Optical: systems and elements – Lens – With graded refractive index
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-21
2003-11-04
Ben, Loha (Department: 2873)
Optical: systems and elements
Lens
With graded refractive index
C359S652000, C359S654000, C359S368000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06643071
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical microscopes.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
One important tool for biological research and medical diagnostics is the optical microscope.
FIG. 1
shows a conventional optical microscope
10
. The optical microscope
10
includes an objective lens
12
and an imaging lens
14
, i.e., an eyepiece. Exemplary microscopes include objective and imaging lenses
12
,
14
that are compound lenses or lens systems.
Both objective and imaging lenses
12
,
14
contribute to image magnification. The objective lens
12
forms a first magnified image
16
of an object
18
being examined. The first image
16
becomes the object for the imaging lens
14
, which produces a further magnified final image
20
. Here, the final image
20
is virtual and observed by an observer's eye
22
. The total image magnification is the product of the separate magnifications produced by the objective lens
12
and the imaging lens
14
.
Use of an optical microscope to examine internal tissues of a large animal typically entails removing the tissues from the animal. The removal facilitates positioning the microscope's objective lens for viewing the tissues. Thus, microscopic examination is typically performed in-vitro, i.e., outside the animal's body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Various embodiments provide optical microscopes useable for in-vivo examinations of biological tissues and other samples.
In one aspect, the invention features an optical microscope that includes a compound GRIN objective and a lens system. The compound GRIN objective is able to form an image of an object that is located near one end of the GRIN objective. The compound GRIN objective is configured to limit the lateral field of view for imaging to a distance equal to the diameter of the GRIN objective. The lens system is positioned to form a magnified image of the image formed by the compound GRIN objective.
In another aspect, the invention features an optical microscope that includes a lens system and a GRIN objective. The GRIN objective is positioned to produce an image that the lens system is capable of magnifying. The GRIN objective includes a first and second GRIN lenses, which are end-coupled. The first and second GRIN lenses have respective pitches P
1
and P
2
, and P
2
is greater than P
1
. The first GRIN lens has a length that belongs to the interval (0, ¼P
1
] modulo a whole- or half-integer times P
1
.
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U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/082,870, Schnitzer, filed Feb. 25, 2002.
Ben Loha
Hasan M.
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
McCabe John F.
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