Compact label free imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291802-B2
Application number	US-201213371693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2012
Priority date	Apr 29, 2011
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A compact microplate imaging system, including: a tunable light source; a lens ensemble to collimate the light source onto the microplate and to transmit light that is reflected from the microplate; a beam splitter to divert a portion of the reflected light; an imaging lens to collect diverted light and to produce an optical image of the at least one sensor of the microplate; and an image sensor for receiving the optical image of the at least one sensor of the microplate. A method for interrogating a sensor using the compact microplate imaging system, as further defined herein, is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A compact microplate imaging system, comprising:
a tunable spatially incoherent light source having a spectral width substantially similar to the resonance width of at least one sensor of a user provided microplate;
a lens ensemble having a focusing lens and an objective lens to collimate the tunable spatially incoherent light from the source onto the user provided microplate and to transmit light that is reflected from the microplate to an image sensor;
a beam splitter to divert a portion of the reflected light to the image sensor; and
an imaging lens to collect diverted light and to produce an optical image of the at least one sensor of the microplate;
wherein the image sensor receives the optical image of the at least one sensor of the microplate, and the collimated tunable incoherent light is directed to the user provided microplate at normal incidence.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the co-action of the focusing lens and the objective lens comprise a beam expander.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the objective lens comprises a lens group comprising two spherical lenses.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the objective lens comprises a single aspheric surface.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the objective lens comprises at least two aspheric surfaces.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the tunable spatially incoherent light source comprises a substantially collimated LED and a tunable optical filter.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the reflected beam from the at least one sensor of the microplate passes through the same beam splitter, the imaging lens, and at least the objective lens of the lens ensemble, prior to forming an image on the image sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the image sensor comprises a CCD, a CMOS, or a combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein an optical stop of the imaging lens is positioned at the focal point of the objective lens.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the objective lens is an aspheric lens and provides uniform illumination on a microplate.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the distortion of the objective lens compensates for the distortion from the imaging lens.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the microplate comprises two or more microplates.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the microplate comprises a fractional portion of a microplate.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the imaging system has a footprint of about 40 square inches and a volume of about 320 to 440 cubic inches.

15. A method for interrogating a resonance waveguide sensor of a microplate with the system of claim 1 comprising:
emitting an optical beam from the tunable spatially incoherent source light source having a spectral width substantially similar to the resonance width of at least one sensor of the user provided microplate;
converting the optical beam into one or more interrogation beams with the lens ensemble;
illuminating one or more sensors of the microplate with the one or more of the interrogation beams at normal incidence;
collecting the reflected light of the illuminated one or more sensors; and
forming an image on the image sensor.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the microplate comprises a multiplicity of microplates, a single microplate, a fractional portion of a microplate, or a combination thereof.

17. An apparatus for label free imaging comprising:
an optical reader comprising:
a receptacle to receive a user provided microplate having at least one optical sensor;
a tunable spatially incoherent light source having a spectral width substantially similar to the resonance width of at least one sensor of the user provided microplate;
a lens ensemble having an imaging lens, a focusing lens, and an objective lens, which ensemble collimates the tunable spatially incoherent light source on the microplate at normal incidence and transmits light reflected from the microplate at normal incidence;
a beam splitter which diverts a portion of the transmitted light;
and
an image sensor which receives a portion of the transmitted light and images the transmitted light.

18. A method of reading an evanescent wave sensor in the apparatus of claim 17 , comprising:
forming a microplate assembly by engaging the receptacle with a microplate having a well, and at least one well having at least one sensor;
illuminating the microplate with the collimated tunable spatially incoherent light source;
collecting the reflected light from the illuminated microplate; and
forming an image of the reflected light on the image sensor.

Assignees

• Wu Qi
• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Wu Qi

Classifications

• G01N21/553

  and using surface plasmons (fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658) · CPC title

• G01N21/658

  enhancement Raman, e.g. surface plasmons · CPC title

• G01N21/253

  for batch operation, i.e. multisample apparatus (analytical automats G01N35/00) · CPC title

• G01N21/7743

  the reagent-coated grating coupling light in or out of the waveguide · CPC title

• G02B13/22 Primary

  Telecentric objectives or lens systems · CPC title