Optical system for displaying an object

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical system (100) for displaying an object (105), comprising an objective lens (110), a control unit (120) and evaluation electronics (130). The objective lens is formed from a lens arrangement (112) and is arranged and designed to provide an image (114) of the object in a predetermined image plane (116). The control unit is designed at least to control the objective lens and the evaluation electronics. Finally, the evaluation electronics are designed to electronically capture the image of the object in the image plane by sequentially capturing a number of individual image areas (132) of the image of the object, wherein the number of image areas comprises at least one hexagonal image area (134).

Description

[0001] OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR REPRESENTING AN OBJECT

[0002] The invention relates to an optical system for displaying an object, an application of the optical system for displaying an object, and a method for displaying an object. Furthermore, the invention relates to a computer program with program code for implementing the method according to the invention.

[0003] Many different optical systems are known for displaying objects in detail for further processing or evaluating details of the respective object. In particular, the use of evaluation electronics is known, on which an image of a partial area of ​​the object is generated by a lens system. For this purpose, the evaluation electronics can comprise detectors such as those found in digital cameras and the like.

[0004] Such a combination of lens system and evaluation electronics results in partial images of the object provided by the lens system being detected via the evaluation electronics and digitized for further analysis. Individual image areas are preferably detected individually and digitally combined to form an overall image of the object to be displayed.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved optical system, in particular an optical system that displays an object particularly quickly.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the invention, an optical system for displaying an object is proposed to solve this problem. The optical system has a lens, a control unit, and evaluation electronics.

[0007] The objective lens is formed from a lens arrangement and is arranged and configured to provide an image of the object in a predetermined image plane.

[0008] The control unit is designed at least to control the lens and the evaluation electronics.

[0009] The evaluation electronics are designed to electronically capture the image of the object in the image plane by sequentially capturing a number of individual image regions of the image of the object, wherein the number of image regions comprises at least one hexagonal image region. Within the scope of the invention, it was recognized that a usually rectangular image region of evaluation electronics cannot optimally utilize a typically circular image of a lens arrangement. A hexagonal image region leads to a better approximation to the typically circular image of a lens arrangement. In addition, hexagonal image regions, just like rectangular image regions, can be combined to form an overall image without the need for overlaps or holes between the image regions.This takes advantage of the fact that the interior angles of a regular hexagon are each 120°, so that three hexagons together can be used for a seamless tiling and thus for a seamless assembly to represent the object.

[0010] Through improved utilization of the images provided by the lens arrangement, fewer image regions are required to generate a composite image of the object to be displayed. By requiring fewer image regions, the time required to generate the composite image, i.e., the time required to provide a final representation of the object, can be reduced. Consequently, the use of a hexagonal image region by the evaluation electronics can lead to a particularly fast representation of the object to be displayed by the optical system. In this respect, the optical system according to the invention exploited the fact that the time required to display the object is inversely proportional to the area of ​​an image region used if a plurality of image regions is used to generate a composite representation.

[0011] Control of the lens by the control unit can include control of the lens arrangement, such as a subcomponent of the lens arrangement, and / or control of the position of the object to be displayed relative to the lens. For this purpose, for example, a slide can be controlled in its position relative to the lens arrangement.

[0012] The image of the object through the lens can consist of a plurality of partial images provided one after the other, for which, for example, a corresponding image area of ​​a partial image is then recorded by the evaluation electronics and used for the display.

[0013] In principle, various designs for lenses and corresponding lens arrangements are known to the person skilled in the art, so that these will not be discussed in detail below.

[0014] The actual output of the representation of the object can be provided via an external device, an output unit of the optical system, and / or the like. The output can be provided by the evaluation electronics and / or continuously. At least one lens within the objective lens is used as a lens arrangement to image the object.

[0015] Depending on the geometry of the lens arrangement of the objective, the image plane can be a flat image plane or an at least partially curved image plane.

