Various embodiments may provide a method of illuminating a sample plane. The method may include providing an illumination subsystem, the illumination subsystem including an optical source and at least one lens, having an optic axis at an incident angle greater than 0° and less than 90° to a normal of the sample plane. The method may also include rotating the illumination subsystem about a pivot point between the optical source and the sample plane along the optic axis so that an adjusted illumination distribution generated by the illumination subsystem at the sample plane has greater symmetry compared to a reference illumination distribution generated by the illumination subsystem at the sample plane without the rotation about the pivot point.

A system for monitoring soil composition within a field may have a ground-engaging tool configured to engage soil within a field as an implement moves across the field. The system may further have a sensor configured to generate data indicative of a soil composition within the field, where the sensor is movable relative to the ground-engaging tool while the implement moves across the field such that the sensor generates data indicative of the soil composition at different depths within the field. Additionally, the system may have a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor, with the controller being configured to determine the soil composition at the different depths within the field based at least in part on the data received from the sensor.

An optical detection apparatus includes a substrate, a light source, a light sensor, a light-guiding structure. The substrate has a top surface. The light source on the top surface is configured to generate detection light toward an object over the light source. The light sensor is located on the top surface. The light-guiding structure is above the top surface and at least partially above the light source. A central axis of the light-guiding structure is vertical to the top surface, and the light source and the light sensor are at opposite sides relative to the central axis. The light-guiding structure is configured to deflect the detection light from one of the opposite sides at which the light source is located to another one of the opposite side at which the light sensor is located, such that the detection light reflected by the object moves toward the light sensor.

The invention encompasses analyzers and analyzer systems that include a single molecule analyzer, methods of using the analyzer and analyzer systems to analyze samples, either for single molecules or for molecular complexes. The single molecule uses electromagnetic radiation that is translated through the sample to detect the presence or absence of a single molecule. The single molecule analyzer provided herein is useful for diagnostics because the analyzer detects single molecules with zero carryover between samples.

An analysis apparatus including a stage, an analysis device placed on the stage and including receiving sections which accommodate a sample and a reagent for biochemical reaction, and are communicated with one another through a flow path having an inlet and an outlet, a liquid introduction section which is connected to the inlet and supplies into the flow path the sample, the reagent, and an sealing liquid for sealing each of the receiving sections, and a waste liquid storage section which is connected to the outlet and stores as waste liquid an excess of the sample and the reagent and a part of the sealing liquid supplied to the flow path, an optical system which includes an objective lens, emits excitation light to the receiving sections and allows observation of fluorescence generated in the receiving sections by the excitation light, and a control unit that controls such that the sealing liquid and the excess of the sample and the reagent form an interface in the waste liquid storage section, and that the interface is formed at a distance not less than a fluorescence-obtainable distance from a bottom of the receiving sections.

Among other things, an imaging device has a photosensitive array of pixels, and a surface associated with the array is configured to receive a specimen with at least a part of the specimen at a distance from the surface equivalent to less than about half of an average width of the pixels.

A method for imaging tissue is provided. The method includes illuminating a target tissue via a light-emitting diode. The method further includes acquiring a plurality of timed images of the target tissue including an excitation image corresponding to an excitation state of the light-emitting. Additionally, the method includes generating a relative lifetime map of the target tissue based on the plurality of timed images.

Provided herein is an apparatus for assessing a fluorescence characteristic of a gemstone. The apparatus comprises an optically opaque platform for supporting a gemstone to be assessed, one or more light source to provide uniform UV and non-UV illumination, an image capturing component, and a telecentric lens positioned to provide fluorescent images of the illuminated gemstone to the image capturing component. Also provided are methods of fluorescence analysis based on images collected using such an apparatus.

An automatic optical inspection (AOI) device and method are disclosed. The device is adapted to inspect an object under inspection (OUI) (102) carried on a workpiece stage (101) and includes: a plurality of detectors (111, 112) for capturing images of the OUI (102); a plurality of light sources (121, 122) for illuminating the OUI (102) in different illumination modes; and a synchronization controller (140) signal-coupled to both the plurality of detectors (111, 112) and the plurality of light sources (121, 122). The synchronization controller (140) is configured to directly or indirectly control the plurality of detectors (111, 112) and the plurality of light sources (121, 122) based on the position of the OUI (102) so that each of them is individually activated and deactivated according to a timing profile, that each of the detectors (111, 112) is able to capture images of the OUI (102) in an illumination mode provided by a corresponding one of the light sources (121, 122), and that when any one of the light sources (121, 122) is illuminating the OUI (102), only the one of the detectors (111, 112) corresponding to this light source (121, 122) is activated. Through the timing control over the multiple light sources (121, 122) and detectors (111, 112) by the synchronization controller (140), inspection with multiple measurement configurations can be accomplished within a single scan, resulting in a significant improvement in inspection efficiency.

A method and apparatus for providing hand-mounted surgical tools is provided. The apparatus includes a housing configured to be mounted to a body of a user. The apparatus also includes an optical source to generate a first optical signal in an absorption spectrum of a biocompatible fluorescing dye (BFD). The apparatus also includes an optical detector to detect a second optical signal in an emission spectrum of the BFD. The apparatus also includes a processor to receive a signal from the optical detector that indicates that the second optical signal was detected by the optical detector. The processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to transmit a signal to a non-visual feedback device to cause the non-visual feedback device to output non-visual feedback to the user that the second optical signal was detected by the optical detector.