WO2007115948A1

WO2007115948A1 - Microscope

Info

Publication number: WO2007115948A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/053082
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eckhard Bröckmann
Original assignee: Broeckmann Eckhard
Priority date: 2006-04-05
Filing date: 2007-03-30
Publication date: 2007-10-18
Also published as: DE202006015858U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a microscope having at least two chambers, in which the mechanical, optical and electronic components and modules are arranged in the various chambers.

Description

microscope

The invention relates to a microscope.

According to the prior art, various methods are common for protecting sensitive optical, mechanical and electronic parts from the outside against dust and splash water, such as rubber seals or plastic seals in housing parts. O- or X-rings made of, for example, rubber, wipers or so-called Simmerrings are usually used to seal outwardly protruding shafts. To compensate for structural tolerances and to seal against the smallest particles, these sealing elements must fit tightly on all sides on the casing of the shaft, which is achieved by (elastic) pressure of the seals on the shaft. Due to the existence of a shear modulus of the materials from which 0 and X rings are made a restoring torque can arise if a shaft is released after turning it - in the case of a microscope: shaft with a rotary knob to focus the object being viewed - with the result that the shaft turns back a little. This has the disadvantage that once the object has been set in focus, it is then located in a plane that was previously traversed and which is depicted out of focus.

The technical problem on which the invention is based consists in specifying a microscope which is easy to transport and which can be subjected to rough handling and changing climatic conditions with dust and moisture loads when the place of use changes and which does not have the disadvantages described.

This technical problem is solved by a microscope having the features according to claim 1.

The microscope according to the invention is characterized in that the microscope has at least two chambers and that mechanical, optical and electronic components and assemblies are arranged in the different chambers. This makes it possible to design the chambers with different tightnesses. For example, the chamber with the mechanical components can have a low tightness with respect to moisture and a medium tightness with respect to dust, while a chamber with optical components has a high degree of tightness overall.

It is advantageous in the microscope according to the invention that the at least two chambers are designed to be separated from one another by walls and / or seals. This has the The advantage that the chambers can have different levels of tightness.

According to a preferred embodiment, the at least two chambers are sealed with different sealing devices to the outside and / or from one another. In this way, the sealing measure necessary for the tightness required in each case can be provided.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the mechanical and optical and electronic components and assemblies are grouped together and arranged in one chamber each, which is designed to be adapted to the required tightness requirement in each case.

The chamber with the electronic components and assemblies requires a high degree of impermeability to moisture with low requirements regarding impermeability to dust.

The chamber with the mechanical components and assemblies preferably has the lowest degree of tightness and the chamber with the optical components and assemblies has the highest degree of tightness with respect to moisture and dust.

In order for the chamber with the mechanical components to have only a slight impermeability with respect to moisture, the mechanical components are accordingly preferably formed from a non-rusting material.

The electronic components are advantageously arranged in a chamber in a foot of the microscope, since in the An accumulator or a battery is also advantageously arranged on the foot and the paths for current-carrying lines are thus short.

The optical components are preferably arranged in a chamber in an upper part of the microscope, since the objectives, eyepieces and other optical elements are arranged above the object table. Incident light is also housed in this chamber.

In the case of the axis of rotation, high-density components are advantageously dispensed with. This waiver results in a lower degree of protection at this point. Since mechanical, optical and electronic components are combined into assemblies and housed in spatially separate areas of the microscope, with various methods of sealing against dust and moisture being used, the lower degree of protection can easily be selected in the case of the axis of rotation. This creates a multi-chamber sealing system. The mechanical chamber is subject to the least amount of protection, which by using sockets as bearings keeps dust out, but not moisture. The use of non-rusting materials is advantageous here.

The following table shows the sensitivity to dust and moisture for various components:

If non-rusting materials are used, mechanical components are not sensitive to moisture. Electronic components with a metallic jacket can oxidize. In the presence of moisture and dirt, leakage currents can occur in electronic circuits. If there is moisture there is a risk of condensation. Dust and condensation on lenses and in the vicinity of an image plane lead to functional restrictions. This results in the different requirements for tightness.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the microscope, a battery or accumulator compartment is provided in the housing. The battery or accumulator compartment is closed with a lid. The cover is advantageously fixed to the housing with safety screws. The safety screws can only be opened with special tools, so that unauthorized stealing of the batteries or accumulators is very difficult.

Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the accompanying drawing, in which an exemplary embodiment of a microscope according to the invention is shown only by way of example. In the drawing show:

1 shows a microscope in longitudinal section;

2 shows the housing of the microscope in a view from below;

2a shows a security screw in a perspective view. The invention consists in combining all electronic components into an assembly and, as shown in FIG. 1, placing them in an electronics chamber in the device base. Mechanical parts, including moving parts, are placed in the lower part of the housing in the mechanical chamber 2. Optical components are housed in the upper part of the housing, the optics chamber 3. This creates a multi-chamber system. In the microscope according to the invention, the electronic components, the mechanical components and the optical components are each arranged in a separate chamber 1, 2, 3 and these chambers 1, 2, 3 are sealed from one another and from the outside.

