Acoustic Scanning Microscope Y-Step Control for High-Resolution Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing acoustic scanning microscopes face limitations in resolution and efficiency when scanning large-volume or large-area samples due to fixed pixel sizes and transducer element distances, leading to reduced resolution in the Y-direction and increased scanning time.
Innovation Solution
A method for operating an acoustic scanning microscope that adjusts the step size of the transducer unit in the Y-direction during scanning, allowing for variable pixel resolution and simultaneous use of transducer elements with different focal lengths to optimize image capture, enabling high-resolution imaging with adjustable pixel sizes and reduced scanning time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a multichannel transducer with fixed element distances is used, then many parallel linear scan lines can be recorded simultaneously, but the resolution in the Y-direction is reduced due to small aperture lenses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the transducer unit movable in the Y-direction with variable step sizes between scan lines. This allows the system to adapt the scanning pattern dynamically - using smaller steps for high-resolution areas and larger steps for lower-resolution areas, thereby resolving the contradiction between scanning speed and Y-direction resolution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different step sizes in different Y-direction positions. Critical areas of the sample can be scanned with smaller step sizes for higher resolution, while non-critical areas use larger step sizes for faster scanning, optimizing both resolution and productivity locally where needed
2Ease of operation
If the transducer unit is moved in a raster pattern with constant step size, then the scanning process is simple, but the scanning time increases for large-area samples
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the step size dynamic and variable rather than constant. The control unit can adjust step sizes between scan lines based on sample characteristics, allowing faster scanning of large areas while maintaining adequate resolution, thus reducing scanning time without sacrificing operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of step size from a fixed constant to a variable parameter that can be adjusted between scan lines. This allows optimization of scanning time by using larger steps where high resolution is not needed, while maintaining smaller steps where necessary, effectively reducing overall scanning time
3Device complexity
If the pixel size in the Y-direction corresponds to the distance between transducer elements, then the transducer arrangement is fixed, but the resolution is limited by the small dimension of individual elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by decoupling the effective pixel size from the fixed transducer element spacing through variable Y-direction step sizes. The system can achieve finer effective resolution by using smaller step sizes between scan lines, overcoming the limitation imposed by fixed transducer element distances
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the resolution limitation by introducing variability in the Y-direction step sizes between scan lines. This adds a degree of freedom in the scanning process that compensates for the fixed transducer element spacing, allowing effective resolution to be improved without changing the transducer arrangement
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method achieves high-resolution imaging of large samples with adjustable pixel sizes, independent of transducer element distances, and reduces scanning time by optimizing the scanning process with variable step sizes and focal lengths, enhancing data throughput and image quality.
Implementation Method 1
water is used as a coupling medium between the acoustic transducer and the sample under investigation to ensure good transmission of the sound waves
Implementation Method 2
transmission of the sound waves emitted by the transducer to the sample
Implementation Method 3
process the reflected sound waves in order to generate images of the sample's structures
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a method for operating a scanning-acoustic microscope, in particular an ultrasound scanning microscope, in which method: a sample is scanned in an X-Y plane by means of a transducer unit (10), in particular having one or more transducer elements (1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 14) each comprising a transducer (20) and a lens (21, 22); in order to scan the sample linearly, the transducer unit (10) is moved in the X direction; after the or a linear scanning operation of the sample by means of the transducer unit (10), the transducer unit (10) is shifted in the Y direction by a shifting step size (U, W); in order to scan the sample, the magnitude of the shifting step size (U, W) of the transducer unit (10) is varied in the Y direction; in particular after shifting the transducer unit (10) in the Y direction, at least one further linear scanning operation of the sample is carried out by means of the transducer unit (10) in the Y direction.