Imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017257539-A1
Application number	US-201615248555-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 26, 2016
Priority date	Mar 1, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An illuminator includes a light source and an illumination optical system for causing light emitted from the light source to be incident on a sample surface where an imaging object is present. The illumination optical system has an optical axis coaxial with that of an imaging optical system. An image of the light source is formed between the illumination optical system and the imaging optical system. A holder arranges the sample surface between the light source image and the imaging optical system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An imaging apparatus that images a raw sample as an imaging object carried together with liquid in a sample container with a bottom surface having optical transparency, the apparatus comprising:
a holder that holds the sample container; an imaging optical system, arranged to face the sample container held by the holder, that has an object-side hypercentric property; an imaging element that images an image of the imaging object focused by the imaging optical system; and an illuminator that illuminates the imaging object from a side opposite to the imaging optical system across the sample container held by the holder, wherein: the illuminator includes a light source and an illumination optical system that causes light emitted from the light source to be incident on a sample surface where the imaging object is present; the illumination optical system has an optical axis coaxial with that of the imaging optical system and an exit pupil position located between the illumination optical system and the imaging optical system; and the holder arranges the sample surface between the exit pupil position and the imaging optical system.

2 . The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exit pupil position of the illumination optical system and an entrance pupil position of the imaging optical system coincide with each other.

3 . The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a numerical aperture of the illumination optical system is equal to or larger than that of the imaging optical system.

4 . The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination optical system includes a collector lens that collects light from the light source and a condenser lens that collects the light emitted from the collector lens and emits the collected light toward the sample surface.

5 . The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the light source includes an aperture stop.

6 . The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a field stop provided between the collector lens and the condenser lens.

7 . The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a light source controller, wherein:
the illumination optical system includes a beam splitter provided between the collector lens and the condenser lens, another light source and another collector lens that collects light emitted from the other light source and causing the collected light to be incident on the condenser lens via the beam splitter; the other collector lens and the condenser lens constitute an object-side telecentric optical system; and the light source controller selectively turns on the light source and the other light source.

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kokubo Masahiko

Classifications

• H04N23/56 Primary

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• C12M23/22

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

• G02B21/0032

  Optical details of illumination, e.g. light-sources, pinholes, beam splitters, slits, fibers (G02B21/0036 - G02B21/008; means for illumination of specimens in general G02B21/06) · CPC title

• G02B21/36

  arranged for photographic purposes or projection purposes (G02B21/18 takes precedence){or digital imaging or video purposes including associated control and data processing arrangements (image data processing per se G06T)} · CPC title

• G01N21/84

  Systems specially adapted for particular applications · CPC title