Confocal Microscope Aperture Correlation Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional confocal microscopy methods, such as confocal laser scanning microscopy, are time-consuming and expensive due to the need for sequential pixel-by-pixel scanning and the limitations of laser light, which also result in optical artifacts from crosstalk, making live image display and efficient topography generation challenging.
Innovation Solution
A confocal microscope with aperture correlation that captures wide-field and composite images alternately while continuously adjusting focus, using a spinning disk unit with a rotatable aperture mask, and processes these images using an image processor to generate confocal images through interpolation, allowing for rapid and flexible topography creation without being confined to a single focus position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If confocal laser scanning microscopy is used to achieve improved contrast and layered imaging, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming sequential pixel-by-pixel scanning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging process by capturing multiple images at different focus positions simultaneously using a light field microscope, then separates and processes confocal information from each segment through computational algorithms, eliminating sequential scanning while maintaining layered image quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a computational dimension by processing captured light field data through algorithms that reconstruct confocal images mathematically, transforming spatial data into focused layers without physical scanning, thereby achieving both high precision and fast imaging
2Productivity
If confocal spinning disk is used to improve imaging speed, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to crosstalk artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces computational algorithms as an intermediary between light capture and final image formation, processing raw light field data to eliminate crosstalk artifacts mathematically while preserving genuine optical signals, thereby achieving both speed and accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical confocal spinning disk system with a computational confocality approach, using software-based image processing instead of physical aperture scanning to achieve artifact-free imaging at high speeds
3Measurement precision
If laser light is used in scanning systems to achieve precise point detection, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases due to expensive laser equipment and narrow-band spectral limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, long-lived laser light sources with inexpensive, broadband LED or halogen illumination that can be used freely for spectral evaluations, achieving point detection precision through computational methods rather than expensive laser hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the illumination parameter from narrow-band laser light to broadband visible light, enabling full spectral evaluations while maintaining detection precision through light field capture and computational processing instead of laser-based scanning
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
This approach significantly reduces measurement time and enables rapid calculation of confocal images at various focus positions, improving imaging speed and precision while eliminating crosstalk-related artifacts, thus facilitating efficient stacked imaging and live image display.
Implementation Method 1
a spinning disk unit (11) arranged between the illumination device (1) and the object stage (2), wherein the spinning disk unit (11) comprises a rotatable aperture mask (12) with an optically open first section (12.1) and with at least one structured second section (12.2) for coding the illumination
Implementation Method 2
The radiation reflected or emitted by the sample is decoded by means of the objective through the aperture mask or a similarly constructed decoder mask and captured by an image-capturing unit
Implementation Method 3
uses an image processor to generate confocal images through interpolation, allowing for rapid and flexible topography creation without being confined to a single focus position
Data Source
AI summary
A confocal microscope and an associated method for determining a topography of a sample by implementing a correlative spinning disk microscopy is provided. The method includes placing a sample on an object stage of the microscope. Either the object stage is moved vertically to determine the topography of the sample, while first and second images of the sample are captured in an alternating manner. A vertical focus position is stored as metadata for each image. Two first or second images are interpolated to give an intermediate image. A confocal image for a defined vertical position is generated by calculating the intermediate image with the second or first image at the position.