Double Fold Optics for Compact Biological Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging instruments for biological and chemical tests face challenges in providing sufficient magnification and field of view while maintaining a compact and efficient size, often resulting in complex and inefficient optical paths due to large sample sizes and lens requirements.
Innovation Solution
The use of a non-orthogonal optical path with a reflex mirror and focal plane mirror, along with a camera and lens module, allows for a compact imaging assembly with a lens speed of less than f/2.0, accommodating samples up to 50 cm in length, and includes a control unit and user interface for data manipulation and motorized adjustments to optimize imaging distance and orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional orthogonal optical path with standard lenses is used, then sufficient magnification and field of view can be achieved, but the apparatus size becomes large and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional linear orthogonal optical path into a folded non-orthogonal configuration using mirrors positioned at specific angles (e.g., 45-degree angles). This redirects the optical path in three-dimensional space, effectively compressing the optical distance while maintaining the required field of view and magnification capabilities, thereby reducing the overall apparatus footprint
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates the camera module, lens assembly, and mirror system into a compact nested configuration where components are arranged in a space-efficient manner. The optical path is folded back on itself multiple times, allowing the light to traverse a long effective distance within a small physical envelope, achieving both high magnification and compact size
2Volume of stationary object
If smaller zoom lenses are used to reduce apparatus size, then compactness is improved, but sensitivity and field of view are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
By folding the optical path through strategic mirror placement, the patent extends the effective optical distance without increasing the physical apparatus size. This allows smaller lenses to achieve the same effective field of view and sensitivity as larger lenses would provide in a linear configuration, decoupling lens size from optical performance
Solution Approach 2:
The mirrors act as intermediaries that redirect and extend the optical path. By introducing these reflective surfaces at specific angles, the system achieves an extended effective focal length and field of view using smaller lenses, maintaining sensitivity while reducing apparatus size
3Area of stationary object
If larger lenses are used to accommodate large samples, then field of view is sufficient, but the apparatus becomes complex and inefficiently sized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses non-orthogonal mirror arrangements to fold the optical path, allowing a compact lens to achieve a large effective field of view by traversing an extended optical distance through three-dimensional space. This eliminates the need for large, complex lens systems while maintaining the ability to image large samples
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 configuration enables efficient imaging of large biochemical samples with a wide field of view, maintaining sensitivity and compactness, suitable for laboratory use by folding the optical path with mirrors to reduce the apparatus' size and enhance usability in limited spaces.
Implementation Method 1
a reflex mirror, positioned along an optical path incident from the camera and lens module
Implementation Method 2
a focal plane mirror, positioned along an optical path incident from the reflex mirrors
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging assembly for the viewing, imaging, and analysis of biological, chemical, and/or biochemical samples in gels or other substrates, in which an adjustable camera and lens module, a reflex mirror, and a focal plane mirror, are configured to bend or fold an optical path in order to image a target region, and where the optical path can be reflected along non-orthogonal angles. The imaging assembly is configured to reduce the overall size of the imaging apparatus due to the angles at which the mirrors and camera and lens assembly are positioned relative to each other, which allows for the imaging of relatively larger samples in the target region.