Microscopic hyperspectral imaging scanner

A microscopic imager, comprising:

• a window element having an elongate aperture therein;
• a microscopic lens element which focuses an image of a target specimen onto said window element, said image including a plurality of elongate image row portions corresponding to said elongate aperture;
• an optical sensor array mounted in fixed spatial relationship relative to said window element, and comprising at least one row of sensor elements corresponding to and aligned with a row portion of said image;
• said microscopic lens element, said aperture and said sensor array defining an optical path for transmitting a subset of said row portions of said image from said aperture onto said optical sensor array and blocking row portions not included said subset;
• and
• a drive unit for tandem translational movement of said window element and said optical sensor array relative to said microscopic lens element in a direction substantially transverse to said optical path and substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said aperture.

A microscopic imager comprising:

• a microscopic lens element which focuses an image of a target specimen in a focal plane, said image comprising a plurality of elongate image row portions;
• an optical sensor array comprising at least one row of sensor elements aligned with said image row portions;
• a window element disposed in said focal plane in fixed spatial relationship to said sensor array, and having an elongate aperture for passing a subset of said image row portions to said sensor array and blocking image row portions not included in said subset;
• and
• a drive device for tandem translational movement of said window element and said sensor array relative to microscopic lens element, within said focal plane, in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said aperture.

A hyperspectral microscope, comprising:

• a table for supporting a specimen to be imaged by said microscope;
• a microscopic objective lens element disposed adjacent said table;
• a window element having an elongate aperture for passing a row portion of an image projected on said window element by said microscopic objective lens element, and blocking portions of said image which are not in said row portion;
• a two dimensional optical sensor array having a plurality of rows of optical sensor elements;
• a spectral separation component interposed in an optical path between said window element and said sensor array, for spreading said passed row portion of said image into spectral components and directing said spectral components onto said two dimensional sensor array;
• and
• a drive unit for translational movement of said window element in a direction substantially perpendicular to said optical path and to a longitudinal axis of said aperture.

A camera assembly for scanning a microscopic optical image formed by a microscope, comprising:

• an optical sensor array having at least one row of optical sensor elements;
• a window element with an elongate aperture therein, said aperture being spatially aligned with and fixed relative to said at least one row of sensor elements;
• an image relay device for transferring light transmitted through said aperture and projecting it onto said optical sensor array;
• an adapter for mounting said camera assembly to a body of a microscope such that an objective lens of said microscope focuses an image on said window element, and such that an optical path is formed between said objective lens and said sensor array;
• a drive unit for tandem translational movement of said optical sensor, said window element and said image relay device relative to said adapter, in a direction substantially transverse to said optical path and substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said aperture.