IP Library Granted Patent US 8,864,311
Granted Patent B2
US 8,864,311 · App. 12/225,467 · Granted Oct 21, 2014

Illumination device and observation device

Inventors: Franz Merz (Aalen, DE); Peter Reimer (Ellwangen, DE); Fritz Straehle (Heubach, DE)
Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
A61B3/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,864,311
App. No.
12/225,467
Granted
Oct 21, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Among other things, an illumination device ( 10 ) is described for one, two or more observation beam paths, each with an observation device having an observation beam bundle, in particular for an operating microscope, having at least one light source ( 12 ) for producing at least one illumination beam bundle for illuminating an object to be observed ( 13 ), in particular, an eye to be observed, wherein the at least one illumination beam bundle runs coaxially to an observation beam bundle. It is provided according to the invention, in order to be able to suppress disruptive reflections, that illumination device ( 10 ) has an illumination optics ( 11 ) that is constructed according to the Köhler principle of illumination, and in which at least one reflection diaphragm ( 18 ) is provided in order to avoid light reflected from the surface of an objective element ( 19 ). In addition, a correspondingly improved observation device is described.

Claims (17)

1. An illumination device for an observation device, said observation device having one, two or more observation beam paths having an observation beam bundle for observing an eye to be observed, in particular for a surgical microscope, having at least one light source for producing at least one illumination beam bundle which produces an illumination spot for illuminating an eye to be observed, wherein the illumination beam bundle runs coaxially to the observation beam bundle, is hereby characterized in that illumination device has illumination optics that is constructed according to the Köhler principle of illumination, in which at least one reflection diaphragm is provided in order to avoid light reflected from the surface of an objective element and an optical element in the form of a prism and/or a beam splitter plate and/or a partially transparent mirror and/or a perforated mirror is provided to superimpose the observation beam bundle and the illumination beam bundle, the reflection diaphragm being disposed in front of the optical element in the illumination beam path.

2. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that the illumination optics has a collector, which consists of one or more individual or combined lens element(s).

3. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that the illumination optics has a lighting field diaphragm, which is designed as a fixed or a variable diaphragm.

4. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that the illumination optics has an aperture diaphragm, which is designed as a fixed or a variable diaphragm.

5. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that it has an objective element.

6. The illumination device according to claim 5 , further characterized in that the objective element is also designed as an objective element of an observation device, in particular as its principal objective.

7. The illumination device according to claim 5 , further characterized in that the reflection diaphragm is disposed in front of the objective element in the illumination beam path.

8. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that diaphragm is designed as a discrete diaphragm, as an LCD display, as a DMD, as an LCOS or as an FLCOS.

9. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that two or more light sources are provided and that an illumination beam bundle will be produced by means of each light source.

10. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that a single light source is provided and that means for splitting the illumination beam bundle of the light source into two or more partial illumination beam bundles is provided.

11. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further characterized in that the at least one light source is designed as a lamp, in particular as a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp, as a laser, as a non-thermal radiator, as a light guide, in particular as an optical-fiber light-guide bundle, as at least one LED, or at least one OLED.

12. An observation device, in particular, a surgical microscope, having one, two or more observation beam paths, each having an observation beam bundle for observing an eye to be observed and having an illumination device, having at least one light source for producing at least one illumination beam bundle which produces an illumination spot for illuminating an eye to be observed, wherein the illumination beam bundle runs coaxially to the observation beam bundle, is hereby characterized in that illumination device has illumination optics that is constructed according to the Köhler principle of illumination, in which at least one reflection diaphragm is provided in order to avoid light reflected from the surface of an objective element and an optical element in the form of a prism and/or a beam splitter plate and/or a partially transparent mirror and/or a perforated mirror is provided to superimpose the observation beam bundle and the illumination beam bundle, the reflection diaphragm being disposed in front of the optical element in the illumination beam path.

13. The observation device according to claim 12 , further characterized in that the observation device has a principal objective element, which is identical to an objective element of illumination device, that means is provided in order to superimpose an observation beam bundle and an illumination beam bundle each time and that means for superimposing is disposed in such a way that a superimposition of the observation beam bundle and the illumination beam bundle is made above principal objective element.

14. The observation device according to claim 12 , further characterized in that the observation device has a principal objective element, which is identical to an objective element of the illumination device, that means is provided in order to superimpose an observation beam bundle and an illumination beam bundle and that means for superimposing is disposed in such a way that a superimposition of the observation beam bundle and the illumination beam bundle is made below principal objective element.

15. The observation device according to claim 13 , further characterized in that two or more observation beam paths are provided and that the observation beam paths are decentered with respect to the principal objective element.

16. A use of an illumination device according to claim 1 in an operating microscope, in particular, in an ophthalmologic observation device, preferably in an operating microscope designed for cataract extraction.

17. A use of an observation device according to claim 12 as an operating microscope, in particular, as an ophthalmologic observation device, preferably as an operating microscope designed for cataract extraction.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Sep 24, 2012
From: CARL ZEISS SURGICAL GMBH
To: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
Reel/Frame 029029/0320 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2008
From: MERZ, FRANZ; REIMER, PETER; STRAEHLE, FRITZ
To: CARL ZEISS SURGICAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 021620/0013 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2006 013 761 · Mar 24, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20090273757A1 · Nov 5, 2009