JP3765142B2 - Inverted microscope - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inverted microscope.
[0002]
[Prior art]
14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional inverted microscope, FIG. 15 (a) is a plan view of a conventional sample stage, FIG. 15 (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view thereof, and FIG. 16 (a) is another conventional sample stage. FIG. 16 (b) is a plan view of the plan view.
[0003]
The inverted microscope 500 includes a mirror base 501, an arm 502 provided at one end of the mirror base 501, a lens barrel 505 provided at the other end of the mirror base 501 and having a binocular portion 503, and a stage 530. And a plurality of objective lenses 521 (only the tip of the objective lens 521 is visible in FIG. 12) attached to a revolver (not shown).
[0004]
A removable circular sample stage 540 is placed on the upper surface of the stage 530, and a light transmitting hole 541 that can face the objective lens 521 is formed at the center of the sample stage 540. A sample is placed on the sample table 540 via a slide glass, a petri dish 551 or the like. As the light transmitting hole 541, there are a circular shape (see FIG. 15) and a portion in which a notch 541a is formed (see FIG. 16).
[0005]
In the observation using the inverted microscope 500, first, the observation position of the sample is specified by the objective lens 521 with a low magnification of 10 times or 20 times, and then the observation is performed with the objective lens 521 with a high magnification.
[0006]
The resolution of an optical microscope such as the inverted microscope 500 is determined by nλ / (2 · NA). Here, n is the refractive index of the medium between the objective lens and the sample, λ is the wavelength of the light used, and NA is the numerical aperture of the objective lens.
[0007]
In order to obtain a higher resolution than the observation with the high-magnification objective lens 521, in the observation of the sample using the inverted microscope 500, oil (refractive index n = 1.515) or between the tip of the objective lens 521 and the sample in advance. Oil immersion observation and water immersion observation with water (refractive index n = 1.33) are performed.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the revolver is rotated to switch the objective lens 521, the oil attached to the tip of the oil immersion objective lens 521 may spill out and adhere to the lower part of the stage 530 or the revolver. In order to wipe off this oil, it is necessary to use a solvent such as alcohol, which takes time and labor.
[0009]
In addition, since water has low viscosity, when the revolver 520 is rotated after adding water to the tip of the objective lens 521 for water immersion, water spills out from the tip of the objective lens 521. It was difficult to perform immersion observation by positioning at a low magnification.
[0010]
Furthermore, since the diameter of the light transmitting hole 541 is about 20 mm, for example, when a petri dish 551 having a diameter of 35 mm is placed at the center of the sample stage 540, not only the light transmitting hole 541 but also the notch 541a is blocked by the petri dish 551.
[0011]
Therefore, when performing immersion observation using oil or water, the observation position of the sample specified by the low-magnification objective lens cannot be maintained, and the sample is once removed from the sample stage 540 and the light transmission hole 541 is opened by the pipette 560. Therefore, oil or water had to be applied to the tip of the objective lens 521.
[0012]
As described above, there is a problem that the immersion observation in the conventional inverted microscope takes a lot of time and labor.
[0013]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a problem thereof is to provide an inverted microscope capable of easily performing immersion observation without taking much time and effort.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an inverted microscope according to a first aspect of the present invention is a sample stage placed on a stage and formed with a light transmitting hole, arranged below the stage, and attached with a plurality of objective lenses. In the inverted microscope including the revolver, at least one hole is formed in the sample stage in addition to the light transmitting hole, and the light transmitting hole and the hole are arranged along a rotation locus of the objective lens. It is characterized by.
[0015]
Since a hole is formed in addition to the light transmitting hole, the liquid is attached to the tip of the objective lens through the hole immediately before performing the immersion observation while maintaining the observation position of the sample specified by the low magnification objective lens. Can do.
[0016]
An inverted microscope according to a second aspect of the present invention is the inverted microscope according to the first aspect, wherein the light transmitting hole and the hole are circular.
[0017]
Since the light transmitting hole and the hole are circular, the light transmitting hole and the hole can be easily processed.
[0018]
An inverted microscope according to a third aspect of the present invention is an inverted microscope comprising a sample stage placed on a stage and having a light transmitting hole, and a revolver disposed below the stage and having a plurality of objective lenses attached thereto. In the microscope, the light transmission hole has an arc shape that coincides with a rotation locus of the objective lens.
[0019]
Since the translucent hole is formed in an arc shape, the range of the translucent part facing the objective lens is widened, and the liquid is applied to the tip of the objective lens through the hole immediately before performing immersion observation while the sample is placed at the observation position. Can be attached.
