Visible light to near-infrared two-region large field of view optical imaging system and imaging method

Abstract

The application provides a visible light to near-infrared two-region large field of view optical imaging system and method, which comprises: a plurality of LED light source modules, each LED light source module comprising at least one single-wavelength LED light source, and the total wavelength range of the plurality of LED light source modules covering the visible light to near-infrared two-region waveband; a lens for transmitting and collimating the light beams emitted by the LED light source modules and then making the light beams incident to a sample to be measured, exciting the sample to be measured to emit a fluorescent signal, and collecting the fluorescent signal by the lens; and an image capturing device for detecting the fluorescent signal collected by the lens. Through the visible light to near-infrared two-region large field of view optical imaging system and method, real-time, large field of view, high throughput, high time resolution and low distortion imaging effects can be obtained, and meanwhile, the system structure is simple and the operation complexity is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical imaging technology, and in particular to a wide field-of-view optical imaging system and imaging method in the visible to near-infrared two-zone region. Background Technology

[0002] To obtain sample information with a wider field of view, large field-of-view optical imaging technology has been continuously developed, and corresponding imaging systems are widely used in fields such as biomedical imaging. Traditional large field-of-view imaging technology often uses a single light source for illumination. However, the illumination field generated by a single light source being collimated and focused will exhibit a distribution that is strong in the center and weak at the edges. As a result, the image obtained will be affected by the unevenness of the illumination field and will show a certain degree of distortion.

[0003] On the other hand, due to limitations in manufacturing capabilities and processes, early detectors primarily focused on the 400-1000 nm detection band, confining the operating band of traditional large field-of-view imaging technologies mainly to this range. However, biological tissues exhibit significant scattering and absorption of photons in this band, and the autofluorescence of biological tissues within this band cannot be ignored in interfering with image quality. Therefore, expanding the spectral range of large field-of-view imaging technologies plays a significant role in improving the performance of large field-of-view imaging in deep imaging.

[0004] In addition, patent CN202110974519.X proposes a large field-of-view optical imaging method based on electronically controlled gating, which uses a lens array to image light at different field-of-view angles; however, this imaging system has many components and complex control, and also requires image stitching to achieve large field-of-view imaging, making it impossible to achieve real-time acquisition of large field-of-view images.

[0005] In summary, there is an urgent need to develop an imaging technology with a large field of view, high throughput, and wide spectrum. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a wide field-of-view optical imaging system and method in the visible to near-infrared dual-zone, to at least solve one of the problems existing in related technologies. To achieve this objective, this invention is implemented through the following technical solutions.

[0007] This invention provides a wide field-of-view optical imaging system for the visible to near-infrared II region, comprising: multiple LED light source modules, each LED light source module containing at least one single-wavelength LED light source, the total wavelength range of the multiple LED light source modules covering the visible to near-infrared II band; a lens for transmitting and collimating the light beams emitted from each of the LED light source modules and incident them onto the sample to be tested, exciting the sample to emit a fluorescence signal, the fluorescence signal being collected by the lens; and an image capture device for detecting the fluorescence signal collected by the lens.

[0008] Furthermore, the lens has a size greater than 120mm.

[0009] Furthermore, the LED light source modules of multiple different wavelength bands are symmetrically and uniformly distributed relative to the lens.

[0010] Furthermore, each of the LED light source modules is provided with a corresponding reflector to reflect the light beam emitted from the corresponding LED light source module to the lens.

[0011] Furthermore, the visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system also includes a three-dimensional stage located downstream of the lens along the optical path, used to place and move the sample to be tested.

[0012] Furthermore, the sample to be tested is placed within the overlapping light field region formed by the beams emitted from the plurality of LED light source modules after being transmitted and collimated by the lens.

[0013] Furthermore, the visible light to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system also includes an image display device, wherein the image capture device converts the detected light signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the image display device for image display.

[0014] Furthermore, the visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system also includes a control unit for controlling the selection of light source wavelengths and emission timing of the multiple LED light source modules.

[0015] Furthermore, a filter is provided between the lens and the image capturing device, so that the fluorescence signal collected by the lens is filtered out by the filter before being detected by the image capturing device.

[0016] Another aspect of the present invention provides an imaging method for a wide field-of-view optical imaging system in the visible to near-infrared II region, comprising: emitting beams containing at least one single-wavelength LED from a plurality of LED light source modules symmetrically and uniformly distributed relative to a lens, wherein the total wavelength range of the plurality of LED light source modules covers the visible to near-infrared II band; the beams emitted by the plurality of LED light source modules are transmitted through the lens and collimated before being incident on a sample to be tested, thereby exciting the sample to emit a fluorescence signal, which is collected by the lens, wherein the sample to be tested is placed within an overlapping light field region formed by the transmission and collimation of the beams emitted by the plurality of LED light source modules through the lens; and detecting the fluorescence signal collected by the lens using an image capture device.

[0017] The embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: (1) This invention proposes a visible to near-infrared dual-zone large field-of-view imaging system and method based on LED excitation light source, which can obtain real-time, large field of view, high throughput, high temporal resolution and low distortion imaging effect. At the same time, the system structure is simple and the control complexity is low.

[0018] (2) The beams emitted from multiple symmetrically and uniformly distributed multi-wavelength LED light source modules are collimated by the same lens. In the area where multiple collimated beams overlap, an illumination field with a more uniform intensity distribution than a single collimated beam will appear, reducing the adverse effects of uneven intensity distribution of the illumination field on image quality. Therefore, the present invention can achieve high-throughput imaging with low distortion and a field diameter of over 10 cm.

[0019] (3) The LED light source module used in this invention covers the spectral range from visible light to near-infrared II. In addition to conventional thin sample imaging, it will have a deeper imaging depth when imaging biological samples. Therefore, this invention has a wider range of imaging applications. Furthermore, the scattering and absorption of photons by biological tissues in the near-infrared II band (1000-1700 nm) are relatively weak, which gives near-infrared II imaging advantages such as large imaging depth, high spatial resolution, and low image background.

[0020] (4) The large field of view imaging of the present invention does not require image stitching as described in the prior art. Real-time large field of view imaging can be achieved through an image capture device (such as a camera lens), and the number of hardware components is less, significantly reducing the complexity of control. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path of a wide field-of-view optical imaging system in the visible to near-infrared two-zone region according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Reference numerals: 1-First LED light source module; 2-First reflector; 3-Second LED light source module; 4-Second reflector; 5-Lens; 6-Three-dimensional stage; 7-Filter; 8-Camera (lens installed); 9-Data transmission and synchronization cable; 10-Computer Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many technical details are presented in the various embodiments of the present invention to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, the technical solutions claimed in this application can be implemented even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments. The division of the various embodiments below is for ease of description and should not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present invention. The various embodiments can be combined with and referenced by each other without contradiction.

[0025] This invention provides a wide field-of-view optical imaging system in the visible to near-infrared two-zone region. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path of a wide field-of-view optical imaging system in the visible to near-infrared dual-region according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system includes: multiple LED light source modules, a lens 5, and an image capture device 8. In this embodiment, the design concept of the invention is illustrated using two LED light source modules (first LED light source module 1 and second LED light source module 3) as an example; the specific number of LED light source modules can be expanded according to actual needs.

[0026] The entire imaging system can be divided into three parts: wide field-of-view illumination, wide field-of-view imaging, and image display, as detailed below: (1) Large field of view illumination: Two beams emitted from two multi-wavelength LED light source modules 1 and 3, which are symmetrically distributed with respect to lens 5, are collimated by lens 5 and then illuminate the sample. The sample to be tested is placed in the overlapping light field area formed by the beams emitted from LED light source modules 1 and 3 after being transmitted and collimated by lens 5. Because a more uniform illumination light field with a more uniform intensity distribution than a single collimated beam will appear in the overlapping area of ​​the two collimated beams, the fluorescent material in the sample can be excited, and high-throughput imaging with small distortion can be achieved, with a field diameter of more than 10 cm.

[0027] (2) Wide field of view imaging: After the fluorescent material in the sample is excited, it will emit a fluorescent signal. The fluorescent signal is collected by the collimating lens 5, and the scattered signal of the excitation light is filtered out by the filter 7 set between the lens 5 and the image capturing device before being detected by the image capturing device. In this embodiment, the image capturing device is a camera 8 with a lens installed. The filtered fluorescent signal is imaged onto the camera chip by the lens and detected by it.

[0028] (3) Image display: The camera 8 converts the detected light signal into an electrical signal, which is then displayed in real time on the image display device via a data transmission and synchronization cable. In this embodiment, the image display device can be the display screen of the computer 10.

[0029] In this embodiment, the visible light to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system also includes a control unit for controlling the selection of light source wavelengths and emission timing of LED light source modules 1 and 3, and for synchronously controlling each LED light source module.

