Patents Assigned to Applied Precision, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8848051
    Abstract: An apparatus for scanning a biometric device includes a camera that scans the biometric device to generate images, and a computer that extracts data from the images. The computer measures three-dimensional locations of at least three different positions on a surface of the biometric device, determines a virtual approximation plane or a curved surface with respect to the surface of the biometric device based on the measured three-dimensional locations, determines imaging locations of two or more panels disposed on the biometric device based on the virtual approximation plane or the curved surface, obtains individual images of the two or more panels by scanning the biometric device based on the determined imaging locations, and extracts overall data of the biometric device from the individual images of the two or more panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignees: Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyu-sang Lee, Carl S. Brown, Kyla Teplitz, Steve Goodson
  • Publication number: 20130335798
    Abstract: Irradiance control systems (“ICSs”) that control the irradiance of a beam of light are disclosed. ICSs include in a beam translator and a beam launch. The beam translator translates the beam substantially perpendicular to the propagating direction of the beam with a desired displacement so that the beam launch can remove a portion of the translated beam and the beam can be output with a desired irradiance. The beam launch attenuates the irradiance of the beam based on the amount by which the beam is translated. ISCs can be incorporated into fluorescent microscopy instruments to provide high-speed, fine-tune control over the irradiance of excitation beams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy R. Cooper
  • Publication number: 20130335819
    Abstract: Illumination phase controls that provide precise and fast phase control of structured illumination patterns used in structure illumination microscopy are described. A coherent light source is used to generate a beam of coherent light that is split into at least three coherent beams of light. In one aspect, an illumination phase control is composed of at least one pair of rotatable windows to apply at least one phase shift to at least one of the beams. An objective lens is to receive the beams and focus the at least three beams to form an interference pattern. The phase control can be used to change the position of the interference pattern by changing the at least one phase shift applied to the at least one beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: Applied Precision, Inc
    Inventor: Jeremy R. Cooper
  • Publication number: 20130300853
    Abstract: Systems and methods for executing super-resolution microscopy of a specimen with most of the image processing performed in a camera of a fluorescence microscopy instrument are described. In one aspect, the camera includes one or more processors to execute machine-readable instructions that control excitation light output from a multi-channel light source, control capture of intermediate images of the specimen, and perform image processing of the intermediate images to produce a final super-resolution image of the specimen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul C. Goodwin
  • Publication number: 20130286456
    Abstract: Various light-scanning systems that can be used to perform rapid point-by-point illumination of a focal plane within a specimen are disclosed. The light-scanning systems can be incorporated in confocal microscopy instruments to create an excitation beam pivot axis that lies within an aperture at the back plate of an objective lens. The light-scanning systems receive a beam of excitation light from a light source and direct the excitation beam to pass through the pivot point in the aperture of the back plate of the objective lens while continuously scanning the focused excitation beam across a focal plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: Applied Precision Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy R. Cooper
  • Patent number: 8570650
    Abstract: A structured-illumination module included in a 3D-structured-illumination-based fluorescence microscope, the structured-illumination module comprising: a structured-illumination-module frame; a beam-alignment module including a central tilt mirror coupled to an underside of a top horizontal plate of the structured-illumination-module frame; a set of directional mirrors, one of which receives, at a given point in time, input, polarized, coherent light reflected from the central tilt mirror; three sets of beam splitters, on three arms of the structured-illumination-module frame, the each splits an incident illumination beam, reflected to the set of beam splitters from a directional mirror of the set of directional mirrors, into a coherent beam triplet; and a phase-shift module that receives a beam triplet, at a given point in time, generated by one of the sets of beam splitters and reflected from the beam-alignment module and that introduces a desired relative phase relationship among the beams of the beam trip
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: William M. Dougherty, Steven Charles Quarre
  • Patent number: 8558154
    Abstract: The current application is directed to autofocus subsystems within optical instruments that continuously monitor the focus of the optical instruments and adjust distances within the optical instrument along the optical axis in order to maintain a precise and stable optical-instrument focus at a particular point or surface on, within, or near a sample. Certain autofocus implementations operate asynchronously with respect to operation of other components and subsystems of the optical instrument in which they are embedded. The described autofocus subsystems employ multiple calibration curves to precisely adjust the z-position of an optical instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy Cooper, Paul Goodwin, Stephen G. Goodson
  • Patent number: 8478069
    Abstract: A system and method of image processing employ mathematical deconvolution to estimate the magnitude and location of a target object within an image. Both the nature of internal reflections and the convolution process by which each internal reflection contributes to blurring of the acquired image data may be measured and modeled. In accordance with mathematical deconvolution techniques, the combined effects of these internal reflections may be reduced to the extent that respective contributions of the target object and each individual reflection may be distinguished and quantified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: Carl S. Brown
  • Patent number: 8362409
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to autofocus subsystems within optical instruments that continuously monitor the focus of the optical instruments and adjust distances within the optical instrument along the optical axis in order to maintain a precise and stable optical-instrument focus at a particular point or surface on, within, or near a sample. Certain embodiments of the present invention operate asynchronously with respect to operation of other components and subsystems of the optical instrument in which they are embedded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy R. Cooper, Paul Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8333932
