Techniques for simultaneous sampling of more than one sample plane using specular pinhole array

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for simultaneously measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths, which may be performed by an imaging device. The imaging device may include a mirror. The apparatus may include a specular pinhole array, which may include one or more pinholes. A mirror pinhole array cavity may be formed by an arrangement of the mirror and the mirror pinhole array. The specular pinhole array may be configured to focus light from one or more sample planes within the specular pinhole array cavity. The apparatus may include at least one lens that may be arranged with an array of specular pinholes to collect focused light from one or more sample planes via at least one of the one or more pinholes. The apparatus may include a detector arranged with the at least one lens to receive the collected light.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 342,213, filed on May 16, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Background Art

[0003] Confocal microscopy involves capturing multiple two-dimensional images at different sample depths. Such images can enable optical sectioning, which is the reconstruction of three-dimensional parts / elements from within the sample object. The process can be applied to a variety of objects, such as semiconductors, human and / or animal tissues, and / or metal samples, as well as other objects / materials.

[0004] In confocal microscopy, the excitation light (e.g., laser) can be focused at one depth level of the sample / object at a time. Since only one point in the sample / object is imaged at a time, confocal-based imaging requires scanning over some patterns and / or a certain number of scan lines / portions in the sample. Adjustable mirrors (e.g., motorized and / or automatically controlled) that adjust the light path can be used to facilitate scanning the sample / object over the pattern of the sample to obtain measurements from other depths of the sample within a certain scanning time period. The longer and / or more frequently the sample pattern / portion can be scanned to obtain measurements of different depths of the sample, the more excitation light radiation can be transmitted to the sample. Summary of the invention

[0005] Techniques for simultaneously measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths that can be performed by an imaging device are disclosed. The imaging device can include a mirror. The device can include a mirrored pinhole array, which can include one or more pinholes (e.g., one pinhole, at least two pinholes, a plurality of pinholes, and / or a plurality of pinholes, etc.). A mirrored pinhole array cavity can be formed by an arrangement of the mirror and the mirrored pinhole array.

[0006] The mirrored pinhole array may be configured to focus at least some of the light from one or more sample planes within the mirrored pinhole array cavity. The apparatus may include at least one lens. The at least one lens may be arranged with the mirrored pinhole array to collect at least some of the focused light from one or more sample planes via at least one of the one or more pinholes (e.g., one pinhole, at least two pinholes, a plurality of pinholes, and / or a plurality of pinholes, etc.). The apparatus may include a detector. The detector may be arranged with the at least one lens to receive at least some of the collected light.

[0007] One or more methods / processes for simultaneously measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths with an imaging device are disclosed. The imaging device may include a mirror, a mirrored pinhole array including one or more pinholes (e.g., one pinhole, at least two pinholes, a plurality of pinholes, and / or a plurality of pinholes, etc.), at least one lens, and / or a detector. One or more processes may include arranging the mirror and the mirrored pinhole array to form a mirrored pinhole array cavity. One or more processes may include focusing at least some of the light from one or more sample planes within the mirrored pinhole array.

[0008] One or more processes may include arranging a mirrored pinhole array to collect at least some of the focused light from one or more sample planes via at least one pinhole of one or more pinholes (e.g., one pinhole, at least two pinholes, a plurality of pinholes, and / or a plurality of pinholes, etc.) One or more processes may include receiving at least some of the collected light at a detector via at least one lens.

[0009] One or more processes are disclosed for simultaneously sampling different planes in a stereoscopic sample for real-time stereoscopic optical measurement of one or more sample characteristics. One or more processes may include a mirrored pinhole-array cavity for axial sampling, one or more other optical components, and at least one detector. The mirrored pinhole-array cavity may be used for passive confocal sectioning of one or more different planes, and / or may be combined with one or more different optical imaging and / or spectroscopy processes / techniques, perhaps, for example, to increase axial sampling throughput.

[0010] One or more processes described herein can improve sampling throughput and / or imaging rate with one or more (e.g., multiple) pinholes used in a cavity array. For example, applications of the technology disclosed herein can include / range from faster microscopic imaging to consumer-grade handheld compact devices that can perform snapshot stereoscopic property measurements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The elements contained herein and other features, advantages and disclosures and the manner in which they are achieved will become apparent and the present disclosure will be better understood by referring to the following description of various examples of the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 An example diagram of a device including a mirrored pinhole-array cavity is shown.

