Nikon Corporation

Toshiaki Nihoshi

Yumiko Ouchi

Ichiro Sase

Manabu Sato

Tatsuro Otaki

Hisashi Okugawa

Hidehiko Furuhashi

Hitoshi Kaizu

Aiichi Ishikawa

Providing an imaging apparatus and a microscope capable of taking two-dimensional images of a sample at a plurality of observation positions different in the optical axis direction at the same time. The apparatus includes an image-forming lensthat forms images of a sampleon a plurality of image-forming places; an optical-path-dividing memberthat divides an optical path from the same area in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the sampleso as to form the plurality of image-forming places; and an optical-path-length-changing memberthat is provided on at least one optical path between the plurality of image-forming places and the imaging lens

Imaging apparatus and microscope

A microscope apparatus has an illumination optical system illuminating a sample with laser light from laser light sources. A fluorescence detection optical system detects fluorescence from the sample. Fluorescence cubes are interchangeably provided in an optical path of the illumination optical system and lead the laser light to the sample. An objective lens is also provided. At least one of the fluorescence cubes includes an optical member that makes a principal ray of the laser light substantially parallel to an optical axis of the illumination optical system and concentrates the laser light on a given position that is on a pupil position of the objective lens and separated from the optical axis, thereby providing a microscope apparatus capable of changing from a confocal microscope to a total-internal-reflection fluorescence microscope by exchanging a fluorescence cube used in the fluorescence microscope.

Microscope apparatus with fluorescence cube for total-internal-reflection fluorescence microscopy

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.

Autofocus system and microscope

An epi-illumination apparatus has, in the following order from an light source device side, a first imaging lens which forms an image of the light source and a field lens which projects the image of the light source to an object to be illuminated. Either one of a first magnification varying unit or a second magnification varying unit is selectively disposed between the first imaging lens and the field lens in order to vary a magnification of the image of the light source. The first magnification varying unit has a first aperture stop and a second imaging lens that is disposed in the field lens side of the first aperture stop, while the second magnification varying unit has a second aperture stop and a third imaging lens that is disposed in the first imaging lens side of the second aperture stop.

Epi-illumination apparatus

An epi-illumination apparatus for fluorescent observation, adjusting light intensities of a plurality of illuminations on a sample over a wide wavelength band continuously and being configured inexpensively, and a fluorescence microscope having the same are provided. A light source, extracting means, an aperture stop, and a filter are arranged on a predetermined optical axis. The aperture stop is arranged on a plane generally conjugated with a pupil plane of an objective. The filter is placed near the aperture stop. The extracting means extracts a plurality of narrow wavelength bands from the wavelength band of the illumination emitted from the light source. The filter has regions of different spectral transmission characteristics to the narrow wavelength bands. The adjusting means for adjusting light intensities of transmitted light from the filter in the narrow wavelength bands independently by moving the filter in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis is provided.

Epi-illumination apparatus for fluorescent observation and fluorescence microscope having the same

A lens system for a microscope having a variable angle lens-barrel. The lens-barrel includes an afocal optical system lying along an optical path extending from an infinite correction type objective lens to an ocular lens and comprises a first lens group which has positive refractive power, a second lens group which has negative refractive power, and a third lens group which has positive refractive power. The lens system includes a reflective mirror positioned between the second lens group and the third lens group which is mounted for rotation a out a pendular axis. Light through the infinite correction type objective lens becomes a parallel light beam which is passed to the third lens group from the reflective mirror.

Variable-inclination-angle lens-barrel for microscopes and microscope system

A microscope system for observing an image of a sample at desired magnifications includes a first objective lens having an objective side surface which is telecentric, a focusing lens, disposed in an optical path along which optical rays emitted from the first objective lens travel, for focusing the optical rays and forming a sample image and a second objective lens having a magnification factor different from that of the first objective lens. An interchanging member holds the first objective lens and the second objective lens and is used for placing one of the first and second objective lenses in an observational optical path between the sample and the focusing lens. The inequality 0.29&lt;D/fI&lt;0.40 is satisfied, assuming D to be a parfocal length which equals a distance between a surface of the sample and an attachment plane of the objective lens and fI to be a focal length of the focusing lens.

Microscope system

A microscope has an objective optical system coupled to an observation optical system with parallel optical axes. A stage, which holds a sample, rectilinearly moves in a direction toward and away from the observation optical axis, which is perpendicular to the plane of the stage. The objective optical system rectilinearly moves in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the stage. The microscope thus permits viewing of a large sample with a small stroke of the stage, whereby a compact and lightweight structure may be achieved.

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Yokohama, Japan

Toshiaki Nihoshi