Installation and debugging method of structured light illumination system

Abstract

The invention provides an installation and debugging method for a structured light illumination system. The installation and debugging method comprises the steps of installing an illumination module; a reflector assembly is installed; a lighting module and a reflector assembly are fixed in a structural frame of the structured light lighting system, and a light path is adjusted; the lighting module is installed on a light machine; the first lens, the second lens and the third lens are designed and mounted according to an optical path; installing a grating and a diaphragm according to the light path design; and finely adjusting the structured light stripes. The installation and debugging method is carried out according to the principle of from top to bottom and from simple to complex, and since the optical grating divides the light beam into multiple beams, in order to simplify the installation and debugging difficulty, the optical grating is finally installed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of super-resolution microscopes, and more specifically to an installation and debugging method for a structured light illumination system. Background Art

[0002] In the past decade, super-resolution microscopy technology has developed rapidly. Currently, common super-resolution microscopy technologies include: Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy (STED), Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM), Photo Activated Localization Microscopy (PALM), and Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM). Traditional optical manufacturers have also launched many related products based on the above technologies, such as Nikon N-SIM series, N-STORM, Leica SRGSD 3D, Zeiss Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM, etc.

[0003] Among the above-mentioned technologies, SIM has the advantages of fast imaging speed, low photobleaching, and large imaging field of view, and is very suitable for application in the gene sequencing industry.

[0004] However, most of the products on the market are based on high-magnification and small-field-of-view objective lenses, usually above 60x, with a maximum field of view of only 0.4mm. Most of the field of view of sequencers on the market is above 1mm, and there are no relevant technical methods; that is, the existing structured light illumination technology is based on high-magnification objective lens design, with a very small field of view, which does not meet the high-throughput requirements of sequencers. In addition, there is currently no corresponding installation and debugging technology for structured light illumination systems. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an installation and debugging method of a structured light illumination system, and the technical solution is as follows:

[0006] A method for installing and debugging a structured light illumination system, the structured light illumination system comprising: an optical fiber interface, a collimating lens, a grating, a first lens, an aperture, a second lens, a reflector and a third lens;

[0007] The installation and debugging method comprises:

[0008] Installing a lighting module, the lighting module comprising the optical fiber interface and the collimating lens;

[0009] Install a reflector assembly, the reflector assembly comprising a reflector base and the reflector;

[0010] The lighting module and the reflector assembly are fixed in the structural frame of the structured light lighting system, wherein the adjustment reflector is placed at the first surface, the lighting module is adjusted so that the reflected light coincides with the optical fiber interface, a concentric target is placed on the first surface, and the lighting module is translated so that the illumination spot coincides with the center of the concentric target, and the first surface is the surface of the reflector assembly facing the lighting module;

[0011] Installing the lighting module on the light machine;

[0012] Install the first lens, the second lens and the third lens according to the optical path design;

[0013] Install the grating and the aperture according to the optical path design;

[0014] Fine-tune structured light stripes.

[0015] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the step of installing the lighting module comprises:

[0016] Connect the light source to the optical fiber interface, then align the lighting module with the target plane, and adjust the front and rear positions of the collimating lens to make the edge of the light spot sharp.

[0017] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the installation of the reflector assembly includes:

[0018] The reflector is mounted on the reflector base, and the reflector is adjusted using an adjustment telescope so that the reflected light coincides with the incident light.

[0019] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, installing the lighting module on the optical machine includes:

[0020] A concentric target is attached to the lighting entrance hole of the optical machine, and the height of the reflector is adjusted so that the lighting spot coincides with the center of the concentric target; then the adjusted reflector is placed on the second surface to ensure that the angle of the reflector remains unchanged. The second surface is the plane where the lighting entrance hole is located.

[0021] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the step of installing the first lens, the second lens and the third lens according to the optical path design includes:

[0022] The first lens and the second lens are installed in the same lens barrel according to the optical path design, and then the lens barrel is fixed on the first surface.

