JP2005316162A - Illuminator for microscope, microscope with illuminator, and illuminating method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simply structured illuminator capable of adjusting at high speed the light quantity of illumination light to a microscope. <P>SOLUTION: The microscope 100 includes an illuminator for lighting a specimen 111. The illuminator includes an objective lens 112 used commonly with a viewing optical system, a light source 123 for generating illumination light (excitation light), a collective lens 122, a reflection mirror 121, an illumination section 120 for lighting the specimen 111 with the illumination light from the light source 123, a field stop projection lens 119, an excitation filter 118, and a dichroic mirror 113. The illuminator is further equipped with a detector for detecting light quantity and a controller 127 for controlling the illumination section 120 based on the light quantity detected by the detector. The light quantity detector is provided with a system for detecting the light quantity of the illumination light radiating from the illumination section to the specimen 111. This light quantity detecting system is equipped with a beam splitter 124, a converging lens 125, and a photoelectric conversion device 126. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an illumination device for a microscope.

  In an illumination device for a microscope, a light source such as a halogen lamp, a mercury lamp, or a laser is generally used. Illumination light emitted from the light source is irradiated on the specimen, and observation is performed by reflected light from the specimen if it is a normal microscope, or by fluorescence generated from the specimen if it is a fluorescence microscope. When the amount of illumination light emitted from the light source changes during observation, the observation image is affected. Possible causes of the change in the amount of illumination light include drift when the light source is turned on, temperature change, voltage change, aging change, optical system change due to lens replacement, and the like.

  One method for removing the influence of a change in the amount of light is to insert an optical filter in the optical path. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-42457 discloses an illumination device including a plurality of optical filters. In this illuminating device, a change in light quantity due to secular change is acquired by a light quantity detector, and the light quantity is reduced to a desired light quantity by controlling a combination of a plurality of optical filters. If this illumination device is used, even when the illumination system is dimmed due to secular change, it is possible to remove the influence of the light quantity change by changing the optical filter.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-107361 discloses a microscope illumination device that switches on / off illumination using a micromirror.
JP 2001-42457 A JP 2003-107361 A

  In the illumination device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-42457, the amount of light that can be reduced is limited because the light is reduced by a combination of a plurality of optical filters. For this reason, the influence of the change in the observation image of the microscope due to the change in the amount of light cannot be completely removed. To increase the number of light combinations, the number of optical filters can be increased. However, the increase in the number of optical filters leads to an increase in the size and cost of the apparatus. Further, since there is a limit to the speed of the optical filter replacement control, it is difficult to follow a sudden change in the amount of light.

  In the illumination device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-107361, illumination can be switched on / off, but the amount of illumination light cannot be changed.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such a situation, and its main object is to provide a technique capable of adjusting the light quantity of illumination light of a microscope at high speed.

  One aspect of the present invention is an illumination device for a microscope, a light source for emitting illumination light, an illumination unit for illuminating a specimen with illumination light from the light source, and a light amount detection unit for detecting the amount of light And a control unit that controls the illumination unit based on the amount of light detected by the light amount detection unit.

  One aspect of the present invention is a microscope including an illumination device. The illumination device detects a light amount, a light source for emitting illumination light, an illumination unit for illuminating a specimen with illumination light from the light source, and a light amount. A light amount detection unit for controlling the illumination unit based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit.

  One aspect of the present invention is a method for illuminating a specimen observed with a microscope. The specimen is intermittently illuminated with illumination light, and the light quantity of at least one of the illumination light and the observation light is detected. Change the lighting time based on.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which can adjust the light quantity of the illumination light of a microscope at high speed is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment [Configuration]
This embodiment is directed to a microscope provided with an illumination device, particularly a microscope for fluorescence observation. FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of the microscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the microscope 100 of the present embodiment has an observation optical system for optically observing a specimen 111. The observation optical system includes a stage 110, an objective lens 112, an absorption filter 114, an imaging lens 115, an eyepiece lens 117, and a prism 116. The stage 110 is for placing the specimen 111. The objective lens 112 is disposed above the stage 110. The imaging lens 115 cooperates with the objective lens 112 to constitute an imaging optical system. The eyepiece 117 enables visual observation of an image formed by the imaging optical system. The prism 116 guides the light from the imaging lens 115 to the eyepiece lens 117. The absorption filter 114 is disposed between the objective lens 112 and the imaging lens 115. The absorption filter 114 is for fluorescence observation, and selectively transmits fluorescence generated from the specimen 111 and blocks unwanted light.

