Application: 1999 Hong Kong Awards for Industry

Product: mImageä RGB3000 digital camera microphotography system

Product design: Chinetek Analytical System Ltd.

Manufacturer: Chinetek Analytical System Ltd.

Guangzhou Optical Instrument Factory

Our business plan includes two clear innovative objectives:

1. the development and commercial production of a low cost student microscope series for upper grades secondary school and year one/two university teaching;
2. develop a high resolution digital camera system housed within a C-mount casing that can be mounted on different made microscopes for microphotography;

         (a) Functionality

The m ImageäRGB3000 Megapixel camera captures quality images with 10 bit depth/pixel RGB color or B/W images, fast focus, ease of use and compatibility with any light microscope. The camera includes a high-resolution one-inch CMOS sensor with 1000 x 800 pixel optical resolution and 1960 x 1600 pixel with software enhance. RGB filter wheels, embedded DSP for fast-programmable image processing; ability to handle antiblooming effect better than CCDs and no frame-grabber for low system cost.

(b) Innovation

A technology mixed of very traditional precision mechanic and optics together with highly advance digital image capture by using CMOS technology. The system would be an alternative methodology to convention microphotography; this is especially applied to the user who is using instant photographic system. Our experience leads us to believe that there is a considerable demand for such technology, and that the product we propose to develop represents a significant technological advance compared to what is currently available in the market place.

(c) Application of technology

Microscopy, Tele-imaging, Identification, and Industrial Inspection.

(d) Ergonomics

The fusion of the compact design of the m ImageäRGB3000 digital camera, and the ARCH design of the microscope model 1600 series result an optimization of image field of views and stability of the system. Additionally, the modular design of the system further gives the end-user ease of use and future up-grade of the system as technology develops.

(e) Cost-performance

This business requires very extensive experience on the applications of microscopy, digital imaging, and high-calibrated technical workers. We have team up our strong academic background and over 15 years experience on the techniques of Electro optics know-how and marketing with our technical partners in Guangzhou, China for their high calibrated technical workers and factory facility. Together with our business philosophy "Prime services on pre-sales and after-sales"; we are confidence to establish a successful business and manufacture a best cost-performance digital microphotography system in this market.

(f)Safety and environmental impact

The development of the m ImageäRGB3000 digital camera microphotography system can be divided into two major modules, the input module – microscope and the capture module – digital camera.

The design of the microscope was all done in-house and manufacture by our technical partner Gaungzhou Optical factory; of whom she was very patient and generous to recommend, improve and correct our design with their experience in the manufacturing aspect. More important is that she provided the quality workmanship and makes our design very competitive in the Hong Kong and oversea market.

The digital camera, we obtained this technology and major components from the state, with the licensed firmware and library, we have developed the control software and driver for this system.

We also design the optical geometry and hardware interface of this digital camera to different types of microscopes.

The decision of the basic design i.e. the choice of 160mm tube length or infinity tube length is not governed by the design know-how; it is more influence by the cost of production. Since our target user have a defined application area; and these area that the infinity corrected optics will not give significant advantage over the 160mm tube length design. Therefore we decided to adopt the 160mm design. In order to make our decision more competitive, we also built a best cost performance high resolution digital camera for this new design microscope; in result, we have successfully developed a modern microphotography system that cost only one fifth the price of a brand named microphotography system in the market.

Business Opportunities

With the latest digital processing and computer technology, nowadays the qualities of digital images are getting more and more comparable to the conventional film materials. The additional benefit of the digital imaging give more flexibility in image processing and measurement.

Since the mImageä UIM1600/RGB300 is design and developed in Hong Kong, from the technical support and after sales service point of view, we are competent to offer the end user our quality service both in application and service maintenance.

The Basics design of the mImageäUIM1600 compound microscope

The mechanical tube length of an optical microscope is defined as the distance from the nosepiece opening, where the objective is mounted, to the top edge of the observation tubes where the eyepieces (oculars) are inserted. The drawing illustrates the optical path (the red line) defining the mechanical tube length for a typical transmitted light microscope (Figure 1).
 
 

For many years, almost all prominent microscope manufacturers designed their objectives for a finite tube length. The designer proceeded under the assumption that the specimen, at focus, was placed at a distance a "little" further than the front focal plane of the objective. The objective then projects a magnified image of the specimen which converges (is brought into focus) at the level of the eyepiece diaphragm, located ten millimeters below the top edge of the openings of the microscope observation tube where the eyepieces are inserted.

Tube length has now been standardized to 160 millimeters for finite-corrected transmitted light microscopes. With a finite tube length microscope system, whenever an accessory such as a polarizing intermediate piece, a DIC Wollaston prism, or a fluorescence illuminator, is placed in the light path between the back of the objective and the eyepiece, the mechanical tube length becomes greater than 160 millimeters. Aberrations may then be introduced when the specimen is refocused. As a result, each such accessory in a finite system must contain optical elements to bring the tube length ostensibly back to 160 millimeters.

The other major design is Infinity-corrected Optics. Such objectives project an image of the specimen to infinity (the common description is not quite accurately stated as emerging parallel rays). To make viewing of the image possible, the body tube of the microscope or in reflected light microscopy the vertical illuminator itself, must contain a tube lens. This lens has, as its main function, the formation of the image at the plane of the eyepiece diaphragm, the so-called intermediate image plane. The eyelens of the eyepiece "looks at" this real, inverted, magnified image and magnifies that image in the usual second stage magnification of the compound microscope.

A digital camera is similar to a film camera except that the film is replaced with an electronic sensor. The sensor is comprised of a grid of photo diodes, which change the photons that strike them into electrons. The electrons are stored in small buckets (capacitors) which are read out as a series of varying voltages and proportional to the image brightness. The voltage is converted to a number by an Analog to Digital Converter and the series numbers are stored and processed by a computer within the camera (Figure 2).
 
 

In many designs, a mechanical shutter is used in the same way that it is used in a film camera to control the light that is allowed to reach the sensor or film. Other cameras use what is called an electronic shutter, which allows the control of when the sensor gathers light through electronic control, signals to the sensor.

One Chip Camera - the "color 1 shot"

Figure 3

The "color 1 shot" camera uses a single 2 dimensional Photodiode array. The array is covered with a set of miniature color filters, red, green and blue, which cover individual pixels in a predefined pattern. Various patterns have been used. A popular pattern, called the Bayer pattern, uses a square for 4 cells that include 2 green on one diagonal, 1 red and one blue on the opposite diagonal (Figure 3).

One Chip / Three Shot Camera - the "color 3 shot"

Figure 4

The "color 3 shot" camera uses a monochrome sensor and a rotating color filter wheel with 4 positions (Figure 4). The neutral position is used for focusing and composition and then three successive pictures are taken through each of the three filters: red, green and blue. The m Imageä Digital Camera RGB3000 is based on this design (Figure 5).

Figure 5
 

The One Chip / Three Shot Camera - the "color 3 shot" design provides excellent resolution with no color aliasing (Figure 6). In addition, the Three Shot Camera has the advantage of allowing the use of either strobe or convention illumination. The availability of strobe allows greater flexibility of the use of the aperture for depth of field. Because of each color image require to shot three times, this type of camera can only shoot stationary objects in color but it can shoot moving objects in monochrome.