Transparent heating plate for examination of specimens and transparent heating device for use therewith

• US 5,717,190 A
• Filed: 12/29/1995
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kitazato Supply
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kitazato Supply
• Inventors: Inoue, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Valencia, Raphael
• Application Number:
  US08/578,677
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 219/522, 219/542, 219/544, 219/548, 338/308-309, 338/306, 52/171.2, 359/512
• US Class Current: 219/522
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/30 with heating device

Abstract

A transparent heating plate and transparent heating device for examination of specimens under a microscope can heat the entire transparent conductive film between electrodes of the transparent heating plate with a small difference in temperature. The transparent heating plate can also heat the vicinity of the center of the transparent heating plate used for examination at substantially a uniform temperature regardless of the shape of the transparent heating plate or the structure of the transparent heating plate. The transparent heating plate may also prevent electromagnetic waves generated from the transparent heating plate from flowing into objects put on the outer side of the transparent heating plate. A further embodiment of a transparent heating plate prevents scattering of broken pieces of glass should the transparent heating plate break.

Claims

1. A transparent heating plate comprising a transparent plate assembly which comprises a first transparent plate, a second transparent plate put opposite to the first transparent plate apart with a space of predetermined distance, and a transparent insulative material filled between the first and second transparent plates and a housing which holds the peripheral part of the transparent plate assembly, characterized in that:

said first transparent plate has a first transparent heating element formed on either side and a pair of electrodes for first heating element connected to the first transparent heating element and disposed opposite to each other;

the second transparent plate has a second transparent heating element formed on either side and a pair of electrodes for second heating element connected to the second transparent heating element and disposed opposite to each other; and

the center line of the opposite electrodes for the second heating element is oriented so as to intersect the center line of said opposite electrodes of first heating element substantially at right angles.

2. The transparent heating plate of claim 1, wherein said transparent plate assembly is of a circle.

3. The transparent heating plate of claim 1, wherein said transparent plate assembly has a through hole formed substantially at the center.

4. The transparent heating plate of claim 1 wherein said transparent plate assembly has a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of said transparent heating plate.

5. A transparent heating device comprising said transparent heating plate for microscope of claim 4 and a temperature controller which controls the temperature of the transparent heating elements of the transparent heating plate using the temperature signal detected by said temperature sensor.

6. A transparent heating plate comprising a transparent plate assembly which comprises a first transparent plate, a second transparent plate put opposite to the first transparent plate apart with a space of predetermined distance, and a transparent insulative material filled between the first and second transparent plates and a housing which holds the peripheral part of the transparent plate assembly, characterized in that:

a transparent conductive film is formed on both of the opposite inner sides of said first and second transparent plates,

a pair of electrodes for heating the conductive film are formed on either one of said sides so as to be connected to the transparent conductive film and disposed opposite to each other, and

a grounding wire is connected to the transparent conductive film on the other side.

7. The transparent heating plate of claim 6, characterized in that at least the outer surface of said housing has a conductivity and a housing grounding wire is connected to said housing.

8. The transparent heating plate of claim 6, wherein a region without the transparent conductive film is formed on the entire circumference in the peripheral part of said transparent glass plate with said electrodes for heating conductive film formed, and said electrodes are disposed inward apart from the circumference of said transparent plate assembly.

9. The transparent heating plate of claim 6, wherein said transparent heating plate has a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of said transparent plate assembly.

10. A transparent heating device comprising said transparent heating plate of claim 9 and a temperature controller provided with a temperature control mechanism which controls the temperature of the transparent conductive film of the transparent heating plate using the temperature signal detected by said temperature sensor, said temperature control mechanism performing the temperature control by adjusting the applied voltage or applied current according to the temperature signal detected by said temperature sensor.

11. A transparent heating plate comprising a circular transparent plate assembly which comprises a circular first transparent plate, a circular second transparent plate put opposite to the first transparent plate apart with a space of predetermined distance, and a transparent insulative material filled between the first and second transparent plates and a housing which holds the peripheral part of the transparent plate assembly, characterized by further comprising:

a transparent conductive film formed on either side of said first or second transparent plate; and

a pair of curved electrodes for heating the element connected to the transparent conductive film and formed opposite to each other on or near the circumferential part of the transparent plate;

said transparent conductive film being smaller in resistance between the middle part of one electrode and the middle part of the other electrode and greater in resistance of the other part than of the central part.

12. The transparent heating plate of claim 11, wherein said transparent conductive film has a high resistance regions the resistance of which is higher than the other part formed between the adjacent ends of the opposite electrodes at both end sides.

13. The transparent heating plate of claim 12, wherein said transparent conductive film has a first high resistance region the resistance of which is higher than the other part formed near an end of one electrode and a second high resistance region the resistance of which is higher than the other part formed near the end of the other electrode opposite to said end of one electrode with the center of the transparent plate between.

14. The transparent heating plate of claim 11, wherein said transparent conductive film has a first high resistance region formed at the middle part between the adjacent ends of the opposite electrodes at one end side and a second high resistance region formed at the middle part between the adjacent ends of the opposite electrodes at the other end side.

15. The transparent heating plate of claim 11, wherein said transparent conductive film has a strip-shaped low resistance region in the central part and two high resistance regions formed with the strip-shaped low resistance region between.

16. The transparent heating plate of claim 11, wherein said transparent conductive film has a circular or polygonal low resistance region formed at the central part and a ring-shaped high resistance region formed so as to surround the low resistance region.

17. The transparent heating plate of 11, wherein said transparent heating plate has a temperature sensor disposed substantially at the middle position between the adjacent ends of the opposite electrodes.