Contactless Diffuse Optical Tomography for Rapid Volumetric Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional diffuse optical tomography systems for mammography are inefficient due to serial data acquisition, which can take several minutes and is prone to errors from patient motion, and they require contact with human tissue, causing discomfort and hygiene concerns.
Innovation Solution
A contactless diffuse optical tomography system using multiple sensor heads positioned around the sample, where each sensor head includes an optical emitter and sensor device, allowing for simultaneous emission and capture of intensity-modulated transillumination beams at different wavelengths, enabling massively parallel data acquisition and rapid generation of volumetric images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If serial data acquisition is used with a single lock-in amplifier, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates (data acquisition takes several minutes)
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the single lock-in amplifier into multiple parallel lock-in amplifiers, with each amplifier processing signals from specific sensor heads independently. This segmentation enables simultaneous processing of multiple optical channels, transforming serial acquisition into parallel acquisition and dramatically increasing data acquisition speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensor heads detecting different wavelengths are combined into a single integrated system with multiple lock-in amplifiers operating in parallel. The system merges the capabilities of multiple detection channels while maintaining independent signal processing paths, achieving both high productivity and comprehensive spectral analysis.
2Reliability
If the probe array remains in contact with tissue during acquisition, then measurement precision is maintained, but reliability deteriorates (patient motion causes blurred reconstruction)
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical contact-based fiber-optic probe with a non-contact optical detection system using sensor heads that detect transmitted light without touching the tissue. This substitution eliminates mechanical constraints on patient movement while maintaining optical measurement capabilities, improving both reliability and patient comfort.
3Productivity
If the fiber-optic probe array contacts human tissue, then data acquisition is enabled, but object-affected harmful factors increase (patient discomfort and hygiene concerns)
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the detection function from the contact-based fiber-optic probe and implements it through non-contact sensor heads. By removing the physical contact requirement while preserving the optical detection capability, the system eliminates patient discomfort and hygiene concerns without sacrificing data acquisition capability.
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 system generates volumetric images quickly, reduces patient discomfort, and improves hygiene by eliminating contact with human tissue, while providing higher resolution and accuracy compared to conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
Each sensor head in the plurality of sensor heads can include a respective optical emitter (e.g., a laser) and a respective sensor device... a first optical emitter in the first sensor head emits an intensity-modulated transillumination signal to a first portion of the (translucent) sample... the first optical emitter can be configured to simultaneously (or substantially simultaneously/within 5 or few seconds) emit transillumination beams having different respective wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
a respective sensor device (e.g., a focal plane array, a charged coupled device (CCD) array, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) array, etc.)... Values output by a sensor device are indicative of respective transmission phases of the respective portions of the transillumination beam and respective amplitudes of the respective portions of the transillumination beam
Data Source
AI summary
Diffuse optical tomography systems and methods are described herein. In a general embodiment, the diffuse optical tomography system comprises a plurality of sensor heads, the plurality of sensor heads comprising respective optical emitter systems and respective sensor systems. A sensor head in the plurality of sensors heads is caused to act as an illuminator, such that its optical emitter system transmits a transillumination beam towards a portion of a sample. Other sensor heads in the plurality of sensor heads act as observers, detecting portions of the transillumination beam that radiate from the sample in the fields of view of the respective sensory systems of the other sensor heads. Thus, sensor heads in the plurality of sensors heads generate sensor data in parallel.