Aperture stop device

• US 7,777,971 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Surgical GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Surgical GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Andrews, Peter, Moller, Gerhard, Reimer, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Stephone B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chapel; Derek S
• Application Number:
  US11/032,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20050168809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: 359/368, 359376-378, 359/380, 359/739, 359/740
• US Class Current: 359/739
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/22 Stereoscopic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/005 Diaphragms for cameras G03B9/02

Abstract

An aperture stop device is provided for use in a microscope with at least one adjustable observation parameter. The aperture stop device includes at least one aperture stop (50a, 50b) with an adjustable aperture, that is to say with an adjustable stop opening. The aperture stop (50a, 50b) is adapted to receive an aperture signal representative of an aperture to be adjusted. In addition the aperture stop device includes a control unit (52) for output of the aperture signal to the aperture stop (50a, 50b) in dependence at least on the respectively set value of the observation parameter of the microscope.

Claims

1. An aperture stop device in an observation beam path of a microscope, the microscope having at least one adjustable observation parameter, comprising

at least one aperture stop with an adjustable aperture in an observation beam path of the microscope, which receives an aperture signal representative of an aperture to be adjusted,

a control unit for outputting the aperture signal to the aperture stop in dependence at least on a respectively adjusted value of the at least one adjustable observation parameter, wherein the at least one adjustable observation parameter is at least one magnification factor,

a memory storing different relationships between at least two different values of the aperture and the adjusted value of the available magnification factors, wherein each different relationship describes the aperture to be adjusted as a function of the adjusted value of the available magnification factors to implement different transmission characteristics in the observation beam path, and

a selector device for selecting one of the stored different relationships based on a desired transmission characteristic in the observation beam path for application of the selected relationship to the aperture of the aperture stops.

2. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein output of the aperture signal to the aperture stop is effected in further dependence on a different at least one observation parameter, the different at least one observation parameter including the value of the working distance of the microscope from the object being observed or the brightness or the intensity of the illumination.

3. The aperture stop device of claim 1, further comprising a detector connected to the control unit for detecting the adjusted value of the at least one magnification factor and for outputting to the control unit a parameter signal representative of the detected value of the at least one magnification factor.

4. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein the aperture stop is an iris stop.

5. The aperture stop device of claim 1, with a transmission display to be varied as the aperture stop.

6. The aperture stop device of claim 5 with a liquid crystal display (LCD) shutter as the transmission display to be varied.

7. The aperture stop device of claim 1, further comprising an input device which is connected to at least one of the memory and the control unit for inputting a relationship which is to be stored and which associates a number of aperture signals with a number of values of the at least one adjustable observation parameter.

8. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture stop includes two aperture stops with an adjustable aperture, which are respectively adapted to receive the aperture signal.

9. The aperture stop device of claim 1, further comprising a switch for switching adjustment of the aperture on and off in dependence on the respectively set value of the at least one adjustable observation parameter.

10. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristic is a constant brightness in respect to the radiant field.

11. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristic is depth of focus.

12. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristic is light power.

13. The aperture stop device of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristic is resolution.

14. A microscope comprising:

a device for adjusting the value of an observation parameter, and

an aperture stop device including

at least one aperture stop with an adjustable aperture located in an observation beam path of the microscope, which receives an aperture signal representative of an aperture to be adjusted,

a control unit for outputting the aperture signal to the aperture stop in dependence at least on a respectively adjusted value of the observation parameter, wherein the at least one observation parameter is at least one magnification factor,

a memory storing different relationships between at least two different values of the aperture and the adjusted value of the available magnification factors, wherein each different relationship describes the aperture to be adjusted as a function of the adjusted value of the available magnification factors to implement different transmission characteristics in the observation beam path, and

a selector device for selecting one of the stored different relationships based on a desired transmission characteristic in the observation beam path for application of the selected relationship to the aperture of the aperture stops.

15. The microscope of claim 14 wherein the device for adjusting the value of the observation parameter is a zoom system for adjusting the magnification factor as the observation parameter to be adjusted.

16. The microscope of claim 15, further comprising a detector connected to the zoom system for detecting the adjusted value of the magnification factor and for outputting to the control unit a parameter signal representative of the detected value of the magnification factor.

17. The microscope of claim 14, wherein the microscope is a stereomicroscope with two observation beam paths and wherein the aperture stop device comprises two aperture stops arranged respectively in each of the two observation beam paths.

18. A method of adjusting an optical property of a microscope with an adjustable magnification factor, comprising the steps:

providing an adjustable aperture in an observation beam path of the microscope,

storing in a memory different relationships between at least two different values of the aperture of the microscope and an adjusted value of the available magnification factors, wherein each different relationship describes the aperture to be adjusted as a function of the adjusted value of the available magnification factors to implement different transmission characteristics in the observation beam path,

ascertaining the adjusted value of the available magnification factors set in the microscope,

selecting one of the different stored relationships based on a desired transmission characteristic in the observation beam path for application of the selected relationship to the adjustable aperture of the microscope, and

adjusting the aperture of the microscope in dependence on the ascertained value of the available magnification factors according to the selected relationship to implement the selected desired transmission characteristic in the observation beam path.