Hirox
Encyclopedia
Hirox is a lens company in Tokyo
, Japan
that created the first digital microscope
in 1986. This company is now known as Hirox Co LTd. Hirox's main industry is digital microscopes, but still makes the lenses for digital microscopes and rangefinders.
Hirox's current digital microscope systems are the KH-8700, the KH-7700, and the KH-1300. The KH-1300 connects to a desktop computer, and all the measurement software needs to be run through the computer. The KH-7700 system is a stand alone system and has such features as 3D rotation, High Dynamic Range
, 2D and 3D measurement.
1986 Invented The World’s First Digital Microscope System.
1989 Hirox started distributing the Hirox Digital Microscope System in the USA through the company Hi-Scope.
1992 Invented The First 3-D Rotational Microscope.
1996 Developed Digital Hi-Scope System with Measurement.
2000 Developed 3-D Digital Microscope Measurement System. Opened Osaka Branch Office.
2001 Established Hirox USA, Inc.
2002 Established Hirox China Co., Ltd.
2002 Opened Nagoya Branch Office.
2005 Developed 3-D Profiling System.
2005 Established Hirox Korea Co.,Ltd.
2006 Established Hirox Europe and Hirox Asia. Developed the KH-7700, KH-1300 and ACS.
2008 Hirox-USA, Inc. starts distribution relationship with LECO
.
2009 Hirox-USA, Inc. starts distribution relationship with Leeds Precesion Instruments.
2010 Hirox-USA, Inc. starts distribution relationship with Olympus Corporation
.
2011 Hirox releases the KH-8700.
. With an optical microscope the magnification is found by multiplying the lens magnification by the eyepiece magnification. Since the digital microscope does not have an eyepiece, the magnification cannot be found using this method. Instead the magnification for a digital microscope is found by how many times larger the sample is reproduced on the monitor. The Hirox Digital Microscope System has a 15" monitor, which would result in an average difference in magnification between an optical microscope and a digital microscope of about 40-60%. Thus the magnification number of an optical microscope is usually 40-60% larger than the magnification number of an digital microscope.
The 3D measurement abilities include, but are not limited to height, length, angle, radius, volume and area. Also, the 3D model can be shown as a texture model, wireframe, or rainbow graph. This data can then be exported out of the system to be viewed on a PC or in programs such as MATLAB
.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
that created the first digital microscope
Digital microscope
A digital microscope is a variation of a traditional optical microscope that uses optics and a charge-coupled device camera to output a digital image to a monitor, sometimes by means of software running on a computer. A digital microscope differs from an optical microscope in that there is no...
in 1986. This company is now known as Hirox Co LTd. Hirox's main industry is digital microscopes, but still makes the lenses for digital microscopes and rangefinders.
Hirox's current digital microscope systems are the KH-8700, the KH-7700, and the KH-1300. The KH-1300 connects to a desktop computer, and all the measurement software needs to be run through the computer. The KH-7700 system is a stand alone system and has such features as 3D rotation, High Dynamic Range
High dynamic range
High dynamic range is a term generally used for media applications such as digital imaging and digital audio production...
, 2D and 3D measurement.
History
1978 Hirox is Founded in Tokyo, Japan, as High-End Quality Lens and Optical System manufacturer.1986 Invented The World’s First Digital Microscope System.
1989 Hirox started distributing the Hirox Digital Microscope System in the USA through the company Hi-Scope.
1992 Invented The First 3-D Rotational Microscope.
1996 Developed Digital Hi-Scope System with Measurement.
2000 Developed 3-D Digital Microscope Measurement System. Opened Osaka Branch Office.
2001 Established Hirox USA, Inc.
2002 Established Hirox China Co., Ltd.
2002 Opened Nagoya Branch Office.
2005 Developed 3-D Profiling System.
2005 Established Hirox Korea Co.,Ltd.
2006 Established Hirox Europe and Hirox Asia. Developed the KH-7700, KH-1300 and ACS.
2008 Hirox-USA, Inc. starts distribution relationship with LECO
Leco
LECO Corporation, founded in 1936 by Carl Schultz and George Krasl, operates its comprehensive analytical instrumentation research and development, and manufacturing from its worldwide headquarters located in St. Joseph, Michigan. Following strict ISO 9000 standards LECO develops and manufactures...
