|Publication number||US2738708 A|
|Publication date||Mar 20, 1956|
|Filing date||Jun 28, 1952|
|Priority date||Jun 28, 1952|
|Publication number||US 2738708 A, US 2738708A, US-A-2738708, US2738708 A, US2738708A|
|Original Assignee||Scopicon Inc|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (7), Referenced by (3), Classifications (10)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
March 20, 1956 s, ROsgN MICROSCOPE-ILLUMINATION DEVICE Filed June 28, 1952 lWICROSCOPE-ILLUMINATION DEVICE .Seymour Rosin, New York, N. Y., assignor to Scopicou,
.Inc., Bronx County, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 28, 1952, Serial No. 296,145
3 Claims. (Cl. 88-40) The present invention relates generally to illuminators of .the type used with microscopes, although not limited thereto.
Qne object of the invention is to provide an illuminator which increases the total amount of light available to the .final image by utilizing the maximum possible portion of the .lightoutput of the light source.
Another object is to provide an illuminator wherein provision is made for leveling out, neutralizing or eliminating any imperfections or irregularities in the light source.
A vfurther object is generally to provide an improved illuminator for microscopes.
A still further object is an illuminator having provision to focus an image of an elongated light source in the plane of the diaphragm associated with the substage condenser of a microscope.
The above and other objects, features .and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered .in .connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.
In the drawings: Fig. l is a more or less diagrammatic illustration of the path of light through an optical system, pursuant to the present invention, the light source and the various suitable conventional primary condenser 12 constituted,
'as here shown, by the lenses 14 and 16, anda planoconvex cylindrical lens 18. It will heunderstood that the illuminator -will be assembled in proper relation in a suitable'housing, notshown, and that lenses 1'4, .16 and 18 will ordinarily be mounted in a lens tube. A conventional substage condenser of a microscope, constituted by the lenses .22 and 24, 'is indicated by the reference numetal 21, and is provided with an adjustable iris diaphragm 20. In order to simplify the drawings, the lenses of the condensers -12 and 21 have. been illustrated on a common "horizontal optical axis. However, it will be understood that when the illuminator is used with a' microscope, the axis of lenses 22 and 24 is vertically disposed and intersects the optical axis of the illuminator, and a suitable reflector is provided to reflect the light from the illuminator through the diaphragm 20 into the substage condenser 21. It will also be understood that the illuminator may :be used in conjunction with a microscope projector of the type shown, for example, in Patent No. 2,477,396 to 'Edwin C. Weiskopf, dated July 26, 1949, in which case the'optica'l axis .of .lenses 14, 16 and 18 will be vertically disposed.
The light source is constituted, as here shown, by a light radiator having an effective length which is many times the magnitude of its width, for example, a single coil filament or a ribbon filament of a suitable lamp, or the long narrow bore of a high intensity discharge tube. Referring now to Fig. 2, the axis of the optical system United States Patent-O 2,738,708 Patented Mar. 20, 19 56 is indicated at 26, and it will'be noted that the light source or radiator 10 is positioned on said axis. Light rays from the light source 10, which are in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal'axis of said source, pass through the lenses of the primary condenser 12 which collimate said light rays, as is well known to those skilled in the art. More particularly, it will be understood that a light ray, such. as that indicated at 28, which passes through the lenses of the primary condenser 12 will, be rendered parallel to the axis 26.
Pursuant to the present invention, provision is made for the lens means 18 which, ashere shown, comprises a plano-convex cylindrical lens having its planar surface 30 at the output of the primary condenser. However, it
will be understood that'it is not necessary that lens 18 be plane-convex or that .a plane face thereof .is oriented as shown in Fig. l, .the only requirement is thatconvex power bepresent in lens .18, in the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 and that such convex power be .absentfrom the arrangement shown in Fig. 2. As will be readily apparent from Fig. 2, the planar surface 30 and the cylindrical surface 32 of lens 18 are parallel in cross-sectionso that lens 18 functions as a plane parallel plate in cross-section. Therefore, it will be apparent that the light my 28, which is disposed in a horizontal plane, although rendered .parallel to the axis 26 by the primary condenser 12,, will not be refracted or affected by the lens 18 as it passes therethrough. Said light ray 28 then passes through the aperture .34 in the diaphragm 20 onto the substagecondenser 21,. provided with lenses 22 and Y24, tobe focused thereby on cared at36.
For purposes of discussion only, in order to clearly set forth the operation of the invention, it will'be assumed that an imaginary'light source 38 is provided in *the'optical system, said source being disposed off the axis 26, as.
illustrated .in Fig. 2. Light rays from said imaginary source, 'dis posedin a horizontal plane, are indicated at 40,.
42 and 44, respectively. Said latter light rays are also collimatedby the primary condenser 12 and pass through: the lens ISM/111Gb has no eifect thereupon since, as pre viously indicated, said lens 18 functions as a planepara'llel plate in horizontal cross-section. it will be noted how-- ever, that the light rays 40, 42 and 44 are incline-dto theaxis '26'after being collimated by the primary condenser 'focused thereby at point 46 to form an image on the niici'oscopesta'g. "It "w'il-l be notedthat the focal :point 46 is displaced laterally of the focal-point 36 on the axis 26. If a line'drawn through the light sources 10 and 38 represented an actual object, for example a coil-filament, said 'ob'ject would be exactly imaged at a line drawn through the focal points 36 and 46, where it would be seen in the held of the microscope. This represents-what is actually seen 'in the field of a "microscope using 'the customary type of "illurninator, which .is not provided with plano-convexcylindrical lens means 1-8,-so that the image is focused 'by the substage condenser 21 in the held of the microscope. Therefore, it will be readily underst ood the stage of a microscope (not illustrated), .as indi in the light source are leveled or smoothed out.
thereof, in horizontal planes, pass through the diaphragm aperture 34.
Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be understood that the curvature of the cylindrical surface 32 is figured to image the axial point 48 on the light source 10 at point 50 in the aperture 34 of the diaphragm 20. The point 52 adjacent the upper end of the light source 10 is imaged at point 54 in the aperture of diaphragm 20. More specifically, the light rays 56, 58 and 60 from the point 52 are disposed in a vertical plane, said rays being collimated by the lenses of the primary condenser 12 and then being focused by the lens 18 at the point 54 in the aperture of the diaphragm 20. Therefore, it will be understood that the light source is imaged in the plane of the diaphragm. Consequently, it will be readily apparent that the image of the light source 10 is non-coherent for a vertical plane as it is in focus at the aperture of the diaphragm so that it is completely out of focus at the microscope stage, while for a horizontal plane it is in focus at 36, as previously described.
From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the plane-convex cylindrical lens 18 is well adapted to accomplish the various objects previously set forth. Firstly, more light enters the substage condenser 21 and is, therefore, delivered to the image at the microscope stage. This is accomplished by the action of lens 18 in focusing the light rays in the plane of the diaphragm so that substantially all of the light from the light source 10 passes through the aperture 34 of the iris diaphragm. Secondly, it will be noted that the light provided at the microscope stage is non-coherent. More specifically, all of the light rays in horizontal planes for focused at the microscope stage in view of the fact that no portion of the light source 10, in transverse section, is substantially off the axis 26, and all of the light rays from the light source 10, which are disposed in vertical planes, are completely out of focus at the microscope stage, whereby all irregularities or imperfections which are inherent In view of the foregoing advantages, the utilization of the plano-convex cylindrical lens 18 in an illuminator provides a highly improved illuminator for use with microscopes, although, as previously indicated, it will be understood that its utility is not limited thereto.
While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.
Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:
1. In a microscope having a substage condenser and a diaphragm provided with an opening therein through which light passes to said substage condenser, an illuminator for supplying light to said substage condenser through said diaphragm opening along a given axis, comprising an elongated light source having its longitudinal axis disposed perpendicular to said givenaxis, a first lens means for collimating light emanating from said light source into rays parallel to said given axis, and a second lens means disposed between said first lens means and said diaphragm, said second lens means being effective for focusing in the plane of said diaphragm light rays disposed in planes parallel to and including the plane defined by said given axis and said longitudinal axis of said light source, whereby to increase the amount of light passing through said opening to said substage. condenser, said second lens means being further effective for transmitting collimated light rays disposed-in planes perpendicular to said first mentioned planes substantially without refraction, whereby light passing to said substage condenser is collimated and out of focus to insure that a focused image of the light source will not be magnified by said microscope.
2. In a microscope having a substage condenser and a diaphragm provided with an opening therein through which light passes to said substage condenser, an illuminator for supplying light to said substage condenser through said diaphragm opening along a given axis, comprising an elongated light source having its longitudinal axis at right angles to said given axis, a first lens means for collimating light emanating from said light source into rays parallel to said given axis, and a cylindrical lens disposed between said first lens means and said diaphragm and oriented so light rays disposed in planes parallel to and including the plane defined by said given axis and said longitudinal axis are focused in the plane of said diaphragms and light rays disposed in planes perpendicular to said first mentioned planes are transmitted through said cylindrical lens substantially. Without refraction whereby said last mentioned light rays are collimated when reaching said substage condenser, whereby a relatively large percentage of light is transmitted to said substage condenser in a non-focused collimated condition.
3. In a microscope having a substage condenser and a diaphragm provided with an opening therein through which light passes to said substage condenser, an illuminator for supplying light to said substage condenser through said diaphragm opening along a given axis, comprising an elongated light source having its longitudinal axis at right angles to said given axis, condenser lens means adjacent said light source for collimating light emanating therefrom into rays extending parallel to said given axis, a cylindrical lens disposed between said condenser lens means and said diaphragm, the cylindrical axis of said cylindrical lens means being disposed at right angles to the plane defined by said given axis and said longitudinal axis and intersecting said given axis, said cylindrical lens means being effective for focusing in the plane of said diaphragm light rays disposed in planes parallel to and including the plane defined by said given axis and said longitudinal axis of said light source, whereby to increase the amount of light passing through said opening to said substage condenser, said cylindrical lens means being further effective for transmitting collimated light rays disposed in planes perpendicular to said first mentioned planes substantially without refraction, whereby light passing to said substage condenser, is collimated and out of focus to insure that a focused image of the light source-will not be magnified by said microscope.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,269,496 Orange June 11, 1918 OTHER REFERENCES The Photographic Journal of America,
volume L, No. 5, May 1935, page 303, figure 1.,
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US1269496 *||Oct 24, 1917||Jun 11, 1918||Gen Electric||Condenser for projection apparatus.|
|US1758049 *||Jun 21, 1929||May 13, 1930||Zeiss Carl Fa||Illuminating device|
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|US2180031 *||Jun 25, 1938||Nov 14, 1939||Gen Electric||Optical projection apparatus|
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|GB475776A *||Title not available|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3485547 *||Nov 14, 1966||Dec 23, 1969||Commissariat Energie Atomique||Observation or photography devices in closed spaces and in particular in bubble chambers|
|US3933408 *||Mar 6, 1974||Jan 20, 1976||Guido Georg Reinert||Microscope-illuminating system|
|US5654832 *||Sep 29, 1995||Aug 5, 1997||Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.||Illumination optical system for microscopes|
|U.S. Classification||359/385, 359/668, 353/39|
|International Classification||G02B21/12, G02B21/08, G02B21/06|
|Cooperative Classification||G02B21/12, G02B21/08|
|European Classification||G02B21/12, G02B21/08|