An example imaging apparatus comprises a light source, an imaging spectrometer, an image sensor, control circuitry, and processing circuitry. The light source generates power for delivery at a molecular sample, which can include at least 100 mW. The imaging spectrometer separates light emitted from the molecular sample into a plurality of different component wavelengths. The control circuitry causes the image sensor to scan one or more regions of the molecular sample while the imaging spectrometer is aligned with the image sensor and collects hyperspectral image data of the molecular sample from the light emitted that corresponds to the plurality of different component wavelengths. The processing circuitry performs an image processing pipeline by transforming the hyperspectral image data into data that is representative of a quantification of emitters, absorbers, and/or scatterers present in the one or more regions of the molecular sample.

An observation apparatus includes: a stage on which a container accommodating a specimen is mounted; a light source generating illumination light emitted in an upward direction from below the specimen on a specimen placement surface; a light-collecting lens disposed parallel to the surface and collecting the light; a diffusion plate disposed between the lens and the surface, parallel to the surface, and diffusing the light collected by the lens; an objective optical system disposed below the stage and collecting light passing through the stage from thereabove; and an image-capturing optical system capturing, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the light emitted from the source, reflected above the specimen, transmitted through the specimen, and collected by the objective optical system, wherein the source is positioned so that an optical axis thereof is shifted from an optical axis of the lens in a direction away from the image-capturing optical system.

Methods, devices, apparatus, and systems are provided for image analysis. Methods of image analysis may include observation, measurement, and analysis of images of biological and other samples; devices, apparatus, and systems provided herein are useful for observation, measurement, and analysis of images of such samples. The methods, devices, apparatus, and systems disclosed herein provide advantages over other methods, devices, apparatus, and systems.

An optical apparatus comprises an illumination module (100) comprising a carrier (110), which has at least one light-transmissive region (112), for example. The illumination module (100) comprises a plurality of light sources (111), which are arranged on the carrier (110).

A microscope includes a stage on which a specimen is configured to be placed, an epi-illumination optical system having a fluorescence illumination light source configured to irradiate the specimen with excitation light of a predetermined wavelength, a transmitted-light illumination optical system, and a light shielding member. The transmitted-light illumination optical system includes a transmitted-light illumination light source having a white LED, and a condenser having a condenser lens configured to collect light emitted from the transmitted-light illumination light source onto the specimen and configured to move in a direction orthogonal to an illumination optical path so as to be insertable onto and removable from the illumination optical path. The light shielding member is configured to move in the direction orthogonal to the illumination optical path along with the condenser lens to block incidence of the excitation light from the epi-illumination optical system to the transmitted-light illumination optical system.

Imaging systems and methods with scattering to reduce source auto-fluorescence and improve uniformity. In some embodiments, the system may include a plurality of trans-illumination light sources configured to irradiate an examination region with different colors of trans-illumination light, while a same diffuser is present in each optical path from the trans-illumination light sources to the examination region. The system also may comprise an excitation light source configured to irradiate the examination region with excitation light. The system may be configured to irradiate the examination region with each of the trans-illumination light sources and, optionally, with the excitation light source, without moving parts in any of the optical paths from the trans-illumination light sources. The system further may comprise an image detector configured to detect grayscale images of the examination region, and a processor configured to create a color trans-illumination image from grayscale images.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for high-speed reading out information from an at least partially transparent data carrier.

A high effective refractive index structure may include one or more high effective refractive index materials disposed on a substrate. The high effective refractive index structure configured to respond to a light received at the high effective refractive index structure by at least generating one or more sub-diffraction limit illumination patterns for illuminating a specimen while one or more frames are captured of the illuminated specimen. The one or more sub-diffraction limit illumination patterns may include one or more speckle patterns. The one or more high effective refractive index materials may exhibit an effective refractive index equal to or greater than 3. Examples of high effective refractive index materials include hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM) multilayers, nanowire based hyperbolic metamaterials, and organic hyperbolic materials (OHM).

An inverted microscope includes: an epifluorescence illumination optical system configured to irradiate a specimen on a stage with epi-illumination light from below the stage; a transmitting illumination optical system configured to irradiate the specimen on the stage with transmitting illumination light from above the stage; an objective lens arranged below the stage and configured to collect the epi-illumination light on the specimen; and a light blocking unit configured to be arranged between the stage and the transmitting illumination optical system so as to be located on or deviated from an observation optical axis of the inverted microscope, and configured to be located at a light blocking position separated from the stage so as to block all direct light entering the objective lens at an angle not larger than an aperture angle of the objective lens.

An imaging microscope (12) for generating an image of a sample (10) comprises a beam source (14) that emits a temporally coherent illumination beam (20), the illumination beam (20) including a plurality of rays that are directed at the sample (10); an image sensor (18) that converts an optical image into an array of electronic signals; and an imaging lens assembly (16) that receives rays from the beam source (14) that are transmitted through the sample (10) and forms an image on the image sensor (18). The imaging lens assembly (16) can further receive rays from the beam source (14) that are reflected off of the sample (10) and form a second image on the image sensor (18). The imaging lens assembly (16) receives the rays from the sample (10) and forms the image on the image sensor (18) without splitting and recombining the rays.