Line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method and device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method and apparatus. A line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method includes: providing a plurality of line-type structured excitation lights, each of the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights having a different illumination pattern; illuminating a target area in a line-by-line scanning manner along a single first direction while switching the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights, such that each row in the target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights; and detecting response light generated by each row in the target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of imaging technologies, and more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Traditional imaging technologies such as confocal imaging technology, wide-field imaging technology, etc. are limited by the Abbe diffraction limit, such that their highest imaging resolution is often around 250 nanometers (nm), and thus they are unable to resolve structures with even smaller sizes. In response to this, super-resolution imaging technologies have emerged, which can exceed the limitation of the diffraction limit, enabling the imaging resolution to reach 100 nm or even smaller, providing important technical support for the research of micro-scale structures.

[0003] However, currently mainstream super-resolution imaging technologies generally require the sample, or more specifically the target region therein, to remain stationary, and are very sensitive to even very small movements of the target region during the imaging process. In view of this, in biological research where imaging technologies are widely used, existing super-resolution imaging technologies are mostly used for imaging cultured cells, and it is difficult to extend them to imaging of live animals, because physiological activities such as breathing and heartbeat of live animals (such as mice) will inevitably cause small movements of the target region. In some experimental requirements, it is even necessary to image live animals in a waking state and a moving state, and during this process, limb movements of the live animals will cause larger-scale movements of the target region, making existing super-resolution imaging technologies inapplicable.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for an improved super-resolution imaging technology that can tolerate movements of the target region during the imaging process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method, including: providing a plurality of linear structure excitation lights, each of the plurality of linear structure excitation lights having a different illumination pattern; illuminating a target region in a line-by-line scanning manner along a single first direction while switching the plurality of linear structure excitation lights, such that each row in the target region is illuminated by a corresponding one of the plurality of linear structure excitation lights; and detecting response light generated by each row in the target region in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the plurality of linear structure excitation lights.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging device, including: an illumination module configured to provide a plurality of line-type structured excitation lights, each of the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights having a different illumination pattern; a scanning module configured to illuminate a target area in a manner of scanning line by line along a single first direction while switching the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights, such that each row in the target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights; and a detection module configured to detect response lights generated by each row in the target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the plurality of line-type structured excitation lights.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0008] From the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure shown in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clear. The drawings are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, further for explaining the principles of the present disclosure and enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the present disclosure. Among them:

[0009] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example scanning process of a point-scanning based imaging method;

[0010] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram showing an example scanning process of a line-scanning based imaging method;

[0011] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example scanning process of a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 3B is shown in combination for illustrative purposes Figure 3A a schematic diagram of the illumination patterns of the scanned rows in;

[0014] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram shown in combination for illustrative purposes of the illumination patterns of the scanned rows in an example scanning process of a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 5It is a schematic diagram for illustrative purposes that combines and shows the illumination patterns of the scanned rows during an example scanning process of a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 6A It is a schematic diagram showing an example scanning process of a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 6B It is for illustrative purposes and combines and shows Figure 6A the illumination patterns of the scanned rows in;

[0018] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram showing an example scanning process of a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 8 It is a schematic block diagram showing a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 9A It is showing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 8 of the illumination module;

[0021] Figure 9B It is showing according to other embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 8 of the illumination module;

[0022] Figure 10 It is showing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 8 of the example optical path diagram of the illumination module;

[0023] Figure 11 It is showing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 8 of the example optical path diagram of the scanning module and the detection module;

[0024] Figure 12 Part A of shows the intensity distribution diagrams of the linear structured excitation light 1 and the linear structured excitation light 2 provided by the illumination module of Figure 10 on the sample at the focal plane of the microscope objective of Figure 11 in three two-dimensional sections xy, zy, xz, Figure 12 Part B of shows the intensity distribution curves on the selected tangents y1, x2, y2, z1, z2 in the intensity distribution diagram shown in Part A of Figure 12 ;

[0025] Figure 13 It is for illustrative purposes and combines and shows using the one provided by Figure 10Schematic diagram of the illumination patterns of each scanned line of the linear excitation light 1 and linear excitation light 2 provided by the illumination module;

[0026] Figure 14 Part A of shows the imaging result of fluorescent microspheres using the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure. Figure 14 Part B of shows the imaging result of fluorescent microspheres in the same region as the region shown in Part A of using a conventional confocal microscope. Figure 14 Part B of shows the imaging result of fluorescent microspheres in the same region as the region shown in Part A of using a conventional confocal microscope. Figure 14 Part C of shows the imaging result of neurons in the brain of an awake mouse using the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure.

[0027] Note that in the embodiments described below, sometimes the same reference numerals are used commonly between different drawings to denote the same parts or parts having the same functions, and their repeated descriptions are omitted. In some cases, similar reference numerals and letters are used to denote similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0028] For ease of understanding, the positions, sizes, ranges, etc. of the respective structures shown in the drawings and the like sometimes do not represent the actual positions, sizes, ranges, etc. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the positions, sizes, ranges, etc. disclosed in the drawings and the like. Detailed Embodiments

[0029] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that: unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements, numerical expressions, and numerical values of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0030] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and in no way limits the present disclosure, its application, or its use. That is, the structures and methods herein are shown in an exemplary manner to illustrate different embodiments of the structures and methods in the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will understand that they merely illustrate the exemplary ways in which the present disclosure can be implemented, rather than exhaustive ways. In addition, the drawings need not be drawn to scale, and some features may be enlarged to show details of specific components.

