Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Makoto Shigehara

Kazuhiko Osa

Kazuo Kajitani

Chikara Nagano

Hideto Yamashita

Eisuke Arinobe

An optical element positioning device comprises a fixed member fixed to an optical apparatus having an optical axis, a movable member supported by the optical apparatus so as to be movable with respect to the fixed member, and holding a plurality of optical elements along the moving direction, a first permanent magnet arranged in the fixed member, and a plurality of second permanent magnets equal in number of the optical elements, disposed in the movable member along the moving direction and selectively able to face the first permanent magnet when the movable member is moved. The first magnet and each of the second magnets have a magnetic pole surfaces which face with each other, and lines of attracting magnetic force are generated between the magnets when the magnets are made face each other the first magnet and each of the second magnets have extending portions close to each other, and the lines of attracting magnetic force form a closed loop passing through the extending portion to give the movable member a force which stops the movable member, thereby positioning one of the optical elements on the optical axis.

Optical element positioning device

A microscope apparatus manufacturable at a low cost, and equipped with a photographing device assuring coincidence between an image to be observed and an image to be photographed, correctly photographing the up-down and right-left directions of a sample with no switching operation and permitting correct readout of characters, etc. written on a sample, a macro observation or drawing attachment permitting observation of the entire surface of a sample even of a large size without fail, not degrading operability of the microscope and having a composition to facilitate correction of image rotation, and a data imprinting device providing legible imprinted data images and capable of shifting data imprinting position on the film surface of the photographing device.

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Hachioji, Japan

Makoto Shigehara