[0016] For the purposes of this invention, a hexagonal image area is an essentially hexagonal image area. Due to the digitization of the image and / or partial images, edge regions of the hexagonal image area may also exhibit deviations from the hexagonal shape without this impairing the inventive effect with the aforementioned advantages.

[0017] Preferred embodiments of the optical system according to the invention are described below.

[0018] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the optical system according to the invention, the image of the object is formed by a sequential sequence of individual partial images. This allows even large areas of the object to be successively captured in detail via the lens and later displayed as a composite image by the optical system.

[0019] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the number of individual image areas comprises a plurality of individual image areas. By capturing multiple image areas, a larger area of ​​the object can ultimately be displayed than would be possible with a single image area with comparable technical effort.

[0020] In a preferred variant of the two preceding embodiments, a respective image region from the plurality of image regions corresponds to a corresponding partial image from the sequential sequence of individual partial images. This allows a particularly suitable image region to be used for each partial image in order to later combine all image regions from the partial images into a composite representation of the object. This variant shows particularly clearly that efficient utilization of a corresponding partial image by a comparatively large image region results in fewer partial images being necessary to represent the object than with less efficient utilization of the corresponding partial images. Preferably, the plurality of individual image regions comprises a plurality of hexagonal image regions, in particular hexagonal image regions of identical size.Such hexagonal image areas can capture a larger portion of a typically circular image of a lens system than a rectangular image area. This allows for a composite representation of the entire object to be displayed to be provided with fewer partial images. Hexagonal image areas also advantageously allow the image areas to be combined to form the composite representation without overlaps and / or holes. Particularly preferably, all individual image areas are formed by hexagonal image areas.

[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment, adjacent image regions from the plurality of image regions overlap at least partially. While overlapping the image regions is not necessary for hexagonal image regions, it can advantageously prevent incorrect assembly of image regions. Thus, in an overlapping image region, it is possible to check whether the various images in this region substantially match each other.

[0022] In a further embodiment of the optical system according to the invention, the evaluation electronics and / or the control unit are further configured to provide a diaphragm of the optical system in a hexagonal shape corresponding to the at least one hexagonal image region. The diaphragm can be part of the lens, part of the evaluation electronics, and / or a separate part of the optical system. The hexagonal shape of the diaphragm can be permanent or temporary. Providing the diaphragm in a hexagonal shape corresponding to the at least one hexagonal image region ensures that image information outside the hexagonal image region is not unnecessarily illuminated and / or further processed. This can advantageously further reduce the time until the representation of the object is provided.

[0023] In a further embodiment, the optical system further comprises illumination optics for the object to be displayed, wherein the illumination optics comprise at least one light guide, for example in the form of a glass fiber or a plastic light guide, with a hexagonal cross-section. Advantageously, it is conceivable for an optical waveguide or light guide cable having a plurality of light guides to be provided. The hexagonal cross-section is preferably adapted to the at least one hexagonal image region. In this embodiment, efficient illumination of the object to be displayed is advantageously enabled by the illumination optics. In particular, illumination of areas of the object that are not necessary for a currently recorded image region is avoided. Furthermore, it is conceivable to vary the diameter and / or cross-section of the at least one light guide and / or to adapt it as needed.According to a special development of the invention, at least one optical fiber is used which has no sheath on its outer surface, but in which the surrounding air forms a boundary layer to the optical fiber.

[0024] In another special embodiment, a lens or other imaging optics is provided, which, for example, images the fiber end onto the sample. The advantage of this solution is that, by appropriately magnifying the image, the diameter and / or cross-section of a light guide can be adapted to the area to be illuminated in the sample. This is particularly advantageous when there is little light or when the available light should be used effectively. If the light incidence is to be limited, a suitable aperture is preferably used.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the invention, an application of the optical system according to at least one of the preceding embodiments for imaging tissue is proposed to achieve the above-mentioned object.

[0026] The application according to the second aspect of the invention is particularly advantageous since, when imaging tissue, large tissue areas usually have to be imaged, which cannot be imaged with the necessary accuracy in a single image area. Therefore, the provision of at least one hexagonal image area, preferably the plurality of hexagonal image areas, according to the invention can lead to a reduction in the number of image areas to be combined. In particular, the application of the optical system according to the second aspect of the invention clearly has all the advantages of the optical system according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the invention, a method for displaying an object is proposed to achieve the above-mentioned object. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps:

[0028] Providing an image of the object in a predetermined image plane; and capturing the image of the object in the image plane electronically by sequentially capturing a number of individual image regions of the image of the object, wherein the number of image regions comprises at least one hexagonal image region

[0029] The method according to the third aspect of the invention is implemented by the optical system according to the first aspect of the invention, so that it also has the corresponding advantages. In particular, capturing the at least one hexagonal image area allows for a particularly efficient evaluation of the optical image of the object to be displayed.

[0030] In the method according to the invention, the image of the object is preferably provided by a sequential sequence of individual partial images, and the number of image regions comprises a plurality of hexagonal image regions. Particularly preferably, a respective hexagonal image region corresponds to a respective partial image. This allows a corresponding partial image to be further processed particularly efficiently across the hexagonal image region.

[0031] Preferably, the method according to the invention is completed by outputting the representation of the object based on the sequentially acquired number of individual image areas of the image of the object.

[0032] The method according to the invention is preferably carried out in the sequence presented. The method according to the invention preferably enables targeted illumination, which ultimately leads to a not inconsiderable saving in the time required for capturing the desired images. Assuming that the generation of the desired images takes several hours, the hexagonal design of the at least one image area provided for by the invention, with the associated enlargement of the image area by approximately 30%, leads to a significant reduction in image acquisition times. This represents a significant advantage, particularly with regard to the economical use of the generic optical systems.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, to achieve the above-mentioned object, a computer program with program code for implementing a method according to the third aspect of the invention is proposed. The program code is executed on a computer, a processor, or a programmable hardware component. Preferably, several steps of the method according to the invention are executed by a common computer, a common processor, or a common programmable hardware component. Preferably, the individual steps are separated from one another, at least at the software level, by corresponding software blocks.Particularly preferably, all steps of the method according to the invention are carried out on a common computer, a common processor or a common programmable hardware component. In the following, the invention is explained in more detail without limiting the general inventive concept using exemplary embodiments and with reference to the figures.

[0034] Figure 1: schematic representation of an embodiment of an optical system according to a first aspect of the invention for imaging tissue according to a second aspect of the invention;

[0035] Figure 2: schematic representation of a hexagonal image area according to the

[0036] Embodiment of the optical system according to the first aspect of the invention; and

[0037] Figure 3 : Flowchart of an embodiment of a method according to a third

[0038] Aspect of the invention.

[0039] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of an optical system 100 according to a first aspect of the invention for displaying tissue 106 according to a second aspect of the invention.

[0040] The optical system 100 for displaying an object 105 has a lens 110, a control unit 120, and evaluation electronics 130. These components of the optical system 100 are connected to one another at least via the evaluation electronics 130.

[0041] The objective lens 110 comprises at least one lens arrangement 112 and is arranged and configured to provide an image 114 of the object 105 in a predetermined image plane 116. For this purpose, the lens arrangement 112 is illustrated as an example with two lenses. The object 105, in this case the tissue 106, is arranged on a slide for precise positioning of the object 105 relative to the lens arrangement 112. The image 114 of the object 105 in the predetermined image plane 116 is typically circular due to the lens geometry. In the illustrated embodiment, the objective lens 112 has a housing. In principle, the objective lens according to the invention can also be provided without a housing.