.
2009 Hirox-USA, Inc. starts distribution relationship with Leeds Precesion Instruments.
2010 Hirox-USA, Inc. starts distribution relationship with Olympus Corporation
Olympus Corporation
is a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
.
2011 Hirox releases the KH-8700.
Digital Microscope Magnification
The Hirox Digital Microscope System has the ability to have an optical inspection range of 0-7000x. A primary difference between an optical microscope and a digital microscope is the magnificationMagnification
Magnification is the process of enlarging something only in appearance, not in physical size. This enlargement is quantified by a calculated number also called "magnification"...
. With an optical microscope the magnification is found by multiplying the lens magnification by the eyepiece magnification. Since the digital microscope does not have an eyepiece, the magnification cannot be found using this method. Instead the magnification for a digital microscope is found by how many times larger the sample is reproduced on the monitor. The Hirox Digital Microscope System has a 15" monitor, which would result in an average difference in magnification between an optical microscope and a digital microscope of about 40-60%. Thus the magnification number of an optical microscope is usually 40-60% larger than the magnification number of an digital microscope.
Optical and digital microscopes
Since the digital microscope has the image projected directly on to the CCD camera, it is possible to have higher quality recorded images than with an optical microscope. With the optical microscope, the lenses are made for the optics of the eye. Attaching a CCD camera to an optical microscope will result in a image that has compromises made for the eyepiece.2D measurement
The Hirox Digital Microscope System has the ability to measure samples in 2D. The measurements are done onscreen by measuring the distance from pixel to pixel. This allows for length, width, diagonal, and circle measurements as well as much more. Therefore each magnification needs to be calibrated so that the system has the correct relationship for pixel to unit measurement.3D measurement
3D measurement is achieved with a digital microscope by image stacking. Using a step motor, the system takes images from the lowest focal plane in the field of view to the highest focal plane. Then it reconstructs theses images into a 3D model based on contrast to give a 3D color image of the sample. From these 3D model measurements can be made, but their accuracy is based on the step motor and depth of field of the lens. The step motor is necessary to get accurate height information and accuracy is higher with a shallower depth of field. The most accurate 3D measurement from a step motor for a digital microscope is 1 micrometres.The 3D measurement abilities include, but are not limited to height, length, angle, radius, volume and area. Also, the 3D model can be shown as a texture model, wireframe, or rainbow graph. This data can then be exported out of the system to be viewed on a PC or in programs such as MATLAB
MATLAB
MATLAB is a numerical computing environment and fourth-generation programming language. Developed by MathWorks, MATLAB allows matrix manipulations, plotting of functions and data, implementation of algorithms, creation of user interfaces, and interfacing with programs written in other languages,...
.
2D and 3D tiling
2D and 3D tiling, also known as stitching or creating a panoramic, can now be done with the more advanced digital microscope systems. In 2D tiling the image is automatically tiled together seamlessly in real-time by moving the XY stage. 3D tiling combines the XY stage movement of 2D tiling with the Z-axis movement of 3D measurement to create a 3D panoramic.See also
- MicroscopeMicroscopeA microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
- Digital microscopeDigital microscopeA digital microscope is a variation of a traditional optical microscope that uses optics and a charge-coupled device camera to output a digital image to a monitor, sometimes by means of software running on a computer. A digital microscope differs from an optical microscope in that there is no...
- High dynamic rangeHigh dynamic rangeHigh dynamic range is a term generally used for media applications such as digital imaging and digital audio production...
- Optical microscopeOptical microscopeThe optical microscope, often referred to as the "light microscope", is a type of microscope which uses visible light and a system of lenses to magnify images of small samples. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microscope and were possibly designed in their present compound form in the...