Phase-contrast microscope and imaging method
AssigneeFUJIFILM Corporation
InventorKenta Matsubara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A culture vessel that houses a culture liquid and a specimen is irradiated with pattern light having a pattern that is previously set for the culture vessel. Transmitted light transmitted through the culture liquid in the culture vessel because of the irradiation with the pattern light is detected. Optical characteristics of an adjusting optical system that adjusts refraction of light caused by the shape of the liquid surface of the culture liquid in the culture vessel are adjusted, on the basis of a detection signal based on the detected transmitted light. After the adjustment, the culture vessel is irradiated with illumination light for phase-contrast measurement, and the specimen irradiated with the illumination light is imaged.
Claims21
A phase-contrast microscope, comprising:
- a phase-contrast-measurement illumination-light irradiation unit that irradiates a vessel that houses a liquid and a specimen, with illumination light for phase-contrast measurement;
- an imaging unit that images the specimen irradiated with the illumination light;
- an adjusting optical system that has adjustable optical characteristics and adjusts refraction of the illumination light caused by a shape of a liquid surface of the liquid in the vessel in accordance with the optical characteristic;
- a pattern-light irradiation unit that irradiates the liquid surface of the liquid in the vessel with pattern light having a pattern, the pattern-light irradiation unit differing from the phase-contrast-measurement illumination-light irradiation unit;
- a transmitted-light detection unit that detects transmitted light transmitted through the liquid surface of the liquid in the vessel because of the irradiation with the pattern light;
- and
- an adjusting-optical-system control unit that adjusts the optical characteristics of the adjusting optical system on the basis of a detection signal based on the transmitted light detected by the transmitted-light detection unit.
An imaging method, comprising:
- irradiating a liquid surface of a liquid in a vessel that houses the liquid and a specimen, with pattern light having a pattern;
- detecting transmitted light transmitted through the liquid surface of the liquid in the vessel because of the irradiation with the pattern light;
- adjusting optical characteristics of an adjusting optical system that adjusts refraction of light caused by a shape of the liquid surface of the liquid in the vessel in accordance with the optical characteristic, on the basis of a detection signal based on the detected transmitted light;
- after the adjustment, irradiating the vessel with illumination light for phase-contrast measurement, the illumination light differing from the pattern light;
- and
- imaging the specimen irradiated with the illumination light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.