Optical scanning observation apparatus having variable sampling time, and method and computer readable storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9651774-B2
Application number	US-201414340740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2014
Priority date	Jan 26, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Provided is an optical scanning observation apparatus including: a light source unit ( 30 ) for outputting laser light; a scanning part ( 23 ) for scanning, on an object of observation ( 70 ), a condensing position of the laser light output from the light source; and a detection unit ( 40 ) for sampling signal light obtained through scanning of the laser light, and converting the signal light into an electric signal, in which a sampling time for detecting signal light per one sampling is varied in accordance with changes in scanning rate of the scanning part ( 24 ) scanning on the object of observation ( 70 ). In this manner, variation in resolution of an image resulting from changes in scanning rate per each sampling can be reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical scanning observation apparatus, comprising:
a light source configured to output laser light;
a scanning mechanism configured to scan, on an object of observation, a condensing position of the laser light;
a detector configured to detect signal light obtained through the scanning of the laser light within a time frame of a detection time, and convert the signal light that is detected into an electric signal; and
a processor configured to define a sampling time per one sampling of the signal light by controlling the light source to perform a change in an irradiation time of the laser light within the time frame of the detection time, the irradiation time of the laser light being changed in accordance with a change in a scanning rate of scanning the condensing position of the laser light by the scanning mechanism.

2. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to define the sampling time per one sampling within a scanning range on the object of observation such that:
where a minimum value of the scanning rate is represented as v min ;
where a maximum value of the scanning rate is represented as v max ;
where a sampling time per one sampling at v min is represented as t vmin ; and
where a sampling time per one sampling at v max is represented as t vmax ,

t vmin and t vmax satisfy a conditional expression (1):
t vmin >t vmax   (1).

3. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the processor is configured to define the sampling time per one sampling such that t vmin and the t vmax satisfy a conditional expression (2):

0.5
≤

v
max

×

t

v
⁢

⁢
max

v
min

×

t

v
⁢

⁢
min

≤
2.

(
2
)

4. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to define the sampling time per one sampling such that within a scanning range on the object of observation:
where the scanning rate is represented as v;
where the sampling time per one sampling is represented as t; and
wherein the product of v and t has a maximum value represented as max(v×t) and a minimum value represented as min(v×t), max(v×t) and min(v×t) satisfying a conditional expression (3):

1
≤

max
⁡

(

v
×
t

)

min
⁡

(

v
×
t

)

≤
2.

(
3
)

5. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, within a scanning range on the object of observation, the processor is configured to vary the sampling time such that the product of the sampling time and the scanning rate is maintained substantially at a constant value.

6. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to define the sampling time per one sampling by controlling the detector to perform a change in a detection time of the detector per one sampling in accordance with the change in the scanning rate of scanning the condensing position of the laser light by the scanning mechanism.

7. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to control the light source to vary a power of the laser light in accordance with the change in the scanning rate of scanning the condensing position of the laser light by the scanning mechanism.

8. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein, within a scanning range on the object of observation, the processor is configured to control the light source to vary the power of the laser light, such that:
where a minimum value of the scanning rate is represented v min ;
where a maximum value of the scanning rate is represented as v max ;
where the power of the laser light at v min is represented as p vmin ; and
where the power of the laser light at v max is represented as p vmax ,

p vmin and p vmax satisfy a conditional expression (4):
p vmin <p vmax   (4).

9. The optical scanning observation apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the processor is configured to control the light source, within the scanning range on the object of observation, to vary the power of the laser light such that p vmin and the p vmax satisfy a conditional expression (5):

0.5
≤

p

v
⁢

⁢
min

/

v
min

p

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Fujiwara Masato
• Shimamoto Atsuyoshi
• Nishimura Junichi

Classifications

• H04N23/74

  by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means · CPC title

• G02B26/103

  having movable or deformable optical fibres, light guides or waveguides as scanning elements (light guides per se G02B6/00) · CPC title

• G01J1/4257

  applied to monitoring the characteristics of a beam, e.g. laser beam, headlamp beam (monitoring arrangements for lasers in general H01S3/0014) · CPC title

• A61B1/063

  for monochromatic or narrow-band illumination · CPC title

• G02B23/2469

  using optical fibres · CPC title