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|Number of patent applications / Date published
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPE - A digital microscope (
|HAND-HELD FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE WITH PARTIAL-SPECTRUM LIGHT SOURCE - A hand-held fluorescence microscope is disclosed, including: a partial-spectrum light source, a first filtering device, a second filtering device, and an image sensor arranged inside a housing of the hand-held fluorescence microscope. The partial-spectrum light source generates a first light beam. The first filtering device filters the first light beam to provide a second light beam. The second filtering device filters a fluorescence generated by a specimen after receiving the second light beam to provide a fourth light beam. The image sensor receives the fourth light beam to generate fluorescence images. One end of the housing is provided with a light mask for surrounding the specimen to avoid external light from being entering the image sensor. The light path of the second light beam projecting to the specimen does not overlap with the light path of the fluorescence radiating from the specimen to the second filtering device.
|SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR THE CALIBRATION AND MANAGEMENT OF COLOR IN MICROSCOPE SLIDES - A system and apparatus for the color calibration of images recorded through a microscope. An integrated color calibration target microscope slide device and specimen are recorded with an imaging device that acquires both the color values of the specimen and the color values of the color calibration target under a plurality of illuminations and trans-illuminations. A composite image is formed to provide a spectral estimation of the relevant color values of the image. The image is converted into multi-stimulus values governed by a plurality of illuminating conditions. The multi-stimulus values are used to provide image calibration data so that color values of the image, when displayed on a display devices, are faithfully reproduced.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RE-LOCATING AN OBJECT IN A SAMPLE ON A SLIDE WITH A MICROSCOPE IMAGING DEVICE - A method of re-locating an object in a sample is provided for a previously-scanned slide having determined objects each with corresponding stored coordinates and a stored image, the objects being mapped relative to each other. The slide is positioned on a microscope stage, stored images of the objects are visually displayed, and a target object is selected. The slide is moved to an estimated coordinate position, corresponding to the coordinates of the target object, and a field-of-view image of the sample is captured for comparison to the stored image of the target. If the target is in the image, an offset between actual coordinates of the located target and the stored coordinates of the corresponding object is determined. The slide is then moved, via the stage, from the estimated coordinate position, according to the offset, to center the target in the image. Associated systems and methods are also provided.
|MICROSCOPE EXAMINATION APPARATUS - The invention provides a microscope examination apparatus including a light source; an illumination optical system configured to guide light from the light source to a specimen; an objective lens configured to collimate return light from the specimen, the objective lens being provided in such a manner as to be displaceable at least in a direction intersecting an optical axis of the objective lens; an image-forming lens configured to image the return light from the specimen, which is collimated by the objective lens; an optical detector configured to detect the return light imaged by the image-forming lens; a microscope main body including the image-forming lens and the optical detector; and an objective-lens driving mechanism configured to drive the objective lens in a direction correcting image blur due to a displacement of the specimen.
|MICROSCOPE COMPRISING A CAMERA CONNECTION AND A CAMERA ADAPTER - A microscope comprising a camera connection in a image beam path is suggested. A camera adapter and a camera can be adapted to the camera connection, and the microscope can be used to reproduce the image of a sample on a sensor of the camera. Imaging of the beam path in the camera adapter comprises an intermediate imaging with a pupil plane having reduced beam diameter next to the pupil plane, and at least one optical means can be inserted into the reproduction beam path in the region of the reduced beam cross-section. An optical means or an interchangeable device comprising a plurality of optical means, such as filters, plane-parallel plates or wedge plate, is integrated into the pupil plane in the camera adapter.
|Digital Microscope System - Disclosed is a digital microscope system capable of controlling two or more microscope units with a controlling unit. The digital microscope system includes (i) two or more microscope units, (ii) a camera interface, (iii) a controlling unit and (iv) a light output device. The microscope unit includes a lens tube, a digital camera, a light terminator and a stand. The camera interface includes two or more camera interface (I/F) channels and a camera interface channel selector. The controlling unit includes a memory, a display device, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a power supply.
|IMAGING SYSTEM FOR MICROSCOPE AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - An imaging system for a microscope comprises: an imaging unit imaging an optical image from a microscope; a display unit displaying the imaged image; a specifying unit specifying at least a given position on the displayed image to set a measurement target; a measurement and drawing unit performing measurement of the measurement target and drawing of the measurement target, as well as making a measurement value obtained by the measurement displayed at a predetermined position on the screen; a magnification change determination unit determining whether there has been a change in an observation magnification of the microscope; a control unit performing, when it is determined that there has been a change in the observation magnification of the microscope after the measurement value is displayed, an output in accordance with the change.
|INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, STAGE-UNDULATION CORRECTING METHOD, PROGRAM THEREFOR - Provided is an information processing apparatus including: a connection connecting to a microscope including a stage having a disposition surface on which a target object can be placed, and an image picking-up section including an objective lens for picking up an image of the object, the microscope being movable in first and second axis directions orthogonal to an optical axis of the objective lens and orthogonal to each other and in a third axis direction along the optical axis; a calculator calculating, as an undulation-correcting value, a value for correcting a misalignment of a position in the third axis direction for each predetermined image-capturing range smaller than the disposition surface; a correcting-value storage storing the calculated value; and a corrector correcting a relative distance between the stage and the objective lens on the basis of the stored value for each image-capturing range.
|VIRTUAL MASK SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME - A virtual mask system includes a stage configured to retain an object, an image-capturing device configured to capture the image of the field of view of the microscope, and a processing module configured to generate a virtual mask and superimpose the virtual mask with the image of the object. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for operating a virtual mask system includes the steps of generating a virtual mask, placing a first object on a stage, capturing at least one image of the first object, and superimposing the virtual mask with the image of the first object by adjusting a position or an inclined angle of the stage or adjusting a capturing position of an image-capturing device by considering at least the virtual mask and the image of the first object.
|Application of microscopic linear array scanner for measuring rate of change of live organisms - The invention creates a method of single lane scanning of live organisms by CCD linear array scanner to collect valid data while minimizing photonic interruption to said live organisms. The invention further creates a simple solution to upgrade manual microscopes for measuring rate of change of live organisms. A calculation method is included to measure rate of change of live organisms.
|SUPER-RESOLUTION OBSERVATION APARATUS - Super-resolution observation apparatus includes excitation light irradiation unit for irradiating excitation light intended to excite a sample on the sample, excitation light modulation unit for modulating a spatial intensity distribution of the excitation light on the sample, enlarged image forming unit for forming an enlarged image of the sample at an image position from observation light generated by irradiating the excitation light on the sample, image capturing unit for converting a spatial intensity distribution of the enlarged image into digital image data, and super-resolution processing unit for generating a super-resolution image where a super-resolution frequency component higher than a cutoff frequency of the enlarged image forming unit is made visible from one or a plurality of pieces of the digital image data. The super-resolution processing unit includes spatial frequency intensity modulation unit that change process contents according to an intensity level of a noise included in the digital image data.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A microscope includes a zoom optical system zooming over a sample, a zoom driving unit moving the optical system along an optical axis, an imaging unit imaging an observation image of the sample through the optical system, thereby generating image data on the sample, and a display unit displaying an image corresponding to the generated image data. A touch panel on a display screen of the display unit accepts an input corresponding to a contact position of an object. A driving control unit outputs a driving signal for changing a zoom magnification of the optical system by setting a middle point between contact positions on the touch panel corresponding to two position signals responsive to an input of the different contact positions as a zoom center position fixed without depending on the zoom magnification of the optical system when the two position signals are output from the touch panel.
|Automatic Focus and Sample Detection - Imaging systems, such as optical microscopes, can benefit from automatic focus enhancements including sample detection. For example, systems that use a charge coupled device (CCD) video camera to capture a field of view for making focus determinations can benefit from automatic focus and sample detection. A method according to certain embodiments can include obtaining, by a machine, a high level image of a sample. The method can also include determining, by the machine, whether a plurality of auto-focus areas of a plurality of fields of view are aligned with a portion of the sample. The method can further include obtaining, by the machine, a low level image of the sample when the plurality of auto-focus areas are aligned.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM AND MICROSCOPE FRAME - A microscope system includes a microscope frame on which a stage is placed; and a camera head, in which an objective lens is attachable, for capturing an image of a specimen, the camera head being attached to the microscope frame by being fitted, and being slidable with respect to the microscope frame in a direction that is parallel with a surface of the stage placed on the microscope frame and orthogonal to an optical axis of the attached objective lens.
|METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING THIN SECTIONS OF A SAMPLE BY MEANS OF AN IMAGE RECOGNITION SYSTEM - A method and a device for producing thin sections of a sample by means of a microtome is described, in which a camera acquires at least one image of a surface generated by sectioning of the sample. With the aid of an evaluation device, the image of the surface is evaluated in terms of predefined characteristic values of a section quality. As a function of the characteristic values that are identified, a decision is then made as to whether the section of the sample is accepted or not.
|Intergrated virtual slide and live microscope system - A method for creating a virtual slide is provided. A virtual slide is a digital representation of an area of interest of a microscopic slide. One method is to use a motorized microscope that can move a specimen with respect to a microscopic objective. With such a system, one can capture one or more images through a microscopic objective, such that a region of interest is imaged. Each image is then joined together to form a composite or "virtual image." In one embodiment, after a virtual slide is created, a user may fully utilize the full capabilities of the remote microscope. Among these capabilities is a set of "optical objectives" and "virtual objectives." Optical objectives are images created by digitizing an image through a microscopic objective in real time. Virtual objectives are digitally created magnifications created by utilizing the existing virtual slide data to digitally create a field of view.
|REFLECTED DARK FIELD METHOD AND APPARATUS - A reflected dark field structure includes a bottom plate, a support tube, a light unit, a diffuser structure, and a reflector unit that provides reflected dark field illumination, such that a gem held by the support tube and surrounded by the diffuser structure is illuminated and viewable through an aperture in the reflector unit. A method for imaging and analyzing a gem includes placing the gem onto a support tube where it is illuminated with dark field and reflected dark field illumination, and viewing the gem via an aperture located on a top reflector unit, which provides a top cover for the gem. Furthermore, a method and apparatus for obtaining images of a gem includes a dark field stage, a reflector unit, and an image-acquiring device, such that a gem placed in the dark field stage is illuminated, and such that the reflector unit covers the dark field stage and provides reflected dark field illumination, and such that the image-acquiring device is directed towards an aperture in the reflector unit.
|APPARATUS, METHOD AND ARTICLE TO PERFORM ASSAYS USING ASSAY STRIPS - An assay system includes an optical imager to acquire high resolution images of assay strips (e.g., lateral flow immunochromatographic test strips) and performs image processing to identify individual assay strips and determine results for each assay strip, by quantifies the presence or absence of test signal line(s) and control signal line(s). Assay strips may be in a holder or carrier contained in a specimen container also holding a specimen. The assay system automatically logs all results and data to a database that stores a high resolution image of the original immunochromatographic assay, the values of test line(s) and control line(s), and the test result. A user interface directs an end user through operation.
|METHOD FOR OPTIMIZATION OF QUANTITATIVE VIDEO-MICROSCOPY AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEM - Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for determining an amount of a plurality of molecular species in a sample, each molecular specie being indicated by a dye. According to one embodiment, the amount of a plurality of molecular species is determined by acquiring a plurality of images of the sample, determining an amount of each molecular specie, as indicated by a respective dye, for each pixel at each corresponding pixel location in the plurality of images, and refining the amount of a plurality of molecular species at one or more pixel locations in the plurality of images. Associated systems and computer program products are also provided.
|IMAGING APPARATUS AND IMAGING METHOD - An imaging method includes: a preliminary measurement step of imaging an object on a stage with an imaging unit; a determination step of determining the number of images to be captured of the object by analyzing the image data obtained in the preliminary measurement step; and a main measurement step of performing, according to the number of images to be captured determined in the determination step, either first processing for acquiring image data of a single image by imaging the object on the stage, or second processing for acquiring image data of a plurality of images with different focal positions by imaging the object on the stage for a plurality of times while changing the focal position.
|PARTICLE MEASURING DEVICE AND PARTICLE MEASURING METHOD - This particle measuring device includes a stage, a reflected light illuminating device, a transmitted light illuminating device, an illumination control device, an imaging device, and an image processing device. Based on a transmitted light image acquired by imaging an opaque fine particle group using transmitted light and a reflected light image acquired by imaging an opaque fine particle group using reflected light, by associating transmitted light particles present in the transmitted light image and reflected light particles present in the reflected light image with each other using a predetermined method, various characteristics (the position, the size, the brightness level, and the like) of individual particles out of a fine particle group are simultaneously measured.
|CELL OBSERVING APPARATUS AND CELL INTEGRATION METHOD - User's time and labor required for performing manipulations with respect to cells which exist in an incubation container, are reduced. To achieve the above, a cell observing apparatus includes an observation stage supporting an incubation container that houses cells, a micro imaging optical system forming, on an imaging device for micro imaging, an image of the cell in the incubation container disposed at an observing position of the observation stage, a macro imaging optical system forming, on an imaging device for macro imaging, an image of an area wider than that captured by the micro imaging optical system in the incubation container, and a controlling unit controlling an operation of a manipulation needle that manipulates the cells in the incubation container, in which the micro imaging optical system is disposed on a side facing the macro imaging optical system with the observation stage being located therebetween.
|MULTI-REGION FOCUS NAVIGATION INTERFACE - A multi-region focus navigation interface for a machine vision inspection system is provided to assist a user with user-directed or manual focus operations. The multi-region focus navigation interface comprises a plurality of regional focus elements, each corresponding to a respective region of interest and superimposed on a displayed field of view. Each focus element comprises at least first and second operating states corresponding to its focus distance being in a close or intermediate range, respectively. Each operating state comprises a respective graphical focus indicator. For the intermediate range, a focus improvement direction may also be indicated. In one embodiment, in the close range operating state, a user may activate a region focus element to perform autofocus operations, while in the intermediate range operating state, a user may activate a focus element to perform operations that move toward the focus height by a predetermined step size.
|CATADIOPTRIC OPTICAL SYSTEM AND IMAGE-PICKUP APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A catadioptric optical system includes a first imaging optical system including a catadioptric part configured to condense a light flux from an object and to form an intermediate image of the object, and a second imaging optical system including a dioptric part configured to form an image of the intermediate image on an image surface. The light flux from the object passes through the light transmission part of the first optical element, the negative lens, the backside reflection part of the second optical element, the negative lens, the backside reflection part of the first optical element, the negative lens, and the light transmission part of the second optical element, in this order, and is emitted to the second imaging optical system. An Abbe number of a material of the negative lens is larger than that of a material of the second optical element.
|PLANE-PROJECTION MULTI-PHOTON MICROSCOPY - A novel method and system for conducting wide-field multi-photon microscopy through plane-projection are provided. It has been discovered that the limitations of conventional temporal-focusing techniques, such as single excitation wavelength and low acquisition rates can be resolved utilizing a novel optical set-up in which an optical diffuser is used as the scatterer. The use of such an optical arrangement enables temporal focusing regardless of the central wavelength of laser pukes. In addition, the optical sectioning possible using the disclosed microscopy is comparable to confocal microscopy, and can be robustly achieved by both moderate and high NA objectives at 100-fs puke width. Moreover, the multi-photon excitation efficiency of the disclosed system can be enhanced by lowering the repetition rate of the ultrafast laser light source at constant pulse width and average power.
|Inspection Instrument - The present disclosure relates an inspection instrument adapted to increase testing throughput in a manufacturing process. In one embodiment, the inspection instrument includes a base plate and a vertical frame, where the base plate and the vertical frame are configured to provide structural support of the inspection instrument, a first mounting mechanism coupled to the base plate, where the first mounting mechanism is configured to hold a sample for inspection, and a second mounting mechanism coupled to the vertical frame, where the second mounting mechanism is configured to hold a set of sensors and an optical system for inspecting the sample. The first mounting mechanism and the second mounting mechanism are decoupled from each other to reduce impact of movements of the sample to the set of sensors and the optical system.
|IMAGE-ACQUISITION DEVICE FOR MICROSCOPE AND MICROSCOPE OBSERVATION METHOD - Proper exposure is achieved within a short period of time even when image-acquisition elements are switched. Provided is an image-acquisition device for a microscope, which includes an optical-path branching section that branches light from an object into two optical paths; a first image-acquisition element and a second image-acquisition element that are respectively disposed in the two optical paths branching from the optical-path branching section and that acquire images of the light from the object under different image-acquisition conditions; and an exposure-time calculator that calculates an exposure time for the second image-acquisition element on the basis of an exposure time for the first image-acquisition element and a ratio of the image-acquisition conditions of the first and second image-acquisition elements.
|MAGNIFYING OBSERVATION APPARATUS, AND IMAGE DISPLAY METHOD AND MICROSCOPY SWITCHING METHOD THEREOF - A magnifying observation apparatus includes a switching unit for switching between a plurality of microscopies, an image generating unit for generating an image of a sample by capturing an image of the sample with the respective plurality of microscopies switched by the switching unit, and a display unit for displaying the image generated by the image generating unit. The display unit updates a display of the display unit each time a new image is generated by the image generating unit.
|Systems and Methods for Analyzing Body Fluids - Systems and methods analyzing body fluids contain cells including blood, bone marrow, urine, vaginal tissue, epithelial tissue, tumors, semen, and spittle are disclosed. The systems and methods utilize an improved technique for applying a monolayer of cells to a slide and generating a substantially uniform distribution of cells on the slide. Additionally aspects of the invention also relate to systems and method for utilizing multi-color microscopy for improving the quality of images captured by a light receiving device.
|AUTOFOCUSING METHOD AND DEVICE FOR A MICROSCOPE - A method and device for autofocusing in a microscope (
|Magnification Observation Device, Magnification Observation Method, And Magnification Observation Program - Provided are a magnification observation device, a magnification observation method, and a magnification observation program in which connected image data can be efficiently obtained in a short period of time when re-imaging an object to obtain the connected image data corresponding to a plurality of unit regions. A plurality of unit regions on a surface of an observation object are imaged, and a plurality of pieces of image data respectively corresponding to the plurality of unit regions are generated. An image of the object including the plurality of unit regions is displayed as a region presentation image. When any of the plurality of unit regions is selected by a selection instruction from a user, the selected unit region is re-imaged, to generate image data corresponding to the selected unit region as re-imaged data.
|IMAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE - Size reduction is achieved while also achieving both high sensitivity and high pixel density. Provided is an image acquisition device including an image acquisition element that acquires an image of a sample, a closed container that accommodates and seals the image acquisition element therein, a camera body that accommodates the closed container, and a displacement member that moves the image acquisition element relative to the camera body in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the image acquisition element. At least a portion of the displacement member is disposed outside the closed container.
|Magnification Observation Device - Provided is a magnification observation device capable of easily moving an observation object in a desired direction even when a stage is rotated, and capable of preventing a desired region of the observation object from going outside an imaging region due to rotation of the stage. The observation object is placed on the placement surface of the stage. The observation object is imaged by an imaging unit, to acquire image data of the imaging region. Based on the image data acquired by the imaging unit, an image of the observation object is displayed by the display part as an observed image. The stage is moved relatively with respect to the imaging unit along an x
|SURFACE IMAGING WITH MATERIALS IDENTIFIED BY COLOR - An imaging system receives a height measurement and a resistance measurement, the measurements being made at a two-dimensional position on a surface. A display system maps the resistance to a predetermined material color value, and displays the height measurement and the material color value at the two-dimensional position on the surface.
|AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT METHOD OF MICROSCOPE IMAGE AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - The automatic adjustment method of a microscopic image for automatically adjusting an image on the basis of the lightness of the microscopic image includes distinguishing an observation pixel being an observation target in the image from a non-observation pixel not being an observation target on the basis of the lightness of each pixel of the image, determining a representative value for representing the lightness of the image on the basis of the lightness of a selection pixel identified as the observation pixel and adjusting the lightness of the image on the basis of the representative value.
|System and Computer Readable Medium for Pre-focus of Digital Slides - Methods and apparatus are provided for computing focus information prior to scanning digital microscope slides with a line scan camera. The methods include a point-focus procedure that works by moving the slide to the desired measurement location, moving the objective lens through a predefined set of height values, acquiring imagery data at each height, and determining the height of maximum contrast. The methods also include a ribbon-focus procedure whereby imagery data are acquired continuously, while the slide and objective lens are in motion. Both methods may be applied with either a static or a dynamic implementation.
|MICROSCOPIC IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS - A microscopic image pickup apparatus for acquiring images of specimens on slide glass samples includes a slide holder pickup section by which the whole image of a slide holder on which a plurality of slide glass samples are arrayed is acquired, a slide glass sample macro-pickup section by which whole images of the slide glass samples are acquired, a slide glass sample micro-pickup section by which micro images of specimen areas of the slide glass samples are acquired under predetermined imaging conditions, and an imaging process control section generating a slide glass sample information management screen. The slide glass sample information management screen is displayed such that the array of display areas for displaying imaging conditions-setting means for setting imaging conditions and for displaying whole images of slide glass samples is paralleled with the array of slide glass samples on a slide holder.
|AUTOFOCUS IMAGING - The present invention relates to the field of digital pathology and in particular to whole slide scanners. Autofocus imaging can be performed by sampling a first number of pixels of a primary image sensor and sampling a second number of pixels of an autofocus image sensor, wherein the second number is between one quarter and three quarters of the first number. Thus, continuous autofocus for rapid light scanning may be provided based on an additional image sensor that is tilted with respect to the optical axis.
|INSTRUMENT FOR THE REALISATION OF WIDE-FIELD IMAGES AT DIVERSE DEPTHS OF A SPECIMEN - Instrument for obtaining wide field images of a specimen comprising (1) a divergence disperser, generating within a light beam different divergences in each of the chromatic components thereof to form images of the specimen at different depths thereof, and (2) a wavelength analyser, selecting the wavelength or interval of wavelengths of the light beam to form the image of the specimen at a specific depth. The light beam may be mono- or polychromatic and the instrument may have a configuration of illumination by transmission or by reflection. The instrument may moreover be modified through diverse configurations of the divergence disperser and/or of the wavelength analyser, including the motorisation thereof or the inclusion of a movable mask, together with being coupled to a CCD or CMOS camera to integrate the diverse images acquired from all sections of the specimen.
