# US 12,001,006 B2 · Device and method for rapid three-dimensional capture of image data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,001,006 B2 - Document ID: US12001006B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/453,079 - Filed: 2021-11-01 - Published: 2022-05-05 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-01 - Assignees: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH - Applicants: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH - Inventors: Tiemo Anhut; Daniel Schwedt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001006B2 ## CPC - G02B 21/22: Stereoscopic arrangements - G02B 21/365: {Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes (G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence)} - G02B 3/0037: {characterized by the distribution or form of lenses} - G02B 21/02: Objectives - G02B 21/06: Means for illuminating specimens - G02B 21/361: {Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor (G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups)} - G02B 21/367: {providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison} - G02B 26/10: Scanning systems - G02B 27/106: {for splitting or combining a plurality of identical beams or images, e.g. image replication} - G06N 3/045: Combinations of networks - G06N 3/0464: Convolutional networks [CNN, ConvNet] - H04N 13/232: using fly-eye lenses, e.g. arrangements of circular lenses - H04N 13/239: using two two-dimensional [2D] image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance (H04N13/243 takes precedence) - H04N 13/254: in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects - H04N 25/443: by reading pixels from selected two-dimensional [2D] regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - G06N 3/02: Neural networks - G06N 3/08: Learning methods - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A device includes a detection path, along which detection radiation is guided, and a means for splitting the detection radiation between first and second detection paths. A detector has detector elements in each detection path. A microlens array is disposed upstream of each detector in a pupil. The first and second detectors have a substantially identical spatial resolution. The detector elements of the first detector are arranged line by line in a first line direction, while the detector elements of the second detector are arranged line by line in a second line direction. The first and second detectors are arranged relative to the image to be captured such that the first and second line directions are inclined relative to one another. A readout unit for reading out the image data of the detectors is configured for selectively reading those detector elements arranged line by line which form an image line. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for capturing image data comprising: a means for splitting a detection radiation between a first detection path and a second detection path, wherein detection radiation is guided or is guidable along the first and second detection paths; a first detector in the first detection path, wherein the first detector includes detector elements that are arranged in an image plane and are arranged in detector lines in a first line direction; a second detector in the second detection path, wherein the second detector includes detector elements that are arranged in an image plane and are arranged in detector lines in a second line direction, the second line direction being different than the first line direction; a microlens array disposed upstream of both the first and second detectors in a plane that is conjugate with respect to a system pupil, wherein each microlens of the microlens array is optically assigned in each case a number of detector elements, such that an image line of the first and respectively of the second detector are formed by those detector elements of at least one detector line which are optically assigned to microlenses of the microlens array; and a readout unit configured for reading out the image data of the detectors, wherein the readout unit is configured for selectively reading those detector elements arranged line by line which form an image line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first detector and the second detector are arranged relative to an image to be captured in such a way that the first line direction and the second line direction are inclined in relation to one another. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising an evaluation unit configured for evaluating the captured image data of the first and second detectors, wherein the evaluation unit is configured in such a way that the selectively read-out image data of both detectors are evaluated and a three-dimensionally resolved resulting image is generated from the evaluated image data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first detector and the second detector have a substantially identical spatial and temporal resolution and the detectors are configured for capturing a same image of a sample. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the means for splitting the detection radiation includes at least one of a beam splitter, a dichroic beam splitter, a polarization splitter, a spatially structured beam splitter, a diffractive element, or a switchable mirror. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the mircolens array includes a common microlens array disposed upstream of the two detectors in a plane that is conjugate with respect to the system pupil. ### Claim 7 A microscope comprising: a light source configured for providing excitation light to a sample; a means for splitting detection radiation emitted from the sample in response to the excitation light provided to the sample between a first detection path and a second detection path, wherein the detection radiation is guided or is guidable along the first and second detection paths; a first detector in the first detection path, wherein the first detector includes detector elements that are arranged in an image plane and are arranged in detector lines in a first line direction; a second detector in the second detection path, wherein the second detector includes detector elements that are arranged in an image plane and are arranged in detector lines in a second line direction, the second line direction being different than the first line direction; a microlens array disposed upstream of both the first and second detectors in a plane that is conjugate with respect to a system pupil, wherein each microlens of the microlens array is optically assigned in each case a number of detector elements, such that an image line of the first and respectively of the second detector are formed by those detector elements of at least one detector line which are optically assigned to microlenses of the microlens array; and a readout unit configured for reading out image data of the detectors, wherein the readout unit is configured for selectively reading those detector elements arranged line by line which form an image line. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The microscope of claim 7, wherein the light source is configured for providing pulsed illumination light. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The microscope of claim 7, wherein the light source includes a laser light source, and further comprising an objective functioning as an illumination objective disposed in an illumination beam path of the mircroscope, wherein the light source and the objective are configured for generating a wide field illumination. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The microscope of claim 9, further comprising a device for generating a light sheet on an object side in front of the objective in a sample space, wherein the light source, the objective, and the device for generating a light sheet are present in the illumination beam path. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The microscope of claim 10, wherein the device for generating a light sheet includes a cylindrical optical unit and/or a scanning device, wherein an illumination light beam of the light source that is shaped by the cylindrical optical unit and/or respectively an illumination light beam of said light source that is deflected by means of the scanning device is directed into an entrance location in an objective pupil of the objective, said entrance location lying away from an optical axis of the objective. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The microscope of claim 10, further comprising an adjustable optical means in the illumination beam path, wherein a thickness of the light sheet transversely with respect to a light sheet plane is adjustable by way of the optical means. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The microscope of claim 11, wherein the scanning device is configured for descanning detection radiation and guiding the descanned detection radiation into a third detection path, wherein the third detection path includes a confocal stop in an intermediate image plane. ### Claim 14 A method for capturing image data, the method comprising: splitting detection radiation of a microscope between a first detection path and a second detection path; capturing an item of location information of an origin of the detection radiation; capturing a plurality of items of angle information of the detection radiation in each of the first and second detection paths in an image plane; capturing, in the first detection path and in the second detection path, image data of a same image with a substantially identical spatial and temporal resolution, wherein the image data represent selected detector elements, of which image data representing a plurality of detector elements in a first image direction are captured in the first detection path and image data representing a plurality of detector elements in a second image direction are captured in the second detection path, wherein the second image direction is different from the first image direction; and selectively reading out the captured image data of corresponding detector elements by lines of the detector elements. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: jointly computing the selected image data of the first and second image directions to form a three-dimensionally resolved resulting image. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: capturing image data by a high-resolution, image capture method; and using the image data captured by the high-resolution, image capture method along with the selected image data of the first and second image directions to generate the three-dimensionally resolved resulting image. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein computation of the image data to form the resulting image is performed with application of a Convolutional Neural Network.