Hereinafter, an optical coherence tomographic image generation device 1 to which a scan control device, a scan control method, and a program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are applied will be described.

[0013] 1-1: Configuration of Optical Coherence Tomographic Image Generation Apparatus 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical coherence tomographic image generation apparatus 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the optical coherence tomography image generating device 1 includes an acquisition unit 11, a determination unit 12, and a scan control unit 13. The acquisition unit 11 acquires a three-dimensional image SI of an object. The determination unit 12 determines multiple scanning areas on the object based on the three-dimensional image SI. The scan control unit 13 controls the scanning of each of the multiple scanning areas with light by moving the irradiation position of light for capturing an optical coherence tomography image of the object relative to the object. The acquisition unit 11 acquires information on at least two scanning areas on the object and reference positions identified in each of the scanning areas, which are used to identify the position of the irradiation unit that irradiates the scanning light on the scanning area.

[0015] The scan control unit 13 acquires information on at least two scanning areas in the object to be scanned and a reference position used to identify the position of the irradiation unit that irradiates the scanning area with light. Then, while scanning a first scanning area that is to be scanned first among the scanning areas, the scan control unit 13 controls to move the position of the irradiation unit from a start position set in the first scanning area where the reference position is initially aligned to that area, to a start position in a second scanning area that is to be scanned next where the reference position is initially aligned to that area.

[0016] [1-2: Technical Effects of the Optical Coherence Tomography Image Generation Device 1] By using the stereoscopic image SI, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 1 can easily and accurately determine multiple scanning regions and generate highly accurate optical coherence tomography images. Furthermore, while scanning a first scanning region, which is to be scanned first among the scanning regions, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 1 controls the movement of the position of the irradiation unit from the reference position of the first scanning region to the reference position of the second scanning region, which is to be scanned next. This enables the optical coherence tomography image generation device 1 to more quickly scan and generate images of two or more regions arbitrarily set within a target.

[0017] A scan control device, a scan control method, and a program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The following description will be made with reference to an optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 to which the scan control device, the scan control method, and the program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0018] [2-1: Configuration of Optical Coherence Tomographic Image Generation Device 2] The configuration of the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2.

[0019] 2 , the OCT image generating device 2 includes a scan control unit 21, which is one aspect of a scan control device (scanning control device), and a storage unit 22. Furthermore, the OCT image generating device 2 may include a stereoscopic image generating unit 100, a scanner unit 200, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, and an output unit 25. However, the OCT image generating device 2 does not necessarily include at least one of the stereoscopic image generating unit 100, the scanner unit 200, the communication unit 23, the input unit 24, and the output unit 25. When the OCT image generating device 2 does not include at least one of the stereoscopic image generating unit 100 and the scanner unit 200, the OCT image generating device 2 may transmit and receive information via the stereoscopic image generating unit 100, the scanner unit 200, and the communication unit 23. The scan control unit 21, the memory unit 22, the stereoscopic image generation unit 100, the scanner unit 200, the communication unit 23, the input unit 24, and the output unit 25 are connected via communication lines. The scan control unit 21, the memory unit 22, the stereoscopic image generation unit 100, the scanner unit 200, the communication unit 23, the input unit 24, and the output unit 25 may be connected in any manner, such as by wire or wirelessly. The scan control unit 21, the memory unit 22, the stereoscopic image generation unit 100, the scanner unit 200, the communication unit 23, the input unit 24, and the output unit 25 may each be configured as a device and configured as an optical coherence tomographic image generation system. The scanner unit 200 is one aspect of an optical coherence tomographic imaging device. The scanning system may include, for example, the scan control unit 21 and the scanner unit 200. The scanning system may include each component constituting the optical coherence tomographic image generation system.

[0020] The scan control unit 21 includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The scan control unit 21 loads a computer program. For example, the scan control unit 21 may load a computer program stored in the storage unit 22. For example, the scan control unit 21 may load a computer program stored in a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium using a recording medium reading device (e.g., the input unit 24, described later) not shown in the drawings included in the optical coherence tomographic image generation apparatus 2. The scan control unit 21 may acquire (i.e., download or load) the computer program from a device (not shown) located outside the optical coherence tomographic image generation apparatus 2 via the communication unit 23 (or another communication device). The scan control unit 21 executes the loaded computer program. As a result, a logical functional block for executing the operation to be performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2 is realized within the scan control unit 21. In other words, the scan control unit 21 can function as a controller for realizing the logical functional block for executing the operation (in other words, processing) to be performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2.

[0021] 2 shows an example of logical functional blocks implemented in the scan control unit 21 to execute the optical coherence tomographic image generation operation. As shown in Fig. 2, an acquisition unit 211, a determination unit 212, and a control unit 213 are implemented in the scan control unit 21. The operations of the acquisition unit 211, the determination unit 212, and the control unit 213 will be described later.

[0022] The storage unit 22 can store desired data. For example, the storage unit 22 may temporarily store a computer program executed by the scan control unit 21. The storage unit 22 may temporarily store data that the scan control unit 21 temporarily uses when the scan control unit 21 is executing a computer program. The storage unit 22 may store data that the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2 stores long-term. The storage unit 22 may include at least one of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a disk array device. In other words, the storage unit 22 may include a non-temporary recording medium.

[0023] The communication unit 23 can communicate with devices external to the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2 via a communication network (not shown). The communication unit 23 may be a communication interface based on standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or USB (Universal Serial Bus). When the communication unit 23 is a communication interface based on the USB standard, the communication unit 23 may be capable of communicating between, for example, the scan control unit 21 including an FPGA and a mechanism including a computer that controls the entire optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2.

[0024] The input unit 24 is a device that accepts information input to the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2 from outside the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2. For example, the input unit 24 may include an operation device (e.g., at least one of a keyboard, a mouse trackball, a touch panel, a pointing device such as a pen tablet, a button, etc.) that can be operated by an operator of the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2. For example, the input unit 24 may include a reading device that can read information recorded as data on a recording medium that can be externally attached to the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2.

[0025] The output unit 25 is a device that outputs information to the outside of the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2. For example, the output unit 25 may output information as an image. That is, the output unit 25 may include a display device (a so-called display) that can display an image showing the information to be output. Examples of the display device include a liquid crystal display and an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display. For example, the output unit 25 may output information as sound. That is, the output unit 25 may include an audio device (a so-called speaker) that can output sound. For example, the output unit 25 may output information on paper. That is, the output unit 25 may include a printing device (a so-called printer) that can print desired information on paper. Furthermore, the input unit 24 and the output unit 25 may be integrally formed as a touch panel.

[0026] Note that the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and devices other than those shown in FIG. 2 may be added, or some devices may not be provided. Furthermore, some devices may be replaced with other devices having similar functions. Furthermore, some functions of some embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided by other devices via a network. Functions of some embodiments of the present disclosure may be distributed and realized across multiple devices. In this way, the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 can be modified as appropriate.

[0027] [2-2: Stereoscopic Image Generator 100] The stereoscopic image generator 100 generates a stereoscopic image SI of an object. The stereoscopic image generator 100 may be a stereo camera. The stereoscopic image generator 100 may have at least two camera units 110 located at different positions relative to the object. The stereoscopic image generator 100 may have at least two camera units 110 with different imaging angles relative to the object. The stereoscopic image generator 100 may generate the stereoscopic image SI from multiple images of the object captured from different angles. The stereoscopic image SI generated by the stereoscopic image generator 100 may be used to obtain the three-dimensional position of a region of the object to be scanned by optical coherence tomography. The stereoscopic image generator 100 may generate a stereoscopic image SI from which the three-dimensional position of each part of the object can be obtained.

[0028] The operation of generating the stereoscopic image SI by the stereoscopic image generator 100 may be controlled by the controller 213. The controller 213 may control the movement of the camera unit 110 and the image capture.

[0029] [2-3: Scanner Unit 200] The scanner unit 200 irradiates a target with a light beam while scanning it two-dimensionally, performs optical coherence tomography imaging, and generates three-dimensional brightness data of the target. The scanner unit 200 is composed of an irradiation unit 210 (lens and galvano scanner) and a stage 220 (movement unit).

[0030] Optical coherence tomography imaging is a technology that utilizes interference between object light and reference light to identify the position of the light scattering point at which the object light is scattered in the object in the optical axis direction, i.e., the depth direction of the object, and obtain spatially resolved structural data in the depth direction inside the object. Optical coherence tomography technologies include time domain (TD-OCT) and Fourier domain (FD-OCT), but some embodiments of the present disclosure employ the FD-OCT method. In the FD-OCT method, when the object light and the reference light are made to interfere with each other, the interference light spectrum over a wide wavelength band is measured, and this is then Fourier transformed to obtain structural data in the depth direction. Although there are two methods for obtaining an interference light spectrum, the Spectral Domain OCT (SD-OCT) method using a spectroscope and the Swept Source OCT (SS-OCT) method using a wavelength-swept light source, the optical coherence tomography image generating device 2 in some embodiments of the present disclosure performs optical coherence tomography scanning using the SS-OCT method. The scanner unit 200 scans the irradiation position of the object light in an in-plane direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the object, thereby obtaining tomographic structure data that is spatially resolved in the in-plane direction and in the depth direction, i.e., three-dimensional tomographic structure data of the measurement object.

[0031] The scanner unit 200 may include a light source and a signal processing unit. The optical coherence tomography imaging operation of the scanner unit 200 may be controlled by the control unit 213. The control unit 213 may control the movement, scanning position, and scanning speed of the irradiation unit 210 provided in the scanner unit 200. The control unit 213 may control the movement of the irradiation unit 210 by controlling the movement of a stage 220 provided in the scanner unit 200.

