JP2013120271A - Microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microscope having a turret on which a plurality of optical elements are provided and which is capable of preventing displacement of the light path when the turret is rotated.SOLUTION: A microscope 1 comprises: an objective lens 31 that radiates laser light onto a specimen A and collects observation light from the specimen A; and a first beam splitter 18 that separates the observation light from the laser light, according to the wavelength of the light. The first beam splitter 18 includes: a stator; a bearing fixed to the stator; a rotor supported by the bearing rotatably with respect to the stator; a plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor; and a rotating turret 18b that switches among the optical elements 18a placed on a light path of the laser light and fluorescence in an alternative manner by rotating the rotor about an axis line L. The rotating turret 18b regulates the rotor such that the rotor does not make more than one turn from a reference position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a microscope system that performs evanescent illumination, a microscope is known that includes a turret mechanism that is rotatably supported by a bearing or the like between a light source and an objective lens that irradiates a specimen with illumination light (for example, patents). Reference 1). This microscope performs illumination by switching a plurality of optical elements by a turret mechanism.

  The microscope also includes a correction mechanism that corrects the optical path by recording a deviation of the optical path when the optical element of the turret mechanism is switched when the plurality of optical elements are switched by the turret mechanism.

JP 2005-121822 A

  In the microscope disclosed in Patent Document 1, in the turret mechanism that is rotatably supported by the bearing, when the turret rotates one turn, the ball of the bearing rotates half a turn. Here, the size of the ball of the bearing varies, and the ball of the bearing is not exactly a true sphere.

  Therefore, for example, when the turret is rotated a plurality of times in the same direction, the turret angle is deviated because the arrangement of the balls is different depending on whether the turret is rotated oddly or evenly. Therefore, even if the optical path is corrected for each optical element, an optical path shift occurs depending on the number of rotations of the turret, and accurate observation cannot be performed.

  If the size of the ball of the bearing is uniform and the shape is exactly spherical, the above disadvantages will not occur, but it is practically very difficult to process the ball to be uniform and accurately spherical. It is difficult to.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and in a microscope provided with a turret provided with a plurality of optical elements, a microscope capable of preventing optical path deviation when the turret is rotated. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following means.
The first aspect of the present invention irradiates the sample with light from a light source, and on the optical path connecting the light source and the objective lens according to the wavelength of light, and an objective lens that collects observation light from the sample. A branch portion that branches an optical path, and the branch portion is provided in the rotor, a bearing fixed to the stator, a rotor rotatably supported to the stator by the bearing, and the rotor. A plurality of optical elements that are selectively switched on the optical path to perform the branching, and a rotation mechanism that selectively switches the optical elements disposed on the optical path by rotating the rotor around an axis. And the rotation mechanism includes a sensor that determines a reference position of the rotor, and a control unit that controls the rotation amount of the rotor so that it does not rotate more than one rotation from the reference position.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, light from the light source is irradiated by the objective lens, and observation light from the specimen is collected by the objective lens. The observation light collected by the objective lens is branched from the light from the light source by an optical element arranged on the optical path. At this time, the optical element disposed on the optical path of the light from the light source and the observation light is selectively switched by rotating the rotor provided with the plurality of optical elements by the rotation mechanism around its axis. Optical elements corresponding to the wavelengths of the light from and the observation light are arranged on the optical path.

  In this case, in the rotation mechanism, the reference position of the rotor is determined by the sensor, and the rotation amount of the rotor is controlled by the control means so that it does not exceed one rotation from the reference position. Thereby, when the optical element arranged on the optical path of the light from the light source and the observation light is switched by the rotation mechanism, the positional relationship between the optical element and the ball of the bearing can always be the same. Therefore, the reproducibility of the angle of the optical element with respect to the optical path axis of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched by the rotation mechanism can be improved. Thereby, the optical path shift of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched can be prevented, and the observation accuracy of the specimen can be improved.