[0023] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the installing the first lens, the second lens and the third lens according to the optical path design further comprises:

[0024] After the first lens and the second lens are installed, separating the lighting module from the optical machine;

[0025] After the lighting module is separated from the optical machine, the third lens is installed according to the optical path design, and then the lighting module is installed on the optical machine.

[0026] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the optical machine includes an autofocus module and a dichroic mirror, and the installation of the third lens according to the optical path design includes:

[0027] Place the engineering chip on the object plane, start the autofocus module and turn on the camera, and adjust the dichroic mirror so that the illumination spot is centered in the camera field of view.

[0028] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the step of installing the grating and the aperture according to the optical path design comprises:

[0029] The grating is mounted on the structural frame of the structured light illumination system, and the light source is turned on; the aperture is placed between the first lens and the second lens, and the position of the aperture is fine-tuned up and down so that the aperture is placed at the focal plane position of the first lens.

[0030] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, the fine-tuning of the structured light stripes includes:

[0031] Turn on the green light, adjust the position of the third lens so that the structured light meets the target requirements, and adjust the dichroic mirror so that the structured light spot is centered in the camera field of view;

[0032] Turning on the red light, and rotating the structured light illumination system until structured light stripes appear;

[0033] The grating and the dichroic mirror in the optical machine are controlled to make the structured light in the green light state consistent with the structured light in the red light state.

[0034] Preferably, in the above installation and debugging method, before installing the lighting module, the installation and debugging method further includes:

[0035] Tolerance analysis is performed on components in the structured light illumination system.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0037] The present invention provides an installation and debugging method for a structured light illumination system, including: installing an illumination module; installing a reflector assembly; fixing the illumination module and the reflector assembly in a structural frame of the structured light illumination system, wherein the adjustment reflector is placed at a first surface, the illumination module is adjusted so that the reflected light coincides with the optical fiber interface, a concentric target is placed on the first surface, the illumination module is translated so that the illumination spot coincides with the center of the concentric target, and the first surface is the surface of the reflector assembly facing the illumination module; the illumination module is installed on an optical machine; the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens are installed according to the optical path design; the grating and the aperture are installed according to the optical path design; and the structured light stripes are fine-tuned. The installation and debugging method mainly follows the principle of starting from the top and proceeding from the simple to the complex. Since the grating will divide the light beam into multiple beams, in order to simplify the difficulty of installation and adjustment, the grating is installed last. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a structured light illumination system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a structured light illumination system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an adjustment tool provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another installation and adjustment tool provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of installing a lighting module provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of installing a reflector assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the installation of a lighting module and a reflector assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the installation of a lighting module and an optical machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of installing a first lens and a second lens provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a structured light stripe provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0050] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0051] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a structured light illumination system provided by an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a structured light illumination system provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the structured light illumination system comprising: an optical fiber interface 1, a collimating lens ( Figure 1 The collimating lens is not shown in the figure, and is marked with L1 in the embodiment. Figure 2 Marked as 2), grating 3, first lens ( Figure 1 Marked as L2, Figure 2 Marked as 4), aperture 5, second lens ( Figure 1 Marked as L3, Figure 2 6), reflector 7 and the third lens ( Figure 1 Marked as L4, Figure 2 Marked as 8).

[0052] It should be noted that the aperture 5 includes but is not limited to a pinhole aperture.

[0053] Among them, Figure 1 As shown, the light collimated by the collimating lens L1 is incident on the grating 3, and after passing through the grating 3, a multi-level interference light beam is generated and incident on the first lens L2, and after being collimated by the first lens L2, it is focused to the aperture 5, so that the target-level diffraction light beam passes through the second lens L3 and is received by the objective lens 9 through the third lens L4.

[0054] It should be noted that the structured light illumination system provided by the present invention is a structured light illumination system based on a large field of view optical system, and realizes super-resolution imaging. First, the required structured light period and the corresponding illumination lens parameters are calculated according to the system parameters, and in combination with the corresponding software design optimization method, in order to ensure that the two beams of light interfere with each other during the structured light illumination design, we believe that it is simpler and more effective to use the image height function to control the light.

