Observation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501718-B2
Application number	US-201715848623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

Provided is an observation apparatus including: a housing that has, in a top face thereof, a transmission window on which a container accommodating cells can be placed and through which light can pass; a camera portion that is accommodated in the housing and that captures observation light coming from the cells irradiated with illumination light emitted from an illumination portion and entering the housing by passing through a bottom face of the container and the transmission window of the housing; and a housing-interior heating portion that is accommodated in the housing and that heats the cells.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An observation apparatus comprising:
a housing having a transmission window on a face of the housing, the transmission window being configured for light to pass through and to support a container accommodating a sample;
an image sensor accommodated in the housing for capturing an image of the sample irradiated with illumination light, the image sensor capturing the image of the sample through the transmission window; and
a heater accommodated in the housing for heating the sample;
wherein the heater is a housing-interior layer; and
the heater is provided with a housing-interior reflection layer disposed on an opposite side of the transmission window of the housing with the housing-interior layer sandwiched between the transmission window and the housing-interior reflection layer, the housing-interior reflection layer reflecting the radiant heat emitted from the housing-interior layer.

2. The observation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heater is provided with a resistor that generates radiant heat.

3. The observation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the resistor is disposed parallel to the transmission window of the housing.

4. The observation apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the heater is provided with a housing-interior radiation layer that is disposed between the transmission window of the housing and the housing-interior layer resistor, the housing-interior radiation layer making radiation of the radiant heat emitted from the housing-interior layer resistor uniform.

5. The observation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the housing-interior layer resistor is a transparent metal film.

6. The observation apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the transparent metal film is an ITO film.

7. The observation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the sample.

8. The observation apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermal camera that measures a temperature of a medium accommodated in the container.

9. The observation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the resistor.

10. The observation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a lid positioned on the transmission window of the housing, the lid forming a sealed space in a peripheral area of the container.

11. The observation apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a lid heater disposed in the sealed space, the lid heater being configured to heat the sample.

12. The observation apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the lid heater is provided with a lid-interior layer resistor disposed on the container parallel to the transmission window of the housing, the lid-interior layer resistor generating radiant heat.

13. The observation apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the lid heater is provided with a lid-interior radiation layer disposed between the container and the lid-interior layer resistor, the lid-interior radiation layer making the radiation of the radiant heat emitted from the lid-interior layer resistor uniform.

14. The observation apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the lid heater is provided with a lid-interior reflection layer disposed above the container such that the lid-interior reflection layer reflecting the radiant heat toward the container.

15. The observation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heater is provided with a housing-interior infrared-light generator that generates infrared light at 1450 nm±50 nm or at 1940 nm±50 nm.

16. The observation apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising a lid positioned on the transmission window of the housing, the lid forming a sealed space in a peripheral area of the container.

17. The observation apparatus according to claim 16 , further comprising a light-absorbing material disposed in the sealed space, the light-absorbing material absorbing light.

18. The observation apparatus according to claim 16 , further comprising a lid heater disposed in the sealed space, the lid heater radiating infrared light at 1450 nm±50 nm or at 1940 nm±50 nm onto the sample.

19. The observation apparatus according to claim 16 , further comprising a lid-interior reflection layer disposed on the container, the lid-interior reflection layer reflecting the infrared light emitted from the housing-interior infrared-light generator.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Matsushita Akira
• Takahashi Shintaro
• Mizunaka Masaru
• Takimoto Shinichi
• Hirata Tadashi
• Tanikawa Yohei

Classifications

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• G01J5/0003

  for sensing the radiant heat transfer of samples, e.g. emittance meter · CPC title

• C12M23/22

  Transparent or translucent parts (glassware for laboratory use B01L3/00) · CPC title

• C12M41/46 Primary

  of cellular or enzymatic activity or functionality, e.g. cell viability · CPC title