[0031] In addition, technologies, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the said technologies, methods, and devices should be regarded as part of the specification.

[0032] In all the examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be construed as merely exemplary and not as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0033] In existing super-resolution imaging technologies, super-resolution imaging technologies based on point scanning have been proposed, such as stimulated emission depletion super-resolution imaging technology (STED), point scanning structured illumination super-resolution imaging technology, etc. For example, referring to Figure 1A , during the point scanning process, information is serially acquired by point-by-point scanning of the target area, and then the information acquired at each point in each row is reconstructed into an image of the target area. Therefore, the imaging speed of the super-resolution imaging technology based on point scanning is usually low. If the target area is displaced when being point-by-point scanned in a certain row compared to when being point-by-point scanned in the adjacent upper row, then the pixels of these two rows are misaligned, resulting in the inability to obtain correct image information. Therefore, due to its low imaging speed, the super-resolution imaging technology based on point scanning can often only tolerate extremely low-speed movement of the target area during imaging or cannot tolerate any movement of the target area during imaging at all.

[0034] Super-resolution imaging technologies based on wide-field imaging have also been proposed, such as structured illumination super-resolution imaging technology, single molecule localization imaging technology, etc. The super-resolution imaging technology based on wide-field imaging needs to image the entire target area multiple times to capture multiple full-field two-dimensional images, and finally synthesizes a super-resolution image by calculation. However, this technology requires the target area to remain stationary throughout the shooting process, otherwise the super-resolution image cannot be reconstructed.

[0035] The inventors of the present disclosure have noticed that line scanning has a faster speed compared to point scanning. For example, referring to Figure 1B , during the line scanning process, an entire row (in the x direction) in the target area is simultaneously illuminated by the excitation light, and a detection device such as a camera is used to simultaneously detect this entire row. Then, by performing line-by-line scanning along the y direction, two-dimensional imaging of the entire target area can be achieved. Therefore, comparing the point scanning process shown in Figure 1A and the line scanning process shown in Figure 1B , it can be found that the imaging speed based on line scanning is much faster than that based on point scanning. However, the traditional line-scanning confocal imaging technology can only obtain an image with diffraction-limited resolution through a single scan. To achieve a resolution beyond the diffraction limit, existing super-resolution imaging technologies (for example, the aforementioned super-resolution imaging technologies based on wide-field imaging) usually need to obtain multiple imaging results through multiple scans and then integrate them into a super-resolution image. However, the time interval between two adjacent scans is relatively long, resulting in a low imaging speed of this super-resolution imaging technology.

[0036] To this end, the present disclosure proposes a line-scanning based super-resolution imaging technique, which can obtain a super-resolution image through a single scan, without the need to integrate multiple imaging results after repeated scans. The line-scanning based super-resolution imaging technique of the present disclosure has a high imaging speed, thus having a high tolerance for the movement of the target area during the imaging process.

[0037] First, the line-scanning based super-resolution imaging method 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as method 100) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail in conjunction with Figure 2 As shown in, method 100 includes: at step S102, providing a plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights, each of the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights having a different illumination mode; at step S104, while switching the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights, illuminating the target area in a line-by-line scanning manner along a single first direction (e.g., Figure 2 the y direction shown), such that each row in the target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights; and at step S106, detecting the response light generated by each row in the target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the line-shaped structured excitation lights. Figure 3A In this document, "line-shaped structured excitation light" refers to an excitation light having a line-shaped structure, and the light spot projected on the target area is linearly distributed. In this document, the "illumination mode" of the "line-shaped structured excitation light" refers to the spatial distribution pattern of the light intensity of the line-shaped structured excitation light, or more specifically, it can refer to the pattern of the light spot projected by the line-shaped structured excitation light on the target area (which can reflect the light intensity distribution on the two-dimensional section of the plane where the target area is located). It can be understood that if the patterns of the light spots projected by two beams of light on the target area completely coincide or can completely coincide after translation, the illumination modes of these two beams of light can be considered the same. Based on the fluorescence imaging principle, the target area will emit "response light" correspondingly after being illuminated by the "excitation light", and the target area can be imaged according to the "response light". In this document, the "target area" is the area to be imaged.

[0038] In some embodiments, the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights provided at step S102 may include a first line-shaped structured excitation light and a second line-shaped structured excitation light. The first line-shaped structured excitation light may have an illumination mode that completely illuminates an entire row, and the second line-shaped structured excitation light may have an illumination mode that does not completely illuminate an entire row. For example, the first line-shaped structured excitation light may have a light spot that continuously extends in a second direction (e.g.,

[0039] the x direction shown) perpendicular to the first direction (e.g., Figure 3A the y direction shown), such as Figure 3A the light spot shown in Figure 3AThe linear structured excitation light a) having the illumination pattern a as shown, the second linear structured excitation light may have a plurality of light spots (e.g., Figure 3A shown) that are substantially periodically spaced in a second direction (e.g., the x direction as shown). Figure 3A The linear structured excitation light b having the illumination pattern b and the linear structured excitation light c having the illumination pattern c as shown). Herein, "substantially" periodically spaced means that the variation in the spacing is within the range of ±20% of the designed or target spacing period, or for example within the range of ±15%, or for example within the range of ±10%, or for example within the range of ±5%, etc. In some embodiments, the multiple linear structured excitation lights provided at step S102 may additionally or alternatively include multiple such second linear structured excitation lights, where each second linear structured excitation light may have a different combination of light spot shape and spacing period compared to other second linear structured excitation lights. For example, Figure 3A the light spot shape and spacing period of the linear structured excitation light b having the illumination pattern b as shown are different from Figure 3A the light spot shape and spacing period of the linear structured excitation light c having the illumination pattern c as shown. Herein, the difference in the spacing period can be understood as the spacing periods not being the same or not "substantially" the same, for example, the spacing periods can differ by more than ±20%, or for example more than ±50%, or for example more than ±70%, etc. In other embodiments, the second linear structured excitation light may also have a plurality of light spots that are non-periodically spaced in the second direction (e.g., Figure 3A the x direction as shown).

[0040] As a non-limiting example, Figure 3A and Figure 3B show the linear structured excitation lights of three different illumination patterns, namely the linear structured excitation light a having the illumination pattern a, the linear structured excitation light b having the illumination pattern b, and the linear structured excitation light c having the illumination pattern c. It can be understood that any suitable number and type of linear structured excitation lights can be set as needed, including but not limited to two, three, four, or more.

[0041] Figure 3AThe implementation processes of steps S104 and S106 are exemplarily shown as follows: (1) First, start scanning from the first row of the target area, use the linear structure with illumination mode a to excite light a to illuminate this first row, and detect the response light generated by this first row in response to being illuminated by the linear structure excited light a; (2) Then scan along the y direction to the second row of the target area, switch to use the linear structure with illumination mode b to excite light b to illuminate this second row, and detect the response light generated by this second row in response to being illuminated by the linear structure excited light b; (3) Then scan along the y direction to the third row of the target area, switch to use the linear structure with illumination mode c to excite light c to illuminate this third row, and detect the response light generated by this third row in response to being illuminated by the linear structure excited light c; (4) Then scan along the y direction to the fourth row of the target area, use the linear structure with illumination mode a to excite light a to illuminate this fourth row, and detect the response light generated by this fourth row in response to being illuminated by the linear structure excited light a; (5) Then scan along the y direction to the fifth row of the target area, switch to use the linear structure with illumination mode b to excite light b to illuminate this fifth row, and detect the response light generated by this fifth row in response to being illuminated by the linear structure excited light b; (6) Then scan along the y direction to the sixth row of the target area, switch to use the linear structure with illumination mode c to excite light c to illuminate this sixth row, and detect the response light generated by this sixth row in response to being illuminated by the linear structure excited light c; and so on. Take turns to switch to use the linear structure excited light a, the linear structure excited light b, and the linear structure excited light c to sequentially illuminate and detect each subsequent row of the target area. Finally, after scanning the entire target area row by row, a super-resolution image can be directly reconstructed based on the detection results of the response light generated by each row of the target area.

[0042] The multiple linear structure excited lights provided at step S102 can be switched in a preset order to illuminate the corresponding rows in the target area. For example, in Figure 3A the illustrated embodiment, each round traverses and uses the multiple linear structure excited lights provided at step S102 in the same order to illuminate the corresponding rows in the target area. Alternatively, each round can also traverse and use the multiple linear structure excited lights provided at step S102 in a different order to illuminate the corresponding rows in the target area. In some embodiments, it may also be only required that adjacent rows in the target area are illuminated by different linear structure excited lights among the multiple linear structure excited lights. In other embodiments, a linear structure excited light can be switched for illumination every few rows. In short, the switching order can be specifically designed according to the actual application scenario. Various switching orders such as "a, b, c, a, b, c...", "a, b, c, c, b, a, b, a, c...", "a, a, b, b, c, c, a, a, b, b, c, c...", "a, b, a, c, b, c..." etc. all have their specific applicable application scenarios.

[0043] The time difference between two scans can be limited by factors such as the detection speed of the detection device (such as a camera) for the response light, the switching speed of the linear structured excitation light of different illumination modes (if it is necessary to switch the linear structured excitation light of different illumination modes), the scanning speed, etc. If permitted, this time difference can be set as short as possible, so as to improve the imaging speed of method 100 as much as possible.

[0044] For the purpose of illustration, Figure 3B virtually shows Figure 3A a combined representation of six diagrams. In Figure 3B the embodiment of, during line-by-line scanning, the areas illuminated by the linear structured excitation light in the target area for two adjacent times do not overlap with each other. This is merely exemplary and not restrictive. In other embodiments, for example, as Figure 4 shown, during line-by-line scanning, the areas illuminated by the linear structured excitation light in the target area for two adjacent times can partially overlap with each other. In some embodiments, the spacing between the areas illuminated by the linear structured excitation light in the target area for two adjacent times in the first direction (e.g., the y direction) can be between 5% and 50% of the design resolution (e.g., 100 nm). In some embodiments, line-by-line scanning can be performed at equal intervals. In other embodiments, line-by-line scanning can also be performed at unequal intervals.

[0045] In addition, in Figure 3B the embodiment of, during line-by-line scanning, each time the linear structured excitation light that does not completely illuminate an entire line (e.g., the aforementioned second linear structured excitation light such as the linear structured excitation light b with illumination mode b and the linear structured excitation light c with illumination mode c) is used for illumination, compared with the previous time this linear structured excitation light is used for illumination, this linear structured excitation light does not experience any phase shift in the second direction (e.g., the x direction). In other embodiments, for example, as Figure 5 shown, during line-by-line scanning, each time the linear structured excitation light that does not completely illuminate an entire line (e.g., the aforementioned second linear structured excitation light such as the linear structured excitation light b with illumination mode b and the linear structured excitation light c with illumination mode c) is used for illumination, compared with the previous time this linear structured excitation light is used for illumination, this linear structured excitation light experiences a preset phase shift in the second direction (e.g., the x direction). When this linear structured excitation light is the aforementioned second linear structured excitation light, the distance of the preset phase shift can be a non-integer multiple of the interval period of the light spot of this linear structured excitation light. Such a phase shift can be beneficial for more fully collecting information from the target area for imaging.

