Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B7/00—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements
  • G02B7/001—Counterbalanced structures, e.g. surgical microscopes
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B21/00—Microscopes
  • G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
  • G02B21/0012—Surgical microscopes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B90/00—Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00, e.g. for luxation treatment or for protecting wound edges
  • A61B90/20—Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects

Definitions

• Some conventional tripods - such as those for surgical microscopes for ophthalmology - carry an X-Y displacement unit for the microscope at their free end, between the microscope and the vertical tripod support. This displacement unit is used to move the microscope in millimeter range in X-Y
• the XY displacement unit is usually annoying for an operator, since both visibility and freedom of movement are restricted.
• the XY displacement unit significantly increases the weight on the extension arm and generally has to be compensated for by an appropriate counterweight or be supported by a correspondingly large tripod base.
• the entire support arm construction of the tripod support and, if applicable, also the entire tripod base construction must be dimensioned more strongly and, above all, must be dimensioned over a larger area
• the invention is therefore based on the object to find a tripod structure in which the X-Y adjustment function is retained, but a significant increase in weight of the support arm construction and the resulting further disadvantages are avoided
• the invention should not necessarily be limited to a linear adjustment in two successive stages or generally to a linear displacement.
• the invention also allows, for example, calculated or controlled curve, rotation or swivel movements in a horizontal plane, but possibly also Z - Includes adjustments in vertical planes
• the solution to the problem lies in the displacement of the XY displacement unit according to the invention, at least closer to the vertical stand stand, so that the XY positioning unit not only moves the microscope, but also at least part of the horizontal stand holder
• the XY displacement unit is not necessarily restricted to slide-shaped displacement tracks. It can also consist, for example, of at least two motor-driven joints of the horizontal tripod support, the coordinated pivoting movements of which allow any change in the position of the microscope in an XY plane.
• the horizontal tripod carrier is extended beyond the vertical tripod stand and provided with a counterweight there, as was previously not usually the case with ophthalmic microscopes, so that the XY adjustment device extends below or at least in the vicinity of the center of gravity horizontal carrier attacks
• the shifting of the XY adjustment device can also be used independently of the pivotability of the extended horizontal support or vice versa
• the solution to the problem stated above is protected in the combination of the features of claim 1.
• the invention succeeds in reducing the weight and volume on the load arm of the tripod and in this way reducing the overall tripod construction. Allowable compensating devices and possibly also the tripod base reduced in size and lighter
• a tripod support can be designed interrupted, one part being connected to the tripod stand and carrying the XY displacement unit and the other part being carried by the XY displacement unit
• the XY displacement unit is arranged approximately in the axial area of the tripod stand.It can be arranged above, in the area of the tripod stand, or also below the tripod stand and carry the latter.
• the variant described last has the advantage that the weight of the XY displacement unit is as deep as possible; on the other hand, the variant with the XY displacement unit arranged at the top has the advantage that less mass can be moved in the XY direction
• the arrangement of the XY displacement unit in the axial area of the tripod stand is advantageous, since the displacement unit itself does not have to be balanced at this location
• the invention is not restricted to tripods with two-armed tripod carriers, ie with tripod carriers that carry the load on one arm and a counterweight on the other arm. Of course, all other tripod structures are also possible.
• the location of the X-Y displacement unit is essential to the invention
• the two parts of the carrier can be pivoted relative to one another, the pivotability being gear-coupled. This means that when the load is pivoted in a certain direction, the counterweight pivots in the opposite direction, in such a way that to compensate for spatial weight shift again
• the corresponding displacement vectors are determined by calculation and set automatically, based on the computer
• FIG. 3 shows a construction according to the invention with the X-Y displacement unit in a tripod stand axial position
• FIG. 4 shows a structure comparable to FIG. 3, but with a two-armed tripod support
• FIG. 5 shows a construction comparable to FIG. 4, but with the two tripod support parts being pivotable
• FIG. 7 shows a structure comparable to FIG. 6 with motors and incremental encoders and
• the first step which is essential to the invention, can be seen in the difference between FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
• the XY displacement unit 5 was fastened to a microscope holder 4 directly above the microscope 6 or divided the microscope holder 4 so that its lower part was carried by the XY displacement unit 5 and held the microscope 6, while the upper part carried the XY displacement unit 5
• a method of the XY displacement unit thus caused the two parts of the microscope holder 4 to be adjusted in the XY direction relative to one another.
• the microscope holder 4 was conventionally held by a tripod support 3, which on a
• Pivot and / or pivot bearing 7 was held pivotably and / or rotatably.
• the bearing 7 is only symbolically indicated Allfalhge known weight compensation measures such as gas pressure springs, cable pull weight balancers, etc. are known to the person skilled in the art and are therefore not shown in detail.
• the bearing 7 was through a microscope - or tripod stand 2, which finds its support against the floor in tripod base 1.
• tripod base 1 Of course, in the prior art there were tripods that were not supported against the floor, but rather against the ceiling or hung from the ceiling.
• the present invention accordingly includes comparable types of mounting
• the displacement of the XY displacement unit 5a according to FIG. 2, away from the microscope 6, is possible and expedient according to the invention both in the case of floor-mounted and ceiling-mounted or wall-mounted tripods.
• the protection area is accordingly also extended to this.
• the microscope holder 4a again continuous and assumes the same function that such a microscope holder has in a microscope without an XY displacement unit.
• the stand holder 3a is divided into two parts, the part facing the microscope holder 4a being carried by an XY displacement unit 5a, which in turn is carried on the second part of the stand holder 3a
• the other end of the tripod support 3a is held on the swivel and / or pivot bearing 7 in this exemplary embodiment as in the prior art. It can already be seen here that a reduction in the tilting moment occurs symbolically due to the mass shift in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the tripod stand 2a Accordingly, a stand base 1 a is accordingly already shown smaller than the stand base 1 according to the prior art
• the structure according to the invention according to FIG. 4 is only further developed in that the tripod support 3c is extended beyond the longitudinal axis of the tripod stand 2a for weight compensation purposes in order to accommodate a counterweight 8 at its free end.
• a counterweight 8 At its free end.
• measures for adjusting the counterweight 8 for optimal weight compensation for the microscope 6 are measures for adjusting the counterweight 8 for optimal weight compensation for the microscope 6
• the weight of the XY displacement unit 5b itself no longer has to be balanced in the structures according to FIGS
• the two stand support parts 3d can be swiveled towards one another / or pivot bearing 7a, which - as not shown in more detail - has a gear or the like, which causes the two parts of the tripod support 3d to be pivoted in the opposite direction, depending on one another.
• the gear or the like is designed so that the static Condition, ie if the tripod support 3d is not pivoted, it transmits the load balancing moments from the microscope 6 to the counterweight 8.
• the pivotability of the tripod stand parts relative to one another allows the overall center of gravity of the tripod to be kept low, because in the As a rule, hold both the microscope and the counterweight lower than the highest point of the stand 2
• a further swivel and / or pivot bearing 7b is provided between the microscope holder 4b and the stand support 3d, which can also be provided for the other structures in the figures described above
• stand and foot are also to be understood as hanging supports and bases. With such a ceiling-mounted structure, the microscope holder and the microscope would of course be arranged on the other side of the stand support 3 than shown in the figures
• FIG. 7 corresponds approximately to that according to FIG. 6, here motors 9a and 9b with incremental encoders are shown, which are moved in a coordinated manner via a controller 10 in order to achieve desired (possibly approximate) X-Y displacements
• all of the X-Y displacement units shown can also be uncoupled, so that X-Y adjustments can also be made manually
• a computer in conjunction with suitable sensor elements is used to record the respective position of the microscope in relation to the object or to a patient and to convert the X-Y command values in such a way that the adjustment movement carried out, for example in the X-Y

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Surgery (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
• Microscoopes, Condenser (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=4214708

Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (3)

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Citations (11)

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• 1999
  • 1999-07-30 EP EP99938378A patent/EP1101139B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-07-30 DE DE59911285T patent/DE59911285D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-07-30 JP JP2000564084A patent/JP4550997B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-07-30 WO PCT/EP1999/005448 patent/WO2000008508A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1999-07-30 US US09/744,371 patent/US6532108B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (11)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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