Patents by Inventor Tilman SCHMOLL
Tilman SCHMOLL 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).
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Patent number: 9778018Abstract: Embodiments herein include swept-source interferometric imaging systems employing arbitrary sweep patterns in which a swept-source is swept over a continuous spectral range where the variation of wavelength over time is noncontinuous. Embodiments include sweep patterns that result in reduction of signals from moving scatterers and where the sweep is synchronized with the dead time of the camera.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2015Date of Patent: October 3, 2017Assignee: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Tilman Schmoll, Matthew J. Everett
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Patent number: 9636011Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for acquisition and processing of spectrally dispersed illumination optical coherence tomographic data. Light from a source is distributed spectrally on the sample, and each acquisition simultaneously provides partial spectral interference information from multiple locations in the sample. Thus for a given spatial point, a single observation will be of a partial spectrum A-scan. When multiple partial spectrum A-scan observations are made at the same point by shifting the spectrum of light on to the tissue, the point can be observed by the entire broadband spectrum of the light source, thereby making it possible to create a full axial resolution A-scan.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2015Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Utkarsh Sharma, Tilman Schmoll, Xing Wei
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Publication number: 20170105618Abstract: Systems and methods for improved interferometric imaging are presented. One embodiment is a partial field frequency-domain interferometric imaging system in which a light beam is scanned in two directions across a sample and the light scattered from the object is collected using a spatially resolved detector. The light beam could illuminate a spot, a line or a two-dimensional area on the sample. Additional embodiments with applicability to partial field as well as other types of interferometric systems are also presented.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2015Publication date: April 20, 2017Inventors: Tilman SCHMOLL, Alexandre R. TUMLINSON, Matthew J. EVERETT
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Publication number: 20160317029Abstract: Methods for analyzing and visualizing OCT angiography data are presented. In one embodiment, an automated method for identifying the foveal avascular zone in a two dimensional en face image generated from motion contrast data is presented. Several 3D visualization techniques are presented including one in which a particular vessel is selected in a motion contrast image and all connected vessels are highlighted. A further embodiment includes a stereoscopic visualization method. In addition, a variety of metrics for characterizing OCT angiography image data are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2016Publication date: November 3, 2016Inventors: Siddharth SRIVASTAVA, Utkarsh SHARMA, Mary K. DURBIN, Tilman SCHMOLL
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Publication number: 20160227998Abstract: An improved fundus imager for recording an image of a fundus of an eye is described. A line from a point on the fundus at a center of the image to a center of a pupil of the eye defines an axis. The fundus imager includes at least a source of illuminating light, optics for directing the illuminating light to the fundus of the eye, and a rotating element for rotating the illuminating about the axis such that the illuminating light illuminates the fundus at a plurality of locations around the axis. In a preferred embodiment of the present application, the rotating element is a rotating slit-shaped illumination aperture. In an alternate embodiment, the rotating element is a Dove prism for rotating the illuminating light on the fundus.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2016Publication date: August 11, 2016Inventors: Tilman SCHMOLL, Keith E. O'HARA
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Publication number: 20160220112Abstract: Techniques are introduced to improve the ability of OCT to determine more accurately the nature of the flow of fluids in the eye, including faster measurements of the flow and a method to reduce geometric uncertainties due to eye movements.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2014Publication date: August 4, 2016Inventor: Tilman SCHMOLL
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Publication number: 20160209201Abstract: Improved line-field imaging systems incorporating planar waveguides are presented. In one embodiment the optics of the system are configured such that a line of light on the light scattering object is imaged to the planar waveguide in at least one dimension. Embodiments where the waveguide incorporates a beamsplitter of an interferometer, where the beam divider and waveguide are referenced to one or more common surfaces, and wherein the source and waveguide are optically coupled, are also considered. In another embodiment, the planar waveguide is in contact or close proximity to the light scattering object.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 2, 2014Publication date: July 21, 2016Inventors: Matthew J. EVERETT, Tilman SCHMOLL, Alexandre R. TUMLINSON
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Publication number: 20160206193Abstract: Continuous time or non-integrating operation of an array of photosensitive elements for use as a detector in frequency domain interferometric imaging systems is described. Both swept-source and spectral domain embodiments are presented. Non-integrating or continuous mode camera operation enables much higher camera read-out rates compared to interferometric imaging systems using conventionally operated CMOS or CCD cameras.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2014Publication date: July 21, 2016Inventors: Tilman SCHMOLL, Matthew J. EVERETT
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Patent number: 9357916Abstract: Methods for analyzing and visualizing OCT angiography data are presented. In one embodiment, an automated method for identifying the foveal avascular zone in a two dimensional en face image generated from motion contrast data is presented. Several 3D visualization techniques are presented including one in which a particular vessel is selected in a motion contrast image and all connected vessels are highlighted. A further embodiment includes a stereoscopic visualization method. In addition, a variety of metrics for characterizing OCT angiography image data are described.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2013Date of Patent: June 7, 2016Assignee: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Siddharth Srivastava, Utkarsh Sharma, Mary K. Durbin, Tilman Schmoll
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Patent number: 9241626Abstract: Systems and methods for improved acquisition of ophthalmic optical coherence tomography data are presented, allowing for enhanced ease of use and higher quality data and analysis functionality. Embodiments include automated triggering for detecting and initiating collection of OCT ophthalmic data, an automated technique for determining the optimal number of B-scans to be collected to create the highest quality image and optimize speckle reduction, automated review of fundus images collected with an adjunct imaging modality to guide the OCT data collection, a single scan protocol in which a large field of view is collected with HD B-scans embedded at different locations depending on automated analysis of either a fundus image or sparse OCT scan, and various scan configurations for imaging eyes with large axial depth range.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2014Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Harihar Narasimha-Iyer, Tilman Schmoll, Utkarsh Sharma, Siddharth Srivastava, Alexandre R. Tumlinson
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Publication number: 20160000320Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for acquisition and processing of spectrally dispersed illumination optical coherence tomographic data. Light from a source is distributed spectrally on the sample, and each acquisition simultaneously provides partial spectral interference information from multiple locations in the sample. Thus for a given spatial point, a single observation will be of a partial spectrum A-scan. When multiple partial spectrum A-scan observations are made at the same point by shifting the spectrum of light on to the tissue, the point can be observed by the entire broadband spectrum of the light source, thereby making it possible to create a full axial resolution A-scan.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Utkarsh SHARMA, Tilman SCHMOLL, Xing WEI
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Patent number: 9192294Abstract: Systems and methods for faster acquisition and processing of OCT image data are presented. In one embodiment of the present invention, an OCT system is operated in two different acquisition modes of different axial resolutions to allow for efficient collection of OCT Angiography data while also collecting high resolution OCT data. In another embodiment, a reduced subset of a collected data set is used for OCT Angiography data analysis. In another embodiment, a sweep of a swept-source laser is split into different spectral components covering different transverse locations on the sample. A further aspect includes the ability to process all or a portion of collected OCT data with one motion contrast technique before or while a second set is processed using a different motion contrast technique.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2013Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Utkarsh Sharma, Tilman Schmoll
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Publication number: 20150233700Abstract: Embodiments herein include swept-source interferometric imaging systems employing arbitrary sweep patterns in which a swept-source is swept over a continuous spectral range where the variation of wavelength over time is noncontinuous. Embodiments include sweep patterns that result in reduction of signals from moving scatterers and where the sweep is synchronized with the dead time of the camera.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2015Publication date: August 20, 2015Inventors: Tilman SCHMOLL, Matthew J. EVERETT
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Patent number: 8947672Abstract: Swept source designs that eliminate or significantly reduce artifacts in optical coherence tomography are presented. One embodiment of the present invention is a source design that frequency shifts the coherence revival interference signal to a frequency larger than the A/D detection bandwidth or the post-processing bandwidth. In another embodiment, the introduced frequency shift is large enough to introduce a Doppler shift of the modes of the laser, which causes a blurring of the comb function, and thus eliminates or reduces mode hopping. In another embodiment, adjusting the cavity optical path length prior to data acquisition depending on the given optical layout configuration to reduce or eliminate coherence revival artifacts is described.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2013Date of Patent: February 3, 2015Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.Inventors: Tilman Schmoll, Matthew J. Everett, Utkarsh Sharma, Alexandre R. Tumlinson, Michael Kempe
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Publication number: 20140268039Abstract: Systems and methods for improvements to optical coherence tomography systems for operating in different imaging modes are presented. In one embodiment, a system for identifying the presence and type of an adjunct lens operably connected to the OCT instrument for changing between imaging modes in the system is described. In a second embodiment, a system for dynamically autofocusing the OCT system depending on the layer of interest is presented. In a third embodiment, the overall power of the system used for imaging can be adjusted depending on the location and type of scan desired while accounting for the safety standards for recommended light exposure.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Kabir M. ARIANTA, Homayoun BAGHERINIA, Tilman SCHMOLL, Alexandre R. TUMLINSON, Yingjian WANG
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Publication number: 20140268046Abstract: Systems and methods for improved acquisition of ophthalmic optical coherence tomography data are presented, allowing for enhanced ease of use and higher quality data and analysis functionality. Embodiments include automated triggering for detecting and initiating collection of OCT ophthalmic data, an automated technique for determining the optimal number of B-scans to be collected to create the highest quality image and optimize speckle reduction, automated review of fundus images collected with an adjunct imaging modality to guide the OCT data collection, a single scan protocol in which a large field of view is collected with HD B-scans embedded at different locations depending on automated analysis of either a fundus image or sparse OCT scan, and various scan configurations for imaging eyes with large axial depth range.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2014Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Harihar NARASIMHA-IYER, Tilman SCHMOLL, Utkarsh SHARMA, Siddharth SRIVASTAVA, Alexandre R. TUMLINSON
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Publication number: 20140268038Abstract: Systems and methods for variable depth optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging with a swept laser source are presented. Swept-source OCT data acquired at two different spectral resolutions is resampled using information on the wavenumber nonlinearity of the source to generate OCT images at two different depths.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventor: Tilman SCHMOLL
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Publication number: 20140029015Abstract: Swept source designs that eliminate or significantly reduce artifacts in optical coherence tomography are presented. One embodiment of the present invention is a source design that frequency shifts the coherence revival interference signal to a frequency larger than the A/D detection bandwidth or the post-processing bandwidth. In another embodiment, the introduced frequency shift is large enough to introduce a Doppler shift of the modes of the laser, which causes a blurring of the comb function, and thus eliminates or reduces mode hopping. In another embodiment, adjusting the cavity optical path length prior to data acquisition depending on the given optical layout configuration to reduce or eliminate coherence revival artifacts is described.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2013Publication date: January 30, 2014Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Tilman SCHMOLL, Matthew J. EVERETT, Utkarsh SHARMA, Alexandre R. TUMLINSON, Michael KEMPE
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Publication number: 20130301000Abstract: Systems and methods for faster acquisition and processing of OCT image data are presented. In one embodiment of the present invention, an OCT system is operated in two different acquisition modes of different axial resolutions to allow for efficient collection of OCT Angiography data while also collecting high resolution OCT data. In another embodiment, a reduced subset of a collected data set is used for OCT Angiography data analysis. In another embodiment, a sweep of a swept-source laser is split into different spectral components covering different transverse locations on the sample. A further aspect includes the ability to process all or a portion of collected OCT data with one motion contrast technique before or while a second set is processed using a different motion contrast technique.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2013Publication date: November 14, 2013Applicant: Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.Inventors: Utkarsh SHARMA, Tilman SCHMOLL
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Publication number: 20130301008Abstract: Methods for analyzing and visualizing OCT angiography data are presented. In one embodiment, an automated method for identifying the foveal avascular zone in a two dimensional en face image generated from motion contrast data is presented. Several 3D visualization techniques are presented including one in which a particular vessel is selected in a motion contrast image and all connected vessels are highlighted. A further embodiment includes a stereoscopic visualization method. In addition, a variety of metrics for characterizing OCT angiography image data are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2013Publication date: November 14, 2013Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.Inventors: Siddharth SRIVASTAVA, Utkarsh SHARMA, Mary K. DURBIN, Tilman SCHMOLL