JP2006178440A - Zoom microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a zoom microscope of a simple structure which can expand a variable-power range. <P>SOLUTION: The zoom microscope includes a replaceable infinity correction objective lens 11, an aperture stop 12, an afocal zoom system 13, and an imaging optical system 14 which are arranged in this order from a specimen 10A side. Further, the aperture stop is disposed on or near a rear focal plane of the objective lens. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a zoom microscope used for vertical observation of a specimen and image acquisition.

As a zoom microscope, a configuration in which a zoom imaging lens is combined with an infinite correction objective lens is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this configuration, the magnification of observation of the specimen image can be arbitrarily changed by moving the zoom lens group in the zoom imaging lens along the optical axis direction.
In addition, it is also proposed to construct a zoom microscope by attaching an infinitely corrected zoom objective lens to a normal microscope revolver and combining the zoom objective lens and a microscope imaging lens (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ). In such a configuration, the observation magnification of the specimen image can be arbitrarily changed by moving the zooming lens group in the zoom objective lens along the optical axis direction.
JP-A-6-18784 JP 2004-133341 A

  However, any of the above zoom microscopes has a narrow zoom range, and does not assume zooming in the low zoom range (about 0.5 to 2 times), for example. Therefore, it is desirable to enlarge the magnification range (for example, enlarge to the low magnification side), but in the former configuration, the pupil of the objective lens is in the zoom imaging lens, and the zoom imaging lens is Since the pupil position moves, it is difficult to dispose the entrance pupil position of the objective lens at an infinite distance over the entire zoom range. On the other hand, in the latter configuration, since there is a pupil between the objective lens unit and the zoom unit (including the zoom lens group) among the zoom objective lenses, a plurality of zoom objective lenses having different zoom regions are prepared. The magnification range can be expanded by replacing these with a revolver. However, a zoom unit must be provided for each zoom objective lens, which makes the apparatus large.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a zoom microscope capable of enlarging a zooming area with a simple configuration.

The zoom microscope according to claim 1 includes, in order from the sample side, an interchangeable infinity correction type objective lens, an aperture stop, an afocal zoom system, and an imaging optical system. The objective lens is disposed on the rear focal plane or in the vicinity thereof.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the zoom microscope according to the first aspect, the afocal zoom system includes a lens unit for zooming that is movable along an optical axis direction, and the aperture stop is The aperture diameter is variable according to the movement of the zoom lens unit.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the zoom microscope according to the first or second aspect, a light source image is formed at or near the aperture stop between the afocal zoom system and the imaging optical system. A coaxial epi-illumination means is arranged.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the zoom microscope according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the zoom microscope includes a holding member that holds the objective lens in a replaceable manner, and the aperture stop includes the holding member. It is arranged on the image side.

Further, it is preferable that the focal length fL of the afocal zoom system combined with the imaging optical system in the low magnification end state and the maximum image height Ymax satisfy the following conditional expression.
0.05 <Ymax / fL <0.16
The objective lens includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group having a positive refractive power as a whole, a second lens group having a negative refractive power as a whole, and a third lens having a positive refractive power as a whole. The first lens group includes a meniscus single lens having a convex surface facing the object side having positive refracting power or a meniscus cemented lens having a convex surface facing the object side having positive refracting power. The second lens group includes at least one cemented lens, is substantially telecentric on the object side, and the objective lens has an angle α (unit: degrees) between the principal ray at an arbitrary position on the object and the optical axis. ) Preferably satisfies the following conditional expression.

        −0.3 <α <0.3

  According to the present invention, it is possible to expand the zooming area with a simple configuration.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
In the zoom microscope 10 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an objective lens 11, an aperture stop 12, an afocal zoom system 13, and an imaging optical system 14 are arranged in this order from the specimen 10A side. Is. The light beam generated from each point of the specimen 10A is converted into a parallel light beam through the objective lens 11, is scaled through the afocal zoom system 13, is condensed through the imaging optical system 14, and is collected on the image plane. 10B is reached.

  In order to observe the image of the specimen 10A formed on the image plane 10B, an image sensor such as a CCD is disposed on the image plane 10B. Alternatively, instead of the imaging optical system 14, an observation binocular tube (eyepiece tube) including a similar imaging optical system, a photographic straight tube, an observation / photographing trinocular tube, and the like are arranged according to the application. You can also. By using the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, vertical observation and image acquisition of the specimen 10A are possible.