[0032] The light source may emit light while sweeping the wavelength. The scanner unit 200 irradiates the object light emitted from the light source onto the target and scatters it. The object light scattered from the target interferes with the reference light reflected by the reference light mirror, generating two interference lights. That is, the intensity ratio of the two interference lights is determined by the phase difference between the object light and the reference light. The scanner unit 200 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity difference between the two interference lights to the signal processing unit. The signal processing unit converts the electrical signal output by the scanner unit 200 into data. The signal processing unit performs a Fourier transform on the generated interference light spectrum data to obtain data indicating the intensity of backscattered light (object light) at different depth positions in the depth direction (also referred to as the "Z direction"). The operation of obtaining data indicating the intensity of backscattered light (object light) in the depth direction (Z direction) of the irradiation position of the object light on the target is referred to as an "A-scan." The signal processing unit generates a waveform indicating the object light backscattering intensity at Nz locations as an A-scan waveform. The scanner unit 200 uses the irradiation unit 210 to scan the irradiation position of the object light on the target. The scanner unit 200 uses the irradiation unit 210 to move the irradiation position of the object light in the scanning line direction (also referred to as the "scanning fast axis direction" or "X direction"). The signal processing unit repeatedly performs an A-scan operation for each irradiation position of the object light and connects the A-scan waveforms for each irradiation position of the object light. As a result, the signal processing unit acquires a two-dimensional map of the intensity of backscattered light (object light) in the scanning line direction (X direction) and the depth direction (Z direction) as a tomographic image. Hereinafter, the operation of repeatedly performing A-scan operations while moving in the scanning line direction (scanning fast axis direction, X direction) and connecting the measurement results is referred to as a "B scan." If the irradiation positions of the object light for each B scan are Nx locations, the tomographic image obtained by the B scan is two-dimensional brightness data indicating the object light backscattering intensity at Nz × Nx points.

[0033] The scanner unit 200 uses the irradiation unit 210 to move the irradiation position of the object light not only in the scanning line direction (X direction) but also in a direction perpendicular to the scanning line (also called the "slow axis direction of scanning" or "Y direction"). The signal processing unit repeatedly performs B-scan operations and connects the B-scan measurement results. In this way, the signal processing unit acquires three-dimensional tomographic structure data. Hereinafter, the operation of repeatedly performing B-scan operations while moving in the direction perpendicular to the scanning line (Y direction) and connecting the measurement results will be referred to as a "C scan." If the number of B-scans performed per C scan is Ny, the tomographic structure data obtained by the C scan is three-dimensional brightness data indicating the backscattering intensity of the object light at Nz × Nx × Ny points.

[0034] The signal processing unit sends the data after the digitization process to the scan control unit 21. Note that the operation of the signal processing unit may be performed by the scan control unit 21.

[0035] 3A is an external view of the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2. As shown in FIG. 3A, the irradiation unit 210 and the camera unit 110 may be fixed to the same stage 220 and integrated together. The stage 220 is a base on which the irradiation unit 210 and the camera unit 110 are mounted and which is equipped with a mechanism for moving the positions of the irradiation unit 210 and the camera unit 110 to a scanning area (scanning target area) of a hand, which is a scanning target.

[0036] The optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 may capture images of fingers of a hand. As shown in FIG. 3B , the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 may be configured so that a user places their palm downward and holds their fingers over the camera unit 110 and the irradiation unit 210 of the stereoscopic image generating unit 100. FIG. 3B illustrates an example of an imaging region b of the stereoscopic image generating unit 100. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3B , the stereoscopic image generating unit 100 may capture stereoscopic images SI of the second to fourth fingers of one hand. Alternatively, the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 may be configured so that a user places their hand on a mounting table with their palm facing up and captures images of the fingers from above.

[0037] The control unit 213 may move the position of the irradiation unit 210 according to the scanning region determined based on the stereoscopic image SI. The irradiation unit 210 and the camera unit 110 may be fixed to the same stage 220 and moved together as a unit, as shown in Fig. 3C. Alternatively, the positions of the irradiation unit 210 and the camera unit 110 may be moved separately.

[0038] However, there is an upper limit to the size of the area for which three-dimensional intensity data can be obtained by a single C-scan. For example, the size of the area for which three-dimensional intensity data can be obtained by a C-scan is much smaller than the size of the area that can be included in a three-dimensional image SI generated in one go. In contrast, by predetermining the three-dimensional position of the desired area from which three-dimensional intensity data is to be obtained, it is possible to efficiently obtain accurate three-dimensional intensity data of the desired area. Therefore, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 2 determines multiple scanning areas on the object based on the three-dimensional image SI prior to generating an optical coherence tomography image.

[0039] 4A to 5D, the flow of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2 will be described. Figures 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing the flow of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2. Figures 5A to 5D are conceptual diagrams of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 2.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target of the optical coherence tomography imaging may be a hand. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determiner 212 may determine, based on the stereoscopic image SI, fingerprint regions of two or more fingers of the hand as the multiple scanning regions.

[0041] 4A, the acquisition unit 211 acquires a stereoscopic image SI of a hand as a target (step S20). The acquisition unit 211 may acquire the stereoscopic image SI of the hand generated by the stereoscopic image generation unit 100.

[0042] The determination unit 212 determines the fingerprint regions of two or more fingers of the hand as multiple scanning areas based on the stereoscopic image SI of the hand (step S21). The determination unit 212 may estimate the fingertips of two or more fingers of the hand based on the stereoscopic image SI of the hand and determine a fingerprint region including at least a portion of the area from the fingertips toward the bases of the fingers to the first joints of the fingers as at least one of the multiple scanning areas. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D , the determination unit 212 may determine each of (a) a fingerprint region L2 of the second finger, (b) a fingerprint region L3 of the third finger, (c) a fingerprint region L4 of the fourth finger, and (d) a fingerprint region L5 of the fifth finger of the left hand as multiple scanning areas. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D , the determination unit 212 may determine a rectangular region of each finger as a fingerprint region.

[0043] The determination unit 212 labels each of the multiple fingerprint regions (step S22). For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the determination unit 212 may label the fingerprint region of the (a) second finger of the left hand as "L2." The determination unit 212 may also label the fingerprint region of the (b) third finger of the left hand as "L3." The determination unit 212 may also label the fingerprint region of the (c) fourth finger of the left hand as "L4." The determination unit 212 may also label the fingerprint region of the (d) fifth finger of the left hand as "L5."

[0044] The control unit 213 generates an optical coherence tomographic image of each scanning region (step S23). The operation of step S23 is shown in FIG. 4B. As shown in FIG. 4B, the control unit 213 selects one fingerprint region from the plurality of fingerprint regions (step S10). For example, the determination unit 212 may first select the fingerprint region L2 of the second finger of the left hand.

[0045] The acquisition unit 211 acquires a three-dimensional image SI of the selected fingerprint area (step S11). The acquisition unit 211 may acquire a three-dimensional image SI of the selected fingerprint area generated by the three-dimensional image generation unit 100. However, the control unit 213 does not have to acquire a three-dimensional image SI of the selected fingerprint area. The operation of acquiring a three-dimensional image SI of the fingerprint area in step S11 is a process for when the hand has moved, so for example, the operation of acquiring a three-dimensional image SI of the fingerprint area may be omitted for the first selected fingerprint area.

[0046] The determination unit 212 determines an optical coherence tomography scanning position corresponding to the selected fingerprint region based on the stereoscopic image SI (step S12). The optical coherence tomography scanning position is a scanning start position and a scanning end position within the fingerprint region, a start position in the fingerprint region where the lens of the irradiation unit 210 is aligned at the start of scanning, and a final position in the fingerprint region where the lens of the irradiation unit 210 is aligned at the end of scanning.

[0047] The control unit 213 outputs scan control information including the optical coherence tomography scanning position, and moves the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 to the optical coherence tomography scanning position corresponding to one fingerprint region (step S13). For example, as shown in the lower part of Figures 5A to 5D, the control unit 213 may move the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 to the optical coherence tomography scanning position corresponding to a selected one of the fingerprint regions L2, L3, L4, and L5.

[0048] The control unit 213 controls the scanning of the fingerprint region with light by moving the irradiation position of the light for capturing an optical coherence tomographic image of the fingerprint region relative to the fingerprint region (step S14). The control unit 213 may also control the optical coherence tomographic scanning by the irradiation unit 210.

[0049] The determining unit 212 assigns the same label as the fingerprint region to the captured optical coherence tomographic image of one fingerprint region (step S15).

[0050] The determination unit 212 determines whether there is a fingerprint area for which the processes from step S10 to step S15 have not yet been performed (step S16). If there is a fingerprint area for which the processes from step S10 to step S15 have not yet been performed (step S16: Yes), the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the determination unit 212 may next select the fingerprint area L3 of the third finger of the left hand. Furthermore, the determination unit 212 may next select the fingerprint area L4 of the fourth finger of the left hand. Finally, the determination unit 212 may select the fingerprint area L5 of the fifth finger of the left hand.

[0051] Here, the above-mentioned fingerprint region is one aspect of the scanning region. The control unit 213 controls the optical coherence tomography scanning (scanning) to be performed sequentially for the fingerprint regions L2 to L5. At this time, while scanning the first scanning region to be scanned first among the scanning regions, the control unit 213 controls the position of the irradiation unit to move from the start position set in the first scanning region where the reference position is initially aligned to the region, to the start position in the second scanning region to be scanned next where the reference position is initially aligned.

