Coherent-Light Microscope for High-Resolution 3D Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microscopes for three-dimensional imaging of biological cells are costly, complex, and limited by the need for precise lens manufacturing and small working distances, making them difficult to use with various sample types and containers.
Innovation Solution
A microscope design using a light source, beam splitter, and pivotally actionable mirrors with electronic control for beam direction, combined with a rotating illumination beam and optical path difference adjustment, allows for high-resolution imaging without expensive lenses, accommodating various sample sizes and types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional microscopes use high-precision lenses to achieve high resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical optical lens system with a digital computational imaging system. Instead of relying on physical lenses to focus and resolve images, the system uses a coded aperture mask combined with computational algorithms to achieve high-resolution imaging. This substitution eliminates the need for expensive, precision-manufactured lenses while maintaining or improving imaging quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of image formation from optical focusing (physical parameter) to computational reconstruction (digital parameter). By encoding spatial information through a coded aperture and recovering it through algorithms, the system transforms the imaging process from a purely optical parameter-dependent system to one that can achieve high resolution through computational processing rather than physical lens precision.
2Measurement precision
If conventional microscopes use high numerical aperture lenses to increase resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but working distance decreases and sample preparation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical constraint of numerical aperture with a computational approach to resolution enhancement. The coded aperture mask encodes spatial frequency information that can be recovered through computational algorithms, allowing high effective numerical aperture without the physical constraints of lens design. This enables larger working distances while maintaining high resolution capability.
3Measurement precision
If conventional microscopes use precise lens assembly with low manufacturing tolerances to achieve high precision, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical optical assembly with a simpler system consisting of a coded aperture mask and digital processor. Instead of multiple precision-aligned optical elements requiring tight tolerances, the system uses a single mask pattern combined with computational reconstruction, dramatically reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining or improving precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a computational copy of the optical transformation process. Rather than physically implementing complex optical path transformations through multiple lenses and mirrors, the system encodes the transformation in a digital algorithm that processes the captured data, replacing physical complexity with computational equivalence.
4Measurement precision
If conventional microscopes use marker dyes to enhance contrast, then measurement precision is improved, but the observed matter is affected and procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical contrast enhancement method (marker dyes) with a physical-optical-computational method using coded aperture masks. Instead of chemically modifying the sample to enhance contrast, the system uses encoded light patterns and computational reconstruction to achieve high-contrast imaging of transparent specimens, eliminating the need for staining procedures and their associated complexity.
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 design provides an economical, versatile, and reliable microscope capable of high-resolution three-dimensional imaging, simplifying sample preparation and accommodating various sample containers, while reducing manufacturing costs and sensitivity to optical element quality.
Implementation Method 1
a light beam guide system comprising a beam splitter configured to split the light beam into a reference beam and a sample illumination beam
Implementation Method 2
The light beam guide system comprises direction change mirrors to direct the reference beam and the sample illumination beam along their respective optical paths
Implementation Method 3
a rotating beam mechanism configured to rotate the angled sample illumination beam at least 360° (2 pi radians) around the optical axis
Implementation Method 4
a light sensing system configured to capture at least phase and intensity values of the light beam downstream of the beam reuniter
Implementation Method 5
a beam reuniter configured to reunite the reference beam and sample illumination beam after passage of the sample illumination beam through the sample observation zone
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 1c
AI summary
Microscope (2) comprising a coherent light source (4) producing a coherent light beam (7), a light beam guide system (6) comprising a beam splitter (14) configured to split the coherent light beam (7) into a reference beam (7a) and a sample illumination beam (7b), a sample holder (18) configured to hold a sample (1) to be observed, a sample illumination device (28) configured to direct the sample illumination beam (7b) through the sample and into a microscope objective (37), a beam reuniter (16) configured to reunite the reference beam and sample illumination beam after passage of the sample illumination beam through the sample to be observed, and a light sensing system (8) configured to capture at least phase and intensity values of the coherent light beam downstream of the beam reuniter.