Patents by Inventor Frédéric Leblond

Frédéric Leblond has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8948851
    Abstract: A tomographic fluorescent imaging device for imaging fluorophores in biological tissues has a scanned laser for scanning the tissue and a camera for receiving light from the biological tissue at an angle to the beam at a second wavelength ten or more nanometers greater in wavelength than the wavelength of the laser. Use of both intrinsic and extrinsic fluorophores is described. Images are obtained at each of several positions of the beam. An image processing system receives the series of images, models a path of the beam through the tissue, and determines depth of fluorophore in tissue from intersections of the modeled path of the beam and the path of the received light. The laser is of 600 nm or longer wavelength, to provide penetration of tissue. The imaging device is used during surgery to visualize lesions of various types to ensure complete removal of malignant tumors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: The Trustees of Dartmouth College
    Inventors: Frederic Leblond, David W. Roberts, Brian W. Pogue, Keith D. Paulsen, Alex Hartov, Scott C. Davis, Dax Kepshire
  • Publication number: 20140378843
    Abstract: An imaging system includes an illumination device for illuminating a target. A surgical microscope receives light from the target, the surgical microscope comprising at least one optical output port at which at least a portion of the received light is provided as an output from the surgical microscope. A tunable filter receives the portion of the received light provided as the output from the surgical microscope, the tunable filter being tunable to pass a filtered portion of the received light, the filtered portion of the received light having a plurality of wavelengths selected by the tunable filter and provided as output from the tunable filter. A high-resolution, broad-bandwidth electronic camera receives the light of a plurality of wavelengths selected by the tunable filter, the electronic camera converting the light of a plurality of wavelengths selected by the tunable filter to a plurality of electrical signals. A processor processes the plurality of electrical signals to form an image of the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: The Trustees Of Dartmouth College
    Inventors: Pablo A. Valdes, David W. Roberts, Keith D. Paulsent, Frederic Leblond
  • Patent number: 8243283
    Abstract: A method of optically imaging an object includes the determination of a source point and a destination point within the object. Planar boundaries are selected that approximate a geometrical shape of the object, and virtual sources are found using a reflection of the original source through the boundaries. Subsequent reflections of the added sources may be used to find higher order sources. Contributions to an optical transfer function from each of the added sources are added to determine a cumulative optical transfer function until a convergence limit is reached. The resulting optical transfer function is more accurate than the original in that it takes boundary phenomena into consideration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: ART, Advanced Research Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Frédéric Leblond, Simon Fortier
  • Publication number: 20110275932
    Abstract: A tomographic fluorescent imaging device for imaging fluorophores in biological tissues has a scanned laser for scanning the tissue and a camera for receiving light from the biological tissue at an angle to the beam at a second wavelength ten or more nanometers greater in wavelength than the wavelength of the laser. Use of both intrinsic and extrinsic fluorophores is described. Images are obtained at each of several positions of the beam. An image processing system receives the series of images, models a path of the beam through the tissue, and determines depth of fluorophore in tissue from intersections of the modeled path of the beam and the path of the received light. The laser is of 600 nm or longer wavelength, to provide penetration of tissue. The imaging device is used during surgery to visualize lesions of various types to ensure complete removal of malignant tumors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Inventors: Frederic Leblond, David W. Roberts, Brian W. Pogue, Keith D. Paulsen, Alex Hartov, Scott C. Davis, Dax Kepshire
  • Patent number: 7812945
    Abstract: A fluorescence optical tomography system and method uses a photon migration model calculator for which absorption and reduced scattering coefficient values are determined for each source/detector pair. The coefficient values may be determined by measurement, in which a time resolved detector detects the excitation wavelength and generates temporal point spread functions from which the coefficient values are found. Alternatively, the coefficient values may be determined by calculating them from a dataset containing a spatial distribution of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients in a volume of interest. The fluorescence detection may be continuous wave, time resolved, or a combination of the two. An estimator uses a detected fluorescence signal and an estimated fluorescence signal to estimate the image values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Art Advanced Research Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Simon Fortier, Frederic Leblond
  • Publication number: 20090080723
    Abstract: A method of optically imaging an object includes the determination of a source point and a destination point within the object. Planar boundaries are selected that approximate a geometrical shape of the object, and virtual sources are found using a reflection of the original source through the boundaries. Subsequent reflections of the added sources may be used to find higher order sources. Contributions to an optical transfer function from each of the added sources are added to determine a cumulative optical transfer function until a convergence limit is reached. The resulting optical transfer function is more accurate than the original in that it takes boundary phenomena into consideration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: ART, ADVANCED RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Frederic LEBLOND, Simon FORTIER
  • Publication number: 20080312879
    Abstract: A fluorescence optical tomography system and method uses a photon migration model calculator for which absorption and reduced scattering coefficient values are determined for each source/detector pair. The coefficient values may be determined by measurement, in which a time resolved detector detects the excitation wavelength and generates temporal point spread functions from which the coefficient values are found. Alternatively, the coefficient values may be determined by calculating them from a dataset containing a spatial distribution of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients in a volume of interest. The fluorescence detection may be continuous wave, time resolved, or a combination of the two. An estimator uses a detected fluorescence signal and an estimated fluorescence signal to estimate the image values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: ART, ADVANCED RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Simon Fortier, Frederic Leblond
  • Publication number: 20080218727
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a system for optical imaging of an object in transmission configuration. The method and system obtain contour coordinates of the object using source/detector configurations references and acquire optical data from a region of interest (ROI) of the object. Then, the method and system apply a weighting factor to said optical data as a function of the contour coordinates, and reconstruct an image of the ROI using the weighted optical data and photon diffusion equation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: ART, Advanced Research Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Salim Djeziri, Niculae Mincu, Frederic Leblond, Olga Guilman, Xavier Intes, Mario Khayat
  • Publication number: 20060094940
    Abstract: There is provided a method for optimizing wavelength selection for multiwavelength optical data acquisition of chromophores in a turbid medium. The optimization is based on the minimization of a criterion based on the variance matrix of chromophores estimate features. The method can advantageously be used to obtain physiological information from biological tissue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2005
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Applicant: ART, ADVANCED RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Philippe St-Jean, Frederic Lesage, Xavier Intes, Frederic Leblond