[0013] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An example of measurements made by a mirrored pinhole-array cavity of multiple samples / depth slices is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 An example flow chart of at least one process for simultaneously measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths is provided.

[0015] Figure 4 A block diagram of a hardware configuration for an example device that may be used as at least a portion of a detector for a mirrored pinhole array cavity device.

[0016] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Figure 2 shows examples of pinhole arrays fabricated on different mirror shapes.

[0017] Figure 6 An example mirrored pinhole array cavity device having one or more spectroscopic elements is shown.

[0018] Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C Experimental data obtained from an example confocal mirror pinhole array device are shown.

[0019] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example setup for wide-field and / or super-resolution imaging using a mirrored pinhole array cavity device is shown.

[0020] Fig.9A and Fig. 9B An example of a consumer-grade Raman scattering diagnostic device / process using a mirrored pinhole array cavity is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the examples illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the disclosure. It will be understood, however, that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is intended thereby.

[0022] The subject matter described herein relates to optical measurement and / or imaging processes. For example, one or more devices and / or processes described herein may provide improvements in optical techniques that may allow for simultaneous measurement of one or more sample characteristics at one or more different depths (e.g., different planes).

[0023] In one or more optical measurement processes, obtaining axial information about the sample may be difficult and / or may require axial movement of the optics and / or a (e.g., relatively) complex setup such as utilizing a light field, among other situations. For example, in the case of lateral imaging / spectroscopy (e.g., 2D information obtained from a photograph), photons may carry the information to a detector, possibly via one or more optical components, and / or may form an (e.g., commonly used) XY 2D image on a screen / display device. The in-focus information may be within the detector optics "depth of field" and / or may (e.g., possibly easily) be imaged and / or used for spectroscopy.

[0024] Photons from outside the depth of field may not be properly / sufficiently focused onto the detector, and / or may cause blur and / or background noise. These background photons may carry spectroscopic information and / or structural information of the object from which they are scattered. In one or more cases, these photons may not be correctly focused on the detector, perhaps due to the properties of the focusing lens and / or mirror, among other reasons. In such cases, in particular, light beyond the depth of field may (e.g., typically) be undesirable, harmful and / or useless.

[0025] In one or more cases, removing photons outside the depth of field can include adding a pinhole in an imaging plane (e.g., an imaging plane where a detector may or may be typically positioned). The pinhole can reject light emitted from outside the focal plane of the optical device. In such a case, light from the axial plane of interest can (e.g., can only) be allowed to reach / transmit to / transmit to a detector that can be placed on the other side of the pinhole. Such a process can make imaging of a specific depth in a sample possible, perhaps, for example, by scanning the sample axially and / or laterally with a light source such as a laser (and other light sources). Such a process may (e.g., often) require high-energy photons to be exposed to delicate or living samples for (e.g., relatively) long periods of time. For example, this may have negative effects on the sample, such as heating, photobleaching and / or phototoxicity.

[0026] In confocal imaging, photons scattered and / or radiated from other planes in the sample may (e.g., still may) contain information about the sample structure and / or spectrum. If utilized, such photons can also be used to measure one or more sample properties from one or more other sample planes. Current / existing confocal imaging configurations may not allow sampling of many planes (e.g., simultaneously) as described herein, which may result in relatively long exposure to radiation and / or may affect one or more sample properties and / or may cause one or more motion artifacts.

[0027] Techniques that provide simultaneous and / or high-resolution axial depth information for one or more planes simultaneously may be useful and / or may satisfy one or more unmet needs in the art. For example, such techniques may be used in microscopy, spectroscopy, clinical diagnostics, and / or for compact form factors, perhaps for consumer-grade devices. Such techniques may be applied to solid-state, soft material diagnostics, and / or disease detection. For example, by simultaneously obtaining information from one or more (e.g., many) planes, the burden of axial sampling through (e.g.) a large amount of mechanical effort / equipment / components may be overcome and / or exposure of the sample to (e.g., typically) intense and / or high energy radiation may be reduced.

