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US 9,069,175 B2Granted
Adaptive phase contrast microscope
AssigneeKairos Instruments, LLC
InventorsDouglas J. Koebler, Alfred Blalock Bahnson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeKairos Instruments, LLC
InventorsDouglas J. Koebler, Alfred Blalock Bahnson
Estimating the term…
An optical microscope is provided with an adjustable optical phase ring. The adjustable ring provides a way to compensate for distortion in the visible phase ring before the light reaches the sample. In an inverted microscope, when observing transparent cells under a liquid, the visible light phase ring is distorted. By the use of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) in place of a fixed ring, the projected ring is adjusted to realign the light and produce phase. In a typical micro plate, the meniscus formed produces a lens effect that is realigned by providing changes in the position and pattern, to allow phase imaging over a wider portion of the well. The realignment of the ring can be manual or automated and can be dynamically adjusted based upon an observed image of the sample.
An adjustable phase contrast microscope comprising an illuminating optical system including an electrical device for constructing an adjustable visible phase ring, the adjustable visible phase ring being dynamically adjustable based on position, fluid height, and/or viscosity of a sample.
An adjustable phase contrast microscope comprising an illuminating optical system including an electrical device for constructing an adjustable visible phase ring, the electrical device comprising a light source, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a liquid crystal controller for constructing the adjustable visible phase ring, the microscope further comprising a member configured for cooperation with the liquid crystal controller for dynamically adjusting the visible phase ring to compensate for any distortion of the image throughout the life of an experiment or during a predetermined period of observation, wherein the member for dynamically adjusting the phase ring comprises an image processing system that is based on a cycle of sending a pattern to the LCD and through a sample to obtain an image and wherein this image is then sent to a memory device, and finally an image processor.
An adjustable phase contrast microscope comprising an illuminating optical system with an electrical device for constructing an adjustable visible phase ring and a Bertrand lens camera, wherein the electrical device is configured to produce a camera, wherein the electrical device comprises a light source, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a liquid crystal controller for constructing the adjustable visible phase ring, the microscope further comprising a member configured for cooperation with the liquid crystal controller for dynamically adjusting the phase ring to compensate for any distortion of the image throughout the life of an experiment or during a predetermined period of observation and wherein the member for dynamically adjusting the phase ring comprises an image processing system that is based on a cycle of sending a pattern to the LCD and through a sample to obtain an image, and wherein this image is then sent to a memory device, and finally an image processor.
A method for adjusting phase contrast in an inverted microscope for viewing cells within a sample comprising providing an illuminating optical system with an electrical device for constructing an adjustable visible phase ring, the electrical device being configured to dynamically adjust the visible phase ring based on position, fluid height, and/or viscosity of a sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.