For a further understanding of the features of objects in the microscopic image during automatic cell manipulation, an optical imaging simulation method for inverted microscope was studied, with an assumption of parallel rays of light. The proposed method calculated the forward direction of every ray starting from the source until it reached the lens or disappeared from the effective range. A virtual image could be generated by an imitation of a CCD sensing element. Emulations in cases of a micro glass bar, a micro pipette and an egg cell which were commonly encountered in cell manipulation were carried out, whose gray-level virtual images were contrasted to real ones for verification. Results showed a considerable effect of the proposed simulation method
