Abstract: An observation system includes a mounting table on which a sample container is placed, a surface light source that is disposed in one of two regions divided by the mounting table and has a light emitting plane, an observation optical system disposed in the other thereof, a conveyance mechanism moving the observation optical system in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the observation optical system to change an observation position, and a controller controlling a light emission pattern defined by a light emitting region where light is emitted on the light emitting plane. The controller executes first light emission pattern control in which the light emission pattern is changed according to the observation position, or, alternatively, second light emission pattern control in which the light emission pattern is switched between a plurality of periodic light emission patterns having phases different from each other.

Abstract: An observation device includes: first objective lenses arranged in a row so as to be parallel to one another; second objective lenses arranged in a row so as to be parallel to one another; and image capturing elements for capturing first images formed by the first objective lenses and second images formed by the second objective lenses, respectively, wherein each of the objective lenses is a magnifying objective lens, a first axis of light incident on the first objective lenses and a second axis of light incident on the second objective lenses are parallel to one another, fields of view of the first objective lenses and fields of view of the second objective lenses are arranged alternately in a row on an observation line, and the first images and the second images are arranged in a row in image-forming regions that are disposed at positions different from each other.

Abstract: An observation apparatus includes: an illumination optical system provided below an installation position of a multi-well plate; a reflector provided above the installation position, the reflector being configured to reflect light emitted from the illumination optical system; and an observation optical system provided below the installation position, the observation optical system being configured to condense the light reflected by the reflector. The reflector is installed such that a marginal ray to enter the observation optical system travels via a peripheral well different from an on-axis well located on an optical axis of the observation optical system before reflection due to the reflector.

Abstract: An image capturing device for observing a sample housed in a container to which identification information is attached, from below the container, includes: an image capturing unit including an image pickup element; a light guide unit that guides light from an identification surface to the image capturing unit, the identification surface being a surface of the container which differs from a bottom surface of the container and to which identification information is attached; and a mobile unit that changes a relative position of the image capturing unit with respect to the container.

Abstract: Provided is an observation device including: a stereo image-acquisition optical system that acquires images of cells floating in a culture fluid inside a culture vessel; and an analyzer that calculates a cell density of the cells on the basis of the images acquired by the stereo image-acquisition optical system, wherein the analyzer identifies a three-dimensional position of each of the cells included in the images and calculates the cell density on the basis of the number of cells present within a predetermined three-dimensional region.

Abstract: An observation device includes an illumination optical system provided on a lower side of an installation position of a multi-well plate, a reflector that reflects light emitted from the illumination optical system, the reflector being provided on an upper side of the installation position, and an observation optical system that condenses the light reflected by the reflector, the observation optical system being provided on the lower side of the installation position. The reflector includes a plurality of curved surfaces where the light emitted from the illumination optical system enters. Each of the plurality of curved surfaces corresponds to one or more wells included in the multi-well plate, has positive power in a first direction in which the illumination optical system and the observation optical system are aligned, and has a center of curvature at a position deviating from a central axis of a well of the multi-well plate.

Abstract: An observation device includes: an illumination optical system configured to emit illumination light to above a sample from below; and an objective optical system configured to acquire an image of transmitted light below the sample in a path different from a path for the illumination optical system, the transmitted light resulting from the illumination light that has been emitted from the illumination optical system, that has been reflected above the sample, and that has passed through the sample. The objective optical system includes, in the vicinity of a pupil plane, a pupil modulation element that partially decreases transmittance and that modulates the phase of light, and the illumination optical system includes a light source, and an illumination-region restricting section configured to restrict light from the light source to a particular emission region.

Abstract: A method for examining a culture solution containing a pH indicator and accommodated in a culture container includes: measuring, as a baseline intensity, an intensity of light that has passed through a solution and the culture container; measuring, as a measurement intensity, an intensity of light that has passed through the culture solution and the culture container; obtaining light source information including first information pertaining to the light source that is provided when measuring the baseline intensity and second information pertaining to the light source that is provided when measuring the measurement intensity; and on the basis of the baseline intensity, the measurement intensity, and the light source information, calculating an absorbance of the pH indicator at at least one wavelength included in emitted light from the light source.

Abstract: An observation apparatus includes a case having a transmissive window, an image sensor, an optical system, and a light source housed in the case, and an optical deflection unit. The optical system is configured to condense light incident inside the case to form an image of a sample inside a container. The light source is configured to emit light to the outside of the case without passing through the optical system. The optical deflection unit is configured to deflect light emitted to the outside of the case from the light source to a first direction proceeding toward the transmissive window. An angle of exit between the first direction and an optical axis of the optical system is different from an angle of incidence between a second direction in which light emitted to the outside of the case is incident on the optical deflection unit, and the optical axis.

Abstract: An observation apparatus is provided with: an illumination optical system that emits illumination light upward from below a specimen; and an image-capture optical system that captures, below the specimen, transmitted light which is the illumination light that has been reflected above the specimen and passed through the specimen, wherein the illumination optical system is provided with a diffusion plate, the image-capture optical system is provided with an objective optical system, and, in the case in which an emission region in the illumination optical system is projected to a pupil of the image-capture optical system, predetermined conditions are satisfied so as to partially block the illumination light at an edge portion of the pupil of the objective optical system.

Abstract: An observation apparatus includes: a stage on which a container accommodating a specimen is mounted; a light source generating illumination light emitted in an upward direction from below the specimen on a specimen placement surface; a light-collecting lens disposed parallel to the surface and collecting the light; a diffusion plate disposed between the lens and the surface, parallel to the surface, and diffusing the light collected by the lens; an objective optical system disposed below the stage and collecting light passing through the stage from thereabove; and an image-capturing optical system capturing, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the light emitted from the source, reflected above the specimen, transmitted through the specimen, and collected by the objective optical system, wherein the source is positioned so that an optical axis thereof is shifted from an optical axis of the lens in a direction away from the image-capturing optical system.

