Patent ID: 7944568
Filing Date: 2011-05-17
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
1. A system for producing a tomographic image by optical tomography, the system comprising: a light source means for outputting light having a wavelength which is periodically swept; a light division means for dividing the light output from the light source means into measurement light and reference light; a light combination means for combining the reference light and reflection light that is reflected from a measurement target when the measurement target is irradiated with the measurement light output by the light division means, in such a manner as to scan the measurement target; an interference light detection means for detecting as interference signals, interference light when the reflection light and the reference light are combined by the light combination means in each wavelength sweep; a thinning region setting means for setting a thinning region in which the interference signals that have been obtained by the interference light detection means are thinned so that the interference signals that are used to produce the tomographic image remain; an interference signal thinning means for thinning a plurality of interference signals obtained in the thinning region that has been set by the thinning region setting means; a tomographic information obtainment means for obtaining light intensity information about the measurement target in the thinning region, based on the interference signals for the respective wavelength sweeps remaining after thinning by the interference signal thinning means; and a tomographic image production means for producing the tomographic image in the thinning region based on the light intensity information that has been obtained by the tomographic information obtainment means, the system further comprising: a periodic clock generation means for outputting a periodic clock signal when a wavelength for one period has been swept by the light source means, wherein the interference signal thinning means counts the number of clocks of periodic clock signals output from the periodic clock generation means and thins the interference signals by selecting the interference signal when the number of the clocks obtained by counting reaches a predetermined clock number.