Microscopic Illumination Apparatus With Spatially Varying Optical Element
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microscopic illumination systems suffer from illumination unevenness due to non-uniform light distribution, which is exacerbated by digital cameras' sensitivity to brightness variations, making it difficult to achieve uniform illumination in microscopy applications.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an optical element with different characteristics between the central and outer regions, such as cutoff, attenuating, or diffusing properties, is positioned in the illumination path to control light transmission and diffusion, ensuring uniform illumination by reducing intensity in the axial region and optimizing light distribution on the specimen surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional illumination system is used, then the structure is simple, but illumination unevenness occurs due to non-uniform light distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using an optical element with spatially varying characteristics - the central region has different optical properties (lower transmittance or higher diffusion) compared to the outer region. This creates non-uniform light distribution patterns that compensate for the inherent non-uniformity of the light source, achieving uniform illumination across the specimen without requiring a completely complex optical system.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of trying to uniformize the entire light beam from the source, the patent inverts the approach by deliberately creating non-uniformity in the optical element's characteristics (central region vs. outer region) to counterbalance and cancel out the source's non-uniformity, thereby achieving uniform illumination at the specimen plane.
2Illumination intensity
If an integrator is used to reduce illumination unevenness, then illumination uniformity improves, but light loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical element is designed with local quality differences where the central region has higher light attenuation or diffusion compared to the outer region. This selective treatment allows the system to correct illumination non-uniformity in the critical central area while preserving light intensity in the outer regions, thereby reducing overall light loss compared to uniform integrators that treat the entire beam equally.
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 efficiently achieves uniform illumination with reduced light loss, effectively addressing illumination unevenness and enhancing microscopy imaging quality, particularly in medical and biological applications where digital cameras are used.
Implementation Method 1
an optical element having different characteristics between a central region and an outer region is arranged in a path of the beam of substantially parallel rays
Data Source
AI summary
An illumination optical system includes a light source section for emitting a beam of substantially parallel rays, a field lens for collecting the beam of substantially parallel rays, a condenser lens for introducing the beam of rays collected by the field lens onto an illumination target surface, and an aperture stop disposed at an entrance-side focal position of the condenser lens. The aperture stop and the light source are in conjugate positional relationship via the collector lens and the field lens. An optical element having different characteristics between the central region and the outer region is arranged in a path of the substantially parallel rays at a position satisfying the condition:0.03<|L/fCD|<0.4where FCD is a focal length of the condenser lens and L is a distance from the illumination target surface to a position that is, of positions on which the optical element is projected, closest to the illumination target surface.