JPH0617939B2 - Inverted microscope - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention comprises an inverted microscope, that is, an illumination system including a light source and a condenser lens disposed above the stage, and an observation system including an objective lens disposed below the stage. It relates to the improvement of the microscope.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an inverted microscope has been frequently used in living cell research in fields such as medicine and biology, and further, an inverted microscope has been systematized in accordance with various research targets. The setting work of these system accessories before the observation and the replacement work during the observation are all related to the stage, such as setting the heat insulation box, setting the micromanipulator, replacing the large culture container, replacing the stage, and replacing the revolver. It has a wide variety. However, in the conventional microscope, due to its structure, the condenser holder and the like arranged in the vicinity of the upper side of the stage obstruct the setting and replacement work of the system accessories as described above,
There has been a problem that these operations are troublesome or impossible in some cases.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-378.
The inverted microscope described in Japanese Patent No. 48 has a structure in which the illumination system support is bent rearward near the root, but in this case,
By rotating the illumination system column, the emission angle of the light source deviates largely from the optical axis, so it is not possible to obtain sufficient illumination during sample replacement work and maintenance and inspection of the revolver.
There is a problem that the lighting device cannot be effectively used. Furthermore, when repelling a lighting system support with a heavy lighting device attached, a large moment of inertia is applied to the hinge part, resulting in poor durability, and the longer the lighting system support, the greater the moment of inertia. There was a problem that it became difficult to rotate. In addition, there is no stopper plate on the spilled lighting system column, and it is very dangerous to work due to the vibration and operation mistakes, and these may fall down to the original position. There is a problem that there is no mechanism for holding the hinge part at the angle of, there is no structure that can withstand deterioration over time, and the lighting system support itself is easily painful.

On the other hand, in the conventional universal microscope, the condenser holder part is configured to be repelled upward, but at this time, since the operation handle is used to move the condenser holder, the condenser holder is moved from the focusing position of the condenser to the whole position. There was a problem that it fell apart and it was necessary to refocus.

In addition, because the repellent effect is not sufficient, various system accessories (insulation box, micromanipulator, large-scale culture container, etc.) in living cell research are replaced, and when the stage and revolver are replaced, the condenser placed close to the stage is an obstacle. There was a certain limit to the replacement work, which was an obstacle.

Also, since the repellent condenser holder comes to a position where it blocks the illumination light from the illumination light source arranged above it, there is a problem that the replacement work and the setting using the illumination light are troublesome. It was

In view of the above problems, the present invention is directed to a system accessory,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inverted microscope that facilitates setting and replacement of observation specimens and can quickly return the condenser lens to the initial position with one touch.

Overview The inverted microscope according to the present invention is characterized in that the condenser holder is attached to the illumination system column in a state of being rotatable in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis and in the same direction as the optical axis.

Embodiments The present invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment illustrated below. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an inverted microscope according to the present invention, in which 1 is a microscope body and 2 is a vertical illumination system column. ,
3 is a light source device, 4 is a condenser holder attached to the illumination system support 2 in a state of being rotatable in a direction orthogonal to the vertical optical axis O and in the same direction as the optical axis O, and 5 is a condenser holder 4. Held condenser lens, 6
Is a stage, 7 is an objective lens, 8 is a revolver supporting the objective lens 7, 9 is an observation lens barrel, and 10 is a stage 6
It is a specimen placed on top. 2 and 3 are a horizontal cross-sectional view and a vertical cross-sectional view showing the mounting structure of the condenser holder 4 in detail, and 11 is a plane horizontal to the illumination system column 2 (plane orthogonal to the optical axis O). A turning column mounted in a rotatable state in the inside, and a fixing knob 12 screwed to the rotating column 11 and fixing the rotating column 11 at a desired rotating position by tightening. Is an ant fixed on the surface of the pivot column 11 and extending vertically, and 14 is an ant 13
A vertically extending rack fixed to the condenser arm 15, a condenser arm 15 having a dovetail groove 15a at one end, and the dovetail groove 15a fitted to the dovetail 13; and 16 horizontally pivoted to the condenser arm 15. And a pinion 16a provided at the center of the shaft portion is engaged with the rack 14 to move the knob vertically, and 17 is screwed to the condenser arm 15 and the condenser holder 4 integrally connected to the shaft portion 17a is attached to the optical axis. A resin bush 1 which is pivotally mounted in the same direction as O and has elasticity on the shaft portion 17a.
Friction resistance due to fitting through 7b (shaft portion 17a
The frictional resistance between the bushing 17b and the bush 17b) allows the condenser holder 4 to self-hold at a desired angle. It has an equal taper, and the amount of turning power can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of screwing of the rotary knob 17 into the condenser arm 15.