|IMAGING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD - There is provided an imaging apparatus that includes a reception section, and an output section. The reception section is configured to receive a trigger from an external apparatus at a timing for reset and readout of an imaging element. The output section is configured to provide back, to the apparatus, a status indicating in which state the imaging element is when the reception section receives the trigger.
|PHOTOGRAPHING CONTROL DEVICE, MICROSCOPE AND PROGRAM - The present invention relates to a photographing control device, microscope and program that can simply confirm whether time lapse photography is being executed normally or not.
|HIGH-RESOLUTION 3D IMAGING OF SINGLE SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTALS - A method of imaging microscopic objects includes determining the relative depths of two or more semiconductor nanocrystals by analyzing images of the semiconductor nanocrystals at varying z-displacements.
|ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR FOCUSING A MULTIPLANE IMAGE ACQUISITION ON A PROBER - A focused multi-planar image acquisition in real time even while a test object is moving, is achieved with a system and a method for a focused multi-planar image acquisition in a prober. When a surface of a test object is positioned laterally in relation to tips of separated probe needles, a microscope is focused on the surface of the test object at a first time and on a plane of the probe needles at a second time. The objective lens is provided with a microscope objective lens focusing system, which can focus the objective lens, independently of a vertical adjustment drive of the microscope, on the surface of the test object in a first focal plane and in a second focal plane, which is on a level with the probe needle tips.
|MICROSCOPE CONTROLLER AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM HAVING THE MICROSCOPE CONTROLLER - A microscope controller that performs operations for controlling operations of motorized units configuring a microscope system includes a touch panel unit that accepts an input made with an external physical contact and has a display function, a controlling unit for setting a display area as a functional area by assigning an image for operating the motorized unit to a certain display area on the touch panel unit and for generating a control instruction signal for controlling the motorized unit in accordance with a contact operation performed for the motorized unit corresponding to the functional area upon detection of an input made in the functional area, and a communication controlling unit for transmitting the control instruction signal to an external device that controls an operation of the motorized unit.
|REFLECTION MICROSCOPE FOCUSING - The invention relates to a method of focusing, by an imaging device, of images of a substantially planar surface of an object including the step of determining the attitude of the surface of the object with respect to a reference plane by scanning this surface by means of at least one triangulation sensor along exactly two parallel lines in the reference plane. The invention further includes the steps of splitting the surface of the object into areas of a size corresponding to the size of a taken image, inferring from the attitude respective elevations of the image areas, and adjusting, for each area, the focus with respect to the elevation thereof.
|DEVICE FOR ACQUIRING IMAGE OF LIVING BODY - Observation of a living body sample from multiple directions can be measured in a short time and with a convenient structure. One two-dimensional detector is arranged in order to pick up the image of light emitted from a sample on a sample holder, and connected with a display for displaying the image picked up by means of the two-dimensional detector. In order to observe the sample on the sample holder from a plurality of directions and to introduce the image of light emitted from the sample in each direction to the two-dimensional detector, a light guide optical system including a multi-reflector assembly consisting of reflectors is provided. A main image formation lens for forming on the two-dimensional detector a plurality of images introduced by the light guide optical system is arranged between the two-dimensional detector and the light guide optical system. Auxiliary image formation lenses for correcting according to a light path length difference an image formed on the two-dimensional detector a main image formation lens is arranged between the main image formation lens and the light guide optical system.
|OPTICAL MODULATOR DEVICE AND SPATIO-TEMPORALLY LIGHT MODULATED IMAGING SYSTEM - An optical modulator device (
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIGITIZING A MOVING SLIDE - The present invention relates to a system and a method of digitizing a moving slide (
|Quantitative, Multispectral Image Analysis of Tissue Specimens Stained with Quantum Dots - A biological sample such as a tissue section is stained with one or more quantum dots and possibly other fluorophores (total number of fluorophores N). A camera coupled to a microscope generates an image of the specimen at a plurality of different wavelengths within the emission spectral band of the N fluorophores. An analysis module calculates coefficients C1 . . . CN at each pixel which are related to the concentration of each of the individual fluorophores. Morphological processing instructions find biological structures. A display module displays quantitative analysis results to the user. The quantitative analysis display includes histograms of the biological structures, scatter plots of fluorophore concentrations, statistical data, spectral data, image data and still others.
|TIME LAPSE OBSERVATION METHOD, AND TIME LAPSE OBSERVATION APPARATUS AND MULTIPHOTON MICROSCOPE USED THEREFOR - Time lapse observation method includes: before a process to obtain a first time lapse image, capturing an image of a reference area on a sample being a partial area of a target area or an area in a vicinity of the target area being a smaller area than the target area to obtain a reference image; storing a position of a capturing area in capturing the reference image as a reference position; before a process to obtain the time lapse image performed, setting a position of the capturing area sequentially at different positions in the optical axis direction of an objective including the reference position and capturing an image at each of the positions to obtain comparison target images; and matching the capturing area with the target area, based on a comparison result of the reference image and the comparison target images.
|INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a determination unit, and a generation unit. The storage unit stores a plurality of partial images obtained by taking images with respect to a subject so that a plurality of image taking areas are overlapped with each other and relative positional displacement information of two adjacent partial images out of the plurality of partial images, the positional displacement information being calculated for each of the two adjacent partial images. The determination unit determines at least one display partial image for generating a display area image from the plurality of partial images, the display area image being an image of an area displayed as an image of the subject. The generation unit connects, when a plurality of display partial images are determined, the plurality of display partial images on the basis of the positional displacement information, to generate the display area image.
|Microscope apparatus - Provided with a time-lapse imaging unit which repeatedly captures a specimen at predetermined time intervals and generates a plurality of images, and a recording unit which records at least one of an image group including one or more of the images captured during a predetermined period among a period of a time-lapse capturing performed by the time-lapse imaging unit or an image group including one or more of the images picked at predetermined time intervals among the period of the time-lapse capturing performed by the time-lapse imaging unit. Thus, data generated in time-lapse photography are managed favorably in a microscope apparatus provided with a time-lapse imaging unit which repeatedly captures a specimen at predetermined time intervals and generates a plurality of images.
|MOLECULAR IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD - A nuclear imaging chain (
|METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR LOCALIZATION OF SINGLE DYE MOLECULES IN THE FLUORESCENT MICROSCOPY - A method and apparatus are provided for obtaining a sub-resolution spatial information of a sample labeled with at least one type fluorescent label. The sub-resolution spatial information has localization information about the positions of fluorescent molecules of the at least one type fluorescent label in at least one spatial direction. The method acquires localization image data by employing fluorescence localization microscopy. The acquired localization image data is processed to obtain the localization information about the positions of fluorescent molecules of the at least one type fluorescent label in at least one spatial direction. The step of processing includes determining in each of the detected images of the series the positions of the barycenters of the detected fluorescence emission distributions from the single fluorescent molecules of the one or more fluorescent labels in at least one spatial direction.
|Method and Apparatus For Automatic Focusing of Substrates in Flourescence Microscopy - An apparatus for automated examination of biological material (
|Fully Automatic Rapid Microscope Slide Scanner - Apparatus for and method of fully automatic rapid scanning and digitizing of an entire microscope sample, or a substantially large portion of a microscope sample, using a linear array detector synchronized with a positioning stage that is part of a computer controlled microscope slide scanner. The invention provides a method for composing the image strips obtained from successive scans of the sample into a single contiguous digital image. The invention also provides a method for statically displaying sub-regions of this large digital image at different magnifications, together with a reduced magnification macro-image of the entire sample. The invention further provides a method for dynamically displaying, with or without operator interaction, portions of the contiguous digital image. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, all elements of the scanner are part of a single-enclosure that has a primary connection to the Internet or to a local intranet. In this embodiment, the preferred sample type is a microscope slide and the illumination and imaging optics are consistent with transmission mode optics optimized for diffraction-limited digital imaging.
|EXTENDED DEPTH OF FIELD MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - An extended depth of field microscope system for phase object detection includes an imaging optical module and a phase/intensity converting module. The imaging optical module has an object lens group, in which an axial symmetric phase coding is added, to produce an axial symmetric spherical aberration. A point spread function (PSF) and an image with extended depth of field can be obtained with a predetermined level of similarity. The phase/intensity converting module converts the phase change of the light passing the phase object, into an image light with change of light intensity.
|INSPECTION SYSTEM - An inspection system for flat objects, especially wafers and dies, comprising: a handling system for loading objects into the inspection system; a sensor assembly for receiving images or measuring values of the object surface or parts of the object surface; a driving assembly for generating a relative movement between the objects and the sensor assembly, where a movement is effected between objects relative to the sensor assembly along a first trajectory; wherein at least one further sensor assembly is provided, and the driving assembly is adapted to generate a further relative movement, where a movement of different objects relative to the sensor assembly can be generated on at least a second trajectory in order to allow at least two objects to be treated simultaneously.
|Data Management in a Linear-Array-Based Microscope Slide Scanner - Systems and methods for processing, storing, and viewing extremely large imagery data rapidly produced by a linear-array-based microscope slide scanner are provided. The system receives, processes, and stores imagery data produced by the linear scanner as a series of overlapping image stripes and combines the data into a seamless and contiguous baseline image. The baseline image is logically mapped into a plurality of regions that are individually addressed to facilitate viewing and manipulation of the baseline image. The system enables dynamic imagery data compression while scanning and capturing new image stripes that eliminates the overhead associated with storing uncompressed image stripes. The system also creates intermediate level images, thereby organizing the baseline image into a variable level pyramid structure referred to as a virtual slide. The system facilitates the use of virtual slides in applications such as telemedicine, telepathology, microscopy education, and analysis of high value specimens like tissue arrays.
|MICROSCOPE - Provided is a microscope which includes an image pickup element, a light source, an optical system, a control unit and a sensor. The control unit controls for the acquisition of, in parallel with the first image pickup event by the image pickup element, necessary information when the second image pickup event by the image pickup element is performed, by using the sensor. A pair of sensors for a microscope includes a pair of sensors. A first sensor of the pair of sensors provides a signal that represents an environmental variable of a first area at a first period in time. A second sensor of the pair of sensors provides a signal that represents a quality of the first sensor's ability to represent the environmental variable of a second area at the first period in time, wherein the second sensor is adjacent to the first sensor.
|MOSAIC PICTURE GENERATION - A stability and, thus, also a quality of mosaic generation is improved by exploiting the advantages of global optimization while giving up performing the optimization fully on the basis of mutual alignment of the image information alone, i.e. on the basis of the result of a search for similarities, but when, additionally, information about error statistics of the capturing device, which took over portion-by-portion capturing of the object plane, is instead also taken into account in the positioning of the subimages in that a secondary constraint (secondary constraint) is set up for the capturing position variables in the optimization problem.
|IMAGING APPARATUS - An imaging apparatus includes an imaging optical system configured to form an optical image of an object, a first imaging sensor device, a second imaging sensor device having an integration degree smaller than that of the first imaging sensor, and a controller configured to execute a first imaging mode in which the first imaging sensor device is used for image pickup of the object while the first imaging sensor device is located at an image plane of the imaging optical system, and a second imaging mode in which the second imaging sensor device is used for image pickup of the object while the second imaging sensor device is located at the image plane of the imaging optical system.
|Resolution-Enhanced Luminescence Microscopy - Described is a method for the high spatial resolution luminescence microscopy of a sample which is marked with marking molecules which can be activated by way of a switch-over signal such that only then can they be stimulated to emit luminescent radiation, wherein the method has the following steps a) introducing the switch-over signal onto the sample such that only a partial amount of the marking molecules present in the sample are activated, wherein, partial regions exist in the sample, in which partial regions only exactly one molecule, which is activated by the switch-over signal, is located inside a volume which is delimited by a diffraction-limited maximum resolution of a detection of luminescent radiation, b) stimulating the activated molecules to emit luminescent radiation, c) detecting the luminescent radiation with diffraction-limited resolution and d) generating image data from the luminescent radiation recorded in step c), wherein the marking molecules, which emit the geometric locations of the luminescent radiation, indicate with a spatial resolution which is increased to above the diffraction limit, wherein e) the detection of the luminescent radiation in step c) or the generation of the image data in step d) comprises a non-linear increase, which prefers higher intensities, of recorded luminescent radiation in order to enhance the spatial resolution to above the diffraction-limited resolution.
|Analyser for Optical Analysis Of a Biological Specimen - An analyser is disclosed for optical analysis of a biological specimen. In at least one embodiment, the analyzer includes optics which includes a camera, intermediate optics and front optics. The intermediate optics is movably arranged and the front optics is fixedly arranged. An analyser for optical analysis of a biological specimen, in at least one embodiment includes a robot for transporting a slide to be analysed. The robot is controlled by at least three motors to allow movement of the robot in three dimensions. The robot includes a handling device configured to grip the slide.
|INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, IMAGING APPARATUS, AND IMAGING APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH OPTICAL MICROSCOPE - Provided is an information processing apparatus including a first setting unit and a second setting unit. The first setting unit sets position coordinates of first photography regions arranged along a first direction of two orthogonal axial directions so that the first photography regions adjacent to each other have first overlapping regions where the first photography regions overlap with each other in the first direction. The second setting unit sets position coordinates of second photography regions arranged along the first direction based on the position coordinates of the first photography regions so that the second photography regions adjacent to each other have second overlapping regions where the second photography regions overlap with each other in the first direction, the second photography regions overlap with the first photography regions in a second direction of the two axial directions, and the second overlapping regions are prevented from overlapping with the first overlapping regions.
|Method and Apparatus of Tilted Illumination Observation - A tilted illumination observation method and observation device with easy adjustment, high speed, good reproducibility and low cost is provided. A high resolution tilt image of a specimen is obtained by extracting the blurring on the scanning spot occurring during beam tilt from the image (step
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTE CONTROL OF A MICROSCOPE - A system and method for remote control of an automated microscope via a widely distributed network.
|SENSOR FOR MICROSCOPY - This invention pertains to a method for microscopically imaging a sample, with a digital scanner comprising a sensor including a 2D array of pixels and to a digital scanning microscope carrying out this method. It is notably provided a method for microscopically imaging a sample with a scanner comprising a sensor including a 2D array of pixels in an XY coordinate system, the axis Y being substantially perpendicular to the scan direction, wherein the scanner is arranged such that the sensor can image an oblique cross section of the sample, and wherein the method comprises the steps of: • activating a first sub-array of the 2D array of pixels, the first sub-array extending mainly along the Y axis at a first X coordinate (X
|INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM - In one example embodiment, an information processing apparatus causes a display device to display a first image in a display range. In this embodiment, the first image is from images associated with an observation target object. The images include a first image, a second image, and a third image. In response to a request to change the display range, the information processing apparatus changes the display range at a first speed, and causes the display range to display the second image. In response to a request to terminate the change of the display range, the information processing apparatus changes the display range at a deceleration speed, and causes the display range to display the third image.
|METHOD FOR DETERMINING AN IN-FOCUS POSITION AND A VISION INSPECTION SYSTEM - In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed for determining a difference between a sample position and an in-focus position, as well as a vision inspection system. In a first step image data depicting a sample is captured. Next, a feature set is extracted from the image data. Thereafter, the feature set is classified into a position difference value, corresponding to the difference between the sample position and the in-focus position, by using a machine learning algorithm that is trained to associate image data features to a position difference value.
|QUANTITATIVE PHASE MICROSCOPY FOR LABEL-FREE HIGH-CONTRAST CELL IMAGING USING FREQUENCY DOMAIN PHASE SHIFT - Some systems described herein include a frequency dependent phase plate for generating multiple phase-contrast images of a sample, each from a different frequency range of light, each phase-contrast image for frequency range of light formed from light diffracted by the sample interfered with undiffracted light that has a frequency-dependent baseline relative phase shift from the phase plate. In some embodiments, the multiple phase-contrast images may be used to generate a quantitative phase image of a sample. The phase-contrast images or the produced quantitative phase image may have sufficient contrast for label-free auto-segmentation of cell bodies and nuclei.
|Imaging Arrangement and Microscope - An embodiment of the present invention is an imaging arrangement that includes imaging optics, a fiducial light source, and a control system. In operation, the imaging optics separate light into first and second tight by wavelength and project the first and second light onto first and second areas within first and second detector regions, respectively. The imaging optics separate fiducial light from the fiducial light source into first and second fiducial light and project the first and second fiducial light onto third and fourth areas within the first and second detector regions, respectively. The control system adjusts alignment of the imaging optics so that the first and second fiducial light projected onto the first and second detector regions maintain relatively constant positions within the first and second detector regions, respectively. Another embodiment of the present invention is a microscope that includes the imaging arrangement.
|MICROSCOPE AND METHOD FOR THE MICROSCOPIC DETECTION OF LIGHT OF A SAMPLE - A microscope or use of a microscope with at least one illumination beam that is phase-modulated along its cross section partially with a modulation frequency, in which an advantageously local excitation of a transition, advantageously a fluorescence excitation in a sample, is performed by means of a pump beam of a first wavelength and the transition is induced and detected advantageously by means of a second beam, advantageously of a second wavelength, or a local heating is generated that is read out from the detection signals by means of a detection unit, advantageously an infrared camera.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SWEEPING MIRROR ENHANCED IMAGING FLOW CYTOMETRY - An imaging flow cytometry system and method which includes a flow chamber, tracking mirror, microscope and imaging optics, image capturing system, device to regulate fluid flow through the chamber, and backlighting generator. The tracking mirror moves at a rate matched to the particle velocity in the flow chamber so as to enhance the sample flow rates possible with the system while maintaining clear and accurate imaging. The backlighting generator passes through the flow chamber and the objective before being focused on the image capturing system. Detected scatter events initiate tracking by the mirror, resulting in imaging with reduced motion blur even at high rates of flow.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A microscope system is constructed by a light guiding optical system
|CHARGED-PARTICLE MICROSCOPE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING SAMPLE USING SAME - A high-performance image quality improvement process, capable of improving the image quality of low-definition areas (lower layer patterns in a multilayer, bottoms of holes in a hole pattern, etc.), is performed to a captured image. Definition enhancement intensity is calculated using height information included in design data or estimate values of sample height information calculated from the captured image, and the image quality improvement process is performed to the captured image using the definition enhancement intensity.
|DEVICE FOR FORMING A HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGE, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR DERIVING A HIGH-SPATIAL-RESOLUTION IMAGE - A device for forming a high-resolution image of an object is provided. The device comprises: an electronic camera for capturing an intermediate image of the object, an illumination system for forming a spatial modulation pattern on the object; and a spatial demodulator for performing a spatial demodulation, which is at least partially matched to the spatial modulation pattern. A method for deriving a high-spatial-resolution image from a set of images captured from a structure of an object is derived, wherein the illumination of the object is spatially-modulated, wherein the illumination of the object has a spatial modulation pattern, which is substantially periodic, wherein one of at least one prevailing orientation of the periodic illumination is arranged substantially perpendicularly to at least one prevailing orientation of the structure of the object.
|SPIM MICROSCOPE WITH A STED LIGHT SHEET - A STED-SPIM-microscope (Selective Plane Imaging Microscopy) having a y-direction illumination light source and a z-direction detection light camera. An x-scanner generates a sequential light sheet by scanning the illumination light beam in the x-direction. By optionally turning on a STED deactivation light beam the light sheet can optionally be made thinner and therefore the optical resolution can be increased.
|METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IDENTIFYING WELL WALL BOUNDARIES OF MICROPLATES - The present invention is directed to method and system for image processing of test wells on a microplates wherein the microplates' test well wall boundaries are identified through the use of a candidate edge image wherein the candidate edge image represents locations of one or more segments of the wall boundaries.
|SCANNING MICROSCOPE - A scanning microscope (
|HANDHELD DISPLAY DEVICE WITH MICROSCOPE OPTICS - A handheld display device having a substantially planar configuration. The device includes: a housing having first and second opposite faces; a display screen disposed in the first face; a camera having an image sensor positioned for receiving images from the second face; a window defined in the second face, the window being offset from the image sensor; and microscope optics defining an optical path between the window and the image sensor. The microscope optics are configured for magnifying a portion of a surface upon which the device is resting. A majority of the optical path is parallel with a plane of the device.
|MICROSCOPE ACCESSORY FOR ATTACHMENT TO MOBILE PHONE - A microscope accessory for attachment to a mobile phone having a display positioned in a first face and a camera positioned in an opposite second face. The microscope accessory includes: engagement features for releasably attaching the microscope accessory to the mobile phone; and an optical assembly having: a first mirror positioned to be offset from the camera; a second mirror positioned for alignment with the camera; and a microscope lens positioned in the optical path. The optical assembly is matched with the camera, such that a surface is in focus when the mobile phone lies flat against the surface.
|IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCING MICROSCOPIC IMAGES OF UNSTAINED CELLS - According to one aspect, the present invention relates to an imaging system
|OPTICAL OBSERVATION APPARATUS WITH MULTI-CHANNEL DATA INSERTION - An optical observation apparatus has an optical image channel for viewing optical field-of-view images, a processing unit to generate a first electronic insertion image via a first electronic image channel, and a data insertion image projector for generating an optical insertion image from the first electronic insertion image and inserting that image into the optical field-of-view image. An acquisition device acquires the optical field-of-view image without the optical insertion image inserted by the data insertion image projector. A second electronic image channel has a superimposition module, that superimposes the electronic field-of-view image with an electronic insertion image and provides the superimposed images via the second electronic image channel. The processing unit generates a second electronic insertion image, provides available display data elements, and makes it possible to assemble the electronic insertion images and assign them to different electronic image channels.
|IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM - In one example embodiment, an information processing system includes an image pickup apparatus connected to a microscope having a stage configured to support an observation target object. In this example embodiment, the stage has a first position. The information processing system has a buffer having an amount of data. In response to the amount of data including a predetermined amount, the information processing system causes the stage to move from the first position to a different position. In response to the amount of data including the predetermined amount, the information processing system causes the buffer to, while the stage is moving, store images associated with the observation target object. In one example embodiment, the images are continuously captured by the image pickup apparatus. Thereafter, the information processing system, in response to the amount of data not including the predetermined amount, causes the image pickup apparatus to terminate capturing the images.
|MICROSCOPY - According to one aspect, the present invention relates to an imaging system (
|MICROSCOPE APPARATUS AND OBSERVATION POSITION REPRODUCTION METHOD - A microscope apparatus includes an image capturing unit, a recognition unit, a rotational shift angle calculation unit and a position reproduction unit. The rotational shift angle calculation unit calculates a rotational shift angle between a first pattern image recognized by the recognition unit from an image of the circular sample, which is obtained by the image capturing unit in a first period, and a second pattern image recognized by the recognition unit from an image of the circular sample, which is obtained by the image capturing unit in a second period later than the first period. The position reproduction unit corrects a rotational shift of the circular sample based on the rotational shift angle calculated by the rotational shift angle calculation unit, and reproduces a position of the circular sample in the first period.
|SAMPLE-IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS, SAMPLE-IMAGE ACQUISITION METHOD AND SAMPLE-IMAGE ACQUISITION PROGRAM - A sample-image acquisition apparatus includes: an image taking device; a movement control section; and a sample-image acquisition section.
|AUTOMATED PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION IMAGING - An apparatus that automatically captures, stores and analyzes images of crystallization experiments contained in a number of crystallization plates. The apparatus includes a plate nest capable of accommodating protein crystallization plates of a plurality of different types, image acquisition optics, including an objective lens and an image capturing device, for focusing an image of a crystallization well, a light source including a bright field illumination device and a dark field illumination device, a nest positioning controller for moving the position of the plate nest with respect to the image acquisition optics to align various selected wells with said objective lens for imaging of the content of the wells. A database stores experiment information associated with each of the crystallization plates, the experiment information including identification of specific crystal forming parameter values, each of the crystallization plates is identified in said database by a unique identification code. A crystallization imaging controller controls crystallization imaging by retrieving the experiment information for each crystallization plate inserted into the apparatus, and controlling the nest positioning controller and the image acquisition optics in accordance with the retrieved experiment information. The apparatus captures multiple images of each crystal site using different light source and polarization conditions, and processes the multiple images to form extended fused images of each crystal site.
|Automated measurement of concentration and/or amount in a biological sample - Provided are methods, computer implemented methods, and devices for machine vision. The methods and devices are capable of quantifying the amount of a particular color resulting from a particular stain in a sample stained with multiple agents.
|MICROSCOPE, REGION DETERMINING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - A microscope includes a dark-field illumination system that irradiates dark-field illumination light to a preparation in which a specimen is encapsulated between slide glass and cover glass by using an encapsulant, and an imaging unit that takes a dark-field image of the preparation irradiated with the dark-field illumination light. The microscope further includes a region determiner that detects the boundary between the encapsulant and air included between the slide glass and the cover glass based on the taken dark-field image and determines a region other than a region of the air as a region of interest for the specimen.
|IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND MICROSCOPE IMAGING SYSTEM - An image processing system comprising an image data acquisition unit for acquiring captured image data, with a first image processing unit for performing first image processing relating to color correction and gradation correction on the image data, a second image processing unit for performing second image processing relating to color correction based on a Color Appearance Model on the image data, a parameter calculation unit for calculating an image processing parameter used in the first image processing from the image data before the second image processing and the image data after the second image processing, and a control unit for setting the image processing parameter to the first image processing unit.
|MICROSCOPE IMAGING SYSTEM, ITS STORAGE MEDIUM STORING EXPOSURE ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM, AND ITS METHOD - A microscope imaging system includes obtaining a second image area being a focus area composed of one or more pixels arbitrarily specified in a first image area indicated by an entire area or a predetermined area of an outputted image; generating a first brightness histogram of the first image area and a second brightness histogram of the second image area; calculating a relative brightness value of the second image area against the first image area by detecting a feature point of the second brightness histogram and calculating a position corresponding to a feature point of the second brightness histogram in the first brightness histogram; and controlling an imaging drive unit for driving an imaging unit until the brightness value reaches the calculated one.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, SPECIMEN OBSERVING METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM - A microscope system includes a pigment amount calculating unit, a cell component identification processing unit, a target molecule expression portion extraction unit, a cell variant setting unit, a cell variant classification determining unit, and a display image generating unit. The pigment amount calculating unit calculates a pigment amount of a molecule target pigment for each pixel of a VS image. The cell component identification processing unit identifies a cell component based on the pigment amount. The target molecule expression portion extraction unit extracts expression portions of target molecules in the area of the cell component. The cell variant setting unit sets a cell variant including a combination of presence/absence of expressions of target molecules. The cell variant classification determining unit classifies a cell area in the VS image into a cell variant based on the combination of the expression portions of the target molecules included in the cell area.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A phase-contrast microscope system includes: an illumination optical system that illuminates a specimen with an illumination light from a light source; an imaging optical system that forms an image of the specimen from a light from the specimen; a first spatial modulation element that is disposed in a position of a pupil of the imaging optical system and changes an amplitude transmittance distribution of the light from the specimen; an image sensor that detects the image of the specimen by the imaging optical system and outputs a picture signal; a calculation section that calculates the amplitude transmittance distribution of the light from the specimen appropriate for observing the specimen on the basis of the output data detected by the image sensor and the amplitude transmittance distribution of the light from the specimen formed by the first spatial modulation element.
|METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACQUIRING DIGITAL MICROSCOPE IMAGES - A method and apparatus for acquiring digital microscope images is disclosed, in which a plurality of magnified images of a specimen are captured for tiling together to provide an overall composite image of the specimen. In accordance with the described method, the specimen is moved relative to an imaging system comprising a microscope and camera in a predetermined path whilst the plurality of magnified images are captured. In a preferred embodiment, the specimen, contained on a slide, is mounted on a movable microscope stage, and is moved beneath the microscope in the predetermined path. The velocity of the movement of the stage and the shutter speed of the camera is computer controlled to capture overlapping, clear images.
|MICROSCOPE FOR VIRTUAL-SLIDE CREATING SYSTEM - A microscope for virtual-slide creating system has a stage for holding the specimen, a transmitted-light illumination optical system for illuminating the specimen with transmitted light, an objective, a tube lens and an image capture unit. The objective is configured as a dry system of infinity-corrected type with an object-side numerical aperture of 0.8 or greater and a focal length for d-line rays in a range from 8 to 20 mm. The tube lens has a focal length in a range from 160 to 280 mm. The image capture surface of the image capture unit has a long side of 12 mm or longer and a pixel size (μm) satisfying the following condition:
|Toy camera set - A toy camera set. The camera set includes a camera that can be attached to a variety of different toy optical accessories. By way of example, the toy optical accessories may include a toy microscope, a toy periscope, or a toy binocular. The camera can be used to take a picture through the microscope, etc. The camera can be attached to one accessory and then attached to another accessory so that a single camera can be used with a number of toy optical devices. The kit includes an instruction guide that instructs a user how to attach the various toy accessories to the camera.
|MICROSCOPE - A microscope comprising: an XY stage unit for moving a sample holding unit for holding a sample in an optional XY direction within an XY plane orthogonal to the optical axis of an image forming optical system; a display unit for displaying a sample image photographed by a photographing device for photographing a sample image formed by the image forming optical system; a rotating unit for rotating the sample holding unit around an axis perpendicular to the XY plane; and a control unit for controlling the XY stage unit and the rotating unit so that the sample image displayed on the display unit is rotated within a screen.
|IMAGING APPARATUS AND MICROSCOPE - Providing an imaging apparatus and a microscope capable of taking two-dimensional images of a sample at a plurality of observation positions different in the optical axis direction at the same time. The apparatus includes an image-forming lens
|DEFECT REVIEW METHOD AND APPARATUS - A defect review apparatus comprises a storage for receiving and storing defect information concerning an inspection objective captured by a wafer inspection system, an image acquisition unit for capturing images concerning the inspection objective and a process unit for acquiring data for defect review based on the defect information by using the image acquisition unit. The process unit makes a decision as to whether a cluster representative of a set or gang of defects exists in the defect information read out of the storage unit and when the presence of the cluster is determined, acquires an image of a defective portion forming part of the cluster and additional data in respect of the inspection objective by using the image acquisition unit on the basis of a distributive feature of the cluster.
|METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITION OF A MICROSCOPE LENS - A method for controlling the position of a microscope lens comprising receiving a reference signal corresponding to a reference position of the microscope lens; receiving a measurement signal corresponding to an actual position of the microscope lens; receiving a deviation signal characteristic of a predetermined positional deviation from the reference position; and using the measurement signal, the deviation signal and the reference signal to generate a positional control signal for use in setting the position of the microscope lens.
|MODE OF ACTION SCREENING METHOD - Certain aspects of this disclosure relate to a screening method. In general terms, the screening assay comprises contacting test cells with a test compound to provide contacted test cells, obtaining values for a plurality of cytological attributes of the contacted test cells, and scoring the cells using the values to provide a likelihood score for at least one of a plurality of classifiers, where the plurality of classifiers are defined using values for cytological attributes obtained from cells that have been contacted with compounds of known mode of action.
|Fully Automatic Rapid Microscope Slide Scanner - Apparatus for and method of fully automatic rapid scanning and digitizing of an entire microscope sample, or a substantially large portion of a microscope sample, using a linear array detector synchronized with a positioning stage that is part of a computer controlled microscope slide scanner. The invention provides a method for composing the image strips obtained from successive scans of the sample into a single contiguous digital image. The invention also provides a method for statically displaying sub-regions of this large digital image at different magnifications, together with a reduced magnification macro-image of the entire sample. The invention further provides a method for dynamically displaying, with or without operator interaction, portions of the contiguous digital image. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, all elements of the scanner are part of a single-enclosure that has a primary connection to the Internet or to a local intranet. In this embodiment, the preferred sample type is a microscope slide and the illumination and imaging optics are consistent with transmission mode optics optimized for diffraction-limited digital imaging.
|CULTURE OBSERVATION SYSTEM - There is provided a culture observation system by which an approximate dimension of cells which are observed by a microscope while being cultured can be recognized at one view. A culture observation system according to the invention includes a culturing cabinet
|METHOD AND MICROSCOPIC SYSTEM FOR SCANNING A SAMPLE - A method for scanning a sample using an electrically or electronically controllable microscope, includes scanning the sample so as to generate a plurality of images of the sample, each of the plurality of images corresponding to at least one of a different region of the sample and a different time. The microscope is controlled via a control computer during the scanning. The plurality of images are analyzed using at least one second computer connected via a network. The plurality of images are classified and/or the scanning is influenced based on the analyzing.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DENSE-STOCHASTIC-SAMPLING IMAGING - Embodiments of the present invention are directed to imaging technologies, and, in particular, to an imaging system that detects relatively weak signals, over time, and that uses the detected signals to determine the positions of signal emitters. Particular embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for imaging fluorophore-labeled samples in order to produce images of the sample at resolutions significantly greater than the diffraction-limited resolution associated with optical microscopy. Embodiments of the present invention employ overlapping-emitter-image disambiguation to allow data to be collected from densely arranged emitters, which significantly decreases the data-collection time for producing intermediate images as well as the number of intermediate images needed to computationally construct high-resolution final images. Additional embodiments of the present invention employ hierarchical image-processing techniques to further resolve and interpret disambiguated images.
|Active Microscope Filter and Lighting System - The present invention discloses a unique and novel combination light source and active light filtering system for microscopes that eliminates the need for individual color filters, fluorescence filters, phase contrast filters, and many other filter types. The present invention provides almost unlimited light wavelength generation and filtering capabilities, as well as providing virtually unlimited dark field and phase contrast filter shapes, unique specimen lighting combinations, and all of the benefits of most commercially available light sources in a compact package that can be mounted on a microscope or used at a distance from a microscope, but be coupled to it through a fiber optic cable or other light transmission means. Additionally, the present invention eliminates the need for a filter wheel turret in a microscope's optical path, as well as eliminates the need for multiple fluorescent filter blocks in a fluorescent microscope optical path. The present invention can duplicate the functions of an almost infinite array of microscope filter systems to enable effective imaging of live cells without staining.
|System for creating microscopic digital montage images - An imaging apparatus. The imaging apparatus may find an area in which a specimen is present, then focus on the specimen and capture images of the specimen during continuous stage motion.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, STORAGE MEDIUM STORING CONTROL PROGRAM, AND CONTROL METHOD - A microscope system improves the operability of a user in performing a microscope observation. The microscope system attains the improvement by including: a microscope apparatus including a plurality of drive units; a display unit for displaying an operation screen for operation of the microscope apparatus; a pointing device for inputting by a pointer an operation instruction to the microscope apparatus on the operation screen; and a control unit for switching the drive units depending on the position of the pointer on the operation screen, and controlling the operation of the switched drive units depending on the operation of the pointing device.
|METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING GUIGNARDIA CITRICARPA - The present invention refers to a computer vision system for identifying the fungus
|IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS, AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A pixel shifting unit moves the relative position between the luminous flux entering an image pickup device and the device to a plurality of predetermined positions in a predetermined order. A control unit controls the device, and allows the image of a subject image formed by the luminous flux on the photoreception surface of the device when the relative position is in any of the plurality of predetermined positions. A combination unit combines the plurality of obtained images to generate a high-resolution image. A prediction unit predicts a shooting environment when the device hereafter shoots an image of the subject image on the basis of a change of at least two images. A setting control unit controls a setting of a shooting condition when the image of the subject image is shot on the basis of a result of the prediction of the shooting environment.
|SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF FOCUSING IN AUTOMATED MICROSCOPE SYSTEMS - The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to focusing in automated microscope systems. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes obtaining an image of at least a portion of a scan region, analyzing the image to find an area in the image representing a sample, determining a nature of the sample at a selected focus point location in the area in the image, selecting an automated focusing process for use at the selected focus point location based on the determined nature of the sample at the selected focus point location, and focusing the selected automated focusing process. The selecting can include selecting different automated focusing processes for different focus point locations based on different tissue characteristics at the locations.
|Image Forming Method and Microscope Device - More images than spatial modulation components of a lighting light are acquired, and a least square method is applied to the imaged plurality of images to obtain signal components. Accordingly, a ultra-resolution microscope which uses a spatially-modified lighting light to illuminate a sample, arithmetic-processes acquired images to thereby demodulate a given spatial modulation, and obtains a high-resolution sample image, wherein a high-resolution image reduced in noise components can be obtained.
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPE WITH COAXIAL LIGHT OUTPUT - A digital microscope is disclosed including: an image sensing circuit having an image sensing area thereon; a first object lens aligned with the image sensing area along an axis; a luminance device positioned outside the axis for emitting light toward a direction that is not coaxial with the axis; a light redirector positioned outside the axis for redirecting the light emitted from the luminance device; and a beam splitter positioned on the axis for changing the direction of light from the light redirector to provide an output light that is outputted substantially along the axis and coaxial with the axis; wherein the first object lens is positioned between the image sensing area and the beam splitter.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD USED FOR MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - A microscope system which is capable of changing observation states by driving various optical members and which includes a history record unit for recording history data related to a microscope operation history, a selection unit for selecting one or more microscope operation items from among a plurality of microscope operation items, and a state reproduction unit for reproducing a microscope state on the basis of a microscope operation item(s) selected by the selection unit and on the basis of a microscope operation history related to history data recorded in the history record unit.
|IMAGING DEVICE FOR MICROSCOPE - An imaging device including an imaging unit that obtains a video signal; a signal processing unit that processes the video signal; a movement detection unit that calculates a relative moving speed between the imaging unit and a stage in a first direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the imaging unit; a setting unit that determines a parameter such that time required for the signal processing is reduced where the relative moving speed is more than or equal to a threshold value; and, a frame rate conversion unit that selects between a process of increasing a frame rate of the video signal subjected to the signal processing where the relative moving speed is more than or equal to the threshold value, and a process of maintaining a current frame rate, to apply the selected process, wherein the signal processing unit applies the signal processing in accordance with the parameter.
|SYSTEM FOR IMAGE RENDERING OR SPECTRAL RECOGNITION - Embodiments of a method or a system for rendering images or spectral recognition are described.
|Microscope for Forensic Examination - A remote forensic evidentiary item examination system includes a first station and a second station. The first station is locatable at a first location, and is adapted to have a forensic evidentiary item mounted at a fixture thereof. The second station is locatable at a second location different than and remote to the first location, and is in communicative connection with the first station. The second station is adapted to permit a user at the second location to examine the forensic evidentiary item at the first location.
|MICROSCOPE IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - A microscope image pickup system includes: alight source; an object lens; a display device; a record device; a capture device for performing a preview mode in which an image of the test object obtained by the object lens is repeatedly captured and a plurality of captured images are continuously displayed on the display device, or an image record mode in which the image of the test object is captured and the captured image is recorded on the record device; an illumination light amount control device for controlling the amount of light of the illumination light; and a system control device for controlling an operation of the illumination light amount control device depending on the preview mode or the image record mode performed by the capture device.
|GENERATION OF A MULTICOLOUR IMAGE OF AN UNSTAINED BIOLOGICAL SPECIMEN - At least two chemically different substances of interest of an unstained biological specimen (
|System and Method for Determining Image Focus by Sampling the Image at Multiple Focal Planes Simultaneously - A system and method for maintaining focus in an imaging device; the imaging device having an objective lens with an optical axis, a stage for supporting a specimen, and a controller for controlling the stage-to-objective distance; the system comprising: one or more image sensors placed at a plurality of substantially different axial focal positions, and at least one computing device executing computer-readable instructions stored in its memory and configured to acquire images from each of the image sensors; the method comprising: computing a quantitative image characteristic for each of the images acquired by the computing device, computing an axial stage-to-objective distance correction based on the computed quantitative image characteristics and the plurality of axial focal positions, and causing the controller to adjust the axial stage-to-objective distance according to the computed axial stage-to-objective distance correction.
|SYNTHETIC APERTURE OPTICS IMAGING METHOD USING MINIMUM SELECTIVE EXCITATION PATTERNS - A synthetic aperture optics (SAO) imaging method minimizes the number of selective excitation patterns used to illuminate the imaging target, based on the objects' physical characteristics corresponding to spatial frequency content from the illuminated target and/or one or more parameters of the optical imaging system used for SAO. With the minimized number of selective excitation patterns, the time required to perform SAO is reduced dramatically, thereby allowing SAO to be used with DNA sequencing applications that require massive parallelization for cost reduction and high throughput. In addition, an SAO apparatus optimized to perform the SAO method is provided. The SAO apparatus includes a plurality of interference pattern generation modules that can be arranged in a half-ring shape.
|Image processing apparatus and image processing method - An image processing apparatus includes a first spectrum estimating unit for reading the image information from a storage unit and estimating a spectrum of an object based on the read image information; a dye amount estimating unit for estimating dye amounts included in the object using the estimated spectrum; a second spectrum estimating unit for synthesizing a first spectrum using the estimated dye amounts; a spectrum subtractor for calculating a difference spectrum by subtracting the first spectrum from the spectrum; a dye amount correcting unit for correcting at least a part of the estimated dye amounts; a third spectrum estimating unit for synthesizing a second spectrum using the corrected dye amount; a spectrum adder for synthesizing a third spectrum by adding the second spectrum and the difference spectrum; and an image synthesizer for synthesizing a display image from the third spectrum.
|IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING CONTROL PROGRAM, AND IMAGING METHOD - An imaging apparatus includes: a first imaging area setting unit configured to divide an imaging range that includes a sample into a plurality of areas and set each of the plurality of areas as a first imaging area; a first imaging unit configured to capture a first image at an in-focus position of the first imaging area; a second imaging area setting unit configured to set an area that extends over adjacent first imaging areas as a second imaging area in a case where in-focus positions of the adjacent first imaging areas are so different from each other that the difference exceeds a predetermined value; a second imaging unit configured to capture a second image at an in-focus position of the second imaging area; and an image combining unit configured to combine the first image with the second image.
|Microscope apparatus and storage medium storing microscope apparatus control program - A microscope apparatus includes a monitoring optical system, an imaging unit capturing an image of an observation target through the monitoring optical system to generate a plurality of images, a correction unit disposed in the optical monitoring system and correcting various aberrations which occur due to an observation condition, and a decision unit deciding a correction amount of the correction unit based on the plurality of images generated by the imaging unit, whereby an image deterioration ascribable to the aberration occurring due to the observation condition in the microscope apparatus is appropriately and easily corrected according to a use condition of the microscope apparatus.
|Data Management in a Linear-Array-Based Microscope Slide Scanner - Systems and methods for processing, storing, and viewing extremely large imagery data rapidly produced by a linear-array-based microscope slide scanner are provided. The system receives, processes, and stores imagery data produced by the linear scanner as a series of overlapping image stripes and combines the data into a seamless and contiguous baseline image. The baseline image is logically mapped into a plurality of regions that are individually addressed to facilitate viewing and manipulation of the baseline image. The system enables dynamic imagery data compression while scanning and capturing new image stripes that eliminates the overhead associated with storing uncompressed image stripes. The system also creates intermediate level images, thereby organizing the baseline image into a variable level pyramid structure referred to as a virtual slide. The system facilitates the use of virtual slides in applications such as telemedicine, telepathology, microscopy education, and analysis of high value specimens like tissue arrays.
|IMAGING DEVICE FOR MICROSCOPE - An image pickup unit obtains a specimen image by picking up the observation image of a specimen produced by a microscope. An installation state information obtainment unit obtains installation state information indicating the installation state of an optical member inserted into the observation light path of the microscope. An exposure condition setup unit sets an exposure condition to be used when the image pickup unit picks up the observation image to obtain a specimen image in a second magnification ratio, on the basis of installation state information used when the image pickup unit obtained a specimen image in a first magnification ratio by picking up the observation image, and on the basis of installation state information to be used when the image pickup unit obtains a specimen image in the second magnification ratio, which is a different magnification ratio from the first magnification ratio, by picking up the specimen image.
