A microscopic transmitted light contrasting method includes illuminating a sample through asymmetrical first and second illumination pupils and imaging the sample through asymmetrical first and second detection pupil in order to generate, respectively, first and second partial images. The first illumination pupil and the first detection pupil, as well as the second illumination pupil and the second detection pupil, are arranged pivoted in relation to one another and partially overlapping in projection on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis in such a way that first and third regions of an angular space are in a bright field and second and fourth regions of the angular space are in a dark field, and the first and second partial images each have a bright and a dark field component. An image of the sample is generated from the first and second partial images.

The invention relates to a method for illuminating an object in a digital light microscope, to a digital light microscope, and to a bright field reflected-light illumination device for a digital light microscope. According to the invention, the bright field reflected-light illumination and the dark field reflected-light illumination are configured with light-emitting diodes as light sources and are individually or jointly drivable via a control unit. Both the bright field reflected-light illumination and the dark field reflected-light illumination are configured as “critical” illumination, in which the light source is imaged into the object plane.

A digital microscope (1) includes an optical fiber bundle (17) that supplies bright field light, an optical fiber bundle (18) that supplies dark field light, an optical fiber bundle (19) for causing light from a light source to enter the optical fiber bundle (17) (18) and a mechanism for changing a mixture ratio of the bright field light and the dark field light according to operation in an operating section (26). A light entry end of the optical fiber bundle (17) and a light entry end of the optical fiber bundle (18) are arranged adjacent to each other to face in the same direction. A light exit end of the optical fiber (19) is arranged to be opposed to both of the light entry ends.

A dark field illuminator for microscopic imaging is provided. The dark field illuminator is arranged above an adjustable lens group of a unit microscopic imaging module and corresponds to the adjustable lens group, a surface of the dark field illuminator is attached to a back of a sample slide, and the sample slide is located between the dark field illuminator and the adjustable lens group; the dark field illuminator includes a bright and dark field substrate and a dark field black background patch, the size of the dark field black background patch matches with that of the adjustable lens group, and the dark field black background patch is arranged close to or away from the adjustable lens group relatively to the bright and dark field substrate. Preferably, the bright and dark field substrate further has a recessed structure with a white diffuse reflection surface.

Provided is an optical apparatus that includes an illumination assembly which include an extended radiation source emitting radiation with a controllable spatial distribution and telecentric condensing optics, configured to receive and project the emitted radiation with a numerical aperture exceeding 0.3 along a first optical axis onto a field and an imaging assembly that includes a sensor and objective optics configured to image the field along a second optical axis onto the sensor and also a prism combiner positioned between the field and the condensing and objective optics which is configured to combine the first and second optical axes, while reflecting at least one of the optical axes multiple times within the prism combiner.

The invention relates to the domain of microscope based imaging. The invention provides methods and apparatuses for providing improved microscope based digital imaging solutions that are capable of providing high quality images with a high level of image detail. The invention additionally provides solutions for artificial intelligence based controlling of a digital microscope's imaging functions to enable bright field/dark field imaging functionality to be combined with spectroscopic functions to obtain higher detail and more meaningful information about a specimen sample.

A method for generating and analyzing an overview contrast image of a specimen carrier and/or of specimens situated on a specimen carrier. A specimen carrier arranged at least partially in the focus of a detection optical unit is illuminated in transmitted light using a two-dimensional, array-like illumination pattern. At least two overview raw images are detected using different illuminations of the specimen carrier, and, according to information to be extracted from the overview contrast image, a combination algorithm is selected by means of which the at least two overview raw images are combined to form the overview contrast image. According to information to be extracted from the overview contrast image, an image evaluation algorithm is selected by means of which the information is extracted.

A system and method for generating reflective dark field illumination in an imaging system that includes a set of elementary illuminators, each of the set of elementary illuminators including a light source, a lens assembly and an illuminator aperture; and a bright field/dark field (BD) lens. The set of elementary illuminators are positioned in a ring-like shape to direct light towards a port of the BD lens. Depending on an application of the imaging system, a lens assembly focal distance and a distance between a light source and a lens assembly are determined based on the application.

A fluorescence microscopy inspection system includes light sources able to emit light that causes a specimen to fluoresce and light that does not cause a specimen to fluoresce. The emitted light is directed through one or more filters and objective channels towards a specimen. A ring of lights projects light at the specimen at an oblique angle through a darkfield channel. One of the filters may modify the light to match a predetermined bandgap energy associated with the specimen and another filter may filter wavelengths of light reflected from the specimen and to a camera. The camera may produce an image from the received light and specimen classification and feature analysis may be performed on the image.

A microscopic observation method configured to observe a specimen in a specimen carrier that includes the following steps: placing the specimen carrier at an observation point; obtaining a length of the specimen carrier along a movement direction, a thickness of the specimen carrier along an observation direction of a microscope objective, an observation angle of the microscope objective, and a relative distance between a lateral surface of the specimen carrier and the microscope objective along the movement direction; and adjusting an incident angle of a light beam emitted from a dark-field illumination towards the specimen carrier according to a calculation result of the length, the thickness, the observation angle, and the relative distance.