77 results about "Optical sectioning" patented technology

A color translating UV microscope for research and clinical applications involving imaging of living or dynamic samples in real time and providing several novel techniques for image creation, optical sectioning, dynamic motion tracking and contrast enhancement comprises a light source emitting UV light, and visible and IR light if desired. This light is directed to the condenser via a means of selecting monochromatic, bandpass, shortpass, longpass or notch limited light. The condenser can be a brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast or DIC. The slide is mounted in a stage capable of high speed movements in the X, Y and Z dimensions. The microscope uses broadband, narrowband or monochromat optimized objectives to direct the image of the sample to an image intensifier or UV sensitive video system. When an image intensifier is used it is either followed by a video camera, or in the simple version, by a synchronized set of filters which translate the image to a color image and deliver it to an eyepiece for viewing by the microscopist. Between the objective and the image intensifier there can be a selection of static or dynamic switchable filters. The video camera, if used, produces an image which is digitized by an image capture board in a computer. The image is then reassembled by an overlay process called color translation and the computer uses a combination of feedback from the information in the image and operator control to perform various tasks such as optical sectioning and three dimensional reconstruction, coordination of the monochromater while collecting multiple images sets called image planes, tracking dynamic sample elements in three space, control of the environment of the slide including electric, magnetic, acoustic, temperature, pressure and light levels, color filters and optics, control for microscope mode switching between transmitted, reflected, fluorescent, Raman, scanning, confocal, area limited, autofluorescent, acousto-optical and other modes.

The invention provides a linear multi-wavelength confocal microscopic system, which uses more than two chromatic lenses to enable a linear incident light field to generate dispersed rays and to enable rays with different wavelengths to be focused at different positions. Moreover, the invention utilizes a linear multi-wavelength confocal microscope module with a linear scanning confocal principle and a light source dispersion technique to develop a long-field-depth high-definition optical micro-morphological profile microscopic method and a system by using a confocal microscopic technique with optical sectioning capacity and in combination with the high definition of spectral dispersion. The method and the system of the invention use a broadband light source. By adopting a dispersion objective module, the broadband light source is enabled to generate axially dispersed rays which are focused at different depths, the focused surface reflectance spectrum is obtained simultaneously, spatial filtering is conducted through a slit, the peak position of a spectral focusing response curve is accurately sensed by a linear spectral image sensing unit and thereby sectional profile measurement can be finished accurately and rapidly.

A fluorescence focal modulation microscopy system (10) and method (200) is disclosed for high resolution molecular imaging of thick biological tissues (40) with single photon excited fluorescence. Optical sectioning and diffraction limited spatial resolution are retained for imaging inside a multiple-scattering medium by the use of focal modulation, a technique for suppressing the background fluorescence signal excited by the scattered light. The focal modulation microscopy system has a spatial phase modulator (18) inserted in the excitation light path (34), which varies the spatial distribution of coherent excitation light around the focal volume periodically at a preset frequency. A fluorescence focal modulation image (122,142) is formed on a display (114) with the demodulated fluorescence, while a confocal image (120,140) is available simultaneously.

A cassette for retaining a specimen of surgically exposed tissue from a patient in an orientation that facilitates optical sectioning of the tissue by a confocal microscopic or other optical imaging microscope. The cassette includes a base member having a rigid optically transparent window upon which a tissue specimen is situated, a pliable membrane locatable over a substantial portion of the base member including the window, and an upper member, having an aperture therethrough, which can cover the base member to provide an enclosed cavity between the membrane and the window sealing the tissue specimen therein. The edges of the tissue specimen may be positioned planar against the window and retained in that position by bonds formed between the membrane and window at multiple points or locations around the tissue specimen. The specimen retained in the cavity is imagible a microscope through the window of the base member.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a multimodal optical sectioning microscope (200, 400, 600) for full-field imaging of a volumic and scattering sample comprising:—a full-field OCT system for providing an image of a first section in depth of the sample comprising an illumination sub-system (201, 401, 601) and a full-field imaging interferometer with a detection sub system (208, 408, 608) and an optical conjugation device for optically conjugating the sample and said detection sub system, wherein said optical conjugation device comprises a microscope objective (203, 403, 603), —a supplementary full-field optical sectioning imaging system for providing a fluorescent image of a second section in depth of said sample comprising a structured illumination microscope with an illumination sub system (623), means (421, 422) for generating at the focal plane of said microscope objective of said full-field imaging interferometer a variable spatial pattern illumination and a detection sub system (624), optically conjugated with said focal plane of the microscope objective.

