Optical: systems and elements – Compound lens system – Microscope
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2001-11-13
Henry, Jon (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Compound lens system
Microscope
C359S380000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic microscope in which real images of an object are respectively formed by a pair of objective optical systems, which are separately placed with a predetermined base length therebetween, and in which the real images are relayed by another optical system.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of video-type stereoscopic microscope is used when tiny tissues, such as a brain, are operated.
Since it is difficult to observe a structure of an organ consisting of tiny tissues, such as a brain, by direct viewing, the operations for such an organ must be proceeded under a microscope. Besides, since it is impossible to observe the three-dimensional structure of a tissue with a monocular microscope, a stereoscopic microscope has been used to enable three-dimensional magnifying observation of the tissue in order to perform accurate operations.
Such stereoscopic microscope is classified into an optical type one and a video type one. In either type of the stereoscopic microscope, an optical structure, in which a pair of objective optical systems separately placed with a predetermined base length therebetween to respectively form real images of same object, is adopted. In the optical-type stereoscopic microscope, a pair of real images (that is, a pair of primary images) once formed by the pair of objective optical systems are transferred through a pair of eyepieces as virtual images, and the virtual images are observed by an observer. On the other hand, in the video-type stereoscopic microscope, a pair of real images are relayed through a pair of relay optical systems to re-form the respective images on an image taking surface of an image pickup device.
In the stereoscopic microscopes with those constructions, the positions of the primary images of same object formed by the pair of objective optical systems may deviate from each other in the direction of the optical axes of the optical systems, because of manufacturing errors possible to occur in each objective optical system, or of installation errors possible to occur on the objective optical systems with respect to the housing. In such cases, adjusting the eyepiece optical system or relay optical systems for transmitting the primary images may be conducted to adjust the focal condition of the final images to be picked up or observed.
However, when the optical systems that are disposed after the primary images are adjusted, there could be a drawback that the magnification and the size of the final images may be different between the left and right optical systems. In order to eliminate the occurrence of the drawbacks, such as the difference of magnification and position of image, an operator has to conduct the adjustment of the entire optical system after adjusting eyepiece optical systems and/or the relay optical systems so that the focal conditions and the magnifications of the resultant images may be matched between the right and the left optical systems. That also causes a problem that the entire adjustment procedures become too complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is devised in view of the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic microscope in which a simple adjusting mechanism is provided for adjusting the positions of the real images of same object, which are formed by left and right objective optical system.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a stereoscopic microscope which includes a close-up optical system that emits object light rays from an object as parallel rays and a pair of image-forming optical systems that converges the object light rays that have passed through different parts of the close-up optical system to form respective real images of the object. The stereoscopic microscope further includes a pair of image-forming lens barrels that holds the image-forming optical systems, respectively, a lens barrel housing that supports each of the image-forming lens barrels such that positions of the image-forming lens barrels are independently adjustable in a direction of optical axes of the image-forming optical systems, while keeping a condition that the optical axes are in parallel with each other, and a casing that holds the close-up optical system and the lens barrel housing such that a position of the lens barrel housing is adjustable in a direction of the optical axes of the image-forming optical systems, while keeping a condition that each of the optical axis is parallel with an optical axis of the close-up optical system.
With this construction, by moving each of the image-forming lens barrels with respect to the lens barrel housing, each of the image-forming optical system can be moved as a unit in the direction of the optical axis. Therefore, an operator can adjust the positions of the real images formed through the image-forming optical system without changing the spacing between the constituent lenses within the image-forming optical system. Also, at assembly, in advance of installing the lens barrel housing into a casing, the focal points of the respective image-forming optical systems held in the respective image-forming lens barrels which are supported by the lens barrel housing can be adjusted to coincide with each other. Thus, a remained positional adjustment should to be done inside the casing by the operator is to adjust the focal points of both of the image-forming optical systems which are made to be coincident with each other, by moving the lens barrel housing. Accordingly, the adjustment procedure becomes simpler.
When the image-forming lens barrel is moved in the direction of the optical axis, the distance between the close-up optical system and the image-forming optical system changes. However, the object light rays emitted from this close-up optical system is parallel rays. Therefore, this never leads to degradation of the image quality nor affects the focus adjustment of the close-up optical system.
The stereoscopic microscope of the present invention may be an optical-type stereoscopic microscope in which the real images of the object formed by the respective image-forming optical systems are magnified by a pair of eyepieces or may be a video-type stereoscopic microscope in which the real images of the object formed by the respective image-forming optical systems are relayed onto an image taking surface of an image pickup device through a pair of relay optical systems. In the latter case, in order to ensure that a pair of images respectively relayed by the relay optical systems do not overlap with each other, field stops having an edge for shielding a portion of images may be provided, and the positions of the images may be adjusted to the positions of these field stops.
Also, the image-forming optical system of the present invention may be a zoom optical system, or single-focus lens.
Moreover, the lens barrel housing of the present invention may have a pair of through holes into which the respective image-forming optical system lens barrels are inserted, and each of the image-forming lens barrels may be supported in the lens barrel housing by a pair of rings, which is engaged with external threads formed on an outer peripheral surface of the corresponding image-forming optical system lens barrel, and which sandwiches the lens barrel housing, so that a position of each of the image-forming optical systems is adjustable relative to the lens barrel housing. With such a construction, by changing the position of each ring with respect to each image-forming lens barrel, the position of each image-forming lens barrel can easily be changed relative to the lens barrel housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3804486 (1974-04-01), Van Exel et al.
patent: 4364629 (1982-12-01), Lang et al.
patent: 5689365 (1997-11-01), Takahashi
patent: 5825532 (1998-10-01), Mochizuki et al.
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Henry Jon
Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch LLP
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