IMAGING APPARATUS FOR LOW-LIGHT SAMPLE

• Main Authors: OBA MASAHIRO, SHIMADA YOSHIHIRO, TANIGAWA YOSHIHISA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.06.2011
• Subjects: COLORIMETRY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT,POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRA-RED,VISIBLE OR ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT; MEASURING; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; RADIATION PYROMETRY; TESTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-cost and miniaturized imaging device for a low-light sample capable of performing fluorescence observation and emission observation, without changing the position of a sample using a single device and using a general cooled CCD. SOLUTION: In the imaging device for a low-light sample equipped with an image forming optical system 1, having an object lens 11 and an image forming lens 12 for forming the sample image of a sample 10, having a spot light source for emitting a low light containing fluorescence, an illumination optical system 2 for irradiating the sample with the light from an illumination light source to emit fluorescence and an imaging means 3 for photographing an image having a large number of pixels and corresponding to the sample image, the illumination optical system is constituted so that the light from the illumination light source irradiates the sample, without going via the object lens and the image forming optical system is substantially telecentric and equipped with a filter 13, which extracts the fluorescence from the sample in a wavelength selective manner, between the object lens and the image forming lens and isconstituted so as to condense the weak light from the spot light source and form an aery disk having a size which is substantially the same as that of a pixel or smaller than that of the pixel. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT