JP2006171025A - Illumination apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform darkfield illumination with a simple configuration arranged with a surface light source near a sample. <P>SOLUTION: The illumination apparatus includes the surface light source 12 which emits white light with uniform luminance nearly symmetrically around an optical axis OA from each point of a light emitting surface 12a; a light shielding plate 10 which is formed of a member opaque to the light emitted by the surface light source 12 and shields the light with which the sample 8 is directly irradiated from the surface light source 12; and a cylindrical mirror 11 which reflects a part of the light emitted from the surface light source 12 by a reflecting surface 11a formed on an inner side face and illuminates the sample 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an illuminating device provided with a surface light source, and more particularly to an illuminating device suitable for application to a microscope.

  Conventionally, in an illumination device for an optical microscope, light emitted from each point of a white light source such as a halogen lamp is collected by a collector lens, and after passing through a field stop, an aperture stop, a diffusion plate, etc., is then collimated by a condenser lens. Koehler illumination is used to illuminate the sample by converting it into a light source. According to Koehler illumination, it is possible to illuminate the sample uniformly regardless of the emission intensity distribution of the light source.

  Such an illuminating device using Koehler illumination has a problem in that the configuration is complicated because various optical parts, mechanical parts, and the like are used, and it takes time and labor to assemble and adjust, and the manufacturing cost is high. In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed an illuminating device that illuminates a sample uniformly with a simple configuration using a fluorescent lamp having a flat light emitting surface as a surface light source (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this illuminating device, by arranging a light emitting surface that emits light at a wide angle and has a uniform light intensity distribution in the vicinity of the sample, the number of components is reduced and the bright field illumination is uniformly performed on the sample. Yes.

Japanese Patent No. 3194909

  However, in such an illumination device using a surface light source, a surface light source that emits light at a wide angle is disposed in the vicinity of the sample, and dark field illumination cannot be performed on the sample. In addition, it is difficult to shade a transparent sample. For example, when a transparent sample is observed with a stereomicroscope, the sample may not be recognized.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can perform dark field illumination on a sample with a simple configuration in which a surface light source is arranged in the vicinity of the sample, and variously for a transparent sample. An object of the present invention is to provide an illumination device that can be shaded and can always observe a sample with a stereomicroscope.

  In order to achieve the above object, an illumination device according to claim 1 of the present invention has a light emission surface of a predetermined size for emitting emitted light, and is perpendicular to the optical axis. A surface light source that emits illumination light at an emission angle within a predetermined range that is substantially rotationally symmetric, a sample disposed opposite to the light emission surface, and the light emission surface, and from the light emission surface to A light shielding means for shielding irradiation light directly irradiated on the sample, and a reflective illumination means that is disposed around the optical axis between the sample and the light exit surface and reflects the illumination light to illuminate the sample. And.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an illumination device having a light emission surface of a predetermined size for emitting emitted light, and a predetermined range substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to an optical axis perpendicular to the light emission surface. The surface light source that emits illumination light at an emission angle of: a sample that is disposed opposite to the light emission surface and the light emission surface, and the light within one plane including at least the optical axis Light directing means for limiting the transmission angle of light emitted from the light exit surface, and the illumination light that is disposed around the optical axis between the sample and the light directing means and that has passed through the light directing member is reflected. And reflective illumination means for illuminating the sample.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the illumination device is disposed between the sample and the light emission surface, and shields irradiation light directly irradiated on the sample from the light emission surface. A light shielding means is provided.

  The illumination device according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, a rotation driving means for rotating the light directing means around the optical axis is provided.

  In the illumination device according to claim 5 of the present invention, in the above invention, the light directing means is arranged in a plurality of layers along the optical axis, and the rotation driving means is arranged around the optical axis. The light directing means of at least one layer among the light directing means arranged in layers is rotated.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting device according to the above invention, further comprising a selection switching unit that holds the plurality of light directing units having different characteristics from each other and selectively switches each light directing unit. Features.

  In the illumination device according to claim 7 of the present invention, in the above invention, the light directing means is arranged in a plurality of layers along the optical axis, and the selection switching means is a light directing arranged in the plurality of layers. A plurality of light directing means having different characteristics are held for at least one layer of light directing means, and each light directing means is selectively switched.

  In the illumination device according to claim 8 of the present invention, in the above invention, the light directing means includes a plurality of similar hollow frustoconical opaque members in which circles on the bottom surface are arranged concentrically, And a transparent holding member for holding the opaque member.

  The lighting device according to claim 9 of the present invention is the lighting device according to the above invention, wherein the light directing means includes a plurality of similar hollow truncated pyramid-shaped opaque members arranged by overlapping each center of gravity of a polygon on the bottom surface. And a transparent holding member that holds the plurality of opaque members.

  In the illumination device according to claim 10 of the present invention, in the above invention, the light directing means includes a plurality of strip-like opaque members arranged in a wing plate shape, and a transparent member holding the plurality of opaque members. It is characterized by being formed by.

  The illumination device according to claim 11 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the light directing means is a louver film.

  The illuminating device according to claim 12 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the light shielding means is formed rotationally symmetric with respect to the optical axis in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. .

  In the illumination device according to claim 13 of the present invention, in the above invention, the light shielding means has different light shielding amounts for shielding the irradiation light in at least two directions orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. It is characterized by.

  In the illuminating device according to claim 14 of the present invention, in the above invention, the light shielding means is formed in an elliptical shape centered on the optical axis in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. To do.