|RAPID DETECTION OF REPLICATING CELLS - The invention enables efficient, rapid, and sensitive enumeration of living cells by detecting microscopic colonies derived from in situ cell division using large area imaging. Microbial enumeration tests based on the invention address an important problem in clinical and industrial microbiology—the long time needed for detection in traditional tests—while retaining key advantages of the traditional methods based on microbial culture. Embodiments of the invention include non-destructive aseptic methods for detecting cellular microcolonies without labeling reagents. These methods allow for the generation of pure cultures which can be used for microbial identification and determination of antimicrobial resistance.
|MICROSCOPIC IMAGING APPARATUS AND MICROSCOPIC IMAGING METHOD - The microscopic imaging apparatus includes a system controlling unit for obtaining a VD time setting value, and for obtaining the number of electric charge subtracting pulses, a synchronization signal generating unit for generating a vertical synchronization signal on the basis of the VD time setting value output from the system controlling unit and the horizontal synchronization signal, and a timing generating unit for extracting the electric charge of the imaging device by supplying the horizontal synchronization signal by the number of electric charge subtracting pulses to the imaging device as the electric charge subtracting pulses, and for generating a read pulse synchronous with the vertical synchronization signal in order to stop the accumulation of the electric charge of the imaging device after exposure is started.
|METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A MICROSCOPE - In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method for controlling a microscope to scan a microscope slide. By analysing an overview image it is determined quantatively which swathe contains the most image detail and an optimum scanning order can subsequently be determined relative to the swathe determined as having the most detail. By scanning the swathe with the most detail first a good focus characteristic can be established for a dynamic focussing system and prediction errors in the dynamic focus system are likely to be low when scanning subsequent swathes.
|METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IMAGING AND PROCESSING OF SAMPLES IN BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE CONTAINERS - Disclosed herein is a holder for biological sample containers such as well plates. The holder comprises a flat vacuum bed surrounded by a seal. A container is placed within the seal and a vacuum is applied, pressing and flattening the lower surface of the sample container against the flat vacuum bed. Samples in all portions of the container may then be imaged without the need to refocus on each portion of the container. For imaging, a sample in a well can be illuminated by a beam of light arranged so that a part or all of the sample is illuminated by direct rays that have not passed through the well plate. The beam is redirected to other parts of the well if a single illumination does not cover the whole well, so that the sample to be imaged using a series of partial images.
|SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SELECTIVE DETECTION AND IMAGING IN COHERENT RAMAN MICROSCOPY BY SPECTRAL-TEMPORAL EXCITATION SHAPING - A microscopy imaging system is disclosed that includes a light source system, a spectral shaper, a modulator system, an optics system, an optical detector and a processor. The light source system is for providing a first train of pulses and a second train of pulses. The spectral shaper is for spectrally modifying an optical property of at least some frequency components of the broadband range of frequency components such that the broadband range of frequency components is shaped producing a shaped first train of pulses to specifically probe a spectral feature of interest from a sample, and to reduce information from features that are not of interest from the sample. The modulator system is for modulating a property of at least one of the shaped first train of pulses and the second train of pulses at a modulation frequency. The optical detector is for detecting an integrated intensity of substantially all optical frequency components of a train of pulses of interest transmitted or reflected through the common focal volume. The processor is for detecting a modulation at the modulation frequency of the integrated intensity of substantially all of the optical frequency components of the train of pulses of interest due to the non-linear interaction of the shaped first train of pulses with the second train of pulses as modulated in the common focal volume, and for providing an output signal for a pixel of an image for the microscopy imaging system.
|SAMPLE IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AN IMAGE OF CELLS OR TISSUES LOCATED IN A CULTURING SPACE TO DATA PRCESSING MEANS - A microscope unit positioned in a culturing space for imaging cells or tissues also located therein. The microscope unit has a frame, an object holder provided on the frame and allowing the cells or tissues to be held substantially immobile during a culturing period, an imaging device arranged on the frame for the optical imaging of the cells or tissues held on the object holder and an image capturing device for capturing an image projected by the imaging device. A connection leading out of the culturing space provides electrical power to the microscope unit and is adapted to be connected to a control unit and, in turn, a processor, both located outside of the culturing space. The invention also relates to a method for monitoring cells or tissues located in the culturing space and transmitting the image thereof.
|SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VOLUMETRIC TISSUE SCANNING MICROSCOPY - In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, a method for imaging tissue, for example, includes the steps of mounting the tissue on a computer controlled stage of a microscope, determining volumetric imaging parameters, directing at least two photons into a region of interest, scanning the region of interest across a portion of the tissue, imaging a plurality of layers of the tissue in a plurality of volumes of the tissue in the region of interest, sectioning the portion of the tissue and imaging a second plurality of layers of the tissue in a second plurality of volumes of the tissue in the region of interest, detecting a fluorescence image of the tissue due to said excitation light; and processing three-dimensional data that is collected to create a three-dimensional image of the region of interest.
|MICROSCOPY SYSTEM WITH REVOLVABLE STAGE - A microscopy system includes an image focusing module, a stage for supporting a sample, image collection unit for collecting sliced images of the sample acquired by the image focusing module, and an image fusion unit for fusing sliced images of the sample acquired from different observation angles. The stage supports the sample and is configured to be revolvable around a rotational axis which is substantially perpendicular to an extending direction from the sample to the image focusing module so that enabling the image focusing module to acquire sliced images of the sample from different observation angles. The image fusion unit is used for remapping the sliced images acquired from different observation angles into a reference coordinate system, converting anisotropic voxels resolution of the sliced images to isotropic resolution, and fusing the sliced images into a final image.
|IMAGE DATA PROCESSING DEVICE, ITS STORAGE MEDIUM, AND ITS METHOD - An image data processing includes: obtaining first image data; outputting the first image data to the image display devices; obtaining an attention area composed of one or more arbitrarily specified pixels from the first image outputted to the image display devices ; displaying a color chart whose hue and chroma are gradually changed toward around the color corresponding to the image data of the attention area; obtaining arbitrarily selected color information from the displayed color chart; obtaining a plurality of combinations of the attention area and the color information corresponding to the attention area and calculating a color parameter on the basis of the obtained plurality of combinations; converting the color of the obtained image data on the basis of the color parameter; and outputting the image data whose color is converted, to the image display devices as a second image.
|CELL PICKING-ASSISTING DEVICE, DISPLAY DEVICE AND CULTURE CONTAINER - A cell picking support device, a display device and a culture container that can enhance work efficiency. An adapter fixes a well plate that holds cells cultured in a cell culture observation device. A control unit reads culture observation information that includes cell information and coordinate information, from a memory card that is fitted to an external memory I/F. A display unit is provided on a placing surface side of the well plate that is fixed by the adapter, and in response to control by the control unit, displays the cell information, read from the memory card, at display positions corresponding to positions on the bottom face of the well plate, as specified by the coordinate information. Embodiments can be used, for instance, as a cell picking support device that supports a picking operation that is performed in a clean bench.
|BIOLOGICAL IMAGE PRESENTATION DEVICE, BIOLOGICAL IMAGE PRESENTATION METHOD, PROGRAM, AND BIOLOGICAL IMAGE PRESENTATION SYSTEM - A biological image presentation device includes: an acquisition unit acquiring, at multiple positions on an axis as a standard of a biological region, images of sections orthogonal to the axis; a determination unit determining an image as a standard and an image for comparison with the image as a standard from among a plurality of images acquired by the acquisition unit; an extraction unit extracting, from the image as a standard, a position where a change of luminance value equal to or larger than a defined value is present; a detection unit detecting a position corresponding to the position extracted by the extraction unit from the image for comparison; a division unit dividing the image as a standard on the basis of the position extracted by the extraction unit; a mapping unit mapping the image for comparison to an area corresponding to each divided area of the image as a standard while modifying so as to conform to the shape of the divided area; and a display control unit switching and displaying an image for display in a display area by using the image as a standard and an image mapped by the mapping unit.
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPE - A digital microscope for viewing the surface of an object comprises a housing having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end forms an opening to the housing. A sensor that receives light reflected from the surface of an object is located towards the proximal end of the housing. The sensor converts the light to a digital image. A lens that focuses light reflected from the object onto the sensor is located within the housing between the sensor and the object to be viewed. A reflective member is located within the opening. In use, light is reflected from the object to the sensor and a portion of the reflected light is directed via the reflective member such that the surface of the object can be viewed simultaneously from two different directions.
|IMAGE OBTAINING APPARATUS, IMAGE OBTAINING METHOD, AND IMAGE OBTAINING PROGRAM - An image obtaining apparatus includes: a light source configured to irradiate a biological sample having a fluorescent label with an excitation light, the excitation light exciting the fluorescent label; a focus moving unit configured to move a focus position of an optical system in the thickness direction of the biological sample; and a data processing unit configured to expose an image sensor to light while moving the focus position of the optical system in each of a plurality of preset scanning ranges to thereby obtain fluorescent images of the biological sample, each of the plurality of scanning ranges having a predetermined scanning length, the predetermined scanning length being smaller than the length of a bright-point detection range of the biological sample in the thickness direction, the center positions of the scanning ranges being different from each other in the thickness direction.
|HIGH-SPEED AND LARGE-SCALE MICROSCOPE IMAGING - An imaging system generates an image of a specimen by acquiring images of individual portions of the specimen and combining the images to form a composite image. The system moves the specimen to a set of predetermined locations such that all portions of the specimen are captured into images. At each location, images are heuristically acquired at a different distance from an acquisition lens, and the image with the sharpest focus is selected. The selected images are combined to form a composite image by computing and removing overlapping regions of the adjacent images with sub-pixel spatial accuracy. And, the system is capable of imaging thick specimens with high topological variations.
|CONTROLLABLE MICRO LIGHT ASSEMBLY - A micro light interface assembly for a microscopic machine vision inspection system includes a micro light assembly. The micro light assembly provides addressable light emitting elements arranged around the periphery of an aperture having an aperture dimension DAPMIN that is smaller than a barrel dimension DBAR of the inspection system objective lens. The aperture may be located along the optical axis and within the working distance of the objective lens such that the light emitting elements are closely arranged around a field of view. The micro light interface assembly may be held and operated through a connection element that may be used for the interchanging the micro light interface assembly with a touch probe, in some embodiments.
|IMAGE OBTAINING APPARATUS, IMAGE SYNTHESIS METHOD AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - An image sensor captures an observation image formed on a light-receiving surface. An order adjustment unit makes the image sensor capture an original entire-area image being a picture of the observation image for an entire area of the light-receiving surface under a first exposure condition, and makes the image sensor capture a partial-area image being a picture of the observation image for only a partial area of the light-receiving surface under a second exposure condition. A synthesizing unit synthesizes the original entire-area image and the partial-area image to obtain an entire-area image having a wider dynamic range than the original entire-area image.
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPY EQUIPMENT WITH IMAGE ACQUISITION, IMAGE ANALYSIS AND NETWORK COMMUNICATION - A digital microscope comprises a housing with an image acquisition, an image processing, and a network communication (APC) module. The APC module can further comprise an image capture unit, coupled to an image sensor with a view to a subject on a slide, the image capture unit receiving an image of the subject. The APC module also comprises an image processing unit, coupled to the image capture unit, the image processing unit enhancing the image with classifications. Also, a network interface of the APC module, coupled to the image processing unit and to a network, the network interface sending the enhanced image across to the network and to receive control commands, the control commands associated with the view of the subject.
|METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIGITIZING A SPECIMEN WITH FLUORESCENT TARGET POINTS - The present invention relates to a method and an automated fluorescent imaging system for digitizing a specimen with fluorescent target points on a microscope slide. The method uses the fluorescence microscope system for detecting and scanning said fluorescent target points. The method comprises the steps of marking the position of said specimen on said slide by visible marking means to define a specimen area containing said specimen and said fluorescent target points; capturing a bright field image of at least a portion of the slide at a first optical magnification, said portion(s) containing the specimen area and determining, from the visible marking means, a position of target fields falling within said specimen area; and scanning the target fields of the specimen area at a second optical magnification higher than said first optical magnification, said scanning including focusing on at least a part of said target fields.
|METHOD OF IMAGING A SAMPLE - A method of imaging a sample comprises the steps of: -providing S
|System and Method for Producing an Optically Sectioned Image Using Both Structured and Uniform Illumination - A first image data set of the real-world object is received at a processor where the real-world object was illuminated with substantially uniform illumination. A second image data set of the real-world object is received at the processor where the real-world object was illuminated with substantially structured illumination. A high pass filter is applied to the first-image data set to remove out-of-focus content and retrieve high-frequency in-focus content. The local contrast of the second-image data set is determined producing a low resolution local contrast data set. The local contrast provides a low resolution estimate of the in-focus content in the first-image data set. A low pass filter is applied to the estimated low resolution in-focus data set, thus making its frequency information complementary to the high-frequency in-focus data set. The low and high frequency in-focus data sets are combined to produce an optically-sectioned data set of the real-world object.
|MULTIDIRECTIONAL SELECTIVE PLANE ILLUMINATION MICROSCOPY - A method and device for multi-directional selective plane illumination microscopy is provided. A detector focal plane is alternately illuminated with at least two counter-propagating, coplanar light sheets, and an image of a specimen cross-section positioned in the focal plane is detected while only one light sheet illuminates the specimen. The wavefront of the illumination beams may be deformed with adaptive optics using feedback from light transmitted through the specimen. Multiple images of the specimen cross-section may be detected at different times and specimen positions and orientations to produce multi-view image stacks which may be processed using image fusion to produce a reconstructed image representation of the specimen. Additionally, the direction of propagation of the alternating light sheets may be pivoted in the focal plane while detecting the image.
|Whole Slide Fluorescence Scanner - A whole slide fluorescence digital pathology system is provided that uses a monochrome TDI line scan camera, which is particularly useful in fluorescence scanning where the signal is typically much weaker than in brightfield microscopy. The system uses oblique brightfield illumination for fast and accurate tissue finding and employs a unique double sweep focus scoring and objective lens height averaging technique to identify focus points and create a focus map that can be followed during subsequent scanning to provide autofocusing capability. The system also scans and analyzes image data to determine the optimal line rate for the TDI line scan camera to use during subsequent scanning of the digital slide image and it also creates a light profile to compensate for loss of illumination light due to roll off.
|Microscope System, Specimen Observing Method, and Computer Program Product - A microscope system includes an image acquiring unit that acquires a specimen image formed by capturing a specimen multi-stained by a plurality of pigments using a microscope; a pigment amount acquiring unit that acquires a pigment amount of each pigment staining a corresponding position on the specimen, for each pixel of the specimen image; and a pigment selecting unit that selects a display target pigment from the plurality of pigments. The system also includes a display image generating unit that generates a display image where a staining state of the specimen by the display target pigment is displayed, on the basis of the pigment amount of the display target pigment in each pixel of the specimen image; and a display processing unit that displays the display image on a display unit.
|COMPACT AUTOMATED CELL COUNTER - Biological cells in a liquid suspension are counted in an automated cell counter that focuses an image of the suspension on a digital imaging sensor that contains at least 4,000,000 pixels each having an area of 2×2 μm or less and that images a field of view of at least 3 mm
|MICROSCOPE AND A FLUORESCENT OBSERVATION METHOD USING THE SAME - A microscope capable of controlling the position and fluorescent recording of an object under observation such as cells is provided with the fluorescent observation method using the microscope. The microscope
|Optimizing Virtual Slide Image Quality - Systems and methods for assessing and optimizing virtual microscope slide image quality are provided. In order to determine whether a virtual slide image has any out of focus areas and is therefore a candidate for manual inspection, the various focus points used to scan the virtual slide image are used to calculate a best fit surface for the virtual slide image. The distance of each focus point from the best fit surface is then calculated and the largest distance is compared to a predetermined value. If the largest distance from a focus point to the best fit surface is larger than the predetermined value, then the virtual slide image is designated as needing a manual inspection and possible re-scan.
|IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM - In one example embodiment, an information processing apparatus displays a first image associated with an observation target object. In this example embodiment, the first image has a first zoom magnification and a first display range which has a first center position. In one example embodiment, the information processing apparatus enables a user to change the first zoom magnification by selecting a first position of the displayed first image. In response to the first position being selected, the information processing apparatus displays a second image associated with the observation target image. In this example embodiment, the second image has a second zoom magnification which is different from the first zoom magnification. The second image also has a second display range which has a second center position which is different from the first center position. In this example embodiment, the second center position corresponds to the selected position.
|MICROSCOPE CAMERA AND MOBILE TERMINAL HAVING THE SAME - Disclosed is a microscope camera and a mobile terminal using the same, wherein the camera includes a lens unit including a plurality of lenses for enlarging an object, an illumination unit for illuminating the object, a camera module configured to receive an enlarged light image of an object from the lens unit, convert the image to an electrical signal and convert the electrical signal to a DC data, and an interface unit configured to connect the camera module to a mobile terminal for transmitting the DC data to the mobile terminal, whereby an image of an enlarged object can be outputted to a display unit of the mobile terminal or a desired image can be captured, thereby enhancing an excellent portability and mobility.
|FLUORESCENT MICROSCOPE AND REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM THEREOF - The present invention relates to a fluorescent microscope and a remote control system thereof. The present invention reduces the size of the fluorescent microscope to facilitate transportation and management and be disposed in a narrow place such as the inside of the incubator or the clean bench, etc. and observes the samples through a remote control, thereby making it possible to improve the user convenience.
|CONTACT MICROSCOPE USING POINT SOURCE ILLUMINATION - An apparatus and a method of locating a specimen with a microscope, the microscope including two point light sources, a transparent specimen holder, a digital imaging device, a processor and a display. The method includes sequentially illuminating the two point light sources through the transparent specimen holder and across the specimen and onto the digital imaging device to create shadows associated with each of the two point light sources. Optical images of the specimen are received on the digital imaging device associated with each shadow from the two point light sources, and a disparity signal is output containing a horizontal position, a vertical position and a depth position of the specimen in the transparent specimen holder relative to the digital imaging device. A location of the specimen is determined relative to the microscope based on the disparity signal, where the transparent specimen holder intersects a unidirectional path of light from each point light source of the two point light sources to the digital imaging device and allows the specimen to move freely throughout the transparent specimen holder.
|SURGICAL MICROSCOPE FOR OBSERVING AN INFRARED FLUORESCENCE AND CORRESPONDING METHOD - A surgical microscope for observing an infrared fluorescence includes a camera system
|METHOD FOR OBSERVING CELLS, CHIP AND DEVICE - A method for observing cells, a chip and a device are provided. The method includes: (1) a camera obtaining dynamically the position of cell, the direction and speed of flow in the microchannel within the chip on stage through a microscope and transferring the data to a computer, (2) the computer collecting real-time data from the camera and analyzing it, calculating the relation between the position of cell and pressure needed in the assay, at the same time comparing the result obtained with the real-time pressure fed back by micro pressure devices and received by the computer, and inputting controlling commands to micro pressure devices; (3) based on the commands, micro pressure devices changing the pressure of two ends of microchannel in the chip to adjust the direction and speed of flow in the microchannels of chip so as to regulate the position of cell in the flow. Observing of cells can be completed quickly with accuracy according to the invention. The present invention can be applied in dynamic study for cell in scientific research, medical detection and teaching.
|IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD - Provided is an image processing apparatus, including: a receiver to receive an all-in-focus image, which is generated through selecting, from focus face images, representative divided images being best-focused images among images in divided regions forming the focus face images, for each of the focus face images correspondingly to the divided regions, the focus face images being obtained through imaging an object at focus positions, and information about the focus positions of the focus face images including the representative divided images; and a predicted-image generator to generate a blur-compensation predicted image corresponding to each of the focus face images through performing a blur-compensation prediction using a blur function with respect to each of the representative divided images based on the information about the focus positions of the focus face images including the representative divided images, the information being received by the receiving means.
|Mask inspection apparatus and mask inspection method - A mask inspection apparatus includes irradiation means for irradiating a sample with an electron beam, electron detection means for detecting a quantity of electrons generated from the sample having a pattern formed thereon by the irradiation with the electron beam, image processing means for generating image data of the pattern on the basis of the quantity of the electrons, and control means for creating a line profile and a differential profile of the pattern formed on the sample on the basis of the quantity of the electrons detected by the electron detection means. The control means detects a rising edge and a falling edge of the pattern on the basis of the differential profile, and then generates mask data of a multi-level structure on the basis of data of the edges and the image data created by the image processing means.
|MICROSCOPE HAVING A TOUCH SCREEN - A microscope includes an image acquisition system, microscope components and a touch screen. The image acquisition system is configured to optically and digitally image an object so as to produce an object image The microscope components are at least one of motorized and electrically controllable. The touch screen is configured to display the object image in a display area thereof and to sense inputs in the display area within the displayed object image so as to change settings of the microscope components.
|OPERATOR CONTROL UNIT FOR A MICROSCOPE - An operator control unit for use with a microscope is configured for at least one of selecting and adjusting at least one electrically controllable function of the microscope. The operator control unit is portable with one hand and includes a handle portion and at least one sensor configured to receive user control commands so as to at least one of activate, deactivate and adjust the at least one electrically controllable function. The at least one sensor includes a touch sensor and is disposed so as to accommodate holding and operation of the operator control unit simultaneously with one hand. The at least one sensor is disposed symmetrically with respect to the handle portion. The at least one sensor is assignable to different changeable microscope functions by actuation of at least one of the control unit and the at least one sensor.
|MICROSCOPE - A microscope, which moves an objective lens along an observation optical axis with respect to a specimen, includes an imaging unit and a supporting unit. The imaging unit has an imaging lens, which is arranged on the observation optical axis and forms an observation image of the specimen, and an imaging element, which is arranged on the observation optical axis and takes the observation image, and is optically connected to the objective lens by a parallel light flux. The supporting unit fixedly supports the imaging unit, and movably supports the objective lens.