The electronics chamber 1 contains an opening at the bottom, suitable for a cover 5 for changing the batteries or accumulators (not shown). The seal is made with a flat seal 6, for example made of silicone. A closed membrane 7, for example made of silicone, is located upwards towards the housing. The degree of protection achieved is at least IP64 (IP = International Protection, DIN VDE 0470, DIN 40 050). A stable wall 19 can also be used in place of the membrane.

The mechanical chamber 2 contains movable mechanical parts, some of which protrude outwards, such as cylinder pins 8 and a rotary axis 9 with a rotary knob 10 for adjusting the height of a worktop 11. The cylinder pins are surrounded by guides with wipers 12, which prevent the ingress of foreign matter . In the case of the axis of rotation, there is a requirement that it must be easy to move. Close-fitting seals, such as O-rings, for example made of rubber, could generate too much sliding friction, which would interfere with the operation of the height adjustment. In addition, static friction causes a backward torque after turning the axis, whereby a microscopic object once brought into focus would slide out of the focal plane again after releasing the rotary knob. For this reason, a sliding bush 13 is used to support the axis of rotation, which is not designed as a high-density component. The degree of protection of the mechanical chamber 2 is therefore relatively low, which is not a problem when using rustproof materials because of the lower sealing requirements of the mechanical system (see table above).

The optics chamber 3 is separated from the mechanics chamber 2 by a closed wall 19 at the bottom. An O-ring 14, resting on the eyepiece 15, seals the optics chamber 3 from the outside there. In the direction of the objectives 16 there is a glass window 17 which is held in place with a sealing adhesive. The objectives 16 themselves are manufactured in the standard version and do not contain any further protection. They are therefore to be regarded as wearing parts. The degree of protection of the optics chamber 3 is at least IP64. A condenser 4 is also to be regarded as an optics chamber and is correspondingly sealed.

A cover (not shown) screwed to the side of the housing 18 either contains a round cord running around the edge or accommodates an inserted flat seal. In the seal 7 and in the wall 19 there are holes for the passage of electrical lines. The holes are sealed with a commercially available sealing cable gland or simply with an elastic adhesive. The elasticity of the adhesive allows pressure equalization between the chambers of the sealing system.

FIG. 2 shows the housing 18, which has an opening 22 that can be closed with a cover 20. The lid 20 is fixed to the housing 18 with safety screws 21. The safety screws 21 are designed in such a way that they can only be opened with special keys or screwdrivers, such as the screw 21 shown in FIG. 2a, which has an inner star 23.

In the housing 18, a battery compartment 24 is arranged, in which batteries or accumulators 25 are arranged. The batteries 25 must be replaced with new batteries after approximately 500 to 1000 charges. A fuse 26 is also occasionally to be replaced by a replacement fuse 27. So that the batteries or accumulators 25 cannot be stolen by unauthorized persons, the cover 20 is designed to be lockable, specifically with the aid of the safety screws 21. The use of the safety screws 21 has the advantage that dust and moisture are prevented from entering the microscope .

Reference numbers

1 electronics chamber

2 mechanical chambers

3 optics chamber

4 condenser

5 lids

6 flat seal

7 membrane

8 straight pins

9 axis of rotation

10 rotary knob

11 worktop

12 scrapers

13 sliding bush

14 O-ring

15 eyepiece

16 lenses

17 stained glass windows

18 housing

19 wall

20 lids

21 screws

22 opening

23 Inner star in screw 21

24 battery compartment

25 batteries

26 Backup

27 Replacement fuse

Claims

1. Microscope, which indicates that the microscope has at least two chambers (1, 2, 3) and that mechanical, optical and electronic components and assemblies are arranged in the various chambers (1, 2, 3).

2. Microscope according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least two chambers (1, 2, 3) are formed separated from one another by walls (19) and / or seals (7).

3. Microscope according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least two chambers (1, 2, 3) are sealed with different sealing devices to the outside and / or from one another.

4. Microscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mechanical, optical and electronic components and assemblies are combined into groups in a respective chamber (1, 2, 3).

5. Microscope according to claim 1, characterized in that the chamber (1) with the electronic components and assemblies has the lowest tightness and the chamber (3) with the optical components and assemblies has the highest degree of tightness with respect to dust.

6. Microscope according to claim 1, characterized in that the chamber (2) with the mechanical components and assemblies has the lowest tightness and the chamber (3) with the optical components and assemblies has the highest level of moisture tightness.

7. Microscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mechanical components

(9, 10) are made of rustproof material.

8. Microscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic components are arranged in a chamber (1) in a foot of the microscope.

9. Microscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the optical components are arranged in a chamber (3) in an upper part of the microscope.

10. Microscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (18) of the microscope has at least one closable cover (20), and that the closable cover is designed to be closable with safety screws (21).