Microscope apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9599808-B2
Application number	US-201414491591-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Jun 5, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A microscope apparatus includes: a light source; an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a specimen with light from the light source, the illumination optical system having a spatial light modulation element capable of adjusting a light intensity distribution; an imaging optical system configured to image light from the specimen; a solid-state imaging device configured to generate an image of the specimen based on light from the imaging optical system; and a controller capable of adjusting the spatial light modulation element, the controller being configured to, based on a first image output from the solid-state imaging device when the specimen is illuminated with first illumination light, adjust the spatial light modulation element and illuminate the specimen with second illumination light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microscope apparatus comprising:
a light source;
an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a specimen with light from the light source, the illumination optical system having a spatial light modulation element capable of adjusting a light intensity distribution;
an imaging optical system configured to image light from the specimen;
a solid-state imaging device configured to generate an image of the specimen based on light from the imaging optical system; and
a controller capable of adjusting the spatial light modulation element, the controller being configured to, based on a first image output from the solid-state imaging device when the specimen is illuminated with first illumination light, adjust the spatial light modulation element and illuminate the specimen with second illumination light,
wherein the controller performs a calculation so as to convert the first illumination light into the second illumination light,
the spatial light modulation element adjusts, based on a result of the calculation, a light intensity distribution of illumination light with which the specimen is irradiated,
the controller converts the first image into a binarized image using a Fourier transform, then performs a principal component analysis of the binarized image, and thereby obtains a spatial frequency distribution included in the first image, and
the spatial light modulation element adjusts, based on the spatial frequency distribution of the first image, light intensity distributions in two directions perpendicular to an optical axis.

2. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the spatial light modulation element performs an adjustment to emphasize a light intensity distribution in a direction corresponding to high spatial frequency component regarding the spatial frequency distribution of the first image, of the light intensity distributions in two directions, and/or to narrow a light intensity distribution in a direction corresponding to a low spatial frequency component regarding the spatial frequency distribution of the first image.

3. The microscope apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the first illumination light has a light intensity distribution which is isotropic in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and the second illumination light has a light intensity distribution which is anisotropic or isotropic in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

4. The microscope apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the first illumination light has a light intensity distribution of a circular annular form or a circular form in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and the second illumination light has a light intensity distribution of an elliptical annular form or a circular annular form in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

5. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the spatial light modulation element adjusts a light intensity distribution of illumination light with which the specimen is irradiated, to be substantially the same as a light intensity distribution of a point light source, when the spatial frequency distribution does not exceed a predetermined threshold value.

6. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the illumination optical system includes a first spatial light modulation element used to variably adjust a light intensity distribution of illumination light with which the specimen is irradiated,
the imaging optical system includes a second spatial light modulation element used to variably adjusts a spatial distribution of a phase added to transmitted light from the specimen,
the controller acquires a first image of the specimen generated by the solid-state imaging device when the specimen is irradiated with first illumination light formed based on illumination light from the light source by the first spatial light modulation element and the second spatial light modulation element transmits the transmitted light from the specimen,
based on the first image, the first spatial light modulation element adjusts a light intensity distribution of the first illumination light with which the specimen is irradiated and the second spatial light modulation element adjusts the spatial distribution of the phase added to the transmitted light from the specimen, and
the controller performs a control of acquiring a second image of the specimen generated by the solid-state imaging device when the specimen is irradiated with second illumination light formed after the first spatial light modulation element adjusts the light intensity distribution of the first illumination light and the second spatial light modulation element adjusts the spatial distribution of the phase added to the transmitted light.

7. The microscope apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the second spatial light modulation element includes: a phase modulation region configured to transmit the transmitted light from the specimen to be in a state where a phase is shifted by a quarter wavelength; and a transmission region surrounding the phase modulation region and configured to transmit the transmitted light from the specimen with no phase change, and variably adjusts the phase modulation region relative to the transmission region.

8. The microscope apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the second spatial light modulation element adjusts a shape of the phase modulation region relative to the transmission region to a shape corresponding to a light intensity distribution of illumination light adjusted by the first spatial light modulation element.

9. The microscope apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the second spatial light modulation element variably adjusts the spatial distribution of the phase and a spatial distribution of transmissivity in which the transmitted light from the specimen is transmitted.

10. The microscope apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the first spatial light modulation element and the second spatial light modulation element are synchronized to each other to perform the adjustment by the first spatial light modulation element and the adjustment by the second spatial light modulation element.

11. The microscope apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the second spatial light modulation element is a liquid crystal element.

12. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the imaging optical system receives at least one of transmitted light, reflected light, and scattered light from the specimen.

13. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the spatial light modulation element is any of a liquid crystal element, an electrochromic element, and a digital micro mirror device.

14. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the solid-state imaging device is any of a CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor.

15. A microscope apparatus comprising:
a light source;
an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a specimen with light from the light source, the illumination optical system having a spatial light modulation element capable of adjusting a light intensity distribution;
an imaging optical system configured to image light from the specimen;
a solid-state imaging device configured to generate an image of the specimen based on light from the imaging optical system; and
a controller capable of adjusting the spatial light modulation element, the controller being configured to, based on a first image output from the solid-state imaging device when the specimen is illuminated with first illumination light, adjust the spatial light modulation e

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Fukutake Naoki

Classifications

• 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

• G02B21/06

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title

• G02B21/365 Primary

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

• G02B27/46

  Systems using spatial filters · CPC title