  In the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, the afocal zoom system 13 includes, in order from the sample 10A side, the first lens group G1 having a positive refractive power and the second lens group G2 having a negative refractive power. A third lens group G3 having a positive refractive power and a fourth lens group G4 having a weak positive refractive power, and the second lens group G2 and the third lens group G3 are lens groups for zooming. It is. For this reason, the first lens group G1 and the fourth lens group G4 are fixed, and the zooming lens groups (G2, G3) are moved along the optical axis direction to arbitrarily set the observation magnification of the image of the specimen 10A. Can be changed. The observation magnification is determined by the ratio between the focal length of the objective lens 11 and the focal length of the afocal zoom system 13 (combined with the imaging optical system 14).

  Further, the objective lens 11 is an infinite correction type, and the rear focal plane of the objective lens 11 is located on the image side (between the objective lens 11 and the afocal zoom system 13) from the most image side lens surface. An aperture stop 12 is disposed on the rear focal plane (or the vicinity thereof) of the objective lens 11. For this reason, the entrance pupil position on the object side of the objective lens 11 is infinitely far (telecentric), and the principal ray of the light beam emitted from each point of the sample 10A enters the objective lens 11 so as to be parallel to the optical axis direction. .

  Further, by setting the position of the aperture stop 12 as the position of the entrance pupil of the afocal zoom system 13, even if the zoom lens group (G2, G3) is moved and zoomed, the zoom range is not affected. The entrance pupil position of the objective lens 11 can be arranged at infinity throughout. That is, the telecentricity on the object side of the objective lens 11 can be maintained regardless of the zooming state by the afocal zoom system 13.

  Furthermore, in the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, the objective lens 11 is attached to a turret (revolver) (not shown) and can be exchanged. That is, several types of objective lenses 11 (for example, a low-magnification objective lens 11 (1) and a high-magnification objective lens 11 (2) shown in FIG. 2) are attached to the turret, and the objective lens is rotated by rotating (or sliding) the turret. Eleven types can be exchanged.

  In the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, the distances from the body-mounted surface (surface attached to the turret) of each objective lens 11 to the rear focal plane are the same. For this reason, even if the objective lens 11 is replaced, the rear focal plane (or the vicinity thereof) of the objective lens 11 and the arrangement plane of the aperture stop 12 can be matched with the aperture stop 12 fixed. Furthermore, it is possible to maintain a state in which the arrangement plane of the aperture stop 12 and the entrance pupil position of the afocal zoom system 13 coincide.

Therefore, even if the objective lens 11 is replaced, the telecentricity on the object side of the objective lens 11 is maintained regardless of the zooming state by the afocal zoom system 13 (that is, the position of the zooming lens group (G2, G3)). Can keep.
When the low-magnification objective lens 11 (1) is arranged on the optical axis, the focal length of the objective lens 11 (1) and (imaging optics) are maintained while maintaining the telecentricity on the object side of the objective lens 11 (1). The observation magnification of the image of the specimen 10A can be changed according to the ratio to the focal length of the afocal zoom system 13 (in combination with the system 14). Similarly, when the high-magnification objective lens 11 (2) is arranged on the optical axis, the focal length of the objective lens 11 (2) (imaging optics) is maintained while maintaining the telecentricity on the object side of the objective lens 11 (2). The observation magnification of the image of the specimen 10A can be changed according to the ratio to the focal length of the afocal zoom system 13 (in combination with the system 14).

  For example, the focal length of the low magnification (1 ×) objective lens 11 (1) is 100 mm, the focal length of the high magnification (4 ×) objective lens 11 (2) is 25 mm, and the extremely low magnification (0.5 ×) objective. The focal length of the lens (not shown) is 200 mm, the focal length of the afocal zoom system 13 (combined with the imaging optical system 14) is 100 mm to 750 mm, and the observation magnification range (magnification range) will be described. When using an extremely low magnification objective lens, the zooming range is 0.5 to 3.75 times. When the low-magnification objective lens 11 (1) is used, the zooming range is 1 to 7.5 times. When the high-magnification objective lens 11 (2) is used, the zooming range is 4 to 30 times. The overall zoom range is 0.5 to 30 times.

As described above, in the zoom microscope 10 according to the first embodiment, the afocal zoom system 13 is shared by the replaceable objective lens 11 (see the objective lenses 11 (1) and 11 (2) in FIG. Since the zoom region is shifted by exchanging the zoom lens, the zoom region can be enlarged with a simple configuration (that is, one afocal zoom system 13).
Then, by using an extremely low magnification objective lens (for example, a 0.5 magnification objective lens) as one of the replaceable objective lenses 11, the variable magnification region is reduced to a very low magnification region (0. It can be enlarged up to about 5 to 2 times. In this case, the zoom microscope 10 functions as a “macro zoom microscope”, and macro observation of the specimen 10A is also possible. In macro observation, for example, a relatively large specimen 10A such as a metal specimen or a mechanical part (gear or the like) is observed. In order to cope with the change in the thickness of the specimen 10A, the observation optical system from the objective lens 11 to the imaging optical system 14 may be moved up and down as a whole.

  In the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, as already described, even when the objective lens 11 is replaced, the zooming state of the afocal zoom system 13 (that is, the position of the zooming lens groups (G2, G3)). Regardless, the telecentricity on the object side can be ensured. Therefore, even when the macroscopic observation of the specimen 10A is performed while moving the lens group (G2, G3) for zooming by replacing with a low magnification objective lens, the telecentricity on the object side is similarly secured. it can.

Furthermore, in the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, the telecentricity on the object side of the objective lens 11 can be ensured over the entire wide zoom range (for example, in the range of 0.5 to 30 times). Epi-illumination is possible.
Further, in the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, before and after the afocal zoom system 13 (that is, between the objective lens 11 and the afocal zoom system 13 or between the afocal zoom system 13 and the imaging optical system 14). By incorporating a coaxial epi-illumination device, a fluorescent epi-illumination device, a photographic lens barrel, etc., various observation methods can be realized in a wide zoom range (even in a low magnification range). When observing the transparent specimen 10A, a transmission illumination device may be arranged below the specimen 10A (on the side opposite to the objective lens 11).

  Furthermore, in the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, a variable aperture stop is used as the aperture stop 12, and the diameter of the stop can be changed according to the movement of the zoom lens group (G2, G3) of the afocal zoom system 13. It is desirable to do so (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). 3A and 3B, among the light beams generated from each point of the sample 10A, the central light beam is indicated by a broken line, and the principal ray at the outermost periphery of the image is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Note that not only the illustrated principal ray but also the unillustrated principal ray is parallel to the optical axis direction, and it can be seen that the object side telecentricity of the objective lens 11 is ensured.

  FIG. 3A shows a state in which the lens group (G2, G3) is moved to the low magnification side, and by reducing the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12 in conjunction with this movement, the opening angle of the central beam is reduced. Can be limited. In this case, a wide field of view with a low NA and a deep focal depth can be observed. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the lens group (G2, G3) is moved to the high magnification side, and by increasing the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12 in conjunction with this movement, the opening angle of the central light beam is greatly widened. be able to. In this case, high resolution observation with high NA becomes possible.

In the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, it is desirable that the second lens group G2 of the afocal zoom system 13 satisfies the following conditional expression (1). Conditional expression (1) indicates a desirable range of the magnification β2L of the second lens group G2 (for example, see FIG. 3A) in the low magnification end state.
−0.1 <β2L <−0.3 (1)
If the lower limit value of the conditional expression (1) is not reached, the movement amount of the second lens group G2 becomes large, and the mechanism for moving the zooming lens groups (G2, G3) becomes large and complicated. It is not preferable. In order to reduce the amount of movement of the second lens group G2 under the same conditions, it is necessary to increase the refractive power of the second lens group G2, and in this case, it becomes difficult to correct aberrations at the periphery of the screen. On the other hand, if the upper limit value of conditional expression (1) is exceeded, the distance between the second lens group G2 and the third lens group G3 on the low magnification side becomes large. For this reason, the incident height of the peripheral luminous flux incident on the third lens group G3 is increased, and the third lens group G3 is enlarged, which is not preferable. Therefore, by satisfying conditional expression (1), it is possible to reduce the size of the afocal zoom system 13, in particular, to set the movement amount of the second lens group G2 to an appropriate value and to reduce the size of the third lens group G3. it can.

Furthermore, in the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, it is desirable that the third lens group G3 of the afocal zoom system 13 satisfies the following conditional expression (2). Conditional expression (2) indicates a desirable range of the magnification β3L of the third lens group G3 (for example, see FIG. 3A) in the low magnification end state.
−0.01 <1 / β3L <0.04 (2)
If the lower limit of conditional expression (2) is not reached, the refractive power of the third lens group G3 becomes strong, and it becomes difficult to correct aberrations at the periphery of the screen on the low magnification side. On the other hand, when the upper limit value of conditional expression (2) is exceeded, the refractive power of the third lens group G3 becomes weak and the incident height of the peripheral luminous flux incident on the fourth lens group G4 becomes high. Larger size is not preferable. Therefore, by satisfying conditional expression (2), the afocal zoom system 13 can be downsized, particularly the fourth lens group G4, and good optical performance can be achieved at the periphery of the screen on the low magnification side. Can do.