[0028] Solutions to one or more problems in the field of optical diagnostics (e.g., slow sampling resulting in motion artifacts, long exposure times resulting in sample photobleaching and / or phototoxicity, and / or exposure of many planes to excitation light that may also result in photobleaching and / or phototoxicity) may be useful. For example, techniques that can at least partially replace one or more mechanical moving components with passive stationary components that can reduce system vibration, heat, and / or complexity may be useful.

[0029] One or more current / existing optical processes such as Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) and / or Optical Resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy (OR-PAM) can be used to sample axially in tissues simultaneously. Processes such as OCT can provide structural, polarization and / or spectral information about one or more sample characteristics. At least one physical limitation of OCT is that it lacks the ability to image fluorescence, for example, compared with the ability of confocal imaging (e.g., the intensity of confocal imaging). Other processes such as light field microscopy can measure axial information in a single irradiation, but perhaps, for example, without random "blinking" to help locate the fluorescent area, it is impossible to measure to (e.g., high) depth inside a stereoscopic sample, as well as other problems. Confocal imaging can allow imaging of fluorescence and / or backscattered light, perhaps with a (e.g., relatively) long imaging time for lateral and / or axial scanning as a compromise.

[0030] For example, one or more processes and / or devices for confocal scanning described herein can increase the number of axial slice planes and / or can reduce the sampling of (e.g., a single) detector, and a mirrored pinhole array cavity combined with an array detector can be used. The mirrored pinhole array cavity can include at least one mirror and another (e.g., a second) mirror having an array of one or more transmission pinholes. Light emitted from one or more different planes can be focused (e.g., weakly) into the cavity. The focused light can (e.g., eventually) enter at least one of the pinholes in the array that can correspond to a specific imaging plane. Light passing through one or more or each pinhole can be focused onto the array detector for simultaneous axial sampling of one or more or many planes of the sample. For example, one or more such processes and / or devices can pass the burden of axial slicing to a single cavity element and / or detector, as well as other arrangements.

[0031] Figure 1 An example diagram of a device 102 including a mirrored pinhole-array cavity is shown. The figure shows that light 104 from one or more different planes is (e.g., weakly) focused into a mirrored array cavity 106. The weakly focused light can pass through at least one of the pinholes 108 (e.g., as an example of a plurality of pinholes) in a mirror / mirror pinhole array 110 arranged with a mirror 112, perhaps based on the sample plane from which the light originates and / or the magnification of the system / device. For example, the mirrored pinhole-array cavity 106 can be used with a microscope (not shown), for example, in which a light source can be focused by one or more objective lenses (e.g., which can be Figure 1 The light collected by at least one of the lenses shown and / or additional lenses not shown) is amplified.

[0032] In one or more cases, the magnification can be related to the spacing between the sampling and imaging planes (not shown) according to the following equation: ΔZ=M 2 Δz, where ΔZ is the spacing between pinholes (not shown), M is the system magnification (e.g., before the pinholes, not shown), and Δz is the plane spacing in the sampling plane (not shown). Figure 1 As shown in , light may be weakly focused into the pinhole array cavity 106, and / or may be separated due to the imaging plane from which it originates. For example, among other kinds of sampling, the device 102 may be used for passive axial sampling.

[0033] In one or more cases, a (e.g., relatively) low numerical aperture (NA) for excitation can be used to illuminate one or more or many planes (not shown). A high NA for sampling can be used to achieve (e.g., relatively) high resolution in an axial and / or transverse plane (not shown). The light that can be collected by one or more lenses (e.g., lenses shown and / or lenses not shown) can be amplified, perhaps for example to obtain a larger spacing between different imaging planes. For example, light can be weakly focused into a mirror pinhole-array cavity 106 and / or can be sampled axially. Light can be collected by one or more lenses (e.g., lenses shown and / or lenses not shown) and / or relays before incident and / or focusing on a detector.

[0034] In one or more cases, a mirrored pinhole array cavity can be created using mirrors that can face each other. The angle of the first mirror that can contain the pinhole array can be offset by a few degrees from the normal to the incident beam, perhaps, for example, to reflect light toward a second mirror in the cavity. Figure 1 In the example of , the first mirror 110 includes a pinhole 108, but the mirror position can also be changed. In one or more cases, the diameter (not shown) of the pinhole 108 can be a preselected diameter.

