JP2006071873A - Microscope epi-illumination lighting device and microscope equipped with same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microscope epi-illumination lighting device designed such that a diaphragm diameter is variable, easy handling and a cost reduction are achieved, an amount of illuminating light for observation in a dark view field is obtained to the maximum, and a specimen with no recess and projection is easily focused, and to provide a microscope equipped with the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The microscope epi-illumination lighting device includes: an illuminating optical system for emitting light from a light source 11 to a specimen S; and an observing optical system for condensing an observation image of the specimen S via an objective lens 6. The microscope epi-illumination lighting device is provided with a diaphragm device 15 having a vane diaphragm 21 for adjusting the luminous flux diameter of the illuminating optical system within the microscope epi-illumination lighting device 1, and adapted to selectively position the vane diaphragm 21 in a conjugating position P1 or P2 for the optical path of the illuminating optical system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an epi-illumination device used for a microscope, for example, and a microscope including the same.

Conventionally, a Koehler illumination optical system capable of performing bright illumination without unevenness has been used as an illumination optical system of a microscope. This Koehler illumination optical system includes a stop and a field stop so that the numerical aperture and field of illumination can be changed independently.
The stop is located at a conjugate position between the illumination light source and the back focal point of the objective lens, and adjusts the amount of light by adjusting the aperture diameter, and increases the resolution and contrast by changing the aperture angle of the illumination. There is work.
On the other hand, the field stop is arranged at a position conjugate with the sample, and has the function of removing the flare by blocking extra light on the observation by adjusting the stop diameter, thereby increasing the contrast. In addition, when observing a sample with less surface irregularities such as a mirror surface by epi-illumination, the aperture of the field stop is made smaller than the field of view and focusing on the image of the field stop makes it easy to focus on the surface of the sample. Can be matched.

However, in the field illumination, the field stop suppresses the occurrence of flare by passing illumination light through the optical system such as the objective lens, and the effect of the field stop is reduced because the decrease in contrast due to this flare is slight. Often not used much. In addition, in the epi-illumination apparatus capable of dark field observation, the dark field light beam diameter is the largest at the field stop position, so that the light beam is blocked by the field stop, and the dark field illumination light quantity may be reduced.
In view of this, an epi-illumination device has been proposed in which a stop for focusing is provided in a field stop position so as to be detachable (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This uses an opaque aperture formed as an aperture for focusing, or a transparent substrate. As a result, it is possible to reduce blades and other components constituting the diaphragm, and it is possible to easily perform focusing when observing a sample having no unevenness.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-42225 (FIG. 1)

  However, the conventional epi-illumination device has the following problems. In other words, since the conventional epi-illumination apparatus uses a fixed diaphragm, when focusing with a TV camera, a digital still camera, or the like having a different image pickup device size, a fixed diaphragm having an opening diameter corresponding to each of them. Must be prepared. Further, when the focus is confirmed by using a flaw on the surface of the sample after focusing with the field stop, it is necessary to remove the fixed stop from the illumination optical path, so that the operation is complicated. Furthermore, since the aperture parts appear as an observation image, it is required that the finish itself is clean and that no dust adheres to it when using a transparent substrate. The cost is also high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a microscope epi-illumination device that has a variable aperture diameter, is easy to handle, and can reduce costs, and a microscope including the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a microscope epi-illumination device capable of ensuring the maximum amount of illumination light in dark field observation and a microscope including the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a microscope epi-illumination device that can easily perform focusing on a sample having no unevenness and a microscope including the same.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. That is, a microscope epi-illumination apparatus according to the present invention includes a microscope epi-illumination apparatus that includes an illumination optical system that irradiates a sample with light from a light source and an observation optical system that condenses an observation image of the sample via an objective lens. In the microscopic epi-illumination apparatus, the diaphragm has a position conjugate with the sample in the optical path of the illumination optical system and a position conjugate with the light source. A diaphragm device that is selectively positioned between the two is provided.

