JP2015148669A - Optical element-exchanging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily exchange an optical element with another by accessing from a single direction.SOLUTION: An optical element-exchanging device 100 comprises: a holder 31 that detachably fits a cube 3 by sliding it in a single direction; a fixing screw that fixes the cube 3 fitted to the holder 31, to the holder 31 by a fastening action in the attaching/detaching direction; a guide mechanism 35 that supports the holder 31 to be shiftable in the attaching/detaching direction of the cube 3; and a controller 7 that limits, during the fastening action by the fixing screw, the shifting of the holder 31 by the guide mechanism 35.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical element switching device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an optical element switching device that is used in a microscope apparatus and holds an optical element such as a dichroic mirror or a filter in a switchable manner (for example, see Patent Document 1). The optical element switching device described in Patent Document 1 crosses a holding portion that holds an optical element with respect to the optical path in order to avoid contact with another mechanism arranged in the direction in which the optical path of the epi-illumination fluorescent illumination device extends. The optical element can be switched by moving the optical element in a moving direction, and the optical element can be exchanged by sliding the optical element in the same direction as the moving direction of the holding part with respect to the holding part.

  In addition, the optical element switching device described in Patent Document 1 is configured so that the optical element and the holding unit are fixed and integrated when the optical element is switched by a screw that can advance and retract in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the holding unit. On the other hand, when the optical element is attached to and detached from the holding unit, the optical element and the holding unit are released from being fixed, and only the holding unit is fixed to prevent the holding unit from moving.

Japanese Patent No. 2945114

  However, the optical element switching device described in Patent Document 1 must be accessible from two directions because the sliding direction of the optical element and the advancing / retreating direction of the screw are perpendicular to each other, which is necessary for the replacement work of the optical element. There is an inconvenience that the space becomes large and the replacement work becomes complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an optical element switching device capable of easily exchanging optical elements by accessing from one direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The present invention provides a holding part for detachably attaching an optical element by sliding in one direction, and a fixing screw for fixing the optical element attached to the holding part to the holding part by a fastening operation in the attaching / detaching direction. An optical element switching device is provided that includes a guide mechanism that supports the holding portion so as to be movable in the attaching / detaching direction, and a restricting unit that restricts movement of the holding portion by the guide mechanism during the fastening operation of the fixing screw.

  According to the present invention, by attaching the holding unit on which the optical element is mounted by a fixing screw to the microscope, and moving the optical element in the attaching / detaching direction together with the holding unit by the guide mechanism, the optical unit is arranged in the optical path or removed from the optical path, The optical element disposed in the optical path can be switched. Moreover, the optical element attached to the holding part can be exchanged by loosening the fixing screw and detaching the optical element from the holding part.

  In this case, since the movement of the holding portion by the guide mechanism is restricted by the restricting means, the position of the holding portion can be fixed and the fixing screw can be easily tightened when the optical element is replaced. Moreover, since the attaching / detaching direction of the optical element with respect to the holding portion is the same as the fastening direction of the fixing screw, the attaching / detaching operation of the optical element and the fastening operation of the fixing screw can be performed by accessing only from the same direction. Therefore, the optical element can be easily replaced by access from one direction.

  In the above invention, the limiting means may include a drive unit that moves the holding unit in the attachment / detachment direction and a control unit that puts the drive unit in a braking state.

  With this configuration, the drive unit automatically moves the holding unit by the guide mechanism when the optical element is switched, while the movement of the holding unit is restricted according to the instruction of the control unit during the fastening screw fastening operation. . Therefore, by combining the function of the drive unit to move the holding unit and the function of restricting the movement of the holding unit, it is possible to reduce the number of components and reduce the size and secure a space around the holding unit. .

  In the above invention, the holding portion has a hole portion that is recessed in a direction intersecting the attaching / detaching direction, and the restricting means is a movement restricting member arranged to be able to advance and retreat in the moving path of the holding portion. And a controller that controls the advancing / retreating operation of the movement restricting member and fixes the position of the holding part by inserting the movement restricting member into the hole of the holding part.

  With this configuration, the movement of the holding unit by the guide mechanism is restricted by the control unit projecting the movement limiting member and inserting it into the hole of the holding unit, and the movement limiting member is retracted and pulled out from the hole. Therefore, the movement of the holding part is allowed. Therefore, it can prevent more reliably that a holding | maintenance part moves at the time of fastening operation of a fixing screw.