The said aspect WHEREIN: It is good also as providing the correction means which correct | amends the shift | offset | difference of the condensing position of the light from the said light source by the said objective lens.
By providing such a correction means, when the optical elements are switched by the rotation mechanism, it is possible to correct, for each optical element, the converging position shift of the objective lens caused by an error in the angle or position of each optical element. . Thereby, the optical path deviation of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched can be further reduced, and the specimen observation accuracy can be improved.

  In the above aspect, the correction unit includes a storage unit that stores correction information associated with each optical element, and is stored in the storage unit according to the optical element that is selectively arranged on the optical path. Based on the correction information, the deviation of the condensing position of the light from the light source by the objective lens may be corrected.

  With such a configuration, correction information associated with the optical element in advance is stored in the storage unit, and correction information according to the optical element arranged on the optical path of the light from the light source and the observation light is stored in the storage unit. The deviation of the light condensing position of the light from the light source by the objective lens can be corrected based on the correction information. This makes it possible to correct the deviation of the light collection position of the light from the light source with high accuracy and improve the observation accuracy of the specimen.

In the above aspect, the rotation mechanism may include a stopper that regulates the rotation angle of the rotor.
With this configuration, the stopper can reliably prevent the rotation amount of the rotor from exceeding one rotation from the reference position when the optical element is switched. This can improve the reproducibility of the angle of the optical element with respect to the optical path axis of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched by the rotation mechanism, and the light from the light source when the optical element is switched. In addition, it is possible to prevent an optical path shift of the observation light.

In the above aspect, the rotation mechanism may include a belt provided in a circumferential direction of the rotor and a motor that drives the belt.
With such a configuration, the belt provided in the circumferential direction of the rotor is driven by the motor, so that the vibration (and a plurality of optical elements provided in the rotor) can be stably rotated around the axis line by suppressing vibration. And the back accuracy of the rotating mechanism can be eliminated to improve the stopping accuracy. Thus, when the rotation axis of the rotation mechanism and the reflection surface of the optical element are not orthogonal, the angle of the optical element with respect to the optical path axis of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched by the rotation mechanism. The reproducibility can be improved, and the optical path deviation of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched can be prevented.

In the above aspect, when the rotation mechanism stops the rotor, the rotation mechanism may rotate the rotor in one direction and then rotate the rotor in a direction opposite to the one direction to stop the rotor. .
By stopping the rotor (and the plurality of optical elements provided on the rotor) in this way by the rotation mechanism, the backlash of the rotation mechanism can be achieved when the rotation axis of the rotation mechanism and the reflection surface of the optical element are not orthogonal to each other. Correction can be performed, and the stopping accuracy can be improved. This can improve the reproducibility of the angle of the optical element with respect to the optical path axis of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched by the rotation mechanism, and the light from the light source when the optical element is switched. In addition, it is possible to prevent an optical path shift of the observation light.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the sample is irradiated with light from a light source, and an objective lens that collects observation light from the sample and an optical path connecting the light source and the objective lens according to the wavelength of light. A branch portion that branches an optical path, and the branch portion is provided in the rotor, a bearing fixed to the stator, a rotor rotatably supported to the stator by the bearing, and the rotor. The microscope includes a plurality of optical elements that are selectively switched and arranged on the optical path to perform the branching, and a stopper that restricts a rotation angle of the rotor.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, similarly to the first aspect described above, the optical path deviation of the light from the light source and the observation light when the optical element is switched is prevented, and the specimen observation accuracy is improved. be able to. Further, by restricting the rotation angle of the rotor only by the stopper, the device cost can be reduced as a simple device configuration.

  According to the present invention, when a turret is rotated in a microscope including a turret provided with a plurality of optical elements, the optical path can be prevented from being shifted.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the 1st beam splitter of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view of the first beam splitter of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bearing of FIG. 3. It is a cross-sectional view explaining the operation | movement at the time of performing backlash correction in the 1st beam splitter of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the microscope which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
A microscope 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the microscope 1 according to this embodiment includes a laser light source 11 that emits laser light, a light source 21 that emits illumination light, and an objective that irradiates the specimen A with the laser light and illumination light from the light source 21. The lens 31, the first detection optical system 10 that detects fluorescence generated by irradiating the sample A with laser light, and return light including fluorescence when the sample A is irradiated with illumination light from the light source 21 are detected. And a second detection optical system 20.