[0046] In some embodiments, the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights provided at step S102 may include a third line - shaped structure excitation light and a fourth line - shaped structure excitation light. The illumination pattern of the third line - shaped structure excitation light may be configured to improve the imaging performance in a third direction, and the illumination pattern of the fourth line - shaped structure excitation light may be configured to improve the imaging performance in a fourth direction different from the third direction. In some examples, the third direction may be parallel to the first direction, and the fourth direction may be perpendicular to the third direction. In some examples, the illumination pattern of the fourth line - shaped structure excitation light may be configured to improve the imaging performance in both the fourth direction and a fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction. In some examples, the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights provided at step S102 may further include a fifth line - shaped structure excitation light, and the illumination pattern of the fifth line - shaped structure excitation light may be configured to improve the imaging performance in the fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction. For example, as described later Figure 12 As shown in, the illumination pattern 1 of the line - shaped structure excitation light 1 is configured to improve the imaging resolution in the y - direction, and the illumination pattern 2 of the line - shaped structure excitation light 2 is configured to improve the imaging resolution in the x - and z - directions, so that the finally obtained image of the target area has high imaging resolution in all three directions of x, y, and z.

[0047] The imaging speed of method 100 can also be further improved by means of parallel processing. For example, referring to Figure 6A and Figure 6B , in some embodiments, the target area may include a plurality of sub - target areas (e.g., a first sub - target area and a second sub - target area) arranged along a first direction (e.g., the y - direction), and method 100 includes performing the following operations on each sub - target area in parallel: while switching the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights provided at step S102, illuminating the sub - target area in a line - by - line scanning manner along a single first direction (e.g., the y - direction) such that each row in the sub - target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights; and detecting the response light generated by each row in the sub - target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the line - shaped structure excitation lights. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6A , the scanning directions in the first sub - target area and the second sub - target area are the same. In other embodiments, the scanning directions in the first sub - target area and the second sub - target area may also be different, for example, they may be opposite.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first row in the first sub - target area and the second row in the second sub - target area may be illuminated simultaneously, where in some examples, for example, as Figure 6AAs shown, the first row and the second row may be illuminated by the same linear structure excitation light among the plurality of linear structure excitation lights; in other examples, for example, Figure 7 The first row and the second row may be illuminated by different linear structure excitation lights among the plurality of linear structure excitation lights. Figures 6A to 7 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , only the target area is divided into two sub-target areas. However, the target area may be divided into sub-target areas of any appropriate number and shape according to specific needs.

[0049] Method 100 only needs a single line scan imaging to correctly reconstruct the super-resolution image. It benefits from the higher line scan imaging speed and can effectively improve the tolerance of the super-resolution imaging method to the movement of the target area during the imaging process. For example, if only 4 rows of pixels are used to image the target area in the existing scientific research camera, the frame rate can exceed 40KHz. If it is hoped that the displacement of the target area in the acquisition of 10 consecutive lines is less than 50nm (half of the design resolution of 100nm), then the tolerable movement speed of the target area by method 100 can be as high as 200 microns per second, which is sufficient to meet the needs of most application scenarios (for example, the movement speed of the brain area of anesthetized mice is about 2 microns per second, and the movement speed of the brain area of awake mice is about 50 microns per second). Even if the movement of the target area is so severe that the obtained image may have been deformed on a large scale, it will not affect the ability of method 100 to analyze fine structures on a microscopic scale.

[0050] Combine the following Figure 8 A line scanning-based super-resolution imaging device 200 (hereinafter referred to as device 200) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described in detail. Figure 8 As shown, the device 200 includes an illumination module 220, a scanning module 240 and a detection module 260. The illumination module 220 is configured to provide a plurality of linear structure excitation lights, each of which has a different illumination mode. The scanning module 240 is configured to illuminate the target area in a row-by-row scanning manner along a single first direction while switching the plurality of linear structure excitation lights, so that each row in the target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the plurality of linear structure excitation lights. The detection module 260 is configured to detect the response light generated by each row in the target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the linear structure excitation lights.

[0051] In some embodiments, for example, reference Figure 9A, the illumination module 220 may include: a light source 221 configured to provide excitation light; a beam splitting unit 222 configured to split the excitation light from the light source 221 into multiple beams of excitation light; a plurality of linear structure excitation light generation units 2241, 2242, ……, 224N, each linear structure excitation light generation unit being configured to receive a corresponding beam of excitation light from the beam splitting unit 222 and generate a corresponding linear structure excitation light based on the received corresponding beam of excitation light; a light combining unit 225 configured to combine the multiple linear structure excitation lights from the plurality of linear structure excitation light generation units 2241, 2242, ……, 224N into one beam; and a plurality of optical switch units 2231, 2232, ……, 223N, each optical switch unit may be disposed, for example, between the beam splitting unit 222 and a corresponding one of the linear structure excitation light generation units 2241, 2242, ……, 224N and configured to control whether the excitation light from the beam splitting unit 222 is output to the corresponding one of the linear structure excitation light generation units (e.g., as shown in Figure 9A ), or each optical switch unit may alternatively be disposed between a corresponding one of the linear structure excitation light generation units 2241, 2242, ……, 224N and the light combining unit 225 and configured to control whether the linear structure excitation light from the corresponding one of the linear structure excitation light generation units is output to the light combining unit 225. The linear structure excitation lights generated by different linear structure excitation light generation units among the plurality of linear structure excitation light generation units 2241, 2242, ……, 224N have different illumination patterns.

