JP6535494B2 - Imaging device, imaging method and culture vessel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging technique for imaging a biological sample cultured by a culture solution stored in an inner bottom portion of a culture container, and a culture container suitable for the imaging.

  In medical and biological science experiments, for example, observation and measurement of a biological sample such as a sample tissue removed from a living body or a cell cultured in a liquid or gel-like medium is performed. Conventionally, it has been common practice to stain a biological sample with an appropriate dye according to the purpose of imaging to enhance visibility for imaging, but to avoid damage to the sample, imaging without staining may be performed. It may be necessary. The applicant of the present application has previously disclosed Patent Document 1 as a configuration example of an imaging device for such purpose. In the imaging device described in Patent Document 1, a culture solution is stored in the inner bottom portion of a shallow dish-type cell culture dish (corresponding to an example of the “culture container” of the present invention), and cells cultured with the culture solution Images of biological samples (hereinafter referred to as "adherent cultured cells") are taken.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2015-45598 (for example, FIG. 1)

  The device described in Patent Document 1 can acquire a bright image with high contrast at the center of the culture vessel, even if it is a biological sample such as adherent cultured cells, by utilizing scattered light and transmitted light. However, in the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the culture vessel, that is, the side wall portion erected from the bottom portion, the image becomes excessively bright and it is difficult to obtain a clear image.

  This invention was made in view of the said subject, and when imaging the biological sample culture | cultivated by the culture solution stored by the inner bottom part of a culture container, the biological sample which exists in the peripheral part of a culture container is good. An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of imaging with image contrast and a culture vessel suitable for the technique.

A first aspect of the present invention is an imaging device, comprising: a container holding unit for holding a culture container for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion where a side wall portion is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion; An illumination unit that emits illumination light toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel to be held, and an illumination light that is transmitted through the side wall of the illumination light and is incident on the culture solution stored in the inner bottom travels on the optical path comprising a polarization member, and an imaging unit that captures an image of the biological sample being cultured in a culture medium by receiving the light transmitted through the inner bottom portion disposed on the opposite side of the illumination portion across the inner bottom portion, the container The holding portion has a support member for supporting the culture vessel so that light passing through the inner bottom portion can pass through the imaging portion to the imaging portion, and the polarization member is supported to surround the side wall portion of the culture vessel supported by the support member It is characterized in that it is provided on a member .
A second aspect of the present invention is an imaging device, comprising: a container holding unit for holding a culture container for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion where a side wall portion is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion; And an illumination unit for emitting illumination light toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel held by the storage unit, and an illumination light which is transmitted through the side wall and is incident on the culture solution stored in the inner bottom along the light path. And an imaging unit disposed on the opposite side of the illumination unit with the inner bottom interposed therebetween to receive light transmitted through the inner bottom and pick up an image of a biological sample cultured in a culture solution. The polarizing member is a polarizing layer provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall of the culture vessel
It is characterized by

A third aspect of the present invention is the imaging method, wherein the culture vessel for storing the culture fluid at the inner bottom formed with the side wall standing on the periphery of the bottom is formed between the illumination unit and the imaging unit. Placing the illumination light toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel from the illumination unit, and of the illumination light passing through the sidewall and entering the culture fluid stored in the inner bottom, of the illumination light Forming polarized light by polarizing the side wall incident light on the optical path and entering the side wall, and receiving the light transmitted through the inner bottom to pick up an image of the biological sample cultured in the culture solution; The culture vessel is supported by the support member so that light transmitted through the inner bottom can pass through the imaging unit to the imaging unit, and polarized light is provided to the support member so as to surround the side wall portion of the culture vessel supported by the support member. It is characterized in that it is produced by a polarization member .
A fourth aspect of the present invention is the imaging method, wherein the culture vessel for storing the culture fluid at the inner bottom formed with the side wall standing on the periphery of the bottom is formed between the lighting unit and the imaging unit. Placing the illumination light toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel from the illumination unit, and of the illumination light passing through the sidewall and entering the culture fluid stored in the inner bottom, of the illumination light Forming polarized light by polarizing the side wall incident light on the optical path and entering the side wall, and receiving the light transmitted through the inner bottom to pick up an image of the biological sample cultured in the culture solution; , And polarized light is produced by a polarization layer provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall of the culture vessel.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a culture vessel for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom formed with a side wall standing on the periphery of the bottom, wherein a polarizing layer is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall. It is characterized by

