Abstract: A microscope system includes: a light source configured to emit first excitation light for causing a fluorescent substance of a biological sample stained with the fluorescent substance to emit light; an objective lens configured to condense the first excitation light to the biological sample; a scanning mechanism configured to change an orientation of the first excitation light from the light source such that the first excitation light condensed by the objective lens scans the biological sample; a photodetector configured to input a first fluorescence that is generated from the biological sample by the first excitation light condensed to the biological sample, and to convert the first fluorescence into an electrical signal; and a macro imaging unit configured to apply second excitation light to the biological sample, and to capture an image of a second fluorescence by macro imaging, the second fluorescence being generated from the biological sample.

Abstract: A microscope system includes a microscope apparatus including a stage on which a sample is placed and an objective lens that collects laser light to the sample on the stage, a light source unit including a light source that emits the laser light, a scanning mechanism configured to guide the laser light from the light source unit and change a direction of the guided laser light to scan the sample on the stage, a photodetector configured to guide returned light from the objective lens of the microscope apparatus and convert the guided light into an electrical signal, a controller configured to control at least the scanning mechanism and generate image data from the electrical signal output from the photodetector, and a computer connected to the controller through a bus interface and configured to process the image data transferred from the controller through the bus interface.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a fluorescent-image acquisition apparatus including an excitement-light source; an objective lens; an image pickup device; focal-point movement control means; and image-pickup control means.

Abstract: An image obtaining apparatus includes: a light source configured to irradiate a biological sample having a fluorescent label with an excitation light, the excitation light exciting the fluorescent label; an optical system including an objective lens, the objective lens being configured to magnify an imaging target of the biological sample; an image sensor configured to form an image of the imaging target magnified by the objective lens; a movement controller configured to move a focus position of the optical system in an extended range, the extended range being obtained by adding predetermined margins to both ends of the imaging target in a thickness range; and a light-exposure controller configured to expose the image sensor to light while moving the focus position of the optical system in the extended range.

Abstract: A method for detecting the specimen region includes the first step for the first region detecting unit to detect the first region which is a region with contrast in the first image of an object for observation which is photographed under illumination with visible light, the second step for the second region detecting unit to detect the second region which is a region with contrast in the second image of the object for observation which is photographed under illumination with ultraviolet light, and the third step for the specimen region defining unit to define, based on the first and second regions mentioned above, the specimen region where there exists the specimen in the object for observation.

Abstract: A sample-image acquisition apparatus includes: an image taking device; a movement control section; and a sample-image acquisition section.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a cutting-out unit, and a display controller. The storage unit is configured to store an image of fluorescence emitted from an observation target area of a living body in a recording medium as a fluorescence image of the observation target area, the image of fluorescence being captured with a first definition, the image of fluorescence being obtained by applying excitation light to the observation target area to which a fluorescent reagent is added in advance. The cutting-out unit is configured to cause a user to select at least a partial area of the fluorescence image and to cut out the selected area as a fluorescence image of a ROI area. The display controller is configured to cause a display unit to display the fluorescence image of a ROI area with a second definition that is lower than the first definition.

Abstract: A microscope system includes an accommodation unit, a stage, an optical system, an image pickup unit, a movement mechanism, a control unit, an image processing unit, and a display unit. The accommodation unit is capable of accommodating a plurality of specimens. On the stage, each of the specimens loaded from the accommodation unit is placed. The optical system includes a lens for spherical aberration correction. The image pickup unit is capable of capturing a partial image of each of the specimens placed on the stage, via the optical system. The movement mechanism moves the lens for spherical aberration correction along an optical axis. The control unit controls movement of the lens for spherical aberration correction by the movement mechanism and correct spherical aberration. The image processing unit combines the partial images captured by the image pickup unit and generate a composite image. The display unit displays the generated composite image.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing an image associated with a biological sample is disclosed. A processor focuses on a portion of the biological sample based on fluorescence of a first fluorescent material and captures an image of the portion of the biological sample based on fluorescence of the first fluorescent material and the second fluorescent material.

Abstract: An image obtaining apparatus and an image obtaining method are provided. The image obtaining apparatus including a light source configured to generate excitation light causing a fluorescent label of a biological sample to emit light; an image sensor; an optical system configured to cause the image sensor to form a fluorescent image of the partial area of the biological sample; a movement control unit; a generation unit configured to continuously expose the image sensor during the movement of the focal position of the optical system, and to generate a long-time exposed image of the partial area; and a calculation unit configured to analyze a frequency of the generated long-time exposed image, and to calculate positional information in the optical axis direction of the fluorescent label by using at least results of the analysis.

