Back to results
US 6,548,796 B1Granted
Confocal macroscope
AssigneeRegents of the University of Minnesota
InventorsLawrence S. Silvermintz, Robert Elde
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A confocal macroscope is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention an imaging system includes a specimen stage, a source of a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis, and a scan-head movably positioned to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane above the specimen stage and to receive light emitted or reflected from the object plane. According to another embodiment of the present invention the imaging system has three orthogonal motion axes that harness the quality of a collimated infinity space to stretch in scanning a specimen.
Claims61
An imaging system comprising:
- an x stage movable on an x-axis;
- a source of a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis and defining infinity space;
- a scan-head comprising a deflector mirror to bounce the collimated excitation beam normal to the respective x stage and an objective lens, the objective lens having a central axis aligned coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam, the scan-head being movably positioned to stretch the infinity space and to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane over the x stage and to receive light emitted or reflected from the object plane, the objective lens being movable along a z-axis by a focus mechanism and the scan-head being movable upon a y-axis orthogonal to the x and z-axes and relative to the x stage and relative to the source while the central axis of the objective lens remains coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam;
- a detector pinhole to receive light emanating from the focal point in the object plane;
- and
- a photodetector behind the detector pinhole to receive the light and to generate a signal based on the light.
3 more elements
An imaging system comprising:
- a multicolor laser to generate a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis and occupying infinity space;
- a polychroic beamsplitter to reflect the collimated excitation beam;
- a scan-head comprising a flat mirror movably positioned to reflect the collimated excitation beam from the polychroic beamsplitter toward an objective lens having a central axis coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam, the objective lens being positioned along a z-axis to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage;
- a detector pinhole to receive light emanating from the object plane;
- and
- wherein:
- the scan-head comprises the objective lens movable along the z-axis by a piezoelectric actuated lead-screw focus motor, the scan-head being movable by a linear motor along a y-axis orthogonal to the z-axis relative to the polychroic beamsplitter while the central axis of the objective lens remains coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam in infinity space, the scan-head being movable along the y-axis to stretch the infinity space;
- and
- the specimen stage comprises a linear motor to move the specimen stage along an x-axis orthogonal to the y and z-axes.
6 more elements
An imaging system comprising:
- a specimen stage;
- a source of a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- and
- a scan-head comprising an objective lens having a central axis coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam, the scan-head being movably positioned to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane over the specimen stage and to receive light emitted or reflected from the object plane, the scan-head being movable along a first axis normal to the specimen stage and along a second axis relative to the specimen stage and relative to the source while the central axis of the objective lens remains coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam.
1 more element
An imaging system comprising:
- a specimen stage;
- a source of a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- a scan-head comprising an objective lens having a central axis coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam, the scan-head being movably positioned to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane over the specimen stage and to receive light emitted or reflected from the object plane, the scan-head being movable along a first axis and along a second axis relative to the specimen stage and relative to the source while the central axis of the objective lens remains coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam;
- and
- wherein the source of the collimated excitation beam comprises:
- a light source to generate an excitation beam centered on the beam axis;
- a beam expander on the beam axis to expand and collimate the excitation beam;
- and
- a beamsplitter to direct the collimated excitation beam toward the scan-head.
6 more elements
An imaging system comprising:
- a specimen stage;
- a source of a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- and
- a scan-head movably positioned to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane above the specimen stage and to receive light emitted or reflected from the object plane, the scan-head comprising an objective lens having a central axis coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam, the scan-head being movable along a first axis and along a second axis relative to the specimen stage and relative to the source while the central axis of the objective lens remains coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam.
1 more element
An imaging system comprising:
- a specimen stage;
- a light source to generate an excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- a beam expander on the beam axis to expand and collimate the excitation beam;
- a beamsplitter to direct the collimated excitation beam;
- a scan-head comprising an objective lens having a central axis coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam directed by the beamsplitter, the scan-head being movably positioned to focus the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane over the specimen stage and to receive light emitted or reflected from the object plane, the scan-head being movable along a first axis and along a second axis relative to the specimen stage and relative to the beamsplitter while the central axis of the objective lens remains coaxial with the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam;
- an image pinhole;
- a lens positioned to receive the emitted or reflected light transmitted through the objective lens and the beamsplitter and to focus the emitted or reflected light on the image pinhole;
- and
- a photodetector coupled to the image pinhole to detect the emitted or reflected light passing through the image pinhole.