The present invention provides a slit-scan multi-wavelength confocal lens module, utilizing at least two lenses having chromatic aberration for splitting a broadband light into continuously linear spectral lights having different focal length respectively. The present invention utilizes the confocal lens module employing slit-scan confocal principle and chromatic dispersion techniques and the confocal microscopy with optical sectioning ability and high resolution in spectral dispersion to establish a confocal microscopy method and system with long DOF and high resolution, capable of modulating a broadband light to produce the axial chromatic dispersion and focus on different depths toward an object's surface for obtaining the reflected light spectrum from the surface. Thereafter, the spectrum is spatially filtered by a slit and then a peak position with respect to the filtered spectrum along the scanning line is detected by a spectral image sensing unit for generating the sectional profile of the measured surface.

An imaging, differential optical sectioning interference microscopy (DOSIM) system and method for measuring refractive indices and thicknesses of transparent thin-films. The refractive index and thickness are calculated from two interferometric images of the sample transparent thin-film having a vertical offset that falls within the linear region of an axial response curve of optically sectioning microscopy. Here, the images are formed by a microscope objective in the normal direction, i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the latitudinal surface of the thin-film. As a result, the lateral resolution of the transparent thin-film is estimated based on the Rayleigh criterion, 0.61λ / NA.

An imaging, differential optical sectioning interference microscopy (DOSIM) system and method for measuring refractive indices and thicknesses of transparent thin-films. The refractive index and thickness are calculated from two interferometric images of the sample transparent thin-film having a vertical offset that falls within the linear region of an axial response curve of optically sectioning microscopy. Here, the images are formed by a microscope objective in the normal direction, i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the latitudinal surface of the thin-film. As a result, the lateral resolution of the transparent thin-film is estimated based on the Rayleigh criterion, 0.61λ / NA.

A tissue specimen stage is provided having a window with surface curvature upon which an excised tissue specimen is locatable, a carriage having a tissue specimen receptacle to which the window is mounted, and a platform supporting the carriage and presenting the window to the objective lens of an optical sectioning microscope. The carriage is mounted to the platform for movement along two rotational axes so that the carriage's movement follows the curvature of all or part of the window while maintaining the same optical geometry of the window with respect to the objective lens. The window has surface curvature adapted to at least approximate the shape or curvature of the non-histologically prepared tissue specimen to be placed thereupon.

The invention relates to a system and a method for determination of a value for at least one parameter describing microbial activity of individual biological organisms in a liquid sample. Images,wherein individual biological organisms may be identified,are combined to provide optical sectionings of the biological organisms and the optical sectionings are analysed to determine the value for said at least one parameter describing microbial activity of said individual biological organisms in each sample container.

The invention is suitable for the technical field of medical information and provides a rapid intraoperative pathological diagnosis system and method. The system comprises a sample preparation module, an optical imaging module and a data analysis module, wherein the sample preparation module extracts a diseased sample tissue from a patient body, fixes the diseased sample tissue by adopting a chemical reagent, then performs optical clearing treatment on the diseased sample tissue by adopting an optical clearing agent and finally performs fluorescent staining treatment on the diseased sample tissue; the optical imaging module first arranges and fixes the diseased sample tissue subjected to the fluorescent staining treatment, and then performs optical scanning imaging treatment on the diseased sample tissue subjected to the fluorescent staining treatment, by adopting a functional microimaging system, so as to obtain a functional diagram and an optical section diagram of the diseased sample tissue; and the data analysis module performs comparative analysis on the functional diagram and the optical section diagram as well as existing disease database data to generate a diagnosis result report. The system and the method are high in section-making speed and high in section-making quality.

The disclosed technology brings histopathology into the operating theatre, to enable real-time intra-operative digital pathology. The disclosed technology utilizes confocal imaging devices image, in the operating theatre, “optical slices” of fresh tissue—without the need to physically slice and otherwise process the resected tissue as required by frozen section analysis (FSA). The disclosed technology, in certain embodiments, includes a simple, operating-table-side digital histology scanner, with the capability of rapidly scanning all outer margins of a tissue sample (e.g., resection lump, removed tissue mass). Using point-scanning microscopy technology, the disclosed technology, in certain embodiments, precisely scans a thin “optical section” of the resected tissue, and sends the digital image to a pathologist rather than the real tissue, thereby providing the pathologist with the opportunity to analyze the tissue intra-operatively. Thus, the disclosed technology provides digital images with similar information content as FSA, but faster and without destroying the tissue sample itself.