{
  "patent_number": "US 9861319",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Seeing Blood Flow Deep Inside Tissue Without Touching It",
  "original_title": "Noncontact three-dimensional diffuse optical imaging of deep tissue blood flow distribution",
  "summary": "This patent describes a way to create 3D images of blood flow up to 1.5 cm deep inside body tissue using near-infrared light, all without any physical contact with the skin.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent details an optical method for creating three-dimensional (3D) images of blood flow in deep tissue, specifically up to about 1.5 cm, without needing to touch the tissue (Claim 1). It works by projecting near-infrared light from long-coherence laser sources onto the tissue surface through optical lenses. A detector array then captures the diffused near-infrared light reflected back, also through lenses (Claim 1). The collected data is then processed, often using a finite-element-method (FEM), to reconstruct a 3D image of the blood flow distribution (Claim 6). For example, a surgeon could use this system to check the blood supply in a delicate skin graft during surgery without disturbing the healing tissue.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover imaging methods that require physical contact between the imaging probe or detector and the tissue (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover imaging deeper than approximately 1.5 cm into the tissue (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover imaging techniques that use light outside the near-infrared spectrum (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover two-dimensional (2D) imaging; it specifically focuses on three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover methods that do not use optical lenses for both applying and detecting the light (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2016-03-23",
  "granted": "2018-01-09",
  "expires": "2036-03-23",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "University of Kentucky Research Foundation",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/university-of-kentucky-research-foundation",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Yu Lin",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/yu-lin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chong Huang",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/chong-huang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guoqiang Yu",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/guoqiang-yu"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 5,
  "tags": [
    "medical_devices",
    "biotech",
    "software",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present invention provides for three-dimensional reflectance diffuse optical imaging of deep tissue blood flow distribution that removes the need for probe-tissue contact, thereby allowing for such technology to be applied to sensitive, vulnerable, damaged, or reconstructive tissue. The systems utilize noncontact application and detection of near-infrared light through optical lens and detection through a linear array or two-dimensional array of avalanche photodiodes or a two-dimensional array of detectors provided by charge-coupled-device (CCD). Both further feature a finite-element-method (FEM) based facilitation to provide for three-dimensional flow image reconstruction in deep tissues with arbitrary geometries.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9861319/noncontact-three-dimensional-diffuse-optical-imaging-of-deep-tissue-blood-flow-d",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9861319/noncontact-three-dimensional-diffuse-optical-imaging-of-deep-tissue-blood-flow-d/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9861319",
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}