The laser light source 11 is a light source that emits laser light as excitation light for exciting the fluorescent substance in the specimen A to generate fluorescence.
The light source 21 is a light source that emits white light as illumination light for acquiring a camera observation image of the specimen A.

  The objective lens 31 irradiates the sample A with the laser light from the laser light source 11 and collects the fluorescence generated on the sample A. The objective lens 31 collects return light from the specimen A while irradiating the specimen A with illumination light from the light source 21.

  A first beam splitter (branching unit) 18 arranged on the optical path connecting the laser light source 11 and the light source 21 and the objective lens 31 branches the light from the specimen A according to the wavelength of the light. . Here, the first detection optical system 10 detects the fluorescence emitted from the specimen A when the objective lens 31 is irradiated with the laser light from the laser light source 11, and the second detection optical system 20 The case where the return light from the specimen A when the illumination light from the light source 21 is irradiated by the lens 31 will be described as an example.

  The first detection optical system 10 includes a dichroic mirror (branching unit) 12, a detector 13, a mirror 14, a galvano scanner 15, a pupil projection lens 16, an imaging lens 17, and a first beam splitter ( Branching portion) 18.

  In the first detection optical system 10, a dichroic mirror 12 is disposed on the emission optical axis of the laser light source 11. In addition, a mirror 14, a galvano scanner 15, a pupil projection lens 16, an imaging lens 17, a first beam splitter 18, and an objective lens 31 are disposed on the optical path of the laser beam reflected by the dichroic mirror 12. Has been. A detector 13 is disposed on the transmitted light path of the dichroic mirror 12.

  The dichroic mirror 12 has a characteristic of reflecting the laser light from the laser light source 11 and transmitting the fluorescence from the specimen A. By having such characteristics, the dichroic mirror 12 branches the laser light from the laser light source 11 and the fluorescence from the specimen A.

The detector 13 detects fluorescence from the specimen A that has passed through the dichroic mirror 12.
The mirror 14 reflects the laser light reflected by the dichroic mirror 12 toward the galvano scanner 15.

  The galvano scanner 15 has a pair of galvanometer mirrors (not shown). By changing the swing angle of these galvanometer mirrors, the laser light from the laser light source 11 is two-dimensionally scanned on the specimen A. It has become.

  The first beam splitter 18 combines the laser light from the laser light source 11 and the illumination light from the light source 21 and branches the fluorescence and return light from the specimen A. The first beam splitter 18 includes a plurality of optical elements 18 a and a rotating turret (rotating mechanism) 18 b that rotates the plurality of optical elements 18 a around an axis L along the optical axis of the objective lens 31.

  The optical element 18a reflects the laser light from the laser light source 11 and the fluorescence from the sample A generated by the laser light irradiation, while transmitting the illumination light from the light source 21 and the return light from the sample A by the illumination light irradiation. It has become. The optical element 18a is arranged on a concentric circle with the axis L as the center, and by operating the rotating turret 18b, any one of the plurality of optical elements 18a is connected to the optical axis of the imaging lens 17 and the objective lens 31. It is arranged on the intersection with the optical axis.

  In the first beam splitter 18, the optical element 18 a disposed on the optical axis of the objective lens 31 is selectively switched according to the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11. By having such a configuration, the first beam splitter 18 combines the laser light from the laser light source 11 and the illumination light from the light source 21 according to the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11, The fluorescence from the specimen A and the return light are branched.

The second detection optical system 20 includes a second beam splitter (branch unit) 22, a lens 23, a movable mirror 24, a CCD 25, and an eyepiece lens 26.
In the second detection optical system 20, a second beam splitter 22 is disposed on the emission optical axis of the light source 21. The first beam splitter 18 and the objective lens 31 are disposed on the optical path of the illumination light reflected by the second beam splitter 22. A lens 23, a movable mirror 24 that can be inserted into and removed from the optical path, a CCD 25, and an eyepiece lens 26 are disposed on the transmission optical path of the second beam splitter 22.