  Further, in the illumination device according to claim 15 of the present invention, in the above invention, the reflection illumination unit forms an inner surface of a cylindrical surface along the optical axis as a reflection surface, and the illumination light is formed by the reflection surface. The sample is reflected to illuminate the sample.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the illumination device is mounted on a stereomicroscope.

  According to the illumination device of the present invention, dark field illumination can be performed on a sample with a simple configuration in which a surface light source is arranged in the vicinity of the sample, and various shades can be applied to a transparent sample. It is possible and the sample can always be observed with a stereomicroscope.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a lighting device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
First, the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the illumination device according to the first embodiment and a stereomicroscope equipped with the illumination device. The stereomicroscope shown in FIG. 1 includes a transmission illumination base 1 as a microscope base. The transmitted illumination base 1 includes a base portion 1a arranged horizontally and a column portion 1b provided upright on the base portion 1a. The sighting device 2 is inserted into the support column 1b, and in response to the operation of the sighting handle 12 provided on the side surface of the movable portion 2b, the movable portion 2b is moved along the fixed portion 2a by a built-in sighting mechanism (not shown). Move up and down. The zoom lens body 3 fixed to the movable part 2b, the objective lens 4 provided at the lower part of the zoom lens body 3, and the binocular tube 5 provided at the upper part of the zoom lens body 3 each have a lens system therein, and a sample. The light from 8 is condensed to form an image. The zoom lens body 3 drives the internal lens system in response to the operation of the zoom handle 13 provided on the side surface portion, and changes the imaging magnification of the image of the sample 8. The binocular tube 5 includes an eyepiece lens 6, and the spectroscope can observe the sample 8 through the eyepiece lens 6.

  The base portion 1a has an opening 1aa on the upper surface facing the objective lens 4, and a glass plate 7 as a transparent sample mounting plate on which the sample 8 is placed is fitted in the opening 1aa. . A surface light source 12, a light shielding plate 10, and a cylindrical mirror 11 constituting the illumination apparatus according to the first embodiment are arranged below the glass plate 7 and inside the base portion 1a. The disc-shaped surface light source 12 is disposed on the inner surface of the bottom of the transmissive illumination stand 1, and the disc-shaped light shielding plate 10 is a transparent resin plate supported by a support portion 1ac formed inside the base portion 1a. The cylindrical mirror 11 disposed on the upper surface portion 9 is fitted in a cylindrical hole 1ab inside the base portion 1a. The surface light source 12 is disposed so that the normal line standing at the center of the light emitting surface 12 a on the upper surface is the optical axis OA, and this optical axis OA coincides with the optical axis that is the central axis of the objective lens 4. The light shielding plate 10 is arranged so that the center line connecting the centers of the upper and lower surfaces coincides with the optical axis OA, and the cylindrical mirror 11 is arranged so that the central axis parallel to the cylindrical surface coincides with the optical axis OA. ing. In this way, the surface light source 12, the light shielding plate 10, and the cylindrical mirror 11 are arranged so as to form concentric circles centered on the optical axis OA when viewed from above the glass plate 7, as shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the surface light source 12, the light shielding plate 10, the cylindrical mirror 11, and the resin plate 9.

  In the drawings to be referred to, XY coordinate axes set for convenience with respect to the illumination device according to the present invention are shown. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in the illumination device and the stereomicroscope according to the first embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface corresponding to the left-right direction of the spectrograph is taken as the X axis, and the front-back direction of the spectrographer is supported. The left-right direction in the drawing is the Y axis.

  The surface light source 12 is realized using a fluorescent lamp, an LED, and the like, receives power supply from a power supply unit 12b connected to a commercial power supply, and is substantially symmetrically uniform from each point of the light emission surface 12a around the optical axis OA. White light is emitted with high brightness. The surface light source 12 may emit white light at a predetermined range of emission angles that are substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to at least the optical axis OA and are skewed. As such a surface light source 12, for example, at each point on the light exit surface 12a, the points on the light exit surface 12a are common apexes, and the apex angles are different so that the central axis is substantially parallel to the optical axis OA. A surface light source that emits light into a space between two cones and does not emit light in substantially the same direction as the optical axis OA may be used. Further, for example, the surface light source 12 may emit light that is inclined in one direction with respect to the optical axis OA, and rotate the surface light source 12 around the optical axis OA. The shape of the surface light source 12 is not limited to a disc shape, and may be a hollow disc shape, a rectangular flat plate shape, or the like. Further, the light emitted from the surface light source 12 is not limited to white light, and colored light such as red, green, and blue may be emitted.

  The light shielding plate 10 is a plate formed of a member that is opaque to the light emitted from the surface light source 12 and shields a part of the light emitted from the surface light source 12. In particular, the light shielding plate 10 shields light directly radiated from the surface light source 12 onto the sample 8, and shields light directly incident on the objective lens 4 from the surface light source 12 through the glass plate 7. The light shielding plate 10 is not limited to a plate but may be a sheet or a film. Further, the light shielding plate 10 may not be optically completely opaque. For example, the light shielding plate 10 may transmit light from the surface light source 12 with a predetermined transmittance like a density filter. May have a transmittance distribution. In addition, the shape of the upper and lower surfaces which are the light-shielding surface of the light-shielding plate 10 is not restricted circularly, and may be arbitrary shapes, such as an ellipse and a rectangle.

  The cylindrical mirror 11 illuminates the sample 8 by reflecting a part of the light emitted from the surface light source 12 by the reflecting surface 11a formed on the inner surface. The reflecting surface 11a is not limited to the cylindrical surface, and may be slightly inclined with respect to the optical axis OA as a truncated conical surface having a minute apex angle, for example. Further, the reflecting surface 11a is not limited to a uniform curved surface, and, for example, may be configured to diverge, converge, diffuse, etc. the reflected light as a surface that has been subjected to minute unevenness processing or the like on the entire surface. The outer shape of the cylindrical mirror 11 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be an arbitrary shape such as a rectangular tube shape.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the Y direction showing the illumination state of the sample 8. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, among the lights emitted from the point P1 on the light emission surface 12a, the emitted lights IL1-1 and IL1-2 having a large emission angle with respect to the optical axis OA are reflected by the reflection surface 11a. The reflected light illuminates the sample 8, and similarly, the emitted light in a range between the emitted light IL 1-1 and IL 1-2 illuminates the sample 8. On the other hand, out of the light emitted from the point P 1, the emitted light IL 2 emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 with a small emission angle is shielded by the light shielding plate 10. Thus, light emitted from each point on the light emission surface 12a is emitted at a large emission angle within a predetermined range, is reflected by the reflection surface 11a, illuminates the sample 8 as illumination light, and has a small emission angle. The light emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 is shielded by the light shielding plate 10. In FIG. 3, this state is illustrated in the cross section in the Y direction, but actually, it occurs rotationally symmetrically with the optical axis OA as the central axis.

  Here, as exemplified as the emitted lights IL1-1 and IL1-2, in the illumination device according to the first embodiment, the illumination light that illuminates the sample 8 is emitted from the objective lens 4 that receives the light from the sample 8. The sample 8 is illuminated at an incident angle larger than the angle corresponding to the numerical aperture. As a result, in this illumination device, it is possible to perform dark field illumination that illuminates the sample 8 with oblique light that does not directly enter the objective lens 4 and to shade the transparent sample 8. In this case, the objective lens 4 receives only scattered light and diffracted light generated by the sample 8 as light for observing the sample 8. However, in this illuminating device, light emitted from the surface light source 12 and directly incident on the objective lens 4 is generated as shown as the emitted light IL3 in FIG. In this case, the image of the sample 8 is observed. In order to avoid this, it is preferable that the size of the light exit surface 12a is small as long as the illumination of the sample 8 is not affected, and is preferably smaller than the light shielding surface of the light shielding plate 10.

  In the binocular stereomicroscope as shown in FIG. 1, generally, the image of the sample 8 is formed independently for the right eye and the left eye by two optical axes arranged in the X direction. When shadows occur in the image, the image of the sample 8 observed by the left and right eyes has different shadows and is difficult to observe. In order to avoid this problem, it is preferable not to generate a strong shadow in the X direction. For example, the light shielding surface of the light shielding plate 10 may be elliptical. According to this, the shadow generated in the X direction of the sample 8 can be weakened by making the minor axis of the ellipse parallel to the X direction and directly irradiating the sample 8 with light from the surface light source 12 to some extent. Further, for example, by using the light shielding plate 10 as a density filter, providing a transmittance distribution in at least the X direction within the light shielding surface, and increasing the light transmittance by increasing the transmittance of the light directly illuminating the sample 8 from the X direction, thereby increasing the light quantity The shadow generated in the X direction can be weakened. Note that these light shielding plates 10 may be arbitrarily rotated around the optical axis OA so that the shadow generated on the sample 8 can be changed around the optical axis OA.

  In the illuminating device according to the first embodiment described above, light emitted from the surface light source 12 with a large emission angle within a predetermined range is reflected by the reflecting surface 11a to illuminate the sample 8, and is small. Since the light emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 at the emission angle is shielded by the light-shielding plate 10, it is possible to perform dark field illumination on the sample 8 with a simple configuration and a transparent sample. 8 can be shaded. Further, for example, the shade in the X direction can be reduced by making the shape of the light shielding surface of the light shielding plate 10 oval or providing the transmittance distribution with the light shielding plate 10 as a density filter. Further, by rotating these light shielding plates 10, various shades can be changed around the optical axis OA.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the light emitted from the surface light source 12 so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 with a small emission angle is shielded by the light shielding plate 10, but in the second embodiment, the light shielding plate 10 Instead, a light directing member is used to block light directly irradiating the sample 8.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the illumination apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a partial configuration of a stereomicroscope. As shown in FIG. 4, the illumination device according to the second embodiment includes a light directing member 13 instead of the light shielding plate 10 and the resin plate 9 included in the illumination device according to the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

  The light directing member 13 is realized by a louver film. FIG. 5A is a perspective view schematically showing a partial configuration of the louver film that is the light directing member 13. As shown in FIG. 5A, the light directing member 13 is formed by a plurality of strip-like opaque members 13a arranged in a wing plate shape and a transparent holding member 13b holding the plurality of opaque members 13a. . The opaque member 13a is opaque to the light emitted from the surface light source 12, and the transparent holding member 13b is transparent to this light. The opaque member 13a is inclined with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the flat plate-like transparent holding member 13b as a whole.

  FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state of the illumination light when the light directing member 13 is illuminated by the surface light source 12. As shown in FIG. 5B, in the Y-direction cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the opaque member 13a, the light emitted from the point P2 on the light emission surface 12a passes through the gaps between the opaque members 13a. IL4-2 and IL4-3 are transmitted through the light directing member 13, and the emitted lights IL4-1, IL4-4 and IL4-5 intersecting the opaque member 13a are shielded by the light directing member 13. Here, the emitted light IL4-2 is the emitted light having the largest emission angle among the emitted lights that can pass through the light directing member 13, and the emitted light IL4-3 is the emitted light having the smallest emission angle. On the other hand, in the cross section parallel to the longitudinal direction of the opaque member 13a and substantially parallel to the surface of the opaque member 13a, all the emitted light emitted from the light emitting surface 12a passes through the light directing member 13 and is opaque. In the cross section intersecting with the surface of the member 13 a, any emitted light emitted from the light emitting surface 12 a is blocked by the light directing member 13. That is, of the light emitted from the point P2 on the light emission surface 12a, the emitted light emitted into the space sandwiched between the two planes parallel to the X axis including the emitted lights IL4-2 and IL4-3 is light. The other light emitted through the directional member 13 is blocked by the light directional member 13. Here, the emission angles of the emitted lights IL4-2 and IL4-3 can be adjusted by changing at least one of the interval and the inclination angle of the opaque members 13a. For example, by increasing the interval between the opaque members 13a, it is possible to transmit the emitted light IL4-3 that enters the light directing member 13 perpendicularly.

  In the illumination device according to the second embodiment, the light directing member 13 is formed into a disk shape as a whole, and the opaque member 13a is formed into a concentric circle with reference to the center of the disk. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the cylindrical mirror 11 and the light directing member 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the light directing member 13 is disposed so that the optical axis OA passes through the center of a concentric circle of the opaque member 13a. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each opaque member 13a is inclined in a rotationally symmetrical manner with respect to the optical axis OA so that the inward normal line forms an elevation angle.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in the Y direction showing the illumination state of the sample 8. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, among the light emitted from the point P1 on the light emission surface 12a, the emission lights IL1-1 and IL1-2 having a large emission angle are reflected by the reflection surface 11a and illuminate the sample 8. Similarly, the sample 8 is also illuminated by the emitted light in the range between the emitted lights IL1-1 and IL1-2. On the other hand, of the light emitted from the point P 1, the emitted light IL 2 emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 with a small emission angle is shielded by the light directing member 13. Thus, light emitted from each point on the light emission surface 12a is emitted at a large emission angle within a predetermined range, is reflected by the reflection surface 11a, illuminates the sample 8 as illumination light, and has a small emission angle. The light emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 is blocked by the light directing member 13. In FIG. 7, this state is illustrated in the cross section in the Y direction, but actually occurs in rotational symmetry with the optical axis OA as the central axis.

  In the illuminating device according to the second embodiment, as in the illuminating device shown in the first embodiment, the illumination light that illuminates the sample 8 has a larger incident angle than the angle corresponding to the numerical aperture of the objective lens 4. 8 is illuminated. Accordingly, this illumination apparatus can perform dark field illumination on the sample 8 and can also shade the transparent sample 8. Furthermore, in this illuminating device, since the emitted light IL3 that is directly incident on the objective lens 4 in the illuminating device shown in Embodiment 1 can be shielded by the light directing member 13, complete dark field illumination is realized. be able to.

  In order to prevent a strong shadow from occurring in the X direction of the sample 8, for example, the interval in the X direction of the opaque member 13a may be increased to increase the angle range in which the illumination light is incident on the sample 8. Further, the interval may be further increased, and the sample 8 may be directly irradiated with the light from the surface light source 12 to some extent. Further, the light directing member 13 having such a configuration may be arbitrarily rotated around the optical axis OA so that the shadow generated on the sample 8 can be changed around the optical axis OA.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a light directing member 13 'having a large interval between opaque members 13a may be used to increase the amount of illumination light with respect to the sample 8. In this case, since the light having a small emission angle from the surface light source 12 passes through the gap of the opaque member 13a and directly illuminates the sample 8, the light shielding plate 10 is disposed on the upper surface portion of the light directing member 13 ′, It is desirable to shield this direct illumination light.

  Further, instead of the light directing member 13 in which the opaque members 13a are concentrically arranged, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the respective centroids of the plurality of opaque members 14a having similar hexagons having different sizes in the XY plane are obtained. You may make it use the light directing member 14 arranged in piles. In this case, the side surfaces of the fan-shaped light directing members 14-1 to 14-6 corresponding to the respective sides of the hexagon may be joined together to form the disk-shaped light directing member 14 as a whole. . Here, each of the opaque members 14a formed into a hexagonal shape is inclined with respect to the optical axis OA so that the inward normals form an equal elevation angle. Each opaque member 14a has a small interval so that light having a small emission angle that directly illuminates the sample 8 from the surface light source 12 is not generated. By using such a light directing member 14, dark field illumination can be performed on the sample 8 similarly to the light directing member 13, and a shadow can be applied to the transparent sample 8. In addition, when the light directing member 14 ′ having a large interval between the opaque members 14a is used and the amount of illumination light with respect to the sample 8 is increased, as shown in FIG. 10, the light shielding plate 10 is placed on the upper surface of the light directing member 14 ′. What is necessary is just to light-shield the light which directly arranges and arrange | positions the sample 8 in a part. Further, in the light directing members 14 and 14 ', the arrangement shape of the opaque members in the XY plane is a hexagon. However, the shape is not limited to this and may be an arbitrary polygon.

  In the illuminating device according to the second embodiment described above, the light emitted from the surface light source 12 with a large emission angle within a predetermined range is reflected by the reflecting surface 11a to illuminate the sample 8, and is small. Since the light emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 at the emission angle is shielded by the light directing members 13 and 14, dark field illumination can be performed on the sample 8 with a simple configuration, The transparent sample 8 can be shaded. Furthermore, in this illuminating device, since light directly incident on the objective lens 4 from the surface light source 12 is shielded by the light directing member 13, complete dark field illumination can be realized. Further, when the arrangement interval of the opaque members 13a and 14a is increased and the amount of illumination light with respect to the sample 8 is increased, the light shielding plate 10 is further provided on the upper surface portion of the light directing members 13 and 14, and dark field illumination is performed. It can be performed.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment described above, the light directing member 13 in which the opaque members 13a are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner is used to perform dark field illumination in all directions of the sample 8, but in this third embodiment, Using a light directing member in which opaque members are arranged in a wing plate shape, dark field illumination is performed in a predetermined direction of the sample 8, and this direction can be arbitrarily changed.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the illumination apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention and a partial configuration of the stereomicroscope. As shown in FIG. 11, the illumination device according to the third embodiment includes a light directing member 15 instead of the light directing member 13 included in the illumination device according to the second embodiment, and an upper surface of the light directing member 15. The portion further includes a light shielding plate 10. In addition, the illumination device newly includes a rotation driving unit 16. The cylindrical rotation drive unit 16 is disposed to be fitted into a cylindrical hole 1ab inside the base portion 1a, holds the light directing member 15 inside the tube, and the optical axis according to the operation of the spectrographer. The light directing member 15 and the light shielding plate 10 are rotated around the OA. The rotation driving unit 16 is supported by the lid member 17 so as not to drop out of the hole 1ab. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the light directing member 15, the light shielding plate 10, the rotation driving unit 16, and an operation mechanism for driving the rotation driving unit 16. As shown in FIG. 12, a rotating shaft 18 and a disc-shaped rotating knob 19 that can rotate around the rotating shaft 18 are provided at a position in the X direction from the optical axis OA at the upper end of the base portion 1a. ing. Furthermore, a knurled gear 19a is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the rotary knob 19, and the outer peripheral side surface of the rotary drive unit 16 which is similarly knurled is in contact with the gear 19a, so that the knurling process is performed. The rotation of the gear 19 a is transmitted to the rotation drive unit 16 by the meshing of the portions. A part of the outer peripheral portion of the rotary knob 19 and the gear 19a protrudes from the side surface portion of the base portion 1a, and the examiner rotates the protruding portion around the rotation shaft 18 so as to move along with the rotation drive unit 16. The light directing member 15 and the light shielding plate 10 can be rotated around the optical axis OA. Here, the rotation drive unit 16 is shown to be manually rotated by the gear 19a. However, for example, a drive mechanism such as a stepping motor, a voice coil motor, and a piezoelectric element can be further provided so that the gear 19a can be automatically driven. Alternatively, the rotation driving unit 16 may be directly and automatically rotated.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view schematically showing a partial configuration of a louver film that is the light directing member 15. As shown in FIG. 13, the light directing member 15 includes a plurality of opaque members 15a arranged in a wing plate shape, and a transparent holding member 15b that holds the plurality of opaque members 15a. The opaque members 15a are arranged perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the flat transparent holding member 15b as a whole. In the light directing member 15, the opaque members 15a are uniformly arranged on the entire surface.

  FIGS. 14-1 and 14-2 are cross-sectional views showing the illumination state of the sample 8, and show a Y-direction cross section and an X-direction cross section corresponding to the state of the light directing member 15 shown in FIG. . As shown in FIG. 14A, in the cross section in the Y direction, for example, among the lights emitted from the point P1 on the light emission surface 12a, the emitted lights IL1-1 and IL1-2 having a large emission angle, and the emitted light. The emitted light in the range between IL1-1 and IL1-2 is blocked by the light directing member 15, and the emitted light IL2 emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 with a small emission angle is blocked by the light shielding plate 10. The On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, in the X-direction cross section, for example, among the lights emitted from the point P3 on the light emission surface 12a, the emitted lights IL5-1 and IL5-2 having a large emission angle, and this The emitted light in the range between the emitted lights IL5-1 and IL5-2 is reflected by the reflecting surface 11a and illuminates the sample 8. Of the light emitted from the point P 3, the emitted light IL 6 emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 with a small emission angle is shielded by the light shielding plate 10. As described above, light emitted from each point on the light emission surface 12a is emitted at a large emission angle within a predetermined range, and is reflected by the reflection surface 11a within the cross section parallel to the opaque member 15a. The sample 8 is illuminated and is shielded by the light directing member 15 within the cross section intersecting the opaque member 15a. Further, the light emitted so as to directly irradiate the sample 8 with a small emission angle is shielded by the light shielding plate 10 within an arbitrary cross section.

  In the illumination device according to the third embodiment, the illumination light that illuminates the sample 8 has an incident angle larger than the angle corresponding to the numerical aperture of the objective lens 4, as in the illumination devices described in the first and second embodiments. Thus, the sample 8 is illuminated. Accordingly, this illumination apparatus can perform dark field illumination on the sample 8 and can also shade the transparent sample 8. Further, in this illumination device, dark field illumination can be performed in a cross section parallel to the opaque member 15a, and the sample 8 cannot be illuminated in a cross section intersecting the opaque member 15a. Dark field illumination can be performed only in the eight predetermined directions. Furthermore, since the light directing member 15 is configured to be rotatable around the optical axis OA, the direction in which the dark field illumination is performed on the sample 8 can be arbitrarily set.

  In addition, the light directing member 15 can be applied to an illumination device for the purpose of adjusting the shadow state of the sample 8 separately from the dark field illumination. FIGS. 15A and 15B are cross-sectional views illustrating the illumination state of the sample 8. FIGS. The illuminating device shown in FIGS. 15-1 and 15-2 has a configuration in which the light shielding plate 10 and the cylindrical mirror 11 are omitted from the illuminating device according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15A, in the cross section orthogonal to the opaque member 15a, light having a large emission angle out of the light emitted from each point on the light emission surface 12a is blocked by the light directing member 15. The light with a small emission angle illuminates the sample 8. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15B, in the cross section parallel to the opaque member 15a, the light with a large emission angle illuminates the sample 8 together with the light with a small emission angle. That is, in the cross section orthogonal to the opaque member 15a, the incident angle of the light that irradiates the sample 8 is limited, and thus a shadow is likely to occur. In the cross section parallel to the opaque member 15a, light of various incident angles Because it is irradiated, it is difficult for shadows to occur. For this reason, by rotating the light directing member 15 around the optical axis OA by the rotation driving unit 16, the direction in which the sample 8 is shaded can be changed, and the spectrographer can change the shadow in any direction. Thus, the sample 8 can be observed.

  Further, instead of the light directing member 15, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, a light directing member 20 in which the inclination angle of the opaque member 15a is changed may be used to emphasize the shadow of the sample 8. The light directing member 20 is held in a state where the opaque member 20a is inclined with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the transparent holding member 20b, similarly to the light directing member 13 shown in FIG. By using such a light directing member 20, as shown in FIG. 16, oblique illumination can be performed on the sample 8 to obliquely deviate all of the irradiated light with respect to the optical axis OA. By this oblique illumination, for example, the shadow on the right side of the sample 8 can be emphasized in FIG. In addition, by rotating the light directing member 20 around the optical axis OA by the rotation drive unit 16, the direction of the shadow to be emphasized can be changed, and the spectroscope can perform the specimen 8 in which the shadow is emphasized in an arbitrary direction. Can be observed.

  In addition, the light directing members 15 and 20 can adjust the intensity of the shadow generated on the sample 8 by changing the interval between the opaque members 15a and 20a, respectively. In this case, the shadow can be strengthened by reducing the interval, and the shadow can be weakened by increasing the interval.

  In the illumination device according to the third embodiment described above, the single light directing member 15 blocks the light emitted from the surface light source 12 with a large emission angle within the cross section intersecting the opaque member 15a. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, a plurality of light directing members may be arranged and used in layers along the optical axis OA. In the illuminating device shown in FIG. 17, in addition to the illuminating device of the third embodiment, a light directing member 15 is further disposed above the light shielding plate 10, and is fitted into and fixed to the hole 1ad inside the base portion 1a. ing. The upper light directing member 15 fixes the opaque member 15a parallel to the X direction.

  18-1 and 18-2 are plan views showing the relationship between the upper and lower light directing members 15. FIG. 18A shows a case where the upper and lower opaque members 15a are parallel, and FIG. 18-2 shows a case where the upper and lower opaque members 15a are orthogonal to each other. As shown in FIG. 18A, when the directions of the upper and lower opaque members 15a coincide with each other in the X direction, dark field illumination can be performed on the sample 8 in the X direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18-2, if the direction of the lower opaque member 15a coincides with the Y direction and is orthogonal to the direction of the upper opaque member 15a, the sample is observed in both the X direction and the Y direction. No dark field illumination is performed on the sample 8, and as a result, no illumination is performed on the sample 8. In these intermediate states, the lower light directing member 15 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 16, and the illumination light for the sample 8 gradually decreases as the direction of the lower opaque member 15a shifts from the X direction to the Y direction. Is done.

  As described above, the light directing member 15 is arranged in two layers, and by rotating one of the light directing members 15, the amount of light for performing the dark field illumination can be adjusted. The sample 8 can be observed with an arbitrary amount of illumination light within such a range. Here, two light directing members 15 are used and one of them can be rotated around the optical axis OA. However, light directing members having different intervals, inclinations, etc. of opaque members may be used. Three or more such light directing members may be used, and a plurality of light directing members may be rotated around the optical axis OA. By doing in this way, the illumination state with respect to the sample 8 can be adjusted further variously, such as adjusting the direction in which dark field illumination is performed and the state of shadow.

  A plurality of light directing members arranged in layers along the optical axis OA can be applied to the illumination device for the purpose of adjusting the shadow state of the sample 8 and the amount of illumination light separately from the dark field illumination. . In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, the light shielding plate 10 and the cylindrical mirror 11 are deleted, and two light directing members 15 are arranged along the optical axis OA, and the lower light driving member 15 is a rotation driving unit. By rotating by 16, the direction of the upper and lower opaque members 15 a can be relatively changed, the amount of light that illuminates the sample 8 can be adjusted, and the state of shadow on the sample 8 can be adjusted. In this case as well, light directing members having different spacings, inclinations, etc. of opaque members may be used, three or more such light directing members may be used, and a plurality of light directing members may be used. You may enable it to rotate around the optical axis OA.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Embodiments 1 to 3 described above, a pair of light directing members, a light shielding plate, and a cylindrical mirror are provided inside the base portion 1a. However, in Embodiment 4, the light directing is provided inside the base portion. A plurality of combinations such as a member, a light shielding plate, and a cylindrical mirror are provided and can be arbitrarily switched.

  FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the illumination apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention and a partial configuration of a stereomicroscope. As shown in FIG. 20, the actual microscope according to the fourth embodiment includes a base portion 1 c instead of the base portion 1 a included in the stereomicroscope according to the first to third embodiments, and includes light inside the base portion 1 c. A mechanism capable of switching a plurality of combinations such as a directional member, a light shielding plate, and a cylindrical mirror is provided. This switching mechanism is roughly divided into two upper and lower stages, and the upper switching mechanism has a turret 32, a rotating shaft 33, a spacer 34, and a plunger 36, and the lower switching mechanism is similarly a turret 42, It has a rotating shaft 43, a spacer 44 and a plunger 46. Except for the base portion 1c and the switching mechanism, the other configurations are the same as those of the first to third embodiments, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the upper switching mechanism. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, in the upper switching mechanism, the turret 32 is supported by the base portion 1 c so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 33 by the rotation shaft 33. The spacer 32 is provided between the base portion 1 c and the turret 32 so as to limit backlash when the turret 32 rotates. The turret 32 has four circular openings 32a to 32d, and holds the light adjustment members 31A to 31D incorporated in the cylindrical frames 35A to 35D, respectively, inside the openings 32a to 32d. . The plunger 36 includes a ball 37 and a spring 38, and is provided at a position facing the turret 32 on the side surface of the base portion 1c.

  The turret 32 has four click grooves 39 </ b> A to 39 </ b> D on the outer peripheral side surface on the line connecting the rotation shaft 33 and the openings 32 a to 32 d, and a ball 37 partially pushed out by the extension force of the spring 38. Is dropped into any one of the click grooves 39 </ b> A to 39 </ b> D, the rotation with respect to the base portion 1 c is restricted, and one of the light adjustment members 31 </ b> A to 31 </ b> D is disposed between the sample 8 and the surface light source 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the light directing member 31 </ b> A is disposed between the sample 8 and the surface light source 12 in a state where the ball 37 has fallen into the click groove 39 </ b> C. In this state, when a rotational force greater than a predetermined value is applied to the turret 32, the ball 37 that has fallen into any of the click grooves 39A to 39D is pushed out, and the turret 32 rotates again. Thereafter, when the ball 37 falls into any one of the click grooves 39A to 39D, the rotation of the turret 32 is restricted again, and another one of the light adjustment members 31A to 31D is connected to the sample 8 and the surface light source 12. Between. The spectrographer can rotate the turret 32 by operating a portion of the turret 32 protruding from the base portion 1c. Further, the light adjusting members 31A to 31D arranged between the sample 8 and the surface light source 12 can be rotated around the optical axis OA by a rotation driving mechanism (not shown).

  The lower switching mechanism is configured in the same manner as the upper switching mechanism. The turret 42 is supported by the base portion 1c so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 43 by the rotation shaft 43, and the spacer 42 is provided so as to limit the play when the turret 42 rotates. The turret 42 has four circular openings 42a to 42d, and holds the light adjustment members 41A to 41D incorporated in the cylindrical frames 45A to 45D, respectively, inside the openings 42a to 42d. . The plunger 46 includes a ball 47 and a spring 48, and is provided at a position facing the turret 42 on the side surface of the base portion 1c. The turret 42 has four click grooves 49A to 49D on the outer peripheral side surface portion, and when the ball 47 falls into any of the click grooves 49A to 49D, the rotation with respect to the base portion 1c is restricted, and the light adjusting members 41A to 41D. One of the two is disposed between the sample 8 and the surface light source 12. The spectrographer can rotate the turret 42 by operating a portion protruding from the base portion 1c of the turret 42. Further, the light adjusting members 41A to 41D arranged between the sample 8 and the surface light source 12 can be rotated around the optical axis OA by a rotation driving mechanism (not shown).

  With such a two-stage switching mechanism, the stereomicroscope according to the fourth embodiment combines any one of the light adjustment members 41A to 41D with each of the light adjustment members 31A to 31D, Between the surface light sources 12, it can arrange | position in layers along the optical axis OA. Here, the light directing members 13, 14, 15, 20, the resin plate 9, and the like described in the first to third embodiments can be applied to the light adjustment members 31 </ b> A to 31 </ b> D and 41 </ b> A to 41 </ b> D. In this case, a light shielding plate 31Ba may be provided corresponding to the light shielding plate 10, for example, as shown in FIG. Corresponding to the cylindrical mirror 11, the inner surfaces of the cylindrical frames 35A to 35D and 45A to 45D may be reflective surfaces. Further, as the light adjustment members 31A to 31D and 41A to 41D, various filters such as a density filter, a color temperature filter, a wavelength selection filter, a polarization filter, etc. may be applied. It may be. By these various combinations, the spectrographer can perform various illuminations such as dark field illumination, bright field illumination, and declination illumination on the sample 8, and also the state of the shadow generated in the sample 8, the sample 8 The amount of light for illuminating can be adjusted in various ways. At this time, the direction of illumination, the direction of shadowing, and the like are provided, and this direction can be rotated around the optical axis OA.

