Color translating UV microscope

Abstract

A color translating UV microscope for research and clinical applications involving imaging of living or dynamic samples in real time and providing several novel techniques for image creation, optical sectioning, dynamic motion tracking and contrast enhancement comprises a light source emitting UV light, and visible and IR light if desired. This light is directed to the condenser via a means of selecting monochromatic, bandpass, shortpass, longpass or notch limited light. The condenser can be a brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast or DIC. The slide is mounted in a stage capable of high speed movements in the X, Y and Z dimensions. The microscope uses broadband, narrowband or monochromat optimized objectives to direct the image of the sample to an image intensifier or UV sensitive video system. When an image intensifier is used it is either followed by a video camera, or in the simple version, by a synchronized set of filters which translate the image to a color image and deliver it to an eyepiece for viewing by the microscopist. Between the objective and the image intensifier there can be a selection of static or dynamic switchable filters. The video camera, if used, produces an image which is digitized by an image capture board in a computer. The image is then reassembled by an overlay process called color translation and the computer uses a combination of feedback from the information in the image and operator control to perform various tasks such as optical sectioning and three dimensional reconstruction, coordination of the monochromater while collecting multiple images sets called image planes, tracking dynamic sample elements in three space, control of the environment of the slide including electric, magnetic, acoustic, temperature, pressure and light levels, color filters and optics, control for microscope mode switching between transmitted, reflected, fluorescent, Raman, scanning, confocal, area limited, autofluorescent, acousto-optical and other modes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 635,936, filed Aug. 7, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,080 issued Nov. 1, 2005, which application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 402,467, filed Dec. 23, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,357 issued Nov. 18, 2003, which application is a 371 of international patent application No. PCT / CA 98 / 00350 filed Apr. 9, 1998, which application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos. 60 / 044,247 and 60 / 041,855 filed Apr. 23, 1997 and Apr. 9, 1997, respectively. This application claims the benefit of all aforementioned applications, and incorporates all said applications herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a color translating microscope employing ultraviolet light in place of or in addition to visible and / or infrared light sources. More specifically, the present invention relate...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microscope for translating spectral information to a visible color image in which light from a source is separated into components by either a set of two or more filters or a device for providing wavelength limited light and then passed through or reflected off the sample and then imaged by an objective lens onto a video camera where it is converted to visible light by a fluorescent coating on the photosensitive surface of video camera which provides the image as an electronic signal which is then converted into electronic data by a video to computer interface system and then recombined into a multicolor image by computer processing finally creating a color visible image on a display monitor where the computer is supplied with information on the position of the filters or wavelength limited light in order to synchronize acquisition of the images and the color translation and recombination process.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microscope for translating spectral information to a visible color image in which light from one or more sources is separated into components by either a set of two or more filters or device for providing wavelength limited light and then passed through or reflected off an sample then imaged onto the input of an image intensifier by an objective lens then converted to visible light by the image intensifier or other wavelength translating device the output of which is then imaged on the input of a video camera which provides the image as an electronic signal which is then converted into electronic data by a video to computer interface system and then recombined into a multicolor image by computer processing finally creating a color visible image on a display monitor where the computer is supplied with information on the position of the filters or wavelength limited light in order to synchronize acquisition of the images and the color translation and recombination process.

[0015] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microscope which includes active optical monitoring for recording and providing the data to allow relating the effects of the dosage of the illuminating radiation to the observed effects in the samples and for modulation of that illumination to prolong sample life.

[0020] It is an object of yet another embodiment of the present invention to provide a novel color translating microscope which obviates or mitigates at least one of the difficulties of the prior art. It is a further object to provide a novel method of forming a color image of the differential absorption of a microscope sample.

Problems solved by technology

It is believed that all these prior art attempts failed due to the complex nature of the solutions attempted, the attendant costs and the high operating and maintenance burden and costs.

The results from these systems were mediocre at best due to the delay in image availability in the photographic processes and due to the low resolution and long integration times of the video solutions available at the time the work was carried out.

This reference suffers from disadvantages in that, for example, it needs high power UV illumination to provide sufficient illumination to the UV video camera which will be detrimental to the sample, it does not combine multiple three UV images from the same camera created with successive selections of light of different wavelength center and bandpass to create a full three colour visible image and therefore it is prone to misalignment of the individual cameras, and it is preset and not rapidly adjustable as to the wavelengths of light chosen for imaging, it does not use the extending resolving power of the deep UV range of the spectrum in which cellular absorption of biological specimens begins to offer the advantages of absorption staining of living systems and it will not resolve images at resolutions greater than those possible under visible light viewing conditions, as the final displayed visible light and monochromatic UV images are presented to the user at the same pixel resolution.

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