  The second beam splitter 22 branches the illumination light from the light source 21 and the return light from the sample A due to illumination light irradiation. The second beam splitter 22 includes a plurality of optical elements 22 a and a rotating turret (rotating mechanism) 22 b that rotates the plurality of optical elements 22 a around an axis L along the optical axis of the objective lens 31.

  The optical element 22a reflects light having a wavelength used for illumination out of illumination light from the light source 21, and transmits return light from the specimen A. The optical element 22a is arranged on a concentric circle with the axis L as the center, and by operating the rotating turret 22b, any one of the plurality of optical elements 22a can cause the optical axis of the light source 21 and the light of the objective lens 31 to be lighted. It is arranged on the intersection with the axis.

  In the second beam splitter 22, the optical element 22 a disposed on the optical axis of the objective lens 31 is selectively switched according to the wavelength used for illumination in the illumination light from the light source 21 and the wavelength detected by the CCD 25. It is like that. By having such a configuration, the second beam splitter 22 guides the illumination light from the light source 21 to the specimen A and guides the return light from the specimen A to the CCD 25.

The movable mirror 24 is inserted into and removed from the optical path of the return light from the specimen A. When the movable mirror 24 is inserted into the optical path, the return light from the specimen A is reflected by the movable mirror 24 toward the eyepiece lens 26. On the other hand, when the movable mirror 24 is removed from the optical path, the return light from the specimen A passes in the direction of the CCD 25.
The CCD 25 detects return light from the specimen A reflected by the movable mirror 24.

  Here, specific structures of the first beam splitter 18 and the second beam splitter 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the first beam splitter 18 and the second beam splitter 22 have the same configuration, the first beam splitter 18 will be described as an example here.

  2 and 3, the first beam splitter 18 includes a base 41 fixed to the microscope body, a stator 42 fixed to the base 41, a bearing 43 fixed to the stator 42, The rotor 44 rotatably supported by the bearing 42 with respect to the stator 42, the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44, and the rotor 44 are rotated about the axis L so as to be on the optical path of laser light and fluorescence. A rotating turret 18b that selectively switches the optical element 18a to be arranged, a sensor 55 that determines the reference position of the rotor 44 by detecting the light shielding plate 57, and a control unit 56 that controls the amount of rotation of the rotating turret 18b (control) Means).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating turret 18 b includes a stopper 51 fixed to the base 41 and a pin 58 fixed to the rotor 44 and abutted against the stopper 51. By having such a configuration, the rotating turret 18b regulates the rotor 44 and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44 so as not to make one rotation or more.

  The rotating turret 18 b includes a belt 52 provided in the circumferential direction of the rotor 44 and a motor 53 that drives the belt 52. With such a configuration, the rotating turret 18b drives the belt 52 by the motor 53 to rotate the rotor 44 and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44 around the axis L. ing. Further, by rotating the rotor 44 in this way, it is possible to eliminate the backlash of the rotating turret 18b and improve its stopping accuracy.

The positioning of the rotor 44 (and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44) is performed by controlling the rotation angle of the motor (rotary turret 18b) instead of mechanical clicking.
By doing in this way, positioning accuracy improves rather than a mechanical click, and the influence on the attitude accuracy of the rotor 44 can be eliminated.

Here, in this embodiment, the rotation turret 18b is controlled so as not to be electrically rotated more than once.
Specifically, the control unit 56 always positions the optical element 18a from the same rotation direction when the optical element 18a is selectively switched, and the rotation amount of the rotor 44 is the reference position determined by the sensor 55. Control is performed so as not to make more than one rotation.

  The sensor 55 is disposed at one limit position of the reciprocating rotational motion. When initializing the rotation angle of the rotating turret 18b, the control unit 56 always rotates the rotating turret 18b in one direction. In this case, the position detected by the sensor 55 becomes the reference position. The control unit 56 manages the rotation angle from the reference position to the opposite side with the motor rotation angle (number of command pulses) so as not to make one rotation.