[0052] If there is no fingerprint region for which the processes from step S10 to step S15 have not yet been performed (step S16: No), the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 ends. The determination unit 212 may determine how many fingers are shown in the stereoscopic image SI before performing scanning control, and may repeat the processes from step S10 to step S15 for each fingerprint region targeted for scanning control as many times as the number of fingers, and the control unit 213 may output scan control information including the optical coherence tomographic scanning position for each fingerprint region.

[0053] 6 is a diagram showing a modified example of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating device. While the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 has been described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5D above as generating optical coherence tomographic images of the second to fourth fingers of one hand, the present invention is not limited to generating optical coherence tomographic images of the fingers of one hand. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 2 may generate optical coherence tomographic images of the fingers of both hands.

[0054] [2-5: Technical Effects of the Optical Coherence Tomography Image Generation Device 2] The optical coherence tomography image generation device 2 can generate optical coherence tomography images of multiple locations. Although the size of an optical coherence tomography image that can be obtained by a single optical coherence tomography scanning operation is fixed, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 2 can easily and accurately determine the fingerprint area of ​​a finger by using the stereoscopic image SI, and can generate the desired optical coherence tomography image. Furthermore, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 2 also controls the position of the irradiation unit to move from the reference position of the first scan area to the reference position of the second scan area that will be scanned next, while scanning a first scan area among the scan areas. This allows the optical coherence tomography image generation device 2 to scan and generate images of two or more areas arbitrarily set within a target more quickly.

[0055] A scan control device, a scan control method, and a program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The following description will be made with reference to an optical coherence tomographic image generation device 3 to which the scan control device, the scan control method, and the program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0056] 7. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 3.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 7 , the OCT image generation device 3, like the OCT image generation device 2, includes a scan control unit 21, which is one aspect of a scan control device (scanning control device), and a memory unit 22. Furthermore, like the OCT image generation device 2, the OCT image generation device 3 may include a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, and an output unit 25. However, the OCT image generation device 3 does not necessarily include at least one of the communication unit 23, the input unit 24, and the output unit 25. The OCT image generation device 3 differs from the OCT image generation device 2 in the determination operation by the determination unit 212 and in the fact that the determination unit 212 included in the scan control unit 21 includes a synthesis unit 214. The synthesis unit 214 generates an OCT image of a desired region based on OCT images of each scanned region. Other features of the OCT image generation device 3 may be the same as those of the OCT image generation device 2.

[0058] 8A to 9, the flow of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 3 will be described. Figures 8A and 8B are flowcharts showing the flow of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 3. Figure 9 is a conceptual diagram of the optical coherence tomographic image generating operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus 3.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target for generating an optical coherence tomographic image may be a hand. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determiner 212 determines an imaging region on the target based on the stereoscopic image SI, and divides the imaging region to determine multiple scanning regions.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 8A, the acquisition unit 211 acquires a stereoscopic image SI of a target hand (step S20). For example, as shown in part (a) of Fig. 9, the acquisition unit 211 may acquire a stereoscopic image SI of one of the fingers of the hand.

[0061] The determination unit 212 determines a nail-to-nail fingerprint region as an imaging region on a finger based on the stereoscopic image SI (step S30). For example, as shown in part (b) of FIG. 9 , the determination unit 212 may determine a rectangular region including the entire fingerprint from the tip to the first joint of the finger as the nail-to-nail fingerprint region. The determination unit 212 may estimate the fingertip of at least one finger on the hand based on the stereoscopic image SI of the hand, and determine a fingerprint region including at least a portion of the region from the fingertip toward the base of the finger to the first joint on the finger. Based on the stereoscopic image SI of the hand, the determination unit 212 may determine a fingerprint region of a size larger than the image size obtained by optical coherence tomography scanning at one time.

[0062] The determination unit 212 divides the nail-to-nail fingerprint area to determine a plurality of fingerprint areas as a plurality of scanning areas (step S31). For example, as shown in part (b) of Fig. 9, the determination unit 212 may divide the nail-to-nail fingerprint area into six and determine six fingerprint areas.

[0063] The determination unit 212 labels each of the multiple fingerprint areas (step S22). For example, as shown in part (b) of FIG. 9, the determination unit 212 may label the upper left fingerprint area of ​​the nail-to-nail fingerprint area as "1." The determination unit 212 may also label the upper middle fingerprint area of ​​the nail-to-nail fingerprint area as "2." The determination unit 212 may also label the upper right fingerprint area of ​​the nail-to-nail fingerprint area as "3." The determination unit 212 may also label the lower left fingerprint area of ​​the nail-to-nail fingerprint area as "4." The determination unit 212 may also label the lower middle fingerprint area of ​​the nail-to-nail fingerprint area as "5." The determination unit 212 may also label the lower right fingerprint area of ​​the nail-to-nail fingerprint area as "6."

[0064] The control unit 213 generates an optical coherence tomographic image of each scanning region (step S23). The operation of step S23 is shown in FIG. 8B. As shown in FIG. 8B, the control unit 213 selects one fingerprint region from the plurality of fingerprint regions (step S10). For example, as shown in part (c) of FIG. 9, the determination unit 212 may first select the upper left region 1.

[0065] The acquisition unit 211 acquires a stereoscopic image SI of the selected fingerprint region (step S11). However, as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 213 does not necessarily have to acquire a stereoscopic image SI of the selected fingerprint region.

[0066] The determination unit 212 determines an OCT scanning position corresponding to one selected fingerprint region based on the stereoscopic image SI (step S12). The OCT scanning position is a scanning start position and a scanning end position within the fingerprint region, a start position in the fingerprint region where the lens of the irradiation unit 210 is aligned at the start of scanning, and a final position in the fingerprint region where the lens of the irradiation unit 210 is aligned at the end of scanning.

[0067] The control unit 213 outputs scan control information including the OCT scanning position, and moves the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 to the OCT scanning position corresponding to one fingerprint region (step S13). For example, as shown in part (c) of Figure 9, the control unit 213 may move the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 to the OCT scanning position corresponding to the initially selected upper left region 1.

[0068] The control unit 213 controls the scanning of the fingerprint region with light by moving the irradiation position of the light for capturing an optical coherence tomographic image of the fingerprint region relative to the fingerprint region (step S14). The control unit 213 may also control the OCT scanning by the irradiation unit 210.

[0069] The determining unit 212 assigns the same label as the fingerprint region to the captured optical coherence tomographic image of one fingerprint region (step S15).

[0070] The determination unit 212 determines whether there is a fingerprint region for which the processes from step S10 to step S15 have not yet been performed (step S16). If there is a fingerprint region for which the processes from step S10 to step S15 have not yet been performed (step S16: Yes), the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, for example, as shown in part (d) of FIG. 9 , the determination unit 212 may next select the upper-middle region 2. Furthermore, the determination unit 212 may sequentially select the upper-right region 3, the lower-left region 4, the lower-middle region 5, and the lower-right region 6.

[0071] Here, the scan control unit 21 controls the optical coherence tomography scanning (scanning) to be performed in order for fingerprint areas (scan areas) 1 to 6. At this time, while scanning the first scanning area to be scanned first among the scanning areas, the scan control unit 21 controls the position of the irradiation unit to move from the start position set in the first scanning area where the reference position is first aligned to the first scanning area, to the start position in the second scanning area where the reference position is first aligned to the second scanning area to be scanned next.

[0072] If there is no fingerprint area for which the processes from step S10 to step S15 have not yet been performed (step S16: No), the process proceeds to step S32. Before performing the scan control, the determination unit 212 may repeat the processes from step S10 to step S15 for the number of divisions of the Nail-to-Nail fingerprint area, and the control unit 213 may output scan control information including the OCT layer scanning position for each of the fingerprint areas.

[0073] The synthesis unit 214 generates a nail-to-nail fingerprint image by synthesizing the optical coherence tomographic images of the individual fingerprint regions (step S32).

[0074] 9, the case has been described in which the determining unit 212 divides the Nail-to-Nail area into six to determine six fingerprint areas, but the number of divisions is not limited to six. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the determining unit 212 may divide the Nail-to-Nail area into four to determine four fingerprint areas. The determining unit 212 may divide the area into any number of parts to determine any number of fingerprint areas in accordance with the size of a desired optical coherence tomographic image.

[0075] Although the optical coherence tomography image generating device 3 captured an optical coherence tomography image of a fingerprint image of one of the fingers of a hand, it may capture optical coherence tomography images of multiple fingers of a hand. For example, the optical coherence tomography image generating device 3 may capture optical coherence tomography images of all fingers from the first finger to the fifth finger. In this case, for example, the determiner 212 may determine multiple fingerprint regions by dividing the fingerprint region of the first finger without dividing the fingerprint regions of the second finger to the fifth finger.

[0076] Although some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described using examples in which the target is a hand, the target is not limited to a hand, and the optical coherence tomographic image generating device 3 can also be applied to targets other than a hand, as will be described in other embodiments below.

[0077] [3-3: Technical Effects of the Optical Coherence Tomography Image Generation Device 3] The optical coherence tomography image generation device 3 can generate an optical coherence tomography image of a desired region even when the desired region is larger than the region that can be obtained by a single optical coherence tomography scan. Furthermore, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 3 also controls the position of the irradiation unit to move from the reference position of the first scan region to the reference position of the second scan region that will be scanned next while scanning a first scan region. This enables the optical coherence tomography image generation device 3 to scan and generate images of two or more regions arbitrarily set within a target more quickly.