[0042] The control unit 120 is designed at least to control the lens 110 and the evaluation electronics 130. For this purpose, it has at least one respective connection 122, 124 to the lens 110 and to the evaluation electronics 130. In an embodiment of the invention not shown, the control unit is integrated into the evaluation electronics 130 and / or arranged in a common housing with the evaluation electronics and / or the control unit. The evaluation electronics 130 is designed to electronically capture the image 114 of the object 105 in the planar image plane 116 by sequentially capturing a number of individual image regions 132 of the image 114 of the object 105, wherein the number of image regions 132 includes at least one hexagonal image region 134.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment, the image 114 of the object 105 is formed by a sequential sequence of individual partial images 115. In Fig. 1, only one circular partial image 115 is shown. The plurality of partial images 115 provided by the optical system 100 accordingly leads to a plurality of individual image regions 132, which can ultimately be combined to form a composite representation of the object 105. The composite representation can be produced by the evaluation electronics, an external component, another component of the optical system, or the like. In principle, a multitude of possible output media are known, so specific output variants will not be discussed in detail here. Further processing is represented by the arrow emanating from the evaluation electronics 130.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, the image regions 132, each of which corresponds to a corresponding partial image 115 from the sequential sequence of partial images 115, are essentially hexagonal. This allows a composite representation of the partial images 115 without overlaps or gaps to be provided. In an alternative or supplementary embodiment, the optical system has at least partially overlapping image regions. This allows for automated checking, for example, by the evaluation electronics, of whether the image information of the image regions in the overlapping part matches one another.

[0045] In a further exemplary embodiment not shown, the evaluation electronics and / or the control unit are further configured to provide a diaphragm of the optical system in a hexagonal shape corresponding to the at least one hexagonal image region. The diaphragm can be provided in the lens, in the evaluation electronics and / or as a separate component of the optical system. In a preferred variant of this exemplary embodiment, the diaphragm is permanently configured in a hexagonal shape. The location of the hexagonal diaphragm is preferably changed by the evaluation electronics and / or the control unit in order to adapt this location to a location of the current partial image and / or to a correction to be carried out. The optical system shown in Figure 1 also has an illumination unit with an illumination optics (not shown) for the object 105 to be displayed.Given the evaluated hexagonal image areas 134, the illumination optics comprise at least one optical fiber with a hexagonal cross-section. The hexagonal cross-section is provided in such a way that at least the hexagonal image area 134 evaluated by the evaluation electronics 130 is sufficiently illuminated.

[0046] Furthermore, it is possible for the illumination to be constructed like the image shown, with the aperture integrated into the illumination unit. A light guide can also function as an aperture, which is then projected onto the sample through the illumination lens.

[0047] One option is the use of an EPI illumination unit, where both illumination and imaging are performed through a single lens. In this case, a beam splitter is located behind the lens, and a color splitter is often used to generate fluorescence images.

[0048] The provision of the illumination optics is particularly advantageous for the present application of the optical system 100, namely the detailed imaging of a tissue 106 to be examined. The tissue 106 can thus be efficiently illuminated. Furthermore, such a tissue 106 to be examined is usually comparatively large, so that the rapid provision of a detailed image composed of individual hexagonal image regions 134 can be achieved particularly quickly.

[0049] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a hexagonal image area 134 according to the embodiment of the optical system 100 according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0050] The illustration clearly shows that the hexagonal image area 134 can image a circular partial image 115 of the lens arrangement 112 of the objective 110 significantly more efficiently than a typical rectangular image area 236. Geometric considerations show that the hexagonal image area 134 is almost 30% larger than the typical rectangular image area 236. Accordingly, 30% more image data can be recorded by the evaluation electronics 130 per recorded image area 132 and used to display the object 105. Similarly, a display of the object 105 up to 30% faster is possible when using hexagonal image areas 134.

[0051] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 300 according to a third aspect of the invention. The method 300 according to the invention is designed to display an object. For this purpose, it comprises the steps described below.

[0052] A first step 310 comprises providing an image of the object in a predetermined image plane.

