Automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope sample

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic leveling device for a laser confocal microscope sample, which comprises a sample platform used for bearing the sample, and is characterized in that the sample platform is supported by z-axis supporting assemblies arranged below the bottom surface of the sample platform, and each corner of the sample platform is supported by at least one z-axis supporting assembly; the z-axis supporting assemblies are movably connected with the sample platform, and the supporting height of each z-axis supporting assembly can be independently adjusted. According to the utility model, the design of the rotation center of the traditional sample platform is abandoned, the z-axis supporting assemblies are adopted to respectively provide stable support at each corner of the sample platform, and each z-axis supporting assembly can independently adjust the supporting height, which means that the sample platform can realize tilting in a larger range, thereby obviously improving the degree of freedom of leveling operation. Meanwhile, due to the accurate control of the z-axis supporting assembly, the position of the surface of the sample in the z-axis direction can be kept stable, and large change or fall is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of microscopic imaging, and particularly relates to an automatic leveling device for a sample of a laser confocal microscope. Background Art

[0002] The laser confocal microscope uses a laser point light source to gradually scan a sample, collects the reflected light signal of the sample located in the focal plane of the microscope, and can obtain the 3D surface topography of the sample by receiving and processing the x and y plane signals of the sample scanned layer by layer on the focal planes at different depths (z-axis). Since the working mode of the laser confocal microscope is to step-scan the image along the z-axis, if the sample surface is inclined, the scanning range of the z-axis will become larger. The surface topography and roughness of the samples detected by the laser confocal microscope are usually at the micron level or even the nanometer level, while the height difference of the z-axis caused by the inclination of the sample surface is usually at the millimeter level. Therefore, the inclination of the sample will increase the sample scanning time by dozens of times or more. Under the condition of maintaining the same spatial resolution, it leads to a longer scanning time required to obtain the 3D surface topography of the sample, and the storage space occupied by the scanning data becomes larger.

[0003] The current sample platform design lacks the tilting function, which limits the ability to effectively level the sample surface when it is inclined. This limitation is particularly prominent when dealing with non-planar or irregularly shaped samples, affecting the overall applicability and operation flexibility of the microscope. The Chinese invention patent application "High-precision leveling method and device for large-size optical elements" with the application number 201210123930.7 (publication number CN102680477A) discloses a leveling device. By adjusting the left adjusting handwheel and the right adjusting handwheel, and under the combined action of the left elastic pre-tightening mechanism and the right elastic pre-tightening mechanism, the adjustment plate makes two-dimensional pitching and yaw angle movements with the fixed ball hinge as the rotation center relative to the fixed plate, and completes the leveling operation of making the surface of the optical element fixed on the adjustment plate parallel to the focal plane of the high-power microscope. Although this structure allows a certain degree of tilting of the sample platform, its tilting freedom is limited, and the tilting action will also cause changes in the z-axis of the sample surface. Therefore, in view of this limitation of the prior art, it is necessary to make further improvements and optimizations. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to provide an automatic leveling device for a sample of a laser confocal microscope with a high degree of tilting freedom and the ability to adjust the position of the sample surface in the z-axis while tilting, aiming at the above technical status quo.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present utility model to solve the above technical problems is as follows: An automatic leveling device for a laser confocal microscope sample, including a sample platform for carrying the sample, characterized in that the sample platform is supported by a z-axis support assembly provided below its bottom surface, and at least one z-axis support assembly provides support at each corner of the sample platform. The z-axis support assembly is movably connected to the sample platform, and the support height of each z-axis support assembly can be independently adjusted.

[0006] Preferably, the z-axis support assembly includes a support guide seat, and a support rod capable of moving along the guiding direction of the support guide seat is provided inside the support guide seat, so that the support height of the z-axis support assembly can be adjusted.

[0007] Preferably, the z-axis support assembly further includes a z-axis driving motor, and the z-axis driving motor is connected to the support rod and drives the support rod to move up and down.

[0008] To make the rotation of the sample platform smoother and more accurate, preferably, the top end of the support rod is spherical, and a corresponding spherical concave surface is provided on the bottom surface of the sample platform. The support rod and the sample platform are movably connected in the form of a spherical joint.

[0009] In order to finely adjust the position of the sample in the horizontal direction, further, the automatic leveling device further includes a horizontal displacement assembly. The z-axis support assembly is supported and connected between the sample platform and the horizontal displacement assembly, and the horizontal displacement assembly can displace in the horizontal direction and drive the sample platform to displace synchronously.

[0010] Specifically, the horizontal displacement assembly includes a y-axis displacement assembly. The y-axis displacement assembly includes a y-axis displacement platform, y-axis displacement guide rails, and a y-axis driving motor. The y-axis displacement guide rails extend along the y-axis direction and are provided on both sides of the y-axis displacement platform. The y-axis driving motor is connected to and drives the y-axis displacement platform to move along the guiding direction of the y-axis displacement guide rails. The z-axis support assembly is fixed on the upper surface of the y-axis displacement platform.

