Image forming apparatus, image forming method, image forming system, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10133047-B2
Application number	US-201514682099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an imager that is electrically connected to an image sensor disposed at a position where light that has passed through a sample slice is incident on the image sensor, and an illumination system that emits illumination light successively in different illumination directions relative to a sample slice to illuminate the sample slice with the illumination light and that emits a first light having a peak in a first wavelength range and a second light having a peak in a second wavelength range. The image forming apparatus obtains a plurality of first-color images with the image sensor while the sample slice is being illuminated with the first light serving as the illumination light successively in the different illumination directions. The image forming apparatus obtains at least one second-color image with the image sensor while the sample slice is being illuminated with the second light in at least one of the different illumination directions. The image forming apparatus generates a high-resolution image on the basis of the plurality of first-color images and the at least one second-color image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an imager electrically connected to an image sensor;
an illumination system that emits first pieces of light and second one or more pieces of light, each of the first pieces of light having a peak in a first wavelength, any two of pieces of light included in the first pieces of light coming from different directions to a sample slice, each of the second one or more pieces of light having a peak in a second wavelength, any two of pieces of light included in the second one or more pieces of light coming from different directions to the sample slice, the illumination system not emitting any two or more pieces of light included in the first pieces of light and the second one or more pieces of light at a same time, the first pieces of light including first light coming from a first direction to the sample slice and third light coming from a second direction to the sample slice, the second one or more pieces of light including second light coming from the first direction to the sample slice;
a controller connected to the imager and to the illumination system, the controller controlling the imager and the illumination system; and
an image processor that obtains data of a plurality of images, including a first image, a second image, and a third image, from the image sensor and combines the plurality of images to generate a high-resolution image of the sample slice, the high-resolution image having a resolution higher than a resolution of each of the plurality of images,
wherein the controller
obtains a plurality of first-color images including the first image and the third image from the imager, the image sensor obtaining the plurality of first-color images when the illumination system emits the first pieces of light, the plurality of first-color images each corresponding to the first pieces of light, the first image corresponding to the first light, the third image corresponding to the third light, and
obtains one or more second-color images including the second image from the imager, the image sensor obtaining the one or more second-color images when the illumination system emits the second one or more pieces of light, the one or more second-color images each corresponding to the second one or more pieces of light, the second image corresponding to the second light,

wherein the image processor generates the high-resolution image on the basis of the plurality of first-color images and the one or more second-color images,
wherein (i) when the illumination system emits the first light, a first portion of the sample slice emits first resulting light based on the first light and (ii) a first pixel included in the image sensor receives the first resulting light and outputs data included in the first image,
wherein (iii) when the illumination system emits the second light, the first portion of the sample slice emits second resulting light based on the second light and (iv) the first pixel receives the second resulting light and outputs data included in the second image,
wherein (v) when the illumination system emits the third light, a second portion of the sample slice emits third resulting light based on the third light and (vi) the first pixel receives the third resulting light and outputs data included in the third image,
wherein the second portion touches the first portion, and
wherein the illumination system does not emit fourth light having a peak in the second wavelength range and coming from the second direction to the sample slice, thereby the image processor using no data based on forth resulting light to generates the high-resolution due to the second portion neither receiving fourth light nor emitting fourth resulting light based on a fourth light.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the imager
releasably supports a prepared specimen, the prepared specimen including the sample slice and the image sensor, and
is electrically connected to the image sensor in a state in which the imager supports the prepared specimen.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first pieces of light includes fifth light and sixth light,
wherein the plurality of images includes a fifth image and a sixth image,
wherein the plurality of first-color images includes the fifth image and the sixth image, the fifth image corresponding to the fifth light, the sixth image corresponding to the sixth light,
wherein (vii) when the illumination system emits the fifth light, a third portion of the sample slice emits fifth resulting light based on the fifth light and (viii) the first pixel receives the fifth resulting light and outputs data included in the fifth image,
wherein (ix) when the illumination system emits the sixth light, a fourth portion of the sample slice emits sixth resulting light based on the sixth light and (x) the first pixel receives the sixth resulting light and outputs data included in the sixth image,
wherein the third portion touches the first portion and the fourth portion, and
wherein the fourth portion touches the second portion.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination system emits seventh one or more pieces of light, each of the seventh one or more pieces of light having a peak in a third wavelength range, any two of pieces of light included in the seventh one or more pieces of light coming from different directions to the sample slice, the seventh one or more pieces of light including seventh light coming from the first direction to the sample slice,
wherein the plurality of images includes a seventh image,
wherein the controller obtains one or more third-color images including the seventh image from the imager, the image senor obtaining the one or more third-color images when the illumination system emits the seventh one or more pieces of light, the one or more third-color images each corresponding to the seventh one or more pieces of light, the seventh image corresponding to the seventh light,
wherein the image processor generates the high-resolution image further on the basis of the one or more third-color images.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first pieces of light has a wavelength in a range of 495 nm to 570 nm inclusive, and each of the second pieces of light has one of a wavelength in a range of 620 nm to 750 nm inclusive and a wavelength in a range of no less than 450 nm to less than 495 nm.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein each of the first pieces of light has a wavelength in a range of 495 nm to 570 nm inclusive, each of the second pieces of light has a wavelength in a range of 620 nm to 750 nm inclusive, and each of the third pieces of light has a wavelength in a range of no less than 450 nm to less than 495 nm.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination system includes a light source that emits the first pieces of light and the second one or more pieces of light, the light source being moved to different positions to emit the first pieces of light from the different directions to the sample slice and to one or more different positions to emit the second one or more pieces of light from the different directions to the sample slice.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination system includes first light sources and one or more second light sources, the first light sources emitting first pieces of light, the first light sources being disposed at different positions to emit the first pieces of light from the different directions to the sample slice, and
wherein the second one or more light sources emitting the second one or more pie

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Motomura Hideto
• Adachi Yasuhiko
• Kato Yoshihisa

Classifications

• G02B21/361

  Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor (G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups) · CPC title

• G02B21/06 Primary

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title

• G02B21/0008 Primary

  Microscopes having a simple construction, e.g. portable microscopes · CPC title