  The culture vessel has a bottom portion and a side wall portion erected from the periphery of the bottom portion, and a biological sample is cultured by a culture solution stored in the inner bottom portion. Here, a meniscus of the culture solution is formed in the peripheral edge portion of the culture vessel, that is, in the region adjacent to the side wall portion. Then, as will be described in detail later, among the illumination light, light that has entered the culture solution through the side wall is condensed at the peripheral portion of the culture vessel and becomes locally bright. As a result, it has been difficult to obtain a clear image as described above. On the other hand, in the present invention, a polarization member or a polarization layer is provided, and light which passes through the side wall portion of the illumination light and enters the culture solution, that is, the side wall incident light is polarized to be polarized light and is incident on the culture solution I am doing it. Therefore, excessive brightening of the peripheral portion of the culture vessel is suppressed, and imaging of the biological sample present in the peripheral portion of the culture vessel can be performed with good image contrast.

It is a figure showing the main composition of a 1st embodiment of the imaging device concerning the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the imaging device of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the locus | trajectory of the illumination light in the meniscus part in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the locus | trajectory of illumination light when using illumination light as it is, without providing a polarization member. It is a graph which shows the effect by having provided the polarization member in a 2nd embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the main composition of a 2nd embodiment of the imaging device concerning the present invention. It is a figure which shows typically the locus | trajectory of the illumination light in the meniscus part in 2nd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the effect by having provided the polarization member in a 2nd embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of the principal composition of a 3rd embodiment of the imaging device concerning the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing the main configuration of a first embodiment of an imaging device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device of FIG. For the following description, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set as shown in FIG. Here, the XY plane represents a horizontal plane, and the Z axis represents a vertical axis.

  The imaging apparatus 1 is provided above a holding unit 20 for holding a shallow dish type cell culture dish (hereinafter simply referred to as a "dish") 10 carrying a biological sample as an imaging object in a substantially horizontal posture. An illumination unit 30 for illuminating a sample, and a structure in which an imaging unit 40 is disposed below the control unit 50 are provided. In FIG. 1, in order to clearly show the internal structure of the device, illustration of a support mechanism, a housing, and the like for fixing each unit is omitted.

  The dish 10 is formed of a transparent material such as glass, polystyrene, polycarbonate or the like, and its typical dimensions are, for example, a diameter of several tens of millimeters, a peripheral height of several millimeters, and a thickness of the bottom of about 1 mm. However, it is not limited to these figures. The dish 10 used in this embodiment has a bottom portion 11 having a flat surface, and a side wall portion 12 erected on the periphery of the bottom portion 11, and is surrounded by the bottom portion 11 and the side wall portion 12 The culture solution can be stored at the inner bottom portion 13. Then, biological samples such as cells, bacteria, and microorganisms, which are seeded and cultured in a predetermined type and a predetermined amount of culture medium, are prepared in advance in the culture solution, and these biological samples are used as imaging objects of the imaging device 1. Become. For example, a cell tissue or the like cultured by adhesion culture to the dish inner bottom 13 can be used as an imaging object.

  A holding unit 20 is provided to position and hold the dish 10 configured as described above. The holding unit 20 has a stage 21 provided with an opening conforming to the external dimensions of the dish 10 whose bottom is circular. More specifically, the stage 21 is a flat member provided with an opening 21a at the center portion slightly larger than the outer diameter of the dish 10, and a projection 21b in which the inner wall surface of the opening 21a protrudes inward near the bottom surface of the stage 21. It has become. When the dish 10 is set on the stage 21, the lower end 12a (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) of the side wall 12 of the dish 10 is held by the projection 21b. Therefore, the bottom 11 of the dish 10 positioned and held on the stage 21 is optically open.

  The stage 21 is connected to a stage drive control unit 52 of the control unit 50 as shown in FIG. Then, the stage drive control unit 52 horizontally moves the stage 21 in the X and Y directions, thereby moving the dish 10 held by the stage 21 two-dimensionally in the horizontal direction.

  Further, on the upper surface 21 c of the stage 21, that is, the surface facing the illumination unit 30, the polarization member 60 is erected so as to surround the opening 21 a, and the side wall 12 of the dish 10 set on the stage 21 Cover from the outside. The reason for providing the polarizing member 60 and the effects and advantages will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4.

  The illumination unit 30 is disposed above the holding unit 20 configured as described above. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the illumination unit 30 includes a light source 31 that emits ring-shaped light (hereinafter referred to as “ring-shaped illumination light”) downward from the emission surface 31 a. The light source 31 includes, for example, a plurality of white LEDs (not shown) arranged in a ring shape as light emitting elements for emitting white light, and the white light emitted from the emission surface of each white LED is directed toward the inner bottom portion 13 of the dish 10 The light is collected and partially illuminates the inner bottom portion 13. In this embodiment, a ring surface including the emitting surface of the plurality of white LEDs is used as the emitting surface 31 a. Then, when a lighting signal is given to the light source 31 from the light source control unit 53 provided in the control unit 50, each white LED of the light source 31 is lit to illuminate the inner bottom portion 13 of the dish 10. The amount of light emitted from the light source 31 and the turning off of the light source 31 are also controlled by the light source control unit 53.

  An imaging unit 40 is disposed below the holding unit 20. The imaging unit 40 has a two-dimensional area sensor 41. The imaging unit 40 receives the light emitted from the area illuminated by the illumination unit 30 of the inner bottom portion 13 of the dish 10 held by the stage 21, and the imaging unit 40 is viewed from the bottom side of the dish 10 Can be partially captured. In addition, by repeatedly performing the imaging of the image while the dish 10 is moved in the XY direction by the stage drive control unit 52, it is possible to capture the entire image of the imaging target.

  When the stage 21 moves horizontally by the operation of the stage drive control unit 52, the illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 40 are stationary. Therefore, only the dish 10 held on the stage 21 moves with respect to these. Relatively, the lighting unit 30 and the imaging unit 40 integrally scan and move in the horizontal direction with respect to the dish 10 and the stage 21.

  An electrical signal corresponding to the image of the object to be imaged output from the imaging unit 40 is converted into a digital signal (image data) by an AD converter (not shown) and input to the image processing unit 54 of the control unit 50. The image processing unit 54 performs various image processing on the obtained image data.

  The control unit 50 is further provided with, for example, a storage unit 55 such as an image memory for storing image data, and image data corresponding to the image captured by the imaging unit 40 and various types of images generated by the image processing unit 54 Store and save processed image data and its intermediate data.

  In addition to the above, the control unit 50 also has an input receiving unit 56 for receiving an operation input given from the user or an external device regarding the operation of the device and setting of its control parameters, and a display for displaying the operation status of the device and a captured image. And a unit 57.

  In the imaging apparatus 1 configured as described above, the control unit 50 controls the respective units of the apparatus based on a predetermined control program in response to a request from a user or an external apparatus given via the input reception unit 56. The imaging operation is performed by performing a predetermined operation.

  The dish 10 carrying an object to be imaged is set on the stage 21. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lower end 12a of the side wall 12 of the dish 10 is engaged with the projection 21b of the stage 21 so that the dish 10 is held by the stage 21. The upper surface of the bottom portion 11 of the dish 10 held in this manner, that is, the supporting surface for supporting the culture solution 70 is positioned at the same height as the upper surface 21 c of the stage 21. Reference numeral 71 in FIG. 3A (and FIG. 3B described later) indicates a meniscus generated on the inner peripheral surface side of the side wall 12 when the culture solution 70 is stored in the dish 10.

  When the setting of the dish 10 on the stage 21 is completed, the stage drive control unit 52 is operated to move the dish 10 in the horizontal direction X and Y together with the stage 21 and sequentially perform imaging by the imaging unit 40. The biological sample to be cultured in the bottom 13, in particular the culture fluid 70 stored therein, is imaged.

  Here, in the present embodiment, ring-shaped illumination is employed, and similarly to the invention described in Patent Document 1, imaging of a biological sample is performed using scattered light and transmitted light. That is, the illumination light L is made to enter the culture fluid 70 from an oblique direction with respect to the optical axis OA (see FIG. 2) of the optical system configured by the illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 40, and the scattered light component is received by the imaging unit 40 Thus, as in the dark field imaging technology, imaging with high image contrast is enabled. On the other hand, since the transmitted light transmitted from the light source 31 through the culture fluid 70 is allowed to be incident to the imaging unit 40 to some extent, brighter images can be obtained, and the brightness is insufficient in the dark field imaged image. The point has been eliminated. Then, in the region R1 where the meniscus 71 is not generated in the culture solution 70, the illumination light L is stably incident on the culture solution 70 as set, and the adhesion culture cells cultured in the culture solution 70 have appropriate brightness. The image is captured well.

  On the other hand, in the region R2 where the meniscus 71 is generated in the culture solution 70, the incident state of the illumination light L is not stabilized. However, in the present embodiment, since the polarizing member 60 is provided, it is possible to suppress the influence of the meniscus 71 and favorably image the adherent cultured cell. The reason and the effect will be described with reference to FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B and FIG.

  FIG. 3A is a view schematically showing a locus of illumination light at a meniscus portion in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3B is a diagram of illumination light when the illumination light is used as it is without providing a polarization member. It is a figure which shows a locus | trajectory typically. Here, first, the case where the polarizing member is not provided will be described with reference to FIG. 3B, and then the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, when the illumination light L is incident on the culture fluid 70 as it is from an oblique direction with respect to the optical axis OA (see FIG. 2), a part of the light components of the illumination light L approaches other light components. It causes a partial increase in light intensity. More specifically, of the illumination light L passing through the side wall portion 12, the light L1 incident on the meniscus 71 of the culture solution 70 after being emitted to the air layer (space above the culture solution 70) is partially reflected by the meniscus 71 The remaining light is refracted at the interface between the air layer and the meniscus 71. The refracted light L1d travels toward the light L2 that passes through the side wall portion 12 of the illumination light L and directly enters the culture solution 70. As a result, the light amount in the region R2 increases and becomes excessively bright, which makes it difficult to obtain a clear image.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, since the polarization member 60 is adjacent to the side wall 12, the illumination light L is irradiated to the culture solution 70 through the polarization member 60. For this reason, the illumination light L is polarized by the polarization member 60, and the light L1 and L2 described above are reduced in light amount and then enter the culture fluid 70 via the side wall portion 12. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive.

  Here, when the polarization characteristic of the polarization member 60 is adjusted, the light amount in the region R2 can be further reduced. The reason is as follows. Generally, when light is incident on the surface of a substance from the air, the light reflected on the surface of the substance has more components (that is, s-polarization components) perpendicular to the incident surface and is refracted at the surface of the substance. The light traveling through the substance has many components (p-polarization components) parallel to the incident surface. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the illumination light L is s-polarized by the polarization member 60, the light L1 and L2 both become s-polarized light having a high ratio of s-polarization components (hereinafter referred to as “s-polarization ratio”). . Among them, the s-polarized light L2 passes through the side wall 12, the culture solution 70 and the bottom 11 as it is, but the s-polarized light L11 is incident on the meniscus 71 through the side wall 12 and the air layer. For this reason, most of the s-polarized light L1 is reflected on the surface of the meniscus 71, returned to the air layer as the reflected light L11r, and refracted at the interface between the air layer and the meniscus 71, and then in the culture solution 70. The light amount of the refracted light L11d to be advanced is significantly reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light amount in the region R2 from significantly increasing from the light amount of the polarized light L2.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the polarization member 60 is disposed so that the s-polarization ratio is approximately 100%, but the s-polarization ratio is polarized by adjusting the angle of a polarizer (not shown) constituting the polarization member 60. be able to. For example, as described above, in order to effectively suppress the increase in light amount in the region R2, it is desirable to adjust the s-polarization ratio to 50% or more. Further, since the amount of increase in the amount of light in the region R2 also differs depending on the type, thickness and the like of the culture solution 70, the s-polarization ratio may be adjusted accordingly. The same applies to the other embodiments in this regard.

  Here, in the case where the polarizing member 60 is not provided (FIG. 3B), the polarizing member 60 is provided such that the s-polarization ratio is 100% in order to confirm the function and effect of the present embodiment (s-polarization When the polarization member 60 is provided such that the s polarization ratio is 50% (when the rotation angle of the polarizer is 45 °), the polarization member 60 is provided such that the s polarization ratio is 0% (polarization In the case where p polarization is performed by the member 60, the gradation of the image captured by the imaging unit 40 of the region R2 and a part of the region R1 (a partial region adjacent to the region R2) was examined. The graph which put together the result is FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 4 (and FIG. 7 to be described later) indicates the distance from the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 12 to the central portion of the inner bottom 13. The vertical axis indicates the floor of the pixel corresponding to each distance. The tone value is shown, and the larger the tone value is, the brighter it is.

As shown in the graph in the figure, as described above,
(1) By providing the polarization member 60, it is possible to prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive.
(2) By increasing the s-polarization ratio, it is possible to more effectively prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the main configuration of a second embodiment of the imaging device according to the present invention. The second embodiment is largely different from the first embodiment in that the polarization member 60 is provided in the vicinity of the illumination unit 30, and the other configuration is basically the same as the first embodiment. . Therefore, in the following, differences will be mainly described, and the same components will be assigned the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a ring-shaped polarization member 61 is disposed in proximity to and facing the emission surface 31 a from the lower side (−Z direction side). Therefore, the light emitted from the emission surface 31 a is polarized by the polarization member 61, and the polarized light is irradiated as the illumination light L to the inner bottom portion 13 of the dish 10. For this reason, the illumination liquid L of the illumination light L which passes through the side wall portion 12 of the dish 10 and is incident on the culture fluid 70 stored in the inner bottom portion 13 is once output to the air layer (the space above the culture fluid 70) The light L1 incident on the meniscus 71 and the light L2 directly transmitted to the culture solution 70 through the side wall portion 12 are polarized light as in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive.

  Further, for example, when the illumination light L is s-polarized light by the polarization member 61, the s-polarized light L2 passes through the side wall 12, the culture solution 70 and the bottom 11 as it is, as shown in FIG. Is incident on the meniscus 71 through the side wall 12 and the air layer. Therefore, most of the s-polarized light L1 is reflected by the surface of the meniscus 71 and is returned to the air layer as the reflected light L11r. Therefore, the light amount of the refracted light L11d that travels in the culture solution 70 after being refracted at the interface between the air layer and the meniscus 71 is significantly reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light amount in the region R2 from significantly increasing from the light amount of the polarized light L2.

Also in the second embodiment in which the polarization member 61 is disposed so as to face the emission surface 31a, the same function and effect as those in the first embodiment can be obtained. Specifically, when the polarization member 61 is not provided, the polarization member 61 is provided such that the s polarization ratio is 100% as shown in FIG. 6 (when s polarization is performed by the polarization member 61), the s polarization ratio is When the polarization member 61 is provided to be 50% (the rotation angle of the polarizer is 45 °), the polarization member 61 is provided such that the s polarization ratio is 0% (p polarization is performed by the polarization member 61) The gradation of the image obtained by the imaging unit 40 of the region R2 and a part of the region R1 (a partial region adjacent to the region R2) was examined. The graph which put together the result is FIG. As shown in the graph in the figure, as described above,
(1) By providing the polarization member 61, it is possible to prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive.
(2) By increasing the s-polarization ratio, it is possible to more effectively prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the main configuration of a third embodiment of the imaging device according to the present invention. A large difference between this third embodiment and the first embodiment is that a sheet-like polarizing layer 62 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion 12 of the dish 10 as a polarizing member, and the polarizing layer 62 becomes a part of the dish 10 The other configuration is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. Also in the third embodiment configured as described above, the polarization member (polarization layer) 62 is provided adjacent to the side wall 12 (see FIG. 3A), and as a result, the same effects as those of the first embodiment Is obtained. That is, by providing the polarization member 62, it is possible to prevent the amount of light in the region R2 from becoming excessive. Further, by increasing the s-polarization ratio of the polarization member 62, it is possible to more effectively prevent the light amount in the region R2 from becoming excessive.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made other than the above without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the imaging device 1 adopting ring-like illumination, but for example, the imaging device described in Patent Document 1, that is, light shielding for the emission surface that emits illumination light The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that causes illumination light to be incident on the culture fluid 70 from an oblique direction with respect to the optical axis OA by partially opposing the members.

  In the above embodiment, the illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 40 are fixed, and the stage 21 holding the dish 10 is moved to realize the scanning movement of the imaging unit 40 with respect to the imaging target. Conversely, even if the dish 10 is fixed and the illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 40 are moved, it is technically equivalent. In this case, it is possible to reduce the influence of the dish 10 on the sample vibrating at the time of imaging.

  Further, in the first embodiment, it is adjacent to the side wall portion 12 of the dish 10, and in the second embodiment, it faces the emission surface 31a of the light source 31. In the third embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion 12 of the dish 10 Although each has provided the polarization member, the arrangement position of a polarization member is not limited to these. The point is that the polarization member may be disposed on the light path on which the light transmitted through the side wall portion 12 and incident on the culture fluid 70 stored in the inner bottom portion 13 out of the illumination light emitted from the emission surface 31a travels.

  Thus, in the said embodiment, the holding | maintenance unit 20 and the stage 21 are respectively corresponded to an example of the "container holding part" of this invention, and a "support member." The illumination unit 30 and the imaging unit 40 correspond to an example of the “illumination unit” and the “imaging unit” in the present invention respectively. The light L1 and L2 correspond to one example of the “light entering through the side wall portion and entering the culture solution stored in the inner bottom portion” or “side wall incident light” in the present invention. The polarized lights L21 and L11d correspond to an example of the "light transmitted through the inner bottom portion" in the present invention.

