Electronic microscope

• US 20070121204A1
• Filed: 02/18/2004
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: CARL Zeiss Microimaging GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Meissner, Helmut, Wiederhoft, Holger
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/386
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0008 Microscopes having a simple construction, e.g. portable microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups

Abstract

The invention relates to a microscope having an optics system which represents an object on an image sensor and a screen that shows the image data provided by the image sensor and which is the only output medium for visually observing the object, wherein the representation capability of the optics system and the resolution (A) of the image sensor complies with the following correlation: F×N/M=0.5 A, wherein F indicates a factor, N indicates the numerical aperture of the optics systems, M is the magnification factor and A indicates the resolution of the image sensor in pixels per millimeter.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A microscope, comprising:

an image sensor;

an optical system adapted to image an object onto the image sensor;

a display adapted to display image information provided by the image sensor, wherein the display is a sole output medium of the microscope for visual inspection of the object; and

wherein the optical system and image sensor are configured such that a ratio of numerical aperture to magnification factor of the optical system, scaled by a selected scaling factor, is less than or equal to about one-half of a resolution of the image sensor in pixels per unit length.

13. The microscope of claim 12, wherein the scaling factor is about 3000.

14. The microscope of claim 12, wherein the scaling factor is based on a wavelength of radiation picked up by the optical system and focused onto the image sensor.

15. The microscope of claim 14, wherein the scaling factor is the average wavelength of the radiation focused onto the image sensor.

16. The microscope of claim 12, wherein the optical system has an adjustable magnification;

and

wherein the microscope further comprises;

a device for changing the effective resolution of the image sensor; and

a control device that adapts the effective resolution to the magnification factor.

17. The microscope of claim 16, wherein the control device is adapted to combine a plurality of pixels of the image sensor by pixel binning.

18. The microscope of claim 16, and further comprising:

a housing into which the optical system and the control device are integrated.

19. The microscope of claim 18, wherein the housing has an upper housing surface, an object support at the upper housing surface, and an incident-light source for illuminating the object.

20. The microscope of claim 12, and further comprising:

a changing device having a plurality of image sensors.

21. The microscope of claim 20, wherein the changing device includes a switchable optical unit that selectively places one of the plurality of image sensors in an optical path of the optical system.

22. The microscope of claim 21, wherein the optical unit includes a changing wheel carrying the plurality of image sensors.

23. The microscope of claim 12, wherein the optical system has an adjustable magnification;

and

wherein the microscope further comprises;

a device for changing the numerical aperture of the optical system; and

a control device that adapts the numerical aperture to at least one of the magnification and the resolution of the image sensor or both the magnification and the resolution of the image sensor.

24. The microscope of claim 12, wherein the resolution of the image sensor is greater than or equal to the resolution of the display.

25. A method of displaying a magnified image of an object, the method comprising:

optically coupling an image sensor to the object via an optical system;

electrically coupling an output of the image sensor to a visual display;

configuring the optical system to the image sensor such that a ratio of numerical aperture to magnification factor of the optical system, scaled by a selected scaling factor, is less than or equal to about one-half of a resolution of the image sensor.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the scaling factor is based on a wavelength of radiation detected by the image sensor.

27. The method of claim 25, and further comprising:

combining pixels of the image sensor by pixel binning.

28. The method of claim 25, and further comprising:

adjusting the magnification of the optical system;

changing the numerical aperture of the optical system; and

adapting the numerical aperture to at least one of the magnification and the resolution of the image sensor or both the magnification and the resolution of the image sensor.

29. The method of claim 25, and further comprising:

adjusting the magnification of the optical system;

changing the effective resolution of the image sensor to a new effective resolution; and

adapting the new effective resolution to the magnification factor.

30. The method of claim 25, and further comprising:

selectively optically coupling at least one of a plurality of different image sensors to the object.

31. A microscope, comprising:

an electronic image sensor;

an optical system adapted to image an object onto the image sensor;

a display adapted to display image information provided by the image sensor; and

wherein the optical system and image sensor are configured such that a ratio of numerical aperture to magnification factor of the optical system, scaled by a scaling factor that is based on a wavelength of radiation detected by the image sensor, is less than or equal to about one-half of a resolution of the image sensor in pixels per unit length.