Optical: systems and elements – Compound lens system – Microscope
Reissue Patent
1998-12-16
2001-11-13
Zweizig, Jeffrey (Department: 2816)
Optical: systems and elements
Compound lens system
Microscope
C359S381000, C359S821000
Reissue Patent
active
RE037445
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a modular microscope system with an assembled microscope basic unit, which has a stand-foot, a stand upper part, and an intermediate module with an attachable binocular housing.
2. Prior Art
A microscope is already known from DE 30 37 556 A1, with a basic frame, in the vertical part of which dovetail-guides are superposed, so that drawer-shaped modules can be linked into them. The dovetail-guides, which are referred to as gliding-guides, are continuously formed at the inner wall of the housing. They require a high amount of manufacturing precision throughout the entire sliding length of each module. Because these gliding-guides are recesses in the inner wall area of the vertical stand carrier-part, which is designed in a compact construction type, manufacturing problems occur in the precise production of many superposed-layered parallel dovetail-guides. Heat influences have a negative impact as well, since larger temperature intervals may lead to pressure loads or tensile loads respectively between the inner wall of the housing on the one hand and the slide-in module on the other hand, which finally results in a more or less cumbersomely moving drawer-guide.
Furthermore, a chassis for optical devices is known from EP 90 967 B1, which is designed as a 3-dimensional distortion-stiff hollow structure, which may be assembled of several parts and for which extended aluminum oxide is the recommended material. In this, the individual housing parts may be “trimmed on”, i.e., sintered together or they may be detachably connected with each other, e.g. screwed connections with a tie rod. In the case of sintered groups of parts a quick exchange of individual basic-unit-parts is not possible. In case the parts of the ceramic-chassis are connected through screws or other anchoring means, problems occur due to the different choices of materials (on the one hand ceramic, on the other hand, metal screws or metal rods respectively). It is also technically not entirely possible to produce basic-unit housings from ceramic materials with the required narrow tolerances for precision microscopes. An additional disadvantage is the susceptibility to damage or wear respectively for modularly-designed parts made from ceramics (i.e., especially parts intended for a fast exchange).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus the task of the proposed invention to design a microscope system of the type described above, in which a modular microscope system is described under consideration of ergonomic aspects and the utilization of modem manufacturing processes, in which a system-integrated up and down rating of the individual system parts is possible, whereby the height of the eyepiece remains constant for the observer.
The task is solved in the proposed invention by forming the basic-unit as a frame-construction-type in several parts. Moreover it contains precision-stop-surfaces for the exactly-aligned positioning and mounting of carriers, on which optical and/or electronic pre-aligned and completely-assembled individual parts or groups of parts, which are gathered into functional units, are arranged. The precision-stop surfaces may be shaped especially as small-dimensional plane contact surfaces or bearing surfaces respectively. which correspond regarding their arrangement in the plane or the space of the housing to the surface or spatial dimensions respectively of the carrier, which can be placed in the correct position. It is moreover also possible that the precision-stop-surfaces are not shaped as plane contact or bearing surfaces respectively, or as point contact or point bearing surfaces respectively. In an especially advantageous design type, at least one one-piece combination-stop-surface system is intended for the exact positioning of a carrier. It contains at least two precision-stop-surfaces, which are located in defined spatial arrangement-preferably in levels vertically aligned towards each other. The above mentioned precision-stop-surfaces may, e.g., be arranged on cylindrical or truncated-cone-shaped housing protuberances, which hang like stalactites from the inner ceiling wall of a basic-unit part. It is also possible that the precision-stop-surfaces are arranged on cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped housing-protuberances, which reach up from the inner floor-wall of the basic-unit part.
In a further design type of the proposed invention, the housing protuberances which carry the stop-surfaces may be partially contained along their longitudinal extent by the side walls of the basic-unit parts or may spatially merge with them respectively. In addition, it is possible that plane and/or angular wall-shaped housing-inner-space dividers are intended for the inner space of the basic-unit parts, which may possibly contain precision-stop-surfaces. For this the stop-surfaces can be designed in such a way that they are located only on a raised partial-area of the housing-inner-space-divider. The arrangement in the proposed invention may be such that some of the protuberances or housing inner-space-dividers respectively which contain the bearing contacts, have bore holes along their longitudinal extent, which correspond to respective clearances, e.g. holes, half-holes long holes, slits and indents in or on the carriers respectively.
The carriers may be shaped basically two-dimensional, e.g., as a platform, plate or slider for the attachment or insertion to or into one of the partial systems of the microscope's basic unit. It is, however also possible that the carriers are shaped as three-dimensional housing-parts, e.g. as a pipe, block, cube, prism, or as a parallelepiped or angular chassis-part for the attachment or insertion or sliding to or into at least one of the partial systems of the microscope's basic unit.
For a further design type of the proposed invention, at least one holding-element is additionally intended, which reaches at least partially around the carrier in due form, whereby corresponding precision-stop-surfaces are also intended for the exact positioning of the holding element. The carrier may also be shaped as a slide-in-module, in which several filters are arranged consecutively along its optical axis, which may be brought into operating position individually if chosen with corresponding filter-slides. The carrier may also be shaped as an angular holding-element for the microscope-table, whereby the holding or guide respectively contain precision stop and guide surfaces in the vertical area of the upper part of the stand for a smooth-working vertical shifting (z-direction).
It is possible that the carrier contains not only optical parts like mirrors, lenses and stops but also a completely assembled turret-installation, which in turn contains pre-aligned and completely assembled parts of the same type but of different optophysical function, e.g. fluorescence-dividing cubes. The carrier may also be shaped as a slide-in module, in which several stops are arranged along its optical axis, e.g. location fixed or location variable fixed-stops or form variable stops. These may be brought into operating position through a designated controlling device and in a given case be adjusted according to their size. It is also possible that an intermediate-module, containing a tube lens is provided, which can be attached to the collar horizontal part of the upper precision-stop-surfaces. This may then be exchanged in such a way for another intermediate-module, containing not only a tube-lens but also a controllable and prealigned Bertrand lens, that the height of the eyepiece of the entire microscope system remains unchanged. A further intermediate-module is characterized by containing additionally a discontinuous enlargement-changer or a zooming system or a polarizing-arrangement respectively.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4619503 (1986-10-01), Reinheimer et al.
patent: 5089909 (1992-02-01), Kleinberg
patent: 5091793 (1992-02-01), Goto et al.
patent: 30 37 648 (1981-04-01), None
patent: 3230504 (1983-03-01), None
patent: 3
Crowell & Moring LLP
Leica Microsystems Wetzlar GmbH
Zweizig Jeffrey
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