Spatial light modulator apparatus

• US 7,034,983 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2004
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Andor Technology PLC (Oxford Instruments PLC)
• Original Assignee: Imaginative Optics, Inc. (Oxford Instruments PLC)
• Inventors: DeSimone, Andrew Frank, Crary, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANIG, RICHARD E
• Application Number:
  US10/991,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20050068607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 359/290, 359/298
• US Class Current: 359/290
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6458 Fluorescence microscopy fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/06 Means for illuminating specimens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/088 for both incident illumination and transillumination
• 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: G09G 2300/0857 Static memory circuit, e.g. flip-flop
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/346 based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833

Abstract

A spatial light modulator apparatus for an optical microscope system including an optical head with a mounting flange for mounting the optical head to a port of the microscope, a DMD for generating a pattern image of light, a light source mount for receiving a source of illumination, and one or more optical elements for directing light from the source of illumination to the DMD and to direct the pattern image generated by the DMD to the microscope. A DMD controller has a digital input and is connected to the DMD for driving the individual micromirrors of the DMD to generate the pattern image. A pattern generation subsystem is configured to output pattern image data and a digital interface is connected between the digital input of the DMD controller and the pattern generation subsystem, the digital interface configured to provide a digital drive signal to the DMD controller corresponding to the pattern image data.

Claims

1. A pattern generation subsystem configured to output a pattern image data to a spatial light modulator, the pattern generation subsystem comprising:

a drawing editor responsive to an input device for drawing a pattern shape; and

an alpha blending routine responsive to a camera and the drawing editor for representing the drawn pattern shape translucently on a display over a specimen image.

2. The pattern generation subsystem of claim 1 in which the spatial light modulator is a DMD.

3. The pattern generation subsystem of claim 1 further including a digital interface responsive to the drawing editor to provide a digital drive signal which controls the spatial light modulator to generate the pattern image.

4. The pattern generation subsystem of claim 3 further including a set of stored calibration values and a spatial scale and offset routine interposed between the drawing editor and the digital interface and responsive to the stored calibration values for correlating the pixels of the drawn pattern shape to the pixels of the spatial light modulator.