JP2012220610A - Microscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microscope apparatus which has a simple structure for switching bright-field illumination and dark-field illumination.SOLUTION: A microscope apparatus 100 is arranged such that illumination light is applied to a sample 31 via an objective lens 21 on an image-forming optical path 20a during bright-field observation or via a dark-field optical path 20b during dark-field observation. The microscope apparatus 100 includes: a light source 51; and an illumination optical system 50 which applies illumination light from the light source 51 to the sample 31. Further, the illumination optical system 50 includes: an annular band-like beam generation component 200 including multiple optical fibers 201 which are provided such that light incoming ends 201a are provided as annular bands to surround an optical axis of the illumination optical system 50 and to face the light source 51 and that light outgoing ends 201b are provided to guide illumination light to the dark-field optical path 20b; and an optical path switching unit 202 which is provided detachably to a side, closer to the light source, of the light incoming ends 201a of the annular band-like beam generation component 200, and which guides light from the light source 51 to the light incoming ends 201a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope apparatus.

  Conventionally, particularly in the field of industrial microscopes, there are cases where an illuminating device that can switch between bright-field illumination and dark-field illumination is used. When dark field illumination is performed using such an illumination device, an annular illumination is generated in order to illuminate the sample at an angle larger than the numerical aperture of the objective lens and guide only the scattered light to the imaging optical system. There is a need. At this time, in order to deflect the luminous flux to the optical path along the optical axis of the objective lens after generating the annular illumination luminous flux, it is necessary to replace the portion where the half mirror is arranged in the bright field illumination with a perforated mirror However, since the position where the half mirror unit or perforated mirror unit is arranged is spatially separated from the pupil position of the imaging optical system, dark field illumination light and bright field and dark field imaging It was difficult to efficiently separate light. In other words, if only the perforated mirror and the half mirror are replaced, the dark field illumination light flux leaks into the imaging optical path and lowers the contrast. In order to avoid this, if a cylindrical light beam separating member or a diaphragm is disposed, the peripheral light beam of the imaging light is not sufficient, which causes shading. For this reason, a microscope apparatus having a bypass optical path using an annular fiber has been proposed in order to prevent the dark field illumination light flux from passing through the half mirror section (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this microscope apparatus, an aperture stop or a field stop and a fiber incident end are arranged to be detachable.

JP 2003-005082 A

  However, aperture members such as an aperture stop or a field stop include not only aperture blades but also centering screws, etc., which are a complex mechanism in the illumination device for microscopes. There was a problem that it was not preferable in configuration.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the mechanism for inserting and removing the optical member for bypassing is simple while bypassing the half mirror portion and ensuring dark field illumination. It is an object of the present invention to provide a microscope apparatus that can efficiently separate illumination light and imaging light, and can suppress the occurrence of peripheral dimming of the imaging light.

  In order to solve the above problems, a microscope apparatus according to the present invention has an imaging optical path in which an objective lens is disposed, and a dark field optical path formed around the imaging optical path, and at the time of bright field observation A microscope apparatus configured to irradiate a specimen with illumination light through an objective lens in an imaging optical path and irradiate the specimen with illumination light through a dark field optical path during dark field observation, and emits illumination light A light source and an illumination optical system that irradiates the sample with illumination light from the light source, and the illumination optical system is arranged in a ring shape so that the incident end surrounds the optical axis of the illumination optical system toward the light source An annular light flux generating member composed of a plurality of optical fibers arranged in an annular shape so as to surround the optical axis of the objective lens so that the exit end guides illumination light to the dark field optical path, and an incident end of the annular light flux generating member Is detachably placed on the light source side of the light source and guides the light from the light source to the incident end. And having an optical path switching unit.

  In such a microscope apparatus, it is preferable that the exit end of the annular light flux generating member is disposed in the vicinity of the exit pupil of the objective lens.

  In such a microscope apparatus, it is preferable that the optical path switching unit has a light shielding portion that closes the opening surrounded by the incident end of the annular light flux generating member when attached to the illumination optical system.

  Further, such a microscope apparatus has a micro lens arranged between the incident end of the annular light flux generating member and the optical path switching unit, and arranged in a ring shape corresponding to each of the incident ends, and switches the optical path. It is preferable to have a microlens array that collects the illumination light emitted from the unit at the incident end of each of the microlenses.

  At this time, it is preferable that the microlens array has a light shielding portion that closes an opening surrounded by the microlens.

  Further, in such a microscope apparatus, the illumination optical system is inserted on the specimen side from the incident end of the annular light flux generating member, and is inserted at a point where the optical axis of the illumination optical system and the optical axis of the objective lens intersect. It is preferable to have a half mirror that is detachably disposed and guides the illumination light that has passed through the opening surrounded by the incident end of the annular light flux generation member to the objective lens.

  When the microscope apparatus according to the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to efficiently separate the illumination light and the imaging light by providing the annular light flux generating member that guides the illumination light to the dark field optical path. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of peripheral dimming of the imaging light and simplify the insertion / removal mechanism by switching between bright field illumination and dark field illumination by inserting / removing the optical path switching unit to / from the illumination optical system. be able to.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a microscope apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the optical system by the side of the emission part of an annular light beam production | generation member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the optical system by the side of the incident part of an annular light beam production | generation member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the incident part of an annular light beam production | generation member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the case where a micro lens array is arrange | positioned with respect to the incident part of an annular light beam production | generation member.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The microscope apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to observe the specimen 31 by switching between bright field illumination and dark field illumination. The microscope apparatus 100 includes a base portion 101a to which a stage 30 on which a specimen 31 is placed is attached, and an arm portion 101b that is provided on the base portion 101a and holds a revolver 102 having an objective lens unit 20. A base 101, an illuminating unit 103 attached to the upper part of the arm part 101b, and an eyepiece tube 104 attached to the upper part of the illuminating part 103 are configured.

  The optical system of the microscope apparatus 100 includes the imaging optical system 10 that forms an image of the specimen 31 placed on the stage 30 through the objective lens 21 of the objective lens unit 20, and illumination light from the light source 51. And an illumination optical system 50 that irradiates the specimen 31 via the objective lens 21.

  The imaging optical system 10, in order from the sample 31 side, converges the objective lens 21 that converts light (observation light) emitted from the sample 31 into substantially parallel light, and collects the substantially parallel observation light. An imaging lens 41 that forms the primary image 43, a prism 42 that bends the optical path of the imaging optical system 10, and an eyepiece lens 44 for observing the primary image 43 of the sample 31 are included. As described above, the objective lens 21 is held by the objective lens unit 20 attached to the revolver 102, and the imaging lens 41, the prism 42, and the eyepiece lens 44 are held by the eyepiece tube 104.

  On the other hand, the illumination optical system 50 is arranged on the side of the imaging optical system 10, and sequentially collects the illumination light from the light source 51 to form an image of the light source 51 from the light source 51 side. Relay lenses 53, 54, and 55 that relay light from the image of the light source 51 formed by the collector lens 52 to form an image 56 of the light source 51, and an image 56 of the light source 51 (that is, the light source 51 and An aperture stop 57 arranged so as to substantially coincide with the conjugate position), a field stop 58, a field lens group 59 for projecting an image of the field stop 58 onto the specimen 31, and an annular light flux generating member 200 described later. The incident part 200a and the half mirror 60 which superimposes the illumination light from the light source 51 on the imaging optical system 10 and guides it to the objective lens 21 are configured. The half mirror 60 is disposed at a point where the optical axis of the imaging optical system 10 (objective lens 21) and the optical axis of the illumination optical system 50 intersect, and is shared with the imaging optical system 10 described above. . The illumination optical system 50 is held by the illumination unit 103.

  A cylindrical light shielding member 22 is provided inside the objective lens unit 20 so as to extend along the optical axis, and an imaging optical path formed inside the light shielding member 22 inside the objective lens unit 20. 20a and a dark field optical path 20b formed outside the light shielding member 22 are separated. The objective lens 21 described above is disposed in the imaging optical path 20a. In addition, an annular condenser lens 23 that condenses illumination light from the light source 51 that is guided to the dark field optical path 20b of the objective lens unit 20 by an annular luminous flux generation member 200 described later and emitted from the emission unit 200b. In addition, a ring-shaped mirror 24 that reflects the illumination light collected by the condenser lens 23 and irradiates the specimen 31 from the periphery of the tip of the objective lens 21 is provided.

  Next, the configuration of the annular light flux generation member 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. The annular light flux generating member 200 is configured by bundling a plurality of optical fibers 201, and one end portion (incident end 201a) is held by the incident portion 200a so that the optical axis of the illumination optical system 50 is adjusted. It is arranged in a ring shape to surround it. Further, the other end (exit end 201b) is held above the objective lens unit 20 in the revolver 102 and held in the exit 200b so as to surround the optical axis of the imaging optical system 10, and is arranged in a ring shape. . At this time, by arranging the exit end 201b of the optical fiber 201 in the vicinity of the exit pupil of the objective lens 21, the exit end 201b can be placed outside the exit pupil of the objective lens 21, so that the dark field can be reduced. Illumination light and bright field and dark field imaging light can be reliably separated. Here, the incident end 201a of each optical fiber 201 is disposed so that the end surface thereof is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the illumination optical system 50 and faces the light source 51 side. Further, the exit end 201b is disposed so that its end face is in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis of the imaging optical system 10 and faces the condenser lens 23 side.

  The illumination unit 103 is configured such that the optical path switching unit 202 can be inserted into and removed from the optical path between the field lens group 59 in the illumination optical system 50 and the incident part 200a of the annular light flux generation member 200. The optical path switching unit 202 includes, in order from the light source 51 side, a negative lens 203 and a positive lens 204 with a convex surface facing the sample 31 side. Further, a light shielding portion 204a is formed on the surface of the positive lens 204 on the sample 31 side so as to block the opening portion 200c formed by the incident end 201a of the optical fiber 201 arranged in an annular shape. At this time, the shape of the effective annular zone 204b (region through which light can be transmitted) outside the convex light shielding portion 204a on the sample 31 side of the positive lens 204 and the shape of the incident portion 200a are configured to coincide with each other. . Further, the opening 200c of the annular light flux generating member 200 is equal to or larger than the effective diameter of the illumination light flux for bright field observation by the illumination optical system 50. Similarly, the inner diameter surrounded by the emission part 200 b (exit end 201 b) of the annular light flux generation member 200 is equal to or larger than the effective diameter of the imaging optical system 10. Further, in the illumination unit 103, the above-described half mirror 60 is configured to be insertable / removable on the optical paths of the imaging optical system 10 and the illumination optical system 50.

  In the microscope apparatus 100 configured as described above, when performing bright field observation, the above-described optical path switching unit 202 is removed from the optical path of the illumination optical system 50 and placed on the optical paths of the imaging optical system 10 and the illumination optical system 50. A half mirror 60 is attached. The illumination light emitted from the light source 51 in such a state is collected by the collector lens 52, and the image of the light source 51 is relayed by the relay lens groups 53, 54, and 55 to form the light source image 56. Then, the light passes through the aperture stop 57 and the field stop 58 and enters the field lens group 59. Further, the light transmitted through the field lens group 59 passes through the opening 200c of the annular light flux generation member 200 and enters the half mirror 60, and a part of the illumination light is reflected by the half mirror 60, and the objective lens. The specimen 31 is irradiated through the objective lens 21 in the imaging optical path 20a of the unit 20. The light reflected by the specimen 31 (observation light) is collected by the objective lens 21, a part of this observation light is transmitted through the half mirror 60, and the primary image 43 of the specimen 31 is formed by the imaging lens 41. , And provided for observation through the eyepiece 44. As described above, since the opening 200c formed in the incident portion 200a of the annular light flux generation member 200 is equal to or larger than the effective diameter of the illumination light beam for bright field observation by the illumination optical system 50, this annular light flux generation member. 200 does not block illumination light for bright field observation. Further, since the inner diameter surrounded by the exit portion 200b of the annular light flux generating member 200 is equal to or larger than the effective diameter of the imaging optical system 10, the annular light flux generating member 200 is used as the imaging light flux (observation light). Will not be blocked.

  On the other hand, when performing dark field observation, the optical path switching unit 202 is attached on the optical path of the illumination optical system 50, and the half mirror 60 is removed from the optical paths of the imaging optical system 10 and the illumination optical system 50. The illumination light radiated from the light source 51 in such a state is incident on the field lens group 59 in the same manner as in the bright field observation described above, and the illumination light transmitted through the field lens group 59 is the optical path switching unit 202. The light beam is expanded by the negative lens 203, further condensed by the positive lens 204, emitted from the effective annular zone 204 b, and from the incident end 201 a of the optical fiber 201 provided in the incident portion 200 a of the annular luminous flux generation member 200. The light enters the optical fiber 201. The light guided by each of the optical fibers 201 exits from the exit end 201b held by the exit section 200b, is collected by the condenser lens 23, is reflected by the mirror 24, and is reflected by the objective lens 21. The specimen 31 is irradiated from around the tip. The light reflected by the specimen 31 (observation light) proceeds in the same manner as in the bright field observation described above. At this time, since the above-described half mirror 60 is removed from the optical path of the imaging optical system 10, most of the light reflected by the specimen 31 can be used as observation light. In addition, the shape of the effective annular zone 204 b of the positive lens 204 of the optical path switching unit 202 and the annular zone shape of the incident portion 200 a that holds the incident end 201 a of the annular luminous flux generation member 200 are configured to substantially coincide. Therefore, the light emitted from the positive lens 204 can be taken into the optical fiber 201 of the annular light flux generation member 200 without waste. Further, since the opening 200c of the annular light flux generation member 200 is blocked by the light shielding portion 204a formed on the positive lens 204 of the optical path switching unit 202, illumination light or the like from the light source 51 is coupled through the opening 200c. It does not enter the optical path of the image optical system 10.

  According to the above configuration, the exit end 201b of the annular light flux generating member 200 can be disposed near the exit pupil of the objective lens 21, and therefore the exit end 201b is disposed outside the exit pupil. Thus, the bright field and imaging light beam and the dark field illumination beam can be reliably and efficiently separated. Therefore, the space T between the objective lens unit 20 and the half mirror 60 in the imaging optical system 10 is a space through which only bright-field illumination light and bright-field and dark-field observation light pass, and optimal illumination is possible. Become. In addition, a member for dark field illumination (for example, a light beam separating member that separates a light beam passing through the imaging optical path and a light beam passing through the dark field optical path) is not disposed in the space T. So that a bright image can be obtained up to the periphery.

  In rare cases, when the fine structure of the specimen 31 is diffracted at a large angle, the diffracted light is mixed into the dark field optical path 20b of the objective lens unit 20, and enters the imaging light beam from the space T to form the imaging light. However, according to the configuration as described above, the light traveling in the dark field optical path 20b opposite to the illumination enters the optical fiber 201 from the exit end 201b of the annular light flux generation member 200 and illuminates. Since the light is emitted to the optical system 50, the contrast of the imaging light is not affected.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when a microlens array 205 in which microlenses 205a corresponding to the respective incident ends 201a are arranged in an annular shape is provided in front of the incident end 201a of the annular luminous flux generation member 200, the light source 51 Can be formed in the shape of each incident end 201a, and a brighter luminous flux can be guided to the dark field optical path 20b. At this time, it is possible to prevent the light from the light source 51 from entering the imaging optical system 10 by providing the light shielding portion 205b in the space surrounded by the microlens 205a.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Objective lens unit 20a Imaging optical path 20b Dark field optical path 21 Objective lens 31 Sample 50 Illumination optical system 51 Light source 100 Microscope apparatus 200 Annular light beam generation member 201 Optical fiber 201a Incident end 201b Ejection end 202 Optical path switching unit 204a Light shielding unit 205 Micro Lens array 205a Micro lens 205b Shading part

Claims (6)

An imaging optical path in which an objective lens is disposed, and a dark field optical path formed around the imaging optical path, and illumination light is applied to the specimen via the objective lens in the imaging optical path during bright field observation A microscope apparatus configured to irradiate the specimen with illumination light through the dark field optical path during dark field observation,
A light source that emits the illumination light;
An illumination optical system for irradiating the specimen with the illumination light from the light source,
The illumination optical system includes:
An entrance end is arranged in a ring shape so as to surround the optical axis of the illumination optical system toward the light source, and an exit end surrounds the optical axis of the objective lens so as to guide the illumination light to the dark field optical path. An annular light flux generating member comprising a plurality of optical fibers arranged in an annular shape;
A microscope apparatus comprising: an optical path switching unit that is detachably disposed on the light source side of the incident end of the annular light flux generating member and guides light from the light source to the incident end.   The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exit end of the annular light flux generation member is disposed in the vicinity of an exit pupil of the objective lens.   The said optical path switching unit has a light-shielding part which closes the opening part enclosed by the said incident end of the said annular light beam production | generation member, when it attaches to the said illumination optical system. The microscope apparatus described.   A microlens disposed between the incident end of the annular light flux generation member and the optical path switching unit, and arranged in a ring shape corresponding to each of the incident ends, and emitted from the optical path switching unit The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a microlens array that focuses the illumination light on the incident end of each of the microlenses.   The microscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the microlens array has a light shielding portion that closes an opening surrounded by the microlens.   The illumination optical system is detachably disposed at a point closer to the sample than the incident end of the annular light flux generating member and at a point where the optical axis of the illumination optical system intersects with the optical axis of the objective lens And a half mirror that guides the illumination light that has passed through the opening surrounded by the incident end of the annular light flux generation member to the objective lens. The microscope apparatus described.

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