Microscope having an imaging optical unit for recording

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11531194-B2
Application number	US-202117156263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2021
Priority date	Jan 23, 2020
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A microscope includes an illumination unit for illuminating a region of a specimen to generate an illuminated region, an imaging optical unit for magnified imaging of the illuminated region, an image sensor disposed downstream of the imaging optical unit for capturing the magnified image of the illuminated region, a camera for recording an overview region of the specimen without using the imaging optical unit and a control unit for controlling the image sensor and the camera. The overview region includes a part of the illuminated region and a non-illuminated region of the specimen. The control unit actuates the camera to make a recording of the overview region. The control unit actuates the image sensor to cause a recordation of the magnified image of the illuminated region. The control unit generates an overview image based on the recording of the overview region and the recording of the magnified image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microscope, comprising
an illumination unit for illuminating a region of a specimen to generate an illuminated region of the specimen;
an imaging optical unit defining an optical path and including one or more imaging optical elements to effect a magnified imaging of said illuminated region;
an image sensor disposed along said optical path downstream of said imaging optical unit and being configured to capture a magnified image of said illuminated region of said specimen;
a camera configured to record an overview region of the specimen without using said imaging optical unit in such a manner that light coming from said overview region and which is captured by said camera for recordation is not guided by said one or more imaging optical elements;
a control unit for controlling said image sensor and said camera;
said overview region including at least a part of said illuminated region and a non-illuminated region of said specimen bordering on said illuminated region;
said control unit being configured to drive said camera so as to cause said camera to make a recording of said overview region with a value of a recording parameter of said camera adapted to a brightness of said non-illuminated region;
said control unit being further configured to drive said image sensor so as to cause said image sensor to effect a recordation of a magnified image of said illuminated region of said specimen; and,
said control unit being configured to generate an overview image based on said recording of said overview region and the recording of the magnified image of said illuminated region.

2. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein, for the overview image, the control unit uses the illuminated region from the recording of the illuminated region and the non-illuminated region from the recording of the overview region.

3. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the control unit actuates the camera and the image sensor in such a way that recording of the overview region and recording of the magnified image of the illuminated region are carried out at a same time.

4. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the control unit actuates the camera and the image sensor in such a way that recording of the overview region and recording of the magnified image of the illuminated region are carried out at matching frame rates or at frame rates that differ by no more than 10%.

5. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the control unit carries out at least one of a geometric alignment, scaling, and transformation of the image data of the recording of at least one of the illuminated region and of the recording of the overview region for generating the overview image.

6. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the control unit generates the overview image in such a way that the resolution of the image data of the recording of the magnified image of the illuminated region in the overview image is higher than a resolution of the image data of the recording of the overview region.

7. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the control unit actuates the camera in such a way that it makes a further recording of the overview region with a value of the recording parameter of the camera adapted to a brightness of the illuminated region and it takes account of the further recording of the overview region when generating the overview image.

8. The microscope of claim 7 , wherein the control unit reduces the brightness of the used illuminated region from the further recording when generating the overview image.

9. The microscope of claim 8 , wherein sections from the recording of the overview region and the further recording of the overview region which are used to generate the overview image are selected by the control unit on a basis of at least one of a brightness in the recordings, an image analysis of the illuminated region in the recordings, a known geometry of the illuminated region on a basis of the set illumination of the illumination unit and a basis of a reconstructed depth map of the specimen.

10. The microscope of claim 7 , wherein sections from the recording of the overview region and the further recording of the overview region which are used to generate the overview image are selected by the control unit on a basis of at least one of a brightness in the recordings, an image analysis of the illuminated region in the recordings, a known geometry of the illuminated region on a basis of the set illumination of the illumination unit, and a reconstructed depth map of the specimen.

11. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the recording parameter is at least one of an exposure time, a gain factor of the camera, and a diaphragm of the camera.

12. A method for generating an overview image in a context of a microscope including an illumination unit for illuminating a region of a specimen to generate an illuminated region; an imaging optical unit for magnified imaging of the illuminated region of the specimen; an image sensor disposed downstream of the imaging optical unit and which serves for capturing a magnified image of the illuminated region of the specimen; a camera configured to record an overview region of the specimen without using the imaging optical unit; the overview region including at least a part of the illuminated region of the specimen and a non-illuminated region of the specimen bordering the illuminated region; the method comprising the steps of:
actuating the camera in such a way that it makes a recording of the overview region with a value of a recording parameter of the camera that has been adapted to a brightness of the non-illuminated region;
actuating the image sensor in such a way that it carries out a recordation of the magnified image of the illuminated region of the specimen; and,
generating an overview image on a basis of the recording of the overview region and the recording of the magnified image of the illuminated region of the specimen.

13. A computer program product for generating an overview image in a context of a microscope including an illumination unit for illuminating a region of a specimen to generate an illuminated region, an imaging optical unit for magnified imaging of the illuminated region of the specimen, an image sensor disposed downstream of the imaging optical unit and which serves for receiving a magnified image of the illuminated region of the specimen, a camera configured to record an overview region of the specimen without using the imaging optical unit, the overview region including at least a part of the illuminated region of the specimen and a non-illuminated region of the specimen bordering the illuminated region, the computer program product being stored; the computer program product comprising:
software code stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, said software code being configured, when executed by a processor, to:
actuate the camera in such a way that it makes a recording of the overview region with a value of a recording parameter of the camera that has been adapted to a brightness of the non-illuminated region;
actuate the image sensor in such a way that it carries out a recordation of the magnified image of the illuminated region of the specimen; and,
generate an overview image on a basis of the recording of the overview region and the recording of the magnified image of the illuminated region of the specimen.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Regensburger Alois
• Kohlhammer Susanne
• Essig Jonathan

Classifications

• G02B21/06 Primary

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title

• G02B21/367

  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

• G02B21/0072

  details concerning resolution or correction, including general design of CSOM objectives · CPC title