Furthermore, in the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment, it is preferable that the focal length and the maximum image height of the afocal zoom system 13 (in combination with the imaging optical system 14) satisfy the following conditional expression (3). Conditional expression (3) indicates a desirable range of the ratio between the focal length fL of the afocal zoom system 13 (combined with the imaging optical system 14) and the maximum image height Ymax in the low magnification end state.
0.05 <Ymax / fL <0.16 (3)
If the lower limit value of conditional expression (3) is not reached, the focal length of the afocal zoom system 13 (combined with the imaging optical system 14) in the low magnification end state with respect to the maximum image height becomes longer. For this reason, the focal length of the extremely low magnification (0.5 times) objective lens is also increased, and the zoom microscope system for performing ultra low magnification observation is undesirably large. On the other hand, if the upper limit value of conditional expression (3) is exceeded, the angle at which the light beam near the image on the low magnification side enters the afocal zoom system 13 increases, and the third lens group G3 and the fourth lens group G4 It is not preferable because the size is increased and it becomes difficult to correct aberrations at the periphery of the screen. Therefore, by satisfying conditional expression (3), it is possible to reduce the size of the zoom microscope system when performing ultra-low magnification observation and to achieve good optical performance at the periphery of the screen on the low magnification side.

Next, specific configurations of the objective lens 11, the afocal zoom system 13, and the imaging optical system 14 in the zoom microscope 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the objective lens 11 includes a flat glass 21, a biconvex lens 22, a positive meniscus lens 23 having a convex surface facing the object side, a biconvex lens 24, and a biconcave lens 25 in this order from the object side (left side in the figure). The cemented lens, the cemented lens of the biconcave lens 26 and the biconvex lens 27, and the biconvex lens 28 are arranged. The magnification of the objective lens 11 is 1. For the flat glass 21, a quarter wavelength plate is used when coaxial epi-illumination is assumed. When coaxial epi-illumination is not assumed, it is preferable to use a dummy glass (protective glass) as the flat glass 21.

  Table 1 exemplifies specification values of the objective lens 11 shown in FIG.

  In Table 1, surface number 0 corresponds to the object surface, surface numbers 1 to 14 are lens surface numbers given in order from the object side, and surface number 15 corresponds to the aperture stop 12. A minus (-) in the radius of curvature (r) of the lens surface indicates that the lens surface is convex toward the image side. The surface interval (d) is the lens thickness or the air interval on the optical axis. In addition, ν is an Abbe number with respect to the d-line (587 nm), and n is a refractive index with respect to the d-line. The working distance do corresponds to the distance (= 36.0131) from the object plane (0) to the lens surface (1) closest to the object side. The distance from the most image side lens surface (14) to the aperture stop 12 is 10 mm. f indicates the focal length of the objective lens 11.

  The afocal zoom system 13 includes the four lens groups G1, G2, G3, and G4 that have already been described as shown in FIG. 5 (see also FIG. 3B). Further, the first lens group G includes a cemented lens of a negative meniscus lens 31 having a concave surface facing the object side and a biconvex lens 32, and a positive meniscus lens 33 having a convex surface facing the object. The second lens group G2 includes a biconcave lens 34, a cemented lens of a positive meniscus lens 35 having a concave surface facing the object side and a biconcave lens 36, and a negative meniscus lens 37 having a concave surface facing the object side. The third lens group G3 includes a positive meniscus lens 38 having a concave surface directed toward the object side, and a cemented lens including a biconvex lens 39 and a negative meniscus lens 40 having a concave surface directed toward the object side. The fourth lens group G4 includes a cemented lens including a positive meniscus lens 41 having a concave surface directed toward the object side and a negative meniscus lens 42 having a concave surface directed toward the object side.

  In the afocal zoom system 13 of FIG. 5, when zooming from the low magnification end to the high magnification end, the first lens group G1 and the fourth lens group G4 are fixed, and the second lens group G2 is moved to the image side. At the same time, the third lens group G3 is moved in the direction of correcting the focus movement due to the movement of the second lens group G2 (see FIGS. 3A to 3B). It is preferable that the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12 is increased in conjunction with the zooming of the afocal zoom system 13 from the low magnification end to the high magnification end.

  Table 2 shows the specification values of the afocal zoom system 13 and the aperture stop 12 shown in FIG.

  In Table 2, surface number 1 corresponds to the aperture stop 12, surface numbers 2 to 21 are lens surface numbers given in order from the object side, and surface number 22 corresponds to the lens barrel surface. The distance from the lens surface (2) closest to the object side to the aperture stop 12 is 15 mm. f indicates the focal length of the entire lens system when the distance do ′ = ∞ from the object plane to the aperture stop 12 is set. Fno indicates the F number, and fai indicates the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12.