[0055] Furthermore, since the structure of the structured light illumination system is relatively complex and the generation of structured light has very high requirements on the optical path, which is different from other simple illumination systems, it is necessary to study the corresponding installation and debugging methods to reduce the difficulty of installation and adjustment and provide corresponding technical support for the subsequent super-resolution technology productization.

[0056] When the installation and debugging method of the structured light illumination system is executed, tolerance analysis is first performed, that is, before installing the illumination module, tolerance analysis is performed on the components in the structured light illumination system, as follows:

[0057] Before designing the optical system, it is necessary to conduct a reasonable tolerance analysis to accurately understand the impact of each component in the optical system on the imaging effect of the system. According to the results of the tolerance analysis, the appropriate mechanical design and adjustment method can be selected. For example, if the eccentricity requirement of a lens is 0.02mm, which is within the range that can be guaranteed by the mechanical design, then the mechanical processing accuracy can be used to meet the requirement; otherwise, an adjustable device must be added during the mechanical design, and professional adjustment tools must be used to complete it, such as an eccentricity meter.

[0058] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the structured light illumination system includes a grating 3, four lenses L1, L2, L3, L4, and an aperture 5. We will analyze the tolerance of each component in turn, mainly evaluating the angle difference between the two beams of light.

[0059] The following table shows the tolerance analysis functions:

[0060]

[0061] For grating 3, grating 3 is an element with a periodic structure, so translating grating 3 does not affect the structured light fringes. When grating 3 is tilted, the grating formula changes to:

[0062] d(sinθ-sini)=kλ

[0063] Where i is the grating tilt angle, θ is the grating diffraction angle, and k is the diffraction order.

[0064] When k = 0, sinθ = sini, that is, for zero-order diffraction, the exit angle is equal to the incident angle. When k = +-1, we use the angle function in the software to read the angle difference as 0.06°. This value changes very little, so it can be said that the angle of grating 3 is not sensitive to the influence of interference fringes.

[0065] For the collimator lens L1, the above description shows that the zero-order exit angle of the grating 3 is the same as the incident angle, so it can be known that the illumination angle of the collimator lens L1 is more sensitive. The software simulation results show that when the collimator lens L1 is tilted by 0.1°, the angle of the +-1 order beams differs by 0.84°.

[0066] As for the first lens L2, the second lens L3 and the third lens L4, it can be noticed from the optical path diagram that the parameters of these three lenses are the same, and the structures of the first lens L2, the second lens L3 and the third lens L4 in the optical system are also symmetrical, so they are discussed and analyzed together here. The software simulation results show that when the lens is eccentric by 0.1mm, the beam angle of +-1 level differs by 1.7°; when tilted by 0.1°, the angle differs by 0.33°.

[0067] By summarizing the above analysis results, it is found that the angle of the collimating lens L1 is relatively sensitive, and the eccentricity of the first lens L2, the second lens L3, and the third lens L4 is relatively sensitive. This should be paid attention to in the subsequent mechanical design and assembly process.

[0068] Based on this, the embodiment of the present invention also provides an installation and debugging method of a structured light illumination system, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an adjustment tool provided by an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another adjustment tool provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 The adjustment tool shown is an internal focusing telescope, model NWJ-3, which is mainly used to adjust the angle of optical components. Figure 4 The adjustment tool shown is a concentric target, which can be printed out on paper and used to adjust the eccentric displacement of the optical element. It should be noted that the adjustment tool of the adjustment reflector will be used later.

[0069] The installation and debugging method of the structured light illumination system comprises:

[0070] The first step: installing a lighting module, wherein the lighting module comprises a fiber optic interface 1 and the collimating lens 2 .

[0071] refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5The schematic diagram of the installation of the lighting module provided in the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: the light source is connected to the optical fiber interface 1, and then the lighting module is aligned with the target plane (for example, aligned with the ceiling), and the front and rear positions of the collimating lens 2 are adjusted to make the edge of the light spot sharp.

[0072] Step 2: Install the reflector assembly, which includes a reflector base and the reflector 7.

[0073] refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 The reflector assembly installation diagram provided in the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: the reflector 7 is installed on the reflector base, and the reflector 7 is adjusted using an adjustment telescope so that the reflected light coincides with the incident light.

[0074] Step 3: Reference Figure 7 , Figure 7 An installation schematic diagram of an illumination module and a reflector assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the illumination module and the reflector assembly are fixed in a structural frame of the structured light illumination system, wherein the adjustable reflector is placed at a first surface S1, the illumination module is adjusted so that the reflected light coincides with the optical fiber interface 1, a concentric target is placed on the first surface S1, the illumination module is translated so that the illumination spot coincides with the center of the concentric target, and the first surface S1 is the surface of the reflector assembly facing the illumination module.

[0075] Step 4: Reference Figure 8 , Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the installation of an illumination module and an optical machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the illumination module is installed on the optical machine, a concentric target is attached to the illumination entrance hole 21 of the optical machine, and the height of the reflector 7 is adjusted so that the illumination spot coincides with the center of the concentric target; then the adjusted reflector is placed on the second surface S2 to ensure that the angle of the reflector 7 remains unchanged, and the second surface S2 is the plane where the illumination entrance hole 21 is located; this step is mainly used to make the illumination optical axis coincide with the optical axis of the optical machine and be parallel to the second surface S2.

[0076] Then, the first lens 4, the second lens 6 and the third lens 8 are installed according to the optical path design, as shown in the fifth and sixth steps:

[0077] Step 5: Reference Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 The present invention provides a schematic diagram of installing a first lens and a second lens. The first lens 4 and the second lens 6 are installed in the same lens barrel according to the optical path design, and then the lens barrel is fixed on the first surface S1.

[0078] It should be noted that after the first lens 4 and the second lens 6 are installed, in order to facilitate the installation of the third lens 8, the lighting module can be separated from the optical machine.

[0079] Step 6: After the lighting module is separated from the optical machine, the third lens 8 is installed according to the optical path design, and then the lighting module is installed on the optical machine.

[0080] Specifically, the optical machine includes an autofocus module and a dichroic mirror 22. The engineering chip is placed on the object plane, the autofocus module is started and the camera is turned on, and the dichroic mirror 22 is adjusted so that the illumination spot is centered in the camera field of view.

[0081] Step 7: Install the grating 3 and the aperture 5 according to the optical path design.

[0082] The grating 3 is mounted on the structural frame of the structured light illumination system, and the light source is turned on; the aperture 5 is placed between the first lens 4 and the second lens 6, and the position of the aperture 5 is fine-tuned up and down so that the aperture 5 is placed at the focal plane position of the first lens 4.

[0083] Step 8: Fine-tune the structured light stripes.

[0084] In this step, turn on the green light, adjust the position of the third lens 8 so that the structured light meets the target requirements, and adjust the dichroic mirror so that the structured light spot is centered in the camera field of view; then turn on the red light, rotate the structured light illumination system until structured light stripes appear; repeat the above steps until the stripes of both lights are in a good state. Then control the grating and the dichroic mirror in the optical machine so that the structured light in the green light state is consistent with the structured light in the red light state.

[0085] Specifically, since the incident angle of red light is relatively large, vignetting is likely to occur, resulting in a beam of light being blocked. Therefore, when adjusting the structured light, green light is generally used first. The front and rear positions of the third lens 8 are adjusted, and the structured light is gradually cleared. At the same time, the dichroic mirror 22 is adjusted so that the structured light spot is centered in the camera field of view. Then turn on the red light. If no structured light stripes appear, slightly rotate the entire lighting system until the structured light stripes are seen. Repeat the above steps until the stripes of both lights are in a good state.