[0035] In one or more cases, the angle range can be some degree from >0 degrees to <90 degrees from the normal to the mirror surface. Angles very close to or close to 0 degrees may not be useful because such angles may send light back along the same path that the light entered. For example, angles very close to or close to 90 degrees may not be useful because such angles may send light directly through the cavity without hitting the mirror. In one or more cases, the spacing of the pinholes 108 and / or the shape of the pinholes 108 can be considered in the angle selection.

[0036] In one or more cases, pinholes 108 may be deployed at linear or non-linear intervals (not shown). The spacing between mirrors 110 and 112 may be adjusted, for example, based on the magnification of the system as described herein and / or the desired distance between one or more sampling planes. One or more (e.g., single) XY scans may be used, for example, to form one or more stereo images, perhaps in place of one or more XYZ scans.

[0037] The pinhole diameter can be selected based on the desired axial and / or lateral resolution of the system. In one or more cases, the pinhole diameter can be determined by the wavelength of illumination and / or the radiation detected. For example, a standard range of 0.25 Airy Units (AU) to 3 Airy Units can be selected to balance the signal-to-noise ratio and / or to achieve high resolution, which can depend on system settings (e.g., the numerical aperture of the objective lens, the refractive index of the immersion medium (immersion media) and / or the efficiency of the optical device), the illumination wavelength, the detection wavelength and / or the number of photons collected. In one or more cases, the shape of the pinhole can be elliptical, perhaps for example, so that the cross-section can be approximately circular based on light incident at a certain angle, as well as other cases.

[0038] The axial resolution can be expressed by the general confocal equation where FWHM is the full width at half maximum of the measured point spread function (PSF), and λ em is the emission wavelength, n is the refractive index of the medium, NA is the collection numerical aperture, and PH is the pinhole diameter. A larger pinhole can obtain a higher signal, perhaps at the expense of some compromises in terms of reducing the resolution improvement of the confocal. The sample plane can, for example, have different NAs depending on the location of the collected light. Perhaps, for example, in order to maintain a constant SNR and / or axial sampling resolution, a nonlinear distribution of pinhole size and / or spacing can be used to maintain similar axial and / or lateral resolution (e.g., as provided by the equations in this article). For example, light collected closer to the objective lens can have a higher NA than light collected farther away from the objective lens. Perhaps, for example, because the axial resolution is inversely proportional to the square of the NA, as well as other reasons, a nonlinear distribution of pinhole size and / or the distance between pinholes can be used to maintain consistent resolution.

[0039] In one or more cases, a particular sample plane can be selected by a geometric calculation of the angle of incidence of radiation into the pinhole mirror cavity. This can place a first image focal plane (e.g., an imaging plane associated with the sample plane closest to the objective) in the location of the first pinhole. The spacing of the reflector (e.g., a mirror without a pinhole array, such as mirror 112) can be adjusted in such a way that the distance that light can (e.g., must) travel between a first reflection from the pinhole array mirror (e.g., mirror 110) to the reflector and then back to the pinhole array mirror can be equal to a certain distance D. In one or more cases, D can be calculated according to the equation is related to the distance z between the sample planes, where M is the magnification of the system. In one or more cases, ΔD can be related to, can be equal to, and / or can correspond to ΔZ as described herein.

[0040] In one or more cases, a mirror containing pinholes may contain one or more or more arrays of pinholes at one or more different locations on the mirror. The array of pinholes on the mirror may then be selected to match the user's sampling requirements, such as, for example Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown in Figure 5A and Figure 5B , pinhole arrays 502 and 504 on different mirror shapes are shown as examples of fabrication. Figure 5A and Figure 5B Array shapes other than those shown in are also contemplated. The circles are pinholes that may have different sizes and / or spacings. For example, in one or more cases, it may be useful to fabricate a nonlinear array of pinholes for sampling one or more different planes at a known location and / or to vary the sampling thickness of one or more or each plane.

[0041] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An example of a measurement performed by a multiple sample / depth slice mirrored pinhole-array cavity is shown, where multiple samples are imaged. Figure 2A As shown in , the USAF resolution target was sampled at multiple depths to determine the lateral and axial resolution. Figure 2B Seven planes of a target imaged via at least seven pinholes of a mirrored pinhole array are shown. The lateral resolution may depend on the illumination NA and was determined to be 0.73 μm at an illumination wavelength of 650 nm in one or more test cases. According to the equation Axial resolution can depend on the collection NA and / or the size of the pinhole diameter and / or the wavelength of the collected radiation (e.g., as described herein).

[0042] In one or more cases, such as Figure 6 As shown in , the mirrored pinhole array cavity device can have one or more spectral elements that can add the ability / performance to acquire spectral data. In one or more cases, the mirrored pinhole array cavity device system can (e.g., simultaneously) utilize one or more or more excitation beams to excite one or more or many fluorophores and / or be used in a reflective configuration (e.g., spectral, reflective, and / or confocal).

[0043] Figure 6An example mirrored pinhole array cavity device 602 with one or more spectral elements is shown. A tube lens (TL) 604 may be used to focus light into a mirrored pinhole array cavity 606. A transmission grating (TG) 608 may be used to separate the spectrum, perhaps for example on the transmission side of the mirrored pinhole array cavity 606. The spectrum may be imaged together with the 0th order transmission, perhaps for example to determine the amount of light absorbed, reflected and / or fluoresced from one or more different planes.

[0044] For example, Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C Experimental data obtained from an example confocal mirror pinhole array cavity device, such as a microscope, is shown. Fig. 7A An example device / system setup / configuration 702 is shown for an experimental demonstration of passive axial scanning of a reflective 1951 USAF resolution target (e.g., 3 groups, 6 elements). The target is placed at a (e.g., relatively) small angle θ to demonstrate the sample horizontal slicing capabilities of the device. For example, P1, P2, and P10 are images produced by pinholes 1, 2, and 10 during a (e.g., single) lateral scan.

[0045] Figure 7B The experimental results of scanning a 1951 USAF target at different angles are shown. Figure 7B The top portion of shows each individual reconstructed plane from ten (10) different pinholes. Figure 7B The middle part of shows the z-projection of images P1 to P10. Figure 7B The bottom portion shows an XZ view of the generated volume. Figure 7C A 6 μm diameter fluorescent sphere sample is shown imaged using the fluorescence mode of a confocal mirror pinhole array cavity microscope. Figure 7B The experimental results are based on the same principle, but fluorescence is imaged instead of reflectance. Figure 7C The top shows the Figure 7B The result is roughly the same as the top, except that Figure 7C Imaging of fluorescent spheres in . Figure 7C The middle part shows Figure 7B The middle part is roughly the same, except that Figure 7C Imaging of fluorescent spheres in . Figure 7C The bottom shows Figure 7B The bottom of the Figure 7C Imaging of fluorescent spheres in .

[0046] The data collected from the confocal pinhole array can be used for axial sampling in reflection confocal, Raman, fluorescence, and / or any other optical radiation method. This can allow different applications of axial sampling processes using mirrored pinhole array cavities. For example, in the case of spectral sampling, the data can be used for optoelectronic characterization of solid and / or soft materials. For example, in the case of soft materials, the characterization can be used for diagnosis. For example, spectral reflectance microscopy with passive axial sampling can obtain (e.g., real-time) imaging of blood and / or tissue functional information. For example, in one or more cases, one or more mirrored pinhole array cavity device processes can include determining the oxygen level of a single cell in the body.

[0047] Confocal microscopy is one of many applications of the confocal mirror pinhole array cavity device and process. At least another application may be to segment one or more or more imaging planes in widefield imaging. At least another application may be to use the system in photon localization super-resolution microscopy. In widefield type applications, the optics of the detector may be changed to project the image, perhaps for example instead of focusing a point source. For example, in photon localization, the optics may be the same as widefield, but perhaps the stochastic properties of the fluorophores may allow stochastic optical reconstruction of one or more or many planes for super-resolution tissue imaging, an example of which is shown in Fig. 8A and Figure 8B middle.

[0048] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example setup for widefield and / or super-resolution imaging using a mirrored pinhole array cavity device 802 is shown. Perhaps unlike confocal microscopy, the light may not be scanned and / or may be focused to project an image onto a detector. For example, in the case of random light, light intensity variations from one or more different planes may be controlled for super-resolution photon localization in different tissue planes.

[0049] In one or more cases, the passive axial sampling process and device can be used in a consumer-grade diagnostic device.Perhaps instead of convolving imaging planes and / or a single imaging plane, more than one or more imaging planes can be utilized to detect tissue conditions. Fig.9A and Fig. 9BAn example concept using Raman scattering from one or more different planes is shown in . In at least one consumer-level device 902, a laser diode LD with a (e.g., relatively) large diameter beam can be used to irradiate tissue, perhaps for example in contact mode. The light can be collected by a lens L1. The laser can be removed using a filter DCF. The Raman scattered light can be focused into a confocal MPA cavity that can be formed between a mirror M and a mirror pinhole array MPA. The mirror pinhole array MPA can slice one or more or each plane. For example, perhaps because the light can come from a (e.g., relatively) large area of ​​tissue (not shown), as well as other reasons, one or more bulk properties can be measured at one or more different tissue layers.

[0050] exist Fig.9A In the embodiment of the present invention, a transmission grating (not shown) and / or lens L2 and / or lens L3 may be used to separate the light, perhaps before detection using an array detector, perhaps after passing through corresponding pinholes of the MPA that may correspond to specific depths in the tissue. One or more or each planar Raman spectrum may be analyzed, perhaps for example, to determine biomolecules (e.g., collagen, melanin, and / or elastin, etc.) in the tissue layer. The presence of the biomolecules may then be analyzed, perhaps for example, to determine tissue health and / or possible recommended products and / or medical visits.

[0051] In other words, Fig.9A One or more internal optical components of a consumer-grade Raman scattering diagnostic device 902 using an MPA cavity are shown. Light from a laser diode LD can pass through a window. For example, backscattered light can pass through a dichroic filter DCF to remove laser light and / or allow Raman scattering to pass through. Lens L1 can be used to focus the light into the MPA cavity. The MPA cavity can be formed by a mirrored pinhole array MPA and a mirror M. Light passing through the pinholes can be transmitted to a detector using lenses L2 and / or L3. Fig. 9B An example housing 904 of a device 902 having an operator / consumer activated button that may be used to acquire data is shown.

[0052] exist Figure 3 In the example process of measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths simultaneously, block diagram 300 shows an example process for measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths simultaneously. The method can be performed by an imaging device and other devices. The imaging device can include a mirror, a mirror pinhole array that can include one or more pinholes (e.g., one pinhole, at least two pinholes, a plurality of pinholes, and / or a plurality of pinholes, etc.), at least one lens, and / or a detector. At 302, the process can be started or restarted.

[0053] At 304, the imaging device may arrange the mirror and the specular pinhole array to form a specular pinhole array cavity. At 306, the imaging device may focus at least some of the light from the one or more sample planes within the specular pinhole array.

[0054] At 308, the imaging device may arrange a mirrored pinhole array to collect at least some of the focused light from one or more sample planes via at least one of the one or more pinholes. At 310, the imaging device may receive at least some of the collected light at a detector via at least one lens. At 312, the process may be stopped or restarted.

[0055] For example, Figure 4 4 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration of an example device that can act as a control device / logic controller, which can be used as, including, controlling any detector and / or any imaging device described herein, and / or communicating with any detector and / or any imaging device described herein. Hardware configuration 400 can be operable to facilitate the transfer of information from an internal server of the device. Hardware configuration 400 can include processor 410, memory 420, storage device 430 and / or input / output device 440. One or more of components 410, 420, 430 and 440 can be interconnected, for example, using system bus 450. Processor 410 can process instructions for execution within hardware configuration 400. Processor 410 can be a single-threaded processor or processor 410 can be a multi-threaded processor. Processor 410 can be capable of processing instructions stored in memory 420 and / or storage device 430.

[0056] The memory 420 can store information within the hardware configuration 400. The memory 420 can be a computer-readable medium (CRM), such as a non-transitory CRM. The memory 420 can be a volatile memory unit and / or can be a non-volatile memory unit.

[0057] The storage device 430 may be capable of providing mass storage for the hardware configuration 400. The storage device 430 may be a computer readable medium (CRM), such as a non-transitory CRM. The storage device 430 may include, for example, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a flash memory, and / or some other mass storage device. The storage device 430 may be a device external to the hardware configuration 400.