|MICROSCOPE WITH A SHEET OF LIGHT - A family of microscopes with illumination systems directing a sheet of light having an approximately planar extension in an illumination axis of an illumination beam path and in a transverse axis orthogonally oriented to the illumination axis. The microscopes have detection devices used to detect light that is emitted by a sample region. The detection devices including a detection lens system disposed in the detection beam path and an optical detection element spaced from a front lens of the detection lens system and independently adjustable thereof. The optical detection element continuously varies the size of a detection image field and/or continuously displaces a focal plane of detection in the P-region.
|MICROSCOPE APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD - A microscope apparatus and control method. An image processing unit obtains an image on a plane observation cross-section inside a sample. A drive control unit controls a galvano-scanner and a z drive unit, and inclines the entire observation cross-section in a direction where the cross-section of an observation target that appears in the image becomes long. When an edge portion of the cross-section of the observation target is detected in the observation cross-section while gradually inclining the observation cross-section, the drive control unit uses an axis passing through the edge portion as the center to incline a part of the observation cross-section located on a side, where the cross-section of the observation target does not appear, from among the sides having this axis as a boundary, in a direction where the cross-section of the observation target appears, so as to form the observation cross-section having a profile which is folded.
|MICROSCOPE IMAGING APPARATUS AND ITS SYSTEM - A microscope imaging apparatus capable of communicating with a computer includes a communication unit receiving imaging interval information transmitted from the computer, and a computer activation unit activating the computer on a basis of the imaging interval information.
|MICROSCOPE APPARATUS AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - It is possible to check for observation success or failure and the observation history without waiting for observation to be completely finished, thus saving time and energy required for observation, and avoiding lost opportunities for observation of precious samples etc. Provided is a microscope apparatus including an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of frame images while varying a plurality of parameters; an image saving unit for successively saving the frame images acquired by the image acquisition unit; a property-information saving unit for saving property information in which identifying information of the saved frame images is associated with the parameters; and a control unit for controlling these units, wherein the control unit saves updated property information in the property-information saving unit each time the frame image is saved in the image saving unit.
|MULTI-MODALITY CONTRAST AND BRIGHTFIELD CONTEXT RENDERING FOR ENHANCED PATHOLOGY DETERMINATION AND MULTI-ANALYTE DETECTION IN TISSUE - Multiple modality contrast can be used to produce images that can be combined and rendered to produce images similar to those produced with wavelength absorbing stains viewed under transmitted white light illumination. Images obtained with other complementary contrast modalities can be presented using engineered color schemes based on classical contrast methods used to reveal the same anatomical structures and histochemistry, thereby providing relevance to medical training and experience. Dark-field contrast images derived from refractive index and fluorescent DAPI counterstain images are combined to produce images similar to those obtained with conventional H&E staining for pathology interpretation. Such multi-modal image data can be streamed for live navigation of histological samples, and can be combined with molecular localizations of genetic DNA probes (FISH), sites of mRNA expression (mRNA-ISH), and immunohistochemical (IHC) probes localized on the same tissue sections, used to evaluate and map tissue sections prepared for imaging mass spectrometry.
|METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMAGING HIGH DENSITY BIOCHEMICAL ARRAYS WITH SUB-PIXEL ALIGNMENT - A method and associated system for imaging high density biochemical arrays comprises one or more imaging channels that share a common objective lens and a corresponding one or more time delay integration-type imaging cameras with optical alignment mechanisms that permit independent inter-channel and intra-channel adjustment of each of four degrees: X, Y, rotation and scale. The imaging channels are configured to independently examine different spectra of the image of the biochemical arrays.
|BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE IMAGE ACQUIRING APPARATUS, BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE IMAGE ACQUIRING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - A biological sample image acquiring apparatus includes: a sample stage on which a biological sample is placed and which can move in a direction; an objective lens magnifying a region of the biological sample; an imaging device imaging the region magnified by the objective lens; a stage on which the imaging device or the objective lens is placed and which can move in a corresponding direction of the direction; a first moving mechanism moving the sample stage so that a target region of the biological sample is located at an imaging range; a second moving mechanism moving the stage in the corresponding direction at a movement speed obtained by multiplying a movement speed of the sample stage by a magnification of the objective lens; and an imaging controller starting the exposure of the imaging device before the sample stage moved by the first moving means is stopped.
|Method and Apparatus for Imaging of Features on a Substrate - A method for imaging features on a substrate, comprising scanning the substrate and producing an image thereof, overlaying a grid model on the image, fitting the grid model to the locations of at least some of the features on the image, and extracting images of the features.
|AUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF IMAGES USING BRIGHT FIELD MICROSCOPY - A system and method for automatically observing and counting cells without using a stain or a fluorescent material. The system includes an optical microscope having a sensor that provides an electrical signal representative of a field of view. The microscope is motorized so as to allow automatic change of focus. A sample containing cells to be analyzed is provided. No stain or fluorescent substance is used. When the microscope is operated in a deliberately out-of-focus condition, cells appear to have either a bright or a dark spot that can be used to report the number of cells in the sample. The intensity variation detected in images acquired in different focal planes is used to identify cell shapes using image analysis software such as CellProfiler. A result is reported in any convenient format, such as a false color image.
|BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE IMAGE ACQUIRING APPARATUS, BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE IMAGE ACQUIRING METHOD, AND BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE IMAGE ACQUIRING PROGRAM - A biological sample image acquiring apparatus includes: an objective lens magnifying a region of a biological sample; an imaging device imaging the region magnified by the objective lens; a movement controller moving the focus of the objective lens in the thickness direction of the target region of the biological sample and moving the image of the region, which magnified by the objective lens to be imaged onto an imaging device, in an in-plane direction; and a biological sample image acquiring unit acquiring a biological sample image of the region by exposing the imaging device to light while the movement controller is moving the image of the region.
|MULTI-MODAL SPOT GENERATOR AND MULTI-MODAL MULTI-SPOT SCANNING MICROSCOPE - The invention relates to a spot generator (
|TWO-PHOTON MICROSCOPE WITH SPECTRAL RESOLUTION - A microscope for generating an image of a sample, the microscope includes a light source for generating a pulsed light; an optical scanner receiving the pulsed light and transmitting the pulsed light to the sample to be imaged causing the sample to emit energy; a dispersive element that receives the emitted energy from the sample, disperses the energy into its spectral elements and transmits the spectrally dispersed energy; and a camera that generates a spectrally resolved image of the sample based on the spectrally dispersed energy from the dispersive element. Also described is a method of generating spectrally resolved images of the sample.
|OPTICAL MICROSCOPE METHODS AND APPARATUSES - Embodiments provide microscopes, and more specifically, embodiments provide improvements to zoom control, viewing, and light management in microscopes particularly suited for surgery. These improvements include a compact zoom control system that provides enhanced surgical workspace, ergonomics, and optics, as well as improved methods for controlling a stereomicroscope light source and a novel auxiliary viewing system.
|MICROSCOPE IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ITS OPERATION - A microscope imaging system for capturing a fluorescent observation image includes: an imaging unit capturing an observed image as a colored image; a plurality of fluorescent cubes; a fluorescent cube switch unit arranging any fluorescent cube on an optical observation path by switching the plurality of fluorescent cubes; a fluorescent cube determination unit determining the fluorescent cubes arranged on the optical observation path; a gray scale adjustment unit adjusting the ratios of the color components when each pixel configuring the observed image captured by the imaging unit is converted from a color to a gray scale depending on the wavelength characteristic of the determined fluorescent cube; and a conversion unit converting each pixel configuring the observed image captured by the imaging unit from the color to the gray scale on the basis of the adjusted ratios of the color components.
|METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING AN IMAGE OF A THIN LAYER OF AN OBJECT - A method for producing an image of a layer of an object by a wide field optical element on a resolving detector. The object is illuminated in a focused manner on at least one object plane having at least two binary illuminating patterns. The corresponding images are detected. Light and/or the dark areas of the illuminating patterns completely cover the object when the illuminating pattern is superimposed. A layer image determined from the detected images, includes a partial segment that respectively reproduces a partial area of the object that is arranged inside the light area of one of the used illuminating patterns. Edges are arranged at a distance from the edges of the light area about at least one predefined minimum distance.
|METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MICROSCOPICALLY EXAMINING A SAMPLE, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT - The invention relates to a method for microscopically examining a sample, wherein, in an overview mode, first an overview image of the sample composed of a large number of individual images is recorded through a microscope (
|SYSTEM FOR REMOTE VIEWING AND DISPLAY OF A SLIDE - A method for creating a virtual slide is provided. A virtual slide is a digital representation of an area of interest of a microscope slide. One method is to use a motorized microscope that can move a specimen with respect to a microscope objective. With such a system, one can capture one or more images through a microscope objective, such that a region of interest is imaged. Each image is then joined together to form a composite or "virtual image." In one embodiment, after a virtual slide is created, a user may fully utilize the full capabilities of the remote microscope. Among these capabilities is a set of "optical objectives" and "virtual objectives." Optical objectives are images created by digitizing an image through a microscope objective in real time. Virtual objectives are digitally created magnifications created by utilizing the existing virtual slide data to digitally create a field of view.
|SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR GENERATING A BRIGHTFIELD IMAGE USING FLUORESCENT IMAGES - A method for generating a brightfield type image, which resembles a brightfield staining protocol of a biological sample, using fluorescent images is provided. The steps comprise acquiring two or more fluorescent images of a fixed area on a biological sample, mapping said fluorescent image into a brightfield color space, and generating a bright field image. Also provided is an image analysis system for generating a brightfield type image of a biological sample using fluorescent images.
|IMAGE PROCESSOR, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM AND MICROSCOPE - An image processor, a program and a microscope enable a TIRF image and a confocal image to be superposed simply and accurately. A reference point detection unit
|MICROSCOPIC IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, MICROSCOPIC IMAGE CAPTURING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING A MICROSCOPE IMAGE CAPTURING PROGRAM STORED THEREON - In a correction data storing unit of a digital camera which captures a microscopic image, image data of a light image without a sample, image data obtained by using a filter for removing a defective portion for the light image without a sample, image data where a region without being corrected (or a region being corrected) is set in the light image without the sample, and shading correction data calculated from image data obtained by setting a mask region where data after being corrected is set to 0 are stored. An operator obtains, captures, records, and stores an observation image satisfactory for great-looking by using arbitrary shading correction data. In this way, a captured image satisfactory for great-looking is obtained by making a suitable shading correction according to a shading characteristic, which is caused by an optical system.
|OBJECTIVE-COUPLED SELECTIVE PLANE ILLUMINATION MICROSCOPY - A microscope assembly includes an illumination source coupled to an optical assembly by a coupler. The optical assembly includes an objective with optics that move along an optic axis. The illumination source generates a light blade that illuminates a portion of a sample at an illumination plane. The light blade induces a fluorescent emission from the sample that is projected through the objective optics to a detector. The focal plane of the objective optics is fixed with respect to the illumination source by the coupler so that the illumination plane is coincident with the focal plane as the objective optics move along the optic axis. The objective and illumination may be rapidly scanned along the optic axis to provide rapid three-dimensional imaging while the objective and illumination may also be rapidly scanned along the optic axis to provide rapid three-dimensional imaging.
|SINGLE-SHOT FULL-FIELD REFLECTION PHASE MICROSCOPY - The present invention relates to a full-field reflection phase microscope. In a preferred embodiment, the invention can combine low-coherence interferometry and off-axis digital holographic microscopy (DHM). The reflection-based DHM provides highly sensitive and a single-shot imaging of cellular dynamics while the use of low coherence source provides a depth-selective measurement. A preferred embodiment of the system uses a diffraction grating in the reference arm to generate an interference image of uniform contrast over the entire field-of-view albeit low-coherence light source. With improved path-length sensitivity, the present invention is suitable for full-field measurement of membrane dynamics in live cells with sub-nanometer-scale sensitivity.
|ZOOM IMAGE-FORMING OPTICAL SYSTEM AND MICROSCOPE EQUIPPED THEREWITH - A zoom image-forming optical system used in combination with an infinity-correction objective lens, the zoom image-forming optical system including: a tube lens for condensing a luminous flux from the objective lens to form an intermediate image; and a relay lens with a zoom function for projecting the intermediate image onto an image plane. The relay lens includes a first lens group with positive power, a second lens group that belongs to a movable group with positive power, a third lens group that belongs to a movable group with positive or negative power, and a fourth lens group with negative power, in this order from the intermediate image side. The zoom image-forming optical system changes its magnifying power by moving the second lens group and the third lens group in an optical axis direction.
|BESSEL BEAM PLANE ILLUMINATION MICROSCOPE - A microscope has a light source for generating a light beam having a wavelength, λ, and beam-forming optics configured for receiving the light beam and generating a Bessel-like beam that is directed into a sample. The beam-forming optics include an excitation objective having an axis oriented in a first direction. Imaging optics are configured for receiving light from a position within the sample that is illuminated by the Bessel-like beam and for imaging the received light on a detector. The imaging optics include a detection objective having an axis oriented in a second direction that is non-parallel to the first direction. A detector is configured for detecting signal light received by the imaging optics, and an aperture mask is positioned
|Achieving Focus in a Digital Pathology System - Methods and apparatus are provided for computing focus information prior to scanning digital microscope slide data with a line scan camera. The methods include a point-focus procedure that works by moving the slide to the desired measurement location, moving the objective lens through a predefined set of height values, acquiring imagery data at each height, and determining the height of maximum contrast. The methods also include a ribbon-focus procedure whereby imagery data are acquired continuously, while the slide and objective lens are in motion. Both methods may be applied with either a static or a dynamic implementation.
|VIRTUAL MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A virtual microscope system capable of obtaining a stained sample image and a statistical data of spectra in a short period of time is provided, the virtual microscope system includes an image obtaining unit for obtaining a stained sample image, a spectrum obtaining unit for obtaining a spectrum of the stained sample image, an optical path setting unit for setting an optical path of a light flux passed through the stained sample with respect to the image obtaining unit and the spectrum obtaining unit and a control unit for controlling to repeat obtaining the stained sample image by the image obtaining unit and obtaining the spectrum of the stained sample image by the spectrum obtaining unit in the observation field of the stained sample to create a virtual slide and a spectrum table of the stained sample.
|METHOD FOR MEASURING VIA BOTTOM PROFILE - A method for measuring a via bottom profile is disclosed for obtaining a profile of a bottom of a via in a front side of a substrate. In this method, an infrared (IR) light source is transmitted from the back of the substrate to the bottom of the via through an objective by using an IR-microscope, and lights scattered from the bottom of the via are acquired by an image capturing device to generate an image, where the image displays a diameter (
|SCANNING PROJECTIVE LENSLESS MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A scanning projective lensless microscope device comprises a specimen surface, a scanning illumination source with a light element, a light detector outside the specimen surface, and a processor. The scanning illumination source scans the light element to a plurality of scanning locations to provide illumination to an object on the specimen surface. The light detector samples a sequence of sub-pixel shifted projection object images corresponding to the plurality of scanning locations. The processor constructs a high resolution image of the object based on the sequence of sub-pixel shifted projection images and a motion vector of the projections at a plane of interest.
|INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - An image processing apparatus includes an interface connected to a microscope having a stage having a placement surface on which a sample including a target is placed, an objective lens that zooms in an image of the sample, and an image pickup element that forms the image of the sample, a controller, and a memory. The controller causes a focus of the objective lens to shift in a vertical direction to the placement surface, and causes the image pickup element to be exposed, thereby obtaining a first image. The controller performs a uniform shift of the focus in the vertical direction and a uniform linear shift thereof in a parallel direction to the placement surface, and causes the image pickup element to be exposed, thereby obtaining a second image. The controller calculates a position of the target in the vertical direction based on the first and second images.
|Microscope apparatus and image acquisition method - Provided is a microscope apparatus including a macro-image, acquisition section that acquires a macro image of a glass slide having a specimen mounted thereon; an extraction section that extracts the specimen in the acquired macro image; a block setting section that sets, when the extracted specimen is scattered to form a plurality of lumps, a plurality of blocks that include the lumps of the specimen; an area dividing section that divides an area that includes the specimen in each of the blocks into a plurality of small regions; and a micro-image acquisition section that acquires, for each of the small regions, a micro image while performing an automatic focusing operation for the specimen in the small region, in which the micro-image acquisition section searches for an autofocusing in-focus position in each of the blocks set by the block setting section.
|THICKNESS-INFORMATION ACQUISITION APPARATUS, THICKNESS-INFORMATION ACQUISITION METHOD, THICKNESS-INFORMATION ACQUISITION PROGRAM AND MICROSCOPE - A thickness-information acquisition apparatus includes: an image acquisition section configured to acquire a phase-difference image of a sample; a correlation-distribution computation section configured to compute a correlation distribution of an image in the phase-difference image with respect to pixels of another image in the phase-difference image; and a thickness-information acquisition section configured to acquire information on the thickness of the sample in accordance with the correlation distribution.
|MICROSCOPE AND AREA DETERMINATION METHOD - Provided is a microscope including: dark field illumination and bright field illumination which illuminate a preparat where a sample mounted on a slide glass is covered with a cover glass and a mounting agent; an image capturing unit which acquires a dark field image by image-capturing the preparat illuminated by the dark field illumination and which acquires a bright field image by image-capturing the preparat illuminated by the bright field illumination; and a magnified portion image acquisition area determination unit which detects an edge of the cover glass in the preparat based on the dark field image and the bright field image acquired by the image capturing unit and determines an internal area of the detected edge of the cover glass as a magnified portion image acquisition area of the sample.
|MICROSCOPE CONTROL DEVICE, IMAGE MANAGEMENT SERVER, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - A microscope control device includes a driving control unit that controls driving of a microscope which captures a digital enlarged image of a predetermined sample and outputs the corresponding digital enlarged image to an external server, a digital work processing unit that performs a digital work process for the captured digital enlarged image, a load calculation unit that calculates a load which is necessary for the capturing process of the digital enlarged image, and a digital work determination unit that determines whether or not the predetermined digital work process is to be performed by the digital work processing unit based on a load value calculated by the load calculation unit and a load value for the corresponding server obtained from the server.
|MICROSCOPY IMAGING - Among other things, an imaging device has a photosensitive array of pixels, and a surface associated with the array is configured to receive a specimen with at least a part of the specimen at a distance from the surface equivalent to less than about half of an average width of the pixels.
|System and Method for Single Optical Axis Multi-Detector Microscope Slide Scanner - Systems and methods for microscope slide scanning using multiple sensor arrays that receive imagery data from a single optical axis are provided. A single, high quality, easily obtained microscope objective lens is used to project an image onto two or more sensor arrays. The sensor arrays can be linear or two dimensional and imaging takes place along a single optical axis. Simultaneous sensor acquisition and parallel data processing reduce the image acquisition time by a factor of N, where N represents the number of sensors employed.
|FOCUSING DEVICE, FOCUSING METHOD, FOCUSING PROGRAM AND MICROSCOPE - In one example embodiment, a focusing device generates a first image associated with a sample having a first irregularity. The focusing device determines a second irregularity based on the generated first image. In this embodiment, the determined second irregularity corresponds to the first irregularity. For a lens, the focusing device determines a focusing position based on the determined second irregularity.
|MICROSCOPE CONTROL DEVICE, IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE, IMAGE MANAGEMENT SERVER, IN-FOCUS POSITION INFORMATION GENERATING METHOD, IMAGE DISPLAY METHOD, IMAGE MANAGEMENT METHOD AND MICROSCOPE IMAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - In one example embodiment, a microscope control device a controller configured to store a plurality of images having different depth positions. In one example embodiment, the microscope control device divides the plurality of images into a plurality of sub-regions. In one example embodiment, the microscope control device, for each sub-region, generates in-focus position information which corresponds to a depth position.
|MICROSCOPE APPARATUS - To organize and store a plurality of types of image information acquired by a plurality of image acquisition methods at different timings. There is provided a microscope apparatus comprising a time counting unit for counting time, a plurality of different image acquisition units, and a storage unit for storing image information, when acquired by any one of the image acquisition units, and timing information counted by the time counting unit, by having them associated with each other. Even if the image acquisition units acquire different types of image information at different timings, it is possible, by using the timing information as a clue, to call up the image information stored in the storage unit in a chronological order.