In the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention, the diaphragm is positioned at a position conjugate with the sample, and the end of the opening is focused, thereby focusing on the sample. Then, the diaphragm is positioned at a position conjugate with the light source to adjust the amount of light from the light source, and the resolution and contrast are increased by adjusting the opening angle of the illumination. Here, the diaphragm can be selectively positioned between a position conjugate with the sample and a position conjugate with the light source, so that it is not necessary to separately provide a field diaphragm that is not frequently used. Thereby, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.
Moreover, it can be set as a desired opening shape by an observer changing suitably the opening shape of a diaphragm | throttle device. This makes it easy to focus on the end of the aperture by reducing the aperture when the aperture is positioned at a position conjugate with the sample. Furthermore, by using the opening for focusing, there is no influence of adhesion of dust and the like, and handling is easy. Then, after focusing on the end of the opening, when the focus is confirmed by a scratch on the surface of the sample, it is possible to quickly find a scratch or the like by enlarging the opening.
In addition, when a plurality of cameras having different image sensor sizes are used, it is possible to represent the image in the field of view by appropriately narrowing or opening the aperture, which is excellent in system performance. Furthermore, since the field stop is not provided, the dark field illumination light quantity can be secured to the maximum.

Further, the epi-illumination device for a microscope according to the present invention is such that the diaphragm device has the diaphragm as a rotation axis with a midpoint between a position conjugate with the sample and a position conjugate with the light source on the optical path of the illumination optical system. It is preferable to provide a rotation mechanism for rotating the.
In the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention, the diaphragm is rotated about the midpoint between the position conjugate with the sample and the position conjugate with the light source by the rotation mechanism, so that the diaphragm is conjugated with the sample, the light source, The position is selectively located at a conjugate position. Therefore, the diaphragm device does not protrude from the microscope when the position conjugate with the sample and the position conjugate with the light source are selected.

In addition, the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention is configured such that the diaphragm device includes the illumination optical system between the position conjugate with the sample on the optical path of the illumination optical system and the position conjugate with the light source. It is preferable that a slide mechanism that can slide along the optical path of the system is provided.
In the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention, the diaphragm is moved between the position conjugate with the sample and the position conjugate with the light source by the slide mechanism, so that the position of the diaphragm is conjugate with the sample and the position conjugate with the light source. It will be located selectively. Accordingly, as described above, the aperture device does not protrude from the microscope when the position conjugate with the sample and the position conjugate with the light source are selected.

Further, the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention is an urging mechanism in which the diaphragm device urges the diaphragm from a position conjugate with the sample on the optical path of the illumination optical system toward a position conjugate with the light source. It is preferable to provide.
In the microscopic epi-illumination device according to the present invention, the diaphragm is positioned at a position conjugate with the sample to focus on the sample. Here, since the diaphragm is urged by the urging mechanism, the diaphragm can be easily positioned from the position conjugate with the sample to the position conjugate with the light source, so that an operation error can be surely prevented. .

Moreover, the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention includes a positioning mechanism in which the diaphragm device positions the diaphragm between a position conjugate with the sample and a position conjugate with the light source on the optical path of the illumination optical system. It is preferable to provide.
In the microscope epi-illumination device according to the present invention, the stop is positioned and held between a position conjugate with the sample and a position conjugate with the light source, so that, for example, it is adjusted to a position conjugate with an objective lens having a different back focal point. Thus, the objective lens performance can be maximized.

Moreover, the microscope concerning this invention is provided with the above-mentioned microscope epi-illumination device.
In the microscope according to the present invention, the cost can be reduced as described above. In addition, it is possible to ensure the maximum amount of illumination light in dark field observation. Furthermore, it is possible to easily focus on a sample having no unevenness.

According to the microscope epi-illumination apparatus of the present invention and the microscope equipped with the same, the diaphragm can be selectively positioned between the position conjugate with the sample and the position conjugate with the light source in the microscope epi-illumination apparatus. Since it is not necessary to separately provide a field stop with a low frequency, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.
In addition, by appropriately changing the aperture shape of the aperture device, the aperture is positioned at a position conjugate with the sample, and the aperture is made smaller so that the end of the aperture can be easily focused. After that, when the focus is confirmed by a scratch on the sample surface or the like, it is possible to quickly find a scratch or the like by enlarging the opening. Furthermore, by using the opening for focusing, there is no influence of adhesion of dust and the like, and handling is easy.
In addition, when a plurality of cameras having different image sensor sizes are used, the aperture shape of the diaphragm is variable, so that the system performance is excellent. Furthermore, since the field stop is not provided, the dark field illumination light quantity can be secured to the maximum.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an epi-illumination device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microscope including an epi-illumination device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 shows the diaphragm device of FIG. 1, (a) is an upper sectional view, and (b) is (a). Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 shows the diaphragm device as in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 2 (a). 4 is a side view showing an operation state of the rotating shaft of FIG.

