Microscope apparatus having surface light emitter with specific positioning

• US 8,922,886 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Mizuta, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank
• Assistant Examiner(s): Washington, Tamara Y
• Application Number:
  US13/340,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 359/379, 359/382, 359/383, 359/432, 359/385, 359/368, 359/380, 359/599
• US Class Current: 359/385
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/086 for transillumination only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/22 Stereoscopic arrangements

Abstract

A microscope apparatus including an illumination apparatus capable of, regardless of the observation magnification of an imaging optical system, filling the entrance pupil of the imaging optical system with illumination light, and suitably restricting the conjugate image of the entrance pupil of the imaging optical system by a light shielding element. A microscope apparatus is configured by including: an illumination apparatus which includes a surface light emitter (light guide plate) having a light emitting surface as a planar light-emitting region and irradiates a sample with light emitted from the light guide plate; an objective lens which condenses light from the sample; and an imaging optical system which includes a variable power lens group configured to form an image of the sample by changing the magnification of the image of the sample. The illumination apparatus includes a light shielding plate and a light diffusing element.

Claims

1. A microscope apparatus comprising:

an illumination apparatus which includes;

a surface light emitter,

a light diffusing element, and

a light shielding plate, wherein

the surface light emitter has a light emitting surface as a planar light emitting region and is configured to irradiate a sample with light emitted from the light emitting surface,

the light shielding plate is parallel to the light emitting surface and is arranged at a position between the surface light emitter and the light diffusing element, the position being closer to the surface light emitter than to the light diffusing element; and

an imaging optical system which includes an objective lens configured to condense light from the sample, and a variable power lens group configured to form an image of the sample by changing a magnification of the image along a magnification range having a first end and a second end, wherein

the imaging optical system provides a region where diffused conjugate images of an entrance pupil of the imaging optical system are formed via the light diffusing element, moves the region according to the change in the magnification from one of the first and second ends of the magnification range to the other of the first and second ends, and provides a common region that is common to the region as the region is moved from said one of the first and second ends of the magnification range to said other of the first and second ends, and

the surface light emitter and the light shielding plate are arranged within a range of the common region.

2. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an interval between the light shielding plate and the light diffusing element is set as D [mm], a condition given by the following expression is satisfied:

D≦

34.

3. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a parallel light transmittance and a haze value which are optical properties of a diffusion surface formed in the light diffusing element are respectively set as T [%] and H [%], conditions given by the following expressions are satisfied:

50<

T<

95 and 10<

H<

98.

4. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination apparatus includes a condenser lens which condenses the light emitted from the surface light emitter and irradiates the sample with the condensed light.

5. The microscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the condenser lens includes at least one surface formed in an aspheric shape.

6. The microscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the condenser lens is configured by a lens array in which a plurality of lenses are arranged in an array form.

7. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface light emitter is configured by including a light source, and a light guide plate which provides the light emitting surface and allows light emitted from the light source to be emitted from the light emitting surface.

8. The microscope apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the light source is configured by a plurality of white LEDs.

9. The microscope apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the light source is configured by a plurality of LEDs each having a different peak wavelength.

10. The microscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the surface light emitter and the condenser lens is configured to be movable along an optical axis.

11. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination apparatus is configured to be able to perform oblique illumination.