  The turrets 32 and 42 each hold four light adjustment members 31A to 31D and 41A to 41D, but may hold two, three, or five or more light adjustment members. Moreover, although the base part 1c was provided with the switching mechanism of 2 steps | paragraphs of upper and lower sides, you may make it equip it with the switching mechanism of 3 steps | paragraphs or more. Further, as the switching mechanism, the turrets 32 and 42 are used, and the light adjusting member is switched by rotational driving. However, for example, the switching may be performed by sliding linearly. Moreover, you may enable it to drive these switching mechanisms automatically.

  Moreover, in Embodiment 1-4 mentioned above, although the illuminating device of this invention was mounted in the binocular stereomicroscope, you may make it mount in a monocular microscope and uses it for a biological microscope, an industrial microscope, etc. It may be mounted on various optical microscopes.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the illumination state by the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the partial structure of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the state of the transmitted light of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the illumination state by the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation structure of the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the partial structure of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the Y direction explaining the illumination state by the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the X direction explaining the illumination state by the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action with respect to the shadow of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action with respect to the shadow of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action which emphasizes a shadow by the illumination using the light directing member in which the opaque member inclined. It is a schematic diagram which shows the deformation | transformation structure of the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action with respect to the shadow and illumination light quantity of the light directing member shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the illuminating device concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a top view which shows a partial structure of the illuminating device shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transmission illumination stand 1a, 1c Base part 1aa Opening part 1ab, 1ad Hole part 1ac Support part 1b Support | pillar part 2 Aiming device 2a Fixed part 2b Movable part 3 Zoom mirror body 4 Objective lens 5 Binocular tube 6 Eyepiece lens 7 Glass plate 8 Sample DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Resin plate 10 Light-shielding plate 11 Cylindrical mirror 11a Reflective surface 12 Surface light source 12a Light emission surface 12b Power supply part 13,13 ', 14,14', 15,20 Light-directing member 13a, 15a, 20a Opaque member 13b, 15b, 20b Transparent holding member 16 Rotation drive part 17 Lid part 18 Rotation shaft 19 Rotation knob 19a Gear 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D, 41A, 41B, 41C, 41D Light adjustment member 32, 42 Turrets 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d Opening 33, 43 Rotating shaft 34, 44 Spacer 35A, 35B, 35C, 35D, 45A, 45B, 45C, 45D Frame 36, 46 Plunger 37, 47 Ball 38, 48 Spring 39A, 39B, 39C, 39D, 49A, 495B, 49C, 49D Click groove IL1-1 , IL1-2, IL2, IL3, IL4-1 to IL4-5, IL5-1, IL5-2, IL6 Emission light OA Optical axis P1, P2, P3

Claims (16)

A surface light source having a light emission surface of a predetermined size for emitting emitted light, and emitting illumination light at an emission angle in a predetermined range that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to an optical axis perpendicular to the light emission surface;
A light shielding unit disposed between the light emitting surface and the sample disposed to face the light emitting surface, and shielding light irradiated directly on the sample from the light emitting surface;
Reflective illumination means that is disposed around the optical axis between the sample and the light exit surface and reflects the illumination light to illuminate the sample;
An illumination device comprising: A surface light source having a light emission surface of a predetermined size for emitting emitted light, and emitting illumination light at an emission angle in a predetermined range that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to an optical axis perpendicular to the light emission surface;
A transmission angle of light emitted from the light emission surface is limited within one plane including at least the optical axis, which is arranged between the sample arranged facing the light emission surface and the light emission surface. Light directing means;
Reflective illumination means that is disposed around the optical axis between the sample and the light directing means and illuminates the sample by reflecting the illumination light transmitted through the light directing member;
An illumination device comprising:   The illumination apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a light shielding unit that is disposed between the sample and the light emitting surface and shields irradiation light directly irradiated onto the sample from the light emitting surface.   The lighting device according to claim 2, further comprising a rotation driving unit that rotates the light directing unit around the optical axis. The light directing means is disposed in a plurality of layers along the optical axis,
The lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the rotation driving unit rotates at least one layer of the light directing unit among the light directing units arranged in the plurality of layers around the optical axis.   4. The lighting device according to claim 2, further comprising a selection switching unit that holds a plurality of the light directing units having different characteristics from each other and selectively switches each light directing unit. The light directing means is disposed in a plurality of layers along the optical axis,
The selection switching means holds a plurality of the light directing means having different characteristics with respect to at least one light directing means among the light directing means arranged in the plurality of layers, and selectively selects each light directing means. The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein the lighting device is switched.   The light directing means is formed by a plurality of similar hollow frustoconical opaque members in which circles on the bottom surface are arranged concentrically, and a transparent holding member that holds the plurality of opaque members. The illumination device according to any one of claims 2 to 7.   The light directing means is formed by a plurality of similar hollow truncated pyramidal opaque members arranged by overlapping each center of gravity of a polygon on the bottom surface, and a transparent holding member holding the plurality of opaque members. The lighting device according to any one of claims 2 to 7,   The light directing means is formed by a plurality of strip-like opaque members arranged in a wing plate shape and a transparent member holding the plurality of opaque members. The lighting device described in 1.   The illumination device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the light directing means is a louver film.   The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding unit is formed rotationally symmetrical with respect to the optical axis in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.   4. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding unit has different light shielding amounts for shielding the irradiation light in at least two directions orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.   The lighting device according to claim 12, wherein the light shielding means is formed in an elliptical shape centered on the optical axis in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.   The reflection illumination means forms an inner surface of a cylindrical surface along the optical axis as a reflection surface, and reflects the illumination light by the reflection surface to illuminate the sample. The lighting device according to any one of the above. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination device is mounted on a stereomicroscope.

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