Olympus Corporation

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research

Riken Corporation

Yasushi Aono

Atsushi Miyawaki

Tsuyoshi Mochizuki

Takashi Fukano

Kazuhiko Osa

Katsuyuki Abe

Yukio Nonoda

Yoshihiro Shimada

Susumu Honda

Atsuhiro Tsuchiya

Kenichi Kusaka

Yoshiharu Saito

Hisao Kitagawa

Keiji Shimizu

Yosuke Kishi

Hirofumi Takatsuka

A system microscope has a specimen mounting part which mounts a specimen, an inverted microscope including an illumination path which radiates illumination light from under the specimen mounting part, and an observation optical path which acquires detection light emitted from the specimen to which the illumination light is radiated, a microscope with upright frame including an illumination path which radiates illumination light from above the specimen mounting part, and an observation optical path which acquires detection light emitted from the specimen to which the illumination light is radiated, and a driving unit which moves at least one of the inverted microscope and the microscope with upright frame in a plane perpendicular to the observation optical path of the inverted microscope or the microscope with upright frame.

System microscope

A condenser lens is disposed in a position facing an objective lens via a specimen, a reflection mirror is movably disposed in the vicinity of an outermost part of a transmitted illuminative light path on the side of a transmitted illuminative light source from the condenser lens, and a laser beam output from a laser oscillation unit is reflected by the reflection mirror and is incident upon the condenser lens.

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscope

A illumination device for microscope, which has a illumination axis, includes illumination unit, which emits rays of illumination light, for illuminating a specimen, a field stop projection lens, which is located on the illumination axis between the illumination unit and specimen, a light deflector array, which is located on the illumination axis between the illumination unit and field stop projection lens in conjugation with the specimen, the light deflector array having micro optical deflection portions, which individually deflect the rays of illumination light from the illumination unit, and switch unit for switching between a state in which the rays of illumination light is applied to the specimen and a state in which the rays of illumination light is not applied to the specimen.

Illumination device for microscope

An illumination apparatus for a microscope includes a light source portion that projects a light beam, two splitting elements that split the light beam into three, wavelength selection elements that independently select transmission wavelengths of the three light beams, shutters that independently shield or guide the three light beams, a first combining element that combines optical paths of two light beams, a second combining element that combines an optical path of the remaining light beam with a combined optical path, a pinhole that is located on an optical path between the first and second combining elements and has an aperture that selectively transmits only part of a light beam, and a projection optical system that applies a light beam from the second combining element to a sample and, when applying a light beam from the pinhole to the sample, projects the aperture of the pinhole onto the sample.

Illumination apparatus for microscope

While carrying out microscope examination, it is possible to specify a position to be irradiated with optical stimulus light and to accurately apply an optical stimulus to the specified irradiation position. A microscope examination method includes a step of introducing into a specimen a substance in which a structural change is caused by irradiation with light of a first wavelength; a step of specifying an optical stimulation site in the specimen by irradiating the specimen with visible light of a second wavelength that does not cause a structural change in the substance, while examining the specimen in which the substance is introduced using a microscope examination apparatus; and a step of irradiating the specified optical stimulus site with the light of the first wavelength.

Microscope examination method, optical stimulation apparatus, and microscope examination apparatus

A total internal reflection illumination apparatus applied to a microscope which illuminates a sample through an objective having a numerical aperture enabling total internal reflection illumination, comprises a first total internal reflection mirror which is arranged in the vicinity of an outermost peripheral part of an observation optical path of the microscope to reflect an incident illumination light in a direction of the objective, a second total internal reflection mirror which is arranged at a symmetrical position with the first total internal reflection mirror to sandwich an observation optical axis and reflects return light reflected on a surface of the sample in a direction different from the illumination optical path, and a return light dimming part configured to dim the return light reflected by the second total internal reflection mirror.

Total internal reflection illumination apparatus and microscope using this total internal reflection illumination apparatus

An illumination apparatus for a microscope and an image processing apparatus using the illumination apparatus include a light source, a semi-transmissive mirror splitting a light beam from the light source into two beams of the first and second irradiation light, two excitation filters selecting the wavelengths of the first and second irradiation light, a semi-transmissive mirror synthesizing individual beams of the first and second irradiation light whose wavelengths are selected, into a single beam, a dichroic mirror directing a light beam synthesized by the semi-transmissive mirror toward a specimen and transmitting light from the specimen, an objective lens, cameras imaging fluorescent light from the specimen after being separated into fluorescent light excited by the first and second wavelengths, and an image processing section processing fluorescent images formed by imaging elements.

Illumination apparatus for microscope and image processing apparatus using the same

A fluorescent microscope comprises a light source, an optical illumination system which forms an optical path to irradiate a specimen with a light beam from the light source, an objective lens which condenses the light beam of the optical illumination system onto the specimen, an optical device which is disposed on the optical path of the optical illumination system and which decenters the light beam by decentering an optical axis of the optical path, and a slit which passes the light beam decentered by the optical device through a total reflection illumination region on an emission pupil surface of the objective lens.

Total reflection fluorescent microscope

The optical path used is switched between a first optical path and second optical path. The first optical path is used to make illumination light, output from a light source, transmits along the optical axis of an objective via an illumination system. The second optical path is used to guide the illumination light, output from the light source, to a transmits via the illumination system and the objective, thereby illuminating the target in a total reflection observation mode.

Illumination switching apparatus and method

Caged reagent release experiments are carried out by introducing laser light of a laser light source for the Caged reagent release of a first reflected illumination optical system light path into a sample side through a first dichroic mirror on a cube turret and also introducing excitation light of a mercury lamp for the excitation light irradiation of a third reflected illumination optical system light path into the sample side through a first dichroic mirror on a slider. Laser trap experiments are carried out by introducing excitation light of a mercury lamp for the excitation light irradiation of a second reflected illumination optical system light path into the sample side through a second dichroic mirror on the cube turrent and also introducing laser light from the laser light source for the laser trap of the third reflected illumination optical system light path into the sample side through a second dichroic mirror on the slider.

Reflected fluorescence microscope with multiple laser and excitation light sources

A focusing system for a microscope has an objective lens, a sample stage, a reflected illumination system for generating fluorescence from a sample, a transmitted illumination system for irradiating light on the sample to capture a transmitted optical image, a set of optical elements for forming the transmitted optical image on the basis of a phase information included in light transmitted through the sample, an optical element for dividing the fluorescence image and the transmitted optical image, a sensor for capturing the transmitted optical image divided by the optical element for dividing light, a focus detecting section for detecting a focusing level of the transmitted optical image on the basis of a signal output from the sensor, and a driver for moving at least one of the objective lens and the stage to focus on the sample on the basis of the focusing level.

Focusing system for a microscope and a reflected illumination fluorescence microscope using the focusing system

An inverted microscope is provided that reflects an observation light passing through an image-formation optical system upward using at least one reflection optical system and that leads the observation light to an observation path. The inverted microscope includes a confocal scanner arranged at an image surface position of the image-formation optical system, a light source for applying light onto a sample through the confocal scanner and the image-formation optical system, and a confocal image formation optical system that leads the light passing through the confocal scanner to the sample through the image-formation optical system, returns a return light from the sample to the confocal scanner along a route opposite to that for leading the light to the sample, and obtains a confocal image. A confocal observation optical system is also provided for leading the return light from the sample passing through the optical scanner to the observation optical path.

Inverted confocal microscope

Caged reagent release experiments are carried out by introducing laser light of a laser light source for the Caged reagent release of a first reflected illumination optical system light path into a sample side through a first dichroic mirror on a cube turret and also introducing excitation light of a mercury lamp for the excitation light irradiation of a third reflected illumination optical system light path into the sample side through a first dichroic mirror on a slider. Laser trap experiments are carried out by introducing excitation light of a mercury lamp for the excitation light irradiation of a second reflected illumination optical system light path into the sample side through a second dichroic mirror on the cube turret and also introducing laser light from the laser light source for the laser trap of the third reflected illumination optical system light path into the sample side through a second dichroic mirror on the slider.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yasushi Aono