Microplate Well Imaging via Multi-Exposure Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microplate imaging systems face challenges in reducing the meniscus effect, which causes light refraction and reduces image quality, especially at the peripheral regions of microplate wells, leading to underexposure and poor visibility of sample details.
Innovation Solution
The system acquires a series of images with different exposures and merges them to create an output image, where the center region uses a base exposure to minimize clipping and the peripheral region uses a larger exposure, effectively reducing the meniscus effect without mechanical complexity, using techniques like Laplacian of Gaussian pyramid representations to select appropriate frequency components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a mechanical movable aperture stop is used to compensate for light reduction due to meniscus effect, then the light quantity at peripheral portion is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical movable aperture stop with a computational image processing approach. Multiple images with different exposures are acquired and merged algorithmically to compensate for peripheral light reduction, eliminating the need for mechanical movement while achieving the same compensation effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses periodic action by acquiring multiple images with different exposure settings sequentially. The camera captures the same well multiple times with varying exposure parameters, then merges these periodic acquisitions to produce a final image with balanced illumination across all regions.
2Device complexity
If a single exposure setting is used for the entire well, then the device complexity is minimized, but the image quality at peripheral region deteriorates due to underexposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using different exposure settings for different regions of the well. The merging algorithm selectively combines image content from different exposure images based on spatial location, using higher exposure for peripheral regions and lower exposure for central regions, thereby optimizing image quality locally across the entire field of view.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by applying different exposure levels to different parts of the image. Instead of uniformly over-exposing the entire well, the system applies excessive exposure (larger exposure) only to the peripheral regions where light reduction occurs, while maintaining base exposure for the central region.
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 enhances the visibility and analysis of samples by improving image quality across the well, ensuring better exposure of both central and peripheral regions, thereby improving the overall imaging of microplate contents.
Implementation Method 1
refraction of the illumination light occurs by the meniscus of the injected liquid surface
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging system and method are provided in which a well of a microplate 050 is imaged by a camera 110 comprising magnification optics 112. The camera is controlled to acquire a series of images of the well with different exposures. The series of images comprise a base image with a base exposure and at least one further image with a larger exposure than the base exposure. The series of images are then merged into an output image which comprises in a center region of the well image content from the base image and at a peripheral region of the well image content from the at least one further image. Advantageously, the output image may allow for better assaying or analysis of the samples in the well than any of the individual images.