Abstract: It is possible to generate image data of a biological tissue in a short time. A focus information generating device (2) receives a first reflected light beam (Lr1) split from a reflected light beam (Lr) and a second reflected light beam (Lr2) passing through a pin-hole plate (36). A signal processing unit (13) calculates a uniform reflectance (RE) representing a light amount ratio of the second reflected light beam (Lr2) to the first reflected light beam (Lr1) along with a sum signal (SS) and a difference signal (SD). An integrated control unit (11) detects a position (Z1) corresponding to a top surface (104A) of a cover glass (104) on the basis of the sum signal (SS) and the difference signal (SD) and detects a position (Z3) representing a biological tissue (102) on the basis of the sum signal (SS) and the uniform reflectance (RE).

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including: an edge detection processing section configured to generate an edge image by performing edge detection processing on a detection target image from which a target object is to be detected; a segment area setting section configured to segmentalize the edge image into a plurality of segment areas; an index value calculation section configured to calculate, for each of the plurality of segment areas, an edge component index value that indicates an amount of edge components included in each segment area; and a target object determining section configured to determine whether there is an image of the target object in each segment area based on the edge component index value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an interface connected to a microscope having a stage having a placement surface on which a sample including a target is placed, an objective lens that zooms in an image of the sample, and an image pickup element that forms the image of the sample, a controller, and a memory. The controller causes a focus of the objective lens to shift in a vertical direction to the placement surface, and causes the image pickup element to be exposed, thereby obtaining a first image. The controller performs a uniform shift of the focus in the vertical direction and a uniform linear shift thereof in a parallel direction to the placement surface, and causes the image pickup element to be exposed, thereby obtaining a second image. The controller calculates a position of the target in the vertical direction based on the first and second images.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus, including: an image obtaining section configured to obtain a RAW image, the RAW image being taken by an imaging unit, the imaging unit including an image sensor; and a controller configured to cause the imaging unit to preliminarily photograph a preliminary photographing object, and to obtain the RAW image as a first RAW image, to specify a defective pixel of the first RAW image based on the amount of difference between a value of a target pixel and a value of a neighboring pixel around the target pixel, and to create defective position data, to cause the imaging unit to actually photograph an actual photographing object, and to obtain the RAW image as a second RAW image, and to correct a luminance value of the second RAW image based on the defective position data.

Abstract: A fluorescent image obtaining device includes a light source that irradiates light such that a fluorescent material marked on a target in a biological sample lies in a non-excited state and a fluorescent material marked on a control with the target lies in an excited state, and an imaging unit that takes an image including the entire biological sample.

Abstract: An image acquisition apparatus includes: an imaging device on which an image of a small area allocated to an area to be imaged is formed; a detection section detecting intensity of light irradiated on the small area from a light source; an integration section integrating the intensity of light detected by the detection section; if an integration value of the intensity of light integrated by the integration section from a point in time when light is emitted from the light source is greater than a predetermined threshold value, a light-source control section terminates light emission; an exposure control section starting exposure of the imaging device before light is emitted from the light source and terminating exposure of the imaging device after emission of light from the light source is terminated; and an image acquisition section acquiring the image of the small area as a divided image from the imaging device.

Abstract: A connector provided on a projector has an RF chip. A plug connected to the connector has an RF chip at a position opposite to the RF chip of the connector. When a protruding section of the plug is inserted and fit into an aperture section of the connector, the RF chip of the plug and the RF chip of the connector perform wireless communication with each other in a non-contact state. Thus, a connecting tool can be easily attached to/detached from a receiving tool without breaking a terminal due to contact such as in a case where a conventional contact type terminal is used.

Abstract: A biological sample image acquiring apparatus includes: a sample stage on which a biological sample is placed and which can move in a direction; an objective lens magnifying a region of the biological sample; an imaging device imaging the region magnified by the objective lens; a stage on which the imaging device or the objective lens is placed and which can move in a corresponding direction of the direction; a first moving mechanism moving the sample stage so that a target region of the biological sample is located at an imaging range; a second moving mechanism moving the stage in the corresponding direction at a movement speed obtained by multiplying a movement speed of the sample stage by a magnification of the objective lens; and an imaging controller starting the exposure of the imaging device before the sample stage moved by the first moving means is stopped.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing an image associated with a biological sample is disclosed. The biological sample is focused on the biological sample based on fluorescence of a first fluorescent material and the image is captured based on fluorescence of the second fluorescent material. A computer readable memory device storing instructions to cause a data processing unit is also disclosed.

Abstract: An image acquisition apparatus includes an optical system, an imaging device, a movement controller, and a multiple exposure processing unit. The optical system includes an objective lens for magnifying a portion of an imaging target. The imaging device is capable of performing all-pixel simultaneous exposure and is configured to image the portion magnified by the optical system. The movement controller is configured to move a focal point of the objective lens in a thickness direction of the portion of the imaging target. The multiple exposure processing unit is configured to perform multiple exposure of the imaging device at a plurality of positions such that, for each of ranges sectioned by positions in a direction in which the focal point is movable, an average image that covers each of the ranges is obtained.