[0020]
An inverted microscope according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the inverted microscope according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the sample stage is transparent.
[0021]
Since the objective lens can be viewed from above the stage through the transparent sample stage, in the case of the objective lens having the correction ring, fine adjustment of the correction ring can be easily performed and the magnification can be easily confirmed.
[0022]
An inverted microscope according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the inverted microscope according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the sample stage is removable from the stage.
[0023]
Since the sample stage can be detached from the stage, the optimum sample stage can be attached to the stage when observing the sample.
[0024]
An inverted microscope according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the inverted microscope according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the sample stage is circular and can be rotated on the stage. .
[0025]
Since the sample stage is circular and can be rotated on the stage, the light transmitting holes and the holes can be easily arranged along the rotation locus of the objective lens by rotating the sample stage on the stage.
[0026]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0027]
1 is a side view of an inverted microscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 (a) is a plan view of a sample stage, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the objective lens, and FIG.
[0028]
2 and 4 show a state where a petri dish having a diameter of 35 mm is set on the sample stage.
[0029]
The inverted microscope includes a mirror base 1, an arm 2 provided at one end of the mirror base 1, an illumination device 10 provided at the arm 2, and a binocular unit 3 provided at the other end of the mirror base 1. A lens barrel 5, a revolver 20 having a plurality of objective lenses 21 attached to the upper surface of the mirror base 1 via a support member 4, and a stage arranged above the objective lens 21 and moving up and down along the arm 2 30. The objective lens 21 is provided with a correction ring 22 for adjusting contrast and the like due to the difference in thickness of the sample.
[0030]
A removable circular sample stage 40 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the stage 30, and a circular light transmitting hole 41 that can face the objective lens 21 is formed at the center of the sample stage 40. A sample is placed on the sample stage 40 via a petri dish 51 or the like.
[0031]
In addition to the light transmitting hole 41, the sample stage 40 is formed with a circular hole 42 for attaching a liquid for immersion observation (for example, oil or water) to the objective lens 21.
[0032]
The sample stage 40 is a disk made of a colorless and transparent acrylic plate having a thickness of 2 mm and a diameter of 108 mm, and is rotatably mounted on the stage 30.
[0033]
The diameter of the light transmitting hole 41 and the hole 42 is 20 mm. The hole 42 is formed at a position 38 mm from the center of the light transmitting hole 41 so that the liquid can be applied to the objective lens 21 even when a petri dish 51 having a diameter of 65 mm is placed on the sample stage 40.
[0034]
Further, a tapered surface 40 a is formed on the inner periphery of the light transmitting hole 41 in order to prevent contact with the tip of the objective lens 21 on the lower surface of the sample table 40, and the inner diameter of the light transmitting hole 41 is from the upper surface of the sample table 40 to the lower surface. Become bigger. The inclination angle of the tapered surface 40a with respect to the upper surface of the sample stage 40 is 4 °.
[0035]
Next, a procedure for applying oil to the tip of the oil immersion objective lens 21 will be described.
(1) First, the objective lens 21 is lowered, and the objective lens 21 is sufficiently separated from the sample stage 40.
(2) Next, the revolver 20 is rotated to shift the objective lens 21 from the sample observation position. At this time, the sample stage 40 is rotated so that the hole 42 is positioned on the rotation locus 21 a of the objective lens 21. In this embodiment, the position of the hole 42 is on the left side of the stage 30 (see FIG. 2).
(3) A petri dish 51 is set on the sample stage 40, and the observation position is specified by the objective lens 21 with a low magnification of 10 or 20 times.
(4) Next, the revolver 20 is rotated so that the tip of the objective lens 21 faces the hole 42 (see FIG. 2), and the revolver 20 is fixed at that position by hand. Next, oil is applied to the tip of the objective lens 21 through the hole 42 using the pipette 60 (see FIG. 4).
(5) Thereafter, the revolver 20 is rotated to place the objective lens 21 at the observation position, the objective lens 21 is brought close to the petri dish 51, and the oil immersion observation of the sample 51a in the petri dish 51 is performed.
[0036]
Note that water can be applied to the tip of the objective lens 21 by the same procedure as described above.
[0037]
According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be exhibited.
{Circle around (1)} Since the liquid can be applied to the tip of the immersion objective lens 21 with the petri dish 51 placed at the observation position, time and labor for removing the petri dish 51 from the sample stage 40 can be saved.
{Circle around (2)} Since the liquid can be applied to the tip of the objective lens immediately before the oil immersion observation, the oil can be prevented from spilling from the tip of the objective lens 21, and the trouble of wiping off the spilled oil can be saved. In addition, since liquid can be applied to the tip of the objective lens immediately before water immersion observation, it is difficult for water to spill from the tip of the objective lens 21, and water immersion observation can be performed after positioning at a low magnification. .
(3) Since the sample stage 40 is a colorless and transparent acrylic plate, the objective lens 21 can be seen from above the stage 30, and the position of the finger operating the correction ring can be easily confirmed during observation. At the same time, the magnification of the objective lens 21 can be easily confirmed.
(4) Since the light transmitting hole 41 and the hole 42 are circular, the processing is extremely easy as compared with the conventional configuration in which a notch is formed in the light transmitting hole.
(5) Since the removable circular sample stage 40 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the stage 30, the optimum sample stage 40 can be attached to the stage 30, and the sample stage 40 is placed on the stage 30. Thus, the light transmitting hole 41 and the hole 42 can be easily arranged along the rotation locus of the objective lens 21.
[0038]
FIG. 5 is a view when the sample stage is rotated and the hole is positioned on the right side toward the stage, and FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the procedure for applying oil to the tip of the objective lens.
[0039]
By positioning the hole 42 on the right side of the stage 30, it becomes easy for an observer (right-handed person) holding the pipette 60 with the right hand to apply liquid such as oil or water to the objective lens 21.
[0040]
FIG. 7 is a view showing a state where a petri dish having a diameter of 65 mm is set on a sample table.
[0041]
Even when a large petri dish 52 having a diameter of 65 mm is placed on the sample stage 40, the petri dish 52 only blocks a part of the hole 42 formed at a position 38 mm from the light transmitting hole 41. The liquid can be applied to the tip of the objective lens 21 from above the stage 30 using the pipette 60.
[0042]
FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which a slide glass (76 mm × 26 mm) is set on a sample table.
[0043]
Since the slide glass 53 having a size of 76 mm × 26 mm only closes a part of the hole 42 when placed at the center of the sample stage 40, the pipette 60 is used from above the stage 30 without moving the slide glass 53. Thus, liquid can be applied to the tip of the objective lens 21.
[0044]
FIG. 9 is a view showing a state in which a slide glass (76 mm × 26 mm) is set by changing the direction of 90 ° from the position of FIG.
[0045]
Since the entire hole 42 is opened by changing the direction of the slide glass 53 from the position of FIG. 8 by 90 °, it is possible to easily apply liquid to the tip of the objective lens 21 from above the stage 30 using the pipette 60. it can.
[0046]
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a modification of the sample stage used in the inverted microscope according to the first embodiment.
[0047]
In this modification, two holes 42 a and 42 b are formed on an arc that coincides with the rotation locus 21 a at the tip of the objective lens 21.
[0048]
According to this modification, the following effects can be exhibited in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.
[0049]
For example, when switching and observing a plurality of immersion objective lenses having different magnifications, the observation is performed with a low-magnification objective lens 21A and then with a high-magnification objective lens 21B. When observing with the objective lens 21A again, water may spill from the tip of the objective lens 21A due to the rotation of the revolver, and it may be necessary to replenish the water. In such a case, since water can be applied to the objective lens 21A from the hole 42b, the trouble of rotating the revolver to return the objective lens 21A to the position of the hole 42a can be saved.
[0050]
FIG. 11A is a plan view of a sample stage used in an inverted microscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11B is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIGS. 12 and 13 show a petri dish on the sample stage. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0051]
The sample stage 140 is a disk made of a colorless and transparent acrylic plate having a thickness of 2 mm and a diameter of 108 mm, and is rotatably mounted on the stage 30.
[0052]
The translucent hole 141 coincides with the rotation locus 21a of the objective lenses 21A and 21B, is formed in an arc shape having a width of 20 mm and a length substantially ¼ of the rotation locus 21a of the objective lenses 21A and 21B. When it is rotated, it faces the tips of the objective lenses 21A and 21B.
[0053]
A taper surface 140a is formed on the lower surface of the sample stage 40 to prevent contact with the tips of the objective lenses 21A and 21B.
[0054]
According to the second embodiment, the following effects are exhibited in addition to the effects (2) and (4) of the first embodiment.
(1) Since the range where the tip of the objective lenses 21A and 21B and the light transmitting hole 141 are opposed is wide, even when the petri dish 51 is placed on the sample stage 140, the area covered by the petri dish 51 is a very small part of the whole hole. However, it is possible to apply liquid to the tips of the immersion objective lenses 21A and 21B more easily than in the first embodiment while the petri dish 51 is placed at the observation position. Although FIGS. 12 and 13 show the case where the petri dish 51 is used, the same effect can be exhibited when the large petri dish 52 is used.
