Method and system for standardizing microscope instruments
First Claim
1. A calibration instrument for sampling illumination of an excitation light source of a microscopy system, comprising:
- a calibration surface positioned along an optical path to substantially uniformly scatter illumination from the excitation light source toward a detection portion of the microscopy system;
a dichromatic mirror positioned to reflect illumination from the excitation light source along an optical path through an objective toward a target sample and to transmit at least a portion of illumination from the target sample toward a detection portion of the microscopy system, wherein the calibration surface temporarily blocks the optical path between the dichromatic mirror and the objective during calibration and scatters a substantial portion of the reflected excitation light through the dichromatic mirror toward the detector; and
a housing configured to retain the dichromatic mirror and the calibration surface in a fixed relation with respect to each other, wherein the housing is adapted for placement within an interchangeable filter selection mechanism.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for standardizing quantitative measurements from a microscope system. The process includes a calibration procedure whereby an image of a calibration slide is obtained through the optics of the microscope system. The calibration slide produces a standard response, which can be used to determine a machine intrinsic factor for the particular system. The machine intrinsic factor can be stored for later reference. In use, images are acquired of a target sample and of the excitation light source. The excitation light source sample is obtained using a calibration instrument configured to sample intensity. The calibration instrument has an associated correction factor to compensate its performance to a universally standardized calibration instrument. The machine intrinsic factor, sampled intensity, and calibration instrument correction factor are usable to compensate a quantitative measurement of the target sample in order to normalize the results for comparison with other microscope systems.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A calibration instrument for sampling illumination of an excitation light source of a microscopy system, comprising:
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a calibration surface positioned along an optical path to substantially uniformly scatter illumination from the excitation light source toward a detection portion of the microscopy system; a dichromatic mirror positioned to reflect illumination from the excitation light source along an optical path through an objective toward a target sample and to transmit at least a portion of illumination from the target sample toward a detection portion of the microscopy system, wherein the calibration surface temporarily blocks the optical path between the dichromatic mirror and the objective during calibration and scatters a substantial portion of the reflected excitation light through the dichromatic mirror toward the detector; and a housing configured to retain the dichromatic mirror and the calibration surface in a fixed relation with respect to each other, wherein the housing is adapted for placement within an interchangeable filter selection mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification