Optical Detection Device and Method for Operating an Optical Detection Device

Abstract

An optical detection device having a light detection device and a light emission device is arranged such that the light detection side of the light detection device is optically coupled to a light emission side of a light source array of the light emission device via an examination region. The light detection device generates an electrical signal n response to light that reaches the light detection side. The light source array includes a plurality of separately actuatable electric light sources which are arranged in a matrix structure or two dimensional geometric arrangement. The object to be examined can be arranged in a desired fashion, and the light emitted by the light sources radiates via the examination region on the light detection side of the light detection device. An optical reduction is system is arranged in the beam path from the light emission side to the examination region and is configured to demagnify the light pattern which is emitted by the light sources. Thus, the examination region is irradiated by a light pattern that has been demagnified with respect to the light pattern emitted.

Claims

1. An optical detection device, comprising: a light detection device configured to generate an electrical signal in response to light that reaches a light detection side of the light detection device, a light emission device having a light source array which comprises a multiplicity of separately electrically actuatable electric light sources which are distributed over the light source array in a matrix structure or in a two-dimensional geometric arrangement, wherein the light detection side of the light detection device is optically coupled to a light emission side of the light source array via an examination region in which an object to be examined by the optical detection device is arrangeable, and wherein light emitted by the light sources radiates via the examination region on the light detection side of the light detection device, wherein an optical reduction system is arranged in a beam path from the light emission side of the light source array to the examination region, wherein said optical reduction system is configured to optically demagnify a light pattern emitted by the light sources of the light source array such that the examination region is irradiated by a demagnified light pattern in relation to the light pattern emitted by the light source array.

2. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical reduction system comprises at least one collimation element, which is arranged on a side of the optical reduction system assigned to the light source array, wherein the collimation element is configured to optically converge divergent light emitted by the light sources of the light source array.

3. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the optical reduction system comprises at least one optical arrangement disposed downstream of the collimation element in the beam path of the light emitted by the light source array, said optical device configured for imaging light received by the collimation element with a reduced imaging scale.

4. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the at least one optical arrangement is selected from the group consisting of a lens, an arrangement of lenses, and an objective.

5. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an optical magnification system in the beam path of the light between the examination region and the light detection side of the light detection device, said optical magnification system converting a light pattern received from the examination region into a magnified light pattern arriving at the light detection side.

6. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light detection device comprises one or more light-sensitive elements, wherein a total number of light-sensitive elements is less than a total number of light sources of the light source array.

7. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a diameter of each light source of the light source array is less than 500 nanometers.

8. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the light sources of the light source array are light-emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers or other structured light sources.

9. The optical detection device as claimed claim 1, wherein the light detection device is coupled to the light emission device by way of a control device configured to control the light sources according to a defined activation scheme and configured for integrated, synchronized processing of data received by the light detection device.

10. The optical detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical detection device is embodied as a high resolution microscope.

11. A method for operating an optical detection device as claimed in claim 1, comprising: activating some of the light sources of the light emission device, separately or in groups, according to a defined activation scheme for emission of light, receiving emitted light directly from activated light sources activated in said activating step, or light resulting therefrom, by way of the light detection device, capturing electrical signals generated by the light detection device in response to the light reaching the light detection side of the light detection device and/or storing the electrical signals or data representative therefor with reference to a defined activation scheme of the light sources, generating an at least a two-dimensional image representation of an object to be examined, said object being positioned in the examination region of the optical detection device, from the captured and/or stored signals and/or data.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein fluorescence of an object positioned in the examination region are captured and assessed.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the activating step is performed sequentially or in accordance with defined patterns.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The invention will be explained in detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments using drawings. In detail:

[0030] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary structure of an optical detection device in a side view and

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of an optical detection device in a side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The optical detection device as per FIG. 1 comprises a light emission device 1, which has a light source array 2. The light source array 2 comprises a multiplicity of separately electrically actuatable electric light sources, which are arranged in a manner distributed over the light source array 2 in a matrix structure or in a two-dimensional arrangement defined in any other way. The light sources of the light source array 2 emit light at a light emission side, said light impinging on a collimation element 3. The collimation element 3 converts the divergent light emitted by the light source array 2 into a parallel beam path. The light emitted by the collimation element 3 impinges on a lens 4, which brings the received light onto a smaller imaging scale and projects said light onto an examination plane of an examination region 5.

[0033] An object that is intended to be examined by means of the optical detection device can be arranged in the examination region 5, in particular in the examination plane.

[0034] The collimation element 3 and the lens 4 are parts of an optical reduction system, which is configured to optically reduce a light pattern emitted by the light sources of the light source array 2. Accordingly, the examination region 5 is irradiated by a light pattern that has been reduced in relation to the light pattern emitted by the light source array 2.

[0035] Along the beam path, the light from the examination region 5 reaches an optical magnification system 6, which may be embodied as a magnification objective, for example. The optical magnification system 6 converts the light pattern received from the examination region 5 into a magnified light pattern, which is projected onto a light detection side 7 of a light detection device 8. The light detection device 8 can comprise one or more light sensor elements, for example a matrix of light sensor elements.

[0036] By way of example, if a matrix with a very high number of very small light sources, as in the case of a smartphone display, for example, is used for the light source array 2, the region in the examination region 5 irradiated by the light can be altered accordingly by way of activating different light sources of the light source array 2 in succession. In this way, an object arranged in the examination region 5 can be scanned at a very high resolution, for example with an increment in the region of less than 100 nm, by way of successively activating different light sources. The light patterns arising from this can be received on the receiver side, i.e., by the light detection device 8. An image representation of the object arranged in the examination region 5 can be generated with an extremely high resolution by way of a control device, which is fed both information about the data received by the light detection device 8 and actuation data of the light sources of the light source array 2.

[0037] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the light detection device 8 can be, e.g., a camera sensor, for example a CCD sensor with a multiplicity of pixels. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the optical device, in which a single photodiode is used as a light detection device 8. This is advantageous in that the entire structure of the optical detection device can be substantially simplified and, in particular, can be designed with a shorter length since the optical magnification system 6 can be dispensed with in this case. Consequently, the light is transmitted from the light source array 2 directly to the light detection device 8 via the collimation element 3, the lens 4 and the examination region 5.