6 more elements
A method comprising:
- aligning elements generating and attenuating a collimated excitation beam with an excitation path optical alignment fixture;
- aligning a beamsplitter with a beamsplitter beam target;
- generating the collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis and defining infinity space;
- maintaining the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam coaxial with a central axis of an objective lens in a scan-head in the infinity space;
- focusing the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage with the objective lens;
- viewing the specimen in an integrated automatic wide view using a laser illuminated scrambler/spreader;
- detecting light emanating from the specimen at the focal point with a photodetector to generate a signal based on the light to indicate image data;
- selecting a programmable region of interest in the specimen;
- selecting a programmable velocity and acceleration and data sampling rate for an arbitrary scan path through the specimen;
- moving the objective lens along a z-axis normal to the specimen stage to move the focal point of the objective lens to a different object plane in the specimen;
- moving the objective lens along a y-axis orthogonal to the z-axis and parallel with the different object plane in the specimen to scan the specimen in an arbitrary scan path inside the region of interest along the y-axis in a stretching infinity space;
- moving the specimen stage along an x-axis orthogonal to the y and z-axes to scan the specimen along the x-axis in the arbitrary scan path inside the region of interest;
- collecting the image data to generate an image of the specimen with an automated and unattended control system;
- and
- storing the image data in a mass storage device.
12 more elements
A method comprising:
- generating a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis and defining infinity space;
- maintaining the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam coaxial with a central axis of an objective lens in a scan-head in the infinity space;
- focusing the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage with the objective lens;
- detecting light emanating from the specimen at the focal point with a PMT to generate a signal based on the light to indicate image data;
- collecting the image data to generate an image of the specimen with an automated and unattended control system comprising:
- integrating the signal from the PMT indicating the instantaneous light passing through the pinhole to generate time-averaged rolling window values in a sampling period;
- triggering a sampling of the integrated signal on a movement in the position of the scan-head or the specimen stage or the objective lens detected with a position encoder;
- and
- generating an image of the specimen in the focal plane with the samples of the signal;
- and
- storing the image data in a mass storage device.
8 more elements
A method comprising:
- generating a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- focusing the collimated excitation beam with an objective lens on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage;
- maintaining the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam coaxial with a central axis of the objective lens;
- moving the objective lens along a first axis relative to the specimen;
- moving the objective lens along a second axis relative to the specimen;
- and
- detecting light reflected or emitted from the specimen at the focal point to generate image data.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- generating a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- focusing the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage with an objective lens;
- detecting light reflected or emitted from the specimen at the focal point to generate image data;
- maintaining the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam coaxial with a central axis of the objective lens;
- moving the objective lens along a first axis normal to the specimen stage to move the focal point of the objective lens to a different object plane in the specimen;
- and
- moving the objective lens along a second axis parallel with the different object plane in the specimen.
4 more elements
The method of claim 54, further comprising:
- moving the specimen stage along a third axis parallel with the different object plane to cause the focal point to traverse the specimen in a pattern;
- detecting light reflected or emitted from the specimen at the focal point to generate image data for the pattern;
- and
- generating an image of the different object plane in the specimen traversed by the focal point according to the pattern.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- generating a collimated excitation beam centered on a beam axis;
- reflecting the collimated excitation beam toward an objective lens with a flat mirror in a scan-head including the objective lens;
- focusing the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage with the objective lens;
- and
- detecting light reflected or emitted from the specimen at the focal point to generate image data.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- generating an excitation beam centered on a beam axis from a krypton-argon ion laser;
- expanding and collimating the excitation beam in a beam expander;
- directing the collimated excitation beam toward an objective lens with a polychroic beamsplitter having a plurality of passbands and a plurality of reflective bands;
- reflecting the collimated excitation beam toward the objective lens with a flat mirror in a scan-head including the objective lens;
- focusing the collimated excitation beam on a focal point in an object plane in a specimen on a specimen stage with the objective lens;
- maintaining the beam axis of the collimated excitation beam coaxial with a central axis of the objective lens;
- moving the objective lens along a first axis normal to the specimen stage to move the focal point of the objective lens to a different object plane in the specimen;
- moving the objective lens along a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis and parallel with the different object plane in the specimen to cause the focal point to traverse the specimen in the different object plane;
- moving the specimen stage along a third axis that is orthogonal to both the first axis and the second axis and parallel with the different object plane to cause the focal point to traverse the specimen in a pattern;
- detecting light reflected or emitted from the specimen at the focal point to generate image data for the pattern;
- and
- generating an image of the different object plane in the specimen traversed by the focal point from the detected light.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.