[0052] In some other embodiments, for example, referring to Figure 9B , the illumination module 220 may also include: a light source 221 configured to provide excitation light; a single modulation unit 226 configured to modulate the excitation light from the light source 221 into a linear structure excitation light having different illumination patterns. The modulation unit 226 may include, for example, a spatial light modulator and / or a polarization modulator, etc., and may output a linear structure excitation light with different illumination patterns according to the settings.

[0053] Incidentally, the excitation light provided by the light source 221 may include one or more wavelengths or wavelength ranges, as long as it can excite the target area to generate response light, without being particularly limited.

[0054] As Figure 9B shown, the illumination module 220 has a simpler structure and a smaller number of components compared to the illumination module 220 as shown in Figure 9A , but the illumination module 220 as shown in Figure 9A can switch the linear structure excitation light of different illumination patterns faster compared to the illumination module 220 as shown in Figure 9B . It can be understood that Figure 9Aand Figure 9B merely exemplary and not restrictive, and any suitable illumination module 220 may be adopted or designed according to the teachings of the present disclosure to provide a variety of linear structure excitation lights with different illumination patterns.

[0055] In some embodiments, the variety of linear structure excitation lights provided by the illumination module 220 may include a first linear structure excitation light and a second linear structure excitation light. The first linear structure excitation light has a light spot continuously extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the second linear structure excitation light has a plurality of light spots substantially periodically spaced in the second direction. In some embodiments, the variety of linear structure excitation lights may additionally or alternatively include a variety of second linear structure excitation lights, each of the second linear structure excitation lights in the variety of second linear structure excitation lights having a different combination of light spot shape and spacing period compared to other second linear structure excitation lights in the variety of second linear structure excitation lights.

[0056] In some embodiments, the variety of linear structure excitation lights provided by the illumination module 220 may include a third linear structure excitation light and a fourth linear structure excitation light. The illumination mode of the third linear structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in a third direction, and the illumination mode of the fourth linear structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in a fourth direction different from the third direction. In some examples, the third direction is parallel to the first direction, and the fourth direction is perpendicular to the third direction. In some examples, the illumination mode of the fourth linear structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in both the fourth direction and a fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction. In some embodiments, the variety of linear structure excitation lights further includes a fifth linear structure excitation light, and the illumination mode of the fifth linear structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in the fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction.

[0057] In some embodiments, the scanning module 240 may further be configured to, during line-by-line scanning, each time when illuminating with the second linear structured excitation light, cause the second linear structured excitation light to experience a preset phase shift in the second direction compared to the previous time when illuminating with the second linear structured excitation light, and the distance of the preset phase shift is a non-integer multiple of the interval period of the light spot of the second linear structured excitation light. In some embodiments, the scanning module 240 may further be configured to illuminate adjacent two rows in the target area with different linear structured excitation lights among the multiple linear structured excitation lights. In some embodiments, the scanning module 240 may further be configured to switch the multiple linear structured excitation lights in a preset order to illuminate the corresponding rows in the target area. In some embodiments, the scanning module 240 may further be configured to, during line-by-line scanning, cause the areas illuminated by the linear structured excitation light in two adjacent times in the target area to partially overlap each other.

[0058] To further improve the imaging speed of the device 200, the target area may be divided into multiple sub-target areas and then parallel processing may be performed. In some embodiments, the target area may include multiple sub-target areas arranged along the first direction. The scanning module 240 may be configured to perform the following operations on each sub-target area in parallel: while switching the multiple linear structured excitation lights, illuminate the sub-target area in a line-by-line scanning manner along a single first direction, so that each row in the sub-target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the multiple linear structured excitation lights. The detection module 260 may be configured to perform the following operations on each sub-target area in parallel: detect the response light generated by each row in the sub-target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the linear structured excitation lights. In some embodiments, the multiple sub-target areas may include a first sub-target area and a second sub-target area, and the first row in the first sub-target area and the second row in the second sub-target area may be illuminated simultaneously. The scanning module 240 may be configured to illuminate the first row and the second row with the same or different linear structured excitation lights among the multiple linear structured excitation lights provided by the illumination module 220.

[0059] Embodiments of the device 200 may be similar to the embodiments of the foregoing method 100, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0060] For illustrative purposes, a non-limiting specific example of applying the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 10 to 14 A non-limiting specific example of applying the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. It should be understood that there may be other optical elements in an actual optical system, and in order to avoid obscuring the key points here, these other optical elements will not be discussed herein and are not shown in the drawings.

