Augmented reality microscope, image projection device and image processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12025787-B2
Application number	US-202117470210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2021
Priority date	Aug 23, 2019
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

An augmented reality microscope (ARM) includes an objective lens, an eyepiece, an N-ocular observation tube, where N is a positive integer greater than 2, an image obtaining assembly physically connected to the N-ocular observation tube by a physical interface on the N-ocular observation tube, and an image projection assembly including, an image projection apparatus, a lens apparatus, and a light splitting apparatus. Light generated by an observed object during observation that enters an optical path through the objective lens and light generated by the image projection apparatus that enters the optical path through the lens apparatus converges at the light splitting apparatus in the image projection assembly, the converged light passes through the N-ocular observation tube.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An augmented reality microscope (ARM), comprising:
an objective lens;
an eyepiece;
an N-ocular observation tube, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 2;
an image obtaining module physically connected to the N-ocular observation tube by a physical interface on the N-ocular observation tube; and
an image projection module comprising an image projection apparatus, a lens apparatus, and a light splitting apparatus;
wherein light generated by an observed object during observation that enters an optical path through the objective lens and light generated by the image projection apparatus that enters the optical path through the lens apparatus converges at the light splitting apparatus in the image projection module,
wherein the converged light passes through the N-ocular observation tube,
wherein a first part of the converged light enters the eyepiece, and a second part of the converged light enters the image obtaining module to form an image;
wherein the image obtaining module is configured to output the formed image to the image processing apparatus configured to process the image and output a processing result to the image projection apparatus,
wherein the image projection module further comprises a first polarizer and a second polarizer that is disposed at a position at which the image obtaining module is connected to the physical interface on the N-ocular observation tube,
wherein polarization directions of the first polarizer and the second polarizer are perpendicular to each other,
wherein the light generated by the image projection apparatus in the image projection module enters the optical path through the lens apparatus and the first polarizer,
wherein after the converged light passes through the N-ocular observation tube, the first part of the converged light enters the eyepiece, and the second part of the converged light enters the image obtaining module through the second polarizer.

2. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the image projection module and the image obtaining module utilize a time division multiplexing mechanism.

3. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the image obtaining module comprises a photosensitive chip-based camera.

4. The ARM of claim 3 , wherein the physical interface includes a camera interface, and the image obtaining module is physically connected to the N-ocular observation tube by the photosensitive chip-based camera being connected to the camera interface on a top end of the N-ocular observation tube by a camera adapter.

5. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the image projection apparatus comprises a projection device based on a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a digital micromirror device (DMD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), or a micro light-emitting diode (micro-LED).

6. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the light splitting apparatus comprises a cube beam splitter prism, a plate beam splitter prism, or a thin-film beam splitter prism.

7. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the objective lens comprises an achromatic objective lens, a flat-field achromatic objective lens, a flat-field semiapochromatic objective lens, or a flat-field apochromatic objective lens.

8. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the image projection module further comprises any one or more of an aperture stop, a plane mirror, a spiral apparatus, and a filter.

9. The ARM of claim 1 , wherein the N-ocular observation tube comprises a trinocular observation tube or a six-ocular observation tube.

10. A method of an augmented reality microscope (ARM), the ARM including an objective lens, an eyepiece, an N-ocular observation tube, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 2, an image obtaining module physically connected to the N-ocular observation tube by a physical interface on the N-ocular observation tube, and an image projection module including an image projection apparatus, a lens apparatus, and a light splitting apparatus, the method comprising:
generating light by the image projection apparatus;
converging, at the light splitting apparatus, light generated by an observed object that enters an optical path through the objective lens and the light generated by the image projection apparatus;
passing the converged light through the N-ocular observation tube, thereby splitting the converged light into a first part that enters the eyepiece and a second part;
forming an image based on the second part of the converged light entering the image obtaining module;
outputting the formed image to the image processing apparatus;
processing the formed image; and
outputting a processing result based on the processed formed image,
wherein the image projection module further comprises a first polarizer and a second polarizer that is disposed at a position at which the image obtaining module is connected to the physical interface on the N-ocular observation tube,
wherein polarization directions of the first polarizer and the second polarizer are perpendicular to each other,
wherein the light generated by the image projection apparatus in the image projection module enters the optical path through the lens apparatus and the first polarizer,
wherein after the converged light passes through the N-ocular observation tube, the first part of the converged light enters the eyepiece, and the second part of the converged light enters the image obtaining module through the second polarizer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image projection module and the image obtaining module utilize a time division multiplexing mechanism.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image obtaining module comprises a photosensitive chip-based camera.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the physical interface includes a camera interface, and the image obtaining module is physically connected to the N-ocular observation tube by the photosensitive chip-based camera being connected to the camera interface on a top end of the N-ocular observation tube by a camera adapter.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image projection apparatus comprises a projection device based on a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a digital micromirror device (DMD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), or a micro light-emitting diode (micro-LED).

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the light splitting apparatus comprises a cube beam splitter prism, a plate beam splitter prism, or a thin-film beam splitter prism.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the objective lens comprises an achromatic objective lens, a flat-field achromatic objective lens, a flat-field semiapochromatic objective lens, or a flat-field apochromatic objective lens.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image projection module further comprises any one or more of an aperture stop, a plane mirror, a spiral apparatus, and a filter.

18. An image projection device, configured to be connected to a microscope to form an augmented reality microscope (ARM), the image projection device comprising:
an image projection apparatus;
a lens apparatus; and
a light splitting apparatus,
wherein the image projection apparatus is configured to obtain a processing result by processing an image by an image processing apparatus and perform image projection on the processing result, and
wherein projected light enters an optical path through the lens apparatus and light generated by an observed object observed by the microscope enters the optical path through an objective lens of the microscope converge at the light splitting apparatus, and, after the converged l

Assignees

• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Liao Jun
• Yao Jianhua

Classifications

• G02B21/365 Primary

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

• G02B21/361 Primary

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

• G02B21/0092

  Polarisation microscopes · CPC title

• G02B27/283

  used for beam splitting or combining · CPC title

• G02B21/368

  details of associated display arrangements, e.g. mounting of LCD monitor · CPC title