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPE - A method including sensing an image without magnification of a portion of a tissue sample on a substrate with a sensor; displaying the sensed image on a display at a sensor to display pixel ratio greater than one to one; and performing at least one of the following: refreshing the sensed image at a predetermined rate, storing the sensed image, modifying the sensor to display pixel ratio, and sensing a magnified view of an area of the portion of the tissue sample. An apparatus comprising a digital microscope comprising: at least one image sensor; a stage configured to support at least one microscope slide; a first optic configured to project an image with a magnification of one or less; a second optic disposed between the at least one sensor and the stage, the second optic configured to project an image with a magnification greater than one; and a light source; and a computer coupled to the digital microscope and operable to direct an image capture by the at least one image sensor of a portion of a microslide on the stage projected through the first optic or the second optic
|OPTOFLUIDIC MICROSCOPE SYSTEM-ON-CHIP - An integrated circuit may contain image sensor pixels. Channels containing a fluid with samples such as cells may be formed on top of the image sensor. Control circuitry may be formed on the integrated circuit. The image sensor pixels may form light sensors and imagers. Portions of the channel may have multiple chambers such as fluorescence detection chambers. Gating structures and other fluid control structures may control the flow of fluid through the channels and chambers. Portions of the channel may be used to form chambers. The chambers may each be provided with one or more light sensors, light sources, and color filters to alter the color of illumination form a light source, one or more reactants such as dyes, antigens, and antibodies, and heaters. The control circuitry may be configured to control the imagers, the gating structures, the fluid control structures, the light source, the heaters, etc.
|MICROSCOPE CONTROL DEVICE AND OPTICAL DISTORTION CORRECTION METHOD - A microscope control device includes an offset processing unit that corrects phase contrast information regarding a phase contrast between corresponding phase contrast images, which is generated based on a set of the phase contrast images of a sample which are captured by a microscope, based on offset information of phase contrasts caused by optical distortions unique to the microscope, and a defocus amount calculation unit that calculates a defocus amount of the sample on the basis of the phase contrast information after offset correction.
|Microscope Illumination Source - A microscope illumination system for photographing in color a specimen as seen through a microscope's eyepieces, using either a black-and-white digital camera or a color digital camera, with the color of the specimen in the resulting photograph matching the color of the specimen as seen through the microscope's eyepieces.
|IMAGING APPARATUS - A plurality of image sensors are arranged so that each of odd rows is constituted by image sensors lined up in the X direction, and each of even rows is constituted by image sensors, more than that of the odd row by 1, lined up in the X direction at the same pitch as the odd row with a 1/2 phase shift with respect to the odd row. Light receiving areas of image sensors on both ends of the even row include both ends in the X direction of an imaging target area image respectively, and a length in the Y direction of an area covering the light receiving areas of the image sensors on the first row to the light receiving areas of the image sensors on the last row is longer than a length in the Y direction of the imaging target area image.
|CELL CHARACTERIZATION USING MULTIPLE FOCUS PLANES - A system for characterizing cells takes a series of digital images of a sample containing the cells. Each of the images is taken at a different plane of focus. One of the images is determined to have been taken at a plane of best focus. The system analyzes the digital image taken at the plane of best focus and at least one other of the digital images to classify cells in the sample as either live or dead.
|CELL OBSERVATION APPARATUS AND OBSERVATION METHOD - Provided is a cell observation apparatus and an observation method with which only an observation target cell in an region of interest is illuminated with illuminating light to prevent photobleaching of cells that are not the observation target. The invention employs a cell observation apparatus including an objective lens that illuminates a specimen with illuminating light, a scanner that adjusts an area illuminated with illuminating light by the objective lens, an image generating portion
|HOLOGRAPHIC MICROSCOPE - A holography attachment device for a digital imaging device. The holography attachment device including a chamber having a proximate end configured to attach to the digital imaging device. A distal end of the chamber includes a wall. Also, the chamber includes a sample holder section located between the proximate end and the distal end. The sample holder section is configured to receive a sample. The chamber is configured to attach to the digital imaging device.
|STRUCTURED ILLUMINATION MICROSCOPE APPARATUS AND AN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Polarized light which is emitted from an optical fiber becomes circular polarized light bypassing through a first quarter wave plate. The circular polarized light which has entered a second quarter wave plate is converted into nearly linear polarized light which has S polarization. P polarization components are removed from the nearly linear polarized light by a polarizer, but the polarizer is not always necessary. The optical axis of the polarizer is set to be a direction which allows transmitting of S polarized light. The light that has passed through the polarizer is separated into diffracted lights by a diffraction grating, and is used as the structured illumination light.
|Image Stabilization and Capture Device for an Image Capture System of a Surgical Microscope - The present invention relates to an image stabilization device which is particularly space-efficient and has a quick response time, and which is integrated into an image capture device for an image capture system of a surgical microscope, including a carrier substrate (
|MICROSCOPY IMAGING DEVICE WITH ADVANCED IMAGING PROPERTIES - Systems, methods and devices are implemented for microscope imaging solutions. One embodiment of the present disclosure is directed toward an epifluorescence microscope. The microscope includes an image capture circuit including an array of optical sensor. An optical arrangement is configured to direct excitation light of less than about 1 mW to a target object in a field of view of that is at least 0.5 mm
|MICROSCOPE APPARATUS AND OBSERVATION METHOD - A microscope apparatus comprises: a distribution measurement apparatus with respect to an observation region that comprises a fluorescent material that is activated when irradiated with an activating light, and that emits fluorescence when irradiated with an exciting light of a wavelength different from the activating light, obtains a fluorescent picture image through irradiation with the exciting light, and measures a fluorescent intensity distribution; an irradiation intensity setting apparatus which sets irradiation intensities of the activating light for respective portions of the observation region based on the fluorescent intensity distribution; and a picture image formation apparatus which obtains a plurality of the fluorescent picture images by repeating an operation wherein the observation region is irradiated with the activating light at the set irradiation intensities, and repeating an operation wherein a fluorescent picture image is obtained by irradiating with the exciting light after the activating light irradiation, generating a sample picture image.
|METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR VALIDATING SAMPLE IMAGES FOR QUANTITATIVE IMMUNOASSAYS - A method and system for automatically evaluating quality of a slide-mounted tissue sample includes receiving a digital image of a magnified portion of the slide-mounted tissue sample. At least one quantitative quality indicator is automatically determined for at least one of the samples, and the digital image of the magnified portion of the sample. Each of the quantitative quality indicators is automatically compared to a respective minimum acceptable quality threshold. The quantitative quality indicators and associated quality thresholds are selected for suitability with an automated quantitative immunoassay. Failure of one or more of the quantitative quality indicators to meet its respective minimum acceptable quality threshold suggests that the sample is unsuitable for subsequent automated pathological evaluation. Results can be examined at a user interface allowing for user inspection of samples determined to be unsuitable, the user interface also having provisions for manual override of the determination.
|INTEGRATED CALIBRATION SAMPLE BAY FOR FLUORESCENCE READERS - A stage assembly, an imaging system that uses the stage assembly, and methods for using the stage assembly in a high content screening system. The stage assembly includes a stage having a top surface and an opposing bottom surface and an opening extending between the top and bottom surfaces to receive a specimen plate. The stage assembly also includes a calibration sample bay formed in the stage. A calibration sample can also be secured within the calibration sample bay.
|METHOD FOR EMULATION OF A PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS AND MASK INSPECTION MICROSCOPE FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD - In mask inspection, the defects that are of interest are primarily those that will also show up on wafer exposure. The aerial images generated in the resist and by emulation should be as identical as possible. This also applies to methods in which an overall structure that is divided into at least two substructures on at least two masks. A system and a method are provided for emulating a photolithographic process for generating on a wafer an overall structure that is divided into at least two substructures on at least two masks. The method includes generating aerial images of the at least two substructures, at least one of the aerial images being captured with a mask inspection microscope; correcting, by using a processing unit, errors in the at least one aerial image captured with a mask inspection microscope; and overlaying the aerial images of the at least two substructures to form an overall aerial image with the overall structure.
|PORTABLE MICROSCOPE - A portable microscope includes an image sensing module and an objective lens ascending/descending module. The objective lens ascending/descending module includes a rotatable roller, a sliding track member and an objective lens assembly. A first thread structure is formed on an inner wall of the rotatable roller. The sliding track member is disposed within the rotatable roller, and includes at least two parallel sliding tracks for defining a channel. The objective lens assembly is coupled to the sliding track member and slidable along the channel. A second thread structure mating with the first thread structure is formed on an external surface of the objective lens assembly. Upon rotation of the rotatable roller, the objective lens assembly is moved along the channel of the sliding track member, thereby adjusting the size of an image acquired by the image sensing module.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMAGING WITH ENHANCED DEPTH OF FIELD - A method for imaging is presented. The method includes acquiring a plurality of images corresponding to overlapping fields of view at a plurality of sample distances using an imaging device having an objective and a stage for holding a sample to be imaged. Moreover, the method includes determining a figure of merit corresponding to each pixel in each of the plurality of acquired images. The method also includes synthesizing a composite image based upon the determined figures of merit.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMAGING WITH ENHANCED DEPTH OF FIELD - A method for imaging is presented. The method includes acquiring a plurality of images corresponding to at least one field of view using an imaging device having an objective and a stage for holding a sample to be imaged. Furthermore, the method includes determining a figure of merit corresponding to each pixel in each of the plurality of acquired images, wherein the figure of merit comprises a discrete approximation to a gradient vector. The method also includes synthesizing a composite image based upon the determined figures of merit.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A microscope system includes an accommodation unit, a stage, an optical system, an image pickup unit, a movement mechanism, a control unit, an image processing unit, and a display unit. The accommodation unit is capable of accommodating a plurality of specimens. On the stage, each of the specimens loaded from the accommodation unit is placed. The optical system includes a lens for spherical aberration correction. The image pickup unit is capable of capturing a partial image of each of the specimens placed on the stage, via the optical system. The movement mechanism moves the lens for spherical aberration correction along an optical axis. The control unit controls movement of the lens for spherical aberration correction by the movement mechanism and correct spherical aberration. The image processing unit combines the partial images captured by the image pickup unit and generate a composite image. The display unit displays the generated composite image.
|IMAGING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR - An imaging apparatus comprises: a holding unit that holds a subject; a surface profile measuring unit that measures a surface profile of the subject; an imaging unit that adjusts an imaging plane according to the surface profile measured by the surface profile measuring unit and performs imaging of the subject; and a specifying unit that specifies a presence region in which an imaging object is present from an entire region of the subject. The surface profile measuring unit measures only the surface profile of the presence region specified by the specifying unit.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM AND METHOD - A method for determining a position of an area of an object within the complete object, wherein the image of the area of the object is contained within a field of view of a microscope. The method comprises acquiring high magnification image data representing an image of the field of view of the microscope, typically from a digital camera attached to the microscope; processing the high magnification image data to reduce the resolution thereof; comparing the processed high magnification image data with portions of the low magnification image data, and determining said position based on the results of said comparison.
|PORTABLE MICROSCOPE - A portable microscope includes an integrated operator control unit configured for at least one of selecting and adjusting at least one electrically controllable function of the microscope. The operator control unit includes at least one sensor configured to receive user control commands for at least one of activation, deactivation and adjustment of the at least one electrically controllable function. The at least one sensor includes a touch sensor and is disposed so as to accommodate holding and operation of the microscope with a single hand of a user.
|Automated transient image cytometry - A method, system, and instrument for automatically measuring transient activity in cells uses image time sequences to identify transients in cells. Preferably, the transient activity is stimulated or provoked in synchronism with acquisition of the image time sequences. A cell mask is applied to each image of an image time sequence in order to localize the transient activity with respect to each cell. Localization enables cell-by-cell analysis of properties of the transient activity.
|INJECTION OF SECONDARY IMAGES INTO MICROSCOPE VIEWING FIELDS - Systems and methods for injecting secondary images into viewing fields of surgical microscopes are disclosed. Some exemplary embodiments may provide secondary image injection in a picture-in-picture arrangement, thereby allowing a surgeon to simultaneously view the one or more secondary images and the surgical field through the oculars of the surgical microscope. Some exemplary embodiments may allow injection of secondary images including live video, such as live images from an endoscope, as well as previously obtained images, such as stored images from pre-operative studies.
|INTEGRATED CALIBRATION SAMPLE BAY FOR FLUORESCENCE READERS - A stage assembly, an imaging system that uses the stage assembly, and methods for using the stage assembly in a high content screening system. The stage assembly includes a stage having a top surface and an opposing bottom surface and an opening extending between the top and bottom surfaces to receive a specimen plate. The stage assembly also includes a calibration sample bay formed in the stage. A calibration sample can also be secured within the calibration sample bay.
|IMAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE - Provided is a camera including a housing; an intermediate plate that divides the interior of the housing into first and second chambers; image acquisition elements disposed in the first chamber within the housing; a motor disposed in the second chamber within the housing; a pivot shaft that extends through the intermediate plate and transmits a driving force from the motor; a bearing that is provided in a through-hole area for the pivot shaft extending through the intermediate plate and seals a gap formed around the pivot shaft; and a prism that is connected to the pivot shaft in the first chamber and is moved by the driving force transmitted by the pivot shaft so as to switchably guide light from a sample to at least one of the image acquisition elements.
|IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS - An image pickup apparatus of the present invention includes a light source unit, an illumination optical system configured to introduce a light from the light source unit onto a plane to be illuminated, a sample stage configured to place an object on the plane to be illuminated, an image pickup optical system configured to form an image of the object placed on the plane to be illuminated, an image pickup element portion configured by disposing a plurality of image pickup elements on an image plane of the image pickup optical system, and a light shielding member configured to reduce entrance of a light to an area where the plurality of image pickup elements of the image pickup element portion are not disposed.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING BIREFRINGENT PARTICLES IN A FLUID - An imaging system with an imaging mechanism which includes polarization analyzers, which may be crossed polarization analyzers, positioned to provide birefringence images of particles in the fluid passing through the flow chamber. Captured images are of high resolution and may be used in comparison to known images of a library of images. The system and related method enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of particle monitoring by utilizing birefringence imaging combined with particle analysis and the detection of each particle's characteristic features, such as crystalline features. The system includes a scatter detector used to trigger backlighting of the flow chamber and capture images of particles therein.
|CULTURE MICROSCOPE APPARATUS - A culture microscope apparatus has an illumination unit to apply excitation light to the specimen, a specimen observing portion to observe light generated from the specimen due to the excitation light, and a dimmer unit to dim the excitation light that has penetrated the specimen.
|MICROSCOPE DEVICE AND PROGRAM - A user operates an operating section to cause a motorized stage to move, and observes and checks an entire sample that is disposed on the motorized stage. When the motorized stage is stopped for a predetermined reference time or longer, a controller recognizes the position where the stage is stopped as a position for time-lapse observation, and records as observation position information that observation position. After observation of the entire sample, the controller sequentially moves the motorized stage to the observation positions indicated by the observation position information, on the basis of the recorded observation position information, whereby the user observes the sample at each observation position and decides on a final observation position.
|ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR IMAGE ACQUISITION ON A PROBER - In a system and a method for capturing images in a prober, the surface of a test object is illuminated in succession with light of a first, second and third color; an image capturing device records a gray scale image of the surface; and a composite image is produced from the three gray scale images by an image evaluating device. The object is to qualitatively improve the image capturing, in order to raise the positioning accuracy by an improved display, as a result of which, finely structured test objects can be used. This object is achieved in that the lighting device is designed as a unit, controlled by the image evaluating unit, produces at least three colors and includes at least one light emitting diode (LED) as the lighting source.
|CATADIOPTRIC OPTICAL SYSTEM AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A catadioptric optical system includes a first imaging optical system that includes a catadioptric part that collects a light beam from an object to form an intermediate image of the object, and a second imaging optical system that includes a refractive part that images the intermediate image on an image plane. The first imaging optical system includes a first optical element, a second optical element, and a negative lens in an optical path between the first and second optical elements, and the first and second optical elements are disposed so that reflection parts of the first and second optical element face each other. A power pn of the negative lens, radii of curvature R
|ORGANISM SAMPLE OBSERVATION DEVICE - A biological specimen observation apparatus whereby observation of a biological specimen can be performed accurately. In macro observation, a biological change region is extracted from a macro image, a micro observation point corresponding to an extracted biological change region is registered, and an object for tracking is identified. In micro observation, it is judged from the micro image whether or not biological change has continued in the biological change region at the micro observation point, and the registered micro observation point is updated on the basis of this judgment result. It is possible to carry out both macro observation for detecting a biological change region and micro observation for observing the progress of growth of a partial minute region where biological change has been exhibited, and to carry out accurate observation of a biological specimen.
|COMPACT, HIGH-RESOLUTION FLUORESCENCE AND BRIGHTFIELD MICROSCOPE AND METHODS OF USE - The present invention provides a compact, inexpensive fluorescence microscope capable of high-resolution imaging with high light throughput suitable for use in both laboratory and field environments, and methods of use. A simple and inexpensive fluorescence microscope allows health care workers to perform various medical assays at the point of care instead of having to collect and transport biological samples to distant labs, and subsequently return the results to the patient. The microscope of the present invention is also useful for educational use and field use, and other uses as well.
|CATADIOPTRIC OPTICAL SYSTEM AND IMAGE-PICKUP APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A catadioptric optical system of the present invention includes a catadioptric unit configured to condense light fluxes from an object and to form an intermediate image of the object, a field lens disposed at a position where the intermediate image are formed, and a dioptric unit configured to form the intermediate image on an image surface, and when νcat denotes a smallest Abbe number in Abbe numbers of materials of the first and second optical elements configuring the catadioptric unit and νdio denotes a smallest Abbe number in Abbe numbers of materials of a plurality of dioptric optical elements configuring the dioptric unit, νdio<νcat is satisfied.
|Method for Correcting Image Distortions in a Confocal Scanning Microscope - In order to identify scan coordinate values (φ
|APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF PATHOGENS - The invention discloses an apparatus and method for automatic detection of pathogens within a sample. The apparatus and method are especially useful for high-throughput and/or low-cost detection of parasites with minimal need for trained personnel. The invention entails automated microscopic data acquisition, and performing image processing of images captured from a sample using classification algorithms. Visual classification features of structures are extracted from the image and compared to visual classification features associated with known pathogens. A determination is reached whether a pathogen is present in the sample; and if present, the pathogen may be identified to a pathogen species. Diagnosis is rapid and does not require medically trained personnel.
|METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FOCUSING A MICROSCOPE ON A PREDETERMINED OBJECT AND MICROSCOPE FOR AUTOMATIC FOCUSING - A method for automatic focusing of a microscope on a predetermined object in a specimen to be examined may include
|VIRTUAL TELEMICROSCOPE - The virtual telemicroscope system (VTS) of the present invention captures an entire image of a specimen on a test slide as an original high power image, signal processes the original high power image to generate a low power background image, generates an initial virtual slide based on the low power background image and posts and/or transmits the initial virtual slide to a remote user enabling the remote user to view the low power background image on a remote user's computer screen. While viewing the initial virtual slide, the remote user may identify (i.e., select) one or more specific areas on the background image and request the service provider to provide detailed images (e.g., higher magnified image than the background image) at the defined locations. In response, the VTS provides the remote user with the requested partial high power image by simply signal processing the original high power image and generating a secondary virtual slide based on the newly processed image. This process can be repeated until the remote user is satisfied with the viewing.
|Fully Automatic Rapid Microscope Slide Scanner - Apparatus for and method of fully automatic rapid scanning and digitizing of an entire microscope sample, or a substantially large portion of a microscope sample, using a linear array detector synchronized with a positioning stage that is part of a computer controlled microscope slide scanner. The invention provides a method for composing the image strips obtained from successive scans of the sample into a single contiguous digital image.
|METHOD FOR CHARACTERIZING A FEATURE ON A MASK AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD - A mask inspection microscope is provided for characterizing a mask having a feature. The mask inspection microscope is configured to generate an aerial image of at least one segment of the feature of the mask, acquire a spatially resolved intensity distribution of the aerial image, and determine a total intensity from the intensities of at least one region of the aerial image.
|ELECTRONIC MAGNIFIER - An electronic magnifier includes a stage on which an object to be read is placed, an imaging unit which is disposed above the stage to image the object, a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor which is mounted via a pivoting member to the imaging unit so as to be pivotable, wherein the LCD monitor is configured to be accommodated in a space defined between the imaging unit and the stage.
|Method for Detecting and Quantitating Multiple-Subcellular Components - A method for detecting and quantitating multiple and unique fluorescent signals from a cell sample is provided. The method combines immunohistochemistry and a fluorescent-labeled in situ hybridization techniques. The method is useful for identifying specific subcellular components of cells such as chromosomes and proteins.
|Microscope Apparatus and Microscope Observation Method - The number of seams between magnified images in a created virtual slide is reduced to make the virtual slide clear and sharp. Provided is a microscope apparatus including an objective lens that collects light from a sample on a slide; a focus position detecting section that detects a focus position of the objective lens with respect to the sample; a focus state adjustment section that adjusts a focus state with respect to the sample based on a detection result from the focus position detecting section; and a magnified-image acquisition section that acquires a magnified image of each part of the sample, in which, if the focus position detected by the focus position detecting section is changed by more than a predetermined threshold with respect to a focus state in which an adjacent magnified image was obtained, the focus state adjustment section limits the adjustment in the focus state to the predetermined threshold or less.
|Microscope System, Surface State Observing Method, And Surface State Observing Program - To provide a microscope system enabling the user to accurately observe the surface of the observing target in a short time. A sensitivity parameter for adjusting a value of the pixel data corresponding to a plurality of pixels is set. The pixel data is acquired with a first sensitivity value set as the sensitivity parameter, and the number of pixels in which the peak value of the pixel data is smaller than or equal to a threshold value is detected. A ratio of the detected number of pixels with respect to the total number of pixels region is calculated, where the pixel data is acquired by a second sensitivity value different from the first sensitivity value when the ratio is greater than or equal to a reference value, and the pixel data is not acquired by the second sensitivity value when the ratio is smaller than the reference value.
|Microscope System, Focus Position Detection Method, And Focus Position Detection Program - To provide a microscope system capable of automatically detecting a position of a focus of an optical system relative to an observing object. A light emitted from a laser light source is irradiated on an observing object, and the light reflected by the observing object is guided to a light receiving element. An evaluation value based on a plurality of pixel data is set so as to be smaller than an output upper limit value Emax and greater than a multiplication value En
|OPTICAL APPARATUS - An optical system capable of obtaining a high-resolution image using interference and thus capable of providing a stable signal is realized. A particular polarization state of response light emitted from an object is selected, and light in the selected particular polarization state is split into two beams. The split two beams are polarized into two different polarization states. After one of the two beams is subjected to an image inversion, the two beams are condensed such that they interfere with each other. The interfering light is split into a plurality of beams, and each of these beams is detected after they are passed through different polarizing filters. Detected signals are combined together and processed to obtain high-stability amplitude information without being influenced by a phase difference between the two beams.
|Image Processing Device, Measuring/Testing System, and Program - The present invention provides a contour extraction technique capable of resolving not only spuriousness, duplication, or branches in the contours of a sample pattern, but also discontinuities in the contours. A thinning process is performed with respect to design data for generating a sample pattern, and pattern in/out definition information defining the inside and outside of a pattern formed on a target sample is generated. Then, based on the Marker Controlled Watershed Segmentation method, region segmentation is performed by expanding regions indicated by the pattern in/out definition information while referencing pixel values of an edge-enhanced image of a target sample image, and pattern contours are generated.
|HIGH SPEED MICROSCOPE WITH NARROW DETECTOR AND PIXEL BINNING - A system and method of high-speed microscopy using a two-photon microscope with spectral resolution. The microscope is operable to provide spectrally resolved, multi-dimensional images from a single scan of a sample. The microscope may include one of a multi-beam point scanning microscope, a single beam line scanning microscope, and a multi-beam line scanning microscope. The microscope includes a descanning arrangement such that emitted fluorescence is static on a receiving detector. The detector is a narrow detector with a width at least half the size of the length, to reduce the amount of pixel data being transmitted and improve scan speeds. The microscope may also incorporate one or more binning techniques whereby pixels are binned together to improve resolution or scan speeds.
|HIGH SPEED MICROSCOPE WITH TWO-STAGE SCANNING FOR DETECTION OF RARITIES IN SAMPLES - A system and method of implementing a two-stage scanning technique with a high-speed microscope. The microscope is operable to provide spectrally resolved, multi-dimensional images from a single scan of a sample. The microscope may include one of a multi-beam point scanning microscope, a single beam line scanning microscope, and a multi-beam line scanning microscope. The sample is first tagged such that, if the sample has a particular makeup, it emits energy at particular wavelengths upon receiving excitation beams. The microscope is used to perform a first, wide area scan. If the sample is determined to have emitted energy having particular characteristics, the microscope performs a second, focused scan of the area that emitted the energy having the particular characteristics. The two-stage scanning technique is automated and may be used to quickly identify rare cells, microbes, viruses, and other components within one or more samples.
|SAMPLE OBSERVATION DEVICE FOR GENERATING SUPER RESOLUTION IMAGE - A sample observation device includes: an excitation light generation unit; an intermediate image forming unit projecting excitation light to a sample and forming an intermediate image of the sample at an intermediate image position with observing light; a confocal modulation unit modulating spatial intensity distributions of the excitation light and the intermediate image at the position; a modulation drive unit moving a pattern of the modulation unit; an image relay unit relaying on a image forming surface the intermediate image; an image pickup unit converting the distribution of relayed intermediate image into digital image data; and an image processing unit processing on the digital image data. Cutoff frequency of the relay unit and Nyquist frequency of the pickup unit exceed cutoff frequency of the forming unit, and the processing unit performs a high frequency enhancing process for enhancing the high frequency component exceeding the cutoff frequency of the forming unit.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM AND DATA DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM - A microscope system includes a microscope apparatus, a pigment content converter, a property information adding unit, and a communication unit. The microscope apparatus acquires, by using a microscope, a pathology specimen image of a pathology specimen stained with a predetermined pigment. The pigment content converter converts, by using pigment spectral data, pixel values of the pathology specimen image to the pigment content at corresponding sample points on the pathology specimen. The property information adding unit generates conversion image data by adding the pigment spectral data, which is used for the conversion, to the pigment content of each pixel that is converted by the pigment content converter. The communication unit transmits the conversion image data to a terminal device.
