Surgical microscope unit

• US 5,825,536 A
• Filed: 09/08/1995
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Yasunaga, Koji, Fukaya, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THONG Q
• Application Number:
  US08/525,907
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 359/368, 359/382-384, 359/430, 248/123.11, 248/123.2, 248/124.1, 248/280.11, 248/281.11, 248/325.1
• US Class Current: 359/384
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/20 Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/25 Supports therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/50 Supports for surgical instruments, e.g. articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/105 the horizontal axis being the roll axis, e.g. for creating a landscape-portrait rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2064 for tilting and panning F16M11/2078 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2092 comprising means allowing depth adjustment, i.e. forward-backward translation of the head relatively to the undercarriage
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/24 changeable in height or length of legs, also for transport only, e.g. by means of tubes screwed into each otherF16M11/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/063 Parallelogram arms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/001 Counterbalanced structures, e.g. surgical microscopes

Abstract

A surgical microscope unit which is compact and operated lightly at high stability has first and second parallelogrammic linkages, interlocking mechanisms for interlocking the first and second parallelogrammic linkages, a counterweight connected to an arm of the second parallelogrammic linkage, flexible movement transmitting members for transmitting tilting movements of the microscope body around pivot axes directly to a tilting rod as tilting movements around pivot axes at the same ratio, and a movement controlling mechanism for limiting a moving locus of the tilting rod to a corresponding location at which the microscope unit is set. The pivot axes are arranged so that a triangle formed by connecting the pivot axes is similar to a triangle formed by connecting the pivot axes in a plane parallel with a plane including a vertical axis. Auxiliary counterweights are provided on members interlocking with either the first interlocking mechanism or the second interlocking mechanism. When the microscope body is moved, the balancing weight does not project from the microscope body.

Claims

1. A surgical microscope unit having a moving mechanism which supports a microscope body and which can move said microscope body three-dimensionally so that said microscope body is capable of tilting around three axes, said moving mechanism comprising:

a support having a vertical axis;

a first parallelogrammic linkage rotatably mounted on said support so as to be rotatable around said vertical axis, said first parallelogrammic linkage having first, second, third and fourth parallel pivot axes intersecting with a plane including said vertical axis, and said first parallelogrammic linkage having first, second, third and fourth arms pivoted together by said first, second, third and fourth pivot axes and rotatably supported on said support at said first pivot axis;

a second parallelogrammic linkage rotatably supported on said support so as to be rotatable around said vertical axis, said second parallelogrammic linkage being arranged opposite said first parallelogrammic linkage with respect to said vertical axis, said second parallelogrammic linkage having first, second, third and fourth parallel pivot axes intersecting a plane including said vertical axis, and said second parallelogrammic linkage having first, second, third and fourth arms pivoted together by said first, second, third and fourth pivot axes of said second parallelogrammic linkage and rotatably supported on said support at said first pivot axis of said second parallelogrammic linkage;

a first interlocking mechanism for interlocking rotation of said first arm of said first parallelogrammic linkage around said first pivot axis of said first parallelogrammic linkage with rotation of said first arm of said second parallelogrammic linkage around said first pivot axis of said second parallelogrammic linkage so that a line formed by connecting said first pivot axis and said second pivot axis adjacent thereto of said first parallelogrammic linkage is always parallel with a line formed by connecting said first pivot axis and said second pivot axis adjacent thereto of said second parallelogrammic linkage;

a second interlocking mechanism for interlocking rotation of said second arm of said first parallelogrammic linkage around said first pivot axis of said first parallelogrammic linkage with rotation of said second arm of said second parallelogrammic linkage around said first pivot axis of said second parallelogrammic linkage so that a line formed by connecting said first pivot axis and said third pivot axis adjacent thereto of said first parallelogrammic linkage is always parallel with a line formed by connecting said first pivot axis and said third pivot axis of said second parallelogrammic linkage, said microscope body being supported by said third arm of said first parallelogrammic linkage including said second pivot axis of said first parallelogrammic linkage which is adjacent to said first pivot axis thereof and said fourth pivot axis thereof which is diagonally disposed; and

a counterweight for reacting an unbalanced force exerting on said first parallelogrammic linkage and said microscope body, said counterweight being provided on said second parallelogrammic linkage.

2. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first tilting arm connected to said third arm of said first parallelogrammic linkage, said first tilting arm having a front end portion connected to said microscope body and a first pivot axis and a second pivot axis perpendicular to each other and allowing said microscope unit to be tilted therearound;

a second tilting arm connected to said third arm disposed opposite to said second arm of said second parallelogrammic linkage, said second tilting arm having a tilting rod connected to a front end thereof and a first pivot axis and a second pivot axis perpendicular to each other and around which said tilting rod is tilted, said first and second pivot axes of said second tilting arm being parallel with respect to said first and second pivot axes of said first tilting arm, respectively;

a movement transmitting mechanism for transmitting tilting movement of said microscope body around said first and second pivot axes of said first tilting arm to said tilting rod as tilting movement of said tilting rod around said first and second pivot axes of said second tilting arm; and

a movement controlling mechanism for limiting a moving locus of said tilting rod to a corresponding location at which said microscope unit is set;

wherein a triangle formed by connecting said first and second pivot axes of said first parallelogrammic linkage and said first pivot axis of said first tilting arm is similar to a triangle formed by connecting said first and second pivot axes of said second parallelogrammic linkage and said first pivot axis of said second tilting arm.

3. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 2, wherein said movement controlling mechanism includes a linear guide for moving said tilting rod so that a given point on said tilting rod corresponding to a point on an axis extending from an optical axis of said microscope body moves linearly.

4. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 3, wherein said movement controlling mechanism includes a connecting portion which connects said given point on said tilting rod to electrical driving means for driving said connecting portion.

5. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 2, wherein said movement transmitting mechanism includes flexible transmitting members for connecting said first tilting arm to said second tilting arm and for performing transmission of rotation between said first and second tilting arms forming said triangles around said first pivot axes of said first and second tilting arms.

6. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 2, wherein said movement transmitting mechanism includes slider crank mechanisms for connecting said first tilting arm to said second tilting arm and for performing transmission of rotation between said first and second tilting arms around said second pivot axes and of said first and second tilting arms, and belt transmitting devices.

7. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 1, further comprising an interlocking member for moving at least one of said first interlocking mechanism and said second interlocking mechanism, and an auxiliary counterweight provided on said interlocking member.

11. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 2, wherein said movement controlling mechanism includes a linear guide for moving said tilting rod so that a given point on said tilting rod corresponding to a point on an axis extending from an optical axis of said microscope body moves linearly.

12. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 11, wherein said movement controlling mechanism includes a connecting portion which connects said given point on said tilting rod to electrical driving means for driving said connecting portion.

8. A surgical microscope unit having a moving mechanism which supports a microscope body and which can move the microscope body three-dimensionally on a limited locus, said moving mechanism comprising:

a support having a vertical axis;

two parallelogrammic linkages rotatably mounted on said support so as to be rotatable around said vertical axis at positions separated upward and downward, respectively, from said vertical axis, said two parallelogrammic linkages each having four parallel pivot axes intersecting with a plane including said vertical axis and four arms pivoted together by said four pivot axes, said two parallelogrammic linkages being pivoted on said support at first pivot axes of said four pivot axes, and two arms of said four arms of each of said two parallelogrammic linkages extending substantially horizontally;

two tilting arms connected to said substantially horizontally extending two arms of said first parallelogrammic linkage which include second pivot axes of said four pivot axes adjacent to said first pivot axes of said two parallelogrammic linkages and third pivot axes of said four axes disposed diagonally of said first pivot axes, one of said tilting arms having a forward end connected to said microscope body which is rotatable around two orthogonal pivot axes;

a tilting rod pivotally connected to a front end of the other one of said two tilting arms around pivot axes of said two tilting arms and parallel with said orthogonal pivot axes and around which said microscope body is rotatable;

interlocking mechanisms for interlocking said two parallelogrammic linkages so that a triangle formed by said first and second pivot axes of one of said parallelogrammic linkages and the pivot axis of said one of said tilting arms is similar to a triangle formed by said first and second pivot axes of the other one of said parallelogrammic linkage and the pivot axis of the other one of said tilting arms;

a movement transmitting mechanism for transmitting tilting movement of said microscope body around said pivot axes of said tilting arms to said tilting rod as tilting movement around said pivot axes of said two tilting arms at a same ratio; and

a

a movement controlling mechanism for limiting a moving locus of said tilting rod to a corresponding location at which said microscope unit is set.

9. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 8, wherein said movement controlling mechanism comprises a pivotal portion pivoted on a given point on said tilting rod, and fixing means for fixing three-dimensional movements of said pivotal portion.

10. The surgical microscope unit according to claim 9, wherein said given point corresponds to a predetermined point on an optical axis of an objective lens of said microscope body.