The values corresponding to the conditional expressions (1) to (3) are as follows.
(1) β2L = −0.217
(2) 1 / β3L = 0.008
(3) Ymax / fL = 0.110
The imaging optical system 14 includes four lenses 61 to 64 as shown in FIG. Table 3 illustrates the specification values of the imaging optical system 14 shown in FIG. In Table 3, surface number 1 corresponds to the lens barrel surface (PL), and surface numbers 2 to 7 are numbers of lens surfaces attached in order from the object side. The distance from the most object side surface to the lens barrel surface (PL) is 1 mm. f represents the focal length of the imaging optical system 14, and Bf represents the distance from the surface closest to the image side to the image plane.

  Further, regarding the zoom microscope 10 having the afocal zoom system 13 and the aperture stop 12 based on the specification values in Table 2 and the imaging optical system 14 based on the specification values in Table 3, the aberrations (spherical aberration, Astigmatism, distortion, lateral chromatic aberration, and coma are shown in FIGS. 7 corresponds to the low magnification end state (f = 100), FIG. 8 corresponds to the intermediate state (f = 250), and FIG. 9 corresponds to the high magnification end state (f = 750). 7 to 9, Fno represents an F number, Y represents an image height, d represents a d-line (λ = 587 nm), and g represents a g-line (λ = 436 nm). As is apparent from the figure, the zoom microscope 10 of the first embodiment has various aberrations corrected satisfactorily.

(Second Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 10, the zoom microscope 40 of the second embodiment includes a coaxial epi-illumination device (between the afocal zoom system 13 and the imaging optical system 14 of the zoom microscope 10 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment). 43 to 46). The zoom microscope 40 is used for vertical observation (image acquisition) of an opaque specimen 10A for industrial use.

  In the coaxial epi-illuminator (43 to 46), the light beam emitted from the fiber light source 43 is guided to the afocal zoom system 13 via the collector lens 44, the relay lens 45, and the beam splitter 46, and the afocal zoom system 13 is passed through. And reaches the aperture stop 12. At this time, a light source image (an end face image of the fiber light source 43) is formed on the aperture stop 12 (or the vicinity thereof) by the coaxial incident illumination device (43 to 46).

  Thereafter, the light beam that has passed through the aperture stop 12 enters the specimen 10A via the objective lens 11. As described above, the rear focal plane of the objective lens 11 is in the vicinity of the aperture stop 12, and the object side telecentricity of the objective lens 11 over the entire wide zoom range (for example, a range of 0.5 to 30 times). Therefore, the principal ray of the light beam from the objective lens 11 toward the specimen 10A is parallel to the optical axis direction. That is, the illumination with respect to the specimen 10A is a coaxial epi-illumination (so-called telecetic illumination) without vignetting.

  Therefore, bright field observation of the opaque specimen 10A can be performed satisfactorily. In particular, when performing macro observation in the low magnification range (0.5 to 2 times), if the object side telecentricity is poor, the chief ray at the periphery of the screen (the ray that passes through the center of the pupil) passes through the pupil plane. Since the angle at the time of doing becomes large, vignetting occurs in the illumination in the field of view, which is not preferable. In the zoom microscope 40 of the present embodiment, since the object side telecentricity can be ensured even in a low magnification region, macro observation can be favorably performed by coaxial epi-illumination without vignetting.

  Further, in the zoom microscope 40 of the present embodiment, the coaxial incident illumination device (43 to 46) is disposed between the afocal zoom system 13 and the imaging optical system 14, and the specimen 10A is disposed via the afocal zoom system 13. Since illumination is performed (that is, the afocal zoom system 13 is shared between the illumination system and the observation system), the illumination range can be changed in conjunction with the change in the observation range of the specimen 10A at the time of zooming. Therefore, efficient coaxial epi-illumination is possible.

(Third embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 11, the zoom microscope 50 of the third embodiment has a fluorescent epi-illumination device (51 to 56) between the objective lens 11 and the aperture stop 12 of the zoom microscope 10 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. Is provided. The zoom microscope 50 is used for vertical observation (image acquisition) based on faint light from a specimen 10A labeled with a fluorescent material such as a biological specimen.

  In the fluorescent epi-illuminator (51 to 56), the light beam emitted from the fiber light source 51 enters the excitation filter 54 through the collector lens 52, the relay lens 53, and an aperture stop (not shown). The excitation filter 54 transmits only a light flux (excitation light) in a wavelength band necessary for excitation of the specimen 10A. Excitation light from the excitation filter 54 is guided to the objective lens 11 via the dichroic mirror 55 and enters the specimen 10A via the objective lens 11.

