Cell Imaging Substructure Segmentation for High-Magnification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cell imaging apparatuses face challenges in maintaining optimal culturing conditions and achieving accurate imaging without disturbing the culture environment, particularly when the whole culture chamber needs to be moved for imaging, which limits chamber size and complicates high-magnification imaging due to the need for a transparent extra plate.
Innovation Solution
The cultivation substructure is isolated to form a separate subchamber within the culture chamber, allowing imaging optics to move relative to the subchamber without moving the entire culture chamber, enabling larger, photoisolating, and thermally insulating chambers with movable, lightweight components and improved optical access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the whole culture chamber is moved for imaging, then imaging can be performed without removing the substructure, but the chamber size is limited and high-magnification imaging is complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent movable units: the culture chamber (stationary) and the substructure with imaging optics (movable). The substructure containing the well plate and imaging optics can be moved relative to the chamber without moving the chamber itself, resolving the contradiction between imaging capability and chamber size limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging optics and substructure are extracted from the chamber and placed on a separate movable carrier. This allows the imaging function to be separated from the culture chamber, enabling the chamber to be made larger and better insulated while maintaining imaging capability through the movable substructure.
2Ease of operation
If a transparent extra plate is used under the well plate for imaging, then imaging can be performed through the chamber bottom, but high-magnification imaging is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent extra plate is completely removed from the system. Instead of imaging through the chamber bottom, the well plate is moved to a position where it can be directly accessed by the imaging optics from the side, eliminating the need for the extra plate and enabling high-magnification imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging approach transitions from imaging through the bottom dimension (requiring a transparent plate) to imaging from the side dimension. The well plate is moved to a position where lateral access is possible, changing the imaging dimension and eliminating the need for the extra plate.
3Measurement precision
If the substructure is removed from the incubator for imaging, then imaging can be performed with good optics, but the culturing environment is disturbed and bumps occur during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the culturing function (chamber) from the imaging function (movable substructure). The substructure containing the well plate can be moved within the chamber for imaging without removing it from the culturing environment, maintaining stable conditions while enabling accurate imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable carrier acts as an intermediary that allows the substructure to be positioned for imaging without removing it from the chamber. This intermediary mechanism enables the substructure to remain in the controlled environment while still allowing optical access for imaging.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for imaging cells including a culture chamber, in which a cultivation sub-structure is placed, imaging optics, and actuators for providing the relative movement of the cultivation substructure and the imaging optics in such a way that the imaging optics is used to image different sites in the substructure. The cultivation substructure is isolated as a subchamber of its own that is separate from the culture chamber, and imaging is carried out by moving the imaging optics and the subchamber in relation to each other.