Augmented stereoscopic microscopy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018024341-A1
Application number	US-201615548807-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2016
Priority date	Feb 9, 2015
Publication date	Jan 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Various examples are provided related to imaging with augmented stereoscopic microscopes. In one example, an augmented stereoscopic microscope includes an objective lens that can simultaneously receive near infrared (NIR) images and visible bright-field images of an examined object and an augmentation module. The augmentation module can separate the NIR images from the visible bright-field images for processing by an image processing unit to produce synthetic images using the NIR images and combine the synthetic images with the visible bright-field images to form co-registered augmented images that are directed to an eyepiece of the augmented stereoscopic microscope. In another example, a method includes obtaining a NIR image of an examined object; generating a synthetic image using the NIR image; combining the synthetic image with a real-time visual image of the examined object to form an augmented image; and directing the augmented image to an eyepiece of an augmented stereoscopic microscope.

First claim

1 . An augmented stereoscopic microscope, comprising:
an objective lens configured to simultaneously receive near infrared (NIR) images and visible bright-field images of an examined object; and an augmentation module configured to:
separate the NIR images from the visible bright-field images for processing by an image processing unit to produce synthetic images based upon the NIR images; and
combine the synthetic images with the visible bright-field images to form co-registered augmented images that are directed to an eyepiece of the augmented stereoscopic microscope.

2 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module comprises a beamsplitter configured to combine the synthetic images with the visible bright-field images to form the co-registered augmented images.

3 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 2 , wherein combining the synthetic images with the visible bright-field images comprises projecting the synthetic images onto the beamsplitter to overlay the visible bright-field images.

4 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 2 , wherein the beamsplitter is a dichroic beamsplitter.

5 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module comprises a spatial light modulator configured to combine the synthetic images with the visible bright-field images to form the co-registered augmented images.

6 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 5 , wherein the spatial light modulator is a micromirror array or a switchable mirror.

7 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 6 , wherein combining the synthetic images with the visible bright-field images comprises switching at least a portion of the micromirror array to reflect at least a portion of the synthetic images and at least a portion of the visible bright-field images.

8 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the synthetic images comprise visible pseudo-color images.

9 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module comprises a light emitting diode (LED) configured to illuminate the examined object with NIR excitation light via the objective lens.

10 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module comprises a sensor configured to capture the NIR images.

11 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 10 , wherein the sensor is further configured to capture the co-registered augmented images.

12 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module comprises a sensor configured to capture the co-registered augmented images.

13 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module comprises a short-pass filter configured to remove NIR light from the co-registered augmented images.

14 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation module is configured to form co-registered augmented images for a right optical path of the augmented stereoscopic microscope and co-registered augmented images for a left optical path of the augmented stereoscopic microscope.

15 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 1 , wherein the synthetic images comprise prerecorded information associated with the examined object.

16 . The augmented stereoscopic microscope of claim 15 , wherein the prerecorded information is obtained through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), or positron emission tomography (PET) of the examined object.

17 . A method, comprising:
obtaining a near infrared (NIR) image of an examined object; generating a synthetic image based upon the NIR image; combining the synthetic image with a real-time visual image of the examined object to form an augmented image; and directing the augmented image to an eyepiece of an augmented stereoscopic microscope.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein combining the synthetic image with the real-time visual image comprises projecting the synthetic image onto a beamsplitter to overlay the real-time visual image.

19 . The method of any of claim 17 , wherein combining the synthetic image with the real-time visual image comprises switching at least a portion of a micromirror array to reflect at least a portion of the synthetic image and at least a portion of the real-time visual image.

20 . The method of claim 17 , comprising illuminating the examined object with NIR excitation through an objective lens of the augmented stereoscopic microscope.

21 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the examined object comprises a NIR laser.

22 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the synthetic image comprises a chemical concentration in the examined object.

23 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the synthetic image comprises a temperature of the examined object.

Assignees

• Univ Arizona

Inventors

• Romanowski Marek
• Watson Jeffrey
• Gainer Christian

Classifications

• G02B21/22 Primary

  Stereoscopic arrangements · CPC title

• A61B1/000094 Primary

  extracting biological structures · CPC title

• G02B21/361

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

• G02B21/02

  Objectives · CPC title

• G02B21/06

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title