The operation of the microscope 1 according to this embodiment having the above configuration will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the microscope 1 according to the present embodiment, laser light emitted from a laser light source 11 is reflected by a dichroic mirror 12, and includes a mirror 14, a galvano scanner 15, a pupil projection lens 16, and an imaging lens 17. Then, the light is condensed at the focal position of the specimen A by the objective lens 31 through the first beam splitter 18. In this case, the laser beam from the laser light source 11 is two-dimensionally scanned on the specimen A by changing the swing angle of the galvanometer mirror (not shown) by the galvanometer scanner 15.

  At the focal position of the specimen A, the fluorescent material is excited and fluorescence is generated. Fluorescence generated from the specimen A follows an optical path opposite to that of the laser light, and passes through the objective lens 31, the first beam splitter 18, the imaging lens 17, the pupil projection lens 16, the galvano scanner 15, and the mirror 14, and then dichroic. The light passes through the mirror 12 and is detected by the detector 13.

  On the other hand, the illumination light emitted from the light source 21 is reflected by the second beam splitter 22, passes through the first beam splitter 18, and is condensed at the focal position of the sample A by the objective lens 31. The return light from the specimen A follows the reverse optical path and is detected by the CCD 25 via the objective lens 31, the first beam splitter 18, the second beam splitter 22, and the lens 23.

  In this case, when the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 is changed, it is necessary to switch the optical element on the optical path of the laser light, that is, the optical element 18 a of the first beam splitter 18. Further, when changing the illumination wavelength by the light source 21, it is necessary to switch the optical element on the optical path of the illumination light, that is, the optical element 22 a of the second beam splitter 22. Here, as an example, a case will be described in which the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 is changed and the optical element 18a of the first beam splitter 18 is switched.

  In this case, the plurality of optical elements 18a are selectively switched by the rotating turret 18b of the first beam splitter 18, and according to the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 (and the wavelength of the fluorescence from the specimen A). The optical element 18 a is disposed on the optical axis of the objective lens 31. As a result, the fluorescence and return light from the specimen A are branched by the selected optical element 18a and detected by the first detection optical system 10 (detector 13) and the second detection optical system 20 (CCD 25), respectively. The

  Here, the bearing 43 provided in the first beam splitter 18 includes an inner ring 43a fixed to the stator 42, an outer ring 43c fixed to the rotor 44, an inner ring 43a and an outer ring 43c, as shown in FIG. It is set as the structure provided with the some ball | bowl 43b as a rolling element arrange | positioned between.

  Therefore, when the rotor 44 provided with a plurality of optical elements 18a is rotated around its axis by the rotating turret 18b, when the rotor 44 is rotated once as indicated by the arrow 46, the ball 43b is indicated by the arrow 47. Thus, the inner ring 43a and the outer ring 43c are moved halfway.

  In this case, according to the conventional microscope (rotary turret), for example, when the rotating turret is rotated a plurality of times in the same direction, the arrangement of the ball of the bearing is different between the case of the odd number of rotations and the case of the even number of rotations. Deviation occurs in the angle of the rotating turret. This is because there is variation in the size of the ball of the bearing, and the shape is not exactly a true sphere. Therefore, according to a conventional microscope (rotary turret), an optical path shift occurs depending on the number of rotations of the rotating turret, and accurate observation cannot be performed.

  On the other hand, in the microscope 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the rotating turret 18b is controlled so as not to be electrically rotated more than once. With such a configuration, the rotary turret 18b always positions the optical element 18a from the same rotation direction when the optical element 18a is selectively switched, and the rotation amount of the rotor 44 is determined by the sensor 55. It is controlled not to make more than one rotation from the set reference position.

In this case, more specifically, the rotating turret 18b rotates the rotor 44 and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44 as follows.
First, as an initial operation, the sensor 44 always senses the rotor 44 in the same direction. Next, the position (rotation angle) of the rotor 44 is detected. At this time, the position of the rotor 44 may be detected by a sensor 55 or a method of storing the number of pulses of a motor (stepping motor). Then, the rotation pattern of the rotor 44 is stored in advance as a table, and the rotor 44 is rotated based on the rotation pattern.

