Nikon Corporation

Aiichi Ishikawa

Toshiaki Nihoshi

An autofocus system according to the present invention comprises: a light source; a focusing illumination optical system that forms an optical image generated with light from the light source on a target object through an objective lens; a focusing image forming optical system that receives through the objective lens reflected light generated as the optical image is reflected off the target object and forms a reflected image of the optical image; a photoelectric converter that is provided at an image forming position at which the reflected image is formed by the focusing image forming optical system to detect the reflected image; a signal output device that outputs a signal for controlling a focus actuator based upon a signal corresponding to the reflected image obtained at the photoelectric converter; and an image forming position adjustment device that adjusts an offset quantity between a focus position of the objective lens and an image forming position of the optical image by moving at least one of the image forming position of the optical image and the image forming position of the reflected image along an optical axis.

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Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Aiichi Ishikawa