  In the above invention, the holding portion has a protrusion that protrudes in a direction intersecting the attaching / detaching direction, and the restricting means is a movement restricting member arranged to be able to advance and retreat on the moving path of the holding portion. And a controller that controls the advancing and retreating operation of the movement restricting member and fixes the position of the holding portion by projecting the movement restricting member forward in the movement direction of the protrusion of the holding portion.

  By configuring in this way, the movement of the holding part by the guide mechanism is restricted by the control part projecting the movement restricting member and the protrusion of the holding part being abutted, and the movement restricting member is retracted to retract the protrusion. The holding part is allowed to move by removing it from the front in the moving direction. Therefore, it can prevent more reliably that a holding | maintenance part moves at the time of fastening operation of a fixing screw.

  The present invention provides a holding portion for detachably attaching the optical element by sliding in one direction, a guide mechanism for supporting the holding portion so as to be movable in the attaching / detaching direction, and the guide mechanism by the guide mechanism during the attaching / detaching operation of the optical element. A restricting means for restricting movement of the holding portion, the holding portion being recessed in a direction intersecting the attaching / detaching direction, a fixed state in which the optical element is contacted and the position is fixed, and the optical A fixing mechanism capable of switching a separation state in which the fixed state is released after being separated from the element, and the restriction means is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat in the movement path of the holding portion, and the movement restriction member By controlling the forward / backward movement and inserting the movement restricting member into the hole of the holding part, the position of the holding part is fixed and the fixing mechanism is separated from the optical element, and the front part is moved forward from the hole of the holding part. Providing an optical element switching device and a control unit together with releasing the fixation of the holding portion by removing the movement restriction member contacting said fixing mechanism to said optical element.

  According to the present invention, by attaching the holding unit on which the optical element is mounted by the fixing member to the microscope, and moving the optical element in the attaching / detaching direction together with the holding unit by the guide mechanism, the optical unit is arranged in the optical path or removed from the optical path, The optical element disposed in the optical path can be switched. Moreover, the optical element attached to the holding part can be exchanged by releasing the fixing by the fixing member and detaching the optical element from the holding part.

  In this case, the control unit can fix the optical element to the holding unit by the fixing mechanism or fix the position of the holding unit while allowing the holding unit to move only by inserting and removing the movement limiting member into the hole of the holding unit. In addition, the optical element can be released from the holding portion by the fixing mechanism. Further, the optical element can be attached / detached by accessing only from the attaching / detaching direction. Therefore, the optical element can be easily replaced by access from one direction.

  In the above invention, the housing having the holding portion, the guide mechanism, and the restricting means and having an opening that opens in the attaching / detaching direction and a lid that can close the opening, and an open / closed state of the lid It is good also as a detection part detecting this, and the restriction means restricting movement of the holding part when the detection part detects the open state of the lid part.

  According to the present invention, when the opening portion is opened by opening the lid portion of the housing, the position of the holding portion is fixed by the restricting means, and the holding portion can be accessed from the opening portion. Therefore, the optical element can be easily exchanged by access from one direction while protecting the optical element attached to the microscope by the housing.

In the above invention, the limiting means may limit the movement of the holding unit after the holding unit has moved to a predetermined replacement position of the optical element.
With this configuration, the optical element can be easily replaced if a predetermined replacement position of the optical element is set near the opening of the housing.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that an optical element can be easily replaced by access from one direction.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an optical element switching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the state which moved the cube of FIG. 1 to the cube exchange position. It is sectional drawing which looked at the optical element switching apparatus of FIG. 1 in the switching direction of the cube. It is a side view which shows the state which obstruct | occluded the opening part of the exterior cover with the cover part. It is a side view which shows the state which removed the cover part from the opening part of the exterior cover. It is YY sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the fixing mechanism which concerns on the 1st modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the fixing mechanism which concerns on the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) looks at the fixing mechanism of (a) from the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of a holding | maintenance part. It is a figure. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the fixing mechanism which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the movement of the holding unit is restricted by the fixing mechanism of FIG. 9 and the fixation of the cube to the holding unit is released.

[First Embodiment]
An optical element switching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the optical element switching device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 1, an optical element switching mechanism 5 that is accommodated in the housing 1 and switches a cube (optical element) 3, and an optical device. And a control unit (limiting means) 7 for controlling the element switching mechanism 5.

