Optical Imaging Vibration Mitigation for Accurate Z-Stack Acquisition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vibrations in opto-fluidic instruments caused by internal and external sources lead to inaccurate imaging of biological samples, affecting the detection and analysis of target molecules.
Innovation Solution
An optical imaging system acquires Z-stack images of a sample supported by an XY-stage, measures the position of 2D slices using a position sensor, computes position offsets, and determines whether to adjust position information or reacquire images based on a threshold offset to mitigate vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If active vibration mitigation is implemented using position sensors and image reacquisition, then image accuracy is improved, but device complexity and acquisition time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors stage position using position sensors and feeds this information back to the controller. When vibrations are detected through position deviations, the system automatically triggers image reacquisition or position correction, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that maintains image accuracy without requiring complex real-time intervention systems
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attempting to physically counteract vibrations through complex mechanical counterbalancing systems, the patent creates a digital copy of the affected images and processes them through software-based correction algorithms. This approach replaces complex hardware vibration cancellation with simpler computational methods that achieve the same corrective effect
2Measurement precision
If image reacquisition is performed when position offsets exceed threshold, then image accuracy is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the threshold offset parameter based on imaging conditions and sample characteristics. By optimizing this parameter, the system balances between triggering reacquisition too frequently (reducing productivity) and too infrequently (compromising image accuracy), thereby achieving optimal performance for specific application scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of reacquiring entire Z-stack image sets whenever minor vibrations occur, the system selectively reacquires only the specific images or image slices that are affected by position offsets exceeding the threshold. This partial action approach maintains image quality for affected regions while minimizing the time penalty associated with full reacquisition
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose methods and systems for actively monitoring an opto-fluidic instrument for vibrational disturbances and correcting images obtained during the detected disturbances. In various embodiments, an optical imaging system may acquire Z-stack images of samples supported by an XY-stage. Vibrations can cause individual stacks to be sheared, i.e., to not be co-located with respect to neighboring Z-stacks. In various embodiments, an offset between the measured positions and the expected positions of the sheared stacks may be computed, and a determination as to whether to correct or reacquire the Z-stack images may be made based at least in part on the computed offset.