SYSTEMS, DEVICE AND METHODS PROVIDING A COMBINED ANALYSIS OF IMAGING AND LASER MEASUREMENT

Abstract

Exemplary apparatus, device, system and method can be provided for examining a sample, which can comprising and/or utilize an imaging device for obtaining an overview image of the sample. A measuring instrument can also be used for locally interrogating at least one property of the sample with a laser beam which emerges from an aperture. Additionally, a tracking arrangement/system/device can be utilized for determining the location on the sample which is currently being interrogated with the laser beam. Additionally, memory or any other electronic storage device can be utilized, in which the property interrogated with the laser beam can be associated with the determined location on the sample. For example, the tracking arrangement/system/device can be designed and/or configured to determine the location at which the laser beam impacts or strikes the sample by evaluating the laser spot produced thereby from the overview image, and/or to determine this location by measuring the position and orientation of the aperture.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. An apparatus for analyzing a sample, comprising: an imaging device configured to obtain at least one overview image of the sample; a measuring instrument configured to locally interrogate at least one property of the sample using a laser beam which emerges from an aperture; a tracking device configured to track and determine a location on the sample which is currently being interrogated using the laser beam; and an electronic storage device configured to store the at least one property interrogated using the laser beam, wherein the stored at least one property is associated with the determined location on the sample, and wherein the tracking device is further designed and configured to determine the location at which the laser beam strikes or impacts the sample as the location on the sample which is currently being interrogated using the laser beam, by at least one of: (i) evaluating a laser spot produced from the at least one overview image, or (ii) measuring a position and an orientation of the aperture.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the aperture is part of a probe which is manually guidable to the sample by an operator of the apparatus.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the probe includes a manually operable trigger, and wherein the measuring instrument is configured to interrogate the at least one property in response to operation of the trigger.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the tracking device is further designed and configured to track a focal plane of the laser beam emerging from the aperture with respect to a change in the distance between the aperture and the sample.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the tracking device further comprises an image evaluation logic system which is designed and configured to (i) detect a location where a luminance of the at least one overview image exceeds a threshold value, and (ii) identify at least one of a center of the luminance of the at least one overview image or a location where a spatial profile of the luminance of the at least one overview image matches the beam profile of the laser beam as the location on the sample which is currently being interrogated with the laser beam.

23. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a modulator configured to effectuate a modulation of an intensity of the laser beam with a frequency , wherein the at least one overview image comprises a plurality of overview images, wherein the imaging device is designed and configured to obtain a time sequence of the plurality of overview images, and wherein the tracking device comprise an image evaluation logic system which is designed and configured to identify, from the time sequence of the plurality of overview images, a location where the luminance is modulated with the frequency as the location on the sample which is currently being interrogated with the laser beam.

24. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the tracking device comprises at least two laser scanners or at least two radio transmitters configured to spatially track the aperture or a probe enclosing the aperture, respectively.

25. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the measuring instrument comprises a scanning device which is designed and configured to modify or control an angle of an exit of the laser beam from the aperture.

26. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the measuring instrument comprises a Raman spectrometer configured to interrogate or analyze at least one chemical composition of the sample.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the laser beam is generated by an excitation laser, wherein the excitation laser and the Raman spectrometer are connected via a fiber coupler to a glass fiber leading to the aperture, and wherein the fiber coupler has a division ratio that is wavelength-dependent.

28. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising an output unit designed and configured to superimpose a representation of the at least one property stored in the electronic storage device and scanned with the laser beam on the overview image of the sample at the location on the sample which is currently being interrogated using the laser beam.

29. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a projector designed and configured to project a representation of the at least one property which is stored in the in the electronic storage device and interrogated with the laser beam onto the sample at the location of the sample which is currently being interrogated using the laser beam.

30. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the imaging device comprises a bright field camera.

31. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one overview image includes a three-dimensional overview image of the sample, and wherein the imaging device is designed and configured to obtain the three-dimensional overview image of the sample.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the imaging device comprises at least one of a stereo camera or a strip photometry device.

33. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a switching device designed and configured to switch an intensity of the laser beam between (i) a first lower level so as to interrogate the at least one property of the sample, and (ii) a second higher level so as to at least one of remove at least one material from the sample or change the at least one material of the sample.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the switching device is connected to the measuring instrument so that the switching device is automatically triggered when the at least one property scanned with the laser beam fulfils a predetermined condition.

