Digital Holography Defocused Imaging for Cell Feature Resolution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Digital holography imaging systems face challenges in resolving the internal structure of cells due to insufficient resolution with a planar incident wave setup, making cell differential analysis difficult, especially in lens-free configurations used in lab-on-chip systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that direct a wavefront of coherent radiation through a sample, capture interference patterns, numerically reconstruct defocused images with a predetermined offset from the focal plane, and calculate features from these images, enhancing resolution and tolerance to depth errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a planar incident wave setup is used in digital holography imaging, then the system is simple and compact, but the resolution is insufficient to resolve the internal structure of cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D shadow imaging to 3D holographic reconstruction by capturing interference patterns that encode depth information. The numerical reconstruction process reconstructs images at different focal planes, adding the depth dimension to resolve internal cell structures while maintaining a compact lens-free setup.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the imaging parameter from direct shadow capture to interference pattern capture, and further to reconstructed images at different focal planes. By varying the focal plane position during reconstruction, the system achieves high resolution for internal structures while maintaining system simplicity.
2Loss of information
If a traditional lens system is used to obtain focused images, then more information is available, but the system becomes more expensive and sensitive to vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the imaging function from the physical lens and implements it numerically through computer algorithms. The lensless setup captures interference patterns that contain all necessary information, and the numerical reconstruction process replaces the optical focusing function, eliminating expensive and vibration-sensitive lens components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical lens system with a computational approach. Instead of using physical lenses to focus light, the system uses numerical algorithms to reconstruct focused images from interference patterns, substituting mechanical/optical components with computational processing.
3Device complexity
If lens-free imaging without holographic reconstruction is used, then the setup is simplified, but the image quality is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary capture of interference patterns that encode complete 3D information about the sample. Although the raw pattern doesn't show an apparent image, it contains all holographic information needed for high-quality reconstruction, enabling later numerical processing to achieve high image quality while maintaining simple setup.
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 provides a cost-effective and high-resolution method for determining features of objects in suspensions, such as cells, by utilizing defocused imaging to increase pixel coverage and simplify feature extraction, enabling accurate classification and differentiation of cell types.
Implementation Method 1
Light is diffracted by the illuminated object or substance and interferes with the reference light from the illumination source
Implementation Method 2
capturing a pattern of interference between the wavefront of coherent radiation and a wavefront diffracted by the objects
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~2b
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
A method of directing a wavefront of coherent radiation through a sample of objects in a suspension, capturing an interference pattern between the wavefront of coherent radiation and a wavefront of the diffracted by the object with an image sensor, numerically determining the focal plane of at least one object, and numerically reconstructing a de-focused image of the at least one object from the interference pattern in an image plane which is substantially parallel to the image sensor and in a plane with a predetermined offset from the focal plane. The method further includes identifying at least one portion in the defocused image corresponding to the at least one object in the sample, and calculating from each of said portions at least one feature of the corresponding object.