[0058] The input / output devices 440 may provide input / output operations for the hardware configuration 400. The input / output devices 440 (e.g., transceiver devices) may include one or more of the following: a network interface device (e.g., an Ethernet card), a serial communication device (e.g., an RS-232 port), one or more universal serial bus (USB) interfaces (e.g., USB 2.0 ports), and / or a wireless interface device (e.g., an 802.11 card). The input / output devices may include a device configured to send data to one or more networks (e.g., Figure 1 Manufacturing control network 130) to send communications and / or from one or more networks (e.g., Figure 1 The input / output device 400 may communicate with one or more input / output modules (not shown) that may be located near the hardware configuration 400 and / or may be located remotely from the hardware configuration 400. The one or more output modules may provide input / output functionality in a digital signal format, a discrete signal format, a TTL format, an analog signal format, a serial communication protocol, a fieldbus protocol communication, and / or other open or proprietary communication protocols, etc.

[0059] The camera device 460 can provide digital video input / output capabilities for the hardware configuration 400. The camera device 460 can communicate with any of the elements of the hardware configuration 400, perhaps, for example, via the system bus 450. The camera device 460 can capture digital images and / or can scan various types of images, such as Universal Product Code (UPC) codes and / or Quick Response (QR) codes, as well as other images as described herein. In one or more cases, the camera device 460 can be the same and / or substantially similar to any of the other camera devices described herein.

[0060] Camera device 460 may include at least one microphone device and / or at least one speaker device. The input / output of camera device 460 may include audio signals / data packets / components, perhaps, for example, separate / separable from the video signals / data packets / components of camera device 460, or some of which (e.g., separable) are combined with the video signals / data packets / components of camera device 460.

[0061] The camera device 460 can communicate wired and / or wirelessly with the hardware configuration 400. In one or more cases, the camera device 460 can be external to the hardware configuration 400. In one or more cases, the camera device 460 can be internal to the hardware configuration 400.

[0062] The subject matter of the present disclosure and its components can be implemented by instructions, which, when executed, cause one or more processing devices to perform the processes and / or functions described herein. Such instructions can, for example, include interpretation instructions (e.g., script instructions such as JavaScript or ECMAScript instructions) or executable code, and / or other instructions stored in a computer-readable medium.

[0063] The implementation of the subject matter and / or functional operations described in this specification and / or the drawings may be provided in digital electronic circuitry, in computer software, firmware and / or hardware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents) and / or a combination of one or more of them. The subject matter described in this specification may be implemented as one or more computer program products for executing by a data processing device and / or controlling the operation of the data processing device, such as one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier.

[0064] A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, software application, script or code) may be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages ​​and / or descriptive languages ​​or procedural languages. It may be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine and / or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may or may not correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs and / or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question and / or in multiple coordination files (e.g., files storing portions of one or more modules, subroutines or codes). A computer program may be deployed to execute on one or more computers, which may be located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and / or interconnected by a communication network.

[0065] The processes and / or logic flows described in this specification and / or the accompanying drawings may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and / or generating outputs, thereby connecting the processes to a specific machine (e.g., a machine programmed to perform the processes described herein). The processes and / or logic flows may also be performed by a dedicated logic circuit (e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) and / or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit)), and the device may also be implemented as a dedicated logic circuit (e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) and / or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit)).

[0066] Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and / or data may include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and storage devices, including, by way of example, semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM and / or flash memory devices); magnetic disks (e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks); magneto-optical disks; and / or CD ROM and DVD ROM disks. The processor and / or the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0067] Although this specification and the accompanying drawings contain many specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of any invention and / or the scope that can be claimed, but as a description of the features that can be specific to the described example embodiments. Certain features described in the context of different embodiments in this specification may also be implemented in combination in one embodiment. The individual features described in the context of one embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple combinations. Although features may be described as working in some combination and / or may even (for example, initially) claim to be so, one or more features in the claimed combination may be deleted from the combination in some cases. The claimed combination may involve variants of sub-combinations and / or sub-combinations.

[0068] Although operations may be depicted in a certain order in the drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, and / or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve useful results. The described program components and / or systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product and / or packaged into multiple software products.

