Abstract: A video-confocal microscopy method for creating an image of an optical section (?) of a sample (99), provides, in one aspect of the invention, illuminating the sample (99) with illumination beams (19) concentrated on spots (x,y) arranged in an illumination pattern (18) in an illumination plane (?0) at the optical section (?); translationally parallel moving the pattern (18) of spots (x,y) to a plurality of positions in the illumination plane; it also provides for each position (u,v) of the illumination pattern (18), receiving light (21) returned by the sample (99) by reflection and/or transmission and/or phosphorescence, and detecting raw images (52), each having a light intensity distribution Iu,v(x,y) on said image detector.

Abstract: A video-confocal microscopy method for creating an image of an optical section (?) of a sample (99), provides, in one aspect of the invention, illuminating the sample (99) with illumination beams (19) concentrated on spots (x,y) arranged in an illumination pattern (18) in an illumination plane (?0) at the optical section (?); translationally parallel moving the pattern (18) of spots (x,y) to a plurality of positions in the illumination plane; it also provides for each position (u,v) of the illumination pattern (18), receiving light (21) returned by the sample (99) by reflection and/or transmission and/or phosphorescence, and detecting raw images (52), each having a light intensity distribution Iu,v(x,y) on said image detector.

Abstract: A method for the acquisition of images by means of confocal microscopy in which a new image is calculated which is constituted by the "maxima" among the corresponding elements of each captured image. The new image contains mainly the signal coming from the most luminous and in focus areas and even the signal coming from the less luminous areas, as being out of focus or laterally displaced with respect to the grid positions. A further image is then calculated which is constituted by the "minima" among the corresponding elements of each captured image and the requested confocal image is then obtained by calculating the difference between the "maxima" image and the "minima" image.