CN101903762A

CN101903762A - Fibre-optic probe

Info

Publication number: CN101903762A
Application number: CN2008801219413A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J·C·博斯兰萨姆普拉巴卡拉; S·K·奈克; S·P·拉思
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 2007-12-21
Filing date: 2008-12-19
Publication date: 2010-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 2028-12-19
Also published as: WO2009081358A1; RU2010130472A; CN101903762B

Abstract

A fibre-optic probe (100) that minimizes the overlap between excitation light and collected light in an optical spectroscopy system is hereby disclosed. The fibre-optic probe comprises an illumination fibre (102) having a length and a tip proximal to a target, wherein the illumination fibre is configured to conduct light from a light source to the target. The fibre- optic probe also includes at least one collection fibre (104,106) having a slanted end proximal to the target, wherein the collection fibre is configured to conduct light away from the target. The illumination fibre is further configured to taper along at least part of its length towards the tip and the slanted end face of the at least one collection fibre faces the pencil-shaped tapered end face of the illumination fibre.

Description

Optical fiber probe

Technical field

The present invention relates to a kind of optical fiber probe, it is used for the spectral analysis of biological tissue especially.

Background technology

U.S. Pat 5822072 has been discussed a kind of fused optic fiber probe that carries out spectral measurement that is applicable to.The fused optic fiber probe comprises the probe end with concrete geometric configuration that is melted in the shell that silica preferably makes, and excitation fiber and at least one are collected optical fiber.The shapable concrete geometric configuration of probe end comprises with the probe end that angle lapping is oblique greater than 0 °, inverted conical probe end and lens head.Use (fused) optical fiber probe of band fuse will excite luminous energy to be transferred to sample media, and the optical signal transmission that also will receive from sample media is to signal analyzer.

Summary of the invention

Because the geometric configuration of prior art middle probe end exists significantly overlapping between incident light or exciting light and collection light.Thisly overlappingly cause reducing of output spectrum intensity, and thisly reduce to cause conversely in determining output spectrum, to have the accuracy that reduces aspect the peak.Therefore wish to have a kind of optical fiber probe, it can realize higher accuracy aspect the peak in determining output spectrum.Therefore, a kind of overlapping minimized optical fiber probe that makes between exciting light and the collection light is disclosed in the present invention.

This optical fiber probe comprises illuminated fibres, and illuminated fibres has certain-length and near the end of target, wherein illuminated fibres is configured to light is conducted to target from light source.Optical fiber probe also comprises at least one collection fiber, and this at least one collection fiber has the inclined end portion near target, wherein collects fiber and is configured to the wide light conducting.Illuminated fibres is further configured tapered towards end to small part along its length.

Because tapered distal end, send from illuminated fibres and more to assemble or narrower light beam, thereby reduce overlapping between exciting light and the collection light.The inclined end portion of collecting fiber helps to increase collecting zone.The combination of these two characteristics (being tapered distal end and inclined end portion), with use these two characteristics individually in any compare, cause the bigger increase of output spectrum intensity, thereby improve to determine the accuracy of spectrum peak position.

Description of drawings

Referring to accompanying drawing, based on embodiment hereinafter,, described these aspects of the present invention and others hereinafter in detail in illustrational mode, in the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates optical fiber probe, and it has conical illumination fiber and two collection fibers with inclined end portion;

Fig. 2 a illustrates the front view (FV) of single collection fiber;

Fig. 2 b illustrates the cross-sectional view of optical fiber probe shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 a and Fig. 3 b illustrate disclosed embodiment with the optical fiber probe that can adjust illuminated fibres; And

Fig. 4 illustrates the spectroscopic system that comprises optical fiber probe shown in Figure 1.

When using in each accompanying drawing, corresponding Reference numeral is represented corresponding element in the accompanying drawing.

Embodiment

In recent years, considered to utilize spectroscopy to come examination cancer, especially carcinoma of mouth.Spectroscopy is disposed the interaction of electromagnetic radiation and material, mainly is the wavelength coverage at ultraviolet light (10nm to 100nm), visible light (400nm to 700nm), near infrared (1000nm to 1 μ m) and infrared (10 μ m to 1mm).Coming examination patient's carcinoma of mouth to relate to based on the result of spectroscopy measurements utilizes electromagnetic radiation (for example to come the irradiation target sample, biological tissue in experimenter's mouth), measurement from absorption of sample, send and/or the light quantity of scattering, and the spectrum component of measured light is analyzed and is understood.

Promising optical technology is laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS), also is known as automatic fluorescence spectrum (AFS).In this technology, linked groups is by light source activation, and light source can be laser instrument or high-intensity broadband light source, and measures the fluorescence spectrum of tissue.Be found in the article " FluorescenceSpectroscopy of Neoplastic and Non-Neoplastic Tissue " of Nirmala Ramanujam, Neoplasia about the extraneous information of LIFS, volume 2, the 1-2 phase, in January, 2000-April, 89-117 page or leaf.Can mention LIFS in illustrational mode although the major part in this document is described, should be noted that disclosed optical fiber probe also can use with other spectral technique.