[0069] Examples of the subject matter described in this specification have been described. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve useful results. For example, the processes described in the accompanying drawings do not require the particular order and / or sequential order shown to achieve useful results. In one or more cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0070] While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, it is to be considered illustrative and not restrictive in nature, it being understood that only certain examples have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the present disclosure are desired to be protected.

Claims

1. An imaging device configured to simultaneously measure one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths, the device comprising: mirror; a mirrored pinhole array comprising one or more pinholes; a specular pinhole array cavity formed by the arrangement of the mirror and the specular pinhole array, the specular pinhole array being configured to focus at least some light from one or more sample planes within the specular pinhole array cavity; at least one lens arranged with the mirrored pinhole array to collect at least some of the focused light from the one or more sample planes via at least one of the one or more pinholes; as well as A detector is arranged with the at least one lens to receive at least some of the collected light.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mirrored pinhole array is further configured to focus a majority of the light from one or more sample planes.

3. A device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mirror pinhole array is further configured so that at least some of the one or more pinholes through which focused light from the one or more sample planes is transmitted to at least one pinhole of the at least one lens is based on at least one of: the sample plane from which the light originates, or the magnification of the device.

4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement of the mirror and the mirrored pinhole array forms a confocal mirrored pinhole array cavity.

5. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the specular pinhole array is at least one of a circular specular pinhole array or a rectangular specular pinhole array.

6. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more pinholes of the specular pinhole array are a first pinhole array arranged at a first position on the specular pinhole array, the apparatus further comprising: At least a second pinhole array is disposed at a second position on the mirrored pinhole array.

7. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an excitation beam generator configured to provide one or more excitation beams to the one or more sample planes.

8. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a transmission grating disposed on a transmission side of the mirrored pinhole array, the transmission grating being configured to separate the spectrum of light transmitted between the mirrored pinhole array and the detector.

9. The apparatus of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a tube lens arranged with the mirrored pinhole array cavity such that the tube lens focuses at least some of the light from the one or more sample planes into the mirrored pinhole array cavity.

10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the imaging device is a microscope, a spectrometer, or an imaging scanner.

11. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the specular pinhole array is configured such that a spacing of the one or more pinholes is at least one of linear or non-linear.

12. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the specular pinhole array is configured such that the spacing between the one or more pinholes is a function of the product of the square of the device magnification before the pinholes and the spacing between the one or more sampling planes.

13. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the mirrored pinhole array cavity is arranged such that at least some of the collected light corresponds to passive axial sampling of the sample.

14. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein one or more characteristics of the sample include at least one of reflectivity, Raman effect, fluorescence, or random radiation, and at least one of the one or more characteristics of the sample is used for super-resolution of the one or more sample planes.

15. A method of simultaneously measuring one or more characteristics of a sample at one or more sample depths using an imaging device, the imaging device comprising a mirror, a mirrored pinhole array comprising one or more pinholes, at least one lens and a detector, the method comprising: arranging the mirror and the mirrored pinhole array to form a mirrored pinhole array cavity; focusing at least some of the light from one or more sample planes into the mirrored pinhole array cavity; arranging the mirrored pinhole array to collect at least some of the focused light from the one or more sample planes via at least one of the one or more pinholes; as well as At least some of the collected light is received at the detector via the at least one lens.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the mirrored pinhole array so that at least some of the one or more pinholes through which focused light from the one or more sample planes is transmitted to at least one pinhole of the at least one lens is based on at least one of: the sample plane from which the light originates, or the magnification of the device.

17. A method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the arrangement of the mirror and the mirrored pinhole array comprises forming a confocal mirrored pinhole array cavity.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the one or more pinholes of the specular pinhole array are a first pinhole array disposed at a first position on the specular pinhole array, the method further comprising: At least a second pinhole array is disposed at a second position on the mirror pinhole array.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, further comprising: The specular pinhole array is configured such that a spacing between the one or more pinholes is based on a function of a product of a square of a device magnification before the pinholes and a spacing between the one or more sampling planes.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, further comprising: A tube lens is arranged with the specular pinhole array cavity such that the tube lens focuses at least some of the light from the one or more sample planes into the specular pinhole array cavity.

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