Claims
- 1. An imaging system, comprising,
a radiation source having a first wavelength emission; a first conduit providing a path for radiation between said radiation source and a selected imaging object; an electromagnetic focussing imaging detector providing an output signal in response to an applied optical image; and a second conduit for applying said optical image to said focussing imaging detector from said selected imaging object.
- 2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said radiation source comprises a light source.
- 3. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein said light source comprises one of a white light, an ultra violet light, a selectively filtered mercury light, selectively filtered xenon light, a near infrared light and selected wavelength laser light source.
- 4. The imaging system of claim 3, wherein said light source provides one of a 310-430 nm wavelength visible and a near IR (about 700 nm) light emission.
- 5. The imaging system of claim 1, further including a tunable wavelength filter disposed between said second conduit and said focussing imaging detector to provide a selectively filtered optical image to said focussing imaging detector.
- 6. The imaging system of claim 5, wherein said tunable wavelength filter selectively provides one of a red and a non-red image to said focussing imaging detector.
- 7. The imaging system of claim 6, further comprising means for comparing said red and said non-red signal, and providing an indication of the presence of a disease condition of said selected imaging object.
- 8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first and said second conduits comprise a fiber-optic probe having corresponding first and second portions, said second portion corresponding to said second conduit having an array of optical fibers.
- 9. The imaging system of claim 8, wherein said fiber-optic probe further includes an annular tube connected to a controllable vacuum for evacuating extraneous matter present in the region of the end of said probe.
- 10. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first conduit illuminates said selected imaging object, and said second conduit receives an optical image from radiation transmitted through said selected imaging object.
- 11. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said second conduits comprises a plurality of second conduits adapted to provide a plurality of optical images to said focussing imaging detector from said selected imaging object.
- 12. The imaging system of claim 1, further including a image deflector connected to said second conduit to provide a selected plurality of images to said focussing imaging detector of said selected imaging object.
- 13. The imaging system of claim 1, further including an image processor connected to receive said output signal from said focussing image detector and provide a signal corresponding to an image representing said selected imaging object, said image processor further including blur-removal means for removing image artifacts caused by movement of at least said second conduit over said selected imaging object.
- 14. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said focussing imaging detector comprises one of a FEBCCD and a EBCMOS detector.
- 15. The imaging system of claim 14 configured and disposed to provide an endoscopic imaging system.
- 16. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising means for suppressing positive ion feedback.
- 17. An x-ray imaging system, comprising,
a radiation source having a first wavelength; a first conduit providing a path for radiation between said radiation source and a selected imaging object; a focussed imaging detector providing an output signal in response to an applied optical image; a radiation converter disposed to convert radiation received from said selected imaging object into an image of a second wavelength radiation; and a second conduit for applying an image of said second wavelength to said focussed imaging detector,
wherein said focussed imaging detector provides one of electrostatic and electromagnetic electron focussing.
- 18. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, further including a selectable wavelength filter disposed between said radiation converter and said focussed imaging detector to provide a selectively filtered optical image to said focussed imaging detector.
- 19. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, wherein said first and said second conduits comprise a fiber-optic probe having corresponding portions, said portion corresponding to said second conduit having a plurality of collinearly disposed optical fibers.
- 20. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, wherein said first conduit illuminates said selected imaging object, and said second conduit receives an optical image from radiation transmitted through said selected imaging object.
- 21. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, wherein said second conduits comprises a plurality of second conduits adapted to provide a plurality of optical images to said focussed imaging detector from said selected imaging object.
- 22. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, further including an image deflector connected to said second conduit to provide a selected plurality of images to said focussed imaging detector of said selected imaging object.
- 23. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, further including an image processor connected to receive said output signal from said focussed image detector and provide a signal corresponding to an image representing said selected imaging object, said image processor further including blur-removal means for removing image artifacts caused by movement of at least said second conduit over said selected imaging object.
- 24. The x-ray imaging system of claim 17, wherein said focussed imaging detector comprises one of a FEBCCD and a EBCMOS detector.
- 25. The x-ray imaging system of claim 24, configured and disposed to provide an endoscopic imaging system.
- 26. A magnetically focussed image detector comprising:
a photocathode disposed to receive photons and provide electrons corresponding to the intensity of the received photons; one of a CCD and a CMOS detector disposed a selected distance from said photocathode to receive said electrons; means for urging said electrons toward said one of a CCD and a CMOS detector from said photocathode; and a magnetic field source disposed to provide a magnetic field along said selected distance, wherein said electrons are caused to move in a helical path toward said one of a CCD and a CMOS detector of selected radius change.
- 27. The magnetically focussed image detector of claim 26, wherein the radius of curvature of said helical electron path is selected to decrease in proximity to the CCD or CMOS detector.
- 28. A reduced ion positive feedback detector comprising:
one of a CCD and a CMOS detector disposed a selected distance from said means for providing electrons to receive said electrons; means for providing electrons to said one of said CCD and said CMOS detector along a path according to a selected signal; a magnetic field source disposed to provide a magnetic field along said selected distance, wherein said electrons are caused to move in a helical path toward said on of said CCD and said CMOS detector of selected radius change.
- 29. A method of eliminating positive ion feedback, comprising the steps of:
applying electrons to one of a CCD and a CMOS detector along a first axis from a source; and applying a magnetic field along said first axis in vicinity of said one of said CCD and said CMOS detector, wherein ions generated by the impact of said electrons on the one of said CCD and said CMOS detector travel on a path divergent from said source and said first axis.
- 30. An imaging system, which defines an optical path therein, for capturing an image from the image-bearing radiation;
a photocathode, disposed within the camera housing along the optical path to convert the converted radiation into a stream of electrons representative of the image-bearing radiation; an image amplifier disposed in the stream of electrons such that image amplifier electrostatically accelerates the stream of electrons; and a CMOS detector disposed after the image amplifier and, upon input of the stream of electrons, being adapted to generate secondary electrons to further amplify the signal of the image represented thereby such that the CMOS detector then converts secondary electrons into an electronic signal representative of the image.
- 31. The imaging system of claim 30, further comprising a solid x-ray radiation detector disposed in the optical path, to convert the image-bearing radiation into a visible light spectrum with a high spatial accuracy.
- 32. The imaging system of claim 31, wherein said x-ray radiation detector comprises a very thin, between 50 to 100 micro-meter thick solid radiation bearing detector disposed in the optical path, and very heavy scintillator with a density greater than 6, which efficiently converts the image-bearing radiation into a visible light spectrum with a high spatial accuracy.
- 33. Image amplifier apparatus to reduce the relative signal noise of a CMOS detector disposed in a stream of electrons such that the image amplifier electro-statically accelerates the stream of electrons, the CMOS detector being adapted, upon input of the stream of electrons, to generate a large number of secondary electrons to further amplify the signal of an image represented thereby such that the CMOS detector then converts secondary electrons into an electronic signal representative of the image, said large number of secondary electrons further amplifying the signal of the image represented thereby and reducing the relative signal noise which occurs when the CMOS detector converts secondary electrons into an electronic signal representative of the image.
- 34. A method to reduce the noise of the CMOS detector, comprising the steps of:
amplifying a stream of electrons with an image amplifier that electro-statically accelerates the stream of electrons; and detecting the stream of electrons with a CMOS detector disposed after the image amplifier and, upon input of the stream of electrons, being adapted to generate large number of secondary electrons to further amplify the signal of the image represented thereby such that the CMOS detector then converts secondary electrons into an electronic signal representative of the image having a reduced relative signal noise which occurs when the CMOS detector converts secondary electrons into an electronic signal representative of the image.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/245,959, PCT/US96/19213, incorporated by reference.
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09483005 |
Jan 2000 |
US |
Child |
10236522 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09254959 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Child |
09483005 |
Jan 2000 |
US |