Optical unit coupling mechanism

• US 5,969,888 A
• Filed: 08/21/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sukekawa, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINSTEDT, JENNIFER E
• Application Number:
  US08/916,053
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 359/368, 359/372, 359/373, 359/376, 359/377, 359/381, 359/390, 359/819, 359/821, 359/827, 396/322, 396/324, 396/325, 396/326, 396/327, 396/328, 396/332, 396/333, 396/334, 396/529, 396/531, 396/432, 403/381
• US Class Current: 359/821
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/30 Dovetail-like connections
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/22 Stereoscopic arrangements

Abstract

An optical unit coupling mechanism for coupling optical units 10, 11 having a plurality of mutually parallel optical paths 10a, 10b with each other, said optical unit coupling mechanism comprising a round dovetail consisting of a male dovetail 1 and a female dovetail 4, wherein said male dovetail 1 has a minor diameter part 1b of predetermined diameter d₂, part 1d of which is sized larger than the diameter d₂ of the minor diameter part 1b. By virtue of this optical unit coupling mechanism, the system performance can be enhanced without causing a system enlargement and the system compatibility can be maintained.

Claims

1. An optical unit coupling mechanism for coupling optical units having a plurality of mutually parallel optical paths, said optical unit coupling mechanism comprising:

a round dovetail including a male dovetail and a female dovetail,

wherein said male dovetail has a minor diameter, a major diameter, and a plurality of protrudent portions which are sized larger than the minor diameter,

wherein the number of said protrudent portions is equal to the number of said mutually parallel optical paths, and

wherein said protrudent portions are formed on said male dovetail such that each of said protrudent portions is aligned with a respective one of said mutually parallel optical paths.

2. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said male dovetail and said female dovetail are formed on respective surfaces of two optical units so as to couple said two optical units, said two optical units being units of an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a stereomicroscope, an endoscope, a rigidoscope and a videomicroscope.

3. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said male dovetail and said female dovetail couple together two optical units, said two optical units comprising at least one combination selected from the group consisting of a binocular observation tube with a zoom lens body, a zoom lens body with an intermediate tube, an intermediate tube with another intermediate tube, and an intermediate tube with a binocular observation tube.

4. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the protrudent portions form a diameter which is substantially equal to the major diameter of the male dovetail.

5. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein each of the protrudent portions of the male dovetail has a width (W) satisfying the relationship:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.5d≦

W≦

1.5d,

wherein d represents an inside diameter of one of the plurality of mutually parallel optical paths.

6. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the number of protrudent portions is two and the number of mutually parallel optical paths is also two.

7. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 6, wherein said female dovetail includes an abutment having at least one abutment side and said protrudent portions of said male dovetail have abutment surfaces formed so as to abut said at least one abutment side of said abutment of the female dovetail.

8. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said round dovetail further includes positioning means for positioning said female dovetail in a direction of rotation about a center axis of the round dovetail and with respect to said male dovetail.

9. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the positioning means comprises a pair of pins and fitting holes provided, in mutually corresponding radial positions, in the female dovetail and the male dovetail, respectively.

10. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the positioning means comprises

an abutment formed on said female dovetail and having an abutment side, and

sides of the protrudent portions formed so as to abut said side of said abutment of the female dovetail.

11. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the number of said protrudent portions is three and the number of said mutually parallel optical paths is also three.

12. The optical unit coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the number of said protrudent portions is four and the number of said mutually parallel optical paths is also four.

13. A stereomicroscope having a plurality of mutually parallel optical paths, comprising:

at least two optical units coupled to each other; and

a round dovetail for coupling together said optical units, said round dovetail including a male dovetail and a female dovetail,

wherein said male dovetail has a minor diameter, a major diameter, and at least two protrudent portions forming another diameter of said male dovetail which is larger than the minor diameter,

wherein the number of said protrudent portions is the same as the number of said mutually parallel optical paths, and

wherein said protrudent portions are formed on said male dovetail such that each of said protrudent portions is aligned with a respective one of said mutually parallel optical paths.

14. The stereomicroscope according to claim 13, wherein said optical units include a zoom lens body and a binocular observation tube.

15. The stereomicroscope according to claim 13, wherein said optical units include a zoom lens body and an intermediate tube.

16. The stereomicroscope according to claim 13, wherein said optical units include intermediate tubes different from each other.

17. The stereomicroscope according to claim 13, wherein said optical units include an intermediate tube and a binocular observation tube.