CCD Microscope

• US 6,118,476 A
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moritex Corporation (Cognex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Moritex Corporation (Cognex Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Junichi, Watanabe, Kouichi, Morito, Yuhkoh
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, BRYAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/113,505
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 348/61, 348/65, 348/68, 348/77, 348/79, 348/80
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/004 adapted for image acquisition of a particular organ or body part A61B5/0082 takes precedence; arrangements for optical scanning A61B5/0062
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• 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

A CCD microscope includes: two polarized light illumination systems for irradiating polarized lights having vibrating directions in perpendicular to each other selectively to an object to be observed, and an analyser disposed on an optical path from the object to a CCD device for picking-up an image of the object, the analyser having a vibrating direction in parallel with the vibrating direction of the polarized light from one polarized light illumination system, and in perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the polarized light from the other polarized light illumination system. The surface state of the object is picked-up by a polarized light of one polarized light illumination system that is kept unchanged for the polarized state upon reflection on the surface, while the inner state of the object is picked-up by a polarized light of the other polarized light illumination system that is changed for the polarized state.

Claims

1. A CCD microscope comprising:

two polarized light illumination systems for irradiating polarized lights having vibrating directions in perpendicular to each other selectively to an object to be observed, and

an analyser disposed on an optical path from the object to a CCD device for picking-up an image of the object,

said analyser having a vibrating direction in parallel with the vibrating direction of the polarized light from one polarized light illumination system, and in perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the polarized light from the other polarized light illumination system.

2. A CCD microscope as defined in claim 1, wherein the two polarized light illumination system are provided with a plurality of light emitting devices arranged as double rings, respectively, and enabled to emit light selectively from each of an outer ring and an inner ring, and two polarizers having vibrating directions in perpendicular to each other are disposed, respectively, on every group of the light emitting devices in each of the rings, being opposed to the light emitting surface of each of them.