The cube 3 includes, for example, a cube body 11 and a dichroic mirror 15 fixed to the cube body 11.
The cube body 11 has a protrusion 11a supported by the optical element switching mechanism 5 and a knob 13 that can be gripped by the user.
For example, the dichroic mirror 15 is configured to reflect the stimulation laser beam while transmitting the excitation laser beam.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the housing 1 includes an exterior cover 21 having an opening portion 21 a on which a cube 3 can be taken in and out on a side surface, and a lid portion 23 that closes the opening portion 21 a of the exterior cover 21. ing.

  The lid 23 can be fixed to the exterior cover 21 with screws 24 in a state where the opening 21 a of the exterior cover 21 is closed. On the back surface of the lid portion 23, a protruding portion 25 is provided so as to protrude inside the outer cover 21.

  Further, the housing 1 includes a lever 27 that contacts the protrusion 25 when the cover 23 closes the opening 21a, and a sensor that detects the open / closed state of the opening 21a based on the presence or absence of contact between the lever 27 and the protrusion 25. (Detection unit) 29 is provided.

  When the sensor 29 detects the closed state of the opening 21a, the sensor 29 sends a signal notifying that the opening 21a has been closed to the control unit 7. Further, when the sensor 29 detects the open state of the opening 21a, the sensor 29 sends a signal notifying that the opening 21a has been opened to the control unit 7.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the optical element switching mechanism 5 supports a holding unit 31 that holds the cube 3, a fixing mechanism 33 that fixes the cube 3 to the holding unit 31, and the holding unit 31 movably in one direction. A guide mechanism 35 such as a ball guide, a motor (drive unit, control means) 37 that moves the holding unit 31 by the guide mechanism 35, and a base 39 to which the guide mechanism 35 and the motor 37 are attached are provided.

  The holding part 31 has an insertion groove 31a that is complementary to the protruding part 11a of the cube body 11 and is formed in a groove shape. This holding part 31 can attach the cube 3 so that attachment or detachment is possible by inserting / removing the projection part 11a of the cube main body 11 with respect to the insertion groove 31a by sliding to one direction.

  In addition, the holding unit 31 is arranged such that the dichroic mirror 15 is arranged with an inclination of 45 degrees with respect to each optical path at the intersection of the optical path of the excitation laser light of the microscope and the optical path of the stimulation laser light. The cube 3 is held.

As shown in FIG. 6, the fixing mechanism 33 includes a frame 41 and a plunger (fixing screw) 43 that fix and release the cube 3 with respect to the holding portion 31. Reference numeral 45 indicates a female screw.
The top 41 is attached to the holding portion 31 by a pin 47 so as to be movable in a direction close to and away from the cube 3.

  The plunger 43 is provided so as to be able to advance and retract along the female screw 45 in the longitudinal direction of the insertion groove 31 a of the holding portion 31, that is, in the same direction as the attaching / detaching direction of the cube 3 with respect to the holding portion 31. Specifically, the plunger 43 moves forward along the female screw 45 by rotating clockwise (fastening operation), and moves backward along the female screw 45 by rotating counterclockwise. Yes.

  Further, when the plunger 43 moves forward, the plunger 41 is pressed against the protrusion 11 a of the cube main body 11, and the cube main body 11 is fixed to the holding portion 31. Further, when the plunger 43 moves backward, the plunger 41 is separated from the projection 11 a of the cube body 11 to release the fixation of the cube 3 to the holding portion 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the guide mechanism 35 is fixed to the base 39 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the optical paths of the excitation laser light and the stimulation laser light, and the guide fixation portion 51. , And a plurality of balls 55 arranged so as to be able to roll between the guide fixing portion 51 and the guide movable portion 53.

  The guide fixing portion 51 is arranged so that the opening 21 a of the housing 1 is positioned on the extension line in the longitudinal direction, and one end extends to the vicinity of the opening 21 a of the exterior cover 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the position closest to the opening 21a of the outer cover 21 where the guide movable portion 53 can be moved by the guide fixing portion 51 is called a cube replacement position (exchange position).

  The holding portion 31 is fixed to the guide movable portion 53 so that the sliding direction along the guide fixing portion 51 and the attaching / detaching direction of the cube 3 with respect to the holding portion 31 are parallel. Thereby, the guide movable part 53 can move the holding part 31 in the same direction as the attaching / detaching direction of the cube 3 with respect to the holding part 31.

  The motor 37 has a motor shaft (not shown) extending in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the guide fixing portion 51 of the guide mechanism 35 extends. Further, the motor 37 is connected to the holding unit 31 by a rack and pinion 57. The motor 37 transmits a rotational force to the holding unit 31 by a rack and pinion 57 and moves the holding unit 31 along the guide fixing unit 51 via the guide movable unit 53.

  The control part 7 can arrange | position the cube 3 in a user's desired position by operating the motor 37 and moving the holding | maintenance part 31 by the guide mechanism 35. FIG.

  Further, the control unit 7 is configured to restrict the movement of the holding unit 31 by the guide mechanism 35 by setting the motor 37 in a braking state when the cube 3 is replaced. That is, when a signal notifying that the opening 21a is in the open state is input from the sensor 29, the control unit 7 first operates the motor 37, and the guide mechanism 35 moves the holding unit 31 to the cube replacement position. It is designed to move. Further, when the control unit 7 moves the holding unit 31 to the cube replacement position, the motor 37 is kept excited, the motor shaft is braked, and the holding unit 31 is kept stationary by the holding torque. Yes.

  Further, when a signal notifying that the opening 21a is in the closed state is input from the sensor 29, the control unit 7 operates the motor 37 to move the holding unit 31 by the guide mechanism 35, thereby exciting the excitation laser beam. The cube 3 is arranged at the intersection of the optical path of the laser beam and the optical path of the stimulation laser beam.

The operation of the thus configured optical element switching device 100 will be described.
In order to insert or detach the cube 3 from the optical path of the excitation laser light and stimulation laser light of the microscope by the optical element switching device 100 according to the present embodiment, the motor 37 is operated by the control unit 7. The holding unit 31 holding the cube 3 is moved by the guide mechanism 35. Thereby, it is possible to switch between a state in which the cube 3 is disposed in the optical path of the excitation laser light and the stimulation laser light and a state in which the cube 3 is removed from the optical path.

  Next, in order to replace the cube 3 inserted into the optical path of the microscope, first, the lid portion 23 of the housing 1 is opened to open the opening 21a. When the lid portion 23 is removed from the housing 1, the projection portion 25 of the lid portion 23 is separated from the lever 27, whereby the open state of the opening portion 21 a is detected by the sensor 29. Then, a signal notifying that the opening 21 a has been opened is sent from the sensor 29 to the control unit 7.

  When a signal notifying that the opening 21a has been opened is input, the control unit 7 operates the motor 37 to move the holding unit 31 to the cube replacement position by the guide mechanism 35. Further, the control unit 7 keeps the excitation of the motor 37 and maintains the holding unit 31 in a stationary state at the cube replacement position by the holding torque of the motor shaft.

  The user rotates the plunger 43 counterclockwise through the opening 21 a of the housing 1, thereby retracting the plunger 43 and releasing the fixation of the cube body 11 to the holding portion 31 by the top 41. Then, the user holds the knob of the cube main body 11 and slides the cube 3 to remove it from the holding unit 31.

  Subsequently, the user inserts a new cube 3 from the opening 21 a of the housing 1, slides the cube 3, and attaches it to the holding unit 31. Next, the user rotates the plunger 43 clockwise through the opening 21 a of the housing 1, thereby moving the plunger 43 forward and fixing the cube body 11 to the holding unit 31 with the top 41.

  When the user closes the lid 23 of the opening 21 a of the housing 1, the protrusion 11 a comes into contact with the lever 27, and the closed state of the opening 21 a is detected by the sensor 29. Then, a signal notifying that the opening 21 a has been closed is input from the sensor 29 to the control unit 7.

  When a signal notifying that the opening 21a is in the closed state is input, the control unit 7 operates the motor 37 to move the holding unit 31 by the guide mechanism 35, and the optical path of the excitation laser light and the stimulus The cube 3 is arranged at the intersection with the optical path of the laser beam. Thereby, the optical path of the stimulation laser beam of FIG. 1 can be used.

  In this case, according to the optical element switching device 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 7 moves the holding unit 31 to a position close to the opening 21a of the housing 1 when the cube 3 is replaced, and the position. By restricting the movement of the holding portion 31 so as not to move, the cube 3 attached to the holding portion 31 can be easily accessed from the opening 21a and the plunger 43 can be easily fastened. Can do.

  Moreover, since the attaching / detaching direction of the cube 3 with respect to the holding portion 31 and the fastening direction of the plunger 43 are the same, the attaching / detaching of the cube 3 and the fastening operation of the plunger 43 can be performed only by accessing from the opening 21 a of the housing 1. it can. Therefore, as compared with the conventional optical element switching device that must be accessed from a plurality of directions when replacing the cube, the space required for the replacement work of the cube 3 is small and the replacement work can be facilitated.

  In addition, the motor 37 has both a function of moving the holding unit 31 and a function of restricting the movement of the holding unit 31, thereby reducing the number of constituent members and reducing the size of the holding unit 31. Can be secured.

  In the present embodiment, the guide mechanism 35 such as a ball guide using the ball 55 has been described as an example of the guide mechanism. Instead, for example, a roller guide using a cylindrical roller is used. It is good. By doing in this way, the fall of the moment direction can be reduced and the reproducibility of the return angle of the laser beam can be improved.

This embodiment can be modified as follows.
That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 7 restricts the movement of the holding unit 31 by the holding torque of the motor 37. As a first modification, as shown in FIG. A solenoid (movement restriction member, control means) 61 arranged to be movable forward and backward in the movement path may be provided, and the control unit 7 may restrict the movement of the holding unit 31 by the solenoid 61.

The holding part 31 has a hole part 31 b that is recessed in a direction orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction of the cube 3.
The solenoid 61 includes a solenoid main body 63 fixed to the base 39 and a movable iron core 65 that can be moved in and out of the solenoid main body 63. The solenoid 61 is arranged in the vicinity of the cube replacement position of the guide mechanism 35 so that the movable iron core 65 can be inserted into the hole 31b of the holding portion 31 disposed at the cube replacement position. .

  When the opening state of the opening 21 a is detected by the sensor 29 and the holding unit 31 is disposed at the cube replacement position, the control unit 7 causes the solenoid 61 to be in an excited state to project the movable iron core 65, and the hole of the holding unit 31. A movable iron core 65 is inserted into 31b. Further, when the closed state of the opening 21 a is detected by the sensor 29, the control unit 7 releases the excitation of the solenoid 61 and detaches the movable iron core 65 from the hole 31 b of the holding unit 31. Yes.

  By inserting the movable iron core 65 of the solenoid 61 into the hole portion 31b of the holding portion 31, the movement of the holding portion 31 by the guide mechanism 35 is limited, and by removing the movable iron core 65 from the hole portion 31b, Movement is allowed. Therefore, according to this modification, it can prevent more reliably that the holding | maintenance part 31 moves at the time of the fastening operation | movement of the plunger 43. FIG.

  In this modification, the rack and pinion 57 using gear meshing is used for the connection between the motor 37 and the holding portion 31, but instead, for example, the motor 37 and the holding portion 31 are connected to a belt and a pulley or It is good also as connecting with a wire and a pulley.

  Even when the motor shaft of the motor 37 is only in the braking state, even if the movement of the holding portion 31 cannot be restricted because the friction force between the belt and the pulley or the wire and the pulley is weak, the position of the holding portion 31 is securely fixed by the solenoid 61. can do.

  As a second modified example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the holding unit 31 is replaced with the attaching / detaching direction of the cube 3 and the movable solenoid 61 instead of the hole 31b of the first modified example. A protrusion 31c that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the iron core 65 protrudes and protrudes, and the controller 7 moves forward in the direction of movement of the protrusion 31c of the holding portion 31 that is disposed at the replacement position when the cube 3 is replaced. The movable iron core 65 of the solenoid 61 may be protruded.

  When the movable iron core 65 of the solenoid 61 is caused to protrude forward in the movement direction of the protrusion 31 c of the holding portion 31 arranged at the replacement position by the control portion 7, the housing 1 with respect to the holding portion 31 during the fastening operation of the plunger 43. Even if a force is applied in a direction away from the opening 21a, the protrusion 31c of the holding portion 31 abuts against the movable iron core 65 and movement is restricted. Further, when the control unit 7 retracts the movable iron core 65 of the solenoid 61 and removes the movable iron core 65 from the front in the movement direction of the protrusion 31c of the holding unit 31, the movement of the holding unit 31 is allowed.