[0086] Rotate the grating 90°. If the structured light stripes become weaker, you can fine-tune the dichroic mirror 22 to make them clearer. Repeat the above steps until the structured light at two angles achieves the same effect. Fig.10 , Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a structured light stripe provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Fig.10 As shown, the bright spot in the figure is the autofocus spot and can be ignored.

[0087] The installation and debugging method mainly follows the principle of starting from top to bottom and proceeding from simple to complex. Since the grating will divide the light beam into multiple beams, in order to simplify the difficulty of installation and adjustment, the grating is installed last.

[0088] The above is a detailed introduction to the installation and debugging method of a structured light lighting system provided by the present invention. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea; at the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0089] It should be noted that each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part description.

[0090] It should also be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device that includes a series of elements is inherent to the elements, or also includes elements inherent to these processes, methods, articles or devices. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "including a..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device that includes the elements.

[0091] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for installing and debugging a structured light illumination system, characterized in that: The structured light illumination system comprises: an optical fiber interface, a collimating lens, a grating, a first lens, an aperture, a second lens, a reflector and a third lens; The installation and debugging method comprises: Installing a lighting module, the lighting module comprising the optical fiber interface and the collimating lens; Install a reflector assembly, the reflector assembly comprising a reflector base and the reflector; The lighting module and the reflector assembly are fixed in the structural frame of the structured light lighting system, wherein the adjustment reflector is placed at the first surface, the lighting module is adjusted so that the reflected light coincides with the optical fiber interface, a concentric target is placed on the first surface, and the lighting module is translated so that the illumination spot coincides with the center of the concentric target, and the first surface is the surface of the reflector assembly facing the lighting module; Installing the lighting module on the light machine; Install the first lens, the second lens and the third lens according to the optical path design; Install the grating and the aperture according to the optical path design; Fine-tune structured light stripes.

2. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation of the lighting module comprises: Connect the light source to the optical fiber interface, then align the lighting module with the target plane, and adjust the front and rear positions of the collimating lens to make the edge of the light spot sharp.

3. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reflector assembly is installed including: The reflector is mounted on the reflector base, and the reflector is adjusted using an adjustment telescope so that the reflected light coincides with the incident light.

4. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of installing the lighting module on the optical machine comprises: A concentric target is attached to the lighting entrance hole of the optical machine, and the height of the reflector is adjusted so that the lighting spot coincides with the center of the concentric target; then the adjusted reflector is placed on the second surface to ensure that the angle of the reflector remains unchanged. The second surface is the plane where the lighting entrance hole is located.

5. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of installing the first lens, the second lens and the third lens according to the optical path design comprises: The first lens and the second lens are installed in the same lens barrel according to the optical path design, and then the lens barrel is fixed on the first surface.

6. The installation and debugging method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of installing the first lens, the second lens and the third lens according to the optical path design also includes: After the first lens and the second lens are installed, separating the lighting module from the optical machine; After the lighting module is separated from the optical machine, the third lens is installed according to the optical path design, and then the lighting module is installed on the optical machine.

7. The installation and debugging method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The optical machine includes an autofocus module and a dichroic mirror, and the third lens is installed according to the optical path design including: Place the engineering chip on the object plane, start the autofocus module and turn on the camera, and adjust the dichroic mirror so that the illumination spot is centered in the camera field of view.

8. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of installing the grating and the aperture according to the optical path design comprises: The grating is mounted on the structural frame of the structured light illumination system, and the light source is turned on; the aperture is placed between the first lens and the second lens, and the position of the aperture is fine-tuned up and down so that the aperture is placed at the focal plane position of the first lens.

9. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fine-tuning structured light stripes comprises: Turn on the green light, adjust the position of the third lens so that the structured light meets the target requirements, and adjust the dichroic mirror so that the structured light spot is centered in the camera field of view; Turning on the red light, and rotating the structured light illumination system until structured light stripes appear; The grating and the dichroic mirror in the optical machine are controlled to make the structured light in the green light state consistent with the structured light in the red light state.

10. The installation and debugging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before installing the lighting module, the installation and debugging method further includes: Tolerance analysis is performed on components in the structured light illumination system.

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