[0078] A scan control device, a scan control method, and a program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The following description will be given with reference to an optical coherence tomographic image generation device 4 to which the scan control device, the scan control method, and the program according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0079] The optical coherence tomographic image generation device 4 is different from the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2 and the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 3 in the decision operation by the decision unit 212. Other features of the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 4 may be the same as other features of at least one of the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 2 and the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 3.

[0080] 11 and 12, the flow of the fingerprint region determination operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 4 will be described. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the fingerprint region determination operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 4. Fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram of the fingerprint region determination operation performed by the optical coherence tomographic image generation device 4.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target for generating an optical coherence tomographic image is a hand. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determination unit 212 determines a fingerprint region of at least one finger on the hand as at least one scanning region based on a stereoscopic image SI, for example, as illustrated in part (a) of FIG. 12 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determination unit 212 may estimate a fingertip of at least one finger on the hand and an axis of the finger based on the stereoscopic image SI, and determine a fingerprint region including an area separated from the fingertip by a predetermined distance along the axis of the finger as at least one of the multiple scanning regions. The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 11 may show a detailed operational flow of step S21 of FIG. 4A .

[0082] As shown in FIG. 12 , the determination unit 212 sums the pixel values ​​of pixels aligned in the Y direction for each X position in the X direction (step S40). The determination unit 212 may also sum the luminance values ​​of pixels aligned in the Y direction for each X position in the X direction. The X direction may be, for example, the left-right direction (the width direction of the hand) in the case shown in FIG. 3B . In this case, the Y direction may be the up-down direction (the longitudinal direction along the axis of the finger) in the case shown in FIG. 3B . The optical coherence tomography image generation device 4 may guide the orientation of the finger held over the camera unit 110 so that the longitudinal direction of the finger is the Y direction. When the orientation of the finger held over the camera unit 110 is determined, one direction in the stereoscopic image SI may be estimated to be the finger axis.

[0083] Alternatively, the X direction may coincide with the direction of movement of the light irradiation position by the irradiation unit 210 in the above-described B scan (also referred to as the "scanning line direction" and the "fast axis direction of scanning"). Furthermore, the Y direction may be a direction perpendicular to the X direction, and may coincide with the above-described "slow axis direction of scanning."

[0084] The determination unit 212 extracts a peak of the sum of pixel values ​​of pixels aligned in the Y direction at at least one X position (step S41). The determination unit 212 may detect as many peaks as the number of fingers included in the stereoscopic image SI. The peak of the sum of pixel values ​​of pixels aligned in the Y direction often occurs at the X position where a fingertip is present. Therefore, the determination unit 212 may estimate that the X position at which the peak of the sum of pixel values ​​of pixels aligned in the Y direction is the X position where a fingertip is present.

[0085] The determination unit 212 calculates a derivative in the Y direction at the X position of the peak of 1 (step S42). The determination unit 212 estimates the Y position in the Y direction that indicates the limit value of the derivative calculated in step S42 as the fingertip (step S43). The determination unit 212 may obtain a change in pixel value in the Y direction and estimate that the fingertip is located at a Y position where the change is large.

[0086] That is, the determination unit 212 may estimate, based on the stereoscopic image SI, a portion of at least one finger of the hand where the position changes sharply in the short direction and the position changes sharply in the long direction of the finger, as the fingertip. The determination unit 212 may estimate a fingertip E, for example, as illustrated in part (b) of FIG.

[0087] The determination unit 212 sets a finger axis along the Y direction from the estimated fingertip (step S44). Based on the stereoscopic image SI, the determination unit 212 may estimate the finger axis as the longitudinal axis of the finger, which includes the center of the part where the pixel value is higher than the surrounding area. The determination unit 212 may estimate a finger axis A, for example, as illustrated in part (c) of FIG.

[0088] The determination unit 212 defines a position that is a predetermined distance away from the estimated fingertip along the set finger axis as the fingerprint center position P (step S45). For example, as illustrated in part (d) of Fig. 12, the determination unit 212 may define a position that is a predetermined distance D away from the fingertip E as the fingerprint center position P. Instead of the predetermined distance D, the determination unit 212 may define a position that is a predetermined number of pixels away from the fingertip E as the fingerprint center position P.

[0089] The determination unit 212 defines a predetermined area centered on the fingerprint center position P as the fingerprint area PA (step S46). The determination unit 212 may define a predetermined rectangular area centered on the fingerprint center position P as the fingerprint area PA, as illustrated in part (e) of Fig. 12. The determination unit 212 determines the fingerprint area PA, which includes an area that is a predetermined distance away from the fingertip along the finger axis, as at least one of the multiple scanning areas.

[0090] The determination unit 212 determines whether or not there are any unprocessed peak positions among the extracted peak positions (step S47). If there are any unprocessed peak positions among the extracted peak positions (step S47: Yes), the process proceeds to step S42. If there are no unprocessed peak positions among the extracted peak positions (step S47: No), the fingerprint area PA determination operation ends.

[0091] The determination unit 212 may calculate the fingertip E, finger axis A, fingerprint center position P, and fingerprint area PA for each image that constitutes the three-dimensional image SI, and determine the three-dimensional position of the scanning area based on the fingertip E, finger axis A, fingerprint center position P, and fingerprint area PA in each image.

[0092] [4-2: Technical Effects of the Optical Coherence Tomography Image Generation Device 4] The optical coherence tomography image generation device 4 can easily and accurately determine the fingerprint area PA by estimating the fingertip and finger axis. The optical coherence tomography image generation device 4 estimates the fingertip according to pixel values, so it can easily and accurately determine the fingerprint area. Furthermore, the optical coherence tomography image generation device 4 estimates the finger axis according to pixel values, so it can easily and accurately determine the fingerprint area. The fingerprint area determination techniques described in some embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to fingerprint area determination in other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0093] As described in each of the above embodiments, the scan control unit 21, which is one aspect of the scan control device (scanning control device), controls the movement of the position of the irradiation unit from the reference position of the first scan area to the reference position of the second scan area to be scanned next, while scanning of the first scan area is being performed. Details of the processing of the scan control unit 21 will be described below.

[0094] 13 shows fingertip scan areas determined in some embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the scan control unit 21 determines (a) a fingerprint area L2 of the second finger, (b) a fingerprint area L3 of the third finger, (c) a fingerprint area L4 of the fourth finger, and (d) a fingerprint area L5 of the fifth finger of the left hand as multiple scanning areas (scan areas).

[0095] The scan control unit 21 controls the relative position of the lens of the irradiation unit 210 with respect to the scanning target so that the irradiation unit 210 performs optical coherence tomography scanning (scanning) of fingerprint area L2, fingerprint area L3, fingerprint area L4, and fingerprint area L5 in that order. Note that in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the irradiation unit 210 provided in the scanner unit 200 has the function of a galvanometer scanner, and even if the irradiation unit 210 does not move relative to the scanning target and is fixed in position, it can freely scan a position within a predetermined range R by controlling the laser light in any direction using a reflecting mirror or the like and irradiating the laser light with pinpoint accuracy. This range is shown as a circular lens range R in FIG. 13 . The lens range R does not have to be a circular range.

[0096] FIG. 14 is a first diagram showing an overview of position control of the irradiation unit. When fingerprint area L2 is the scanning target, the scan control unit 21 controls the position of the lens range R so that it includes at least the scanning position in fingerprint area L2 at the start of scanning. While scanning fingerprint area L2, the scan control unit 21 controls the movement of the lens range R so that it approaches fingerprint area L3, the next scanning target area (part (14a) of FIG. 14). Before scanning fingerprint area L2 is completed, the scan control unit 21 controls the movement of the lens range R toward fingerprint area L3, the next scanning target area (part (14b) of FIG. 14). This movement of the lens range R toward the next scanning target area while scanning the previous scanning target area eliminates the time spent waiting without moving the lens range R until scanning of the current scanning target area is completed, and shortens the movement time by shortening the distance the lens range R moves to the next scanning target area (part (14c) of FIG. 14).

[0097] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an overview of scanning control of the irradiation unit. When scanning each fingerprint area L using the irradiation unit 210, the scanner unit 200 scans from a first side (left or right) at either the bottom or top of the rectangular fingerprint area L to a second side (horizontal direction) as shown by the dashed line in portion (15a) of FIG. 15 , then controls the irradiation position of the light beam by the irradiation unit 210 so that the scanning position moves relatively up and down in the area, then scans from the second side to the first side, then controls the irradiation position of the light beam by the irradiation unit 210 so that the scanning position moves relatively up and down in the area, then scans from the first side to the second side, and repeats these operations to scan the fingerprint area L. This scanning method is called raster scanning. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the irradiation unit 210 controls the movement of the irradiation position of the light beam by the irradiation unit 210 in the vertical direction of the rectangular fingerprint area (plane) to shift the scanning line within the fingerprint area L. The irradiation unit 210 also irradiates and scans in the horizontal direction. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the scanning speed in the left-right direction per unit time on the plane of the irradiation unit 210 is faster than the scanning speed in the up-down direction. Therefore, the left-right direction is referred to as the fast scanning axis, and the up-down direction is referred to as the slow scanning axis.

[0098] As described above, while scanning fingerprint area L using irradiation unit 210, scanner unit 200 controls the movement of stage 220 to move lens range R along lens movement locus 152 in the direction of the scan start position set in the next scan area. At this time, while controlling the movement of stage 220 to move lens range R, scanner unit 200 controls irradiation unit 210 so that the actual light beam in the lens reference system is shifted in a direction that cancels the amount of movement of lens range R, so that the scanning position coincides with the locus (dashed line 151) of scanning positions by normal raster scanning of each fingerprint area L as shown in portion (15a) in Figure 15.