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A microscope system is constructed by a light guiding optical system
|MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, SERVER, AND PROGRAM - A microscope includes an illuminating optical system that illuminates the test object under predetermined illumination conditions, an imaging optical system that forms an image of the test object, and an image sensor that outputs an image signal. The computer includes an image analyzing unit that acquires an image feature amount of the test object on the basis of the image signal detected by the image sensor, a comparison unit that compares the image feature amount of the test object with image feature amounts of a plurality of sample test objects and specifies an image feature amount of a sample test object closest to the image feature amount of the test object, and a setting unit that sets illumination conditions of the illuminating optical system on the basis of an illumination state suitable for observation of a sample test object having the image feature amount specified by the comparison unit.
|IMAGING APPARATUS AND PROGRAM - An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit that images a test object, an analysis unit that outputs a feature amount of an image which is captured by the imaging unit, a storage unit that stores an evaluation function which has the image feature amount as a variable, for evaluation of the image, a selection unit that selects one image from two or more images including an image specified based on a value of the evaluation function, and a changing unit that changes the evaluation function based on the one image in a case where the one image selected by the selection unit is different from the specified image.
|SENSOR DEVICE WITH IMAGING OPTICS - The invention relates to a method and a sensor device (
|METHOD FOR PREPARING QUANTITATIVE VIDEO-MICROSCOPY AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEM - Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for calibrating an imaging system for analyzing a plurality of molecular species in a sample. According to one embodiment, the method comprises acquiring a plurality of images of the sample with an image acquisition device at a plurality of different wavelengths, comparing a region of interest associated with at least one of the images acquired at one respective wavelength to a region of interest associated with at least one of the images acquired at a different wavelength, and aligning the plurality of images such that the region of interest associated with at least one of the images acquired at one respective wavelength corresponds to the region of interest associated with the at least one of the images acquired at a different wavelength.
|CATADIOPTRIC SYSTEM AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS - The catadioptric system includes a first optical imaging system (catadioptric part) causing a light flux from an object to form an intermediate image and a second optical imaging system (dioptric part) causing the light flux from the intermediate image to form an image. In the first optical imaging system, the light flux sequentially passes a first transmissive portion, a second reflective portion, a first reflective portion and a second transmissive portion. In the second optical imaging system, consecutive four lens surfaces among plural lens surfaces placed between an aperture stop and an image surface have a negative combined refractive power, and a condition of −0.52<φ
|CONTROLLING A SURGICAL MICROSCOPE - The invention relates to a method for controlling a surgical microscope (
|DIFFRACTION MICROSCOPY - Disclosed is a diffraction microscopy capable of reducing influence of an increase in the incident angle range of a beam. Specifically disclosed is a diffraction microscopy in which a beam is incident on a sample, in which the intensity of a diffraction pattern from the sample is measured, and in which an image of an object is rebuilt using Fourier interactive phase retrieval on the basis of the measured intensity of the diffraction pattern. In this method, Fourier interactive phase retrieval is performed using deconvolution on the diffraction pattern subjected to convolution by the increase in the incident angle range of the beam.
|Microscope and Method for Fluorescence Imaging Microscopy - A microscope for fluorescence imaging microscopy, in particular for wide-field fluorescence microscopy, including a pulsed light source (
|Method For Simulating An Aerial Image - An aerial image is generated by imaging an object with the use of an imaging optic, the object being illuminated by an illuminating optic by using a light source emitting illuminating radiation, the illuminating optic having a pupil plane. A first data set is defined to represent the object, a second data set is defined to represent the intensity distribution of the illuminating radiation in the pupil plane of the light source, and the aerial image is calculated from the first and the second data set, in which the resolution of the second data set varies according to the intensity or according to the location of the pupil plane. A microscope includes an imaging optic for imaging an object, a detector for capturing an aerial image of the object, and a processing unit for simulating aerial images generated by the microscope.
|ELECTRO OPTICAL IMAGE-MAGNIFYING DEVICE - An electro optical image-magnifying device uses both a light image and electrons to form and enlarge the image. The device may be attached to a microscope or a telescope and may be placed in such a way that an image plane may fall on a photo cathode in the front of the device. The operator would view the image produced on a display screen, or thru an eyepiece, and would adjust a control power supply to achieve the desired magnification. The device may use both a light image and electrons to form and enlarge an image. The device may convert the light image into an electron wave representation. The electron wave representation may be manipulated electrically or magnetically, expanding its geometry and thus magnifying the image.
|Fully Automatic Rapid Microscope Slide Scanner - Apparatus for and method of fully automatic rapid scanning and digitizing of an entire microscope sample, or a substantially large portion of a microscope sample, using a linear array detector synchronized with a positioning stage that is part of a computer controlled microscope slide scanner. The invention provides a method for composing the image strips obtained from successive scans of the sample into a single contiguous digital image. The invention also provides a method for statically displaying sub-regions of this large digital image at different magnifications, together with a reduced magnification macro-image of the entire sample. The invention further provides a method for dynamically displaying, with or without operator interaction, portions of the contiguous digital image. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, all elements of the scanner are part of a single-enclosure that has a primary connection to the Internet or to a local intranet. In this embodiment, the preferred sample type is a microscope slide and the illumination and imaging optics are consistent with transmission mode optics optimized for diffraction-limited digital imaging.
|INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND IMAGING APPARATUS INCLUDING OPTICAL MICROSCOPE - An information processing apparatus is provided and includes: a first storage section to store coordinates of luminance change points in a calibration pattern having a luminance distribution in two axis directions orthogonal to each other; a generation section to generate standard pattern information on a luminance distribution of a calibration image; a determination section to determine coordinates of a luminance change point of the calibration image, as coordinates of a correction luminance change point; a first calculation section to calculate a difference between the stored coordinates of the luminance change points and the coordinates of the correction luminance change points, as a distortion vector field; a second calculation section to calculate a component obtained by removing a translation component and a rotational component from the distortion vector field, as a correction vector field; and a correction section to correct an image captured by the imaging section by using the calculated correction vector field.
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPY WITH FOCUS GRADING IN ZONES DISTINGUISHED FOR COMPARABLE IMAGE STRUCTURES - Digital image quality is assessed, especially focus accuracy for a microscopic pathology sample image, using quality assessment criteria that differ among zones distinguished by a structural classification process. An image or area is divided into sub-regions such as adjacent pixel blocks. At least one metric or algorithm is applied, such as a Brenner gradient correlated with focus quality or a Laplacian transform correlated with structural difference. Spatial zones are distinguished by associating blocks of pixels that produced comparable values from the metric. The quality results of an objective metric such as the Brenner gradient are graded separately using statistical or pass/fail grading criteria in each spatial zone, independent of other zones. Focus quality across the image is mapped for display and/or used to queue a re-imaging step.
|MICROSCOPE ILLUMINATION SYSTEM, MICROSCOPE AND OBLIQUE INCIDENT ILLUMINATION METHOD - A microscope illumination system includes a first light source configured to provide light along an optical axis and an aperture device including an aperture wheel that is rotatable about an axis of rotation. The aperture wheel includes a plurality of apertures of varying size disposed circumferentially on the aperture wheel. The aperture wheel is rotatable so as to dispose each of the apertures in a position that is centered on the optical axis so as to generate an illumination beam path that extends in a centered relationship with respect to the optical axis, and so as to dispose each of the apertures in a position that is off-center from the optical axis and that is within a defined region around the optical axis so as to generate an illumination beam path that extends off-center from the optical axis for oblique incident illumination.
|TUBE LENS, IMAGING OPTICAL SYSTEM AND MICROSCOPE - A tube lens used in combination with an objective of the infinity correction type that enlarges the image of an object includes a first lens group including a cemented lens and having a positive power, a second lens group having a negative power, and a third lens group including a positive lens and a negative lens and having a positive power as a whole, in this order from the object side.
|AUTOMATIC FOCUSING APPARATUS, MICROSCOPE, AND AUTOMATIC FOCUSING METHOD - In acquisition of an image of cells, a focal position is accurately set at highly active cells rather than focusing on dead cells. Provided is an automatic focusing apparatus (
|DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION DEVICE AND PATHOLOGY DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM - A diagnostic information distribution device is configured to be communicable with multiple pathology diagnosis devices and to distribute diagnostic information to the pathology diagnosis devices, and includes: an image acquiring unit that acquires a specimen image by imaging a diagnosis target specimen; a diagnostic area extracting unit that extracts a diagnostic area from the specimen image; a providing information creating unit that modifies the image data of at least the diagnostic area into an image of an image type corresponding to an observation procedure correlated with a request pathologist who is requested to make a diagnosis so as to create providing information; and a providing information distributing unit that distributes diagnostic information including the providing information to the pathology diagnosis device of the request pathologist.
|IMAGING APPARATUS - An imaging apparatus comprises: an imaging unit having an imaging optical system and an imaging device; a measuring unit that measures, for each of a plurality of regions on a specimen, an optical aberration or a physical quantity causing the aberration before the imaging of the specimen is performed; a plurality of optical elements that are inserted in an optical path of the imaging optical system for correcting the aberration and that differ in correction amount; and a control unit that selects an optical element from among the optical elements on the basis of a measurement result of the measuring unit, and inserts the selected optical element into the optical path of the imaging optical system before the imaging of the specimen. The imaging optical system is configured to be capable of forming simultaneously images of the plurality of regions on the imaging device.
|OBSERVING APPARATUS AND OBSERVATION METHOD - A certain material irregularly expressed in an observation area is effectively observed. An observing apparatus includes a first observing unit performing a time lapse shooting of a predetermined observation area, a first discriminating unit discriminating whether or not a first material is expressed in the observation area based on an image obtained by the first observing unit, and a second observing unit starting a time lapse shooting relating to a part where the first material is expressed at a timing when the first material is expressed in the observation area, in which a shooting frequency of the time lapse shooting by the second observing unit is higher than a shooting frequency of the time lapse shooting by the first observing unit.
|Method and Light Microscopy Apparatus for Producing an Image of a Sample - A sequence of individual images is acquired by imaging the sample through imaging optics onto an image sensor. For the acquisition of each individual image, the sample is provided with a marker pattern, in which individual markers can be imaged in the form of spatially separable light distributions through the imaging onto the image sensor. The centroid positions of the light distributions are determined and superimposed to form a complete image of the sample. According to the present invention, an image-drift-inducing temperature value (ΔT
|DIGITAL MICROSCOPE SLIDE SCANNING SYSTEM AND METHODS - Provided herein are systems methods including a design of a microscope slide scanner for digital pathology applications which provides high quality images and automated batch-mode operation at low cost. The instrument architecture is advantageously based on a convergence of high performance, yet low cost, computing technologies, interfaces and software standards to enable high quality digital microscopy at very low cost. Also provided is a method based in part on a stitching method that allows for dividing an image into a number of overlapping tiles and reconstituting the image with a magnification without substantial loss of accuracy. A scanner is employed in capturing snapshot images. The method allows for overlapping images captured in consecutive snapshots.
|UNIQUE DIGITAL IMAGING METHOD EMPLOYING KNOWN BACKGROUND - An imaging apparatus includes a specimen placed on a known background of known bit depth values, and an image sensor having a field of view that includes at least a portion of the specimen and a portion of the known background. A sensor controller is included for recording an image of the portion of the specimen and the portion of the known background in the field of view, the apparatus further including means for effecting relative movement between the image sensor and the specimen.
|METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE MICROSCOPIC IMAGING OF A SAMPLE STRUCTURE - A method and an apparatus for imaging a sample structure (
|INCUBATED STATE EVALUATING DEVICE, INCUBATED STATE EVALUATING METHOD, INCUBATOR, AND PROGRAM - An incubated state evaluating device includes an image reading unit, a feature value calculating unit, a frequency distribution calculating unit, and an evaluation information generating unit. The image reading unit reads a plurality of images in which a plurality of cells incubated in an incubation container are image-captured in time series. The feature value calculating unit obtains each of feature values representing morphological features of cells from the images for each of the cells included in the images. The frequency distribution calculating unit obtains each of frequency distributions of the feature values corresponding to the respective images. The evaluation information generating unit generates evaluation information evaluating an incubated state of cells in the incubation container based on a variation of the frequency distributions between images.
|WIDE FIELD MICROSCOPIC IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A wide field microscopic image acquisition apparatus and method are disclosed. The apparatus is configured to acquire images of a specimen on a microscope slide and includes first and second illuminators each having unique illumination characteristics. The apparatus includes a microscope imaging system with an imaging device, an objective lens and a stage configured to digitally acquire a plurality of images of the specimen using the first and second illuminators. A controller is configured to automatically control the microscope imaging system and acquire the plurality of images of the specimen using the first and second illuminators. The first and second illuminators can be bright field, dark field or fluorescent illuminators.
|METHODS AND APPARATUS TO FORM A WAVELET REPRESENTATION OF A PATHOLOGY SLIDE HAVING GLASS AND TISSUE REGIONS - Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to form a wavelet representation of a pathology slide having glass and tissue regions are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes capturing a digital image of a pathology slide, identifying a portion of the digital image that represents a glass portion of the slide, and storing a value representing that the wavelet coefficients for the identified glass portion of the slide are unused without computing a wavelet transform for the identified glass portion.
|FLUORESCENCE FOCAL MODULATION MICROSCOPY SYSTEM AND METHOD - A fluorescence focal modulation microscopy system and method is disclosed for high resolution molecular imaging of thick biological tissues with single photon excited fluorescence. Optical sectioning and diffraction limited spatial resolution are retained for imaging inside a multiple-scattering medium by the use of focal modulation, a technique for suppressing the background fluorescence signal excited by the scattered light. The focal modulation microscopy system has a spatial phase modulator inserted in the excitation light path, which varies the spatial distribution of coherent excitation light around the focal volume periodically at a preset frequency. A fluorescence focal modulation image is formed on a display with the demodulated fluorescence, while a confocal image is available simultaneously.
|PHOTOMICROSCOPY SYSTEM, IMAGE INPUT DEVICE, AND AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE METHOD - A photomicroscopy system includes a microscope unit which outputs an enlarged image of a subject as a light flux, an image capturing unit which forms an image of the light flux output by the microscope unit and converts the formed image into digital data, a sensitivity changing unit which changes a sensitivity of the image capturing unit, and a computing unit which obtains an exposure time by using the digital data captured by the image capturing unit in a state where the sensitivity is increased to the high sensitivity after instructing the sensitivity changing unit to increase the sensitivity of the image capturing unit to the high sensitivity while calculating the exposure time for obtaining a suitable brightness by the image capturing unit, and sets the sensitivity of the image capturing unit to a low sensitivity after the exposure time is set in the image capturing unit.
|MICROSCOPY SYSTEM - A reproduction apparatus includes an attribute information recording unit that records image attribute information in which the attribute values indicating the attributes of each image are set; a target image selecting unit that selects a target image from images; a search condition setting unit that sets the search conditions that are the attribute values related to the target image in the image attribute information; a reproduction information creating unit that creates information for reproduction by setting image attribute information that satisfies the search conditions in the image attribute information; a search condition selecting unit that selects the search conditions as reproduction search conditions; and a search result reproducing unit that causes a display unit to display an image to be reproduced with respect to the image attribute information set in the information for reproduction when the reproduction search conditions are selected, and reproduces search results related to the target image.
|Microscope for Measuring Total Reflection Fluorescence - Currently, relatively weak light sources with low light intensities are used in wide-field microscopes. Inevitably, focusing in the pupil plane thereby results in low light intensities in the sample, since the output of the light source is distributed over a very large sample area. However, there are also wide-field technologies requiring very high intensities, for example, photo-activates localization (PAL) microscopy. It is the object of the invention to allow, with little expenditure, the flexible adjustment of the illumination light intensity in the sample. For this purpose, a laser (
|SAMPLE IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AN IMAGE OF CELLS OR TISSUES LOCATED IN A CULTURING SPACE TO DATA PRCESSING MEANS - The invention relates to a sample imaging system (
|SYSTEM FOR TESTING SEMICONDUCTORS - A system that includes an imaging device for effectively positioning a probe for testing a semiconductor.
|High-Resolution Microscope and Method for Determining the Two- or Three-Dimensional Positions of Objects - The invention relates to a high-resolution microscope and to a method for determining the two- or three-dimensional positions of objects. The microscope and method includes the following: (a) The vertical (Z) position of imaged particles or molecules being determined from the orientation and shape thereof by means of an anamorphic lens, preferably a cylindrical lens, in the imaging, (b) the detection beam path being split into at least two partial detection beam paths having different optical path lengths, which are detected at an offset on a detector, (c) activation or switchover being performed by means of a multi-photon excitation process, preferably two-photon excitation. The following are also included: (d) a point-scanning activation or switchover, (e) a line-scanning activation or switchover, (f) the sample is excited and the sample light is detected in the wide-field mode, (g) manually or automatically predetermined sample regions are activated or switched over, (h) the activation or switchover is performed by means of AOTF or SLM or DMD, (i) laser pulses for activating or switching are spectrally split by means of a spectrally splitting element, preferably a grating, (j) an SLM or DMD in the beam path after the grating performs a controlled selection of split laser pulse fractions, (k) the laser wide-field excitation is guided by SLM or DMD, (l) ROIs are selected by SLM or DMD, (m) a multi-photon switching or activation is performed by means of a microlens array, preferably a cylindrical lens array, n) switching and/or excitation is performed by means of a line scanner, and (o) a line detection is performed by means of a spatially resolved sensor, wherein at least two sensor rows, each comprising a plurality of sensors, are illuminated with sample light by means of a slit diaphragm position.
|Microscope DeviceAANM Hocke; MarcAACI HeerbruggAACO CHAAGP Hocke; Marc Heerbrugg CHAANM El Haddouchi; HakimAACI BalgachAACO CHAAGP El Haddouchi; Hakim Balgach CH - A microscope device (
|ARITHMETICALLY OPERATING DEVICE, ARITHMETICALLY OPERATING METHOD, ARITHMETICALLY OPERATING PROGRAM, AND MICROSCOPE - An arithmetically operating device is provided and includes: an image acquiring portion configured to acquire phase difference images of a sample; a retrieval range setting portion configured to set a range of pixels each to be made a retrieval object in the other image in the phase difference images for pixels each to be made a representative set in one image in the phase difference images, and pixels other than the pixels each to be made the representative; a correlation calculating portion configured to calculate correlations between the pixels for the one image, and the pixels in the range set for the pixels; and a parallax calculating portion configured to calculate parallaxes for the pixels for the one image in accordance with the correlations thus calculated.
|STAGE CONTROL DEVICE, STAGE CONTROL METHOD, STAGE CONTROL PROGRAM, AND MICROSCOPE - A stage control device is provided and includes: an obtaining section obtaining a set of images as different visual points in all or a part of a sample set as a photographing object; a distance calculating section calculating a distance between each pixel of one image to be set as a reference in the set of images and a relative pixel in the other image; a tilt angle calculating section calculating a tilt angle of the sample using the distance calculated by the distance calculating section; and an adjusting section adjusting a tilt angle of a stage surface on which the sample is disposed so as to minimize a tilt within an angle of view of a photographed picture on a basis of the tilt angle of the sample.
|MICROSCOPY SYSTEM, MICROSCOPY METHOD AND METHOD OF TREATING AN ANEURYSM - A microscopy system and a microscopy method are provided for observing a fluorescent substance accumulated in a tissue. The microscopy system comprises a filter allowing to observe the tissue at a same time both with visible light and with fluorescent light. It is possible to observe a series of previously recorded fluorescent light images in superposition with the visible light images. An end of the series of images may be automatically determined. A thermal protective filter may be inserted into a beam path of an illuminating system at such automatically determined end of the series.
|ILLUMINATION DEVICE AND OBSERVATION SYSTEM - An illumination device and an observation system capable of outputting light having a continuous spectrum and high color rendering properties are provided. Employed is an illumination device including a first light source that emits first-wavelength-band light having a first wavelength band of violet color; a second light source that emits second-wavelength-band light having a second wavelength band that is broader than the first wavelength band and having a continuous spectrum; a light combining section that is composed of a dicroic mirror and that combines the first-wavelength-band light and the second-wavelength-band light; and a combination-ratio adjusting section that adjusts the combination ratio of the first-wavelength-band light and the second-wavelength-band light to be combined by the light combining section.
|AUTOFOCUS BASED ON DIFFERENTIAL MEASUREMENTS - The present invention relates to the field of digital pathology and in particular to whole slide scanners. A tilted autofocus image sensor images an oblique cross-section of the slide. For focusing multiple sequential overlapping images, which have been taken by the tilted sensor, are compared. The axial position of the tissue layer can be determined from the polar error signal resulting from this differential measurement.
|SYSTEM FOR SYNCHRONIZATION IN A LINE SCANNING IMAGING MICROSCOPE - A line confocal microscope system, comprising a scanning unit in the form of a mechanically driven scanning unit with a controllable a scanning trajectory and a two dimensional sensor unit operated in a rolling line shutter mode in synchronization with the scanning unit, wherein the scanning trajectory is set to have an acceleration part outside the field of view of the sensor unit.
|OMNIDIRECTIONAL SUPER-RESOLUTION MICROSCOPY - A microscopy method and apparatus includes placing a specimen to be observed adjacent to a reflective holographic optical element (RDOE). A beam of light that is at least partially coherent is focused on a region of the specimen. The beam forward propagates through the specimen and is at least partially reflected backward through the specimen. The backward reflected light interferes with the forward propagating light to provide a three dimensional interference pattern that is at least partially within the specimen. A specimen region illuminated by the interference pattern is imaged at an image detector. Computational reconstruction is used to generate a microscopic image in all three spatial dimensions (X,Y,Z), simultaneously with resolution greater than conventional microscopy.
|Magnification Observation Device - Provided is a magnification observation device in which a focus of the imaging unit can be focused on the observation surface of the object in observation object region in a short period of time. An unit region of an observation object is imaged at a plurality of Z-positions by moving a object lens in the light-axis direction, the plurality of pieces of image data corresponding to the unit region are captured. An image of the observation object is displayed in the display unit as a navigation image. Shape data which indicates the position of the surface of the observation object in the unit region is generated. An observation object region on observation object is designated based on the navigation image. Based on the generated shape data, a focus of the object lens is on the surface of the observation object on the observation object region designated.
|MICROSCOPE APPARATUS - A microscope apparatus includes a λ stack image data acquisition unit that detects light emitted composed of a sample for each wavelength to acquire λ stack image data from multiple image data items for multiple different wavelengths; a spectrum generation unit that generates a spectrum for each pixel based on the λ stack image data; a clustering unit that performs clustering of the spectrum for each pixel into multiple clusters; a color setting unit that sets different colors to the clusters; and an image generation unit that generates an image of the sample by displaying pixels included in the clusters with a color set by the color setting unit. The distribution and gray scale of fluorescent materials within the sample can be correctly recognized and the state of a desired tissue can be favorably observed.
|Multifunction autofocus system and method for automated microscopy - Multifunction autofocus for automated microscopy includes automatic coarse focusing of an automated microscope by reflective positioning, followed by automatic image-based autofocusing of the automated microscope performed in reference to a coarse focus position. In some aspects, the image-based autofocusing utilizes astigmatism in microscope optics for multi-planar image acquisition along a Z axis direction of a microscope. In some other aspects, the image-based autofocusing utilizes astigmatism in microscope optics in combination with chromatic aberration for multi-planar image acquisition along the Z axis direction.
|Device and Method for Acquiring a Microscopic Image of a Sample Structure - A device and a method for acquiring a microscopic image of a sample structure are described. An optic for imaging the sample structure and a reference structure is provided, as well as a drift sensing unit for sensing a drift of the sample structure relative to the optic on the basis of the imaged reference structure. The optic comprises a first sharpness plane for imaging the sample structure and at the same time a second sharpness plane, modifiable in location relative to the first sharpness plane, for imaging the reference structure.
|MICROSCOPE, IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS, AND IMAGE ACQUISITION SYSTEM - A microscope
|IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, IMAGING DEVICE, MICROSCOPE DEVICE, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM - The image processing device
|IMAGE OBTAINING APPARATUS, IMAGE OBTAINING METHOD, AND IMAGE OBTAINING PROGRAM - An image obtaining apparatus includes: a light source configured to irradiate a biological sample having a fluorescent label with excitation light, the excitation light exciting the fluorescent label; an optical system including an objective lens, the objective lens being configured to magnify an imaging target of the biological sample; an image sensor configured to form an image of the imaging target magnified by the objective lens; a movement controller configured to move a focus position of the optical system in an imaging range including at least a range corresponding to the thickness of the imaging target; and a data processing unit configured to exposure the image sensor to light while moving the focus position in the imaging range and obtain a fluorescent image of the biological sample, to thereby calculate distribution information of the fluorescent label in a thickness direction of the imaging target based on the fluorescent image.
|METHOD OF ANALYZING LINEARITY OF SHOT IMAGE, IMAGE OBTAINING METHOD, AND IMAGE OBTAINING APPARATUS - Provided is a method of analyzing a linearity of a shot image, including: irradiating a biological sample having a fluorescent label with an excitation light, the excitation light exciting the fluorescent label, and exposing an image sensor to light while moving a focus position of an optical system including an objective lens in an optical-axis direction and in a direction orthogonal to the optical-axis direction; and analyzing a gamma value for an imaging environment based on a brightness distribution of one bright-point image in a real-shot-image obtained by the image sensor.
|IMAGE FORMING DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a computer program such that extraction of information about distortion in a charged particle beam scan area can be implemented. An embodiment for achieving the purpose proposes: an image forming apparatus that integrates image data obtained by a charged particle beam apparatus and that calculates, from a plurality of images with different scan directions of the charged particle beam apparatus, first information about the amount of change in a feature quantity in accordance with the time of irradiation of the charged particle beam, second information about the amount of change in the feature quantity before and after a change in beam scan direction, and/or third information about a position error of a pattern on the image before and after the change in beam scan direction; and a computer program for causing a computing apparatus to perform the above process.
|Miniature microscope camera - A hand-held microscope includes a rigid tripod stand with adjustable legs, a visual display component, an imaging detector and an optical assembly comprising an imaging lens and an objective lens housed within an imaging tube. Multiple illumination sources can be used in the microscope, including LED or laser diode sources. The microscope can also include interchangeable imaging tubes that enable bright field, dark field, fluorescence and other imaging modalities.
|MICROSCOPE - A microscope according to the present invention includes an imaging unit including a first illuminating unit, an imaging element, and a projection optical system, the first illuminating unit including a light source that illuminates a first object, the imaging element performing imaging of the first object, the projection optical system projecting an image of the first object onto the imaging element; a measuring unit configured to measure a second object for setting an imaging condition used when performing imaging of the second object at the imaging unit; and a controller configured to concurrently perform the imaging of the first object at the imaging unit and the measurement of the second object at the measuring unit.
|Virtual-Slide Creating Device - It is possible to create a virtual slide of a subject of observation in a simple configuration without setting a movement pattern in advance. Provided is a virtual-slide creating device including a stage on which a sample is mounted; an objective lens that collects light from the sample; a relative movement mechanism that moves at least one of these components relative to each other in a direction crossing the optical axis of the objective lens; a position detecting unit that obtains relative position information of the stage and the objective lens; an image capturing unit that acquires a partial enlarged image of the sample; a display unit that displays the enlarged image acquired; an image saving unit that saves an enlarged image acquired by the image capturing unit each time at least one of the stage and the objective lens is moved relative to each other by a predetermined distance, based on the relative position information obtained; and an image processing unit that creates a virtual slide by forming an array of saved enlarged images based on the relative position information detected.
|Technique for estimating cell conditions and image processor for cell observation - Provided is a means whereby the degree of activity of a cell can be determined during cell viewing. By an imaging device, first and second images in which a cell under observation is captured are sequentially obtained at a predetermined time interval, and after aligning the rotational angle orientations on the image plane of the cell under observation that is included in the images, a correlation value or difference of intracellular texture feature values in the first image and second image is sequentially computed. A time series variation of the computed correlation value or difference is then derived, and the degree of activity of the cell under observation is detected based on the state of variation.
|IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS - An image acquisition apparatus includes a test object stage that holds a test object, a measuring unit that acquires surface profile information of the test object, and a microscope unit that includes an objective optical system that forms an image of the test object and an image pickup element that captures the image of the test object formed by the objective optical system. The test object stage is movable between a measurement position of the measuring unit and a imaging position of the microscope unit. The measuring unit acquires first stage inclination information of the test object stage. At the imaging position, the test object stage adjusts an orientation thereof on the basis of a relationship between the surface profile information and the first stage inclination information.
|CELL COUNTER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A cell counter includes: a sample slide configured to accommodate cells; a housing configured to be inserted into the inside of the sample slide from the outside of the sample slide; an object lens configured to be mounted within the housing, and to image-form a cell image for the cells projected from the sample slide; an image acquisition unit configured to be mounted within the housing together with the object lens, and to acquire the cell image image-formed by the object lens; and a first reflecting mirror provided between the sample slide and the object lens within the housing, and configured to change a projection direction of the cell image projected from the sample slide to the object lens.
|Microscopy imaging - Among other things, an imaging device has a photosensitive array of pixels, and a surface associated with the array is configured to receive a specimen with at least a part of the specimen at a distance from the surface equivalent to less than about half of an average width of the pixels.
|CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM DEVICE AND A METHOD OF IMPROVING IMAGE QUALITY OF THE SAME - The invention relates to a technique of improving a contrast of a lower-layer pattern in a multi layer by synthesizing detected signals from a plurality of detectors by using an appropriate allocation ratio in accordance with pattern arrangement. In a charged particle beam device capable of improving image quality by using detected images obtained from a plurality of detectors and in a method of improving the image quality, a method of generating one or more output images from detected images corresponding to respective outputs of the detectors that are arranged at different locations is controlled by using information of a pattern direction, an edge strength, or others calculated from a design data or the detected image. In this manner, a detection area of the detected signals can be expanded by using the plurality of detectors, and the image quality such as the contrast can be improved by synthesizing the detected signals by using the pattern direction or the edge strength calculated from the design data or the detected images.
|IMAGE ACQUIRING APPARATUS, IMAGE ACQUIRING METHOD, AND IMAGE ACQUIRING PROGRAM - In acquisition of a micro image of a sample S by a micro image acquiring unit
|PHOTOGRAPHING APPARATUS AND MICROSCOPE SYSTEM - A photographing control unit comprising a drive signal generator, an analog front end, a synchronization signal generation unit, and a system control unit controls an imager under a predetermined photographing condition, so that the imager photographs an observation image of a sample observed by a microscope and formed on a light receiving surface of the imager. A computing unit obtains inputs of a plurality of photographing parameters, determines a photographing condition based on the obtained photographing parameters, and sets the photographing condition for the photographing control unit. A display unit displays the designable ranges of the photographing parameters. Here, when the computing unit obtains the input of a priority parameter, it changes the designable range of the plurality of photographing parameters other than the priority parameter based on the priority parameter and causes the display unit to display the designable range after the change.
|Method and Device for the Reconstruction of the Shape of an Object from a Sequence of Sectional Images of Said Object - A method of reconstructing the volume of an object from a sequence of section images, the images corresponding to different positions and/or orientations of an acquisition plane and being subject to uncertainties, the method comprising:
|TOUCH SCREEN INTERFACE FOR LASER PROCESSING - A touch screen user interface for an optical device wherein the touch screen user interface is connected to a controller which controls motion stages permitting the motion stages to re-position, re-size, re-orient or focus the field of view of the optical device in response to commands input from the touch screen user interface.
|ELECTRONIC IMAGING FLOW-MICROSCOPE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REMOTE SENSING, BIOREACTOR PROCESS MONITORING, AND OPTICAL MICROSCOPIC TOMOGRAPHY - An electronic imaging flow-microscope for remote environmental sensing, bioreactor process monitoring, and optical microscopic tomography applications is described. A fluid conduit has a port on each end of a thin flat transparent fluid transport region. A planar illumination surface contacts one flat side of the transparent fluid transport region and a planar image sensing surface contacts the other flat side. Light from the illumination surface travels through the transparent fluid transport region to the planar image sensing surface, producing a light field affected by the fluid and objects present. The planar image sensing surface creates electrical image signals responsive to the light field. The planar illumination surface can be light emitting elements such as LEDs, OLEDs, or OLET, whose illumination can be sequenced in an image formation process. The flow microscope can further comprise flow-restricting valves, pumps, energy harvesting arrangements, and power management.
|INFRARED IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING - A lens unit (
|IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS - Optimal shading correction is achieved even when exposure times are different. An apparatus includes a section that stores a γ property of an image pickup device, a section that stores a shading pattern acquired by the image pickup device, and a first exposure time, a section that stores image data acquired by the image pickup device and a second exposure time, a section that calculates a pre-correction pattern, based on the stored shading pattern and the stored γ property, a section that calculates a revised pattern by performing γ correction for the calculated pre-correction pattern after multiplying the calculated pre-correction pattern by a ratio of the second exposure time to the first exposure time, and a section that performs shading correction for the stored image data by using the calculated revised pattern.
|High Resolution Microscope and Image Divider Assembly - The invention relates to a microscope having an illumination beam path with wide field illumination of a sample and a first detection beam path having a spatially resolved surface receiver, which is reached by a first part of the detection light coming from the sample via the first detection beam path, or an image divider assembly for a microscope. In order to lengthen the optical path length, at least a second part of the detection light coming from the sample is masked out of the detection beam path and, via deflection means belonging to the detection beam path, is led into a second detection beam path and, preferably via further deflection means, is deflected back in the direction of the detection in such a way that detection light is applied to at least two partial regions beside one another on the surface receiver. At least the second part of the detection light runs in an optical element having an optical density that is increased as compared with the first detection beam path, in order to lengthen the optical path length, and the optical element is designed to be displaceable at an angle, preferably perpendicular, to the optical axis of the first detection beam path in order to adjust the optical path length, and has flat surfaces, at least on the light entry and light exit side thereof; a prism is provided, preferably a glass prism, preferably at least in the second detection beam path after a first beam deflection, for deflection in a direction parallel to the first detection beam path, in order to increase the path length and for reverse deflection.
|OPTICAL TISSUE SECTIONING USING FULL FIELD OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY - According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a multimodal optical sectioning microscope (
|IMAGE PICK-UP APPARATUS - An image pick-up apparatus includes: a color imager having a color filter formed on a light receiving surface thereof; a monochrome imager not having a color filter formed on a light receiving surface thereof; a light guiding unit for guiding, to the color imager and/or the monochrome imager, light originating from a subject; and an image formation unit for forming an image from a signal based on an output from the color imager and/or the monochrome imager.
|CALIBRATION TARGETS FOR MICROSCOPE IMAGING - This disclosure is directed to optical microscope calibration devices that can be used with optical microscopes to adjust the microscope imaging parameters so that images of samples can be obtained below the diffraction limit. The microscope calibration devices include at least one calibration target. Each calibration target includes a number of features with dimensions below the diffraction limit of a microscope objective. Separate color component diffraction limited images of one of the calibration targets are obtained for a particular magnification. The color component images can be combined and image processed to obtain a focused and non-distorted image of the calibration target. The parameters used to obtain the focused and non-distorted image of the calibration target can be used to obtain focused and non-distorted images of a sample for the same magnification by using the same parameters.
|IR microscope with image field curvature compensation, in particular with additional illumination optimization - An IR microscope (
|RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING OBSERVATION PROGRAM RECORDED THEREIN AND OBSERVATION APPARATUS - A recording medium having an observation program recorded therein, the program may cause a computer to execute: an entire-image-pickup process of picking up an image of a sample by picking up an image of an entire container containing the sample and a solution; a sample-mass-identification process of identifying a sample mass having the samples gathering therein, from the image picked up in the entire image-pickup process; a sample-mass-determination process of extracting shape information of the identified sample mass, and determining a state of the sample mass based on the shape information; a coordinate-detection process of selecting a magnifying-observation-target sample mass from the identified sample masses, and detecting coordinates of the center of the magnifying-observation-target sample mass.
|METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENHANCING MICROSCOPY IMAGE - A microscopy image, formed by illuminating a sample by shining light onto it in an illumination direction and capturing scattered light, is used to produce an enhanced image. This is done using an expression which links the intensity of the portions of the image to respective values of a scattering parameter at multiple respective elements of the sample. The scattering parameter may be an emission coefficient ρ
|METHOD AND CONFIGURATION FOR THE OPTICAL DETECTION OF AN ILLUMINATED SPECIMEN - A method and a configuration for the depth-resolved optical detection of a specimen, in which a specimen or a part of the specimen is scanned by means of preferably linear illumination. The illumination of the specimen is periodically structured in the focus in at least one spatial direction. Light coming from the specimen is detected and images of the specimen are generated. At least one optical sectional image and/or one image with enhanced resolution is calculated through the specimen. Images are repeatedly acquired and sectional images are repeatedly blended while changing the orientation of the linear illumination relative to the specimen and/or spatial intervals between lines exposed to detection light from the illuminated specimen region are generated for the line-by-line non-descanned detection on an area detector or a camera and/or, during a scan, light is further deflected upstream of the detector through the line in the direction of the scan of the specimen.
|CELL OCCUPANCY MEASUREMENT - A method for determining cell occupancy, confluency and cell migration in a cell culture, comprising receiving data related to pixel intensity in an image acquired of the cell culture, and distinguishing between cell concentrations in different locations in the cell culture by detecting variations in pixel intensity between multi pixel locations.
|MULTI-PHOTON FLUOROSCOPY ATTACHMENT MODULE FOR A SURGICAL MICROSCOPE - The present invention relates to an attachment module (
|OPTO-FLUIDIC MICROSCOPE SYSTEM WITH EVALUATION CHAMBERS - An image sensor integrated circuit may contain image sensor pixels. A channel containing a fluid with particles such as cells may be formed on top of the image sensor. The image sensor pixels may form light sensors and imagers. The imagers may gather images of the cells or other particles as the fluid passes over the imagers. The channel may have multiple branches. Gating structures and other fluid control structures may control the flow of fluid through the channel branches. Portions of the channel may be used to form chambers. The chambers may each be provided with one or more light sensors, light sources, and color filters to alter the color of illumination form a light source, one or more reactants such as dyes, antigens, and antibodies, and heaters. The branches may route the fluid to respective chambers each of which has a different set of capabilities.
|METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TESTING LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE - Disclosed is a method for testing a light-emitting device comprising the steps of: providing an integrating sphere comprising an inlet port and a first exit port; disposing the light-emitting device close to the inlet port of the integrating sphere; providing a current source to drive the light-emitting device to form an image of the light-emitting device in driven state; providing an image receiving device and to receive the image of the light-emitting device, wherein the image receiving device is connected to the first exit port of the integrating sphere; and determining a luminous intensity of the light-emitting device according to the image. An apparatus for testing a light-emitting device is also disclosed. The apparatus for testing a light-emitting device comprises: an integrating sphere comprising an inlet port and a first exit port, wherein the light-emitting device is disposed close to the inlet port of the integrating sphere; an image receiving device connected to the first exit port of the integrating sphere for receiving an image of the light-emitting device; and a processing unit coupled to image receiving device for determining a luminous intensity of the light-emitting device.
|Method of Extracting Contour Lines of Image Data Obtained By Means of Charged Particle Beam Device, and Contour Line Extraction Device - The present invention is intended to provide a contour extraction method and a contour extraction device with an objective of either suppression of unnecessary contouring processings or selective contouring of necessary portions. To attain the objective, provided are a contour extraction method, and a device, with which contours of pattern edges on an image formed based on charged particles emitted from a sample are extracted and, when contouring of a pattern located in an overlapping region provided in connecting images of plural image-capturing regions to form a synthesized image is performed, either areas of the pattern in the plurality of image-capturing regions, or a pre-set measurement portion is found, and selective contour extraction of the pattern with respect to an image of an image-capturing region is carried out either on a side where the area is large, or on a side where a measurement portion regarding the pattern is located.
|IMAGING METHOD AND MICROSCOPE DEVICE - An imaging method may include a first step in which light from a test specimen is guided to an imaging unit, a second step in which light from the test specimen is guided to an autofocus unit, a third step in which the light guided to an autofocus unit is split, and is guided on a third optical path and a fourth optical path, a fourth step in which a focal point of the imaging unit is adjusted such that an image of the test specimen that is created by the light from the test specimen guided on the first optical path is formed on an imaging surface of the imaging unit, a fifth step in which an image of the test specimen is acquired and image data is created, a sixth step in which spectrum information for the test specimen is detected, and a seventh step in which a color tone of the image data is corrected.
|Microscope System, Microscopy Method and Storage Medium - A microscope system comprises a microscope for data acquisition and a computing device configured to control the microscope during data acquisition and/or to perform data processing of raw data captured by the microscope. The computing device is coupled to an optical output device. The microscope and the computing device are configured to perform the data acquisition and/or data processing based on values that are respectively set for each one of a plurality of adjustable parameters. The computing device selectively outputs graphics data via the optical output device as a function of an adjustable parameter selected from the plurality of adjustable parameters. The output graphics data are assigned to the selected adjustable parameter and represent an affect of the selected adjustable parameter on at least one step of a procedure upon which the data acquisition and/or the data processing is based.
Patent applications in class Microscope
Patent applications in all subclasses Microscope