Microscopy method and microscope for producing an image of an object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11550138-B2
Application number	US-202117158941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2021
Priority date	Jan 27, 2020
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A microscopy method is for producing an electronic image of an object, wherein the object is imaged with an adjustable optical imaging scale on an image detector. The method includes: selecting a parameter for the electronic image, wherein the parameter can be influenced by the optical imaging scale and differs from the image field dimensions, and setting a setpoint value range for the parameter, setting a total imaging scale for the electronic image, wherein adjusting or controlling the parameter of the electronic image is implemented such that, at the same time, the parameter of the electronic image lies in the specified setpoint value range with a tolerance and the set total imaging scale is obtained, wherein the optical imaging scale forms a basis for a manipulated variable of the adjustment or closed-loop control and a digital image magnification is carried out on the basis of the set total imaging scale.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microscopy method for producing an electronic image of an object, the method comprising:
setting a total imaging scale for the electronic image;
providing a cost function depending on at least two of: a signal-to-noise ratio, a depth of field range, working distance, an object illumination intensity, and an image resolution of the electronic image as parameters;
illuminating and imaging the object with an optical imaging scale onto an electronic image detector providing electronic image data, wherein the optical imaging scale is adjusted in a closed-loop control to minimize the cost function in said closed-loop control;
generating the electronic image by digital post magnification of the electronic image data to the total imaging scale; and,
wherein the cost function is represented by an equation
KF ( Z,V ) 2 =W 1*((resolution( Z,V )−limit resolution )/limit resolution ) 2 +W 2*((depth of field range( Z,V )−limit depth of field range )/limit depth of field range ) 2 +W 3*(limit illuminance /(illuminance( Z,V )−limit illuminance )) 2

wherein W1, W2, and W3 are weighting factors, V is the optical imaging scale, Z is the digital magnification, “limit resolution ” is a predetermined minimal resolution, “limit depth of field range ” is a predetermined depth of field range, and “limit illuminance ” is a predetermined maximum illuminance.

2. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein the closed-loop control comprises:
producing a preliminary electronic image of the object with the optical imaging scale realizing the total imaging scale;
reducing the optical imaging scale until the value of the cost function lies within a specified setpoint value range with a tolerance; and,
performing digital post magnification of the preliminary electronic image to generate the electronic image having the total imaging scale.

3. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein the cost function is minimized such that an image resolution of the electronic image lies above a specified minimum value.

4. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein additionally the working distance is adjusted in said closed-loop control.

5. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein additionally the object illumination intensity is adjusted in said closed-loop control.

6. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein the optical imaging scale is adjusted such that an image field completely covers a detector surface of the electronic image detector.

7. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein the object is illuminated with illumination radiation in an illumination area, wherein the size of the illumination area is adjusted such that an extension of the illumination area corresponds to the region of the object visible in a final electronic image and regions of the object which are located in an optical object field but not visible in the electronic image are not illuminated.

8. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein said closed-loop control is achieved via proportional closed-loop control, proportional-integral closed-loop control, proportional-integral-derivative closed-loop control, or fuzzy closed-loop control.

9. The microscopy method of claim 1 , wherein an absolute optical imaging scale, a proportion of the optical imaging scale in the total imaging scale or a ratio of optical imaging scale to digital post magnification is adjusted in the control.

10. A microscope for producing an electronic image of an object, the microscope comprising:
an image detector configured to generate electronic image data;
an objective lens, a tube lens and an adjustable optical zoom lens configured to conjointly produce an optical image on said image detector with an adjustable optical imaging scale;
a control device including a processor and being configured to produce an electronic image of the object from the electronic image data and to adjust the adjustable optical imaging scale;
said control device being further configured to:
set a total imaging scale for the electronic image;
provide a cost function depending on at least two of: a signal-to-noise ratio, a depth of field range, a working distance, an object illumination intensity and an image resolution as a parameter;
illuminate and image the object with an optical imaging scale onto the electronic image detector and adjust the optical imaging scale in a closed-loop control to minimize the cost function in said closed-loop control;
generate the electronic image by digital post magnification of the electronic image data to the total imaging scale; and,
wherein the control device is further configured such that the cost function is represented by the following equation
KF ( Z,V ) 2 =W 1*((resolution( Z,V )−limit resolution )/limit resolution ) 2 +W 2*((depth of field range( Z,V )−limit depth of field range )/limit depth of field range ) 2 +W 3*(limit illuminance /(illuminance( Z,V )−limit illuminance )) 2

wherein W1, W2, and W3 are weighting factors, V is the optical imaging scale, Z is the digital magnification, “limit resolution ” is a predetermined limit resolution, “limit depth of field range ” is a predetermined depth of field range, and “limit illuminance ” is a predetermined maximum illuminance.

11. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein said control device is further configured to:
produce a preliminary electronic image of the object with the optical imaging scale realizing the total imaging scale;
reduce the optical imaging scale until the cost function lies within a specified setpoint value range with a tolerance; and,
perform digital post magnification of the preliminary electronic image to generate a final electronic image having the total imaging scale.

12. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein said control device is further configured to adjust the working distance in the closed-loop control.

13. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein said control device is further configured to adjust the object illumination intensity in the closed-loop control.

14. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein said image detector defines a detector surface; said control device is further configured to adjust the optical imaging scale such that an image field completely covers said detector surface of said electronic image detector.

15. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein said control device is further configured to control the microscope such that the object is illuminated with illumination radiation in an illumination area defining a size, wherein the size of the illumination area is adjusted such that an extension of the illumination area corresponds to a region of the object visible in a final electronic image and regions of the object which are located in an optical object field but not visible in the final electronic image are not illuminated.

16. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein the control device is further configured to implement proportional closed-loop control, proportional-integral closed-loop control, proportional-integral-derivative closed-loop control or fuzzy closed-loop control.

17. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein said control device is further configured to additionally adjust one of the following in the closed-loop control: an absolute optical imaging scale, a proportion of the optical imaging scale in the total imaging scale or a ratio of optical imaging scale to digital magnification.

18. A microscopy method for producing an electronic image of an object, the method comprising:
setting a total imaging scale for the electronic image;
providing a specified paramete

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Regensburger Alois
• Nieten Christoph
• Hoegele Artur
• Hauger Christoph

Classifications

• G02B21/06

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title

• G02B21/365 Primary

  Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes (G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• G02B21/0012

  Surgical microscopes (counterbalanced structures for surgical microscopes G02B7/001) · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title