[0061] It is possible to build as Figure 10The optical system shown is used to implement an illumination module that provides two linear-structured excitation lights with different illumination modes. The input of this illumination module can be a parallel laser beam with a single wavelength or multiple wavelengths. The input beam is split into two beams with mutually perpendicular polarizations by a polarization beam splitter PBS1 (which can act as a beam splitting unit), and these two beams with mutually perpendicular polarizations are respectively controlled by two acousto-optic tunable filters AOTF1 and AOTF2 (which can act as optical switch units). The acousto-optic tunable filters AOTF1 and AOTF2 can selectively allow light of a specific wavelength or wavelength range to pass through and can quickly control the on and off of the light. In Figure 10 the optical path on the left part, the parallel beam transmitted from the polarization beam splitter PBS1 passes through the acousto-optic tunable filter AOTF1 and is converged into a line along the x direction by a cylindrical lens CL1, that is, the illumination mode 1 as shown in part A of Figure 12 . In Figure 10 the optical path on the right part, the parallel beam reflected from the polarization beam splitter PBS1 is first reflected by a mirror M1, and then after passing through the acousto-optic tunable filter AOTF2, it is converged into a line along the x direction by a cylindrical lens CL2. Different from the optical path on the left part, a transmission grating TG driven by a rotating motor is arranged at the focal plane of the cylindrical lens CL2, and this transmission grating TG modulates the phase or intensity of the linear converging light emerging from the cylindrical lens CL2 along the x direction, thereby modulating it into an illumination mode 2 as shown in part A of Figure 12 . In addition to using the transmission grating TG driven by a rotating motor, other solutions such as a digital micromirror device DMD and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator SLM can also be alternatively used to modulate the phase or intensity of the light. The transmission grating TG driven by a rotating motor can change the phase more quickly compared to the DMD and SLM, while the DMD and SLM can simply achieve the phase change without the drive of a rotating motor. So far, the cylindrical lens CL1 can act as the first linear-structured excitation light generation unit that provides the linear-structured excitation light 1 with illumination mode 1, and the cylindrical lens CL2 and the transmission grating TG can act as the second linear-structured excitation light generation unit that provides the linear-structured excitation light 2 with illumination mode 2. The linear-structured excitation light 1 with illumination mode 1 and the linear-structured excitation light 2 with illumination mode 2 (reflected by a mirror M2) are combined into one beam by a polarization beam splitter PBS2 (which can act as a beam combining unit). In addition, a spherical lens L1 and a spherical lens L3 form a relay imaging system to image the linear-structured excitation light 1 with illumination mode 1 at the focal plane of the spherical lens L3, and a spherical lens L2 and a spherical lens L3 also form a relay imaging system to image the linear-structured excitation light 2 with illumination mode 2 at the focal plane of the spherical lens L3. Thus, by controlling the acousto-optic tunable filters AOTF1 and AOTF2, the illumination module shown in Figure 10 can selectively output the linear-structured excitation light 1 with illumination mode 1 or the linear-structured excitation light 2 with illumination mode 2.

[0062] An optical system as shown in Figure 11 can be built to implement the scanning module and the detection module. Among them, the solid arrows schematically indicate the optical path of the scanning module, while the dashed arrows schematically indicate the optical path of the detection module. The spherical lens L4 and the spherical lens L5 can form a relay imaging system. The spherical lens L6 and the microscope objective can also form a relay imaging system. The linear structured excitation light output by the illumination module is reflected by the dichroic mirror DM and then passes through the spherical lens L4 to reach the scanning mirror SM. Then, after being reflected by the scanning mirror SM, it passes through the spherical lens L5, the spherical lens L6 and the microscope objective to reach the target area of the sample. In Figure 11 the implementation shown, the illumination position of the linear structured excitation light is scanned in the target area by the rotation of the scanning mirror SM. In this case, the sample can be fixed. Additionally or alternatively, the sample can be placed on the sample scanning displacement stage, and the illumination position of the linear structured excitation light is scanned in the target area by the displacement of the sample. In this case, the scanning mirror SM can still be used or it can be replaced by a fixed mirror. The response light emitted by the sample is collected by the microscope objective, and then passes through the spherical lens L6, the spherical lens L5, the scanning mirror SM, the spherical lens L4, the dichroic mirror DM, and finally is captured by the camera. In addition to using the camera, other solutions such as photodetectors and image sensors can also be used alternatively to detect the response light. In Figure 11 the embodiment shown, the scanning module and the detection module share most of the optical elements, and they can be integrated into a single module called the line scanning confocal imaging module.

[0063] Refer to Figure 12 , which specifically shows the illumination patterns of the linear structured excitation light 1 and the linear structured excitation light 2 provided by the Figure 10 illumination module and projected onto the target area of the sample by the Figure 11 scanning module. As Figure 12 shown, the illumination pattern 1 is a line that is uniform in the x direction and converges maximally in the y direction, which produces the fastest intensity change in the y direction, thereby improving the imaging resolution in the y direction; the illumination pattern 2 is a row of points that are basically periodically spaced in the x direction, which produces the fastest intensity change in the x and z directions, thereby improving the imaging resolution in the x and z directions.

[0064] During the line scanning process, by controlling the Figure 10 alternate on and off of the acousto-optic tunable filters AOTF1 and AOTF2 of the illumination module, the alternate illumination of the target area of the sample by the linear structured excitation light 1 with the illumination pattern 1 and the linear structured excitation light 2 with the illumination pattern 2 is realized. During this period, the rotation motor can also be used to rotate Figure 10The transmissive grating TG of the illumination module causes the phase of the illumination pattern 2 of the linear structure excitation light 2 to continuously move in the x direction. For example, refer to Figure 13 . In this way, the information collected for the target area contains high-resolution information in the x, y, and z directions, so that an image of the target area with high resolution in the x, y, and z directions can be super-resolved and reconstructed.

[0065] Refer to Figure 14 , Figure 14 Part A of shows the imaging result of fluorescent microspheres using the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure. Figure 14 Part B of shows the imaging result of fluorescent microspheres in the same area as the area shown in Part A using a conventional confocal microscope, and Figure 14 Part C of shows the imaging result of neurons in the brain of an awake mouse using the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure. It can be seen that the imaging performance of the super-resolution imaging technology of the present disclosure is significantly better than that of the traditional imaging technology, and can resist the movement of the target area during imaging, and is very suitable for imaging living animals.

