JP3339915B2 - Intermediate connection lens barrel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an intermediate connecting barrel used for connecting a relatively large-sized apparatus such as a photographing apparatus, a television camera, or a laser scanning microscope to a microscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a lens barrel for mounting a large-sized device such as a photographing device to an optical microscope, for example, a device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-212154 as shown in FIG. 13 is known.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 13, a lens barrel 101 is connected to a predetermined position on a microscope main body 120 via a round dovetail structure 105. The round dovetail structure section 105 is provided with an input port 102 for taking light incident from the microscope into the lens barrel 101. Above the input port 102, there is provided an optical path switching mechanism 104 for splitting light incident from the microscope main body 120. Optical path switching mechanism 10
On the optical path 103 switched to the right by step 4, there is a relay.
An optical element 108 is provided via a lens 106 and a zoom lens system 107. An eyepiece output port 112 for attaching an eyepiece 111 to the housing 110 of the lens barrel 101, and television cameras 113a and 113
b, three output ports 11 for attaching 113c
4a, 114b, and 114c. The output port 114a is located above the optical path switching mechanism 104,
The output ports 114b and 114c are provided above and to the right of the optical element 108. These output ports include:
A television camera is mounted via an adapter.

As shown in FIG. 14, the optical path switching mechanism 104 has a slide member 122 slidably supported by two round bars 121a and 121b. The slide member 122 has three through holes 123a, 123
b and 123c are formed, and the optical element 124 is arranged on the through hole 123a. This optical element 12
4 has a groove 124a that engages with an attachment member 125 fixed to the slide member 122, and the optical element 124 is held exchangeably. An operation rod 126 extending in parallel with the round bars 121a and 121b is fixed to the slide member 122, and an operation knob 126a is provided at the tip thereof. The operation knob 126a is located outside the lens barrel 101, and can be operated to move the slide member 122.

The optical element 108 has a triangular prism-shaped holding member 130 having a through-hole 130a, and a mirror-type separation optical element 131 attached to the slope. The optical element 108 is detachably attached to the support member 132 via a slide dovetail mechanism (not shown).
The support member 132 is screwed to the housing 110. Therefore, when replacing the optical element 108, the optical element 108 is
After removing the optical element 108 from the support member 132
Remove from and replace.

The light incident on the lens barrel 101 from the microscope is
The light enters the optical path switching mechanism 104 via the input port 102. By operating the operation knob 126a, the incident light
When the slide member 122 is positioned so as to pass through 23c, the light passes straight and is output to the output port 114a. When the slide member 122 is positioned so that the incident light passes through the central through hole 123b, the light is output to the eyepiece output port 112. Also, the slide member 122 is moved so that the incident light passes through the through hole 123a.
Is positioned, the light passing through the optical element 124 goes to the output port 114a, and the light reflected by the optical element 124 goes to the optical element 108 through the relay lens 106 and the zoom lens system 107. Light passing through the optical element 108 goes to the output port 114c, and light reflected by the optical element 108 goes to the output port 114b. Light extracted from each output port is incident on a television camera via an adapter.

Next, a laser scanning microscope (hereinafter, referred to as a laser scanning microscope) in which a large device such as a scanning unit is attached to an optical microscope.
LSM) will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, the LSM 135 is composed of a laser head 136 and a scan unit 137. The scan unit 137 is provided on a lens barrel 138 of the optical microscope 120. It is provided separately from the scan unit 137 via the optical fiber -140. The scanning unit 137 is a dichroic mirror-14.
1, an optical scanner 142, and a detector 143 for measuring light from the sample 145.

The laser beam emitted from the laser head 136
The light is guided to the scan unit 137 via the optical fiber 140. The laser light incident on the scanning unit 137 is reflected by the dichroic mirror 141, passes through the optical scanner 142, and passes through the optical microscope 12.
The light is emitted toward the zero lens barrel 138. The laser light that has entered the lens barrel 138 passes through a relay lens 139 and an objective lens 144 and irradiates a fluorescent sample 145. The sample 145 excited by the irradiated laser light emits fluorescence. The fluorescent light passes through the objective lens 144 and the relay lens 139 again, is incident on the scan unit 137, passes through the dichroic mirror 141, is incident on the detector 143, and is measured.

