Microscope Illumination Control for Complex Depth Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing illumination systems in surgical microscopes often fail to provide uniform illumination for complex depth profiles, such as those found in deep wound tracts, leading to non-uniform brightness and poor visibility during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
An illumination system that determines the depth characteristic of the sample using depth sensors and controls an illumination module to provide spatially modulated illumination based on the sample's depth profile, compensating for variations in slope and shading to achieve uniform brightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If uniform illumination is provided across the entire field of view, then the illumination system is simple and easy to operate, but samples with complex depth profiles (e.g., deep wound tracts) exhibit non-uniform brightness and poor visibility in certain regions
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system divides the field of view into multiple zones and applies different illumination intensities to different zones based on their depth characteristics. The control unit adjusts the illumination intensity for each zone individually, ensuring that deeper regions receive higher illumination intensity while shallower regions receive lower intensity, thereby achieving uniform overall illumination across samples with complex depth profiles.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination system dynamically adjusts the illumination intensity for different zones based on real-time depth information of the sample. The control unit receives depth data and continuously modifies the illumination pattern to match the sample's topography, enabling the system to adapt to varying sample geometries and maintain optimal illumination uniformity throughout the observation process.
2Illumination intensity
If the illumination system provides high illumination intensity for all regions, then visibility is maximized, but the contrast between different depth portions is reduced, making it difficult to distinguish depth variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different illumination intensities to different zones based on their depth characteristics, preserving depth contrast information. Shallower regions receive lower illumination intensity while deeper regions receive higher intensity, maintaining the visual distinction between different depth levels while ensuring all regions remain visible.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit pre-calculates the optimal illumination intensity distribution for each zone based on the sample's depth profile before illumination begins. This preliminary adjustment ensures that the illumination pattern is optimized to preserve depth contrast information from the outset, allowing surgeons to clearly distinguish depth variations while maintaining overall visibility.
3Device complexity
If the illumination system is designed for simple uniform lighting, then the device complexity is low, but it cannot adapt to different sample geometries and depth profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system incorporates a control unit that can universally adapt to different sample geometries and depth profiles by processing depth information and dynamically adjusting illumination patterns. This multi-functional capability allows the same system to effectively illuminate various sample types including flat surfaces, deep wound tracts, and irregular geometries, eliminating the need for multiple specialized illumination systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses depth sensing feedback to automatically adjust the illumination pattern for each zone. The control unit receives depth information about the sample's topography and uses this feedback to calculate and apply the appropriate illumination intensity distribution, enabling the system to automatically adapt to any sample geometry without manual reconfiguration.
Data Source
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AI summary
Examples relate to an illumination system for a microscope system, and to a system, method and computer program for a microscope system. The illumination system comprises an illumination module for providing a spatially modulated illumination of a sample. The illumination system further comprises one or more processors configured to determine a depth characteristic of the sample. The one or more processors is configured to control the illumination module based on the depth characteristic of the sample.