[0053] A subsequent step 320 comprises electronically capturing the image of the object in the image plane by sequentially capturing a number of individual image regions of the image of the object, wherein the number of image regions comprises at least one hexagonal image region

[0054] The two steps 310 and 320 are preferably carried out in the specified order.

[0055] Particularly preferably, the method is supplemented by a final step, namely an output of the representation of the object based on the sequentially acquired number of individual image regions of the image of the object. This is represented in Figure 3 by the additional arrow after step 320, since an output can be performed in accordance with the invention.

[0056] Using the described method, up to 2000 individual images are captured and combined into a single, large image, depending on a specific application. With an acquisition time of approximately 10 seconds for each individual image, this results in approximately 5.5 hours of acquisition time for the entire image. By enlarging the image area by 30%, as proposed by the invention, this time can be reduced accordingly.

[0057] In a preferred variant of the illustrated embodiment, the image of the object is provided by a sequential sequence of individual partial images, and the number of image regions comprises a plurality of hexagonal image regions. In particular, the hexagonal image regions correspond to corresponding partial images, as shown in Figure 2. Thus, a final composite representation can be achieved by digitally combining the hexagonal image regions into a complete overall image of the object to be represented. List of reference symbols

[0058] 100 Optical System

[0059] 105 objects

[0060] 106 tissues

[0061] 110 lens

[0062] 112 lens arrangement

[0063] 114 Figure

[0064] 115 Partial figure

[0065] 116 predetermined image plane

[0066] 120 control unit

[0067] 122, 124 connections

[0068] 130 Evaluation electronics

[0069] 132 image area

[0070] 134 hexagonal image area

[0071] 236 rectangular image area

[0072] 300 procedures

[0073] 310, 320 procedural steps

Claims

Patent claims 1. An optical system (100) for displaying an object (105), comprising an objective lens (110) formed from a lens arrangement (112) and arranged and configured to provide an image (114) of the object (105) in a predetermined image plane (116), a control unit (120) configured at least to control the objective lens (110) and an evaluation electronics unit (130), and the evaluation electronics unit (130) configured to electronically capture the image (114) of the object (105) in the image plane (116) by sequentially capturing a number of individual image regions (132) of the image (114) of the object (105), wherein the number of image regions (132) comprises at least one hexagonal image region (134).

2. Optical system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the image (114) of the object (105) is formed by a sequential sequence of individual partial images (115).

3. The optical system (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of individual image areas (132) comprises a plurality of individual image areas (132).

4. Optical system (100) according to claim 2 and 3, wherein a respective image area (132) from the plurality of image areas (132) corresponds to a corresponding partial image (115) from the sequential sequence of individual partial images (115) 5. Optical system (100) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the plurality of individual image areas (132) comprises a plurality of hexagonal image areas (134) 6. Optical system (100) according to at least one of claims 3 to 5, wherein adjacent image areas (132) of the plurality of image areas (132) at least partially overlap.

7. Optical system (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the evaluation electronics (130) and / or the control unit (120) are further configured to provide an aperture of the optical system (100) corresponding to the at least one hexagonal image area (134) in a hexagonal shape.

8. Optical system (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, further comprising an illumination optics for the object to be displayed (105), wherein the illumination optics comprises at least one light guide with a hexagonal cross-section 9. Use of the optical system (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims for displaying tissue (106).

10. Method (300) for displaying an object (105), comprising the steps Providing an image (114) of the object (105) in a predetermined image plane (116); Capturing the image (114) of the object (105) in the image plane (116) electronically by sequentially capturing a number of individual image regions (132) of the image (114) of the object (105), wherein the number of image regions (132) comprises at least one hexagonal image region (134).

11. The method (300) according to claim 10, wherein the provision of the image (114) of the object (105) is formed by a sequential sequence of individual partial images (115) and the number of image areas (132) comprises a plurality of hexagonal image areas (134).

12. A computer program comprising a program code for carrying out a method (300) according to claim 10 or 11, when the program code is executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component.

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