Patents by Inventor Yasunari Matsukawa

Yasunari Matsukawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080266551
    Abstract: A multiphoton-excitation laser scanning microscope capable of efficiently collecting fluorescence emitted from a specimen to acquire a brighter multiphoton-excitation fluorescence image is provided. This multiphoton-excitation laser scanning microscope includes a multiphoton-excitation laser light source for emitting ultrashort pulsed laser light, a light-scanning unit configured to scan a specimen with the ultrashort pulsed laser light emitted from the multiphoton-excitation laser light source in two dimensions, an objective lens configured to focus the ultrashort pulsed laser light scanned by the light-scanning unit on the specimen, a collector lens disposed opposite the objective lens, with the light-scanning unit disposed therebetween, to collect fluorescence emitted from the specimen, and a light detector configured to detect the fluorescence collected by the collector lens. The collector lens has a higher numerical aperture and a larger field number than the objective lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Araki, Yasunari Matsukawa, Hiroshi Sasaki, Makio Ueno
  • Publication number: 20080259442
    Abstract: A scanning microscope includes an objective lens for focusing illumination light onto a specimen; a scanning device for deflecting and scanning the illumination light; a pupil-projection optical system for illuminating a pupil of the objective lens with the scanned illumination light; and a total-magnification specifying unit for specifying a total magnification. An optical-system selecting unit changes at least one of the objective lens and the pupil-projection optical system such that a magnification of an optical system including the objective lens and the pupil-projection optical system is equal to or less than the total magnification specified by the total-magnification specifying unit and that the numerical aperture of the optical system is maximized. A deflection-angle determination unit determines a deflection angle of the illumination light deflected by the scanning device based on the ratio of the magnification of the optical system to the total magnification to achieve the total magnification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunari Matsukawa, Masaharu Tomioka, Akinori Araya, Toshiyuki Hattori
  • Publication number: 20080252967
    Abstract: An image can be prevented from becoming unclear over time during long-term observation. The invention provides a microscope apparatus including a specimen container for containing a specimen; an objective lens disposed opposite the specimen container for collecting light from the specimen in the specimen container; an immersion-liquid supplying unit for supplying immersion liquid to a space between the objective lens and the specimen container; and an immersion-liquid removing unit for removing the immersion liquid from the space between the objective lens and the specimen container. The immersion-liquid removing unit includes a nozzle for ejecting compressed air to the space between the objective lens and the specimen container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Masaharu Tomioka, Akinori Araya, Toshiyuki Hattori, Yasunari Matsukawa, Tatsuo Nakata
  • Publication number: 20080246839
    Abstract: It is possible to check for observation success or failure and the observation history without waiting for observation to be completely finished, thus saving time and energy required for observation, and avoiding lost opportunities for observation of precious samples etc. Provided is a microscope apparatus including an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of frame images while varying a plurality of parameters; an image saving unit for successively saving the frame images acquired by the image acquisition unit; a property-information saving unit for saving property information in which identifying information of the saved frame images is associated with the parameters; and a control unit for controlling these units, wherein the control unit saves updated property information in the property-information saving unit each time the frame image is saved in the image saving unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Hattori, Tatsuo Nakata, Yasunari Matsukawa, Akinori Araya, Masaharu Tomioka
  • Publication number: 20070229946
    Abstract: The invention provides a multiphoton-excitation observation apparatus comprising a light-source unit for emitting pulsed laser light; an observation apparatus main unit for irradiating a specimen with laser light emitted from the light-source unit and observing fluorescence emitted from the specimen; an incidence adjusting device, disposed between the light-source unit and the observation apparatus main unit, for adjusting the beam diameter of the laser light emitted from the light-source unit; and a control apparatus for controlling the incidence-adjusting unit according to the depth of an observation plane in the specimen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Okada, Makio Ueno, Yasunari Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 7268344
    Abstract: A scanning laser microscope that can quantitatively display a laser irradiation power on a display unit and that can suppress fluctuations in the laser irradiation power is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Sasaki, Yasunari Matsukawa, Hiroshi Sasaki, Tatsuo Nakata
  • Publication number: 20060278530
    Abstract: A scanning laser microscope that can quantitatively display a laser irradiation power on a display unit and that can suppress fluctuations in the laser irradiation power is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Publication date: December 14, 2006
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Sasaki, Yasunari Matsukawa, Hiroshi Sasaki, Tatsuo Nakata