  Therefore, according to this modification, it is possible to reliably prevent the holding portion 31 from moving during the fastening operation of the plunger 43. Further, the movable iron core 65 of the solenoid 61 only needs to protrude forward in the movement direction of the protrusion 31c of the holding part 31 so as to prevent the movement of the holding part 31. Therefore, the protrusion 31c of the holding part 31 and the solenoid 61 are movable. Less adjustment of positioning accuracy with the iron core 65 is required.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an optical element switching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the optical element switching device 200 according to the present embodiment is fixed in a fixed state in which the position is fixed by contacting the cube 3 instead of the fixing mechanism 33, and is fixed apart from the cube 3. The first embodiment is provided with a fixing mechanism 133 that can be switched between a separated state to be released, and the control unit 7 uses a solenoid (movement limiting member) 61 to limit the movement of the holding unit 31 instead of the holding torque of the motor 37. Different from form.
In the following, portions having the same configuration as those of the optical element switching device 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The holding part 31 has a hole 31b.
The fixing mechanism 133 includes a rotor 71 having a contact portion 71a that can contact the protrusion 11a of the cube body 11 at one end, a rotation support 73 that supports the rotor 71 so as to be slidable around a predetermined peristaltic axis, and rotation. A spring 75 is configured to swing the rotor 71 around the swinging axis of the support 73 and press the contact portion 71a in the direction of approaching the protrusion 11a of the cube body 11.

The rotor 71 is arranged so that the other end opposite to the contact portion 71a is exposed to the hole 31b of the holding portion 31 with the peristaltic shaft interposed therebetween, and the movable iron of the solenoid 61 inserted into the hole 31b. A core 65 is abutted against the other end.
The spring 75 is provided so as to be able to expand and contract in parallel with the depth direction of the hole portion 31 b of the holding portion 31.

  The solenoid 61 inserts the movable iron core 65 into the hole portion 31b of the holding portion 31 and presses the tip against the other end of the rotor 71 to press the rotor 71 around the peristaltic shaft. The contact portion 71a can be separated from the protrusion 11a of the cube body 11 by swinging in a direction opposite to the swinging direction due to the above.

  When a signal notifying that the opening 21a has been opened is input from the sensor 29, the control unit 7 operates the motor 37 to move the holding unit 31 to the cube replacement position, and then energizes the solenoid 61. The movable iron core 65 is protruded in a state. Further, when a signal notifying that the opening 21a is in the closed state is input from the sensor 29, the control unit 7 sets the solenoid 61 in a non-excited state and accommodates the movable iron core 65.

The operation of the thus configured optical element switching device 200 will be described.
When the lid 23 is removed from the housing 1, the motor 37 is operated by the control unit 7 in accordance with a signal from the sensor 29, and the cube 3 moves to the cube replacement position. Next, the solenoid 61 is excited by the control unit 7 so that the movable iron core 65 protrudes and is inserted into the hole 31 b of the holding unit 31. Thereby, the movement of the holding part 31 by the guide mechanism 35 is restricted by the movable iron core 65.

  Further, the tip of the movable iron core 65 inserted into the hole 31b presses the other end of the rotor 71, and the rotor 71 swings around the swing axis in a direction opposite to the swinging direction due to the pressing of the spring 75, The contact portion 71 a of the rotor 71 is separated from the cube body 11. Thereby, fixation of the cube 3 with respect to the holding | maintenance part 31 is cancelled | released. Therefore, the user can remove the cube 3 from the holding unit 31 by sliding it in the attaching / detaching direction.

  Subsequently, the user inserts a new cube 3 from the opening 21 a of the housing 1 and attaches it to the holding unit 31. When the lid 23 is closed, the solenoid 61 is de-energized by the control unit 7 in accordance with a signal from the sensor 29, and the movable iron core 65 is detached from the hole 31 b of the holding unit 31 and accommodated in the solenoid body 63. Is done. Thereby, the restriction | limiting of the movement of the holding | maintenance part 31 by the guide mechanism 35 is cancelled | released.

  Further, the rotor 71 rotates about the swing axis in the direction opposite to the swing direction due to the pressing of the solenoid 61 by the pressing force of the spring 75, and the contact portion 71 a is pressed against the protrusion 11 a of the cube body 11. Thereby, the cube body 11 is fixed to the holding portion 31. In this state, the motor 37 is operated by the control unit 7 and the holding unit 31 is moved by the guide mechanism 35, and the cube 3 is arranged at the intersection of the optical path of the excitation laser beam and the optical path of the stimulation laser beam.

  As described above, according to the optical element switching device 200 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 7 simply inserts and removes the movable iron core 65 of the solenoid 61 into the hole 31b of the holding unit 31. The cube 3 can be fixed to the holding unit 31 by the fixing mechanism 133 while being movable, or the fixing of the cube 3 to the holding unit 31 by the fixing mechanism 133 can be released while fixing the position of the holding unit 31. Further, the cube 3 can be attached and detached by accessing only from the opening 21 a of the housing 1. Therefore, the cube 3 can be easily exchanged by accessing from one direction.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the specific structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included. For example, the present invention is not limited to those applied to the above-described embodiments and modifications, but may be applied to embodiments in which these embodiments and modifications are appropriately combined, and is not particularly limited. .

  In each of the above embodiments, one cube 3 has been described as an example of an optical element, but a plurality of cubes 3 may be switched by the optical element switching mechanism 5. In this case, each cube 3 is held by a plurality of holding portions 31, and each holding portion 31 is moved in one direction along a common guide fixing portion 51 by a plurality of guide movable portions 53. What is necessary is just to switch the cube 3 to arrange | position. The exchange of the cube 3 may be performed for each cube 3 by the same means as in the above embodiments.

  In each of the above embodiments, the scanner device that combines the optical paths of the excitation laser light and the stimulation laser light has been described. For example, a detector or excitation that selectively detects fluorescence from a specimen and performs excitation. The optical element switching devices 100 and 200 may be provided in a light projection tube device that selectively switches the laser light for use. For example, instead of the cube 3 having the dichroic mirror 15 as an optical element, it may be applied to a cube having a filter.

1 Housing 3 Cube (optical element)
5 Guide mechanism 7 Control part (limitation means)
21a Opening part 23 Lid part 29 Sensor (detection part)
31 Holding part 31a Insertion part 31b Hole part 31c Projection part 37 Motor (drive part, limiting means)
43 Plunger (fixing screw)
61 Solenoid (movement limiting member, limiting means)
100, 200 Optical element switching device 133 Fixing mechanism

Claims (7)

A holding part for detachably attaching the optical element by sliding in one direction;
A fixing screw for fixing the optical element attached to the holding portion to the holding portion by a fastening operation in the attaching / detaching direction;
A guide mechanism that supports the holding portion so as to be movable in the attachment / detachment direction;
An optical element switching device comprising: restriction means for restricting movement of the holding portion by the guide mechanism during the fastening screw fastening operation.   The optical element switching device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting unit includes a drive unit that moves the holding unit in the attachment / detachment direction and a control unit that puts the drive unit into a braking state. The holding part has a hole that is recessed in a direction intersecting the attaching / detaching direction;
The restricting means controls the movement restricting member disposed so as to be capable of advancing and retreating in the movement path of the holding part, the advancing / retracting operation of the movement restricting member, and inserting the movement restricting member into the hole of the holding part The optical element switching device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that fixes a position of the holding unit. The holding portion has a protrusion protruding in a direction intersecting the attachment / detachment direction;
The restricting means controls a movement restricting member arranged to be able to advance and retreat in the movement path of the holding part, and an advance / retreat operation of the movement restricting member, and moves the movement restricting member forward of the protrusion of the holding part in the moving direction. The optical element switching device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that fixes the position of the holding unit by projecting. A holding part for detachably attaching the optical element by sliding in one direction;
A guide mechanism for supporting the holding portion so as to be movable in the attaching / detaching direction;
Limiting means for limiting movement of the holding portion by the guide mechanism during the attaching / detaching operation of the optical element;
The holding portion switches between a hole portion that is recessed in a direction intersecting the attaching / detaching direction, a fixed state that contacts the optical element to fix the position, and a separated state that releases the fixing after separating from the optical element. A possible fixing mechanism,
The restricting means controls the movement restricting member disposed so as to be capable of advancing and retreating in the movement path of the holding part, the advancing / retracting operation of the movement restricting member, and inserting the movement restricting member into the hole of the holding part The position of the holding part is fixed, the fixing mechanism is separated from the optical element, and the movement restricting member is removed from the hole part of the holding part to release the fixing of the holding part and to fix the optical element to the optical element. An optical element switching device having a control unit for contacting the mechanism. A housing that houses the holding portion, the guide mechanism, and the restricting means, and has an opening that opens in the attaching / detaching direction and a lid that can close the opening;
A detection unit for detecting the open / closed state of the lid,
6. The optical element switching device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting unit restricts movement of the holding unit when the detection unit detects an open state of the lid. 7.   The optical element switching device according to claim 6, wherein the limiting unit limits the movement of the holding unit after the holding unit has moved to a predetermined replacement position of the optical element.

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