Optical fiber probe is applicable to the part irradiation that is difficult to arrive of people's anatomical structure and from this part that is difficult to arrive collects data.But the design of probe is comparatively crucial, because it can influence light sending and the origin of light to in-house propagation, collection efficiency (that is, collected total number of light photons is with respect to the total number of light photons of emission) and collection light to tissue.Illumination in the fiber device (that is, exciting) fiber and the quality aspect that is configured in the spectrum that decision writes down of collecting fiber play an important role.Design parameter comprises the selection of single fiber with respect to a plurality of fibers, and the size of illuminated fibres and collection fiber, the aperture of light source/excitaton source and source are to the interval of detecting device.In addition, be found in the article " Fiber optic probes forbiomedical optical spectroscopy " of Urs Utzinger and Rebecca R.Richards-Kortum about the other information of fiber probe designs consideration, Journal of Biomedical Optics 8 (1), 121-147 (in January, 2003), and Adrien Ming Jer Wang, Janelle EliseBender, Joshua Pfefer, the article of Urs Utzinger and Rebekah Anna Drezek " Depth-sensitive reflectance measurements using obliquelyoriented fiber probes ", Journal of Biomedical Optics 10 (4), 044017 (in July, 2005/August).

Fig. 1 illustrates the embodiment of disclosed optical fiber probe 100.Illuminated fibres (IF) 102 will transfer to linked groups (TIS) 114 from the incident light 108 of light source (being shown 402 in Fig. 4).The light 110,112 that returns after interacting with linked groups 114 is collected to be transferred to processing unit (being shown 404 in Fig. 4) by collecting fiber (CF) 104,106.

Illuminated fibres 102 locate endways into taper to produce narrower incident beam.This has alleviated the interference of incident light 108 light 110,112 collected with collecting optical fiber 104,106.Collection fiber 104,106 has inclined end portion so that collecting zone maximizes, and this collecting zone is promptly organized such zone of 114: the light of reflection is collected from this zone.For example,, collect fiber and also can collect scattered light or emission light as substituting of the light that reflects owing to come the fluorescence of self-organization.

Be illustrated as tilting so that acutangulate although collect the end of fiber 104,106, also consider the inclination of end, promptly so that become the obtuse angle with the longitudinal axis of illuminated fibres 102 along other direction with the longitudinal axis of illuminated fibres 102 along a direction.And, also consider the various angles of inclined end portion, for example 30 °, 45 ° etc.Collect fiber 104,106 although only illustrate two in the drawings, also can use single collection fiber.Perhaps, also can use more than two collection fibers.

Fig. 2 a illustrates the single collection fiber 204 with inclined end portion 202, when fiber alignment becomes the collection surface to be parallel to the page.Fig. 2 b illustrates and comprises that optical fiber probe 200 that single illuminated fibres 208 and six collect

fiber

206a, 206b, 206c, 206d, 206e and 206f (promptly, when when the terminal end of probe is observed) the end-view or the projection of fibre bundle, each is collected fiber and has the inclined end portion shown in Fig. 2 a.

Because collect the inclined end portion of fiber 206a-206f, its projection on paper shows as elliptic cross-section.Two

round

208a, 208b illustrate the projection of two end sections of illuminated fibres 208.In other words, in conjunction with referring to Fig. 1, illuminated fibres 102 has the tapered portion that wide and summit are positioned at narrow end.Circle 208 illustrates the projection of wider portion, and represents end than roundlet 208b.Although should be noted that illuminated fibres shown in Figure 1 102 is pencil shapes, other taper also is possible.For example, can have following such illuminated fibres: it is taper from start to finish from the end end of light source (such as be connected to) to end.Perhaps, also can consider other shape, such as scattering a plurality of tapering parts of putting with straight part.

In the one exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 3 a and Fig. 3 b, optical fiber probe 300 possesses adjustable illuminated fibres 302.The typical optical fiber probe has overlapping field of illumination and collecting zone so that organize the turbidity effect to minimize and make sample area usually in the scope of 1mm diameter, and so fully noise is recently measured fluorescence.Be known that the probe range-to-go influences the zone (degree of depth) of the intensity and the fluorescent emission origin of fluorescent emission significantly.Therefore, in many cases, fixing field of illumination may not cover whole linked groups.In this case, the adjustable probe that excites can help to cover more accurately desirable tissue regions.Fig. 3 a that is proposed and the embodiment of Fig. 3 b overcome the problems referred to above, because it changes the zone that is illuminated by the distance that changes between excitation fiber 302 and the destination organization 312, make the design of the optical fiber probe that is disclosed keep the collection efficiency of raising simultaneously.