[0009]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 4-3 mentioned above.
In the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 12154, since an optical system for guiding light incident from an input port to each output port is built in the lens barrel, there is a freedom of selecting a lens barrel. Absent.

When replacing the optical element 124,
After removing the mount, the mount is removed from the opening 114a.
For this reason, it is difficult to take out the optical element from the small opening, and a problem arises in that the optical element cannot be easily detached. Also,
When replacing the optical element 108, the optical element 108 is removed from the lens barrel together with the support member 132, and then removed from the support member 132 and replaced. In order to remove the supporting member from the lens barrel, it is necessary to temporarily remove the lens barrel from the microscope main body, which causes a problem that it takes time and effort.

Further, since the optical element 108 is mounted on the microscope main body via the support member and the triangular prism-shaped holding member, it is difficult to obtain high optical positional accuracy between the optical element 108 and the mount.

Also, the scanning unit is attached to the lens barrel like LSM.
In an optical microscope equipped with a unit, the scanning unit is located above the lens barrel, so that the center of gravity of the entire apparatus is increased and stability is deteriorated. Therefore, the device is likely to vibrate during measurement, and a measurement error is likely to occur. Further, the image is easily deteriorated by such vibration.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical system in which a plurality of optical paths are simultaneously supplied with high precision and which splits light incident from a port into the plurality of optical paths. It is an object of the present invention to provide an intermediate connecting lens barrel which can be easily attached and detached with high accuracy and can be attached with an attached device with high mechanical stability. It may also pass through the port for other purposes.
Optical path from the microscope body side to the openings formed
It is an object of the present invention to provide an intermediate connecting lens barrel which can be connected.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Integrally interposed between the microscope body and the lens barrel
A housing, a port formed in the housing, through which an optical path from the microscope main body passes, and a first optical path through the port from the microscope main body that can be guided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical path. An optical unit, a second optical unit capable of dividing an optical path guided by the first optical unit, and the second optical unit formed on the housing,
Includes two or more apertures corresponding to at least two or more optical paths divided by optical means, the less of the opening
One is that the optical axis is in the optical path from the microscope main body side.
Substantially perpendicular to at least one of the openings,
The microscope is provided via the second optical unit and the first optical unit.
Introduce laser light guided to the microscope body
It is characterized by. The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1.
In the invention described above, the laser beam is emitted from the intermediate connection lens barrel.
Introduced into the opening via optical scanning means arranged outside
Scanning a sample surface of the microscope body.
are doing. The third aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect.
In the invention, the laser beam is emitted from the microscope main body side.
From an opening with an optical axis approximately perpendicular to
It is characterized by being inserted. The invention according to claim 4.
Is characterized in that the optical path passing through the port is an optical path at infinity.

[0015]

[0016]

According to the intermediate connection barrel of the present invention, the microscope body
Integrated housing interposed between the lens and the lens barrel
A port is formed in the housing to pass the optical path from the microscope body
The optical path from the microscope body through this port is
1 Guided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical path by the optical means
The optical path guided by the first optical means is the second optical path.
Divided by academic means. In addition, divided by the second optical means
Corresponding to at least two or more optical paths
An opening is formed and at least one of the openings is
Optical axis is almost perpendicular to the optical path from the microscope body side.
And at least one of the openings has a second optical means and a first light
The laser beam guided to the microscope body through scientific means
Can be

Further , according to the present invention, the guide is guided to the opening.
At least one of the optical paths has a port from the microscope body side.
Since the light is guided in a direction substantially orthogonal to the light path passing therethrough, detection means
External light sources like lasers and lasers and scan units
High mechanical stability even when large devices are installed
It can be performed.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an intermediate connecting barrel 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is disposed between an optical microscope (not shown) and a plurality of accessory devices (not shown). The intermediate connection barrel 1 has an input port 2 for taking in light from a sample guided from an optical microscope, and an output port for a barrel for guiding light taken in from the input port 2 to a barrel (not shown). A first optical means for guiding a part of the light taken in from the input port 2 in the horizontal direction, and a light beam guided by the first optical means for emitting to a plurality of attached devices. Output port 1 for auxiliary equipment as opening
The housing 10 has the housing 4 and the housing 16. The optical axis of the output port 14 for the accessory device is the input port 2
Project perpendicularly to the optical axis of.

The optical means includes a plane mirror 4 as a first optical means and a beam splitter 6 as a second optical means.
And a plane mirror 8. The plane mirror 4 has an input port.
It is provided on the optical path 3 from the port 2 to the lens barrel output port 12 at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the optical path, and is disposed so as to be detachable from the optical path 3. The beam splitter 6 is provided on the optical path 5 reflected by the plane mirror 4 and guides a part of the light to the optical path 7 toward the accessory output port 14. The plane mirror 8 is disposed on the optical path 5 behind the beam splitter 6 with respect to the optical path.
It is provided at an angle of 5 degrees and guides the transmitted light to the optical path 9 towards the accessory output port 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, light from a sample (not shown) enters the intermediate connection barrel 1 from the input port 2 via the finite objective lens 18. When the plane mirror 4 is separated from the optical path 3, the light that has entered the intermediate connection barrel 1 travels straight toward the barrel output port 12, and the barrel 21.
Led to. The light guided to the lens barrel 21 is reflected by the prism 20 and is visually observed by a user via the eyepiece 22. On the other hand, when the plane mirror 4 is located on the optical path 3, the incident light is reflected by the plane mirror 4 and is incident on the beam splitter 6. Part of the light incident on the beam splitter 6 passes through the beam splitter 6, is reflected by the plane mirror 8, and is emitted from the output port 16 for the attached device. Guided to the accessory. The remaining light is reflected by the beam splitter 6, emitted from the accessory output port 14, and guided to an accessory (not shown).

The plane mirror 4 is separated from the optical path 3 by a known means. As described above, by separating the plane mirror 4 from the optical path 3 or disposing the plane mirror 4 in the optical path 3, the input port 2
Can be emitted toward the lens barrel output port 12 or the two accessory device output ports 14 and 16. Although the optical path 7 is illustrated as emitting in parallel with the optical path 9, it is assumed that the optical path 7 is emitted upward in the drawing.

By providing the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 constructed as described above between the microscope and the television camera, images from the sample can be simultaneously observed by a plurality of television cameras. When a large-sized device is attached as an accessory device, it is connected to an output port 14 protruding in the lateral direction.
By attaching it to the microscope, it can be arranged on the same desk surface as the microscope, so that high mechanical stability can be obtained.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described. explain.

As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate connecting barrel 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has an imaging lens 24 on the optical path 5 between the plane mirror 4 and the beam splitter 6. An imaging lens 26 is provided on the optical path 3 between the plane mirror 4 and the prism 20.

Collimation through an infinity type objective lens 28
When the plane mirror 4 is separated from the optical path 3, the light that has been incident on the intermediate connection barrel 1 from the input port 2 advances straight toward the barrel output port 12, and The light is condensed by the image forming lens 26 in the lens 21, reflected by the prism 20, and visually observed by a user through the eyepiece 22. On the other hand, when the plane mirror 4 is located on the optical path 3, the incident light is reflected by the plane mirror 4, condensed by the imaging lens 24, and made incident on the beam splitter 6. Part of the light incident on the beam splitter 6 passes through the beam splitter 6 and is reflected by the plane mirror 8 to be output to the output port.
And the remaining light is emitted from the beam splitter 16
The light is reflected at 6 and emitted from the output port 14.

Even if the collimated light is taken in from the input port 2 and condensed by the imaging lens provided in the lens barrel as in the present embodiment, the first embodiment The same effect can be obtained.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first and second embodiments, the same parts as those of the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, and only the parts different from the above embodiment will be described. I do.

As shown in FIG. 4, an intermediate connecting barrel 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention has an input port 2 connected to a barrel of a microscope and a mirror connected to a barrel 21. Output port for cylinder
And an output port for a plurality of accessory devices as an opening connected to the plurality of accessory devices, and an output port for a lens barrel.
Output ports 32a, 34a, 36a for accessory devices formed on the same plane (A-side) as port 12 and a plane perpendicular to the A-side (B
Output ports 32b, 34 for accessory devices formed on the
b, 36b, accessory output ports 32c, 34c, 36c (not shown) formed on the surface (C surface) facing the A surface, and formed on the surface (D surface) facing the B surface. Output ports 32d, 34d, 36d (not shown) for accessory devices
And an output port 38e for an accessory formed on an end face (E face) perpendicular to each face.