  The fluorescence generated from the specimen 10A enters the aperture stop 12 via the objective lens 11, the dichroic mirror 55, and the barrier filter 56, and then passes through the aperture stop 12, the afocal zoom system 13, and the imaging optical system 14. And reaches the image plane 10B. Fluorescence from the specimen 10A is weak and enters the dichroic mirror 55 together with unnecessary excitation light reflected by the specimen 10A. However, unnecessary excitation light is blocked when passing through the dichroic mirror 55 and the barrier filter 56. Only weak fluorescence can be guided to the image plane 10B. Therefore, the fluorescence observation of the specimen 10A can be performed over the entire wide zoom range (for example, a range of 0.5 to 30 times).

  Furthermore, in the zoom microscope 50 of the present embodiment, excitation light from the fluorescent epi-illumination devices (51 to 56) is transmitted only through the objective lens 11 in the observation optical system (from the objective lens 11 to the imaging optical system 14). Thus, the afocal zoom system 13 and the imaging optical system 14 do not transmit. For this reason, autofluorescence generated in each lens element of the observation optical system by excitation light can be minimized. As a result, fluorescence observation with good contrast becomes possible.

  Further, the fluorescent epi-illuminator (31 to 36) may be a zoom optical system. In this case, it is possible to change the illumination range of the excitation light and the NA of the illumination light, and it is possible to perform efficient fluorescent illumination in accordance with the magnification range of the observation optical system. Furthermore, if the zooming mechanism of the zoom optical system of the epi-illumination device is mechanically linked to the zooming mechanism of the afocal zoom system 13, it can be adjusted to the zooming range of the observation optical system by one zooming operation. Efficient fluorescent lighting can be performed.

In the zoom microscope 50 of the present embodiment, since the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent material in the specimen 10A irradiated with the excitation light is observed, the telecentricity of the illumination light is not necessary.
(Fourth embodiment)
Here, a three-group afocal zoom system 70 will be described.
The afocal zoom system 70 includes three lens groups G1, G2, and G3 as shown in FIG. Further, the first lens group G1 includes a cemented lens of a negative meniscus lens 71 having a concave surface directed toward the object side and a biconvex lens 72, and a positive meniscus lens 73 having a convex surface directed toward the object. The second lens group G2 includes a biconcave lens 74, a cemented lens of a positive meniscus lens 75 having a concave surface facing the object side and a negative meniscus lens 76 having a concave surface facing the object side, and a negative meniscus having a concave surface facing the object side. It consists of a lens. The third lens group G3 is composed of a positive meniscus lens 78 having a concave surface facing the object, a cemented lens of a biconvex lens 79, and a negative meniscus lens 80 having a concave surface facing the object.

  In the afocal zoom system 70 of FIG. 12, when zooming from the low magnification end to the high magnification end, the first lens group G1 is fixed, the second lens group G2 is moved to the image side, and the second lens is moved. The third lens group G3 is moved in the direction in which the focus movement due to the movement of the group G2 is corrected. It is preferable to increase the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12 in conjunction with the zooming of the afocal zoom system 70 from the low magnification end to the high magnification end.

  Table 4 shows the specification values of the afocal zoom system 70 and the aperture stop 12 shown in FIG.

In Table 4, surface number 1 corresponds to the aperture stop 12 (SP), surface numbers 2 to 18 are lens surface numbers sequentially attached from the object side, and surface number 19 is on the lens barrel surface (PL). Correspond. The distance from the most object side lens surface (2) to the aperture stop (SP) is 5 mm. f represents the focal length of the entire lens system when the distance d ₀ = ∞ from the object plane to the aperture stop 12 and the focal length f of the imaging optical system 14 is 250 mm. Fno indicates the F number, and fai indicates the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12.

The values corresponding to the conditional expressions (1) to (3) are as follows.
(1) β2L = −0.221
(2) 1 / β3L = 0.000
(3) Ymax / fL = 0.110
Further, in a zoom microscope including the afocal zoom system 70 and the aperture stop 12 based on the specification values in Table 4 and the imaging optical system 14 based on the specification values in Table 3, the various aberrations (spherical aberration, non-spherical aberration, (Point aberration, distortion aberration, lateral chromatic aberration, coma aberration) are shown in FIGS. 13 corresponds to the low magnification end state (f = 100), FIG. 14 corresponds to the intermediate state (f = 250), and FIG. 15 corresponds to the high magnification end state (f = 750). As is apparent from the drawing, the zoom microscope provided with the afocal zoom system 70 having the three-group configuration has various aberrations corrected satisfactorily.