[0099] For example, when scanning fingerprint area L2 using the irradiation unit 210, the scanner unit 200 controls the movement of the stage 220 from the end of the fingerprint area L2 closest to the base of the finger (bottom of the rectangle) toward the end of the fingerprint area L2 closest to the fingertip (top of the rectangle) (the up-down direction of the rectangle) so that the lens range R moves relative to the fingerprint area L2 in that direction. At this time, when the scanner unit 200 scans the light beam using the irradiation unit 210, the movement direction of the lens range R coincides with the direction of shift between scan lines in raster scanning, so that the spacing between each of the left and right scan lines in the area increases. Therefore, even if the lens range R is moved relative to the fingerprint area L2 by controlling the movement of the stage 220 during scanning of the fingerprint area L2 using the irradiation unit 210, the scanner unit 200 controls the scanning of the light beam using the irradiation unit 210 to narrow the spacing between the scan lines so that the spacing between the scan lines does not increase in the left-right direction ((b1) of FIG. 15 ). In this case, the scanner unit 200 controls scanning using the irradiation unit 210 so that the amount of movement per unit time and the direction of movement of the light irradiation position during scanning cancel out the amount of movement per unit time in the direction of movement of the lens range R. As a result, the scanner unit 200 controls scanning of the light beam using the irradiation unit 210 so that the scanning position in the scanning area when the lens range R is not moved during scanning of the scanning area is the same as the scanning position in the scanning area when the lens range R is moved during scanning of the scanning area.

[0100] Furthermore, when scanning fingerprint area L3 using the irradiation unit 210, the scanner unit 200 controls the movement of lens range R toward the scanning start position set in fingerprint area L4 while scanning fingerprint area L3. For example, when scanning fingerprint area L3 using the irradiation unit 210, the scanner unit 200 controls the movement of stage 220 so that lens range R moves along lens movement locus 152 from the left center toward the lower right of the rectangle of fingerprint area L3. At this time, when the scanner unit 200 scans the light beam using the irradiation unit 210 under normal raster scanning control, the vertical movement direction indicated by the relative movement of lens range R in the rectangle of fingerprint area L3 and the vertical movement direction shifting between scan lines coincide in the downward direction, and the lens range R moves toward the lower right of the rectangle, so that the spacing between horizontal scan lines in the rectangle of fingerprint area L3 widens and the end position of one horizontal scan line shifts in the lower right direction, which is the movement direction of lens range R. Therefore, during scanning of the fingerprint area L3, even if the lens range R is moved relative to the fingerprint area L3 based on the movement control of the stage 220, the scanner unit 200 controls the scanning of the light beam using the irradiation unit 210 to narrow the spacing between the scanning lines so that the spacing between each scanning line does not widen, and also controls the scanning to cancel out the movement amount per unit time in the movement direction of the lens range R so that the end position of each left-right scanning line does not shift in the movement direction of the lens range R ((b2) of Figure 15).

[0101] Furthermore, when scanning fingerprint area L4 using irradiation unit 210, scanner unit 200 controls lens range R to move in the direction of the scan start position set in fingerprint area L5. For example, when scanning fingerprint area L4 using irradiation unit 210, scanner unit 200 moves stage 220 from the center left to the lower right of the rectangle of fingerprint area L4, and controls lens range R to move relatively in the same direction. At this time, when scanner unit 200 scans the light beam using irradiation unit 210, the movement direction of lens range R and the direction of shift between scan lines coincide in the downward direction, and lens range R moves in the lower right direction, so that the spacing between scan lines in the left and right directions of the rectangle of the fingerprint area increases and the end position of one left and right scan line is shifted in the lower right direction, which is the movement direction of lens range R. Therefore, during scanning of the fingerprint area L4, even if the lens range R is moved relative to the fingerprint area L4 by controlling the movement of the stage 220, the scanner unit 200 controls the scanning of the light beam using the irradiation unit 210 to narrow the spacing between the scanning lines so that the spacing between the scanning lines in the left and right direction does not widen, and also controls the position that cancels out the movement in the movement direction so that the end position of the scanning does not shift in the direction of movement of the lens range R ((b3) of Figure 15).

[0102] When scanning fingerprint area L5 using irradiation unit 210, scanner unit 200 does not need to move stage 220 if the entire fingerprint area L5 is within lens range R. In this case, scanner unit 200 performs normal light beam scanning control using irradiation unit 210 ((b4) in FIG. 15 ).

[0103] FIG. 16 is a first diagram illustrating an overview of scan control by the scan control device. The scan control unit 21, which is one aspect of the scan control device (scan control device), generates scan control information and outputs it to the scanner unit 200 so that the scanner unit 200 can perform the scan control shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 using the irradiation unit 210 and the stage 220. Specifically, the scan control unit 21 determines fingerprint areas L1, L2, L3, and L4 through the processing described in the other embodiments above. Then, based on the positions of each fingerprint area L in the coordinate system for image processing and scan control processing, the reference position P0 of the lens area R, and the radius and diameter of the lens area R, calculates a start position in the fingerprint area L where the reference position, which is the center of the lens area R, is initially aligned, and a final position in the fingerprint area L where the reference position is finally aligned. In this disclosure, the reference position P0 of the lens area R indicates the center of the irradiation area (circular lens area R) of the light beam irradiated onto the target from the lens provided in the irradiation unit 210. The reference position P0 shown in FIG. 16 indicates the current position of the center of the irradiation area. The start position and end position in each fingerprint area L are an example of scan control information. The scan control information may include at least the position and start position of each fingerprint area L. The scan control information may include other information.

[0104] As an example, for the fingerprint area L2, the scan control unit 21 calculates the start position P1 as the center of the right side of the rectangular shape of the area, and the final position P2 as the upper right vertex of the rectangular shape of the area. The start position P1 may be a position that includes at least the lens range R of the scanning start position in the fingerprint area L2. By setting the start position P1 to a position that includes at least the lens range R of the scanning start position in the fingerprint area L2, operation can be performed immediately from the scanning start position by controlling the stage 220 to align the reference position P0 of the lens range R with the start position P1. The start position P1 may be a position where the entire fingerprint area L2 is included in the lens range R and the reference position of the lens range R coincides with the right side of the rectangular shape of the fingerprint area L2. The final position P2 may be the position of the side of the rectangular area of ​​the fingerprint area L2 that is closest to the start position P3 of the fingerprint area L3, which is the next scanning area.

[0105] For fingerprint area L3, the scan control unit 21 calculates a start position P3 to be set at the top left side of the rectangular shape of the area, and a final position P4 to be set at the bottom right side of the rectangular shape of the area. The start position P3 may be a position that includes at least the scanning start position in fingerprint area L3 within lens range R. The start position P3 may be a position where the entire fingerprint area L3 is included in lens range R and the reference position of lens range R coincides with the left side of the rectangular shape of fingerprint area L3. The final position P4 may be the position of the side of the rectangular area of ​​fingerprint area L3 that is closest to the start position P5 of fingerprint area L4, which is the next scanning area.

[0106] For fingerprint area L4, the scan control unit 21 calculates a start position P5 to be set on the left side of the rectangular shape of that area, and a final position P6 to be set on the right side of the rectangular shape of that area. The start position P5 may be a position that includes at least the scanning start position in fingerprint area L4 within lens range R. The start position P5 may be a position where the entire fingerprint area L4 is included in lens range R and the reference position of lens range R coincides with the left side of the rectangular shape of fingerprint area L4. The final position P6 may be the vertex where the right side and bottom side of the rectangular area of ​​fingerprint area L4 intersect, which is closest to start position P7 of fingerprint area L5, the next scanning area.

[0107] For fingerprint area L5, the scan control unit 21 calculates a start position P7 to be set on the left side of the rectangular shape of that area. The start position P7 may be a position where the scanning start position for fingerprint area L5 is included in at least the lens range R. The start position P7 may be a position where the entire fingerprint area L5 is included in the lens range R and the reference position of the lens range R coincides with the left side of the rectangular shape of fingerprint area L5. The control unit 213 does not need to calculate a final position if fingerprint area L5, which is the scanning area to be scanned last, fits within the lens range R when the reference position P0 of the lens range R is aligned with the start position P7.

[0108] The scanner unit 200 operates by acquiring scan control information including the position of each fingerprint area and information on the scan start position and scan end position calculated as described above from the scan control unit 21. When the scanner unit 200 scans the fingerprint area L5 using the irradiation unit 210, there is no scanning area to be scanned after the fingerprint area L5, so the scanner unit 200 does not need to control the movement of the position of the lens range R relative to the fingerprint area L5 while scanning the fingerprint area L5.

[0109] For a certain fingerprint area L, when the reference position P0 of the lens range R is aligned with the start position, if the fingerprint area L does not fit within the range of the lens range R, the scanner unit 200 controls the movement of the stage 220 to move the relative position of the lens range R with respect to the fingerprint area L during scanning of the fingerprint area L, so that the position is included in the lens range R at the timing when the light beam hits the final scanning end position in the fingerprint area L. For example, if the reference position P0 of the lens range R is directly above the third finger at the timing before scanning the fingerprint area L2 (part (16a) of FIG. 16), the scan control unit 21 sets the start position P1 on the side of the rectangular shape of the fingerprint area L2 that is closest to the reference position P0 of the lens range R. The scanner unit 200 then controls the movement of the stage 220 to which the irradiation unit 210 is fixed until a perpendicular line passing through the start position P1 coincides with a perpendicular line passing through the reference position P0 of the lens range R. After aligning the reference position P0 with the start position P1, the scanner unit 200 starts scanning the fingerprint area L2 using the irradiation unit 210 (part (16b) of FIG. 16). The scanner unit 200 controls the movement of the stage 220 to a position where a perpendicular line passing through the reference position P0 coincides with a perpendicular line passing through the final position P2, thereby moving the lens range R. The scanner unit 200 then controls the movement of the stage 220 so that a perpendicular line passing through the reference position P0 of the lens range R coincides with a perpendicular line passing through the start position P3 of the fingerprint area L3, which is the next scanning area. After completing scanning of the fingerprint area L2 using the irradiation unit 210, the scanner unit 200 controls the movement of the stage 220 so that the reference position P0 of the lens area R moves from the final position P2 of the fingerprint area L2 that has been previously scanned toward the start position P3 of the fingerprint area L3 that will be next scanned. Since the final position P2 is closer to the start position P3 of the next scanning area L3 than the start position P1, this technique can shorten the time it takes for the irradiation unit 210 to move to the next scanning area after finishing scanning the previous scanning area. Alternatively, the scanner unit 200 may control the movement of the stage 220 so that the reference position P0 of the lens range R moves from the final position P2 of the previously scanned fingerprint area L2 toward the start position P3 of the next fingerprint area L3 to be scanned before completing scanning of the fingerprint area L2 using the irradiation unit 210.This reduces the time from the start of scanning of fingerprint area L2, which is the first scanning area to be scanned among the multiple scanning areas, to the end of scanning of fingerprint area L5, which is the last scanning area to be scanned. This process is one aspect of a process in which the scanner unit 200, while scanning a first scanning area to be scanned first using the irradiation unit 210, controls the movement of the stage 220 to move the reference position from a start position set in the first scanning area to a second start position set in a second scanning area to be scanned next, and then controls the movement of the reference position to the second start position before scanning of the first scanning area is completed.

[0110] It is assumed that, before the scanner unit 200 completes scanning of a scanning area to be scanned first among the scanning areas to be scanned in sequence, the stage 220 is moved so that the reference position P0 of the lens range R moves from the final position of the scanning area to be scanned first to the start position of the scanning area to be scanned next. In this case, the movement direction of the stage 220, i.e., the movement direction of the lens range R, changes during scanning of the scanning area to be scanned first. For example, in the case of scanning a fingerprint area L2, the scanner unit 200 raster-scans the fingerprint area L2 using the irradiation unit 210 while controlling the movement of the stage 220 in the direction (b1) shown in part (15b) in Figure 15, and then, before the raster scanning of the fingerprint area L2 is completed, the scanner unit 200 controls the movement of the stage 220 in the direction (b2) in part (15b) in Figure 15 to change the movement direction of the stage 220. Even when such a change in the movement direction of the lens range R occurs, the scanner unit 200 controls the light irradiation direction during scanning by the irradiation unit 210 so as to cancel out the amount of movement in accordance with the change in the movement direction of the stage 220 (movement direction of the lens range R). As a result, the scanner unit 200 controls the scanning of the light beam so that the scanning position within the scanning area over time remains the same when the scanning area is scanned using the irradiation unit 210 without controlling the movement of the stage 220 (controlling the movement of the lens range R) and when the scanning area is scanned using the irradiation unit 210 while controlling the movement of the stage 220 (controlling the movement of the lens range R).

[0111] Next, optical coherence tomography image generating devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 17 is a first diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of an optical coherence tomography image generating device. FIG. 18 is a second diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of an optical coherence tomography image generating device. As shown in FIG. 17 , the scanner unit 200 may include a first control unit 171 configured as an MCU (microcontroller unit) and a second control unit 172 configured as an FPGA (field programmable gate array). The first control unit 171 acquires scan control information from the scan control unit 21 and controls scanning using the irradiation unit 210 in the scanner unit 200 and movement of the position of the lens range R using the stage 220. The second control unit 172 performs processing such as generating an optical coherence tomography image of the target in the scanner unit 200. Note that at least one of the first control unit 171 and the second control unit 172 may be included in the scan control unit 21. In this case, the control unit 213 may perform processing of at least one of the first control unit 171 and the second control unit 172.

[0112] The scanner unit 200 may include a plurality of first control units 171 configured with an MCU as shown in Fig. 18, and each process of controlling movement of the stage 220 in the X direction out of the X direction and Y direction which are orthogonal to each other on the secondary plane, controlling movement of the stage 220 in the Y direction, and scanning control using the irradiation unit 210 may be performed separately by the plurality of (three) first control units 171. Also in Fig. 18, at least one of the plurality of first control units 171 and second control units 172 may be included in the scan control unit 21. In this case, the control unit 213 may be configured to perform the process of at least one of the plurality of first control units 171 and second control units 172.

[0113] FIG. 19 shows the processing flow of the scan control device and the first control unit. First, the control unit 213 of the scan control unit 21, which is one aspect of the scan control device (scan control device), acquires raster scan parameters (position, range, and resolution of the scanning area) and the initial stage position in the stage 220 coordinate system based on information stored in the user interface system or by initial setting (step S191). The control unit 213 calculates the number of scanning points on the fast scan axis (horizontal direction of the scanning plane) and the slow scan axis (vertical direction of the scanning plane) and the spacing between the scanning points, and sends these to the first control unit 171. The control unit 213 also sends a command to the first control unit 171 to move the stage 220 to the initial stage position (step S192). The first control unit 171 stores the number of scanning points on the fast scan axis and the slow scan axis and the spacing between the scanning points in a storage unit such as a memory, and controls the movement of the stage 220 to the initial stage position (step S193).

[0114] The control unit 213 then receives an instruction to start scanning multiple scanning areas from a user interface or the like (step S194). The control unit 213 then obtains the center position of each of the scanning areas that have already been identified (step S195). The control unit 213 then calculates the scanning start position for each scanning area, the scanning end position, the start position where the reference position of the lens range R is aligned at the start of scanning, the final position where the reference position of the lens range R in the scanning area is finally aligned, and the slow scanning axis direction of the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) (step S196). For example, in the fingerprint area L2, which is the scanning area, the scanning start position is the lower left vertex of the rectangular shape of the fingerprint area L2 (see FIG. 15), and the scanning end position is the upper left vertex of the rectangular shape of the fingerprint area L2 (see FIG. 15). In addition, in the fingerprint area L2, which is the scanning area, the starting position for aligning the reference position P0 of the lens range R of the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) at the start of scanning is P1 (see Figure 16), and the final position for aligning the reference position P0 of the lens range R of the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) at the end of scanning is P2 (see Figure 16).

[0115] The control unit 213 calculates the amount of movement of the stage 220 while the illumination unit 210 is scanning the scan area, based on the difference between the start position where the reference position P0 of the lens range R of the illumination unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) is aligned at the start of scanning and the final position where the reference position P0 of the lens range R of the illumination unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) is aligned at the end of scanning (step S197). The control unit 213 generates scan control information including the start position where the reference position P0 of the lens range R is aligned at the start of scanning in each scan area, the start position of scanning in each scan area by the illumination unit 210 (galvanometer scanner), the movement direction and amount of movement of the stage 220 in each scan area, the scanning direction of the slow scan axis of the illumination unit 210 (galvanometer scanner), etc., and transmits this information to the first control unit 171 (step S198). The scan control information may include the final position where the reference position P0 of the lens range R is finally aligned in each scan region, and the end position of scanning by the irradiation unit 210 (galvano scanner) in each scan region.

[0116] The first control unit 171 receives scan control information (step S199). The first control unit 171 sets i=0 to scan the first scanning region i=0 among multiple scanning regions (i=N) (step S200). The first control unit 171 controls the movement of the stage 220 so that the reference position P0 coincides with the start position at which the reference position P0 of the lens range R is aligned when scanning of the scanning region i begins (step S201). The first control unit 171 raster-scans the light beam of the irradiation unit 210 to scan from the start position of scanning of the scanning region i, and controls the movement of the stage 220 in sequence based on the unit movement amount of the stage 220 during the scan. At this time, the first control unit 171 controls the direction of light irradiation during scanning by the irradiation unit 210 so as to cancel out the amount of movement in the movement direction of the stage 220, and controls the scanning so that the scanning trajectory at each position in the scanning area during the scanning according to the passage of time is the same as the scanning trajectory when the scanning area is scanned without controlling the movement of the stage 220 (step S202).

[0117] The first control unit 171 determines whether scanning of all of the N scanning regions i has been completed (step S203). If scanning of all of the N scanning regions i has not been completed, the first control unit 171 adds 1 to the set value of i (step S204) and repeats the process from step S201. If i=N, it determines that scanning of all of the N scanning regions i has been completed, and sends a scan completion notification to the scan control unit 21 (step S205). When the scan control unit 21 receives the scan completion notification (step S206), it ends the process.

[0118] FIG. 20 illustrates the process flow of the scan control device. The process of step S196 described above will now be described in detail. The control unit 213, which is one aspect of the scan control device (scan control device), sets the order of each scan area (fingerprint area L) in the order of its position in the direction corresponding to the high-speed scan axis (horizontal direction in a plane) (step S2001). For each scan area, the control unit 213 determines to move the stage 220 in the scanning direction of the low-speed scan axis (vertical direction in a plane) toward the location of the next scan area, thereby moving the lens range R (step S2002). For example, when scanning fingerprint area L2, the control unit 213 determines to move the stage 220 in the vertical direction toward the location of the next fingerprint area L2 to be scanned (upward). The control unit 213 defines the current position of the stage 220 as the current position (step S2003). The control unit 213 selects the highest-ranked scan area for which a scan start position and a scan end position have not been set (step S2004). The control unit 213 sets the end of the scanning area that is closest to the current position and whose entire scanning area is included in the lens range R as the start position (P1 in the case of the fingerprint area L2) for aligning the reference position of the lens range R (step S2005). The control unit 213 may set the start position for aligning the reference position of the lens range R so that at least the scanning start position of the selected scanning area is included in the lens range R.

