Wide-field Microscope Illumination System with Dynamic Beam Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-intensity illumination in wide-field microscopy can cause damage to microscope objective lenses due to excessive light exposure, leading to non-linear degradation and potential lens failure, which limits the lifespan and performance of these complex and expensive optical components.
Innovation Solution
A wide-field microscope illumination system with an automatic illumination light beam path manipulation device that adjusts the illumination axis relative to the objective axis at predetermined intervals, allowing for the redistribution of light entry points within a predetermined surface to avoid prolonged exposure to critical areas, thereby extending the lifespan of the lenses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-intensity illumination light is used to achieve fast image acquisition and sufficient signal detection, then the recording speed and signal quality are improved, but the microscope objective lens suffers from excessive light exposure leading to non-linear degradation and potential failure
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system dynamically shifts the entry point of the illumination beam across the objective lens aperture over time. Instead of using a fixed entry point, the system varies the lateral position of the illumination axis relative to the optical axis, distributing the light load across multiple regions of the lens. This dynamic redistribution prevents any single area from receiving excessive continuous exposure, thereby extending lens lifespan while maintaining high-intensity illumination for fast imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the spatial distribution of illumination. By varying the illumination entry point position over time (adding the time dimension), the system distributes the total light energy across a larger effective area of the lens over the course of operation. This transforms a static single-point illumination into a dynamic multi-point illumination pattern, reducing peak intensity at any given location while maintaining overall illumination effectiveness.
2Illumination intensity
If the illumination beam is focused through a small area of the objective lens to achieve high intensity, then the light intensity for fast marker activation is improved, but the localized exposure causes rapid degradation of that specific lens area
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the lateral position of the illumination beam entry point on the objective lens. By continuously or periodically varying the entry point location across the lens aperture, the high-intensity illumination is distributed across multiple lens regions over time. This prevents any single location from accumulating excessive exposure dose, thereby reducing localized damage while maintaining the required peak intensity for fast marker activation in each individual frame.
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 solution effectively extends the service life of microscope objective lenses by evenly distributing the radiation load, preventing sudden damage and maintaining the functionality of the microscope without noticeable restriction, allowing for prolonged and stable operation.
Implementation Method 1
an illumination light source which emits wide-field illumination light along illumination beam paths with corresponding illumination axes, along which the illumination light penetrates into the microscope objective through illumination light entry points
Implementation Method 2
a spatially resolving light detector, which detects detection light transmitted from an illuminated sample through the microscope objective along a detection light beam path
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a wide-field microscope illumination system and to an illumination method. Illuminating light is sent into the microscope objective at illuminating-light inlet points lying within a predetermined illuminating-light inlet area. Said illuminating-light inlet points are automatically changed into a plurality of illuminating-light inlet points at time intervals by a controlled, automatic illumination-light beam path manipulation device in order to protect the objective from damage by radiation overload.