Telecentric Imaging System for Plated Culture Dish Side Label Capture
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current imaging systems using telecentric lenses for plated culture dishes struggle to capture clear images of the sides, which can contain important fiducial and barcode information, leading to challenges in pixel alignment and automated colony detection for microbial growth assessment.
Innovation Solution
An intelligent imaging system with a telecentric lens and a mirror positioned relative to the plated culture dish to reflect and capture the label on the side, allowing for accurate pixel alignment and image capture of the label, enabling automated detection and alignment of microbial colonies over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a telecentric lens is used to obtain images of plated culture dishes, then image quality and alignment accuracy are improved, but the ability to capture side labels and fiducial marks is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a second imaging device positioned at an angle to capture side labels and fiducial marks that are not visible from the top-down telecentric view. This multi-dimensional imaging approach allows the system to simultaneously maintain high alignment accuracy through telecentric imaging while recovering lost information about side labels by observing the dish from a different spatial dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses fiducial marks on the dish side as intermediary reference points that bridge the telecentric top-down view and the side view. These fiducial marks serve as common reference elements that allow the system to correlate images from both imaging devices, enabling accurate alignment while preserving access to side label information.
2Loss of information
If a standard photographic lens is used to capture plated culture dishes, then side labels and fiducial marks are visible, but image quality and alignment precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the imaging function into two separate imaging devices: one optimized for top-down colony imaging with telecentric lens, and another optimized for side label and fiducial mark capture. This segmentation allows each device to perform its specialized function at optimal quality levels without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The system integrates multiple imaging functions into a unified automated platform that combines telecentric top-down imaging with angled side imaging. This multi-functional system can simultaneously perform colony detection, side label reading, and fiducial mark tracking, eliminating the need to choose between different lens types.
3Measurement precision
If manual inspection and colony picking is performed, then accurate identification of colonies of interest is achieved, but time consumption and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated feedback loops where images from both telecentric and angled views are processed by image analysis software that identifies colonies of interest, reads side labels, and automatically controls the robotic picking system. This closed-loop automation maintains high identification accuracy while dramatically reducing inspection and picking time compared to manual methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection and colony picking with an automated system combining digital imaging, computer vision algorithms, and robotic manipulation. This substitution eliminates human labor time while maintaining or improving accuracy through consistent, programmable image analysis and precise robotic positioning.
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
The system provides high-resolution digital imaging and improved pixel alignment, facilitating automated colony detection and pick processes, reducing manual intervention and imaging time, while maintaining the economic advantage of telecentric lenses.
Implementation Method 1
The telecentric lens is also an economical alternative to other lenses in such systems. However, in systems having the telecentric lens, the direction of the light rays incident upon the plated culture dishes is such that it lacks the distortion that provides a useful image of the sides of the plated culture dish.
Implementation Method 2
However, in systems having the telecentric lens, the direction of the light rays incident upon the plated culture dishes is such that it lacks the distortion that provides a useful image of the sides of the plated culture dish.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for capturing an image of a plated culture dish. The system includes an imaging device having a camera with a telecentric lens adapted to capture an image of the plated culture dish, a minor adapted to ensure that a label on the side of the plated culture dish is captured in an image of the plated culture dish that is captured by the imaging device. The system further includes at least one light system for illuminating the plated culture dish for image capture. The mirror is placed adjacent to the side of the plated culture dish on which the label is placed and at least a portion of the minor extends beneath a bottom portion of the plated culture dish at the side of the plated culture dish.