Abstract: An observation device includes: an illumination optical system that irradiates illumination light onto a sample, an objective optical system that has a phase modulation region and a light blocking region and that acquires an image of the illumination light transmitted through the sample, and an autofocus mechanism. The objective optical system selectively outputs the illumination light from a first output region disposed at a position where the illumination light is to be projected onto the phase modulation region and a second output region disposed at a position where a portion of the illumination light is to be projected onto the light blocking region. The autofocus mechanism causes the objective optical system to acquire an image of the illumination light while causing the illumination light to be output from the second output region, and detects the focus position of the objective optical system based on the contrast of the acquired image.

Abstract: Provided is an observation device including: a stereo image-acquisition optical system that acquires images of cells floating in a culture fluid inside a culture vessel; and an analyzer that calculates a cell density of the cells on the basis of the images acquired by the stereo image-acquisition optical system, wherein the analyzer identifies a three-dimensional position of each of the cells included in the images and calculates the cell density on the basis of the number of cells present within a predetermined three-dimensional region.

Abstract: An observation device including: a stage having a transparent pedestal surface; an illumination system under the pedestal surface, the illumination system emitting illumination light toward the pedestal surface; and an object system under the pedestal surface for capturing transmission light generated from the illumination light, reflected off a reflection surface and transmitted through a sample. Wherein a first light path in the illumination system is different from a second light path in the object system, in a first pupil surface of the illumination system, the illumination system generates the illumination light by restricting light in a first transparent region, in a second pupil surface of the object system, the object system restricts the transmission light in a second transparent region, and the second transparent region has first and second subregions with different transmittance, the second subregion located between the first subregion and an edge of the second transparent region.

Abstract: An observation device includes: first objective lenses arranged in a row so as to be parallel to one another; second objective lenses arranged in a row so as to be parallel to one another; and image capturing elements for capturing first images formed by the first objective lenses and second images formed by the second objective lenses, respectively, wherein each of the objective lenses is a magnifying objective lens, a first axis of light incident on the first objective lenses and a second axis of light incident on the second objective lenses are parallel to one another, fields of view of the first objective lenses and fields of view of the second objective lenses are arranged alternately in a row on an observation line, and the first images and the second images are arranged in a row in image-forming regions that are disposed at positions different from each other.

Abstract: An observation device includes an illuminating optical system that emits illuminating light obliquely upward from below a sample; and an objective optical system that images transmitted light, which is the illuminating light emitted from the illuminating optical system, reflected above the sample, and passed through the sample, the objective optical system imaging the transmitted light below the sample and via a different path from that of the illuminating optical system. The illuminating optical system includes a light source, a mask that restricts light, which is emitted from the light source, to a particular emission region, and a collimating optical system that converts the light restricted by the mask into substantially parallel light, and the illuminating optical system is arranged so that when the region is projected onto a pupil plane of the objective optical system, a projected image of the region partially overlaps a peripheral portion of the pupil.

Abstract: An information acquisition apparatus includes an illuminating section, an image forming optical system, and an image pickup element. The image forming optical system includes an incidence-side lens unit having a positive refractive power, an aperture section, and an emergence-side lens unit having a positive refractive power. The incidence-side lens unit and the emergence-side lens unit include a plurality of positive lenses and at least one negative lens, and the following conditional expressions (1) to (9) are satisfied: ?6<?d<?0.8??(1) ?0.5<TL/|ENPL|<3.0??(2) ?1.5<TL/|EXPL|<0.5??(3) 0.001<|?Cd|/Sim1/2<0.05??(4) 0.04<|?dF|/Sim1/2<0.28??(5) 3.5<|?CF|/|?Cd|<38.0??(6) 0<|?SAd|/|?CF|<0.27??(7) 0<|?SAC|/|?CF|<0.16??(8) 0<|?SAF|/|?CF|<1.1??(9).

Abstract: An observation device where a first light path in an illumination optical system is different from a second light path in an object optical system, the illumination optical system includes a light source that emits the illumination light in a first direction, and an illumination deflector that deflects the illumination light from the first direction to a second direction, a pre-reflected illumination angle between a pedestal surface holding the sample and the first direction is smaller than a post-reflected illumination angle between the pedestal surface and the second direction, the object optical system includes a transmission deflector that deflects the transmission light transmitted through the sample from a third direction to a fourth direction, and a post-reflected transmission angle between the pedestal surface and the fourth direction is smaller than a pre-reflected transmission angle between the pedestal surface and the third direction.

Abstract: An observation device includes: an illumination optical system configured to emit illumination light to above a sample from below; and an objective optical system configured to acquire an image of transmitted light below the sample in a path different from a path for the illumination optical system, the transmitted light resulting from the illumination light that has been emitted from the illumination optical system, that has been reflected above the sample, and that has passed through the sample. The objective optical system includes, in the vicinity of a pupil plane, a pupil modulation element that partially decreases transmittance and that modulates the phase of light, and the illumination optical system includes a light source, and an illumination-region restricting section configured to restrict light from the light source to a particular emission region.

Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus including: a housing that has, in a top face thereof, a transmission window on which a container accommodating cells can be placed and through which light can pass; a camera portion that is accommodated in the housing and that captures observation light coming from the cells irradiated with illumination light emitted from an illumination portion and entering the housing by passing through a bottom face of the container and the transmission window of the housing; and a housing-interior heating portion that is accommodated in the housing and that heats the cells.