Integrated light path modulation device
By using an integrated optical path modulation device, the problems of dispersed optical path systems and inconvenient adjustment in multiphoton imaging are solved, realizing unified modulation and integrated control of multiple laser sources, and improving imaging quality and system stability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- MICORO (SHANGHAI) INTELLIGENT TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing optical systems suffer from structural dispersion, complex alignment, and inconvenient adjustment when integrating multiple lasers, resulting in poor imaging quality and system stability. Furthermore, current technologies cannot meet the requirements of multiphoton imaging.
Design an integrated optical path modulation device, including a housing, a modulation component, and an electric optical path switching component. It integrates a shutter, a polarization adjustment module, a power adjustment beam splitting module, and an adjustable beam expanding module. The electric optical path switching component enables unified modulation and integrated control of multiple laser sources, and supports flexible adjustment and automated operation of various laser parameters.
实现了多激光源的统一调制与集成控制，提高了光路稳定性和自动化程度，降低了人工对准误差，适用于多种实验需求，提升了成像质量和系统稳定性。
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Figure CN224232052U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to multiphoton imaging equipment, and more particularly to an integrated optical path modulation device. Background Technology
[0002] Multiphoton microscopy has been widely used in biomedical research due to its high resolution, deep tissue penetration, and low optical damage. With the widespread application of multiphoton microscopy, experiments often require the use of multiple wavelength laser sources (such as 920nm and 1030nm) to excite different fluorescent probes or achieve multicolor imaging. However, existing optical systems suffer from structural dispersion, complex alignment, and inconvenient adjustment when integrating multiple lasers. Furthermore, parameters such as spot size, polarization state, and optical power control often rely on external devices for individual adjustment, resulting in low system integration, easy light loss and positioning errors, and affecting imaging quality and system stability.
[0003] A search revealed that application publication number CN114799494A discloses a laser beam splitting device and laser processing equipment, specifically including a beam splitting component and a high-speed optical switch component. The beam splitting component reflects and transmits the received laser beam. The laser beam transmitted through each beam splitting component forms a transmission optical path, and each beam splitting component reflects the laser beam in the transmission optical path to form a reflection optical path. Each high-speed optical switch component is arranged correspondingly in each reflection optical path. Each high-speed optical switch component includes an acousto-optic modulator, a first reflector, and an aperture. The reflection optical path is converted into zero-order diffracted light and first-order diffracted light by the acousto-optic modulator. The first-order diffracted light is reflected by the first reflector and exits from the center of the aperture, while the zero-order diffracted light is reflected by the first reflector and intercepted by the aperture. The power ratio of the laser is adjusted by the beam splitting component, and independent control of each laser path is achieved by the high-speed optical switch component. However, this prior art can only be used for beam splitting and power adjustment and is not suitable for multiphoton imaging.
[0004] In summary, the technical problem that needs to be solved is how to design an optical path modulation device that can be used for multiphoton imaging. Utility Model Content
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, which can only be used for beam splitting and power control, and to provide an integrated optical path modulation device.
[0006] The objective of this utility model can be achieved through the following technical solutions:
[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an integrated optical path modulation device is provided for connection to a laser and a multiphoton microscope. The device includes a housing and a modulation component and an electric optical path switching component installed within the housing. The housing is provided with at least two input interfaces and two output interfaces, and the number of modulation components is the same as the number of input interfaces and output interfaces.
[0008] The modulation assembly includes a shutter, a polarization adjustment module, a power adjustment beam splitter module, and an adjustable beam expander module. The adjustable beam expander module includes an optical path switching section and a beam expander section. The input interface is connected to the beam output from the laser. The shutter is installed on one side of the input interface. The polarization adjustment module is installed on the side of the shutter away from the input interface. The power adjustment beam splitter module is installed on the side of the polarization adjustment module away from the shutter. The optical path switching section is installed on the side of the power adjustment beam splitter module that emits light. The light inlet of the beam expander section is located on the side of the optical path switching section away from the power adjustment beam splitter module. The output interface is located on the side where the light outlet of the beam expander section is located. The output interface is connected to a multiphoton microscope.
[0009] The electric optical path switching component is installed between the power adjustment beam splitting module and the optical path switching unit of at least one modulation component.
[0010] As a preferred technical solution, the optical path switching unit includes a high-reflectivity reflector and an electric optical path switching stage, wherein the high-reflectivity reflector is mounted on the electric optical path switching stage.
[0011] As a preferred technical solution, the beam expander includes a slide rail and at least two lenses, with the at least two lenses slidably mounted on the slide rail.
[0012] As a preferred technical solution, the beam expanding section includes at least a first beam expanding channel and a second beam expanding channel.
[0013] As a preferred technical solution, the polarization adjustment module includes a half-wave plate and an electric rotary table, wherein the half-wave plate is mounted on the electric rotary table.
[0014] As a preferred technical solution, the power regulation beam splitting module includes a beam splitting cube.
[0015] As a preferred technical solution, the power regulation beam splitting module includes an acousto-optic modulator.
[0016] As a preferred technical solution, an optical path switching unit is installed between the beam expander and the output interface.
[0017] As a preferred technical solution, the modulation component further includes a reflector, which is installed between the power adjustment beam splitting module and the electric optical path switching component and / or between the beam expander and the output interface.
[0018] As a preferred technical solution, the housing is a cuboid composed of metal plates with a black coating on the inner wall, and a light shield is provided on the outside of the housing.
[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0020] 1) This invention achieves unified modulation and integrated control of multiple laser sources, with a compact structure and improved optical path stability; through the modulation component, it integrates the functions of laser output, polarization adjustment, power adjustment, beam splitting, and switchable beam expansion adjustment, significantly improving the automation level of the device, reducing manual alignment errors, and providing highly flexible and adaptable adjustment capabilities, suitable for various laser parameters and different experimental needs; it can be integrated into existing multiphoton microscopy systems, facilitating expansion and maintenance.
[0021] 2) The shutter of this utility model is used to precisely control whether the laser enters the microscopic system. It can be opened and closed quickly through electronic control, ensuring the safety and switching flexibility during system use; the motorized rotating half-wave plate is used to adjust the polarization; the beam splitter is used to slowly adjust the power or split the laser beam into a transmission path and a reflection path; the optical path switching unit is used to quickly switch between different beam expansion paths to meet different beam expansion requirements and can achieve one-button switching.
[0022] 3) The beam expander of this utility model can quickly and accurately change the spot size and beam divergence angle by adjusting the lens spacing on the slide rail. The optical path switching unit can quickly switch between two pre-set beam expanders, which is beneficial to match the requirements of various objective lens numerical apertures and adapt to different imaging depth and resolution requirements.
[0023] 4) This invention employs a polarization adjustment module, which can precisely control the polarization state of the incident laser to meet the polarization requirements of downstream nonlinear imaging, AOM modulators, or other polarization-sensitive components. The electric rotating platform enables remote control and automatic calibration.
[0024] 5) The output interface of this utility model is connected to the scanning system or lens group of the multiphoton microscope host. The output beam is collimated and shaped to ensure the best incident conditions.
[0025] 6) The shell of this utility model is composed of metal plates, and the inner wall has a black anti-reflective coating, which has good mechanical stability and thermal management performance. Attached Figure Description
[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an integrated optical path modulation device according to the present invention;
[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model after removing the top cover of the shell;
[0028] Figure 3 This is a top view of the present invention after removing the top cover of the casing;
[0029] The numbers in the diagram are as follows:
[0030] 1. Housing; 10. Input interface; 11. Output interface; 20. Shutter; 210. Beam splitter cube; 22. Optical path switching unit; 230. First beam expansion channel; 231. Second beam expansion channel; 232. Slide rail; 233. Lens; 240. Half-wave plate; 25. Mirror; 3. Motorized optical path switching assembly. Detailed Implementation
[0031] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present utility model. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model provides an integrated optical path modulation device, including a housing 1, a modulation component, an electric optical path switching component 3, and a reflector 25. The modulation component, the electric optical path switching component 3, the polarization adjustment module, and the reflector 25 are installed inside the housing 1.
[0033] The housing 1 is a rectangular box encapsulated in metal plates, with a black coating on the inner wall, providing good mechanical stability and thermal management performance. A longer side is defined as the first side, with at least two input interfaces 10 on one side. The side adjacent to the first side without input interfaces 10 is defined as the second side, with at least two output interfaces 11 on the second side. The positions of each optical path interface are optimized to ensure the shortest possible optical signal transmission path and reduce losses. A light shield is provided on the exterior of the housing 1 to ensure laser safety during operation, complying with relevant laser equipment safety standards.
[0034] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the number of modulation components is the same as the number of input interfaces 10 and output interfaces 11. The modulation components include a shutter 20, a power adjustment beam splitter module, an adjustable beam expander module, a polarization adjustment module, and a reflector 25. The adjustable beam expander module includes an optical path switching section 22 and a beam expander section.
[0035] The shutter 20 is installed inside the input interface 10 and is used to precisely control whether the laser enters the main optical path. It can be opened and closed quickly through electronic control to ensure the safety and switching flexibility during system use.
[0036] The polarization adjustment module, mounted inside shutter 20, includes a half-wave plate 240 and an electric rotary stage. It is used to adjust the laser polarization direction to match the polarization dependence of subsequent optical components or beam splitting paths. This component can be omitted if polarization adjustment is not required in the experiment. The electric rotary stage allows for remote control and automatic calibration.
[0037] The power adjustment beam splitting module is installed inside the polarization adjustment module and includes a beam splitting cube 210 or an acousto-optic modulator. The beam splitting cube 210 is used for slow power adjustment or to split the laser beam into transmission and reflection paths. When the power adjustment beam splitting module uses the beam splitting cube 210, it is used in combination with the polarization adjustment module. By adjusting the angle of the half-wave plate 240, the polarization state entering the beam splitting cube 210 is controlled, achieving a change in the transmission and reflection ratio, thereby enabling slow adjustment of the optical power. If fast power modulation is required, the beam splitting cube 210 can be replaced with a fast modulation device such as an acousto-optic modulator. An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is a device that achieves optical modulation based on the acousto-optic effect. Figure 3 The optical path starting from the left input interface 10 is optical path 1, and the optical path starting from the right input interface 10 is optical path 2.
[0038] The electric optical path switching component 3 is installed inside the power adjustment beam splitting module in optical path 2, and the reflector 25 is installed inside the power adjustment beam splitting module in optical path 1.
[0039] Two optical path switching units 22 are respectively installed on the right side of the motorized optical path switching assembly 3 and the power adjustment beam splitting module of optical path 2. Each optical path switching unit 22 includes a high-reflectivity reflector 25 and a motorized optical path switching stage. The high-reflectivity reflector 25 is mounted on the motorized optical path switching stage, which can be switched by computer control. The beam expander can be selected between the first beam expander channel 230 and the second beam expander channel 231, enabling flexible adjustment of the beam expansion ratio and enhancing system adaptability and versatility. The electrically controlled optical path switching unit 22 allows for one-button switching.
[0040] The beam expander is installed on the right side of the optical path switching unit 22, and includes at least a first beam expander channel 230 and a second beam expander channel 231. It enables beam magnification switching to adjust the spot size and meet different imaging requirements and objective lens numerical aperture matching. The beam expander includes a slide rail 232 and at least two lenses 233. The two lenses 233 are mounted on one slide rail 232. By adjusting the spacing between the lenses 233 on the slide rail 232, the spot size and beam divergence angle can be changed quickly and accurately to match the requirements of various objective lens numerical apertures and adapt to different imaging depth and resolution requirements.
[0041] The other two optical path switching units 22 are installed on the right side of the beam expander.
[0042] Two sets of reflectors 25 are respectively installed between the optical path switching unit 22 of optical path 1 and optical path 2 and the output interface 11.
[0043] Output interface 11 is connected to the scanning system of the multiphoton microscope host or the lens group 233. The output beam is collimated and shaped to ensure optimal incident conditions.
[0044] The working process of this utility model is as follows:
[0045] The laser beam output from the laser first couples into this device through input interface 10, and then the shutter 20 controls whether the laser enters the main optical path. The laser beam can be polarized by a polarization adjustment module, which can be omitted if not needed. Optical path 1 is equipped with a beam splitter cube 210 and a half-wave plate 240 for power adjustment. The reflection and transmission ratio can be adjusted by rotating the half-wave plate 240 to achieve power control; if rapid power modulation is required, the beam splitter cube 210 can be replaced with an acousto-optic modulator. In optical path 2, the laser beam is split into two paths by the beam splitter cube 210: the transmitted light can enter optical path 1, and the reflected light remains in optical path 2. When the motorized optical path switching component 3 enters optical path 1, the transmitted beam enters optical path 1; when the motorized optical path switching component 3 leaves optical path 1, the light from the left input interface enters optical path 1. The beam enters the corresponding beam expander. Each optical path is equipped with a set of optical path switching devices powered by a motorized optical path switcher, which can select between the first beam expander channel 230 and the second beam expander channel 231 to achieve flexible adjustment of the beam expansion ratio. Finally, after collimation, shaping, and modulation, the beam is introduced into the multiphoton microscope main unit from the output interface 11 to achieve high-quality imaging or photostimulation operation.
[0046] This invention exhibits good performance in the following scenarios.
[0047] Scenario 1: Spot shaping of multi-wavelength imaging lasers.
[0048] When using a tunable laser for imaging at different wavelengths, changes in wavelength can alter the diameter of the emitted beam, thus affecting the focusing quality. This invention achieves rapid and stable beam expansion adjustment by adjusting the spacing of the lenses 233 on the slide rail 232, matching the optimal spot size for each wavelength, achieving high-quality imaging, and improving resolution and signal-to-noise ratio.