  As described above, as the specific embodiment has been illustrated and described, the present invention may be configured such that, for example, the polarization member produces polarized light having an s-polarization component, and the s-polarization component is 50% or more It is desirable to configure so as to create polarized light, which can more effectively prevent an excessive amount of light in the vicinity of the side wall, and the biological sample present at the edge of the culture vessel is Furthermore, imaging can be performed with good image contrast.

  Also, the polarization member may be arranged as follows. For example, when the container holding unit has a support member that supports the culture container so that light passing through the inner bottom can pass through the imaging unit to the imaging unit, the polarization member is supported to surround the side wall of the culture container supported by the support member. You may provide in a member. In addition, in the case where the illumination unit has an emission surface that emits illumination light, the polarization member may be provided to face the emission surface. Furthermore, the polarization member may be configured of a polarization layer provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion of the culture vessel.

  The present invention is suitable for an imaging technique for imaging a biological sample cultured by a culture solution stored in the inner bottom of a culture vessel.

1 ... imaging device 10 ... cell culture dish (culture vessel)
11 bottom 12 side wall 13 inner bottom 20 holding unit (container holding unit)
21: Stage (supporting member)
30: Lighting unit (lighting unit)
31a ... emitting surface 40 ... imaging unit (imaging unit)
60, 61 ... polarization member 62 ... polarization layer (polarization member)
70 ... culture solution 71 ... meniscus L ... illumination light L1, L2 ... (side wall incident) light

Claims (7)

A container holding unit for holding a culture container for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion where a side wall portion is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion;
An illumination unit that emits illumination light toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel held by the vessel holder;
A polarization member disposed on an optical path along which a light beam transmitted through the side wall portion and incident on a culture solution stored in the inner bottom portion among the illumination light travels;
An imaging unit disposed on the opposite side of the illumination unit across the inner bottom to receive light transmitted through the inner bottom and capture an image of a biological sample cultured in the culture solution ;
The container holding unit has a support member for supporting the culture container so that light transmitted through the inner bottom can pass through the imaging unit.
The imaging device , wherein the polarizing member is provided on the support member so as to surround the side wall portion of the culture vessel supported by the support member . A container holding unit for holding a culture container for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion where a side wall portion is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion;
An illumination unit that emits illumination light toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel held by the vessel holder;
A polarization member disposed on an optical path along which a light beam transmitted through the side wall portion and incident on a culture solution stored in the inner bottom portion among the illumination light travels;
An imaging unit disposed on the opposite side of the illumination unit across the inner bottom to receive light transmitted through the inner bottom and capture an image of a biological sample cultured in the culture solution ;
The imaging device, wherein the polarizing member is a polarizing layer provided on an outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion of the culture vessel . The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
An imaging device for producing polarized light having an s-polarization component; The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 ,
The image pickup apparatus, wherein the polarizing member produces polarized light having an s-polarized component of 50% or more. Disposing a culture vessel for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion where a side wall portion is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion, between the illumination portion and the imaging portion;
Emitting illumination light from the illumination unit toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel;
Of the illumination light, the side wall incident light is polarized on the optical path of the side wall incident light that passes through the side wall portion and enters the culture solution stored in the inner bottom portion to create polarized light and enter the side wall portion Process,
Receiving the light transmitted through the inner bottom and imaging an image of the biological sample cultured in the culture solution ,
The culture vessel is supported by a support member so as to allow light transmitted through the inner bottom to pass through the imaging unit.
The imaging method is characterized in that the polarized light is produced by a polarization member provided on the support member so as to surround the side wall portion of the culture vessel supported by the support member . Disposing a culture vessel for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion where a side wall portion is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion, between the illumination portion and the imaging portion;
Emitting illumination light from the illumination unit toward the inner bottom of the culture vessel;
Of the illumination light, the side wall incident light is polarized on the optical path of the side wall incident light that passes through the side wall portion and enters the culture solution stored in the inner bottom portion to create polarized light and enter the side wall portion Process,
Receiving the light transmitted through the inner bottom and imaging an image of the biological sample cultured in the culture solution ,
The imaging method characterized in that the polarized light is produced by a polarizing layer provided on an outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion of the culture vessel . A culture vessel for storing a culture solution at an inner bottom portion which is formed by standing a side wall portion on the periphery of the bottom portion,
A culture vessel characterized in that a polarizing layer is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion.

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