A plane mirror 40 or a beam splitter as second optical means for branching the light incident from the input port 2 into a plurality of optical paths and guiding the light to a desired output port for an accessory device. After 50 is connected to the mount 30 as an adapter, it is attached to a desired accessory output port. The light incident on the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 is simultaneously extracted from a plurality of desired output ports for accessory devices.

The plane mirror 40 is attached to one end of the mount 30 via a triangular prism-shaped support member 42 having a through hole 41. The plane mirror 40 is 4
It is attached at an angle of 5 degrees, so that light incident from the through hole 41 is reflected by the plane mirror 40, passes through the mount 30, and is emitted from the other end side.

The beam splitter 50 receives light,
Alternatively, a holding member 4 for holding three surfaces other than the surface on which the light is emitted
6. A screw hole 47 is formed at an end of the holding member 46, and is fixed to a screw hole 48 formed at one end of the mount 30 by a screw 49. And bee
A muscle splitter 50 is fixed to one end of the mount 30.

As described above, the plane mirror 40 or the beam
Mount 3 with a splitter 50 attached to one end
Zeros are inserted into the desired output port in the desired number. At this time, the notch 51 provided on the mount 30 is aligned with the pin 53 provided on the output port. On the other hand, a camera mount adapter -52 for attaching a television camera (not shown) is provided at the other end of the mount 30, and an attached device such as a television camera (not shown) is attached via the camera mount adapter -52.

The output port to which the mount 30 is not attached is provided with a cover 52 for preventing light leakage. The mount 30 and the lid 52 have a screw hole 54 for screwing to the output port, and are fixed to a screw hole 55 formed in the output port by a screw 56.

The mount 30 attached to the output port 38e includes a plane mirror 40 and a beam splitter 50.
Are not attached. In the above embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Hereinafter, a specific example in which a plurality of television cameras are mounted on the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 of the third embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the intermediate connection barrel 1 is connected to a predetermined position on the microscope main body 70 via the round dovetail structure 60. The input port 2 is provided in the round dovetail structure section 60, and a known optical path switching mechanism 62 for splitting the light collimated from the microscope main body 70 and incident thereon is provided above the input port 2. Is provided. On the optical path switched to the right by the optical path switching mechanism 62, a beam splitter 50a,
50b and a plane mirror 40 are provided. The beam splitter 50a is attached to one end of the mount 30a, and transmits light guided from the optical path switching mechanism 62 to the mount 30a.
Is arranged at the output port 32a so as to guide the television camera 66a attached to the other end of the camera. The beam splitter 50b is attached to one end of the mount 30b,
The output port 34a is arranged to guide the light guided from the optical path switching mechanism 62 to a television camera 66b attached to the other end of the mount 30b. The plane mirror 40 is attached to one end of the mount 30c, and is arranged at the output port 36a so as to guide the light guided from the optical path switching mechanism 62 to the television camera 66c attached to the other end of the mount 30c. Output ports 32a, 34a, 36
A cover 52 is provided at an output port other than a to prevent light leakage.

A female round dove for mounting the round dovetail structure portion 65 of the barrel 21 is formed in the housing 10 of the intermediate connecting barrel 1. An output port 1 for the barrel is provided in the female round dove.
2 are provided. The lens barrel 21 is attached to the lens barrel output port 12 of the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 via the round dovetail structure 65.

The light that enters the intermediate connection barrel 1 from the microscope body 70 enters the optical path switching mechanism 62 via the input port 2. When the optical path switching mechanism 62 is separated from the optical path by a known means, the light passes straight and is emitted to the lens barrel output port 12. When the optical path switching mechanism 62 is located on the optical path, the light is reflected rightward and the beam splitter
It is incident on 50a. Part of the light incident on the beam splitter 50a is guided to the television camera 66a, and the rest is incident on the beam splitter 50b. Part of the light incident on the beam splitter 50b is
6b, and the rest enters the plane mirror 40. The light incident on the plane mirror 40 is guided to the television camera 66c.

As described above, the plane mirror 40 or the beam splitters 50a, 50b arranged in the intermediate connecting lens barrel 1 is used.
Since the optical elements such as are directly mounted on the mount 30 and then inserted into the intermediate connecting lens barrel, the optical path from the input port 2 to each output port can be defined with high precision and easily. Further, when replacing the optical element, the optical element can be detached from the intermediate connection barrel 1 together with the mount 30, so that the optical element can be easily replaced. Also, by making the shape of the mount 30 attached to each output port the same, the mount 3 to which the desired optical means is attached is mounted.
0 can be attached to the desired output port.
Further, by providing the lens barrel output port 12 in the intermediate connection lens barrel 1, the choice of the lens barrel to be used together becomes free.

