Calibration Jig for Optical Tomographic Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current calibration methods for optical tomographic imaging apparatuses, particularly those using SD-OCT and SS-OCT systems, face challenges in achieving repeatable and accurate calibration due to manufacturing variations in optical probes, difficulties in correcting for dispersion effects from sheaths, and the complexity of generating calibration conversion tables, which often require expensive instruments and are time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A calibration jig with a holding member and a reflective surface that is removably attachable to the optical tomographic imaging apparatus, allowing for accurate reflection and attenuation of measurement light, and optionally including a light transmitting member to mimic the sheath's dispersion, simplifies the calibration process by enabling repeatable and accurate conversion of interference signals from time or spatial domains to wavenumber domains without the need for peak cutting operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional calibration methods are used for optical tomographic imaging apparatuses, then calibration can be performed, but the calibration process becomes time-consuming and requires expensive instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a calibration jig that creates a simplified optical model copying the essential characteristics of the actual measurement system. The jig includes a light source, optical path, and detector arrangement that replicates the key optical interactions without requiring the full complex apparatus, enabling fast calibration while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration jig acts as an intermediary device between the calibration process and the actual measurement system. It provides a standardized intermediate optical path that mediates the calibration measurements, allowing conversion table generation without directly using the expensive and complex original apparatus
2Measurement precision
If conventional calibration methods are used, then calibration can be performed, but it requires expensive instruments and complex procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration jig replicates only the essential optical path characteristics needed for calibration, creating a simplified copy that eliminates unnecessary complex components. This allows accurate calibration using inexpensive, simple equipment while maintaining the measurement precision required for generating conversion tables
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the critical calibration functions from the complex measurement system, separating them into a dedicated simple calibration jig. This extraction removes the need for expensive instruments and complex procedures while preserving the essential calibration capabilities
3Reliability
If manual calibration procedures are used, then calibration can be performed, but repeatability is affected by manufacturing variations in optical probes
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration jig is designed to be self-calibrating through its fixed optical path geometry. The rigid structural relationships between components provide inherent reference standards that automatically compensate for manufacturing variations in optical probes, ensuring repeatable calibration results without requiring manual adjustment or highly precise manufacturing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The calibration jig enables simple, repeatable, and accurate calibration of optical tomographic imaging apparatuses, correcting for dispersion effects and improving manufacturing accuracy, thereby enhancing the reliability of tomographic information acquisition.
Implementation Method 1
a reflective surface, which is held by the holding member and which reflects the measurement light emitted from an emitting section of the attachment section and directs the reflected light back to the emitting section
Data Source
AI summary
A calibration jig allowing simple and repeatable calibration of a probe optical tomographic apparatus is disclosed. The jig includes a holding member removably attachable to an attachment section of the apparatus and a reflective surface held by the holding member. The reflective surface reflects measurement light emitted from an emitting section of the attachment section and directs reflected light back to the emitting section. If a probe of the apparatus is covered with a sheath, the jig may include a light transmitting member, which generates the same dispersion as dispersion at the sheath, between the emitting section and the reflective surface. The reflective surface may be a single reflective surface disposed within an area corresponding to twice a coherence length of the laser light with a zero path position of the reflective surface being the center of the area.