    Abstract: A substrate includes; a fiducial mark disposed on the substrate, an area on the substrate on which a probe material is configured to be immobilized, the area being separated from the fiducial mark, and a probe immobilization compound disposed on the area on the substrate on which the probe material is configured to be immobilized, wherein the fiducial mark has a structure which reflects irradiated light at a greater intensity than an intensity of reflected irradiated light form the area on the substrate not corresponding to the fiducial mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyu-sang Lee, Seong-ho Cho, Carl S. Brown, Kyla Teplitz
  • Patent number: 8237786
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to imaging technologies, and, in particular, to an imaging system that detects relatively weak signals, over time, and that uses the detected signals to determine the positions of signal emitters. Particular embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for imaging fluorophore-labeled samples in order to produce images of the sample at resolutions significantly greater than the diffraction-limited resolution associated with optical microscopy. Embodiments of the present invention employ overlapping-emitter-image disambiguation to allow data to be collected from densely arranged emitters, which significantly decreases the data-collection time for producing intermediate images as well as the number of intermediate images needed to computationally construct high-resolution final images. Additional embodiments of the present invention employ hierarchical image-processing techniques to further resolve and interpret disambiguated images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Gaudenz Danuser, Paul C. Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8115150
    Abstract: A new optical substrate design allows a target to be illuminated with minimal illumination of undesired surfaces within the image collection ray path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl S. Brown, Steven A. Reese
  • Patent number: 8041146
    Abstract: A system and method of image processing employ mathematical deconvolution to estimate the magnitude and location of a target object within an image. Both the nature of internal reflections and the convolution process by which each internal reflection contributes to blurring of the acquired image data may be measured and modeled. In accordance with mathematical deconvolution techniques, the combined effects of these internal reflections may be reduced to the extend that respective contributions of the target object and each individual reflection may be distinguished and quantified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc
    Inventor: Carl S. Brown
  • Patent number: 7770402
    Abstract: A system and method of cooling a CCD camera may employ a composite material housing design that allows the cold side of a TEC to be mounted relatively close to the CCD and the hot side of the TEC to be isolated from the housing cavity in which the CCD resides. An efficient heat transfer path may facilitate cooling the CCD to a predetermined or selected operating temperature and isolate the CCD from the heat loads generated by operation the TEC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven C. Quarre
  • Patent number: 7705323
    Abstract: A microscope stage with a flexural axis may exhibit predictable flexure characteristics and limited cross-coupling translations. Z motion of a Z plate proximate to a Z actuator may be substantially linear, while a distal side of the Z plate may be allowed to rotate about a hinge axis associated with a flexural component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven C. Quarre, John Malcolm
  • Patent number: 7683345
    Abstract: A system and method employing photokinetic techniques in cell biology imaging applications are disclosed. Systems and methods of acquiring image data of an object may comprise: selectively inducing photoactivation of material at a site on the object; performing an optical axis integration scan; simultaneously executing a time delay integration scan sequence; and processing acquired image data in accordance with one or more desired analyses. Various methodologies and applications may include, inter alia, selective photobleaching of a site on the object, diffusion rate, velocity, and wave-front propagation analyses, multi-dimensional analyses of dispersion characteristics, biomolecular binding in cellular organelles, and photoactivation assisted systematic image segmentation for the study of cellular components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul C. Goodwin, Carl S. Brown, Steven A. Reese
  • Publication number: 20090206238
    Abstract: A new optical substrate design allows a target to be illuminated with minimal illumination of undesired surfaces within the image collection ray path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: Applied Precision, Inc. Delaware corporation
    Inventors: Carl S. Brown, Steven A. Reese
  • Publication number: 20090097110
    Abstract: A system and method of generating and acquiring phase contrast microscope images while minimizing interference with the intensity and optical quality of other microscopy modalities employing polarization and attenuation strategies for phase microscopy applications. A plane polarizing objective phase ring may be used in conjunction with a phase microscopy apparatus. Attenuated light may be controlled such that transparency may be selectively provided with respect to light in a predetermined plane. Illumination outside of the predetermined plane may be selected for phase microscopy applications. Accordingly, a polarizing objective phase ring effective for enabling polarized phase microscopy may reduce interfere with normal usage of the microscope for other applications such as, for example, fluorescence microscopy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: PAUL C. GOODWIN
  • Patent number: 6414477
    Abstract: A method for quantitatively determining probe card errors relying on merging data sets from a probe card analysis machine and a scrub mark analysis machine. Minimizing error values related to the data sets provides an indication of probe card/probe machine combination tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: John Strom
  • Patent number: 5899437
    Abstract: A cam actuated valve method and apparatus utilize an electronically controlled stepper motor driving a cam. A diaphragm type low flow, high accuracy diaphragm valve is positioned off axis with respect to the cam. A transmission translates linear motion of the cam to the valve diaphragm. High accuracy is maintained because the transmission is preloaded by pressure within the valve and the valve diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Applied Precision, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven C. Quarre