The above optical element may be replaced with another optical element such as a dichroic mirror, a deflecting beam splitter, or a total reflection mirror. Further, a laser head is mounted on the upper part of the mount 30 in place of the television camera, and a laser beam is irradiated from an output port, and the sample surface of the microscope is laser-irradiated. Irradiation is also possible.

Next, an example of use in the case where the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 in the first or second embodiment is attached to an optical microscope will be described. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 is located above the optical microscope 70, and is positioned so that light from the sample enters the input port 2. The lens barrel output port 12 of the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 is provided with a lens barrel 21. Input port 2 from sample 71 via objective lens 72
Is guided to the television cameras 73 and 74 by optical means (not shown) arranged in the intermediate connection lens barrel 1.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a scanning unit 80 is attached to the output port 14 for the accessory device of the intermediate connecting barrel 1 in place of the television camera 73 shown in FIGS. It constitutes a scanning microscope (LSM).

The scanning unit 80 irradiates a laser beam to a laser beam and irradiates the laser beam from the laser head 82 in a desired direction. The reflecting mirrors 83 and 84 and the laser beam reflected by the reflecting mirrors 83 and 84 are reflected toward the microscope optical system at the subsequent stage and transmit the fluorescence guided from the microscope optical system. A dichroic mirror 85 and galvano mirrors 86a and 86b for taking in a laser beam reflected by the dichroic mirror 85 and emitting scan beams by galvanometers 87 and 88 are provided.

The laser beam emitted from the laser head 82 is sequentially reflected by reflecting mirrors 83 and 84 and is incident on a dichroic mirror 85. The laser beam reflected by the dichroic mirror 85 is a galvano mirror.
86a and 86b, and galvanometers 87 and 88
Is emitted toward the optical microscope 70 as a scan beam.

The scan beam emitted from the scan unit 80 is incident on the intermediate connecting lens barrel 1 via a relay lens system 89, and is irradiated on a sample 71 via an optical system (not shown) and an objective lens 72. Scan the sample surface. The fluorescence emitted from the sample surface excited by the scan beam passes through the reverse path of the scan beam,
The light passes through the dichroic mirror 85 and the excitation light cut filter 81 and is incident on the detector 90 for photometry.

The scanning unit 80 includes an optical microscope 70
Since it is configured so that it can be placed on the same plane as above, it has a low center of gravity, high mechanical stability, and does not adversely affect image quality due to vibration. Further, by attaching the television camera 74 to the accessory output port 16, images from the sample, that is, bright-field images, dark-field images, differential interference images, etc., can be observed on the television monitor and the LSM
Enables image observation.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the inverted microscope 7
In the case where the laser trapping red laser head 76 is mounted on the laser beam 5, the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 is disposed between the inverted microscope 75 and the laser trapping red laser head 76. A red laser head 76 for a laser trap is provided at the output port 16 for the accessory device of the intermediate connection lens barrel 1, and the output port for the accessory device projected in parallel with the output port 16 is provided. The port 14 is provided with a television camera 73.

Red laser head 7 for laser trap
The laser beam emitted from 6 is incident from an output port 16 for the accessory device of the intermediate connection barrel 1 and is input from the input port 2 via the optical system in the intermediate connection barrel 1. Be injected. The laser beam output from the input port 2 is reflected by reflecting mirrors 77, 78 and 79 provided in the microscope, and is irradiated on the sample 71 via the objective lens 72. The irradiated beam captures an object on the sample 71, and at the same time, a part of the beam is reflected and follows the reverse path to enter the intermediate connecting barrel 1. The trap beam incident on the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 is incident on a beam splitter 91, a part of which is transmitted and guided to the lens barrel 21, and an image of the sample is observed with an eye. On the other hand, the remaining beams are sequentially reflected by the beam splitter 91 and the beam splitter 92 and guided to the television camera 73, and the image of the sample is observed on the television.