35. A method for analyzing a sample, comprising: obtaining at least one overview image of the sample, locally interrogating at least one property of the sample using a laser beam which emerges from an aperture; tracking and determining a location on the sample which is currently being interrogated using the laser beam; electronically storing the at least one property interrogated using the laser beam, wherein the stored at least one property is associated with the determined location on the sample; and determining the location at which the laser beam strikes or impacts the sample as the location on the sample which is currently being interrogated using the laser beam, by at least one of: (i) evaluating a laser spot produced from the at least one overview image, or (ii) measuring a position and an orientation of the aperture.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are detailed in the description of the Figures, where this description shall not limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The Figures show:

[0042] FIG. 1 is an exemplary on-scaled diagram of an exemplary system of the construction of a fixture according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 2a is a diagram of an exemplary representation of augmented reality on an output unit, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG. 2b is a diagram of an exemplary representation of augmented reality on a sample, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system providing switching between an excitation laser for querying and/or determining a property of sample and an ablation laser for removing material from the sample, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0046] FIGS. 4a-4c are diagrams of a superposition of optical and chemical information using the example of two workpieces, which are glued together with a glue joint, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Throughout the figures, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components or portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the subject disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the figures, it is done so in connection with the illustrative embodiments. It is intended that changes and modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit of the subject disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a schematic exemplary on-scaled diagram of an apparatus 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, sample 2 to be examined is a liver in vivo. It should be understood that other organs and body parts are omitted for the sake of clarity, and are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] A probe 5 can be guided over sample 2 and/or by the operator of the apparatus 100. A glass fiber 38 can be passed through the probe 5, which terminates in an aperture 31. An excitation laser 36 can emit a laser beam 32, which can be optionally modulated with a frequency w in a modulator 33. With a first glass fiber 37a, the laser beam 32 passes into a fiber coupler 37 with wavelength-dependent splitting ratio. The laser beam 32 emerges from the aperture 31, and generates/produces a laser spot 32a at location 23 on sample 2. At this exemplary location 23, Raman-scattered light is generated, which is characteristic of the local chemical composition of sample 2 as the interrogated property 22. The Raman-scattered light, symbolized by the reference sign 22 for the information contained in it, can be guided through the fiber coupler 37 into a second glass fiber 37b, which leads to a Raman spectrometer 35. The exemplary distance between the aperture 31 and the sample 2 is shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. The Raman spectrometer 35 can determine the local chemical composition 22 of sample 2 at location 23, although it has no knowledge of where this location 23 is located on the sample 2.

[0050] For example, FIG. 1 illustrates two exemplary ways to determine the location 23. A tracking device 4 for this purpose may comprise at least two laser scanners 43 or radio transmitters 44 which determine the position 31a and the orientation 31b of the probe 5, and thus also the aperture 31. The tracking device 4 may alternatively or in combination also comprise an image evaluation logic 41, 42 which contains the overview image 21 of probe 2 supplied by a camera 1 or another optical or electronic visualization/image/video capture device, including the laser point 32a generated therein by the laser beam 32, and evaluates the position of the laser point 32a as the location 23 from the overview image 21.

[0051] Each location 23 can be stored in a memory 6 (or in another electronic storage device), e.g., together with the associated queried property 22.

[0052] The aperture 31, the excitation laser 36, the modulator 33, the fiber coupler 37, the optical fibers 37, 37a and 38 connected to the fiber coupler 37 and/or the Raman spectrometer 35 together form the measuring instrument 3 for querying the property 22 of the sample 2.

[0053] Probe 5 can contain a first trigger 51, with which the operator of the device 100 can trigger the recording of a Raman spectrum by the Raman spectrometer 35. Probe 5 can also contain a second trigger 81, which can be used to trigger the switching device 8 for material removal, which is explained in detail herein with reference to FIG. 3. The signal connections of the triggers 51 and 81 are not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity.

[0054] FIG. 2a shows an exemplary diagram of a use of an augmented reality that can be displayed on an output unit 71 using the information stored in, e.g., memory 6 or in another electronic storage device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the output unit 71 can receive the overview image 21 of sample 2 from camera 1 and displays it in the background. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, at the same time, the output unit 71 can receive from memory 6 or from another electronic storage device the values of the queried property 22 together with the respective locations 23 on sample 2. Based on such exemplary performance and/or results, the output unit 71 can determine a representation 61 in which, for example, different chemical substances are displayed in different colors. The representation 61 can be superimposed on the overview representation 21 of sample 2.