[0066] Words such as "left", "right", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "high", "low", etc. in the specification and claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and do not necessarily describe an invariant relative position. It should be understood that such words are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein, for example, can be operated in other orientations different from those shown or otherwise described herein. For example, when the device in the drawing is inverted, a feature originally described as "above" other features can now be described as "below" other features. The device can also be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the relative spatial relationship will be correspondingly interpreted at this time.

[0067] In the specification and claims, when an element is referred to as being "on", "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" to, "operatively coupled" to, or "in contact" with another element, etc., the element can be directly on, directly attached to, directly connected to, directly coupled to, directly operatively coupled to, or directly in contact with the other element, or there can be one or more intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly" on, "directly attached" to, "directly connected" to, "directly coupled" to, "directly operatively coupled" to, or "directly in contact" with another element, there will be no intervening elements. In the specification and claims, a feature being arranged "adjacent" to another feature can mean that the feature has an overlapping portion with the adjacent feature or portions located above or below the adjacent feature.

[0068] As used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and not as a "model" to be precisely replicated. Any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, the present disclosure is not limited by any of the stated or implied theories given in the technical field, background art, summary of the invention, or detailed description.

[0069] As used herein, the term "substantially" means including any minute variations caused by design or manufacturing defects, tolerances of devices or elements, environmental effects, and / or other factors. The term "substantially" also allows for differences from perfect or ideal situations due to parasitic effects, noise, and other practical considerations that may exist in an actual implementation.

[0070] Additionally, for reference purposes only, terms such as "first", "second", etc. may also be used herein and are not intended to be limiting. For example, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "first", "second", and other such numerical words referring to structures or elements do not imply an order or sequence.

[0071] It should also be understood that when the term "comprising / including" is used herein, it states the presence of the noted features, integers, steps, operations, units, and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, units, and / or components and / or their combinations.

[0072] In the present disclosure, the term "provide" is used broadly to encompass all ways of obtaining an object, and thus "providing an object" includes, but is not limited to, "purchasing", "preparing / manufacturing", "arranging / setting", "installing / assembling", and / or "ordering" the object, etc.

[0073] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0074] Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the boundaries between the above operations are merely illustrative. Multiple operations may be combined into a single operation, a single operation may be distributed over additional operations, and operations may be performed at least partially overlapping in time. Moreover, alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation, and the order of operations may be varied in other various embodiments. However, other modifications, variations and substitutions are also possible. Aspects and elements of all embodiments disclosed above may be combined in any manner and / or in combination with aspects or elements of other embodiments to provide multiple additional embodiments. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0075] While some specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein may be combined arbitrarily without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art should also understand that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A super-resolution imaging method based on line scanning, comprising: Providing a plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights, each of the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights having a different light intensity spatial distribution pattern; While switching the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights, illuminating a target area in a manner of scanning row by row along a single first direction, such that each row in the target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights, and the light spot of the line-shaped structured excitation light projected on the target area is linearly distributed; and Detecting the response light generated by each row in the target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the line-shaped structured excitation lights.

2. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights includes a first line-shaped structured excitation light and a second line-shaped structured excitation light, the first line-shaped structured excitation light having a light spot continuously extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the second line-shaped structured excitation light having a plurality of light spots substantially periodically spaced in the second direction.

3. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights includes a plurality of second line-shaped structured excitation lights, the second line-shaped structured excitation light having a plurality of light spots substantially periodically spaced in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the plurality of second line-shaped structured excitation lights having a different combination of light spot shape and spacing period compared to other second line-shaped structured excitation lights among the plurality of second line-shaped structured excitation lights.

4. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 2, wherein During the row-by-row scanning, each time the second line-shaped structured excitation light is used for illumination, the second line-shaped structured excitation light undergoes a preset phase shift in the second direction compared to the previous time the second line-shaped structured excitation light is used for illumination, and the distance of the preset phase shift is a non-integer multiple of the spacing period of the light spots of the second line-shaped structured excitation light.

5. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights includes a third line-shaped structured excitation light and a fourth line-shaped structured excitation light, the light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the third line-shaped structured excitation light being configured to improve the imaging performance in a third direction, and the light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the fourth line-shaped structured excitation light being configured to improve the imaging performance in a fourth direction different from the third direction.

6. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 5, wherein The third direction is parallel to the first direction, and the fourth direction is perpendicular to the third direction.

7. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 6, wherein, The light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the fourth line-shaped structured excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in both the fourth direction and a fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction.

8. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights further includes a fifth line-shaped structured excitation light, the light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the fifth line-shaped structured excitation light being configured to improve the imaging performance in the fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction.

9. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1, wherein, Adjacent rows in the target area are illuminated by different line-shaped structured excitation lights among the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights.

10. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1, wherein, Switching the plurality of line-shaped structured excitation lights in a preset order to illuminate the corresponding rows in the target area.

11. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1, wherein, During line-by-line scanning, the regions illuminated by the linear structure excitation light in two adjacent uses partially overlap with each other in the target region.

12. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 1, wherein, The target region includes a plurality of sub-target regions arranged along the first direction, and wherein the method includes performing the following operations on each of the plurality of sub-target regions in parallel: Illuminating the sub-target region in a line-by-line scanning manner along a single first direction while switching the multiple linear structure excitation lights, such that each row in the sub-target region is illuminated by a corresponding one of the multiple linear structure excitation lights; and Detecting the response light generated by each row in the sub-target region in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the multiple linear structure excitation lights.

