Multi-Z confocal imaging system
US11042016B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 12, 2018 |
| Grant date | Jun 22, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 12, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/145
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A Multi-Z confocal microscopy system can simultaneously record from multiple Z-sections, and thus performs high speed volumetric imaging. An illumination line can be formed by under-filling the illumination beam in the aperture of the microscope objective. The illumination line extends in the Z dimension into the target sample to be imaged and an X-Y scanning mechanism can be used to scan the illumination line over the sample. The detection signal emanating from the scanned sample can be collected through the full numerical aperture of the microscope objective and directed to a detector subsystem. The detector subsystem includes an array of reflecting pinhole detectors and each reflecting pinhole detector is configured to image a volume at a different depth in the sample. This configuration enables reflecting pinhole detector array to image more than one depth volume at the same time.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.