The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 25, 1990
Filed:
Aug. 18, 1989
Reinhard Jorgens, Oberkochen, DE;
Bernd Faltermeier, Aalen, DE;
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, Heidenheim/Brenz, DE;
Abstract
Fast and versatile autofocusing for microscopes is achieved by the interaction of two known systems: a first, active autofocusing system (12) which projects at least one light dot on the object and develops a focusing signal dependent upon the character of a reflection of the dot; and a second, passive autofocusing system which creates a video signal representative of an image of the object and then uses the image contrast of that video signal as a focusing criterion. Provided for both systems is a joint control unit (45) to which the signals (g), (f) of both focusing systems are transmitted and which, successively, activates first the active and then the passive autofocusing system. The process can be used to focus on both covered and uncovered objects illuminated by transmitted as well as reflected light. Quick, automatic focusing is accomplished in that the active focusing system rapidly focuses first on either the cover glass surface or the object surface and then control is switched to the passive autofocusing system which only needs to travel a very short distance to achieve accurate final focus of a preselected plane of the object.