Further, the optical axis O is rotated by rotating in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis O and the same direction as the optical axis O for the purpose of replacement of the condenser lens 5, replacement of the sample on the stage, or other work such as maintenance and inspection. After the work is completed, the detached condenser holder 4 is rotated in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis O and the same direction as the optical axis O, and is set to the initial position (semi-focus position) by the stopper mechanism.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a replaceable condenser holder 4 of a condenser lens 5 having a U-shaped tip portion screwed to a vertical portion of the condenser arm 15 with respect to the illumination system support pillar 2 is a shaft. The shaft 17 of the condenser holder 4 is rotatably provided in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis O and in the same direction as the optical axis O with the portion 17a as a rotation center.
The base end of the condenser holder 4 projecting to the side of the illumination system support 2 from a is the illumination system support 2 of the condenser arm 15.
With respect to the vertical portion, the condenser is set to the initial position (focusing position).

Since the inverted microscope according to the present invention is configured as described above, if the fixed knob 12 is loosened, the condenser holder 4 becomes the condenser arm 15, the rack 14, and the ant 1.
3, It can be freely rotated in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis O integrally with the rotation support 11, and the condenser holder 4 is fixed at the desired rotation position together with the above members by tightening the fixing knob 12. You can do it. or,
The condenser holder 4 can be rotated in the same direction as the optical axis O, and the screwing amount of the rotary knob 17 into the condenser arm 15 can be adjusted to adjust the condenser holder 4.
By generating an appropriate frictional force between the shaft portion 17a and the bush 17b, which are integrally connected with each other, the condenser holder 4 can be held by itself at a desired angle.
Therefore, for example, if the condenser holder 4 is flipped up as it is as shown in FIG. 4, the condenser holder 4 does not become an obstacle when setting the deep observation container 18 on the stage 6 or removing it. Instead, by adjusting the frictional force between the shaft portion 17a and the bush 17b to an appropriate value in response to the change in the weight of the condenser lens 5 due to the replacement of the condenser lens 5, the condenser holder will have a desired angle due to deterioration over time. There is no risk that the condenser holder 4 cannot be held by itself and the condenser holder 4 falls down to its original position and the condenser holder 4 itself is damaged. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, if the condenser holder 4 is rotated to the back of the illumination system support 2, the condenser holder 4 may be replaced with the stage 6 or the stage 6 may be flipped up to inspect the revolver 8. By arranging the condenser lens 5 which is a lightweight object and is rotatable in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis O and in the same direction as the optical axis O, the condenser holder 4 can be rotated.
Can be moved to a predetermined position in a short time, and as a result, operability and safety can be improved. In this case, since the condenser lens 5 can be completely retracted from the optical axis, the illumination light is not blocked, and the light source device 3 is attached / detached to / from the sample and the revolver 8 is maintained / inspected. It can be effectively used as illumination, and the needle tip of a micromanipulator or the like installed on the stage can be easily set. Further, for example, if the condenser holder 4 is flipped up and rotated to the back of the illumination system support 2 as shown in FIG.
Even when setting 9 on the stage 6 or removing it from the stage 6, there is no obstacle, and by providing the lightweight condenser lens 4 rotatably, it is possible to reduce the moment of inertia of the condenser holder. It is possible to remarkably improve the durability of the hinge portion and the like. Also in this case, the condenser holder 4 does not block the illumination light. Thus, in the inverted microscope according to the present invention, system accessories and observation specimens can be easily set and exchanged.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, the inverted microscope according to the present invention has an important practical advantage that the system accessory and the observation sample can be easily set and exchanged, and the condenser lens can be returned to the initial position quickly and with one touch. ing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of an inverted microscope according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views and vertical cross-sectional views showing a mounting structure of a condenser holder of the above embodiment, and FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing changes in the posture and position of the condenser holder. 1 ... Microscope body, 2 ... Illumination system column, 3 ... Light source device, 4 ... Condenser holder, 5 ... Condenser lens, 6 ... Stage, 7 ... Objective lens, 8 ... Revolver, 9 ... Observation lens barrel, 11 ... Rotating column, 12 ...
… Fixed knob, 13… Ant, 14… Rack, 15…
… Condenser arm, 16… Vertical movement knob, 17…
… Rotating knob.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A specimen in which a condenser lens is arranged between a stage and a light source device arranged above the stage, and illumination light from the light source device is placed on the stage via the condenser lens. In an inverted microscope having an observation objective lens below the stage on which the sample is placed, a lower part is integrally implanted in the microscope main body, and an upper part for transmitting and illuminating the sample and the stage. An illumination system support provided with a light source device, and a condenser holder disposed between the light source device of the illumination system support and the stage so as to be rotatable in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis and in the same direction as the optical axis. A positioning mechanism that stops the condenser holder at a preset initial position, and a force amount adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of rotation in the same direction as the optical axis of the condenser holder. An inverted microscope comprising: