Microscope system, focus adjustment program, and focus adjustment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022146805-A1
Application number	US-202017431122-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 20, 2020
Priority date	Feb 20, 2019
Publication date	May 12, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An irradiation unit (14) projects excitation light (LB) having an asymmetric shape with respect to an optical axis (A1, A2). An objective lens (20) concentrates the excitation light (LB) at a measurement-target member (22) including a glass member (22C, 22A) and a measurement-target region (22B). The detection unit (30) includes at least one or more light-receiving units (31) that receive fluorescence emitted from the measurement-target region (22B) in response to the excitation light (LB), and outputs a fluorescence signal indicating intensity values of fluorescence received by the respective light-receiving units (31). The movement control unit (12C) includes a derivation unit (12B) that derives a movement amount and a movement direction of at least one of the objective lens (20) or the measurement-target member (22) on the basis of the fluorescence signal, and moves at least one of the objective lens (20) or the measurement-target member (22) by the derived movement amount in the derived movement direction.

First claim

1 . A microscope system comprising:
an irradiation unit that projects excitation light having an asymmetric shape with respect to an optical axis; an objective lens that concentrates the excitation light at a measurement-target member comprising a glass member and a measurement-target region; a detection unit that: comprises at least one or more light-receiving units that receive fluorescence emitted from the measurement-target region in response to the excitation light; and outputs a fluorescence signal indicating intensity values of fluorescence received by the respective light-receiving units; and a movement control unit that: comprises a derivation unit that derives a movement amount and a movement direction of at least one of the objective lens or the measurement-target member on a basis of the fluorescence signal; and moves at least one of the objective lens or the measurement-target member by the derived movement amount in the derived movement direction.

2 . The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the derivation unit further comprises: a generation unit that generates a profile of the intensity values included in the fluorescence signal; an identification unit that identifies a barycentric position of the intensity values in the fluorescence signal on a basis of the profile; and a calculation unit that identifies a target barycentric position and calculates the movement amount and the movement direction on a basis of a difference between the barycentric position and the target barycentric position.

3 . The microscope system according to claim 2 , wherein
in the detection unit, a plurality of types of unitary regions in which exposure values of the light-receiving units included are different from each other are arrayed along a light-receiving surface, and the derivation unit further comprises a selection unit that selects a unitary region including a light-receiving unit having a particular exposure value from the plurality of types of unitary regions, and the identification unit identifies the barycentric position on a basis of the profile of the fluorescence signal indicating the intensity value of the light-receiving unit included in the selected unitary region.

4 . The microscope system according to claim 2 , wherein
the generation unit generates the profile by using the intensity values of a fluorescence-receiving region included in the fluorescence signal.

5 . The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the irradiation unit further comprises a light-blocking unit that partially blocks irradiation light projected from a light-emitting unit to be output as the excitation light.

6 . The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the irradiation unit further comprises a separation unit that separates irradiation light projected from a light-emitting unit into an asymmetric shape with respect to an optical axis.

7 . The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the irradiation unit further comprises a collimating lens that partially collimates irradiation light projected from a light-emitting unit to be output as the excitation light, and the light-emitting unit is configured such that a light-emitting position of the light-emitting unit is arranged at a position deviating from an optical axis of the collimating lens.

8 . The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the irradiation unit projects the excitation light which causes astigmatism generated from irradiation light projected from a light-emitting unit.

9 . The microscope system according to claim 8 , wherein
the derivation unit further comprises: a direction deriving unit that derives the movement direction on a basis of a spread direction of a fluorescence-receiving region included in the fluorescence signal; and a movement amount deriving unit that divides the fluorescence signal into two regions at a straight line passing through the fluorescence-receiving region and along the spread direction of the fluorescence-receiving region as a boundary, and derives, as the movement amount, a ratio of a difference between total values of the intensity values of the two respective regions with respect to a total value of the intensity values included in the fluorescence signal.

10 . The microscope system according to claim 8 , wherein
the derivation unit divides the fluorescence signal into four regions such that one end portion of a first linear region exhibiting spread of a fluorescence-receiving region when a distance between the objective lens and the measurement-target member decreases, another end portion of the first linear region, one end portion of a second linear region exhibiting spread of the fluorescence-receiving region when the distance between the objective lens and the measurement-target member increases, and another end portion of the second linear region are each arranged in a different region, and further comprises: a direction deriving unit that derives the movement direction according to presence regions that are two of the four regions in which both spread-direction end portions of the fluorescence-receiving region included in the fluorescence signal acquired from the detection unit are located; and a movement amount deriving unit that derives, as the movement amount, a ratio of a difference obtained by subtracting a total value of the intensity values of the two regions other than the presence regions out of the four regions from a total value of the intensity values of the presence regions out of the four regions with respect to a total value of the intensity values included in the fluorescence signal.

11 . The microscope system according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection unit is formed by arraying a plurality of block regions along a light-receiving surface, each block region including a plurality of types of the light-receiving units that are different in at least one of gain or charge accumulation time.

12 . A focus adjustment program for causing a computer to execute:
a step of acquiring a fluorescence signal from a measurement unit comprising: an irradiation unit that projects excitation light having an asymmetric shape with respect to an optical axis; an objective lens that concentrates the excitation light at a measurement-target member comprising a glass member and a measurement-target region; a detection unit that: comprises at least one or more light-receiving units that receive fluorescence emitted from the measurement-target region in response to the excitation light; and outputs the fluorescence signal indicating intensity values of fluorescence received by the respective light-receiving units; and a step of comprising a derivation unit that derives a movement amount and a movement direction of at least one of the objective lens or the measurement-target member on a basis of the fluorescence signal and controlling movement of at least one of the objective lens or the measurement-target member by the derived movement amount in the derived movement direction.

13 . A focus adjustment system configured to comprise a measurement unit and software used to control operation of the measurement unit, wherein
the software is provided to an information processing device, the measurement unit comprises: an irradiation unit that projects excitation light having an asymmetric shape with respect to an optical axis; an objective lens that concentrates the excitation light at a measurement-target member comprising a glass member and a measurement-target region; and a detection unit that: comprises at least one or more light-receiving units that receive fluorescence emitted from the meas

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Tatsuta Hirokazu

Classifications

• G02B21/244 Primary

  using image analysis techniques · CPC title

• G02B21/08

  Condensers · CPC title

• G01N21/6458 Primary

  Fluorescence microscopy (fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16) · CPC title

• G02B7/36

  using image sharpness techniques {, e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus signals (image data processing per se G06T; in cameras having a solid state image sensor H04N23/67)} · CPC title

• G02B21/16

  adapted for ultraviolet illumination {; Fluorescence microscopes (G02B21/0076 takes precedence)} · CPC title