[0030] The following is about Figure 1 The optical path of the illustrated embodiment is described in detail.

[0031] Each LED light source module is equipped with a corresponding reflector to reflect the light beam emitted by the corresponding LED light source module to lens 5. Specifically, a single LED beam emitted from the first LED light source module 1 is incident on the first reflector 2 and emitted; the reflected light from the first reflector 2 is incident on the rear surface of lens 5 and transmitted. A single LED beam emitted from the second LED light source module 3 is incident on the second reflector 4 and emitted; the reflected light from the second reflector 4 is incident on the rear surface of lens 5 and transmitted. The two LED beams are collimated by lens 5 and illuminate the sample placed on the high-precision three-dimensional stage 6 to excite the fluorescent material within the sample. It is worth noting that the first LED light source module 1 and the second LED light source module 3 may each contain multiple single-wavelength LED light sources, with a total spectral range covering the visible to near-infrared II band. Furthermore, lens 5 is a large-size lens with a size greater than 120 mm.

[0032] The beams emitted from multiple symmetrically and uniformly distributed multi-wavelength LED light source modules are collimated by the same lens. In the area where multiple collimated beams overlap, an illumination field with a more uniform intensity distribution than a single collimated beam will appear. This reduces the adverse effects of uneven intensity distribution of the illumination field on image quality. Therefore, this invention can achieve high-throughput imaging with low distortion and a field of view diameter of over 10 cm.

[0033] The fluorescent material in the sample emits a fluorescent signal when excited by an LED beam; the fluorescent signal returns along the same path and is collected by lens 5, passes through the camera lens and is imaged on the chip of camera 8 and detected by it.

[0034] The camera 8 converts the detected light signal into an electrical signal, which is then displayed in real time on the screen of the computer 10 via the data transmission and synchronization cable 9.

[0035] The visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system also includes a high-precision three-dimensional stage 6, located downstream of the lens 5 along the optical path, for placing and moving the sample to be tested. It can achieve high-precision adjustment in three dimensions for focusing and imaging field of view adjustment.

[0036] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wide field-of-view optical imaging system in the visible to near-infrared dual-zone, characterized in that, include: Multiple LED light source modules, each of which contains at least one single-wavelength LED light source, and the total wavelength range of the multiple LED light source modules covers the visible light to near-infrared II band; A lens is used to transmit and collimate the light beam emitted from each of the LED light source modules and then incident it onto the sample to be tested, thereby exciting the sample to emit a fluorescence signal, which is then collected by the lens. An image capturing device for detecting fluorescence signals collected by the lens.

2. The visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens has a size greater than 120mm.

3. The visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The LED light source modules of multiple different wavelength bands are symmetrically and uniformly distributed relative to the lens.

4. The visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the LED light source modules is provided with a corresponding reflector to reflect the light beam emitted from the corresponding LED light source module to the lens.

5. The visible to near-infrared dual-region wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A three-dimensional stage is located downstream of the lens along the optical path and is used to place and move the sample to be tested.

6. The visible to near-infrared dual-region wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sample to be tested is placed within the overlapping light field region formed by the beams emitted from the multiple LED light source modules after being transmitted and collimated by the lens.

7. The visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an image display device, wherein the image capture device converts the detected light signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the image display device for image display.

8. The visible to near-infrared dual-zone wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a control unit for controlling the selection of light source wavelengths and emission timing of the multiple LED light source modules.

9. The visible to near-infrared dual-region wide field-of-view optical imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A filter is disposed between the lens and the image capturing device. The fluorescence signal collected by the lens is filtered out by the filter before being detected by the image capturing device.

10. An imaging method for a wide field-of-view optical imaging system in the visible to near-infrared dual-zone according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, include: Multiple LED light source modules, symmetrically and uniformly distributed relative to the lens, each emit a beam containing at least one single-wavelength LED, and the total wavelength range of the multiple LED light source modules covers the visible light to near-infrared II band. The light beams emitted from the plurality of LED light source modules are transmitted and collimated by the lens and then incident on the sample to be tested, exciting the sample to emit a fluorescence signal. The fluorescence signal is collected by the lens. The sample to be tested is placed within the overlapping light field region formed by the light beams emitted from the plurality of LED light source modules after being transmitted and collimated by the lens. The fluorescence signal collected by the lens is detected using an image capture device.

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