Optical: systems and elements – Compound lens system – Microscope
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-09
2003-09-30
Robinson, Mark A. (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Compound lens system
Microscope
C359S369000, C359S554000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06628457
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a microscope to be supported at an extremity of a pedestal for use.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical-type or video-type microscope is used at an occasion of fine tissue treatment such as a neurosurgical operation, because the tissue is difficult to distinguish under naked eyes. Here, the observer using this microscope is a doctor who is performing the operation (hereinafter, referred to as “chief operator”). Since both hands of the chief operator are occupied by knifes or the like, this microscope must be held by a pedestal. Moreover, due to a necessity to shoot various locations of the patient from various directions, this pedestal must be provided with a long arm which supports the microscope at its extremity and is freely bendable to various directions. When the microscope is supported at the extremity of such an arm, the microscope inevitably makes tremors. Nevertheless, conventional microscopes have a working distance (i.e., the distance from vertex of the the object side face of a microscope optical system to the object-side focus of the same) of short length, no longer than 300 mm at best. Besides, the range of observation through a microscope optical system within the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the microscope optical system at its object-side focus (hereinafter, referred to as “field”) is not so small, having a vertical dimension of the order of 15 mm. In other words, the microscope optical systems are not so high in overall magnification. Therefore, even if the microscopes are held at the arm extremities and therefore the microscopes make tremors, these tremors have little effect on the image under observation. Accordingly, there has been no problem in practice.
When a microscope is used in surgical operations, however, it is desired that the microscope have a working distance of not shorter than 300 mm so as to prevent the microscope itself from interfering with the operations. Once the working distance is extended thus, tremors of the microscope shifts the field with respect to the object of observation to such an extent as recognizable with the resolution of the observer's eye. Besides, an increase in magnification is also desired of microscopes. However, increased magnifications of the microscopes narrow the field, increasing the ratio of range of shifting to the size of the field. In other words, expansion rare of the range of shifting to the size of the field through the microscope optical systems increases. As a result, the observer recognizes that image of the object blurs, with a significant deterioration in the apparent optical performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achived in recognition of the foregoing problems. It is an object of the present invention to incorporate a mechanism for preventing blur of image into a microscope that has a high probability of causing image blur as great as recognizable by observer's eyes when held at the extremity of an arm of a pedestal.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an antivibration microscope includes a microscope optical system which forms an image of an object lying in a field of a predetermined size and whose working distance L satisfies the condition: 1/A
V
>1/(11.46+0.011×L), where A
V
is the width of the field to be observed; a first sensor for measuring inclination of the whole microscope optical system; a second sensor for measuring movement of the whole microscope optical system; a deflecting device which deflects object light traveling through the microscope optical system to an arbitrary direction at an arbitrary angle; and a controlling unit for adjusting the direction and angle of deflection for the object light by the deflecting device based on the measurements by the first sensor and the second sensor, whereby said image is steady in spite of the inclination or the movement of the microscope optical system.
With the microscope optical system satisfing the above-described condition, the microscope has a high possibility of producing image blur as great as recognizable to the eyes of the observer who observes the image of the field through the microscope optical system in case it is fixed to an extremity of an arm of a pedestal. On that account, this microscope is incorporated with an antivibration mechanism composed of the first sensor, the second sensor, the controlling unit, and the deflecting device. As a result, image blur highly probable to occur in this microscope is surely prevented by the antivibration mechanism, so that the deterioration in the apparent optical performance does not occur.
The microscope optical system may be an optical system of a so-called optical microscope in which the image of the field once formed by an objective optical system is observed by the observer through an eyepiece lens. Alternatively, it may be an optical system of a so-called video-type microscope in which the image of the field formed by an objective optical system is picked up to be displayed on a monitor. Moreover, this microscope optical system may be a monocular optical system, or a binocular optical system.
The first sensor may be an angular speed sensor or an angular acceleration sensor. The fisrt sensor is desirably provided in two to measure the angle in two orthogonal directions, respectively.
The second sensor may be a position sensor or an acceleraton sensor. The second sensor is desirably provided in two to measure the movement in two orthgonal directions, respectively.
The deflecting device may include a mechanism for shifting a lens with a power that is included in the microscope optical system to a direction orthogonal to its optical axis. The deflecting device may also include a mechanism for adjusting the direction of inclination and the angle of inclination of a reflecting mirror inserted into the microscope optical system. Alternatively, the deflecting device may include a variable-angle prism. The deflecting device may effect the deflection for the object light at any position in the microscope optical system.
An antivibration microscope according to a second aspect of the present invetion includes a microscope optical system which forms an image of an object lying in a field of a predetermined size and whose working distance L satisfies the condition: 1/A
V
>1/(11.46+0.011×L), where A
V
is the width of the field; an image pickup device having an image taking surface which picks up the image formed on the image taking surface by the microscope optical system; a first sensor for measuring inclination of the whole microscope optical system; a second sensor for measuring movement of the whole microscope optical system; and a controlling unit for moving the image pickup device within a plane including the image taking surface based on the measurements of the first sensor and the second sensor so that the image of the object, lying in a predetermined field, formed by the microscope optical system can be picked up at a fixed position on the image taking surface of the image pickup device.
With the microscope optical system satisfing the above-described condition, the microscope has a high possibility of producing image blur as great as recognizable to the eyes of the observer who observes the image picked up by the image pickup device on a monitor in case it is fixed to an extremity of an arm of a pedestal. On that account, this microscope is incorporated with an antivibration mechanism composed of the first sensor, the second sensor, the controlling unit, and the image pickup device. As a result, image blur highly probable to occur in this microscope is surely prevented by the antivibration mechanism, so that the deterioration in the apparent optical performance does not occur.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1
is a schematic view showing an overall construction of a surgical operation support syste
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Fineman Lee
Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch LLP
Robinson Mark A.
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