  Thereby, when the optical element 18a arranged on the optical path of the laser light and the fluorescence is switched by the rotating turret 18b, the positional relationship between the optical element 18a and the ball 43b of the bearing 43 can be always made the same. Therefore, when the optical element 18a is switched by the rotating turret 18b, the reproducibility of the angle of the optical element 18a with respect to the optical path axes of laser light and fluorescence can be improved. Thereby, the optical path shift of the laser beam and the fluorescence when the optical element 18a is switched can be prevented, and the observation accuracy of the specimen A can be improved.

  Further, since the rotating turret 18b includes a stopper 51 that regulates the rotation angle of the rotor 44, the rotor 51 (and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44) are being assembled and maintained by the stopper 51. Even when the electric control by the control unit 56 is not performed as described above, it is possible to reliably prevent one or more rotations from the reference position determined by the sensor 55.

  Further, by driving the belt 52 provided in the circumferential direction of the rotor 44 by the motor 53, vibration is suppressed and the rotor 44 (and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44) can be stably moved around the axis. While rotating, the back turret 18b can be eliminated to improve the stopping accuracy. As a result, when the rotation axis of the rotating turret 18b and the reflecting surface of the optical element 18a are not orthogonal, the optical element 18a with respect to the optical path axis of laser light and fluorescence when the optical element 18a is switched by the rotating turret 18b. The angle reproducibility can be improved, and the optical path deviation of the laser beam and the fluorescence when the optical element 18a is switched can be prevented.

  In the microscope 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the rotating turret 18 b stops the rotor 44, it may be positioned from the same direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotating turret 18 b, as shown in FIG. 5, rotates the rotor 44 in the direction shown by the arrow 48 when stopping the rotor 44, and then shows the arrow 49 that is opposite to the arrow 48. The rotor 44 is stopped by rotating the rotor 44 in the direction.

  By stopping the rotor 44 (and the plurality of optical elements 18a provided on the rotor 44) in this way by the rotating turret 18b, backlash correction of the rotating turret 18b can be performed, and the stopping accuracy can be improved. it can. As a result, when the rotation axis of the rotating turret 18b and the reflecting surface of the optical element 18a are not orthogonal, the optical element 18a with respect to the optical path axis of laser light and fluorescence when the optical element 18a is switched by the rotating turret 18b. The angle reproducibility can be improved, and the optical path deviation of the laser beam and the fluorescence when the optical element 18a is switched can be prevented.

  In the above description, the optical element 18a of the first beam splitter 18 is switched when the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 is changed. However, the optical element of the first beam splitter 18 is changed. It is also possible to switch either or either of 18a and the optical element 22a of the second beam splitter 22.

[First Modification]
As a first modification of the microscope 1 according to this embodiment, only electrical control by the sensor 55 may be performed without providing the mechanical stopper 51. Specifically, when the optical element 18 a is selectively switched, the control unit 56 performs control so that the rotating turret 18 b does not make one or more rotations from the reference position determined by the sensor 55.
By doing so, the number of parts (stopper 51) can be reduced, and the frequency of failure can be reduced by eliminating the mechanical contact portion.

[Second Modification]
As a second modification of the microscope 1 according to the present embodiment, the rotational amount of the rotation turret 18b may not be controlled so as not to be electrically rotated more than once, but the rotational amount may be restricted only mechanically. In other words, the rotation amount of the rotating turret 18b may not be restricted by the control unit 56, and the rotating turret 18b may be restricted by the stopper 51 so as not to mechanically rotate more than once.

