US2490970A - Apparatus for mechanically displacing a microscope specimen support or the like - Google Patents

Description

1949 s. KRASSILNIKIAN ET AL 2,490,970

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY DISPLACING MICROSCOPE SPECIMEN SUPPORTS OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1947 r I i r 7 I mnunnmm 1949 s. KRASSILNIKIAN ET AL Dec. 13, 2,490,970

APPARATUS FOR MEGHANICALLY DISPLACING' MICROSCOPE SPECIMEN SUPPORTS OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1947 P llll i 7 W /%%I= 7 ///////4 Patented Dec. 13, 1949 APPARFsTUS FUR MECHANICALLY DISPLAC- ING A MICROSCOPE SPECIMEN SUPPORT OR THE LIKE Sarkis Krassilnikian and Bedi'ich Heller, Prague, Czechoslovakia Application August 5, 1947, Serial No. 766,240 In Czechoslovakia March 13, 1946 11 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for mechanically displacing a movable part such as the specimen support of a microscope or the like, along a predetermined path which may be meandering, zig-zag or other form.

It is already known that for correct diagnosis of a number of diseases, especially blood diseases, it is necessary to ascertain the comparative number of the five different types of white blood corpuscles (leucocytes). Most experts make use of differential calculation of the leucocytes for this purpose, in the process of which the customary slide bearing a well-colored blood smear is secured on the microscope table or on the special specimen support installed on the crosstable of the microscope and the plate is moved under the lens of the microscope in a meandering line to bring the four corner fields of the specimen successively into view. One hundred or two hundred white blood. corpuscles are counted, i. e. either twenty-five or fifty at each of the four corner fields, and these are classified into groups according to the different types. The counted number of the difierent types of white blood ccrpuscles is the percentage when counting one hundred cells, and is the twodold percentage when counting two hundred cells, of the whole amount of the white blood corpuscles.

Movement of the specimen support in a meandering line has been accomplished heretofore either by pushing the glass slide or table by hand or by turning two knobs that are provided on the cross table and actuate two carriages moving transversely in relation to each other, their guides being joined either rigidly or removably to the stand or small table of the microscope. It has now been found that these known methods make the production of an accurate and uniform meandering movement of the specimen support impossible, so that the result of the counting of the white blood corpuscles is inaccurate and changes with every repetition of the blood corpuscles count, so that it is necessary to reckon the average value of a number of counts, this average value frequently being worthless for diagnosis due to its errors.

It is likewise advisable to look through the different fields of bacterioligical preparations accurately one after the other under the microscope, this being possible by a progressive periodic movement, for instance a meandering movement of the specimen support under the lens. With the present types of the specimen support however, it cannot be avoided that fields already looked through are unintentionally brought into 2 the field of vision of the microscope again, or that the examination of important fields of the preparation are unintentionally left out, this possibly leading to incorrect results of the examination of the preparation.

Objects of this invention are to provide apparatus for mechanically displacing a support along a predetermined meandering or zig-zag path to bring different sections of the support into the field of view, and to prevent an inadvertent return of any inspected section to the field of view. Objects are to provide simple and efficient apparatus of the type stated in which a single operating member actuates the mechanism for displacing the support in directions at an angle, and preferably at right angles, to each other. Objects are to provide movable supports, especially the specimen supports of microscopes, and two associated driving mechanisms actuated by a common operating member for displacing the support either continuously or intermittently in two directions at right angles to each other. More specifically, objects are to provide a support and driving mechanisms of the type last stated which are adjustable manually to render either of the driving mechanisms inoperative, whereby the support may be moved linearly along one or the other of its basic paths of movement.

These and other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan. view of a microscope specimen support embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, through the microscope specimen support as seen substantially on the section indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, on the same enlarged scale, of the support as seen on the section indicated byline 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4a to 4d inclusive are diagrammatic views of the drive members at different stages in one cycle of their displacement of the specimen car.- riage along a periodically repeated meandering path;

Fig. 5 is a trace of the meandering path;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, on the reduced scale of Fig. 1, of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the same on an enlarged scale as taken substantially on the plane lllCllCEtlJECl by 11116 u-: or Fig. 8; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section as taken :3 on the plane indicated by line 88 of Fig. 'I.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference numeral I identifies an angular support which is to be secured by appropriate means and in removable fashion to the table of a microscope. A housing 2 of shallow box form has dovetail grooves 2a, 2b along two adjacent edges at right angles to each other for supporting the housing for sliding movement along the dovetail rail Ia. of the support I and for slidably receiving the dovetail rail 3a of a carriage 3 on which a microscope slide G may be mounted. The bottom wall of housing 2 and its cover plate 4 are suitably apertured to provide bearings for a series of gears which control the displacement of the carriage 3 with respect to the fixed support i.

The manually operated driving member of the gear trains comprises a spur gear 5 having a central cylindrical section with teeth extending around the same, an upper section 5a which is cut away along diametrically opposed sides to leave two gear segments, and a lower section 51) which has only one gear segment in axial alinement with one end of the section 5a. The gear 5 is axially displaceable,as will be described later, for adjustment of the character of the displacement imparted to the carriage 3. The gearing through which drive gear 5 displaces the housing 2 along the support Iincludes spur gears 6 and 'I positioned for meshing engagement with segmental gear 51) when gear 5 is in its lower position of adjustment, the gear I being connected through an idler or reversing gear 8 to a rack 9 fixed to the rail Ia of the support I, and the gear Iidirectly meshing with the rack.

V The segmental gear sections 5a intermittently engage a gear I in mesh with a gear I I journalled in arms I2 which are angularly adjustable about the axis of the gear I0. In one adjustment of the arms I2, as shown in solid line in Figs. 2 and 3, the gear II meshes with a gear I3 rigidly secured to a gear I4 which meshes with a gear I5 in engagement with a rack I6 secured to the rail 3a ofthe slide carriage 3. YA handle I1 is secured to the arms I2 for adjustment manually to transfer the gear II from engagement with the carriage drive train I3, I4, I5intoengagement with the housing drive gear I, as indicated in dotted line in Fi .2,

e noted above, the gear 5 is axially adjustable and for thepurpose of interrupting the driving connection of gear segment 52) with gears B and 'Lwhen the gear II is adjusted to mesh with the gear 'I.- As illustrated, the shaft of gear 5 is journalled in a hub I8 slidably mounted in the cover plate 4, the hub IB being circumferentially notched to receive the tail of a lever I9 which is angularly movable to ride over the inclined or wedge rail 20 to lift the hub IB and gear 5 by a distance K. This axial displacement of the gear 5-raises the interrupted gear segment 5?) out of line with the spur gears 6 and I, and meshes the circumferentially complete central section of gear 5 with the spur gear ID. The hub I8 has a pin I8 which engages a slot 4 in the cover plate 4, the slot being axialwhen the'gearing is of conventional design or, if the gearing is of the spiral type, being inclined at the same angle as the gear teeth to -avoid displacement of the carriage 3 upon adjustment of the lever I9 from one end-position to. the other. As shown in Fig. 1, the lever I has an arm I1 which is adjacent or bears against the lever I9 when the latter is in position M, see Fig. 1, in which the gear 5 is in lowered position andthe several gears occupy the-positions illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Upon adjustment of lever I1 to move the gear II into mesh with the gear I, the tail I'I' forces the lever 20 counterclockwise to lift the gear 5 and its segment 5b :out of engagement with the gear 6. The shaft of the drive gear 5 is provided with a knob 2I for manual operation of the drive mechanisms to displace the carriage 3 along a predetermined path which is determined by the manual adjustment of the control levers I1 and I9.

The operation of the apparatus when adjusted as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 is as follows:

During engagement of one end of the segmental gear 5a with gear wheel I0, as shown in Fig. 4a, gear I5 is turned through the gearing II, I3 and I4, thus shifting the rack I6 and thereby the carriage 3 .by an extent a (Fig. 5) in the direction of arrow P. During this time, the housing 2 is at rest, since the segmental gear 5b of the driveunit 5is not in engagement with either of the gear wheels 6, 1. The mean positions of parts 5a-and 5?) at this time are shown in Fig. 4a. Upon further clockwise rotation of knob 2 I, and thereby of drive unit 5 through see Fig. 4b, the gear segment 5a moves out of engagement with gear I0, and the gear segment 5bmeshes with gear wheel 6, which during its rotation in counter clockwise sense rolls along on the stationary rack 9 so that the housing 2 together with the carriage 3 is displaced the amount I) (Fig. 5) in the direc tion of arrow Q, this displacement correspond ing to the engaging extent a of segmental gear 5b with gear 6.- Upon further-turning of knob 2| an additional 90, see Fig. 4c, gear segment 5b of drive unit 5 moves out of engagement with gear 6, and the housing 2 therefore remains at rest while the other end of the gear 5a engages gear I0, whereupon the carriage 3' 'is moved in the direction P the amount 6'. Upon-continuedturning of knob 2I an additional 90, as shown in Fig. 4a, the gear segment is out of engagement with gear I0, while gear segment 5b engages with gear I, and thereby gear 8 is turned clockwise along rack 9, whereby housing 2, andwith it carriage 3, is displaced in the direction of arrow Qa theamount d (Fig. 5), i. e. in opposite direction to arrow Q. Upon further turning of k'nob 2I,lthe movement of the carriage 3 along the line -abc d is re peated, so that every point'of thespecimen support G mounted thereon is movedwith precision along a meandering line as shown in Fig. 5.

The extent of the displacements b and d is determined by the patterns and type of gearing. and the number of teeth of the gear segment 5b, and the ratio of the strokes azb and czd is deter-' mined by the pattern and type of the gear 5b and the transmission ratio of the cooperating gears I0, I3, I4 and I5.

If arms I2 which support gear I I are swung in the direction of arrow R to the position shown by broken lines in Fig. 2, the gears Hand I3 come out of engagement and gear I I engages with gear 1. Upon clockwise rotation of 'knob 2 I, the eifec tive gear train rotates the gear 8, thus displacing housing 2 together with carriage -.3 and the speci men support G in the direction of arrow Qa in a straight line and continuously.

The device according to Figs. 1;."2La'nd 3 there fore makes possible, in the positionA of lever :I'I and in position M of lever 19 (Fig.-"1) a meander-i ing movement of'the specimen slideGyin position A of lever I! and position O-oflever I 9,'.-"a continu-: ous and straight line displacementxofthe."specii men support Gin or opposite to the directionmf arrow- B; and, .finallyi,iin positionsBfofilwr it! and position-(D et lever l 9i a' continuous and straight displacement -M ttie-specimen support G in the d-irection-of-arrow-Q or Qa, and thus permits an inspection through preparations of every type at various fields in-successionand without any danger of leaving out any fieldunintentionally or ofexamining it over again. I --Inthe embodiment illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the housing 2 is slidably mounted on the support--l -and,--in-turn, slidably-supports the car- -r ia-ge-3-ir 1- the same manner as described above with'respect -to the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 5 inclusivefi Gorresponding parts .are identified by the same-reference numerals but will not be described 1n.deta,j.1i p

The drive mechanism includes a spur gear 5 havinga lowercircumferentially complete set of teeth-and anupper section 5a which is cut away to leave gear teeth only atdiametrically opposite points. The gear sections 5a cooperate with a gear 22 to which a second gear 23 is rigidly secured the gear 23 meshing with gear-i5 which engages-rack I6 of the carriage 3. The gears 22, 23 are journalled in a yoke or pair of supporting arms 24' which may be adjusted angularly about the axis of gear 5, as will be described later, by a lever or handle-'25 WhiCh is secured to the outwardly projecting section of the upper hub 24 in which. the gear 5 is journalled. The drive element also includes a camdisk 26 rigid with-gear 5 andhaving diametrically opposite sections 26a, 26b of different radii. Alever 2'l is mounted on a shaft 28 carried by the yoke 24, one end 2'! of the lever bearing against the cam disk 26 and the other end 21"comprisinga gear segment cooperating with a spurgear 29, also carried by the 'yoke;-24, which meshes. with gear i in the illustr'atediposition ofv adjustment of the yoke 24. End .21. ofathe lever is 'yiel'dingly maintained in engagement with the cam disk 26 by a spring 33.

On turning the handle 25 from position M to position ,0, see Fig.6, the yoke 24 is' rocked clockwise to'carry'thegears 23and29 out of engagementwith gears .15 and 1, respectively. The yoke 24. maythen'beshifted parallel to rack 9, i. e. in V the directions indicated by arrowsS, Sa, respectively, to mesh the complete section of spur gear '5." with the gear P5 .or with a gear 3| which is in continuous. engagement with the gear I. The

movable supporting structure which permits these displacements comprises a lower dovetail slide 32 movable in a recess in the lower wall of the housing 2 and an upper. slide 33 movable in'a groove in the cover plate 4., the lower: end of the shaft of gear 5., beingset'into the slide 32 and the upper hub 24 of 'yoke 24 extending through the slide 33. The slides 32, 33are actuatedby ailever 34 which is pivotally mounted on thecover plate 4' to turn from it's illustrated mid-position, see Fig. 6, to one or the other of its end positionsA,'B which correspond respectivelyto engagement of gear 5' with gear l5 or gear 3L; The handle 25 of yoke 24 extends over the lug or extension 34 of the slide carriage lever 34, and'has a locking extension 25', see Fig. 8, for preventing inadvertent movement of the lever 34 when the apparatus is adjusted, as shown, for a meandering displacement of the carriage 3.

The operation of the apparatus for this adjustment is the same as previously described so far as concerns the intermittent displacement of the carriage 3 with respect to the housing 2, i. e. the gear segments 5a periodically engage the gear 22 as knob 2| is turned, thus driving the gears 23 and I5. The housing 2 remains stationary during these-displacements of carriage-3-fsince eiid'2'l of lever--2-1-bears upona circular arc26a or 2650f the "arr-idiskZG-duririg the meshing-"engagement ofgear segment- 5a with zg'ear 22. As-the gear seg' ment ta moves out ofthis engagement, the .end 21" of lever ZI-engages-a non-circular portion oi cam disk 26, a'ndthereby rocks rm itsshaft28 to drive the gear- train 29, 1,8 through :its .gear segment-21 w L:=. 4.11. .11.: i

When handle 25 is: moved lto position L0,. the yoke 24 is rocked clockwise tozseparategearsz23 and 29 from gears 15 and 1 respectively. Movement of lever 34 toposition A displa'cesltheslide carriage 32, 33 .to mesh the. drive gear. 5' with gear I 5, whereby a turning of .the knob 2.l.results in a displacement of the carriage 3.with.respect.to the housing 2. Alternatively, movement of lever 34 to position B results in an .engagementof gears 5' and 3! to permitdisplacement ofthe housing 2 along the support I. A pin 35 isinserted in .the bottom of housing 2 to prevent movement of yoke 2t so far as to engage gears 23 and H5 or gears29 and 1 in this adjustment of lever 34.

With apparatus according to this invention, a rapid and accurate count of the white blood cor.- puscles and the attainingofan unvarying result of the count, as well as a, rapid and exact study of preparations of all types, and thus a rapid diagnosis of diseases with great assurance of accuracy, are made possible. The operation of the device by only a single actuating member 2i is therefore very simple, and particularly so since the shifting levers, locked in relation to each other, are in the range of the operators fingers.

The device according to the invention could likewise be used for other apparatus in which constituents are to be moved in linesother than meandering lines. For producing zig-zag movement, part 5a of the drive unit 5 inthe constructional form of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is provided with teeth along the entire circumference, and the gear segment 51) is such that the teeth begin to engage in the gear wheel] as soon as they have come out of engagement with the gear 6. In producing a wavy movement, for instance, use is made for instance of a cam disk of elliptical periphery in the constructional form according to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, and the part 5a of the drive unit 5' is provided with teeth along the entire circumference.

The invention is not limited to the constructional examples shown and described, and the arrangement as well as the form of the difierent constituents can be modified within the scopeof the inventive principle. The axes of the gearings, and the parts of the gearing could be placed in theplane of motion of the carriages or in a plane parallel to thesame. and the parts of the driving or driven mechanism could be constructed as ratchet wheel devices or other escape mechanism. Moreover, cams in connection with pawl devices could be used for operating the carriages. These and other' Variations which mayoccur to Ithoseskilled in the art fall within 7 theymsfiope, of.) the invention as set. forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for mechanically displacing a carriage along a cyclically repeated path, the combination with a stationary support, a housing slidably mounted on said support, and a. carriage slidably mounted on said housing for movement in a direction at an angle to the direction of movement of said housing, of drive mechanism within said housing; said drive mechanism comprising a primary operating member, and independent motion-transmitting means actuated by said operatin member for displacing said housing with respect to said support and for displacing said carriage with respect to said housing, one of said motion-transmitting means including means operative upon continued movement of said operating member in one direction periodically to reverse the direction of the displacement effected thereby.

2. In apparatus for mechanically displacing a carriage along a cyclically repeated path, the invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said operating member includes means periodically coupling the same in alternation to said independent motion-transmitting means.

3. In apparatus for mechanically displacing a carriage along a cyclically repeated path, the invention as recited in claim 1, in combination with means adjustable to uncouple said operating member from one of said motion-transmitting means.

4. In apparatus for mechanically displacing a carriage alon a cyclically repeated path, the invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said operating member is supported for rotation within said housing and includes two diametrically opposed gear segments, the motion-transmitting means actuated by said gear segments effecting intermittent displacement in the same direction upon continued rotation of said operating member in the same direction.

5. Apparatus for supporting microscope slides comprising a stationary support, a housing slidably mounted on said support, a carriage slidably mounted on said housing for movement at right angles to the direction of movement of said housing with respect to said support, and drive mechanism within said housing; said drive mechanism including an operating member, bearing means supporting said operating member for rotation within said housing, a knob at the exterior of the housing and connected to said operating member for rotating the same, racks secured respectively to said support and said carriage, a gear train within said housing for coupling said operating member to the rack secured to said carriage, said operating member being a spur gear terminating at one end in a pair of diametrically opposite gear segments for cyclically engaging said gear train, motiontransmitting means for displacing said housing along the rack secured to said support, and means cyclically coupling said operating member to said motion transmitting means to displace said housing alternately in opposite directions with respect to said support upon rotation of said operating member in one direction.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said motion-transmitting means includes a pair of gears in mesh with the rack secured to said support, and an idler gear in mesh with one gear of said pair; and said means cyclically coupling said operating member to said motion-transmitting train comprises a single gear segment projecting from the other end of said spur gear, said idler gear and the gear not in mesh therewith being positioned for alternate engagement by said single gear segment on rotation of said operating member.

'7. Apparatus as recited in claim 5, in combination with movable means mounting said operating member for displacement to interrupt the coupling between the same and the motion-transmitting means, and means movable to establish a continuously operative coupling of said operating member to said gear train, whereby rotation of said operating member effects a progressive displacement of said carriage with respect to said housing.

8. Apparatus as recited in claim 5, in combination with means movable to render said gear train inoperative and to establish a continuously operative coupling of said operating member to said motion-transmitting means, whereby rotation of said operating member in one direction effects a progressive displacement of said housing with respect to said support.

9. Apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said gear train includes a plurality of gears, and said movable means is a yoke carrying an intermediate one of said gears, and means supporting said yoke for angular movement to remove said intermediate gear from said gear train and to position the same in driving relation to said motion-transmitting means.

10. Apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said motion-transmitting means comprises a second gear train, and said operating member includes a cam disk, and said means cyclically coupling said operating member to said motiontransmitting means comprises a lever actuated by said cam disk and carrying a gear segment in mesh with the first gear of said second gear train.

11. Apparatus as recited in claim 10, in combination with an angularly movable yoke supporting said operating member and a gear of each gear train, a handle at the exterior of said housing for turning said yoke to move the gears supported thereon out of motion-transmitting relation in each of said gear trains, a pair of movable slides supporting said yoke for translation within said housing, and a handle operable from the exterior of said housing for moving said slides to displace said operating member into either of two end positions for driving engagement with one or the other of said gear trains, and interlocking means on said handles to prevent inadvertent movement of the second handle from midposition upon adjustment of the first handle to turn said yoke to restore the gears thereon to operative driving relation in their respective gear trains.

SARKIS KRASSILNIKIAN.

BEDRICH HELLER.

No references cited.

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