13. The super-resolution imaging method according to claim 12, wherein, The first row in the first sub-target region among the plurality of sub-target regions and the second row in the second sub-target region among the plurality of sub-target regions are illuminated simultaneously, and wherein: The first row and the second row are illuminated by the same linear structure excitation light among the multiple linear structure excitation lights; or The first row and the second row are illuminated by different linear structure excitation lights among the multiple linear structure excitation lights.

14. A line-scanning based super-resolution imaging device, comprising: An illumination module configured to provide multiple linear structure excitation lights, each of the multiple linear structure excitation lights having a different light intensity spatial distribution pattern; A scanning module configured to illuminate a target region in a line-by-line scanning manner along a single first direction while switching the multiple linear structure excitation lights, such that each row in the target region is illuminated by a corresponding one of the multiple linear structure excitation lights, and the light spot of the linear structure excitation light projected on the target region is linearly distributed; and A detection module configured to detect the response light generated by each row in the target region in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the multiple linear structure excitation lights.

15. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The multiple linear structure excitation lights include a first linear structure excitation light and a second linear structure excitation light, the first linear structure excitation light having a light spot continuously extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the second linear structure excitation light having a plurality of light spots substantially periodically spaced in the second direction.

16. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, The multiple linear structure excitation lights include multiple second linear structure excitation lights, the second linear structure excitation light having a plurality of light spots substantially periodically spaced in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the multiple second linear structure excitation lights having a different combination of light spot shape and spacing period compared to other second linear structure excitation lights among the multiple second linear structure excitation lights.

17. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 15, wherein, The scanning module is further configured to, during line-by-line scanning, cause the second linear structure excitation light to undergo a preset phase shift in the second direction each time the second linear structure excitation light is used for illumination compared to the previous time the second linear structure excitation light is used for illumination, and the distance of the preset phase shift is a non-integer multiple of the spacing period of the light spots of the second linear structure excitation light.

18. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights include a third line - shaped structure excitation light and a fourth line - shaped structure excitation light. The light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the third line - shaped structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in a third direction, and the light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the fourth line - shaped structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in a fourth direction different from the third direction.

19. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 18, wherein, The third direction is parallel to the first direction, and the fourth direction is perpendicular to the third direction.

20. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 19, wherein, The light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the fourth line - shaped structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in both the fourth direction and a fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction.

21. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 19, wherein The multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights further include a fifth line - shaped structure excitation light. The light intensity spatial distribution pattern of the fifth line - shaped structure excitation light is configured to improve the imaging performance in the fifth direction, and the fifth direction is perpendicular to both the third direction and the fourth direction.

22. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The scanning module is further configured to illuminate adjacent two rows in the target area with different line - shaped structure excitation lights among the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights.

23. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The scanning module is further configured to switch the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights in a preset order to illuminate the corresponding rows in the target area.

24. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein The scanning module is further configured to make the areas illuminated by the line - shaped structure excitation lights in two adjacent uses partially overlap with each other during the row - by - row scanning in the target area.

25. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The target area includes a plurality of sub - target areas arranged along the first direction, and the scanning module is configured to perform the following operations on each of the plurality of sub - target areas in parallel: Illuminating the sub - target area in a row - by - row scanning manner along a single first direction while switching the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights, so that each row in the sub - target area is illuminated by a corresponding one of the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights. The detection module is configured to perform the following operations on each of the plurality of sub - target areas in parallel: Detecting the response light generated by each row in the sub - target area in response to being illuminated by the corresponding one of the line - shaped structure excitation lights.

26. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 25, wherein, The first row in the first sub - target area among the plurality of sub - target areas and the second row in the second sub - target area among the plurality of sub - target areas are illuminated simultaneously, and the scanning module is configured to illuminate the first row and the second row with the same line - shaped structure excitation light among the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights; or the scanning module is configured to illuminate the first row and the second row with different line - shaped structure excitation lights among the multiple line - shaped structure excitation lights.

27. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The illumination module includes: A light source configured to provide excitation light; A beam - splitting unit configured to split the excitation light from the light source into multiple beams of excitation light; A plurality of line - shaped structure excitation light generating units, each line - shaped structure excitation light generating unit being configured to receive a corresponding beam of excitation light from the beam - splitting unit and generate a corresponding one of the line - shaped structure excitation lights based on the received corresponding beam of excitation light; A combining light unit configured to combine multiple linear structure excitation lights from the multiple linear structure excitation light generation units into one beam; and Multiple optical switch units, each optical switch unit is disposed between the beam splitting unit and a corresponding linear structure excitation light generation unit and configured to control whether the excitation light from the beam splitting unit is output to the corresponding linear structure excitation light generation unit, or each optical switch unit is disposed between a corresponding linear structure excitation light generation unit and the combining light unit and configured to control whether the linear structure excitation light from the corresponding linear structure excitation light generation unit is output to the combining light unit, wherein, the linear structure excitation lights generated by different linear structure excitation light generation units among the multiple linear structure excitation light generation units have different light intensity spatial distribution patterns.

28. The super-resolution imaging device according to claim 14, wherein, The illumination module includes: A light source configured to provide excitation light; A single modulation unit configured to modulate the excitation light from the light source into linear structure excitation lights having different light intensity spatial distribution patterns.

Images