HIGH NUMERICAL APERTURE TELEMICROSCOPY APPARATUS

• US 20110009163A1
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Lam, Wilbur, Maamari, Robi, Dill, Jesse, Switz, Neil, Fletcher, Daniel, Hansen, Wendy, Breslauer, David, Douglas, Erik
• Granted Patent: US 8,743,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8483 Investigating reagent band test-element handling not specific to a test method G01N33/4875; analytical elements specific to chemical analysis of biological material G01N33/52; autometer with reagent band G01N35/04
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0008 Microscopes having a simple construction, e.g. portable microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0092 Polarisation microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/02 Objectives
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/025 with variable magnification variable magnification G02B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/06 Means for illuminating specimens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/16 adapted for ultraviolet illumination ; Fluorescence microscopes G02B21/0076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/26 Stages; Adjusting means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/36 arranged for photographic purposes or projection purposes G02B21/18 takes precedenceor digital imaging or video purposes including associated control and data processing arrangements image data processing per se G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/365 Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

An imaging system consisting of a cell-phone with camera as the detection part of an optical train which includes other components. Optionally, an illumination system to create controlled contrast in the sample. Uses include but are not limited to disease diagnosis, symptom analysis, and post-procedure monitoring, and other applications to humans, animals, and plants.

Claims

1. A telemicroscopy apparatus, comprising:

a portable, hand-held cellular or other wireless communications device, said communications device having an image capture device therein; and

a microscope lens system associated with said image capture device;

wherein said microscope lens system has a collection numerical aperture (NA) of at least approximately 0.1 and a magnification (M) of at least about 1.

2. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications device is a cellular phone with built in camera.

3. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein NA≧

0.3 and M≧

4.

4. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a housing detachably mounted to the communications device and having the microscope lens system mounted therein, and a sample holder associated with the housing.

5. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sample holder comprises a microfluidic device or other small-volume fluid handling system.

6. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microscope lens system is telecentric on the object side, on the image side, or on both sides.

7. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means to implement a contrast mechanism selected from transillumination brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, differential interference contrast, polarization contrast, Hoffman modulation contrast, fluorescence, Schlieren, and oblique transillumination.

8. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an illumination source associated with the microscope lens system.

9. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 8, wherein the illumination source is a fluorescence excitation source.

10. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a GPS or other location sensing system in the communications device.

11. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications device further has a device lens aligned with the image capture device, and further wherein said microscope lens system in combination with said device lens has a collection numerical aperture (NA) of at least approximately 0.1 and a magnification (M) of at least about 1.

12. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications device further includes a processor programmed to derive medically relevant information from an acquired image.

13. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is programmed to implement a particle counting algorithm.

14. The telemicroscopy apparatus of claim 5, wherein the microfluidic device or other small-volume fluid handling system is removable from the sample holder.

15. A telemicroscopy imaging system, comprising:

a portable, hand-held housing;

an image sensor mounted in the housing;

collection optics mounted in the housing and aligned with the image sensor, the collection optics having a collection numerical aperture (NA) of at least approximately 0.1 and a magnification (M) of at least about 1;

a sample holder mounted in the housing and aligned with the collection optics;

an illumination source mounted in the housing and positioned to illuminate the sample holder;

a wireless transmission unit mounted in the housing for transmitting data from the image sensor;

a microprocessor mounted in the housing for controlling data collection, analysis and transmission.

16. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to derive medically relevant information from an acquired image.

17. The imaging system of claim 16, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to implement a particle counting algorithm.

18. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to extract medically relevant information from an acquired image via automatic image processing.

19. The imaging system of claim 15, further comprising a GPS or other location sensing unit, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to add location data to image data transmitted by the wireless transmission unit.

20. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to allow user-determined identification of a region of interest of an image for transmission.

21. A telemicroscopy method, comprising:

(a) imaging a sample at a first location using a telemicroscopy apparatus, said telemicroscopy apparatus comprising;

a portable, hand-held cellular or other wireless communications device, said communications device having an image capture device; and

a microscope lens system associated with said image capture device;

wherein said microscope lens system has a collection numerical aperture (NA) of at least approximately 0.1 and a magnification (M) of at least about 1; and

(b) transmitting sample images and information derived therefrom from the communications device to a second location.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

further analyzing received sample images and information at the second location; and

transmitting information based on this further analysis of the sample back from the second location to the communications device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the sample is a blood sample.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising inputting the blood sample into a microfluidic device associated with the imaging system.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising staining the blood sample and analyzing the sample by cell counting.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein staining the blood sample comprises staining with a fluorescent dye, and further comprising exciting fluorescence of the sample.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising obtaining location data at the first location, and adding location information to the transmitted image.

28. The method of claim 21:

wherein the communications device further has a device lens aligned with the image capture device; and

wherein said microscope lens system in combination with said device lens has a collection numerical aperture (NA) of at least approximately 0.1 and a magnification (M) of at least about 1.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising performing disease monitoring or tracking at the second location based on information received from the first location.