(Fifth embodiment)
Here, the infinity objective lens 90 (FIG. 16) in which the pupil is projected to the image side in the above configuration will be described. The objective lens 90 can be used in place of the objective lens 11 described above.
When observing at a low magnification, the real field of view becomes large. That is, the height of the object increases, and the difference between the height of the light beam on the optical axis that passes through the lens and the height of the peripheral light beam increases, so that in addition to normal aberrations related to image formation, pupil aberration and chromatic aberration are greatly corrected. It becomes difficult. And as already mentioned, when performing epi-illumination observation, etc., in order to keep the brightness uniform to the periphery of the field of view, no perspective, and to keep the magnification fluctuation of the image with respect to the position change of the object small, it is almost telecentric on the object side. Need to be illuminated.

  For this reason, it is preferable that the basic configuration of the objective lens is as follows. That is, in order from the object side, the first lens group G1 having a positive refractive power as a whole, the second lens group G2 having a negative refractive power as a whole, and the third lens group G3 having a positive refractive power as a whole. The first lens group G1 includes a meniscus single lens having a convex surface facing the object side having positive refracting power or a meniscus cemented lens having a convex surface facing the object side having positive refracting power. Further, it is preferable that the second lens group G2 includes at least one cemented lens and is configured to be substantially telecentric on the object side.

Further, in order to define how much it is preferable to suppress the deviation from the complete telecentric, it is preferable that the basic configuration of the objective lens satisfies the following conditional expression (4).
−0.3 <α <0.3 (4)
Here, α is an angle (unit: degrees) formed by the principal ray at an arbitrary position on the object and the optical axis.
Outside the range of conditional expression (4), illumination unevenness occurs during epi-illumination, and an image with uniform brightness cannot be obtained. If the upper limit of conditional expression (4) is exceeded, the lens diameter becomes too large, which causes a problem in system configuration.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram (optical path diagram) of the objective lens 90 of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 16 also shows the optical paths of rays emitted from four points on the object from the center of the object to the outermost periphery.
The objective lens 90 includes a first lens group G1, a second lens group G2, and a third lens group G3 in order from the object side. The first lens group G1 includes a first lens component L11, which is a biconvex lens, and a second lens component ML1, which is a cemented meniscus lens having a positive refractive power with the convex surface facing the object side, and includes a lens L12 and a lens L13. Composed. The second lens group G2 includes a third lens component L21 that is a meniscus lens having a concave surface facing the image side, a fourth lens component ML2 that includes a lens L22 and a lens L23, and a fifth lens that includes a lens L24 and a lens L25. It is composed of two meniscus cemented lenses of component ML3. ML2 and ML3 are arranged so that their concave surfaces face each other. The third lens group G3 includes a sixth lens component L31 which is a biconvex lens having a surface with a large refractive power on the image side.

The objective lens 90 of the fifth embodiment has a total magnification β = −0.5 and NA = 0.015 when the shortest focal length of the subsequent zoom lens system is 100 mm. Is an infinite objective lens designed to be able to expand up to 0.05.
Table 5 below shows specification values of the objective lens 90. In Table 5, β is the corresponding magnification, NA is the object-side numerical aperture, F is the combined focal length (unit: mm) of the entire objective lens system, and D0 is the distance (unit: mm) from the object to the first lens surface. The numbers on the left end indicate the order from the object side, R is the radius of curvature (unit: mm) of each lens surface, D is the lens thickness and distance between the lens surfaces (unit: mm), nd is the d line (λ = 587.5562 nm) The refractive index νd is the Abbe number of each lens glass material.

The aberration diagrams for the fifth embodiment are shown in FIGS.
FIG. 17 is an aberration diagram of spherical aberration, astigmatism, distortion aberration, and coma aberration calculated as an ideal lens having a focal length of 100 mm of the zoom optical system (including the imaging lens) following the objective lens 90. . As shown in FIG. 17, in the objective lens 90 of the fifth embodiment, NA = NA at each wavelength of the d line (587.562 nm), the C line (656.273 nm), the F line (486.133 nm), and the g line (435.835 nm). Corrected to 0.015 and 22 fields of view.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations calculated as an ideal lens having a focal length of 400 mm of the zoom optical system (including the imaging lens) following the objective lens 90. As shown in FIG. 18, in the objective lens 90 of the fifth embodiment, NA = 0.03 and the number of fields of view 22 are satisfactorily corrected at the wavelengths of d-line, C-line, F-line, and g-line.
FIG. 19 is a diagram of various aberrations calculated as an ideal lens having a focal length of 750 mm of the zoom optical system (including the imaging lens) following the objective lens 90. As shown in FIG. 19, in the objective lens 90 of the fifth embodiment, NA = 0.05 and the number of fields of view 22 are satisfactorily corrected at the wavelengths of d-line, C-line, F-line, and g-line.
(Modification)
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12 is variable according to the movement of the zoom lens group (G2, G3) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to the case where the zooming lens group (G2, G3) is moved in a state where the aperture diameter is constant.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the distances from the body-mounted surface of each objective lens 11 to the rear focal plane are the same has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to the case where the distance from the barrel surface to the rear focal plane is different for each objective lens 11. In this case, when the objective lens 11 is replaced, the aperture stop 12 may be moved along the optical axis direction so as to maintain the telecentricity on the object side.

  Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, the coaxial incident illumination device (43 to 46) is provided between the afocal zoom system 13 and the imaging optical system 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. The coaxial epi-illumination device (43 to 46) may be provided between the objective lens 11 and the afocal zoom system 13. In this case, it is possible to suppress a decrease in contrast due to flare on the lens surface of the observation optical system or autofluorescence.

  In the third embodiment described above, the fluorescent epi-illumination device (51 to 56) is provided between the objective lens 11 and the aperture stop 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. The fluorescent epi-illumination devices (51 to 56) may be provided between the aperture stop 12 and the afocal zoom system 13, or may be provided between the afocal zoom system 13 and the imaging optical system 14. However, in the case of fluorescence observation, it is necessary to reduce a noise component caused by autofluorescence on the lens surface, and therefore it is preferably provided between the objective lens 11 and the afocal zoom system 13.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a zoom microscope 10 according to a first embodiment. It is a figure explaining exchange of the objective lens. It is a figure explaining the change of the aperture diameter of the aperture stop 12 by comparing the low magnification (a) and the high magnification (b) by the afocal zoom system 13. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific configuration of an objective lens 11. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific configuration of an afocal zoom system 13. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific configuration of an imaging optical system 14. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations of the zoom microscope 10 in a low magnification end state. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations in an intermediate state of the zoom microscope. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations of the zoom microscope 10 in a high magnification end state. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the zoom microscope 40 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the zoom microscope 50 of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a specific structure of the afocal zoom system 70 of 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the various aberrations in the low magnification end state of the zoom microscope provided with the afocal zoom system. It is a figure which shows the various aberrations in the intermediate state of the zoom microscope provided with the afocal zoom system. It is a figure which shows the various aberrations in the high magnification end state of the zoom microscope provided with the afocal zoom system. It is a block diagram (optical path diagram) of the objective lens 90 of 5th Embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations when the objective lens 90 has a focal length of a subsequent zoom optical system of 100 mm. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations when the focal length of a subsequent zoom optical system is 400 mm in the objective lens 90. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating various aberrations when the objective lens 90 has a focal length of a subsequent zoom optical system of 750 mm.

Explanation of symbols

10, 40, 50 Zoom microscope 10A Specimen 10B Image plane 11 Objective lens 12 Aperture stop 13, 70 Afocal zoom system G1 First lens group G2 Second lens group G3 Third lens group G4 Fourth lens group 14 Imaging optical system 43, 51 Fiber light source 44, 52 Collector lens 45, 53 Relay lens 46 Beam splitter 54 Excitation filter 55 Dichroic mirror 56 Barrier filter

Claims (6)

In order from the sample side, an interchangeable infinity correction type objective lens, an aperture stop, an afocal zoom system, and an imaging optical system are arranged.
The zoom microscope according to claim 1, wherein the aperture stop is disposed at or near a rear focal plane of the objective lens. The zoom microscope according to claim 1,
The afocal zoom system has a variable power lens group movable along the optical axis direction,
The zoom microscope according to claim 1, wherein the aperture stop has a variable stop diameter according to the movement of the lens unit for zooming. The zoom microscope according to claim 1 or 2,
A zoom microscope characterized in that coaxial incident illumination means for forming a light source image at or near the aperture stop is disposed between the afocal zoom system and the imaging optical system. The zoom microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A holding member that holds the objective lens in a replaceable manner,
The zoom microscope, wherein the aperture stop is disposed on an image side of the holding member. In the zoom microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The focal length fL of the afocal zoom system combined with the imaging optical system in the low magnification end state and the maximum image height Ymax satisfy the following conditional expression: 0.05 <Ymax / fL <0.16
A zoom microscope characterized by that. In the zoom microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The objective lens includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group having a positive refractive power as a whole, a second lens group having a negative refractive power as a whole, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power as a whole. And consists of
The first lens group includes a meniscus single lens having a convex surface facing the object side having positive refractive power or a meniscus cemented lens having a convex surface facing the object side having positive refractive power,
The second lens group includes at least one cemented lens and is substantially telecentric on the object side;
The objective lens satisfies the following conditional expression, where α (unit: degree) is an angle formed by the principal ray at an arbitrary position on the object with the optical axis: −0.3 <α <0.3
A zoom microscope characterized by that.

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