Next, an example in which the intermediate connection barrel 1 in the third embodiment is attached to an optical microscope will be described. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate connection lens barrel 1 has a microscope 70 such that the optical axis of the input port 2 coincides with the optical axis of the optical microscope 70.
Attached to. The lens barrel 21 is attached to the lens barrel output port 12 of the intermediate connection lens barrel 1. Auxiliary device output port 36c formed on the C surface of intermediate connecting barrel 1.
Is provided with a television camera 93 via the mount 30. The TV camera 93 has a screw 9
5 screwed. The support member 94 for fixing the microscope 70 and the television camera 93 is placed on the same plane. Therefore, high mechanical stability of the entire device can be obtained. Also, the output port 36c for the accessory device
The other output ports are provided with a lid 52 to prevent light leakage.

As described above, by connecting the intermediate connecting barrel of the present invention between the optical microscope and the optical device, the light taken in from the input port can be taken out simultaneously from a plurality of output ports. it can. Further, by projecting the optical axis of the output port so as to be orthogonal to the optical axis of the input port, it is possible to lower the center of gravity of the entire device when forming an LSM or the like, and to achieve high mechanical stability. Obtainable.

[0050]

As described above, as described above, the present invention
According to the continuous lens barrel, the optical path from the microscope body side is
Port formed in the housing interposed between
Part of the optical path led from the port
(1) guided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical path by the optical means;
You. An optical path guided in a substantially right angle direction by the first optical means;
Are separated by a second optical unit. With the second optical means
At least two or more divided optical paths correspond to the optical paths
To the outside of the intermediate connecting barrel via the opening
Can be.

According to the present invention, the attachment device, for example, the second
Open adapter to attach and secure optical means
Part can be provided. The second optical means is an adapter
, So that the second optical means is
Can be attached and detached with the adapter. Adapters are common
It is easy to attach and detach because it is projected from the lens barrel.
Therefore, attachment and detachment of the second optical unit is facilitated. Also, the second optical
The means are fixed directly attached to the adapter
Therefore, the position between the adapter and the second optical
It becomes easy to manufacture according to the degree.

Further , according to the present invention, the guide is guided to the opening.
At least one of the optical paths has a port from the microscope body side.
Since the light is guided in a direction substantially orthogonal to the light path passing therethrough, detection means
External light sources like lasers and lasers and scan units
High mechanical stability even when large devices are installed
It can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an intermediate connection lens barrel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate connection lens barrel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an intermediate connection lens barrel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an intermediate connection lens barrel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a specific example in which a television camera is attached to the intermediate connection barrel of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the intermediate connecting barrel according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention is attached to an optical microscope.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the device shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which an LSM is attached to an optical microscope via an intermediate connection lens barrel according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the device shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a laser connected to an inverted microscope via an intermediate connection lens barrel according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a red laser head for a trap is mounted.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing the apparatus of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary front view showing a state in which a television camera is attached to an optical microscope via an intermediate connection lens barrel according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example of a lens barrel.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an optical path switching mechanism mounted on the lens barrel of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional laser scanning microscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 intermediate connection lens barrel, 2 input port, 4, 8 plane mirror,
6 beam splitter, 10 housing, 12 output port for lens barrel, 14, 16 output port for accessory device

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] An interposed between the microscope body and the lens barrel
A housing formed physically, a port formed in the housing and passing an optical path from the microscope main body side, and an optical path from the microscope main body side passing through the port guided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical path. A first optical unit capable of dividing an optical path guided by the first optical unit; and a second optical unit formed in the housing and separated by the second optical unit into at least two or more optical paths. Two or more corresponding openings , wherein at least one of the openings has an optical axis which is the same as that of the microscope.
The opening is substantially perpendicular to the optical path from the main body,
At least one of the second optical means and the first optical means
Introduces laser light guided to the microscope body via means
An intermediate connection lens barrel , characterized in that: 2. The laser beam is supplied to the outside of the intermediate connection lens barrel.
Introduced into the opening via the optical scanning means arranged at
Scanning the sample surface of the microscope body.
The intermediate connection lens barrel according to claim 1. 3. The laser beam from the microscope main body side
Through an aperture with an optical axis approximately perpendicular to the optical path of the
3. The intermediate connection mirror according to claim 1, wherein
Tube. 4. The intermediate connection lens barrel according to claim 1, wherein an optical path passing through said port is an optical path at infinity.