Patent ID: 8851675

Claim:
A device for performing a repetitive OCT scan of a target wherein said device comprises: an OCT system adapted to perform one or more depth scans of a target, including a probe beam; and a movable beam modifying element selectably interposable in the optical path of said probe beam, said movable element adapted to introduce modification of said optical path synchronous with respect to periodicity of the OCT scan, wherein said movable beam modifying element is adapted to introduce depth variations, and said movable element comprised of pre-selected delay elements, so that the interposition of the movable beam modifying element in the optical path of said probe beam is synchronous with the periodicity of the scan beam, so the scan beam periodically passes through regions of predetermined delay, resulting in a scan that includes at least two scan portions offset depthwise from each other, where said device is adapted to perform a continuous scan and, synchronous with said continuous scan, said moveable beam modifying element is adapted to introduce delay into the optical path of the beam which effectively moves the scan position in depth (with respect to the surface of the target), such that the output of said performed scan includes at least two continuous scan portions offset in depth from each other; wherein said moveable beam modifying element is comprised of pre-selected regions of predetermined delay, so that interposition of said movable beam modifying element in said optical path is synchronous with the periodicity of the scan beam, so said scan beam periodically passes through regions of predetermined delay, resulting in a scan that includes at least two continuous scan portions offset in depth from each other; where said movable beam modifying element contains predetermined regions, and each said region characterized by some value of delay with respect to the optical path, where said regions may be controllable introduced into said optical path so as to produce correspondingly controllable delays; wherein said predetermined regions of said movable beam modifying element are further characterized by some optical property including: regions of predetermined differing, magnitudes of attentuation, such that different delays provide different attenuation, increasing as delay magnitude is increased, allowing reducing of the magnitude of the less deep signals; and regions of predetermined differing magnitudes of compensation for differing, associated focusing properties.