In this case, the reference position is detected by rotating the motor (rotary turret 18b) in one direction and rotating it to the mechanical limit (that is, hitting the stopper 51). The rotation angle from there to the other side is managed by the number of motor pulses. Note that the above method may be used even when the rotating turret 18b is manually rotated without providing a motor.
By doing in this way, control of the control part 56 can be made easy, and it can be set as a simple apparatus structure.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the microscope 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, with respect to the microscope 2 according to the present embodiment, the same points as those in the microscope 1 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and is different from the microscope 1 according to the first embodiment. The point will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the microscope 2 according to the present embodiment includes an excitation filter unit (branching unit) 19 instead of the dichroic mirror 12 (see FIG. 1) of the microscope 1 according to the first embodiment. Yes. In addition, the microscope 2 according to the present embodiment includes a storage unit 32 that stores correction information described later, and a control unit (correction unit) 33 that controls the galvano scanner 15 based on the correction information stored in the storage unit 32. I have.

  The excitation filter unit 19 branches the laser light from the laser light source 11 and the fluorescence from the specimen A. The excitation filter unit 19 includes a plurality of dichroic filters 19a that reflect the laser light from the laser light source 11 and transmit fluorescence from the specimen A, and a rotating turret 19b that rotates the plurality of dichroic filters 19a. The plurality of dichroic filters 19a are arranged concentrically, and any one of the plurality of dichroic filters 19a is alternatively arranged on the optical axis of the laser light source 11 by operating the rotating turret 19b. It has become. In the excitation filter unit 19, the dichroic filter 19 a disposed on the optical axis of the laser light source 11 is switched according to the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11.

  The storage unit 32 stores correction information regarding laser beam and fluorescence optical path shifts generated by switching the optical elements of the excitation filter unit 19 and the first beam splitter 18. Specifically, in the storage unit 32, optical paths of laser light and fluorescence caused by individual differences in the reflection angle and folding position of the dichroic filter 19a of the excitation filter unit 19 and the optical element 18a of the first beam splitter 18 are stored. Deviation correction information is stored in advance in association with the combination of the dichroic filter 19a and the optical element 18a.

  Based on the correction information stored in the storage unit 32, the control unit 33 corrects the optical path deviation between the laser beam and the fluorescence. Specifically, the control unit 33 reads the correction amount (correction information) associated with the combination of the dichroic filter 19 a of the excitation filter unit 19 and the optical element 18 a of the first beam splitter 18 from the storage unit 32. . Then, the control unit 33 changes the swing angle of a galvano mirror (not shown) of the galvano scanner 15 based on the correction amount (correction information) read from the storage unit 32, and focuses the laser light from the laser light source 11. The position is corrected, and the position of the fluorescence generated from the focal position is corrected.

  According to the microscope 2 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration, the operation of the galvano scanner 15 is controlled by the control unit 33 based on the correction information stored in the storage unit 32. Hereinafter, the control method of the galvano scanner 15 at this time will be specifically described.

  In the microscope 2 according to the present embodiment, when the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 is changed, the optical elements (the dichroic filter 19a of the excitation filter unit 19 and the first beam splitter 18) on the optical path of the laser light. It is necessary to switch the optical element 18a). Further, when changing the wavelength of the illumination light by the light source 21, it is necessary to switch the optical element (the optical element 22a of the second beam splitter 22) on the optical path of the illumination light. Here, as an example, a case will be described in which the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 is changed and the optical element 18a of the first beam splitter 18 and the dichroic filter 19a of the excitation filter unit 19 are switched.

  In this case, the plurality of dichroic filters 19 a are selectively switched by the rotating turret 19 b of the excitation filter unit 19, and the dichroic filter 19 a corresponding to the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 is on the optical axis of the laser light source 11. Placed in. Further, the plurality of optical elements 18a are selectively switched by the rotating turret 18b of the first beam splitter 18, and an optical element corresponding to the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source 11 (and the wavelength of fluorescence from the specimen A). 18 a is arranged on the optical axis of the objective lens 31. As a result, the fluorescence and return light from the specimen A are branched by the selected optical element 18a and detected by the first detection optical system 10 (detector 13) and the second detection optical system 20 (CCD 25), respectively. The

  In this case, the optical axes of the laser light and the fluorescence may be shifted due to individual differences in the reflection angle and the folding position of the dichroic filter 19a and the optical element 18a. Therefore, the control unit 33 corrects the optical axis deviation between the laser beam and the fluorescence based on the correction information stored in the storage unit 32.

