Method for operating a positioning apparatus, and scanning microscope

1. A method for operating a positioning apparatus that moves a positioning element for generating an image of a specimen comprising the steps of:

a. generating a first and at least one further reference signal, the first reference signal corresponding to a first reference position of the positioning element and the further reference signal to a further reference position of the positioning element;

b. generating a first and at least one further estimated value for a present position of the positioning element, the first and the at least one further estimated value being useable for distortion correction of the image;

c. transferring the first reference signal and the first estimated value to the positioning apparatus;

d. establishing the first reference position using the positioning apparatus, and measuring the present position and generating a position signal based on the measured present position and the first estimated value so as to provide distortion correction of the image;

e. transferring the further reference signal to the positioning apparatus;

f. transferring the further estimated value to the positioning apparatus;

g. establishing the further reference position, and measuring a further present position of the positioning element and generating a further position signal that based on the measured further present position and the further estimated value so as to provide distortion correction of the image.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , comprising the further step of

improving the signal quality of the generated position signal.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 , comprising the further steps of

cyclically repeating steps b. through e. at constant time intervals; and

extracting from the generated position signals, at each cyclical pass or for a group of cycles and using a definable algorithm, the features that describe the sequence of positions actually reached.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , comprising the further steps of

ascertaining correction values from the measured position values using a definable algorithm; and

optimizing the estimated values for the position signal on the basis of the in ascertained correction values using a further definable algorithm.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the definable algorithm contains an averaging function.

6. The method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the definable algorithm contains a filter function.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the present position and the further present position of the positioning element are transformed into digital values using an analog/digital converter.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the positioning apparatus is a beam deflection device.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the positioning apparatus contains a galvanometer.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the positioning element contains a mirror.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein a light beam is guided over a specimen using the positioning apparatus, and the light proceeding from the specimen is detected with a detector and converted into a detected signal.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein at least one scan position in the specimen is associated with each reference position of the positioning element.

13. The method as defined in claim 11 , characterized by the further step of

allocating at least one detected signal to each estimated position signal.