[0049] Scenario 2: Dual-laser imaging system to compensate for differences in light spots.
[0050] When two lasers are configured simultaneously (e.g., 920nm for calcium imaging and 1030nm for structural imaging), due to the different divergence angles and spot sizes of the emitted beams, this invention selects different beam extension paths through the optical path switching unit 22 to achieve unified focusing performance and match the entrance pupil of the optical system.
[0051] Scenario 3: Compensatory reshaping for changes in entrance pupil caused by objective lens switching
[0052] This invention supports interchangeable objectives, but each objective has a different entrance pupil size. By moving the position of lens 233 in the beam expander, a fast and stable beam expansion magnification adjustment can be achieved, ensuring that the laser spot can fully fill the entrance pupil under different objectives, thereby improving focusing efficiency and reducing energy waste.
[0053] Scenario 4: Matching polarization-sensitive devices (such as AOM / SLM)
[0054] Some AOMs and SLMs can only operate efficiently in specific polarization directions (such as horizontal linear polarization). This utility model's polarization adjustment module precisely rotates the polarization angle using a λ / 2 waveplate to match the beam polarization requirements of the device, thereby improving diffraction efficiency or modulation contrast.
[0055] Function 5: Real-time adjustment of laser intensity
[0056] Since some lasers do not have power modulation capabilities, this invention can add power modulation hardware such as AOM or mechanical polarization power adjuster to the optical path modulation module to supplement the insufficient modulation capability of the laser itself.
[0057] Scenario 6: Beam splitting to achieve dual-path output from a single light source
[0058] In this invention, a laser beam from a single laser is divided into two paths—transmission and reflection—by a beam-splitting cube 210, each entering an independent optical path. Combined with subsequent beam expansion and power adjustment functions, simultaneous dual-path control of the same laser source can be achieved, meeting various parallel experimental requirements such as time-division multiplexing, region multiplexing, and alternating stimulation of dual regions.
[0059] This utility model features a compact overall structure, flexible channels, and high functional integration, making it particularly suitable for optical path control requirements in scenarios involving multiple laser sources and multiple functions.
[0060] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. An integrated optical path modulation device, connected to a laser and a multiphoton microscope, characterized in that, The device includes a housing (1) and a modulation assembly and an electric optical path switching assembly (3) installed inside the housing (1); the housing (1) is provided with at least two input interfaces (10) and two output interfaces (11), and the number of modulation assemblies is the same as the number of input interfaces (10) and output interfaces (11); The modulation assembly includes a shutter (20), a polarization adjustment module, a power adjustment beam splitting module, and an adjustable beam expander module. The adjustable beam expander module includes an optical path switching section (22) and a beam expander section. The input interface (10) is connected to the beam output by the laser. The shutter (20) is installed on one side of the input interface (10). The polarization adjustment module is installed on the side of the shutter (20) away from the input interface (10). The power adjustment beam splitting module is installed on the side of the polarization adjustment module away from the shutter (20). The optical path switching section (22) is installed on the side of the power adjustment beam splitting module that emits light. The light inlet of the beam expander section is located on the side of the optical path switching section (22) away from the power adjustment beam splitting module. The output interface (11) is located on the side of the light outlet of the beam expander section. The output interface (11) is connected to a multiphoton microscope. The electric optical path switching component (3) is installed between the power adjustment beam splitting module and the optical path switching part (22) of at least one modulation component.
2. The integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical path switching unit (22) includes a high-reflectivity film mirror and an electric optical path switching stage, wherein the high-reflectivity film mirror is mounted on the electric optical path switching stage.
3. The integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam expander includes a slide rail (232) and at least two lenses (233), which are slidably mounted on the slide rail (232).
4. The integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam expander includes at least a first beam expander channel (230) and a second beam expander channel (231).
5. An integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The polarization adjustment module includes a half-wave plate (240) and an electric rotary table, wherein the half-wave plate (240) is mounted on the electric rotary table.
6. The integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power regulation beam splitting module includes a beam splitting cube (210).
7. An integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power regulation beam splitter module includes an acousto-optic modulator.
8. An integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, An optical path switching unit (22) is installed between the beam expander and the output interface (11).
9. An integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The modulation assembly also includes a reflector (25), which is installed between the power adjustment beam splitter module and the electric optical path switching assembly (3) and / or between the beam expander and the output interface (11).
10. An integrated optical path modulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (1) is a cuboid made of metal plates with a black coating on the inner wall, and a light shield is provided on the outside of the housing (1).