IP Library Granted Patent US 8,958,148
Granted Patent B2
US 8,958,148 · App. 13/423,634 · Granted Feb 17, 2015

Microscope

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,958,148
App. No.
13/423,634
Granted
Feb 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A microscope includes: an objective lens radiating laser light and illumination light onto a specimen; a first detection optical system detecting first observation light produced from the specimen when the laser light is radiated; a second detection optical system detecting second observation light produced from the specimen when the illumination light is radiated; optical elements placed so as to be capable of being inserted into or removed from a light path of the first detection optical system or the second detection optical system; a rotating turret selectively switching the optical elements to be inserted into the light path; a storage section storing correction information about a relative misalignment between the first observation light and the second observation light caused when the optical elements are switched; and a control section correcting the relative misalignment between the first observation light and the second observation light based on the correction information.

Claims (51)

1. A microscope comprising:

a radiation optical system that radiates first illumination light and second illumination light onto a specimen;

a first detection optical system that detects first observation light produced from the specimen when the first illumination light is radiated by the radiation optical system so as to acquire a first image;

a second detection optical system that detects second observation light produced from the specimen when the second illumination light is radiated by the radiation optical system so as to acquire a second image;

a plurality of optical elements that are placed so as to be capable of being inserted into or removed from a light path of at least one of the first detection optical system and the second detection optical system;

a switching section that selectively switches the optical elements to be inserted into the light path;

a storage section that stores correction information about a relative displacement between the first image and the second image, the relative displacement being caused when the optical elements are switched by the switching section; and

a correction section that corrects the relative displacement between the first image and the second image based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

2. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen,

wherein the correction section operates the scanning section based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

3. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen,

wherein the scanning section has a resonant galvanometer mirror; and

wherein the correction section rotates the resonant galvanometer mirror.

4. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen,

wherein the scanning section has a resonant galvanometer mirror; and

wherein the correction section operates a mirror whose angle can be changed in a same direction as a scanning direction of the resonant galvanometer mirror.

5. The microscope according to claim 1 ,

wherein a detection section of the second detection optical system comprises a CCD; and

wherein the correction section adjusts a viewing-field center position of the second image, which is acquired by the CCD, based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

6. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an objective lens that radiates the first illumination light and the second illumination light onto the specimen and collects the first observation light and the second observation light;

an optical-axis shifting section that shifts the first illumination light in a pupil of the objective lens in a direction intersecting an optical axis; and

an optical-axis correcting section that operates the optical-axis shifting section based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

7. The microscope according to claim 6 , wherein the optical-axis shifting section comprises:

a flat parallel plate that is disposed on an optical axis of the first illumination light; and

actuators that rotate the flat parallel plate about mutually orthogonal axes extending in two directions orthogonal to the optical axis of the first illumination light.

8. The microscope according to claim 6 , wherein the storage section separately stores a correction value used to operate a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen and a correction value used to operate the optical-axis shifting section.

9. The microscope according to claim 6 , further comprising a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen,

wherein the correction section operates the scanning section based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

10. The microscope according to claim 6 , further comprising a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen,

wherein the scanning section has a resonant galvanometer mirror; and

wherein the correction section rotates the resonant galvanometer mirror.

11. The microscope according to claim 6 , further comprising a scanning section that performs 2D scanning of the first illumination light on the specimen,

wherein the scanning section has a resonant galvanometer mirror; and

wherein the correction section operates a mirror whose angle can be changed in a same direction as a scanning direction of the resonant galvanometer mirror.

12. The microscope according to claim 6 ,

wherein a detection section of the second detection optical system comprises a CCD; and

wherein the correction section adjusts a viewing-field center position of the second image, which is acquired by the CCD, based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

13. The microscope according to claim 9 , wherein the optical-axis shifting section comprises:

a flat parallel plate that is disposed on an optical axis of the first illumination light; and

actuators that rotate the flat parallel plate about mutually orthogonal axes extending in two directions orthogonal to the optical axis of the first illumination light.

14. The microscope according to claim 9 , wherein the storage section separately stores a correction value used to operate the scanning section and a correction value used to operate the optical-axis shifting section.

15. The microscope according to claim 2 ,

wherein a detection section of the second detection optical system comprises a CCD; and

wherein the correction section adjusts a viewing-field center position of the second image, which is acquired by the CCD, based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

16. The microscope according to claim 1 ,

wherein a detection section of the second detection optical system is a camera; and

wherein the correction section adjusts a viewing-field center position of the second image, which is acquired by the camera, based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

17. The microscope according to claim 6 ,

wherein a detection section of the second detection optical system is a camera; and

wherein the correction section adjusts a viewing-field center position of the second image, which is acquired by the camera, based on the correction information stored in the storage section.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: EVIDENT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062492/0267 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jun 27, 2016
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039344/0502 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 19, 2012
From: HONDA, SUSUMU
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027885/0820 →