[0055] FIG. 2b illustrates an exemplary diagram an Augmented Reality creation that does not require a turn of gaze away from Sample 2 and towards an Output Unit 71, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, a projector 72 can generate a representation 62 from the information stored in memory 6, which can be color-coded, for example, analogous to representation 61 according to FIG. 2a. In contrast to FIG. 2a, the exemplary representation of FIG. 2B can be projected directly onto the sample 2. Thus, each value for the queried property 22 is projected onto the corresponding location 23.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary diagram of switching between a query for property 22 and material removal from the sample 2, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the continuous laser beam 32 of the excitation laser 36 and the pulsed laser beam 34a of the ablation laser 34 can each be guided into the switching device 8. The switching device 8 couples exactly one of the beams 32 and 34a each into the first optical fiber 37a, which leads to the fiber coupler 37 as shown in FIG. 1. The other beam can be directed to a beam dump 82 where it is converted into heat. In this exemplary manner, the lasers 36 and 34 themselves do not have to be constantly switched on and off, which would be bad for their service life.

[0057] FIGS. 4a-4C illustrate exemplary diagrams of other exemplary applications in which normal optical contrast and chemical contrast can be combined using the device 100, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the sample 2, an arrangement of a first workpiece 91 and a second workpiece 92, which are glued together by a glue joint 93, can be examined using such exemplary embodiments.

[0058] In particular, FIG. 4a shows an exemplary diagram of those features of the sample 2 which are visible in a normal optical overview image 21. The first workpiece 91 has substantially horizontal grooves 91a and the second workpiece 92 has substantially vertical grooves 92a. The scoring marks 91a, 92a were each created during the manufacture of workpieces 91 and 92. The adhesive joint 93 appears colourless and without any special structure.

[0059] FIG. 4b shows an exemplary diagram in which sample 2 has already been partially examined with probe 5. The adhesive joint 93 is examined successively from left to right. Where the probe 5 has already been, it was identified that the adhesive joint 93 consists of properly cured adhesive 93a. This information can be output on an output unit 71 as explained in FIG. 2a or, for example, projected directly onto sample 2 as explained in FIG. 2b.

[0060] FIG. 4c illustrates an exemplary diagram of the condition in which the complete adhesive joint 93 has been scanned with probe 5. In the area of the adhesive joint 93 not yet examined in FIG. 4b, it is now apparent that the first component 93b and the second component 93c of the adhesive are present in separate phases and have not reacted to produce the final shape 93a. In this exemplary area, the adhesive joint 93 is therefore faulty and not loadable.

[0061] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements, and procedures which, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and can be thus within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various different exemplary embodiments can be used together with one another, as well as interchangeably therewith, as should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art. In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings and claims thereof, can be used synonymously in certain instances, including, but not limited to, for example, data and information. It should be understood that, while these words, and/or other words that can be synonymous to one another, can be used synonymously herein, that there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously. Further, to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above, it is explicitly incorporated herein in its entirety. All publications referenced are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

EXEMPLARY LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0062] 1 Device/arrangement configured to obtain the overview image 21 [0063] 2 Sample [0064] 21 Overview image of sample 2 [0065] 22 Property of sample 2 interrogated with laser beam 32 [0066] 23 Location on sample 2, where laser beam 32 interrogates property 22 [0067] 3 Measuring instrument for local interrogating of the property [0068] 31 Aperture for laser beam 3 [0069] 31a Position of the aperture 31 [0070] 31b Orientation of aperture 31 in space [0071] 32 Laser beam [0072] 32a Laser spot generated by laser beam 32 on sample 2 [0073] 33 Modulator for laser beam 32 [0074] 34 Ablation laser [0075] 34a Beam of the ablation laser 34 [0076] 35 Raman spectrometer [0077] 36 Excitation laser [0078] 37 Fiber coupler [0079] 37a Input of the fiber coupler 37 for laser beams 32, 34a [0080] 37b Output of the fiber coupler 37 for interrogated property 22 [0081] 38 Common optical fiber for laser beam 32, 34a and property 22 [0082] 4 Tracking Arrangement/system/device configured to track location 23 on trial 2 [0083] 41, 42 Image evaluation logic [0084] 43 Laser scanner [0085] 44 Radio transmitter [0086] 5 Probe [0087] 51 Trigger which can cause the interrogation of the property 22 when operated [0088] 6 Memory that associates property 22 with locations 23 [0089] 61, 62 Representations of information in memory 6 [0090] 71 Output device provided for overview screen 21 and representation 61 [0091] 72 Projector for presentation 62 on trial 2 [0092] 8 Switching device [0093] 81 Release for switching device [0094] 82 Beam dump [0095] 91 First workpiece [0096] 91a Scoring in first workpiece 91 [0097] 92 Second workpiece [0098] 92a Scoring in second workpiece 92 [0099] 93 Glued joint between workpieces 91 and 92 [0100] 93a Fully cured adhesive [0101] 93b First component of the adhesive [0102] 93c Second component of the adhesive [0103] 100 Apparatus