  Specifically, in the storage unit 32, the correction amount (correction information) of the optical axis misalignment between the laser beam and the fluorescence caused by individual differences in the reflection angle and folding position of the dichroic filter 19a and the optical element 18a is stored in the dichroic. It is stored in association with the combination of the filter 19a and the optical element 18a.

  The control unit 33 reads the correction amount (correction information) associated with the combination of the dichroic filter 19a and the optical element 18a from the storage unit 32. Then, the control unit 33 changes the swing angle of a galvano mirror (not shown) of the galvano scanner 15 based on the correction amount (correction information) read from the storage unit 32, and focuses the laser light from the laser light source 11. The position is corrected, and the position of the fluorescence generated from the focal position is corrected.

  As described above, according to the microscope 2 according to the present embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the microscope according to the first embodiment described above, when the dichroic filter 19a and the optical element 18a are switched, each dichroic filter The converging position shift of the objective lens 31 caused by errors in the angles and positions of the optical elements 19a and 18a can be corrected for each of the dichroic filter 19a and the optical elements 18a. Thereby, the optical path deviation of the laser beam and the fluorescence when the dichroic filter 19a and the optical element 18a are switched can be further reduced, and the observation accuracy of the specimen A can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although each embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. . For example, the present invention may be applied to an embodiment in which the above embodiments are appropriately combined.

A Specimen 1, 2 Microscope 10 First detection optical system 11 Laser light source 12 Dichroic mirror (branch part)
13 Detector 15 Galvano Scanner 18 First Beam Splitter (Branch)
18a Optical element 18b Rotating turret (rotating mechanism)
19 Excitation filter unit (branch part)
19a Dichroic filter (optical element)
19b Rotating turret (rotating mechanism)
20 Second detection optical system 21 Light source 22 Second beam splitter (branching unit)
22a Optical element 22b Rotating turret (rotating mechanism)
25 CCD
31 Objective lens 32 Storage unit 33 Control unit (correction means)
41 Base 42 Stator 43 Bearing 44 Rotor 51 Stopper 52 Belt 53 Motor 55 Sensor 56 Control Unit (Control Unit)

Claims (7)

An objective lens that irradiates the specimen with light from the light source and collects observation light from the specimen;
A branching portion for branching the optical path according to the wavelength of light on the optical path connecting the light source and the objective lens;
The branch is
A stator,
A bearing fixed to the stator;
A rotor rotatably supported by the bearing with respect to the stator;
A plurality of optical elements that are provided on the rotor and are selectively switched on the optical path to perform the branching;
A rotation mechanism that selectively rotates the optical element disposed on the optical path by rotating the rotor around an axis; and
A microscope, wherein the rotation mechanism includes a sensor that determines a reference position of the rotor, and a control unit that controls the rotation amount of the rotor so that it does not rotate more than one rotation from the reference position.   The microscope according to claim 1, further comprising a correcting unit that corrects a deviation of a light collection position of light from the light source by the objective lens. The correction means is
A storage unit that stores correction information associated with each optical element;
3. The shift of the light condensing position of the light from the light source by the objective lens is corrected based on correction information stored in the storage unit according to the optical element that is selectively arranged on the optical path. Microscope.   The microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotation mechanism includes a stopper that regulates a rotation angle of the rotor. The rotation mechanism is
A belt provided in a circumferential direction of the rotor;
The microscope according to claim 1, further comprising a motor that drives the belt.   6. The rotating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism stops the rotor by rotating the rotor in one direction and then rotating the rotor in a direction opposite to the one direction when stopping the rotor. Microscope. An objective lens that irradiates the specimen with light from the light source and collects observation light from the specimen;
A branching portion for branching the optical path according to the wavelength of light on the optical path connecting the light source and the objective lens;
The branch is
A stator,
A bearing fixed to the stator;
A rotor rotatably supported by the bearing with respect to the stator;
A plurality of optical elements that are provided on the rotor and are selectively switched on the optical path to perform the branching;
A microscope comprising: a stopper for regulating a rotation angle of the rotor.

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