The epi-illumination device 1 according to the present embodiment is bright-field illumination and is used in a microscope 2 as shown in FIG.
The microscope 2 includes a microscope main body 3, a stage 4 on which the sample S is placed, an epi-illumination device 1 that is provided in the illumination device housing portion 5 of the microscope main body 3 and irradiates the sample S with illumination light, and an epi-illumination device. 1 is an objective lens 6 that is attached to the microscope main body 3 and collects an observation image of the sample S, an eyepiece 7 that an observer observes, and an aiming handle that adjusts the focus by the objective lens 6 (illustrated). And a stroke handle (not shown) for changing the relative position of the sample S and the objective lens 6.

The epi-illumination apparatus 1 includes a light source 11, a collector lens 12 that collects illumination light from the light source 11, an objective lens 6, a field lens 13, a half mirror 14, a conjugate position P1 of the light source 11, and a sample S. And the diaphragm device 15 capable of selectively installing the conjugate position P2.
Here, on the illumination system optical path A <b> 1 from the light source 11, a collector lens 12, an aperture device 15, a field lens 13, a half mirror 14, and an objective lens 6 are arranged in order from the side closer to the light source 11. Further, on the observation system optical path A2 from the sample S, the objective lens 6, the half mirror 14, and the eyepiece lens 7 are arranged in order from the side closer to the sample S.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the diaphragm device 15 includes a diaphragm body 22 having a blade diaphragm (diaphragm) 21 therein, an operation unit 23 for adjusting the opening diameter of the blade diaphragm 21, and conjugate positions P1 and P2. And a rotating shaft (rotating mechanism) 24 for rotating the diaphragm device 15 about the intermediate position P3.

The diaphragm main body 22 is arranged at a position where the blade diaphragm 21 is perpendicular to the illumination system optical path A1 and coincides with the conjugate position P1. The diaphragm main body 22 includes a protruding portion 25 formed at one end so as to protrude from the conjugate position P1 toward P2 in a direction parallel to the illumination system optical path A1. A through hole 25 </ b> A that is inserted through the rotary shaft 24 is formed at the center of the protruding portion 25.
The blade stop 21 is disposed at a position where the illumination system optical path A1 passes through the center of the opening.

  The operation unit 23 is located outside the illumination device housing part 5 through a U-shaped hole 26 formed in the side wall 5A from one end facing the side wall 5A of the illumination device housing unit 5 of the diaphragm main body 22 toward the side wall 5A. The blade aperture 21 is opened and closed by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) provided inside the aperture device main body 22 by pushing and pulling the aperture device main body 22. ing.

The rotating shaft 24 is a substantially cylindrical member inserted through a through hole 27 formed at a position that coincides with the intermediate position P3 of the side wall 5A, and has a flange portion at one end located inside the lighting device housing portion 5. 24A is formed and the other end is a small diameter portion 24B. The projecting portion 25 is sandwiched by the flange portion 24 </ b> A, the resin spacer 28, and the disc spring 29 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 24. The diaphragm main body 22 is in contact with the rotary shaft 24 by a notch 24C formed in the flange portion 24A, and the throttle main body 22 is positioned at the conjugate position P1 and the conjugate position P2 by the rotation of the rotary shaft 24. It is configured to be able to.
A knob 30 is fitted and inserted into the small diameter portion 24B of the rotary shaft 24 so as to sandwich the side wall 5A. In the radial direction of the knob 30, a tap 30A into which the screw 31 is inserted is formed.

  Further, on the inner surface of the bottom wall 5B of the illumination device housing portion 5, stopper pins 32 and 33 for positioning the blade diaphragm 21 at the conjugate positions P1 and P2 are provided.