  The microscope 100 includes an illuminating device for illuminating the specimen 111. The illumination device has an illumination optical system for illuminating the specimen 111. The illumination optical system includes an objective lens 112. That is, the illumination optical system shares the objective lens 112 with the observation optical system. The illumination optical system further includes a light source 123, a collector lens 122, a reflection mirror 121, an illumination unit 120, a field stop projection lens 119, an excitation filter 118, and a dichroic mirror 113. The light source 123 is for emitting illumination light (excitation light). Although not limited to this, the light source 123 is configured by, for example, a mercury lamp. The light source 123 may be composed of a halogen lamp, LED, laser, infrared light source, ultraviolet light source, or the like in addition to the mercury lamp. The collector lens 122 collects the illumination light from the light source 123 and creates an illumination light beam directed toward the reflection mirror 121. The reflection mirror 121 deflects the illumination light beam from the collector lens 122 toward the illumination unit 120. The illumination unit 120 is for illuminating the specimen 111 with illumination light from the light source 123, and controls the propagation of the illumination light to the specimen 111. The illumination unit 120 of this embodiment is a reflection type, and permits or prohibits the propagation of illumination light to the specimen 111 by changing the reflection direction of the illumination light beam. The illumination unit 120 is preferably composed of a two-dimensional illumination element that illuminates the specimen with illumination light having a two-dimensional light quantity distribution. In this embodiment, the two-dimensional illumination element is composed of a digital micromirror device. The excitation filter 118 selectively transmits excitation light suitable for the specimen 111 and blocks unwanted light. The dichroic mirror 113 is disposed between the objective lens 112 and the absorption filter 114. The dichroic mirror 113 reflects the excitation light beam from the excitation filter 118 toward the objective lens 112. The dichroic mirror 113 also selectively transmits fluorescence generated from the specimen 111 and selectively reflects other undesired light (such as excitation light reflected by the specimen 111).

  The illumination device further includes a light amount detection unit for detecting the light amount. The light amount detection unit of the present embodiment includes an illumination light detection system that detects the amount of illumination light directed from the illumination unit 120 toward the sample 111. The illumination light detection system includes a beam splitter 124, a converging lens 125, and a photoelectric conversion device 126. The beam splitter 124 is disposed between the illumination unit 120 and the field stop projection lens 119, and branches a part of the illumination light beam directed from the illumination unit 120 to the dichroic mirror 113. Although not limited to this, the beam splitter 124 is configured by a half mirror, for example. The converging lens 125 converges the illumination light beam branched by the beam splitter 124 and irradiates the photoelectric conversion device 126. The photoelectric conversion device 126 outputs an electrical signal that reflects the intensity of incident illumination light. Although not limited to this, the photoelectric conversion device 126 is configured by, for example, a photomultiplier tube or a photodiode. However, when the illumination unit 120 is configured with a two-dimensional illumination element, the photoelectric conversion device 126 is more preferably configured with a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector for detecting a two-dimensional light amount distribution. . The two-dimensional light quantity detection element is not limited to this, but is constituted by, for example, a CCD or a CMOS.

  The illumination device further includes a control unit 127 that controls the illumination unit 120 based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit. The control unit 127 controls the illumination unit 120 to illuminate the sample 111 intermittently. More specifically, the control unit 127 changes the illumination time based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit. Furthermore, the control unit 127 controls the illumination unit 120 to start illumination at a constant cycle.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows a digital micromirror device 120 </ b> A that is the illumination unit 120. As shown in FIG. 2, the digital micromirror device 120A includes a plurality of micromirrors 120a. Although not limited to this, the plurality of micromirrors 120a are arranged in a matrix, for example. Although not limited to this, the micromirror 120a has a rectangular shape, for example. Further, the micromirror 120a has an area of, for example, 20 square μm or less, although not limited thereto. The minute mirror 120a can swing around an axis orthogonal to the paper surface within a range of a predetermined angle α (for example, 10 °), and can be switched between an on position and an off position. The micro mirror 120a reflects the illumination light beam 131 along the optical axis A of the illumination optical system at the on position, and reflects the illumination light beam 131 along the retracting optical axis 132 at the off position. The micromirror 120a can be switched between an on position and an off position at a response speed of the order of 10 microseconds. In addition, switching between the on position and the off position of the plurality of micromirrors 120a (that is, on / off of the micromirrors 120a) can be controlled independently. The digital micromirror device 120A is arranged perpendicular to the optical axis A of the illumination optical system when viewed macroscopically. Further, the digital micromirror device 120A is arranged at a position where the reflected light of the specimen 111 is projected. As a result, the light beam reflected by the micromirror 120a in parallel with the optical axis A of the illumination optical system is irradiated toward the specimen 111 in parallel with the axis of the objective lens 112 (that is, the optical axis of the observation optical system).

[Action]
In FIG. 1, a part of the illumination light emitted from the light source 123, that is, the excitation light, enters the collector lens 122 and becomes an illumination light beam. The illumination light beam is reflected by the reflection mirror 121 and enters the illumination unit 120, that is, the digital micromirror device 120A (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the digital micromirror device 120A reflects the illumination light beam along the optical axis A or retracting optical axis 132 of the illumination optical system according to the on / off positions of the micromirror 120a. That is, the micro mirror 120a at the ON position reflects the illumination light beam incident thereon along the optical axis A of the illumination optical system and directs it to the field stop projection lens 119. Further, the micro mirror 120 a at the off position reflects the illumination light beam incident thereon along the retracting optical axis 132. The illumination light beam reflected along the retracting optical axis 132 is emitted outside the apparatus and is not used for illumination.

  In FIG. 1, a part of the illumination light beam directed from the digital micromirror device 120A toward the field stop projection lens 119 is reflected by the beam splitter 124 toward the converging lens 125, and the rest is transmitted through the beam splitter 124 and projected through the field stop. The light enters the lens 119. The illumination light beam traveling toward the converging lens 125 is converged by the converging lens 125 and enters the photoelectric conversion device 126. The photoelectric conversion device 126 photoelectrically converts incident illumination light and outputs an electrical signal reflecting the light amount to the control unit 127.

  The illumination light beam that has passed through the beam splitter 124 passes through the field stop projection lens 119 and the excitation filter 118, is reflected by the dichroic mirror 113, and irradiates the specimen 111 through the objective lens 112.

  The specimen 111 emits observation light, that is, fluorescence in response to irradiation of illumination light, that is, excitation light. A portion of the observation light generated from the specimen 111, that is, fluorescence, enters the objective lens 112 and becomes an observation light beam. The observation light beam passes through the dichroic mirror 113 and the absorption filter 114 and is imaged by the imaging lens 115. An image formed by the imaging lens 115 can be observed by the eyepiece lens 117 through the prism 116.

  The control unit 127 controls the illumination unit 120 based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit, that is, the electric signal output from the photoelectric conversion device 126. More specifically, the control unit 127 periodically switches on / off all the micromirrors 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A simultaneously.

  FIG. 3 shows the timing for switching on and off the micromirror of the digital micromirror device. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the control unit 127 repeats at a constant period T, and switches all the micromirrors 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A to the on position to start illumination (turns on illumination). Further, after the elapse of time t1 from the start of illumination, all the micromirrors 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A are switched to the off position to stop the illumination (turn off the illumination). After the time t2 (= T−t1) has elapsed since the stop of the illumination, that is, after the time T has elapsed since the start of the previous illumination, the illumination is started again. Thereby, the sample 111 is intermittently illuminated.

  Further, based on the electrical signal output from the photoelectric conversion device 126, the control unit 127 sets the ratio between the illumination time (illumination on time) t1 and the illumination stop time (illumination off time) t2. change. That is, the control unit 127 changes the illumination time based on the detected amount of illumination light. For example, when the illumination is dark, in order to make it brighter, the illumination on time is lengthened and the illumination off time is shortened. On the other hand, when the illumination is bright, in order to make it darker, the illumination on time is shortened and the illumination off time is lengthened.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of control of the digital micromirror device. Hereinafter, control of the digital micromirror device will be described with reference to FIG.

  A target light amount value is set in advance in the control unit 127 (S1).

  First, a light amount value is acquired by the photoelectric conversion device 126 (S2).

  Next, the difference between the acquired light quantity value and the target light quantity value is calculated (S3). That is, the acquired light amount value is compared with the target light amount value.

  Subsequently, a differential signal is calculated using the difference between the light amount values to generate a control signal (S4). Specifically, a control signal for making the light amount value acquired by the photoelectric conversion device 126 equal to the target light amount value is generated.

  The digital micromirror device 120A is controlled according to the control signal (S5).

  Specifically, as a result of calculating the difference between the light amount value acquired in S3 and the target light amount value, when the detected light amount value is smaller than the target light amount value (that is, when the illumination is dark), the illumination on is performed in S4 and S5. The feedback control is performed to increase the time t1 and decrease the illumination off time t2. When the detected light amount value is larger than the target light amount value (that is, when the illumination is bright), feedback control is performed in S4 and S5 to decrease the illumination on time t1 and increase the illumination off time t2. As a result, the time during which the illumination light beam reflected along the optical axis A by the micromirror 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A illuminates the specimen 111 is appropriately controlled. As a result, the specimen 111 is illuminated with the target light amount value.

  When the difference between the acquired light quantity value and the target light quantity value is very large, it is expected that it cannot be handled by adjusting the illumination time alone. In order to avoid such a situation, the control unit 127 causes the difference between the acquired light amount value and the target light amount value to be a predetermined value or less when the difference between the acquired light amount value and the target light amount value is relatively large. The output of the light source 123 is controlled.

[effect]
According to the present embodiment, the illumination unit 120 (for example, the digital micromirror device 120A) can correct a change in the amount of illumination light from the light source 123 due to external factors such as a temperature change, a voltage change, and an optical axis shift. As a result, the amount of illumination light (excitation light) applied to the specimen 111 can be kept constant. That is, it becomes possible to control the light amount to be constant by correcting the change in the amount of ripple light of a mercury lamp or the like. In addition, since it is possible to eliminate the influence of the light amount change caused by drift when the light source is turned on, it is possible to stably observe an image without waiting for a long time until the light amount is stabilized.

Modification This modification is directed to control for independently switching on and off the micromirror 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A. In the embodiment described above, all the micromirrors 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A are switched on / off simultaneously. However, in this modification, the micromirrors 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A are independently turned on / off. Switch to. For this reason, the photoelectric conversion device 126 includes a two-dimensional light quantity distribution detector such as a CCD sensor.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows control of the digital micromirror device 120A according to this modification. As shown in FIG. 5, the digital micromirror device 120 </ b> A includes a plurality of micromirrors 153 arranged vertically and horizontally. The two-dimensional light amount distribution detector 126A includes a plurality of minute light amount detectors 126a arranged vertically and horizontally. The minute mirror 153 and the minute light amount detection unit 126a are arranged in the same manner, and correspond to each other one to one. The illumination light beam reflected along the optical axis A of the illumination optical system by the micro mirror 153 in the digital micro mirror device 120A is applied to the micro light quantity detection unit 126a of the two-dimensional light quantity distribution detector 126A corresponding to the micro mirror 153. Incident. The minute light amount detection unit 126a outputs an electrical signal 151 reflecting the light amount of the incident illumination light beam to the control unit 127.

  The illumination light beam reflected along the optical axis A of the illumination optical system by the digital micromirror device 120A is a set of illumination light beams reflected by the plurality of micromirrors 153 of the digital micromirror device 120A. Accordingly, the specimen 111 is illuminated with illumination light having a two-dimensional light quantity distribution with the micromirror 153 as a unit. The two-dimensional light amount distribution of the illumination light beam can be adjusted in units of the minute mirror 153. The two-dimensional light amount distribution detector 126A detects the two-dimensional light amount distribution of the illumination light beam.

  In this modification, a target light amount value is set in advance for each micro mirror 153 of the digital micro mirror device 120A, in other words, for each micro light amount detection unit 126a of the two-dimensional light amount distribution detector 126A. The control unit 127 sends a micro mirror control signal 152 that makes the light amount of the illumination light beam incident on the micro light amount detection unit 126a equal to the target light amount value to the digital micro mirror device 120A for each of the micro light amount detection units 126a. The time during which the micromirror 153 is in the on position (that is, the illumination on time) is adjusted to an appropriate time. That is, the control unit 127 adjusts the illumination ON time for each micromirror 153. In other words, the control unit 127 adjusts the illumination time of the illumination light in units of the two-dimensional light amount distribution. As a result, even if there is a variation in the light amount distribution of the illumination light beam reflected along the optical axis A of the illumination optical system by the digital micromirror device 120A, the sample 111 is formed with the illumination light beam having a uniform light amount distribution. Illuminated.

Second Embodiment [Configuration]
The present embodiment is directed to another microscope provided with an illumination device. FIG. 6 schematically shows the configuration of the microscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the members indicated by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 1 are the same members, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the microscope 200 of the present embodiment, the light amount detection unit includes an observation light detection system that detects the amount of observation light instead of the illumination light detection system of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The observation light detection system includes a beam splitter 224, a converging lens 225, and a photoelectric conversion device 226.

  The beam splitter 224 is disposed between the absorption filter 114 and the imaging lens 115 and branches a part of the observation light beam from the absorption filter 114 toward the imaging lens 115. The beam splitter 224 is configured by, for example, a half mirror, although not limited thereto.

  The converging lens 225 converges the observation light beam branched by the beam splitter 224 and irradiates the photoelectric conversion device 226.

  The photoelectric conversion device 126 outputs an electrical signal that reflects the intensity of incident illumination light. Although not limited to this, the photoelectric conversion device 126 is configured by, for example, a photomultiplier tube or a photodiode. When the illumination unit 120 is configured with a two-dimensional illumination element, the photoelectric conversion device 126 is more preferably configured with a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector for detecting a two-dimensional light amount distribution. The two-dimensional light quantity detection element is not limited to this, but is constituted by, for example, a CCD or a CMOS.

[Action]
Part of the observation light generated from the specimen 111, that is, fluorescence, is incident on the objective lens 112 and becomes an observation light beam. The observation light beam passes through the dichroic mirror 113 and the absorption filter 114. Part of the observation light beam that has passed through the absorption filter 114 is reflected by the beam splitter 224 toward the converging lens 225, and the rest passes through the beam splitter 224 and enters the imaging lens 115. The observation light beam traveling toward the converging lens 225 is converged by the converging lens 225 and enters the photoelectric conversion device 226. The photoelectric conversion device 226 performs photoelectric conversion on the incident illumination light and outputs an electric signal reflecting the light amount to the control unit 127. The control unit 127 controls the illumination unit 120 based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit, that is, the electric signal output from the photoelectric conversion device 226. That is, the control unit 127 changes the illumination time based on the detected amount of observation light. Furthermore, if necessary, the control unit 127 controls the light source 123 based on the detected amount of observation light. The method of controlling the illumination unit 120 and the light source 123 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[effect]
According to the present embodiment, a change in the amount of observation light (fluorescence) from the specimen 111 can be corrected by the illumination unit 120 (for example, the digital micromirror device 120A). As a result, the amount of observation light (fluorescence) from the specimen 111 can be kept constant. Thereby, in a microscope capable of converting the objective lens 112, it is possible to correct a change in the amount of observation light incident on the beam splitter 224 due to replacement of the objective lens. That is, it becomes possible to correct the influence of the change in the amount of light caused by the conversion of the objective lens 112, and light source adjustment at the time of objective lens conversion becomes unnecessary.

Modified Example This modified example is directed to detection of a light amount distribution of an observation light beam. In this modification, the photoelectric conversion device 226 of the light amount detection unit is configured by a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector. The two-dimensional light amount distribution detector includes a plurality of minute light amount detection units, and the plurality of minute light amount detection units correspond one-to-one to the plurality of minute mirrors 120a of the digital minute mirror device 120A. Thereby, the intensity distribution of the observation light can be detected. Furthermore, the plurality of micromirrors 120a of the digital micromirror device 120A may be independently controlled based on the detected intensity distribution. As a result, the amount of light can be changed to an arbitrary amount only in a specific portion of the sample 111 with respect to a change in the observation image due to a change in the sample 111 or the like. In particular, in the multiple excitation observation, it is possible to change the light amount of the fluorescent light from a specific region to a desired light amount, for example, by changing the light amount of the excitation light irradiated according to the region.

Third Embodiment The present embodiment is directed to another microscope provided with an illumination device. FIG. 7 schematically shows the configuration of a microscope according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, members indicated by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 are the same members, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the microscope 300 according to the present embodiment, the light amount detection unit detects an amount of illumination light from the illumination unit 120 toward the specimen 111 and an observation that detects the amount of observation light. It has a light detection system. The illumination light detection system has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and includes a beam splitter 124, a converging lens 125, and a photoelectric conversion device 126. The observation light detection system has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment, and includes a beam splitter 224, a converging lens 225, and a photoelectric conversion device 226. The control unit 127 controls the illumination unit 120 based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit, that is, the electric signal output from the photoelectric conversion device 126 and the electric signal output from the photoelectric conversion device 226. That is, the control unit 127 changes the illumination time based on the detected light amount of the illumination light and the detected light amount of the observation light. Further, if necessary, the control unit 127 controls the light source 123 based on the detected light amount of the illumination light and the detected light amount of the observation light. The method of controlling the illumination unit 120 and the light source 123 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a change in the amount of illumination light from the light source 123 due to an external factor such as a temperature change, a voltage change, or an optical axis shift is detected by the illumination unit 120 (e.g. 120A). In addition, similarly to the second embodiment, a change in the amount of observation light (fluorescence) from the specimen 111 can be corrected by the illumination unit 120 (for example, the digital micromirror device 120A). Furthermore, it is possible to simultaneously correct the change in the amount of illumination light and the change in the amount of observation light (fluorescence).

Fourth Embodiment This embodiment is directed to another microscope equipped with an illumination device. FIG. 8 schematically shows a configuration of a microscope according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, members indicated by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 7 are similar members, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the microscope 400 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the observation optical system of the microscope 300 of the third embodiment is changed to a confocal optical system. For this reason, in the microscope 400 of this embodiment, the observation optical system includes a pinhole 428 and a relay lens 429 in addition to the configuration of the microscope 300 of the third embodiment. The pinhole 428 is located on the intermediate image plane of the observation optical system, and is arranged in a confocal positional relationship with respect to the observation point in the sample 111. The relay lens 429 transmits the image formed by the imaging lens 115 to another position on the rear side. The other configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment, and therefore the control method of the control unit 127 is exactly the same as that of the third embodiment.

  This embodiment has the same advantages as the third embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the light source 123 is configured by a laser, the amount of laser light irradiated on the specimen 111 can be corrected. As a result, it is not necessary to wait for a long time until the laser oscillation stabilizes, and the influence of ripples and the like can be eliminated.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also good.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the two-dimensional illumination element that is the illumination unit 120 is configured by a digital micromirror device, but the two-dimensional illumination element may be configured by a liquid crystal element. The liquid crystal element includes a plurality of cells arranged in a matrix, for example. Each of the plurality of cells can independently control transmission / blocking of incident illumination light. The illuminating unit 120 formed of a liquid crystal element is a transmission type, and permits or prohibits the propagation of illumination light to the specimen 111 by switching between transmission and blocking of the illumination light beam in units of cells. The liquid crystal element can be controlled in the same way as the control of the digital micromirror device 120A. As a result, similar to the digital micromirror device 120A, the specimen 111 can be illuminated with a constant amount of light. Furthermore, as in the first modification, the photoelectric conversion device 126 is configured with a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector, so that the two-dimensional light amount distribution of the illumination light beam transmitted through the liquid crystal element can be adjusted in units of cells. . In other words, the illumination time of the illumination light can be adjusted in units of the two-dimensional light amount distribution. In the above-described embodiment, the microscope for fluorescence observation is described, but the type of microscope is not limited to this. The microscope may be another type of microscope. For example, the microscope may be a normal reflection microscope or a normal transmission microscope. In that case, the technical idea of the present invention can be applied as it is simply by changing the observation light into reflected light and transmitted light, respectively.

Conclusion The present invention is directed, in part, to an illumination device for a microscope, and includes the illumination devices listed in the following sections.

  1. The illumination device of the present invention is detected by a light source for emitting illumination light, an illumination unit for illuminating a specimen with illumination light from the light source, a light amount detection unit for detecting the amount of light, and a light amount detection unit And a controller that controls the illumination unit based on the amount of light.

  2. In another illumination device of the present invention, in the first item, the control unit controls the illumination unit so as to illuminate the sample intermittently.

  3. In another illumination device of the present invention, in the second item, the control unit changes the illumination time based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit.

  4). In another lighting device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the control unit controls the lighting unit to start lighting at a constant cycle.

  5). In another illumination device of the present invention, the light source is configured by a mercury lamp in the first item.

  6). In another illumination device of the present invention, the light source is configured by a halogen lamp in the first item.

  7). In another illumination device of the present invention, the light source is configured by an LED in the first item.

  8). In another illumination device of the present invention, the light source is configured by a laser in the first item.

  9. Another illuminating device of the present invention is an infrared light source that emits infrared light in the first item.

  10. Another illuminating device of the present invention is an ultraviolet light source that emits ultraviolet light in the first item.

  11. Another illumination device of the present invention includes the illumination light detection system according to the first item, wherein the light amount detection unit detects the amount of illumination light directed from the illumination unit toward the sample.

  12 Another illumination device according to the present invention includes the observation light detection system according to the first item, wherein the light amount detection unit detects the light amount of the observation light.

  13. Another illumination device of the present invention is the illumination device according to the first item, wherein the light amount detection unit detects the amount of illumination light directed from the illumination unit toward the sample, and the observation light detection system detects the amount of observation light. It has.

  14 In another illumination device according to the present invention, in the first item, the light amount detection unit is configured by a photomultiplier tube.

  15. In another illumination device of the present invention, in the first item, the light amount detection unit is configured by a photodiode.

  16. Another illumination device of the present invention is the illumination device according to the first item, wherein the illumination unit includes a two-dimensional illumination element that illuminates the sample with illumination light having a two-dimensional light amount distribution.

  17. In another illuminating device of the present invention, the two-dimensional illuminating element is constituted by a digital micromirror device in the sixteenth item.

  18. In another illumination device according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the two-dimensional illumination element is configured by a liquid crystal element.

  19. Another illuminating device of the present invention is the illumination device according to the sixteenth aspect, wherein the light amount detection unit includes a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector for detecting a two-dimensional light amount distribution.

  20. In another illuminating device of the present invention, the two-dimensional light quantity detecting element is constituted by a CCD in item 19.

  21. In another illuminating device of the present invention, the two-dimensional light quantity detecting element according to the nineteenth aspect is composed of a CMOS.

  22. In another illumination device of the present invention, in the first item, the control unit controls the illumination unit so as to keep the amount of illumination light constant.

  23. In another illuminating device of the present invention, in the nineteenth aspect, the control unit controls the illuminating unit so as to keep the amount of illumination light constant.

  24. In another illumination device of the present invention, in the first item, the control unit controls the illumination unit so as to arbitrarily change the amount of illumination light.

  25. In another illumination device according to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the control unit controls the illumination unit so as to arbitrarily change the amount of illumination light.

  26. In another illuminating device of the present invention, in the first item, the control unit controls the illuminating unit so that the amount of fluorescent light generated from the specimen is kept constant.

  27. In another illuminating device of the present invention, in the nineteenth aspect, the control unit controls the illuminating unit so that the amount of fluorescence generated from the specimen is kept constant.

  28. In another illumination device of the present invention, in the first item, the observation optical system of the microscope is configured by a confocal optical system, the light source is configured by a laser, and the control unit keeps the amount of laser light constant. Control the lighting unit.

  29. In another illuminating device of the present invention, the observation optical system of the microscope is configured with a confocal optical system, the light source is configured with a laser, and the control unit keeps the amount of laser light constant. Control the lighting unit.

  One aspect of the present invention is directed to a microscope provided with an illumination device, and includes a microscope listed in the following sections.

  30. The microscope of the present invention includes an illumination device, and the illumination device includes a light source for emitting illumination light, an illumination unit for illuminating the sample with illumination light from the light source, and a light amount detection for detecting the amount of light. And a control unit that controls the illumination unit based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit.

  31. In another embodiment of the microscope according to the present invention, in the item 30, the control unit controls the illumination unit to illuminate the sample intermittently, and changes the illumination time based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit.

  32. Another microscope according to the present invention is the microscope according to item 30, wherein the light amount detection unit includes an illumination light detection system that detects the amount of illumination light directed from the illumination unit toward the sample.

  33. Another microscope of the present invention is the microscope according to item 30, wherein the light amount detection unit includes an observation light detection system for detecting the light amount of the observation light.

  34. Another microscope of the present invention is the microscope according to item 30, wherein the light amount detection unit includes an illumination light detection system that detects the amount of illumination light directed from the illumination unit toward the sample, and an observation light detection system that detects the light amount of the observation light. I have.

  35. Another microscope of the present invention is the microscope according to item 30, wherein the illumination unit includes a two-dimensional illumination element that illuminates the sample with illumination light having a two-dimensional light amount distribution.

  36. Another microscope according to the present invention is the microscope according to item 35, wherein the light amount detection unit includes a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector for detecting a two-dimensional light amount distribution.

  37. In another 30th aspect of the present invention, in the thirty-third aspect, the control unit controls the illumination unit so that the amount of illumination light is kept constant.

  38. In another 30th aspect of the present invention, in the thirtieth aspect, the control unit controls the illumination unit so as to arbitrarily change the amount of illumination light.

  39. In another embodiment of the microscope according to the present invention, in the item 30, the control unit controls the illumination unit so that the amount of fluorescent light generated from the specimen is kept constant.

  The present invention is directed, in part, to a method for illuminating a specimen observed with a microscope, and includes the illumination methods listed in the following sections.

  40. The illumination method of the present invention intermittently illuminates a specimen with illumination light, detects the light amount of at least one of the illumination light and the observation light, and changes the illumination time based on the detected light amount.

  41. In another 40th aspect of this invention, the illumination method detects the light quantity of illumination light in 40th term, and changes illumination time based on the detected light quantity of illumination light.

  42. In another illuminating method of the present invention, in item 40, the amount of observation light is detected, and the illumination time is changed based on the detected amount of observation light.

  43. In another 40th aspect of the present invention, in the forty-second aspect, the amount of illumination light and the amount of observation light are detected, and the illumination time is changed based on the detected amount of illumination light and amount of observation light.

  44. In another illuminating method of the present invention, the specimen is illuminated with illumination light having a two-dimensional light amount distribution in the item 40.

  45. Another illumination method of the present invention is the illumination method according to item 44, wherein the two-dimensional light amount distribution of at least one of the illumination light and the observation light is detected, and the illumination time of the illumination light is determined based on the detected two-dimensional light amount distribution. Change in units.

  46. Another illumination method of the present invention changes the illumination time in Section 40 so as to keep the amount of illumination light constant.

  47. In another illuminating method of the present invention, in the forty-second aspect, the illumination time is changed so as to arbitrarily change the amount of illumination light.

  48. In another 40th aspect of the present invention, in the forty-second aspect, the amount of fluorescence generated from the specimen is controlled so as to be kept constant.

1 schematically shows a configuration of a microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The digital micromirror device which is an illumination part shown by FIG. 1 is shown typically. The timing for switching on and off the micromirror of the digital micromirror device is shown. It is a flowchart of control of a digital micromirror device. The control of digital micromirror device 120A by this modification is typically shown. The structure of the microscope of 2nd embodiment of this invention is shown roughly. The structure of the microscope of 3rd embodiment of this invention is shown roughly. The structure of the microscope of 4th embodiment of this invention is shown roughly.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Microscope, 110 ... Stage, 111 ... Sample, 112 ... Objective lens, 113 ... Dichroic mirror, 114 ... Absorption filter, 115 ... Imaging lens, 116 ... Prism, 117 ... Eyepiece, 118 ... Excitation filter, 119 ... Field of view Aperture projection lens, 120 ... illumination unit, 120A ... digital micromirror device, 120a ... micromirror, 121 ... reflecting mirror, 122 ... collector lens, 123 ... light source, 124 ... beam splitter, 125 ... converging lens, 126 ... photoelectric conversion device , 126A, a two-dimensional light amount distribution detector, 126a, a minute light amount detection unit, 127, a control unit, 131, an illumination light beam, 132, a retracting optical axis, 151, an electric signal, 152, a minute mirror control signal, 153, a minute mirror 200, microscope, 224, beam splitter, 22 ... converging lens, 226 ... photoelectric conversion device, 300 ... microscope, 400 ... microscope, 428 ... pin hole, 429 ... relay lens.

Claims (5)

An illumination device for a microscope,
A light source for emitting illumination light;
An illumination unit for illuminating the specimen with illumination light from a light source;
A light amount detection unit for detecting the light amount;
A lighting device comprising: a control unit that controls the lighting unit based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit.   The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the illumination unit to illuminate the sample intermittently.   The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination unit includes a two-dimensional illumination element that illuminates the sample with illumination light having a two-dimensional light amount distribution. A microscope equipped with an illumination device, the illumination device emits illumination light, and a light source,
An illumination unit for illuminating the specimen with illumination light from a light source;
A light amount detection unit for detecting the light amount;
A microscope comprising: a control unit that controls the illumination unit based on the light amount detected by the light amount detection unit.   A method for illuminating a specimen observed by a microscope, illuminating the specimen intermittently with illumination light, detecting the light quantity of at least one of the illumination light and the observation light, and changing the illumination time based on the detected light quantity, Lighting method.

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