JPH08114750A - Heat insulating device for inverted microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the number of parts, to easily attach and detach a heat insulating box with respect to an inverted microscope, to obtain sufficiently strong structure and to prevent the observing performance of the microscope from receiving an adverse effect. CONSTITUTION: The heat insulating box is constituted of two heat insulating box halves 41 and 51 obtained by vertically and symmetrically dividing a box body into two and recessedly and projectingly forming the cut surfaces thereof according to the side-surface shape of the inverted microscope 10. Then, the insulating box halves 41 and 51 are respectively engaged with both side surfaces of the inverted microscope 10 and fixed to the barrel body 110 of the microscope 10 by screwing fixing screws 46 and 56 to a screw hole 19 through through-holes 43 and 53. Besides, two heat insulating box halves 41 and 51 are integrated by using a lock mechanism.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat retaining device for keeping a biological culture vessel placed on the stage of an inverted microscope covered with a heat retaining box.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in research facilities such as molecular biology, an inverted microscope equipped with a heat-retaining device for a culture container has been used for observing the process of change while culturing an organism. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of this type of microscope, in which 1 is an inverted microscope, and 2 and 3 are a heat retaining box and a warm air controller which constitute a heat retaining device, respectively.

A column 12 is erected at the rear end of the body 11 of the inverted microscope 1, an illumination optical system 13 is installed at the upper end of the column 12, and a condenser 1 is provided in the middle.
4 is attached so that it can be raised and lowered. An objective lens revolver 15 is arranged in the center of the body 11, and a stage 16 is provided above the objective lens revolver 15.
Is provided. The stage 16 is provided with a through hole, and the sample is placed at the site where the through hole is formed. The sample installation position of this stage 16 is the condenser 14
The objective lens revolver 15 and the objective lens revolver 15 are positioned so as to coincide with the optical axis of the illumination optical system 13. Reference numeral 17 denotes a stage handle, which is used to adjust the position of the stage 16. Further, an eyepiece tube 18 is provided at the front end of the body 11, and an observer can observe the magnified image of the sample placed on the stage 16 by looking into the eyepiece tube 18. There is.

On the other hand, the heat insulation box 2 includes a heat insulation box main body 21, an upper plate 22 for closing the upper opening 21a of the heat insulation box main body 21, and two sheets for closing the bottom opening of the heat insulation box main body 21. And bottom plates 23, 24 of. A slide window 25 and a diaphragm window 26 are provided on the side surface of the heat insulating box body 21. The slide window 25 is used for loading and unloading the specimen. The aperture window 26 is used to operate the condenser 14.

By the way, in order to attach such a heat insulation box 2 to the inverted microscope 1, first, the two bottom plates 23 and 24 are fixed to both sides of the bottom surface of the stage 16. This fixing is performed by screwing a fixing screw 27 into a screw hole (not shown) provided in the bottom surface portion of the stage 16 via through holes 23a and 24a provided in the bottom plates 23 and 24. Next, the heat insulating box main body 21 is gradually lowered so as not to come into contact with the support column 12 and the condenser 14 while inserting the support column 12 of the inverted microscope 1 into the opening thereof, and is positioned on the bottom plates 23 and 24. . Then, the heat insulation box main body 21 is pressure-bonded to the bottom plates 23 and 24 by using a fastening mechanism to be integrated. The engagement mechanism includes an engagement lever 28a provided on the heat-insulating box body 21 and engagement claws 28b provided on the bottom plates 23 and 24. And finally, the insulation box body 2
The upper plate 22 is attached to the upper surface opening of 1. Thus, the heat insulation box 2 is attached to the inverted microscope 1, whereby the condenser 14 and the stage 16 of the inverted microscope 1 are attached.
Are accommodated in the heat insulation box 2.

The warm air controller 3 has a housing 31 in which a heating element such as a ceramic heater and a fan are housed, and has a blowing nozzle 32 for blowing warm air. When the warm air controller 3 is attached to the heat retaining box 2, the blowout nozzle 32 is inserted into the blowout port 23b provided in the bottom plate 23 of the heat retaining box 2.

[0007]

However, such a conventional heat retaining device for an inverted microscope has the following problems to be solved. (1) The heat insulation box 2 includes a heat insulation box body 21, an upper plate 22, and 2
Since it is composed of two bottom plates 23 and 24, the number of parts is large, and it takes time and labor to attach and detach to and from the inverted microscope 1. Further, it also takes time and effort to manufacture the heat-insulating box, which easily leads to cost increase.

(2) Further, since the weight of the heat insulating box body 21 is entirely applied to the bottom plates 23 and 24, it is difficult to obtain a high structural stability of the heat insulating box 2 itself. Furthermore, since the heat-retaining box 2 is fixed to the stage 16 of the inverted microscope 1, it is difficult to maintain an excellent observation condition because an extra load is applied to the stage 16, and the movement of the stage 16 is hindered. easy.

(3) Since the heat-retaining box 2 is fixed to the stage 16 of the inverted microscope 1, the objective lens revolver 15 is not housed in the heat-retaining box 2, so that the temperature difference between the objective lens and the sample is small. It is easy to cause dew condensation and change of numerical aperture. Further, the height dimension of the heat insulating box 2 is restricted by the distance from the upper end position of the condenser 14 to the stage 16 and cannot be set large. Therefore, the opening areas of the slide window 25 and the aperture window 26 cannot be increased,
As a result, the operability in the heat insulation box 2 is poor. Moreover, since the heat insulation box 2 has a small internal volume, it cannot accommodate a manipulator or the like.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above points. A first object of the present invention is that the number of parts is small and the heat retaining box can be easily attached to and detached from the inverted microscope, and sufficient structural strength can be obtained. At the same time, it is to provide a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope that does not adversely affect the observation performance of the microscope.

A second object is to make the temperature conditions of the stage and the objective lens equal to reduce the influence of the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the heat retaining box, and to increase the size of the heat retaining box to improve the operability in the heat retaining box. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope that can achieve the above.

[0012] A third object is to provide a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope in which the heat retaining box can be manufactured more simply and inexpensively by making the manufacturing process common. The fourth purpose is
It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope, which is capable of operating the heat retaining box in a comfortable posture while performing observation work. A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope capable of operating inside the heat retaining box while maintaining a high heat retaining effect.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above first object, the present invention provides an illumination optical system at the uppermost portion, and a condenser, a stage and an objective lens are disposed below the illumination optical system along the optical axis thereof. In a heat retaining device used in an inverted microscope in which a lens revolver is arranged in order, the box body is divided into two vertically divided parts, and the divided surface is formed into a shape corresponding to the contour of a predetermined position on both sides of the inverted microscope. The first and second heat insulation box halves are provided, and the heat insulation box halves are arranged so as to face each other on both sides of the inverted microscope, and the heat insulation box halves are fixed in this state. It is configured to be fixed to the body portion of the inverted microscope by using a means.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned second object, according to the present invention, at least the condenser, the stage and the objective lens revolver of the inverted microscope are housed by the first and second heat insulation box halves.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned third object, in the present invention, the first and second heat retaining box halves are constructed symmetrically with respect to the dividing plane. Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned fourth object, the present invention provides an opening having an opening / closing door on the surface of the first and second heat retaining box halves corresponding to the observation side of the inverted microscope. Further, in order to achieve the fifth object, the present invention configures the opening / closing door by a plurality of split doors that can be selectively opened / closed.

[0016]

As a result, according to the present invention, since the heat insulation box is composed of only two halves, the number of parts is reduced and it is possible to easily attach and detach the inverted microscope to and from the inverted microscope. In addition, the heat insulation box can be easily manufactured as much as the number of parts is reduced, and thus the cost of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, since the heat insulation box is directly fixed to the body of the inverted microscope, high structural stability can be obtained. In addition, there is no fear of adversely affecting the observation conditions such as when fixed on the stage.

Further, according to the present invention, since at least the condenser, the stage and the objective lens revolver of the inverted microscope are housed by the first and second heat retaining box halves, the temperature condition between the objective lens and the stage is maintained. It is possible to keep the same, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation and to always enable accurate observation. In addition, since the heat insulation box can be made larger, the opening area of the operation opening can be increased, and further, the internal volume of the heat insulation box can be increased, which improves the operability in the heat insulation box. Can be made.

Further, according to the present invention, since the first and second heat-insulating box halves are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the dividing surface, the heat-insulating box can be maintained at a higher structural stability, and It is possible to standardize the manufacturing process of the heat insulation box halves, which makes it possible to manufacture the heat insulation box halves more easily than the case of manufacturing completely separate ones.

Further, according to the present invention, the observer performs the observation work by providing the openings of the first and second heat-insulating box halves on the surfaces corresponding to the observation side of the inverted microscope with the opening / closing door. It is possible to operate inside the heat insulation box in a comfortable posture while performing.

Further, since the opening / closing door is composed of a plurality of split doors that can be selectively opened and closed, only the necessary one of the plurality of split doors needs to be opened when operating the inside of the heat insulation box. As a result, heat dissipation during operation can be suppressed as much as possible and the heat retention effect can be enhanced.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of an insulated microscope heat retaining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition,
In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The body 110 of the inverted microscope 10 is provided with screw holes 19 on the upper surfaces of its front and rear ends. The screw holes 19 are used to fix the heat insulating box halves 41 and 51, which will be described later, to the microscope 1.

On the other hand, the heat insulation box is constructed as follows. The heat insulation box is composed of two symmetrical heat insulation box halves 41 and 51 obtained by vertically dividing a substantially cubic box body into two. The cut surfaces of the heat insulating box halves 41 and 51 are airtightly engaged with the body 110 and the column 12 of the inverted microscope 10 according to the surface shapes of the body 110 and the column 12 of the inverted microscope 10. It has been cut into irregularities. For example, recesses for engaging the support columns 12 are formed on the cut surfaces of the upper surfaces of the heat insulating box halves 41, 51, and the cut surfaces of the bottom surface and the back surface of the heat insulating box halves 41, 51 are formed. A recess is formed to engage the body 110 of the inverted microscope 10. Further, shelves are formed on the cut surfaces of the front ends of the heat insulating box halves 41 and 51.

In addition, through holes 43, which are used when fixing the heat retaining box halves 41, 51 to the inverted microscope 10, are formed in the bottom surfaces of the heat retaining box halves 41, 51 and the shelves, respectively. 53 is provided. Insulation box half 4
A total of 4 on the top, front and back of the 1,51 split surface
An engaging lever 45 and an engaging claw 55 that form an engaging mechanism are provided at the location. The engagement lever 45 and the engagement claw 55 are used to integrate the heat retaining box halves 41 and 51 attached to the inverted microscope 10.

Further, operation windows are provided on the front surfaces of the heat insulating box halves 41 and 51, and the doors 4 are provided in these operation windows.
2,52 are pivotally attached. The operation window includes a condenser 14 and an objective lens revolver 15 housed in a heat insulation box by an observer.
It is also used for adjusting the stage handle 17 and for loading and unloading the specimen.

The warm air controller 6 contains a heating element such as a ceramic heater and a fan inside a housing 61, and has a blowout nozzle 62 for blowing out warm air.
The blow-out nozzle 62 is inserted into a blow-in port 44 provided on the bottom surface of the heat-insulating box half body 41.

The attachment of the heat insulation box to the inverted microscope 10 is carried out as follows. That is, first, the heat-insulating box half 4
1, 51 are brought close to the inverted microscope 10 from both sides thereof, and the body 110 and the support 1 of the inverted microscope 10 are
2 and the through holes 43 and 53 are screwed into the screw hole 1
Align to match 9.

Then, in this state, screws 46 and 56 are screwed into the screw holes 19 through the through holes 43 and 53, whereby the heat retaining box halves 41 and 51 are fixed to the inverted microscope 10. At this time, the screw hole 19 is provided in the body 110 which is the base of the inverted microscope 10. Therefore, the heat insulating box halves 41 and 51 are fixed to the body 110 of the inverted microscope 10.

When the fixing of the heat-insulating box halves 41, 51 to the inverted microscope 10 is completed in this manner, the upper surface, front surface and back surface of the dividing surface of the heat-insulating box halves 41, 51 are subsequently placed at a total of four positions. The engaging levers 45 provided are engaged with the engaging claws 55, respectively, whereby the heat retaining box halves 41, 51 are integrated with each other.

Finally, the hot air controller 6 is arranged on one side of the inverted microscope 10, and the blowout nozzle 62 is inserted into the blow-in port 44 of the heat insulating box half 41, and then the hot air controller 6 is installed. To operate. Therefore, the warm air generated from the warm air controller 6 is blown into the heat retaining box through the blowout nozzle 62, and the heat retaining box is kept warm. At this time, the condenser 14, the stage 160, and the objective lens revolver 15 are housed in the heat insulation box. Therefore, these capacitors 14, stage 16
0 and the objective lens revolver 15 are kept under the same temperature condition.

When the sample is taken in and out of the stage in the heat retaining box, or when the condenser 14, the objective lens revolver 15 and the stage handle 17 are operated, the observer has a door 42 provided in front of the heat retaining box. , 52 are opened, and by inserting the fingers through the operation window into the heat insulation box.

As described above, in this embodiment, the box body is vertically divided into two symmetrically divided parts, and the cut surface thereof is the inverted microscope 10.
Insulation box halves 4 with unevenness according to the side shape of
A heat-insulating box is composed of 1,51. Then, these heat retaining box halves 41 and 51 are engaged with both side surfaces of the inverted microscope 10 respectively, and then the fixing screws 46 and 56 are screwed into the screw holes 19 through the through holes 43 and 53. It is fixed to the body 110 of the inverted microscope 10 and the two heat retaining box halves 41 and 51 are integrated by using a fastening mechanism.

Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the number of heat insulation boxes is two.
Since it is composed of only one heat-insulating box half 41, 51, the number of parts is reduced and it becomes possible to attach and detach the inverted microscope 10 easily and in a short time. Further, since the number of parts is reduced and the heat insulation box halves 41, 51 are formed in a substantially symmetrical shape, the manufacturing process of these heat insulation box halves 41, 51 can be made common, which allows It is possible to simplify the production of the heat insulation box and reduce the cost of the device.

Further, since the heat-retaining box is directly fixed to the body 110 of the inverted microscope 10, higher structural stability can be obtained as compared with the case where it is fixed to the stage 160, and the stage 160 is influenced by the load and the like. Is not given at all,
There is no fear of adversely affecting the observation conditions.

Further, in this embodiment, each heat insulating box half body 41, 5 is
By fixing 1 to the body 110 of the inverted microscope 10, it is possible to set the height dimension of the heat insulation box to be large, and thereby the condenser 14 and the stage 160 as well as the objective lens revolver 15 are housed in the heat insulation box. can do. Therefore, the objective lens and the stage 1
The temperature conditions of 60 and 60 can be kept the same, whereby dew condensation can be prevented and accurate observation can be always performed. Further, since the heat insulating box can be made larger, the opening areas of the operating windows 42 and 52 can be set large, and further, the internal volume of the heat insulating box can be increased. Operability can be improved.

Further, since the operation windows 42 and 52 are provided on the front surface of the heat insulating box halves 41 and 51, the observer can see the lens barrel 1
It is possible to operate the condenser 14, the objective lens revolver 15 and the stage handle 17 in the heat insulation box in a comfortable posture while looking through the camera 8.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the operation window door is not a single door but a plurality of doors that can be selectively opened and closed. FIG. 2 is a front view of the heat insulation box showing an example of the configuration. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, window windows 47 and 57 are provided on the operation windows of the heat insulation box halves 41 and 52, and upper and lower doors 48a and 58a and a lower door 48b are divided into these window frames. , 58b are attached respectively. The division positions of the upper doors 48a and 58a and the lower doors 48b and 58b are set to be substantially equal to the height position of the upper surface of the stage 160. The upper and lower doors 48a and 58a and the lower doors 48b and 58b are opened and closed by sliding toward the center of the box or pivoting to the outside of the box by a pivot mechanism.

Due to such a constitution, for example, when operating the condenser 14 in the heat insulation box or when taking in and out the sample, the upper doors 48a and 58a and the lower door 4 are provided.
The operation can be performed by opening the upper doors 48a and 58a of 8b and 58b. When operating the objective lens revolver 15 and the stage handle 17, the lower doors 48b and 58b among the upper doors 48a and 58a and the lower doors 48b and 58b can be operated. In addition, when loading and unloading large specimens, the condenser 1
When replacing parts such as No. 4, above upper door 48
Operation is possible by opening both a, 58a and lower doors 48b, 58b.

With this configuration, when the inside of the heat insulation box is operated, the upper doors 48a, 58a and the lower door 48 are depending on the position and size of the operation target.
It is possible to perform the operation by selectively opening and closing b and 58b, whereby the operation can be performed without lowering the temperature in the heat insulation box as much as possible. That is, it is possible to operate the inside of the heat-insulating box while keeping the heat-insulating effect in good condition.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, although the case where the stage handle 17 is housed in the heat insulation box has been described in the above embodiment,
It may be exposed to the outside of the heat insulation box. In this case, a hole for inserting the stage handle 17 may be provided on the bottom surface of the heat insulating box half body 41.

If the heat insulation box is made of a transparent material, the operation inside the heat insulation box can be facilitated. Further, the heat-insulating box may be provided with a heat insulating material, etc., and the size and shape of the heat-insulating box, fixing means of the heat-insulating box to the inverted microscope, configuration of the inverted microscope, etc. are also within the scope of the present invention. Various modifications can be implemented.

[0043]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the box body is vertically divided into two parts, and the divided surfaces are formed in a shape corresponding to the contours at the predetermined positions on both side surfaces of the inverted microscope. The first and second heat insulation box halves are provided, and the heat insulation box halves are arranged so as to face each other on both sides of the inverted microscope, and the heat insulation box halves are fixed in this state. By using a means to fix it to the body of the inverted microscope, the number of parts is small and the heat retaining box can be easily attached to and detached from the inverted microscope, and sufficient structural strength can be obtained. It is possible to provide a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope that does not adversely affect the observation performance.

Further, according to the present invention, the temperature of the stage and the objective lens is adjusted by accommodating at least the condenser of the inverted microscope, the stage and the objective lens revolver by the first and second heat-insulating box halves. It is possible to reduce the influence of the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the heat insulating box by making the conditions equal and to increase the size of the heat insulating box, thereby improving the operability in the heat insulating box.

Further, according to the present invention, the first and second heat-insulating box halves are symmetrically arranged about the dividing surface, so that the manufacturing process can be standardized and the heat-insulating box can be made simpler and cheaper. Can be manufactured.

Further, according to the present invention, by providing an opening portion having an opening / closing door on the surface of the first and second heat insulating box halves corresponding to the observation side of the inverted microscope, while performing the observation work. You can operate the inside of the heat insulation box in a comfortable posture.

Further, according to the present invention, since the opening / closing door is constituted by a plurality of split doors which can be selectively opened / closed, it is possible to operate the inside of the heat retaining box while keeping the heat retaining effect high.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an inverted microscope heat retaining device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of a heat retaining device for an inverted microscope according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional heat retaining device for an inverted microscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Inverted microscope 110 ... Inverted microscope body 12 ... Struts 13 ... Illumination optical system 14 ... Condenser 15 ... Objective lens revolver 160 ... Stage 17 ... Stage handle 18 ... Lens barrel 19 ... Screw holes 41, 51 ... Heat insulation box half Body 42, 52 ... Operating door 43, 53 ... Through hole 44 ... Blowing hole 45 ... Engaging lever 55 ... Engaging claw 46, 56 ... Screw 47, 57 ... Window frame 48a, 58a ... Upper door 48b, 58b ... Lower door

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A heat retaining device for use in an inverted microscope in which an illumination optical system is arranged at the uppermost portion, and a condenser, a stage and an objective lens revolver are sequentially arranged below the illumination optical system along the optical axis thereof. A first and a second heat-insulating box halves, each of which is formed by vertically dividing the body into two parts, and each of the divided surfaces is formed in a shape capable of airtightly holding the inverted microscope from both side surfaces thereof; In order to fix the first and second heat retaining box halves to the body of the inverted microscope, respectively, while holding the inverted microscope from both sides by the first and second heat retaining box halves. A heat retaining device for an inverted microscope, comprising: 2. The inverted microscope according to claim 1, wherein the first and second heat retaining box halves accommodate at least a condenser, a stage and an objective lens revolver while holding the inverted microscope. Insulation device. 3. The heat retaining device for an inverted microscope according to claim 1, wherein the first and second heat retaining box halves are configured symmetrically with respect to the dividing surface. 4. The inverted type according to claim 1, wherein the first and second heat retaining box halves are provided with an opening having an opening / closing door on a surface corresponding to the observation side of the inverted microscope. Thermal insulation device for microscopes. 5. The heat retaining device for an inverted microscope according to claim 4, wherein the opening / closing door is composed of a plurality of divided doors which can be selectively opened / closed.