Adaptive Imaging System Optimizing Exposure for Low Light
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging systems face challenges in achieving high Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio and optimal light exposure time for subjects with unknown light emission or color development distributions, leading to inefficient imaging processes and potential overexposure of slowly emitting fluorescent samples.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a control apparatus that performs pre-imaging multiple times with varying light exposure times, calculates the Signal-Noise ratio, and determines a suitable total light exposure time for main imaging, allowing for high S/N ratio imaging and efficient exposure of chemiluminescent or fluorescent samples.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the light exposure time is determined based on the minimum peak in the histogram of pre-imaging pixel values, then the imaging process is automated and efficient, but peaks not appearing in the histogram cannot be imaged with desired S/N ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs pre-imaging multiple times with different light exposure times before main imaging. This preliminary action allows the system to collect pixel value distribution data across different exposure conditions, enabling accurate determination of detection targets even when peaks are not visible in single pre-imaging histograms, thus resolving the contradiction between automation efficiency and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the light exposure time based on the detected pixel value distribution characteristics. By making the exposure time adaptive rather than fixed, the system can optimize imaging conditions for different detection targets, achieving both high imaging efficiency and desired S/N ratio for targets with varying light emission intensities.
2Measurement precision
If the light exposure time is set to achieve a reference S/N ratio, then the detection sensitivity is improved, but the imaging time increases for subjects with fading light emission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs pre-imaging multiple times with different light exposure times in a periodic sequence before main imaging. This periodic sampling of different exposure conditions allows the system to build a comprehensive understanding of the subject's light emission characteristics without requiring excessively long single exposure times, thus achieving good S/N ratio while controlling total imaging time.
Solution Approach 2:
By performing multiple pre-imaging operations with varying exposure times before main imaging, the system gathers necessary information about the subject's light emission distribution in advance. This preliminary data collection enables accurate determination of optimal main imaging exposure time, avoiding unnecessarily long exposure times while ensuring adequate S/N ratio.
3Adaptability or versatility
If short-time light exposure is repeated until light emission fades to readout noise level, then the imaging process adapts to fading light emission, but fluorescent samples may be overexposed causing time waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs multiple pre-imaging operations with different light exposure times before main imaging to characterize the subject's light emission distribution. This preliminary action provides advance information about the subject's emission intensity and fading characteristics, enabling accurate determination of optimal main imaging exposure time without requiring repeated short exposures until fading to noise level, thus preventing time waste on fluorescent samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines the main imaging exposure time based on the detected pixel value distribution from multiple pre-imaging operations. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to different subject types (chemiluminescent, fluorescent, etc.) with varying emission characteristics, achieving high adaptability while avoiding unnecessary prolonged exposure times.
Data Source
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AI summary
An imaging system 1 includes an imaging apparatus 100, and a control apparatus 200 that enables the imaging apparatus 100 to perform pre-imaging and main imaging. The control apparatus 200 has an image generating portion 210 that generates a subject image based on one or more taken images in each of the pre-imaging and the main imaging, an interface portion 206 that displays the subject image and accepts a user input for setting a region-of-interest, a region setting portion 211 that sets the region-of-interest based on the user input, an SN ratio calculating portion 212 that calculates an SN ratio based on the set region-of-interest and a non-region-of-interest, and a total light exposure time calculating portion 213 that calculates a total light exposure time in which a maximum SN ratio or a preset reference SN ratio can be obtained, based on the SN ratio calculated for the one or more taken images. The control apparatus 200 enables the imaging apparatus 100 to perform the main imaging based on the total light exposure time.