Microscope objective, microscope, and method for imaging a specimen

1. A microscope objective comprising:

an objective housing,

several lens elements, which are together displaceable within the objective housing

an electrical drive unit for effecting a displacement of the several lens elements in the objective housing along an optical axis of the lens elements, and

a control system configured to control the drive unit so as to provide autofocus.

2. The microscope objective as defined in claim 1 , wherein the several lens elements are arranged together in a mount.

3. The microscope objective as defined in claim 1 further comprising a guidance element.

4. The microscope objective as defined in claim 3 , wherein the drive unit contains at least one piezoelement.

5. The microscope objective as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

a spring that exerts a return force directed oppositely to the force exerted by the drive unit.

6. A microscope comprising:

a microscope objective with an objective housing and with several lens elements, which are together displaceable within the objective housing, an electrical drive unit for effecting a displacement of the lens elements in the objective housing along an optical axis of the lens elements, and a control system configured to control the drive unit so as to provide autofocus.

7. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , wherein the several lens elements are arranged together in a mount.

8. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , further comprising a turret with which the microscope objective can be brought into a working position.

9. The microscope as defined in claim 8 , wherein the turret contains the drive unit.

10. The microscope as defined in claim 8 , wherein the turret encompasses several drive units.

11. The microscope as defined in claim 8 , wherein a position detector that senses the position of the several lens elements is provided.

12. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , further comprising a guidance element.

13. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , wherein the drive unit contains at least one piezoelement.

14. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , wherein a spring that exerts a return force directed oppositely to the force exerted by the drive unit is provided.

15. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , wherein the objective housing encloses the drive unit.

16. The microscope as defined in claim 6 , wherein the microscope is a scanning microscope.

17. A method for imaging a specimen, comprising the steps of:

selecting a scanning plane;

establishing the scanning plane using a microscope objective that comprises an objective housing and contains several lens elements, at least one lens element being arranged displaceably in electrically-driven fashion in the objective housing along an optical axis of the lens elements;

controlling displacement of the at least one lens element along the optical axis so as to provide autofocus; and

scanning the specimen within the scanning plane that has been established, generating image data.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 , comprising the further steps of:

selecting a further scanning plane;

establishing the further scanning plane with the microscope objective; and

scanning the specimen within the further scanning plane that has been established and generating further image data; and

generating an image stack from the image data and the further image data.

19. The method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the scanning refers to an image point or to a line or to a surface or to an area.

20. The microscope as defined in claim 17 , wherein the steps are carried out with a scanning microscope.

21. The microscope as defined in claim 17 , wherein the steps are carried out with a deconvolution microscope.