Imaging device, imaging method and imaging device control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10659694-B2
Application number	US-201816177574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2018
Priority date	May 9, 2016
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

Provided are an imaging device that make it possible to perform high-speed image capture of an observation target such as a cell, and to correct a shake caused by the movement of a stage or the like appropriately and simply. The imaging device includes a stage on which a vessel having an observation target received therein is installed, an imaging optical system that forms an image of the observation target, a horizontal driving unit that moves the stage in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and moves the stage forward and backward in the main scanning direction, an imaging unit that receives the image formed by the imaging optical system, and outputs an image signal of the observation target, and a shake correction unit that performs shake correction for correcting a shake caused by movement of the stage on the image signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
a stage on which a vessel having an observation target received therein is installed;
an imaging optical system that forms an image of the observation target within the vessel;
an actuator that moves at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and moves the at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system forward and backward in the main scanning direction;
an imaging element that receives the image formed by the imaging optical system, and outputs an image signal of the observation target; and
a central processing unit that performs shake correction for correcting a shake caused by movement of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system on the image signal which is output from the imaging element,
wherein the central processing unit switches a correction filter used in the shake correction in accordance with a movement direction of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction,
wherein the correction filter is asymmetric about a pixel position of a correction target in a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a light source that intermittently emits illumination light to the observation target in accordance with a shutter timing of the imaging element,
wherein the central processing unit performs the shake correction using the correction filter according to light-emission characteristics of the illumination light.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , further comprising a measurement unit that measures the light-emission characteristics of the illumination light emitted from the light source,
wherein the central processing unit updates the correction filter on the basis of the light-emission characteristics measured by the measurement unit.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the central processing unit includes a forward correction filter and a backward correction filter in the main scanning direction, and switches the forward correction filter and the backward correction filter in accordance with the movement direction of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction.

5. The imaging device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the central processing unit includes a forward correction filter and a backward correction filter in the main scanning direction, and switches the forward correction filter and the backward correction filter in accordance with the movement direction of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction.

6. The imaging device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the central processing unit includes a forward correction filter and a backward correction filter in the main scanning direction, and switches the forward correction filter and the backward correction filter in accordance with the movement direction of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the central processing unit uses the correction filter by reversing the correction filter in a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction, in accordance with the movement direction of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the central processing unit includes the correction filter according to imaging conditions.

9. The imaging device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the central processing unit includes the correction filter according to a movement speed of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction.

10. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the imaging optical system forms an image for each observation region obtained by dividing a range including the observation target,
the imaging element outputs an image signal for each of the observation regions, and
the central processing unit acquires image signals of all observation regions which are set in advance, and then performs the shake correction on the image signal for each of the observation regions using a correction filter according to the movement direction, on the basis of information of the movement direction of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system in the main scanning direction at a point in time when the image signal for each of the observation regions is captured.

11. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the central processing correction unit accepts a change in intensity of the shake correction and performs the shake correction on the basis of the changed intensity.

12. An imaging method comprising:
moving at least one of a stage on which a vessel having an observation target received therein is installed or an imaging optical system that forms an image of the observation target within the vessel in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and moving the at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system forward and backward in the main scanning direction; and
acquiring an image signal of the observation target by an imaging element receiving the image formed by the imaging optical system,
wherein shake correction for correcting a shake caused by movement of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system is performed on the image signal which is output from the imaging element, and a correction filter used in the shake correction is switched in accordance with a movement direction of the at least one in the main scanning direction,
wherein the correction filter is asymmetric about a pixel position of a correction target in a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction.

13. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing an imaging device control program causing a computer to execute:
a procedure of moving at least one of a stage on which a vessel having an observation target received therein is installed or an imaging optical system that forms an image of the observation target within the vessel in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and moving the at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system forward and backward in the main scanning direction; and
a procedure of acquiring an image signal of the observation target by an imaging element receiving the image formed by the imaging optical system,
wherein the computer is caused to further execute a procedure of performing shake correction for correcting a shake caused by movement of at least one of the stage or the imaging optical system on the image signal which is output from the imaging element, and switching a correction filter used in the shake correction in accordance with a movement direction of the at least one in the main scanning direction,
wherein the correction filter is asymmetric about a pixel position of a correction target in a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Wakui Takashi

Classifications

• G01N21/17

  Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated (where the material investigated is optically excited causing a change in wavelength of the incident light G01N21/63) · CPC title

• G01N21/01

  Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation · CPC title

• G02B21/14 Primary

  affording illumination for phase-contrast observation · CPC title

• G02B21/367 Primary

  providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison · CPC title

• G01N21/41

  Refractivity; Phase-affecting properties, e.g. optical path length (G01N21/21 takes precedence) · CPC title