[0119] The control unit 213 sets the final position (P2 in the case of fingerprint area L2) to the edge position of the currently set scanning area that is closest to the next scanning area, on a line connecting the reference position P0 of the lens area R at the time when scanning is completed using the irradiation unit 210 while moving the lens area R in the set scanning area, and the center of the next scanning area to be scanned (step S2006). The control unit 213 sets the reference position of the lens area R at the time when scanning is completed using the irradiation unit 210 while moving the lens area R in the set scanning area, as the current position (step S2007). The control unit 213 determines whether processing has been completed for all scanning areas (step S2008). If processing has not been completed for all scanning areas, the control unit 213 repeats the processing from step S2004.

[0120] The control unit 213 also calculates the start and end positions of the scan for each region. For example, the start position of the scan may be the vertex of the rectangular shape of the scan region closest to the set current position, and the position where the scan of the scan region is completed by raster scanning from that start position may be the end position of the scan. With this, the control unit 213 ends the processing of step S196.

[0121] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the processing flow of the first control unit. Next, details of the processing of step S202 will be described with reference to Fig. 21. First, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first control unit 171 controls the irradiation unit 210 to perform raster scanning in the scanning region.

[0122] Let Nf and Ns denote the numbers of dots (points) constituting the locus of the scanning line in the scanning area in the x-axis and y-axis directions, respectively, and let tf and ts denote the x- and y-components of the spacing (distance) between each dot constituting the locus of the scanning line.

[0123] The variable of the scanning line in the scanning area is represented by k, the variable of the dots that make up the scanning trajectory in the scanning area (see dashed line 151 in Figure 15) is represented by l, and the variable of the dots included in one scanning line is represented by j. The x and y components of the scanning start position of the irradiation unit 210 (galvano scanner) are represented by Sf and Ss. The x and y components of the movement amount for each dot that can make up a scanning line by the irradiation unit 210 (galvano scanner) are represented by df and ds.

[0124] The first control unit 171 sets k = 0, l = 0, and j = 0 as initial values. The first control unit 171 calculates the y component (ygalvo) and x component (xgalvo) that move and control the irradiation position of the object light output from the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) on the target using equations (1) and (2) (steps S2101 and S2102). The first control unit 171 calculates the y component (ystage) and x component (xstage) that move and control the stage 220 using equations (3) and (4) (steps S2103 and S2104). The first control unit 171 controls the movement of the irradiation position of the irradiation unit 210 using a galvanometer scanner control command including the y component (ygalvo) and x component (xgalvo) that move and control the irradiation position of the object light output from the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) on the target. The first control unit 171 controls the movement of the stage 220 using a stage control command including a y component (ystage) and an x ​​component (xstage) for controlling the movement of the stage 220 .

[0125]

[0126]

[0127]

[0128]

[0129] The processing in steps S2101 to S2104 is processing for scanning in the first direction (from left to right in a plane) of the fast scan axis direction of raster scanning (first direction scanning on the fast scan axis). Note that in equations (1) and (2), "±" indicates "+" when movement in the slow scan axis direction (up and down direction in a plane) is from bottom to top, and "-" when movement is from top to bottom.

[0130] As shown in equations (1) to (4), in the movement control of the irradiation position of the object light output from the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) relative to the target, the value of the movement amount in the movement control of the stage 220 is subtracted. As a result, the first control unit 171 controls the irradiation direction of light in scanning by the irradiation unit 210 in a direction that cancels out the movement amount in the movement direction of the stage 220, and controls the scanning so that the position of the scanning trajectory in the scanning area to be scanned is the same as the position of the scanning trajectory if the scanning area were scanned without movement control of the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner). As a result, even if the movement control of the lens position by the stage 220 is performed while the scanning area is scanned by the irradiation unit 210, it is possible to scan the scanning area with the same scanning trajectory as when the movement control by the stage 220 is not performed.

[0131] The first control unit 171 determines whether the number (Nf-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the scanning points Nf currently being calculated in the high-speed scanning axis direction is equal to or less than the upper limit number j of scanning points included in the trajectory of a single scanning line in the high-speed scanning axis direction (step S2105). If the number (Nf-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the scanning points Nf currently being calculated in the high-speed scanning axis direction is equal to or less than the upper limit number j of scanning points included in the trajectory of a single scanning line in the high-speed scanning axis direction (step S2105: Yes), the first control unit 171 adds 1 to the variables "j" and "i" (step S2106), and repeats the processes of steps S2101 to S2105.

[0132] If the number (Nf-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the scanning points Nf currently being calculated in the high-speed scanning axis direction is not equal to or less than the upper limit number j included in the trajectory of one scanning line in the high-speed scanning axis direction (step S2105: No), the first control unit 171 ends the processing for one scanning line and moves on to the processing of the next scanning line. That is, the first control unit 171 sets the variable "j" to 0 and adds 1 to the variables "i" and "k" (step S2107).

[0133] The first control unit 171 calculates the y component (y galvo) and the x component (x galvo) that move and control the irradiation position of the object light output from the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) on the target using equations (5) and (6) (steps S2108 and S2109). The first control unit 171 calculates the y component (y stage) and the x component (x stage) that move and control the stage 220 using equations (7) and (8) (steps S2110 and S2111). The first control unit 171 controls the movement of the irradiation position of the irradiation unit 210 using a galvanometer scanner control command including the y component (y galvo) and the x component (x galvo) that move and control the irradiation position of the object light output from the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) on the target. The first control unit 171 controls the movement of the stage 220 using a stage control command including a y component (ystage) and an x ​​component (xstage) for controlling the movement of the stage 220 .

[0134]

[0135]

[0136]

[0137]

[0138] The processing in steps S2108 to S2111 is processing for scanning in the second direction (from right to left in a plane) in the direction of the fast scan axis of the raster scan (second direction scanning on the fast scan axis). Note that in equations (5) and (6), "±" indicates "+" when the movement in the direction of the slow scan axis (up and down in a plane) is from bottom to top, and "-" when it is from top to bottom.

[0139] As shown in equations (5) to (8), in the movement control of the irradiation position of the object light output from the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner) relative to the target, the value of the movement amount in the movement control of the stage 220 is subtracted. As a result, the first control unit 171 controls the irradiation direction of light in scanning by the irradiation unit 210 in a direction that cancels out the movement amount in the movement direction of the stage 220, and controls the scanning so that the position of the scanning trajectory in the scanning area to be scanned is the same as the position of the scanning trajectory if the scanning area were scanned without movement control of the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 (galvanometer scanner). As a result, even if the lens position by the stage 220 is moved and controlled by the stage 220 while the scanning area is scanned by the irradiation unit 210, it is possible to scan the scanning area with the same scanning trajectory as when the movement control by the stage 220 is not performed.

[0140] The first control unit 171 determines whether the number (Nf-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the scanning points Nf currently being calculated in the high-speed scanning axis direction is equal to or less than the upper limit number j of scanning points included in the trajectory of a single scanning line in the high-speed scanning axis direction (step S2112). If the number (Nf-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the scanning points Nf currently being calculated in the high-speed scanning axis direction is equal to or less than the upper limit number j of scanning points included in the trajectory of a single scanning line in the high-speed scanning axis direction (step S2112: Yes), the first control unit 171 adds 1 to the variables "j" and "i" (step S2113), and repeats the processes of steps S2108 to S2112.

[0141] If the number (Nf-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the scanning points Nf currently being calculated in the high-speed scanning axis direction is not equal to or less than the upper limit number j included in the trajectory of one scanning line in the high-speed scanning axis direction (step S2112: No), the first control unit 171 ends processing for one scanning line.

[0142] The first control unit 171 determines whether the number (Ns-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of scanning points Ns in the slow scanning axis direction currently being calculated is less than or equal to the upper limit number k of scanning lines included in one scanning region (step S2114). If the number (Ns-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of scanning points Ns in the slow scanning axis direction currently being calculated is less than or equal to the upper limit number k of scanning lines included in one scanning region, the first control unit 171 adds 1 to the variables "k" and "l" (step S2113), sets "j" to 0, and repeats the processing from step S2101. If the number (Ns-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the number Ns in the slow scanning axis direction currently being calculated is not less than or equal to the upper limit number k of scanning lines included in one scanning region, the first control unit 171 proceeds to the processing of step S197.

[0143] The processing of some embodiments of the present disclosure described above is one aspect of processing in which the acquisition unit 211 of the scan control unit 21 acquires information on at least two scanning areas on the scanning target and a reference position used to identify the position of the irradiation unit 210 included in the scanner unit 200, which irradiates the scanning areas with light, and the first control unit 171 controls, while scanning a first scanning area to be scanned first among the scanning areas, the position of the irradiation unit 210 to move from a start position set in the first scanning area where the reference position is initially aligned to that area to a start position in a second scanning area to be scanned next. The processing of the first control unit 171 may be performed by the control unit 213 of the scan control unit 21. The processing of the first control unit 171 and the control unit 213 controls the movement of the stage 220 while scanning the scanning area using the irradiation unit 210, thereby controlling the movement of the lens position toward the scanning area to be next scanned. This reduces the waiting time until the scanning of the first scanning area is completed and the travel time from the first scanning area to the next scanning area. This allows for faster scanning of two or more scanning areas arbitrarily set within an object and faster generation of an image based on that scanning in a technology for generating an image by scanning an object.