Especially, illuminated fibres 302 can move up and down in light probe 300 along the longitudinal axis of optical fiber probe, so that the end of mobile fiber is further away from each other or further near destination organization 312.The longitudinal axis of optical fiber probe also is the longitudinal axis of illuminated fibres 302, and therefore mobile also can be described as along the longitudinal axis of himself of illuminated fibres 302 moved.The wire arrow illustrates light that incides tissue 312 and the direction of light of being collected by collection fiber 306.Block arrow illustrates and excites or the moving of illuminated fibres 302.Particularly, Fig. 3 a illustrates illuminated

fibres

302 and 312 moves so that increase the overlay area of exciting light away from tissue, and Fig. 3 b illustrates illuminated fibres 302 more close destination organizations 312 and moves, and what be used for more assembling excites.When the distance between illuminated fibres 302 and the tissue 312 changes, may need to adjust the intensity of lighting source (402 among Fig. 4).The details of required adjustment is found in the prior art document of before being quoted.Can pass through manual device, the handle or the screw mechanism that for example are attached on the illuminated fibres 302 are realized moving of illuminated fibres 302.Perhaps, can use stepper motor and analog thereof automatically to realize this moving.

Typical fluorescence spectrum shown in Figure 4 system.It comprises light source (LS) 402, illumination and collection system 100 and detection and processing unit (DPU) 404, detects the light that is sent that can measure as the function of wavelength with processing unit (DPU) 404.

Light source 402 can be monochromatic source, for example, and laser or high-intensity broadband radiation source.Illumination is optical fiber probes of being implemented as in each embodiment of present disclosure with collection system 100.As mentioned previously it is used for the incident light from light source 402 is transferred to tissue T IS like that, and will conduct to detection and processing unit 404 from the light of tissue T IS reflection, scattering or emission.Detect with processing unit 404 and receive light and carry out spectral analysis to detect the various frequency components in the light that is received from optical fiber probe.The example of this processing can be the simple Fourier transform operation of the spectrum peak in the light that detection receives.Also consider other technology, such as power spectrumanalysis technology etc.

Be used as incident and electromagnetic radiation that be collected and often be described in an embodiment although make to use up, should be noted that the suitable electromagnetic radiation that also can use other form.

Order in the description embodiment of disclosed method is not enforceable.Under the situation that does not depart from disclosed notion, those skilled in the art can change the order of step or use threading model, multicomputer system or a plurality of process to come execution in step simultaneously.

Should be pointed out that the foregoing description has illustrated the present invention and unrestricted the present invention, and under the situation of the scope that does not depart from appended claims, those skilled in the art can design many alternate embodiments.In claims, place any Reference numeral between the bracket should not think the restriction claim.Word " comprises " and is not precluded within those key elements or the key element outside the measure or the existence of listing in claims of measure.The existence of a plurality of such elements do not got rid of in word before element " ".Can utilize the hardware that comprises some different elements and utilize the computing machine of suitable programming to implement disclosed method.In listing system's claim of some devices, can implement by the same clauses and subclauses of computer-readable software or hardware in several these devices.The simple fact of statement certain measures does not represent to use the combination of these measures to obtain benefit in different mutually appended claims.

Claims

1. optical fiber probe (100) that is used to carry out spectral measurement, it comprises:

Illuminated fibres (102), it has certain-length and near the end of target (114), this illuminated fibres (102) is configured to the light from light source (402) is conducted to target (114); And

At least one collects optical fiber (104,106), and it has the inclined end portion near described target (114), and this at least one collection optical fiber (104,106) is configured to away from described target (114) light conducting;

Wherein said illuminated fibres (102) is configured to tapered towards described end to small part along its length.

2. optical fiber probe according to claim 1, wherein said illuminated fibres are pencil shapes.

3. optical fiber probe according to claim 1, the longitudinal axis angle at 45 of wherein said inclined end portion and described illuminated fibres (102).

4. optical fiber probe according to claim 1, wherein said illuminated fibres (302) can move along the longitudinal axis of described optical fiber probe, thereby can adjust the interval between the end of described target (312) and described illuminated fibres (302).

5. spectroscopic system, it comprises:

Excitation source (402);

Illumination and collection system (100); And

Detect and processing unit (404), it is configured to measure the light that is sent as the function of wavelength;

Wherein said illumination and collection system (100) comprise optical fiber probe, and it comprises:

Illuminated fibres (102), it has certain-length and near the end of target (114), this illuminated fibres (102) is configured to the light from light source (402) is conducted to described target (114); And

At least one collects fiber (104,106), and it has the inclined end portion near described target (114), and this at least one collection fiber (104,106) is configured to away from described target (114) light conducting;