Dither Focus Stage Resonance for High-Speed Microscopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microscopy systems face challenges in efficiently capturing high-quality, focused images of pathological tissues due to the high proportion of out-of-focus images, especially at high magnification levels where specimens with uniform surfaces are rare, leading to significant losses in acquisition speed.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an objective lens with a slow focusing stage and a dither focus stage that uses a focus sensor to determine a metric for the objective lens's position, allowing for rapid focus calculations and image capture, enabling on-the-fly focusing and high-speed image acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional pre-focusing technique is used to determine best focus at array of points, then focus quality is improved, but acquisition speed deteriorates significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary focus detection at a reduced number of sampling points before the actual image acquisition pass. This preliminary action provides focus information that can be used to pre-position the objective lens or interpolate focus values for intermediate points, reducing the time needed during the main acquisition phase while maintaining focus quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses focus information obtained from a limited number of sampling points to represent or copy focus characteristics to adjacent unsampled points through interpolation. This allows the system to determine focus positions at multiple locations without physically measuring each point, significantly reducing measurement time while maintaining acceptable focus accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If high magnification imaging is used to capture detailed specimen features, then image resolution is improved, but the proportion of out-of-focus images increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors focus quality using a focus sensor during the imaging process. Based on real-time feedback from the focus sensor, the system can dynamically adjust the objective lens position or dither lens parameters to maintain optimal focus, ensuring high image resolution and consistency even when imaging specimens with non-uniform surfaces at high magnification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic focus adjustment during image acquisition, allowing the objective lens or dither lens to adapt its position in real-time based on specimen topography. This dynamic approach enables the system to maintain focus across varying specimen surfaces, improving both resolution and focus consistency at high magnification levels.
3Productivity
If dither lens is moved at resonant frequency of at least 60 Hz for rapid focus calculations, then processing speed is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes mechanical vibration of the dither lens at its resonant frequency (at least 60 Hz) to rapidly modulate the optical path and enable quick focus measurements. By operating at resonance, the system achieves rapid focus calculations and image capture rates without requiring excessive driving force, thus improving processing speed while limiting the increase in system complexity to essential vibration control mechanisms.
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 system significantly reduces the time required to capture focused images, achieving high throughput and quality by eliminating the need for pre-focusing and interpolating focus points, thereby overcoming the limitations of conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
The dither lens may be moved at a resonant frequency that is at least 60 Hz
Implementation Method 2
an objective lens disposed for examination of the specimen
Implementation Method 3
A focus sensor provides focus information in accordance with light transmitted via the dither lens
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The application refers to a device for slide caching, comprising: a rack; a buffer; a slide handler that moves a first slide between the rack and the buffer; and an XY stage that moves a second slide in connection with a scan of the second slide, wherein at least one function of the slide handler corresponding to the first slide is performed in parallel with at least one function of the XY stage corresponding to the second slide. Furthermore, a method for slide caching is provided, the method comprising: providing a rack and a buffer; moving a first slide between the rack and the buffer; and moving a second slide into or out of the buffer in connection with a scan of the second slide, wherein moving the first slide between the rack and the buffer is performed in parallel with the scan of the second slide.