[0144] In addition, in the processing of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first control unit 171 first scans a first scanning region to be scanned using the irradiation unit 210, while controlling the movement of the stage 220 to control the movement of a reference position for light irradiation based on the position of the lens of the irradiation unit 210 from a start position set in the first scanning region to a start position set in a second scanning region. This allows the technology of scanning an object to generate an image to scan two or more scanning regions arbitrarily set within the object and generate an image based on the scanning to be performed at even higher speeds. This processing may also be performed by the control unit 213 instead of the first control unit 171.

[0145] Furthermore, according to the processing of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first control unit 171 controls the scanning so that the position of the scanning trajectory while controlling the movement of the lens position of the irradiation unit 210 while scanning the scanning area is the same as the position of the scanning trajectory when the scanning area is scanned without controlling the movement of the lens position of the irradiation unit 210. As a result, during scanning of the scanning area using the irradiation unit 210, even if the lens position of the scanner unit 200 is moved by controlling the movement of the stage 220, highly accurate scanning can be performed without deviation of the scanning trajectory.

[0146] In the above-described embodiment, the scanning of the scanning region is described using an example in which raster scanning is performed. However, the irradiation unit 210 may scan the scanning region using other scanning methods. For example, instead of raster scanning, the irradiation unit 210 may use a radial scan method, a concentric scan / spiral scan method, a Lissajous scan method, a cylindrical scan method, or the like.

[0147] Fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a scan control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 23 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow of the scan control device illustrated in Fig. 22. A scan control unit 21, which is one aspect of the scan control device (scan control device), may include a control unit 221 corresponding to at least the control unit 213 of the other embodiments described above. The control unit 221 scans a first region and a second region of the scan target region, and moves the irradiation unit 210 toward the second region while scanning the first region. The irradiation unit 210 may be defined as a lens or a galvanometer scanner.

[0148] 24 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a calculation processing device 80 capable of realizing the scan control unit 21 according to each embodiment of this disclosure. An example of the configuration of hardware resources for realizing the scan control unit 21 using one calculation processing device (information processing device, computer) will be described. However, the scan control unit 21 may be physically or functionally realized using at least two calculation processing devices.

[0149] The calculation processing device 80 has a central processing unit (Central_Processing_Unit, hereinafter referred to as "CPU") 81, a volatile storage device 82, a disk 83, a non-volatile recording medium 84, and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 87. The calculation processing device 80 may be connectable to an input device 85 and an output device 86. The calculation processing device 80 can send and receive information to and from other calculation processing devices and communication devices via the communication IF 87.

[0150] The non-volatile recording medium 84 is a computer-readable medium, such as a compact disc or a digital versatile disc. The non-volatile recording medium 84 may also be a universal serial bus memory (USB memory), a solid state drive, or the like. The non-volatile recording medium 84 retains and is portable without requiring power. The non-volatile recording medium 84 is not limited to the above-described media. Instead of the non-volatile recording medium 84, the program may be portable via the communication IF 87 and a communication network. The volatile storage device 82 is computer-readable and can temporarily store data. The volatile storage device 82 may be a memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM).

[0151] That is, when executing a software program (computer program; hereinafter simply referred to as the "program") stored on disk 83, CPU 81 copies the program to volatile storage device 82 and executes arithmetic processing. CPU 81 reads data necessary for program execution from volatile storage device 82. When display is required, CPU 81 displays the output results on output device 86. When inputting a program from the outside, CPU 81 reads the program from input device 85. CPU 81 interprets and executes analysis programs (FIGS. 4A and 4B, or FIGS. 5A to 5D) stored in volatile storage device 82 that correspond to the functions (processing) represented by each unit shown in FIG. 2 (or FIGS. 3A to 3C). CPU 81 executes the processing described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. That is, in such cases, each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be considered to be realized by such analysis programs. Furthermore, each of the embodiments of this disclosure can be considered to be realized by a computer-readable non-volatile recording medium on which such analysis programs are recorded.

[0152] Note that part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0153] (Supplementary Note 1) A scanning control device including: a control unit that scans a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area, and moves an irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0154] (Supplementary Note 2) A scanning control device according to Supplementary Note 1, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring information on the first area and the second area of ​​the scanning target area on an object, and a reference position used to identify the position of the irradiation unit that irradiates light for scanning the scanning target area; wherein the control means controls, while scanning the first area of ​​the scanning target area that is to be scanned first, to move the position of the irradiation unit from a start position set in the first area where the reference position is initially aligned, to a start position in the second area that is to be scanned next where the reference position is initially aligned.

[0155] (Supplementary Note 3) The scanning control device described in Supplementary Note 2, wherein the irradiation unit has a scannable range that is a predetermined range based on the reference position, and the control means controls the reference position to move from a start position set in the first area to a start position set in the second area while scanning the first area, and controls the reference position to move to the start position set in the second area before scanning of the first area is completed.

[0156] (Supplementary Note 4) The scanning control device according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the start position of the scanning target area indicates a position where at least the start position of scanning of the scanning target area is included in the scannable range of the irradiation unit when the reference position is moved to the start position.

[0157] (Supplementary Note 5) The scanning control device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 4, comprising: while controlling the movement of the irradiation unit while scanning the scanning target area, the control means controls the scanning such that a position of a scanning trajectory in the scanning area is the same as a position of a scanning trajectory if the scanning target area is scanned without controlling the movement of the irradiation unit.

[0158] (Supplementary Note 6) The control means controls the irradiation direction of light during the scanning in a direction that cancels out the amount of movement in the movement direction of the reference position of the irradiation unit, thereby controlling the scanning so that the position of the scanning trajectory in the scanning area to be scanned is the same as the position of the scanning trajectory in a case where the scanning area to be scanned is scanned without controlling the movement of the reference position of the irradiation unit. The scanning control device described in any one of Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 4.

[0159] (Supplementary Note 7) A scanning system comprising: a control means for scanning a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area, and for moving an irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0160] (Supplementary Note 8) The scanning control device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 6, wherein an output wavelength of the light source unit provided in the irradiation unit can be changed.

[0161] (Supplementary Note 9) An image generating device including the scanning control device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8, and a means for generating a wavelength-swept optical coherence tomographic image of the scanning area.

[0162] (Supplementary Note 10) An image generating device including the scanning control device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 8, further comprising: means for generating a laser scanning captured image of the scanning area, wherein the laser scanning captured image is a three-dimensional image of optical coherence tomography.

[0163] (Supplementary Note 11) A scanning control method including: scanning a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area; and moving an irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0164] (Supplementary Note 12) A recording medium storing a program that causes a computer of a scanning control device to function as a control means that scans a first area and a second area of ​​a scanning target area, and moves an irradiation unit toward the second area while scanning the first area.

[0165] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-001478, filed on January 10, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0166] The present disclosure may be applied to a scanning control device, a scanning system, a scanning control method, and a recording medium.

[0167] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2, 3... Optical coherence tomographic image generating device 100... Stereoscopic image generating unit 110... Camera unit 200... Scanner unit 210... Irradiation unit 220... Stage 21... Scan control unit (scan control device) 11, 211... Acquisition unit 12, 212... Determination unit 13, 213... Control unit 214... Synthesis unit 171... First control unit 172... Second control unit

Claims

1. a control means for scanning a first region and a second region of a scanning target region, and moving the irradiation unit toward the second region while scanning the first region; A scanning control device comprising:

2. an acquisition means for acquiring information on the first area and the second area of ​​the scanning target area on the object, and a reference position used to identify the position of the irradiation unit that irradiates the scanning target area with light, The control means controls the movement of the position of the irradiation unit from a start position where the reference position is initially aligned in the first region, which is set in the first region to be scanned first, to a start position where the reference position is initially aligned in the second region to be scanned next, while scanning the first region of the scanning target region.

2. The scanning control device of claim 1.

3. the irradiation unit defines a scannable range as a predetermined range based on the reference position, The control means controls movement of the reference position from a start position set in the first area to a start position set in the second area while scanning the first area, and controls movement of the reference position to the start position set in the second area before scanning of the first area is completed.

3. The scanning control device according to claim 2.

4. The start position of the scanning target area indicates a position where at least the start position of scanning of the scanning target area is included in the scannable range of the irradiation unit when the reference position is moved to the start position.

4. The scanning control device according to claim 3.

5. The control means controls the scanning so that, while controlling the movement of the irradiation unit while scanning the scanning target area, the position of the scanning trajectory in the scanning area is the same as the position of the scanning trajectory if the scanning target area were scanned without controlling the movement of the irradiation unit. The scanning control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The control means controls the irradiation direction of light in the scanning in a direction that cancels out the amount of movement in the movement direction of the reference position of the irradiation unit, and controls the scanning so that the position of the scanning trajectory in the scanning area to be scanned is the same as the position of the scanning trajectory if the scanning area to be scanned is scanned without controlling the movement of the reference position of the irradiation unit. The scanning control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

7. a control means for scanning a first region and a second region of a scanning target region, and for moving the irradiation unit toward the second region while scanning the first region; A scanning system comprising:

8. The scanning control device according to claim 1 , wherein an output wavelength of a light source unit provided in the irradiation unit is changeable.

9. A first area and a second area of ​​the scanning target area are scanned, and while the first area is being scanned, the irradiation unit is moved toward the second area. A scanning control method comprising:

10. The computer of the scanning control device, a control means for scanning a first region and a second region of a scanning target region, and moving the irradiation unit toward the second region while scanning the first region; A program that functions as a