(2) Further, since a wide arc-shaped space is formed above the tips of the objective lenses 21A and 21B facing the light transmitting hole 141, the WD from the tips of the objective lenses 21A and 21B to the sample (the petri dish 51) ( Even when objective lenses 21A and 21B having a working distance of 0.1 mm are very short (for example, an objective lens for oil immersion with a magnification of 100 times and NA of 1.40), the objective lenses 21A and 21B are separated from the petri dish 51. Without rotating the revolver 20, the objective lenses 21A and 21B can be switched.
(3) For example, when switching and observing a plurality of immersion objective lenses having different magnifications, the observation is performed with a low-magnification objective lens 21A and then with a high-magnification objective lens 21B. However, when observing with the objective lens 21A again, water may spill out from the tip of the objective lens 21A due to the rotation of the revolver, and it may be necessary to replenish the water. In such a case, water can be applied to the objective lens 21b from the left side of the stage (see FIG. 12) or from the right side (see FIG. 13) through the arc-shaped hole 141, so that the trouble of rotating the revolver can be saved. be able to.
[0055]
The sample stage 40 (140) is not limited to a colorless and transparent acrylic plate, and a stainless plate, an aluminum plate, a copper plate, or the like can also be used.
[0056]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the inverted microscope of the first aspect of the invention, the liquid can be attached to the tip of the objective lens through the hole immediately before the immersion observation while the sample is placed at the observation position. And immersion observation can be easily performed.
[0057]
According to the inverted microscope of the second aspect of the present invention, since the light transmitting hole and the hole are circular, the light transmitting hole and the hole can be easily processed.
[0058]
According to the inverted microscope of the third aspect of the present invention, a large arc-shaped space is formed above the tip of the objective lens facing the light transmission hole, and immediately before performing immersion observation while the sample is placed at the observation position. The liquid can be attached to the tip of the objective lens through the hole, and the immersion observation can be easily performed as described above.
[0059]
According to the inverted microscope of the invention described in claim 4, since the objective lens can be seen from above the stage through the transparent sample stage, fine adjustment of the correction ring is easy in the case of the objective lens having the correction ring. It is possible to check the magnification easily.
[0060]
According to the inverted microscope of the fifth aspect of the invention, since the sample stage can be detached from the stage, the optimum sample stage can be attached to the stage when observing the sample.
[0061]
According to the inverted microscope of the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the sample stage is circular and can be rotated on the stage, the translucent hole and the hole are rotated by the sample stage on the stage. Can be easily arranged.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of an inverted microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.
3A is a plan view of a sample stage, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for applying oil to the tip of an objective lens.
FIG. 5 is a view when the sample stage is rotated and the hole is positioned on the right side of the stage.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for applying oil to the tip of the objective lens;
FIG. 7 is a view showing a state where a petri dish having a diameter of 65 mm is set on a sample table.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which a slide glass (76 mm × 26 mm) is set on a sample table.
FIG. 9 is a view showing a state in which a slide glass (76 mm × 26 mm) is set by changing the direction of 90 ° from the position of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a modification of the sample stage used in the inverted microscope according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 11A is a plan view of a sample stage used in an inverted microscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11B is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state where a petri dish is set on a sample table.
FIG. 13 is a view showing a state where a petri dish is set on a sample table.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional inverted microscope.
FIG. 15A is a plan view of a conventional sample stage, and FIG. 15B is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.
16A is a plan view of another conventional sample stage, and FIG. 16B is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.
[Explanation of symbols]
21 Objective lens 21a Rotation locus 30 Stage 40 Sample stage 41 Translucent part 42 Hole

Claims (6)

In an inverted microscope equipped with a sample stage mounted on a stage and having a light transmission hole, and a revolver disposed below the stage and having a plurality of objective lenses attached thereto,
An inverted microscope, wherein at least one hole is formed in the sample stage in addition to the light transmitting hole, and the light transmitting hole and the hole are arranged along a rotation locus of the objective lens. The inverted microscope according to claim 1, wherein the light transmitting hole and the hole are circular. In an inverted microscope equipped with a sample stage mounted on a stage and having a light transmission hole, and a revolver disposed below the stage and having a plurality of objective lenses attached thereto,
2. The inverted microscope according to claim 1, wherein the light transmitting hole has an arc shape that coincides with a rotation locus of the objective lens. The inverted microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sample stage is transparent. The inverted microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sample stage is removable from the stage. The inverted microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sample stage is circular and is rotatable on the stage.

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