Next, the observation method of the sample S using the microscope 2 provided with the epi-illumination device 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the sample S is placed on the stage 4. Then, from the state where the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P1, the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2 as follows.

  When the knob 30 is rotated in the direction of the arrow X1 shown in FIG. 3 (b), as shown in FIG. 4 (a), as shown in FIG. 4 (b) via a position deviated from the illumination system optical path A1. Then, the diaphragm stop 21 comes into contact with the stopper pin 33 again at the conjugate position P2 where the blade stop 21 is perpendicular to the illumination system optical path A1, and the stop body 22 is positioned and fixed. At this time, the operation unit 23 moves along the U-shaped hole 26. Further, since the rotary shaft 24 is backlashed by the elastic force of the disc spring 29 and the resin spacer 28, the knob 30 can be rotated smoothly.

Next, the opening of the blade diaphragm 21 is reduced by pushing and pulling the operation unit 23 with respect to the diaphragm main body 22, and the end of the opening of the blade diaphragm 21 is adjusted by appropriately adjusting the focusing handle of the microscope 2. Focus on. Further, the aperture of the blade diaphragm 21 is enlarged, and the focus is confirmed using a scratch on the surface of the sample S or the like.
Subsequently, the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned from the conjugate position P2 to the conjugate position P1 by the same procedure as described above. Then, the operation unit 23 is appropriately pushed and pulled with respect to the diaphragm device body 22 to adjust the opening of the blade diaphragm 21, adjust the light amount from the light source 11, and adjust the opening angle of illumination. Increase image and contrast. The sample S is observed as described above.

According to the epi-illumination device 1 configured as described above and the microscope 2 including the same, the blade diaphragm 21 is selectively positioned by rotating around the axis of the rotation shaft 24 with respect to the conjugate positions P1 and P2. Can do. As a result, it is not necessary to separately provide a field stop having a low use frequency, and the number of parts can be reduced to achieve cost.
Further, by not providing the field stop, the dark field light flux is not blocked and the dark field illumination light quantity can be secured to the maximum. This enables bright dark field observation.
In addition, the observer can change the opening shape of the blade diaphragm 21 as appropriate, and when the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2, the opening is made small so that the end of the opening is focused. It becomes easy. Then, after the focus adjustment using the opening, it is possible to quickly find a scratch on the surface of the sample S by enlarging the opening.

  Further, the blade stop 21 is selectively positioned between the conjugate positions P1 and P2 in the microscope epi-illumination device by rotating around the axis of the rotary shaft 24, and the illumination device is rotated when the blade stop 21 rotates. It does not protrude from the accommodating part 5. Thereby, the space which the microscope 2 occupies by the structure which implement | achieves this invention does not increase. In addition, since the blade diaphragm 21 is built in the lighting device housing portion 5 and dust and the like are suppressed from being attached, handling is facilitated.

  Next, a second embodiment of the epi-illumination device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, FIG. 5 shows the diaphragm device, (a) is an upper cross-sectional view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the CC line in (a), and FIG. 6 is a side view showing the diaphragm device as in FIG. FIG.

  The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the diaphragm device 15 of the epi-illumination apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment rotates around the axis of the intermediate position P3, thereby causing the positions of the conjugate positions P1, P2. Is selected, the diaphragm device 50 of the epi-illumination apparatus according to the second embodiment slides between the conjugate positions P1 and P2 along the illumination system optical path A1 to thereby change the conjugate positions P1 and P2. The point is that the position is selected.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the diaphragm device 50 is arranged such that the blade diaphragm 21 is perpendicular to the illumination system optical path A1 and coincides with the conjugate position P1. The aperture device 50 includes an aperture device main body 51 having a blade aperture 21 therein and an operation unit 23.

The diaphragm main body 51 is formed with a dovetail groove (sliding mechanism) 51A slidably engaged with a male ant (sliding mechanism) 56, which will be described later, at one end facing the side wall 52B of the illumination device housing 52, and the side wall 52A. A lever 53 protrudes from one end facing the line.
The tip of the lever 53 protrudes to the outside of the lighting device housing portion 52 through a guide hole 54 formed in a side wall 52A of the lighting device housing portion 52 described later.
Similar to the lever 53, the operation portion 23 has its tip protruding outside the illumination device housing portion 52 through a guide hole 55 formed in a side wall 52A of the illumination device housing portion 52 described later.

A guide hole 55 that is a through hole is formed on the side wall 52A of the illumination device housing 52 so as to coincide with the operation unit 23 and at a position parallel to the conjugate positions P1 and P2, and coincide with the lever 53, and to the conjugate positions P1 and P2. A guide hole 54 that is also a through hole is formed at a position parallel to the guide hole 54.
Further, a male ant 56 that engages with the dovetail groove 51A and is slidable with the diaphragm main body 51 is provided on the side wall 52B of the illumination device accommodating portion 52 at a position overlapping the conjugate positions P1 and P2 in a top view. Yes.
At both ends of the male ant 56, screw holes to be screwed with the screws 58 and (57) are formed. By screwing the screws 58 and (57), the male ant 56 is attached and fixed to the side wall 52B. Become.
The heads 57 </ b> A and 58 </ b> A of the screws 58 and (57) project on the inner surface of the illumination device housing portion 52 and are configured to position the diaphragm device 50.

Next, a method for observing the sample S using a microscope including the epi-illumination device configured as described above will be described.
First, similarly to the first embodiment described above, the sample S is placed on the stage 4. Then, from the state where the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P1, the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2 as follows.

When the lever 53 is slid in the arrow X2 direction shown in FIG. 6, the dovetail groove 51 </ b> A slides on the male ant 56. Then, the diaphragm main body 51 contacts the head 58A of the screw 58, and the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned and fixed at the conjugate position P2.
Thereafter, the sample S is observed by the same procedure. Here, when the lever 53 is slid in the direction opposite to the arrow X2, the diaphragm main body 51 comes into contact with the head 57A of the screw (57), and the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned and fixed at the conjugate position P1.

  The epi-illumination device configured as described above has the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment described above.

  Next, a third embodiment of the epi-illumination device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, FIG. 7 shows a diaphragm device, (a) is an upper sectional view, (b) is a sectional view taken along the line DD in (a), and FIG. 8 is a conjugate position of the diaphragm device as in FIG. It is an upper section showing the state located in P2.

  The difference between the third embodiment and the second embodiment is that the diaphragm device 50 of the epi-illumination device in the second embodiment is located at the conjugate position P2 by sliding the lever 53 from the conjugate position P2 to P1. While the blade diaphragm 21 is moved, the diaphragm device 60 of the epi-illumination device in the third embodiment moves the blade diaphragm 21 located at the conjugate position P2 by the tension spring (biasing mechanism) 61. It is a point.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the aperture device 60 is arranged at a position that is perpendicular to the illumination system optical path A1 and coincides with the conjugate position P1. The diaphragm device 60 includes a diaphragm device main body 62 having a blade diaphragm 21 therein, an operation unit 23, and a linear guide movable that enables the diaphragm device main body 62 to move in a direction parallel to the illumination system optical path A1. Part 63.

  The diaphragm main body 62 has a movable base (sliding mechanism) 66 of a linear guide movable portion 63 (described later) attached and fixed to one end of the illumination device accommodating portion 52 facing the side wall 52B by screws 64 and 65, and the side wall 52A. A lever 53 protrudes from one end facing the line.

The linear guide movable portion 63 includes a movable base 66, a rail (sliding mechanism) 67 that can slide on the movable base 66 and guides the movable base 66, and a tension spring that applies a spring force to the movable base 66. 61.
The cross section of the movable table 66 has a substantially U-shaped shape.
The rail 67 is disposed on the side wall 52B of the lighting device housing 52 from the conjugate position P1 to the conjugate position P2 when viewed from above, and is fixedly attached by screws 69 and (68).
The heads 68A and 69A of the screws 69 and (68) are provided so as to protrude from the inner surface of the illuminating device housing 52, and the vane diaphragm 21 is moved to the conjugate positions P1 and P2 by the movable base 66 coming into contact therewith. It is comprised so that it may each be located in.

  The tension spring 61 is arranged so that its expansion / contraction direction is parallel to the illumination system optical path A 1, one end on the light source 11 side is attached and fixed to the side wall 52 B by a spring hook 70, and the other end is fixed to the movable base 66 by a screw 64. It is fixed and attached to.

Next, a method for observing the sample S using a microscope including the epi-illumination device configured as described above will be described.
First, similarly to the first embodiment described above, the sample S is placed on the stage 4. Then, from the state where the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P1, the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2 as follows.

In FIG. 7A, when the lever 53 is slid in the direction of the conjugate position P2, as shown in FIG. 8, the movable base 66 slides on the rail 67 and comes into contact with the head 69A of the screw 69. 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2. At this time, the tension spring 61 is extended.
Thereafter, the sample S is observed by the same procedure. Here, by releasing the lever 53, the tension spring 61 biases the spring 53 from the conjugate position P2 toward the conjugate position P1, and the movable base 66 slides on the rail 67. Then, the movable base 66 comes into contact with the head 68A of the screw (68), and the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P1.

  The epi-illumination device configured as described above has the same functions and effects as those of the first or second embodiment described above, but is directed from the conjugate position P2 to the conjugate position P1 by the elastic force of the tension spring 61. Since the blade diaphragm 21 is biased, the blade diaphragm 21 can be reliably positioned at the conjugate position P1 if the observer releases the hand holding the lever 53. Therefore, an operation error is surely prevented.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the epi-illumination device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, FIG. 9 shows a diaphragm device, (a) is an upper cross-sectional view, (b) is an EE cross-sectional view in (a), and FIG. 10 shows the diaphragm device in the same manner as FIG. It is shown and it is a top sectional view showing the state where the diaphragm main part was located in engagement position P3.

  The difference between the fourth embodiment and the second embodiment is that the diaphragm device 60 of the epi-illumination device in the second embodiment moves the blade diaphragm 21 by sliding the diaphragm device body 51 on the male ant 56. The point is that the diaphragm device 80 of the epi-illumination device in the fourth embodiment slides the diaphragm device body 83 along a pair of shafts (sliding mechanisms) 81 and 82 inserted through the diaphragm device body 83.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the diaphragm device 80 is arranged at a position that is perpendicular to the illumination system optical path A1 and coincides with the conjugate position P1. The aperture device 80 includes an aperture device main body 83 including a blade aperture 21 therein, an operation unit 23, and a pair of shafts 81 and 82.

  The aperture device main body 83 is provided with through holes 83A and 83B through which shafts 81 and 82 can be inserted, respectively, in the lower part facing the side wall 52B of the illumination device housing 52. Further, a compression spring (positioning) in which a ball (positioning mechanism) 84 is attached to one end and the other end is fixed to the expansion device body 83 by a set screw 85 in the vicinity of the through hole 83A inside the expansion device body 83. Mechanism) 86 is provided.

The shafts 81 and 82 are fixedly attached to a fixture 87 provided on the side wall 52B by screws 88, respectively.
In the shaft 81, a V-shaped groove (positioning mechanism) 81A having a V-shaped cross section is formed at a position corresponding to the position P4 on the conjugate position P2 side in the vicinity of the conjugate position P1 in the illumination system optical path A1. . The V-shaped groove 81A, the ball 84, the compression spring 86, and the set screw 85 constitute a so-called plunger mechanism. When the V-shaped groove 81A and the ball 84 overlap in a plan view, the compression spring 86 causes the ball 84 to move. Is biased toward the V-shaped groove 81 </ b> A so that the V-shaped groove 81 </ b> A and the ball 84 are engaged to position the expansion device main body 83.

  Stopper pins 89 and 90 projecting from the side wall 52B toward the inner surface of the lighting device housing 52 are provided. The diaphragm device main body 83 is in contact with the stopper pins 89 and 90, so that the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned at the conjugate positions P1 and P2, respectively.

Next, a method for observing the sample S using a microscope including the epi-illumination device configured as described above will be described.
First, similarly to the first embodiment described above, the sample S is placed on the stage 4. Then, from the state where the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P1, the blade stop 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2 as follows.

In FIG. 9A, when the lever 53 is slid in the direction of the conjugate position P2, the diaphragm device body 83 slides along the shafts 81 and 82 and comes into contact with the stopper pin 90, and the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned at the conjugate position P2. Fixed.
Thereafter, the sample S is observed by the same procedure. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, when the blade diaphragm 21 reaches the engagement position P4, the V-shaped groove 81A and the ball 84 are engaged, and the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned and fixed at the engagement position P4.

  The epi-illumination device configured as described above has the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment described above, but includes the V-shaped groove 81A, the ball 84, the compression spring 86, and the set screw 85. When the blade diaphragm 21 is positioned and fixed at the engagement position P4 by the plunger mechanism, for example, when the objective lens 6 having a different rear focal point is used, it is easy to match the conjugate position, and the performance of the objective lens 6 is improved. It can be pulled out to the maximum.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the diaphragm device may include a centering mechanism.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the movement between each conjugate position of a blade aperture is performed manually, you may move by an electric mechanism using a motor or a solenoid, for example.
In the third embodiment, a biasing mechanism that biases toward the conjugate position P1 may be applied to the first embodiment.
In the fourth embodiment, a positioning mechanism that positions the blade stop between the conjugate positions P1 and P2 may be applied to the second or third embodiment.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B show a diaphragm device in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A is an upper cross-sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 2 shows the diaphragm device in FIG. 1, where (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2 (a), and (b) is a side view. It is a side view which shows the operation state of a rotating shaft. The diaphragm | throttle device in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is an upper sectional view, (b) is CC sectional view taken on the line in (a). It is a side view which shows the aperture_diaphragm | restriction apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The diaphragm | throttle device in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is an upper sectional view, (b) is the DD sectional view in (a). FIG. 10 is a top sectional view showing a diaphragm device according to a third embodiment of the present invention and showing a state where a diaphragm device body is located at a conjugate position of a sample. The diaphragm | throttle device in the 4th Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is an upper cross-sectional view, (b) is the EE cross-sectional arrow view in (a). FIG. 10 is an upper cross-sectional view illustrating a diaphragm device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where a diaphragm device main body is located at an engagement position.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microscope epi-illumination device 2 Microscope 6 Objective lens 11 Light source 21 Blade stop (stop)
15, 50, 60, 80 Aperture device 24 Rotating shaft (Rotating mechanism)
51A Dovetail (slide mechanism)
56 male ant (slide mechanism)
61 Tension spring (biasing mechanism)
66 Movable stand (slide mechanism)
67 Rail (slide mechanism)
81, 82 Shaft (slide mechanism)
81A V-shaped groove (positioning mechanism)
84 balls (positioning mechanism)
86 Compression spring (positioning mechanism)
P1 conjugate position (position conjugate with sample)
P2 conjugate position (position conjugate with light source)
S sample

Claims (6)

In a microscope epi-illumination device comprising an illumination optical system that irradiates a sample with light from a light source and an observation optical system that condenses an observation image of the sample via an objective lens,
A diaphragm for adjusting a beam diameter of the illumination optical system, and the diaphragm is disposed between the position conjugate with the sample in the optical path of the illumination optical system and the position conjugate with the light source in the microscope incident illumination system; A microscope epi-illumination device comprising an aperture device that is selectively positioned.   The diaphragm device includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the diaphragm about a midpoint between a position conjugate with the sample and a position conjugate with the light source on the optical path of the illumination optical system. The microscope epi-illumination device according to claim 1.   A slide mechanism that allows the diaphragm to slide along the optical path of the illumination optical system between a position conjugate with the sample on the optical path of the illumination optical system and a position conjugate with the light source. The microscope epi-illumination device according to claim 1, comprising:   The said diaphragm | throttle device is provided with the urging mechanism which urges | biases the said diaphragm toward the position conjugate with the said light source from the position conjugate with the said sample on the optical path of the said illumination optical system. Or the microscope epi-illumination device according to 3.   4. The diaphragm device according to claim 3, further comprising a positioning mechanism that positions the diaphragm between a position conjugate with the sample and a position conjugate with the light source on the optical path of the illumination optical system. The microscope epi-illumination device described. A microscope comprising the microscope epi-illumination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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