US 12,259,540 B2
Image acquisition device and image acquisition method
Mingyu Jin, Seoul (KR); Yu Jung Kang, Anyang-si (KR); Chang Woo Kang, Anyang-si (KR); and Kyoung Ryoul Seo, Suwon-si (KR)
Assigned to Vieworks Co., Ltd., Anyang-si (KR)
Filed by Vieworks Co., Ltd., Anyang-si (KR)
Filed on Apr. 4, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/295,524.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2022-0042246 (KR), filed on Apr. 5, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0314785 A1, Oct. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 21/24 (2006.01); G02B 21/26 (2006.01); G02B 21/36 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 21/244 (2013.01) [G02B 21/26 (2013.01); G02B 21/361 (2013.01); G02B 21/367 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image acquisition device comprising:
a stage on which a slide to receive a sample is mounted;
an objective lens disposed to face the sample;
a beam split unit to separate light from the sample, which is incident through the objective lens into at least two separated lights, and to deliver the at least two separated lights;
at least two image sensor units to acquire images of the sample from the light separated by the beam split unit;
an image generation unit to synthesize the images acquired from the at least two image sensor units and generating a synthesized image; and
a main control unit to control operations of the stage or the objective lens and the at least two image sensor units and the image generation unit,
wherein the stage is to move relatively to an optical axis of the objective lens at least in a first direction, and the at least two image sensor units acquire the images at different focus positions for the sample, respectively, in one shooting,
wherein the main control unit is to control a relative movement of the stage in the first direction and a distance of the objective lens to the sample to allow the at least two image sensor units to acquire at least two first field view (FOV) images for the sample in a first FOV at a first distance of the objective lens from the sample in a second direction and at least two second FOV images for the sample in a second FOV at a second distance of the objective lens from the sample in the second direction,
wherein the first direction is different from the second direction, the second distance is different from the first distance and the second FOV is different from the first FOV,
wherein the at least two second FOV images are acquired by the at least two image sensor units after the stage is moved a third distance in the first direction from the first FOV to have a partial area of the second FOV overlapped with the first FOV, and
wherein the image generation unit is to generate the synthesized image based on the partial area of the second FOV overlapped with the first FOV.