Focus aid for confocal microscope
AssigneeOptometrix, Inc.
InventorRobert A. Falk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for indicating real time focus information for a scanning microscope. The system includes a detector, one or more bandpass filters, and one or more power indicators associated with the one or more bandpass filters. The detector detects an electrical signal from the scanning microscope. The bandpass filters filter the detected electrical signal. The bandpass filters are tuned to a desired range of frequencies. The power indicators detect and display average power of the electrical signal filtered by the corresponding bandpass filter. The system also includes a focusing device that generates a focusing signal based on the detected average power and focuses the scanning microscope based on the generated focusing signal. The focusing device automatically focuses the scanning microscope.
Claims11
A apparatus for indicating real time focus in a scanning microscope, the apparatus comprising:
- a detector for converting a radiation beam generated by the scanning microscope into an analog electrical signal;
- one or more bandpass filters for filtering the analog electrical signal, wherein the one or more bandpass filters are tuned to a desired range of frequencies;
- and
- one or more power indicators for detecting and displaying average power of the filtered analog electrical signal of a corresponding bandpass filter.
A method for indicating real time focus in a scanning microscope, the method comprising:
- converting a radiation beam generated by the scanning microscope into an analog electrical signal;
- filtering the detected analog electrical signal according to one or more frequency ranges;
- and
- detecting average power of the filtered electrical signal for each of the one or more frequency ranges;
- and
- displaying each of the detected average powers of the analog electrical signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.