[0011] Specifically, the horizontal displacement assembly further includes an x-axis displacement assembly. The x-axis displacement assembly includes an x-axis displacement platform, x-axis displacement guide rails, and an x-axis driving motor. The x-axis displacement guide rails extend along the x-axis direction and are provided on both sides of the x-axis displacement platform. The x-axis driving motor is connected to and drives the x-axis displacement platform to move along the guiding direction of the x-axis displacement guide rails. The x-axis displacement assembly is provided below the y-axis displacement assembly, and the y-axis displacement guide rails are fixed on the x-axis displacement assembly.

[0012] To further improve the degree of freedom, preferably, the automatic leveling platform further includes a rotation assembly. The rotation assembly includes a base, a rotating platform, and a rotation driving motor. A receiving groove for accommodating the rotating platform is formed on the surface of the base. The rotating platform rotates around the z-axis, and the rotation driving motor is connected to and controls the rotation angle of the rotating platform. The x-axis displacement guide rail is fixed on the rotating platform.

[0013] To make the whole device more stable, preferably, the center of the rotation assembly and the center of the horizontal displacement assembly are coaxial in the initial state.

[0014] To achieve automatic control, provide control accuracy, and accurately achieve leveling, preferably, the automatic leveling device further includes a host control component. The host control component is signal-connected to and drives the z-axis driving motor, y-axis driving motor, x-axis driving motor, and rotation driving motor to automatically adjust the position and tilt of the sample platform.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the automatic leveling device of the present utility model abandons the traditional design of the rotation center of the sample platform and instead adopts a z-axis support component to provide stable support at each corner of the sample platform. Each z-axis support component can independently adjust the support height, which means that the sample platform can achieve a larger range of tilting, thus significantly improving the degree of freedom of the leveling operation. With the support of this design, the surface of the sample placed above the sample platform can more easily reach the ideal leveling state. At the same time, due to the precise control of the z-axis support component, the position of the sample surface in the z-axis direction can also be kept stable, avoiding large fluctuations or drops. This device has a dual-axis tilting function of the x-axis and y-axis, which can effectively improve the measurement efficiency of the surface-tilted sample. Without sacrificing the quality of data measurement, it significantly shortens the scanning time required, reduces the amount of data collected during measurement, and reduces the data storage burden. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model in the initial state;

[0017] Figure 2 For Figure 1 exploded view;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the z-axis support component of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model during automatic leveling;

[0020] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the leveling process of an embodiment of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The following further describes the present utility model in detail with reference to the embodiments accompanied by drawings.

[0022] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, it is a preferred embodiment of an automatic leveling device for a sample of a laser confocal microscope of the present utility model. This embodiment includes a rotation assembly 6, a horizontal displacement assembly, a z-axis support assembly 3, a sample platform 2, and a host control assembly.

[0023] The rotation assembly 6 is arranged at the bottom layer of the entire automatic leveling device, enabling the sample placed above it to rotate with the z-axis as the rotation axis. The rotation assembly 6 includes a base 62, a rotating platform 61, and a rotation drive motor 63. The main body of the base 62 is made of metal, and a rubber pad is fixedly connected to the bottom. A circular accommodation groove 621 for accommodating the rotating platform 61 is formed on the upper surface. The accommodation groove 621 also serves as a guide rail for the rotation of the rotating platform 61. The center of the guide rail coincides with the center of the base 62. The rotation drive motor 63 is connected to the rotating platform 61 to drive the rotating platform 61 to rotate along the guide rail with the z-axis as the rotation axis and control the rotation angle of the rotating platform 61.

[0024] The horizontal displacement assembly is arranged on the upper layer of the rotation assembly 6, enabling the sample placed above it to displace in the horizontal direction. The horizontal displacement assembly is composed of an x-axis displacement assembly 5 and a y-axis displacement assembly 4 with mutually perpendicular displacement directions. The centers of the x-axis displacement assembly 5 and the y-axis displacement assembly 4 are coaxial with the center of the rotation assembly 6 in the initial state. The x-axis displacement assembly 5 includes an x-axis displacement platform 51, a pair of x-axis displacement guide rails 52 parallel to the x-axis, and an x-axis drive motor 53. The x-axis displacement guide rails 52 extend along the x-axis direction and are arranged on both sides of the x-axis displacement platform 51. The x-axis drive motor 53 is connected and drives the x-axis displacement platform 51 to move along the guiding direction of the x-axis displacement guide rails 52. The x-axis displacement guide rails 52 are fixedly connected to the rotating platform 61. The y-axis displacement assembly 4 includes a y-axis displacement platform 41, a pair of y-axis displacement guide rails 42 parallel to the y-axis, and a y-axis drive motor 43. The y-axis displacement guide rails 42 extend along the y-axis direction and are arranged on both sides of the y-axis displacement platform 41. The y-axis drive motor 43 is connected and drives the y-axis displacement platform 41 to move along the guiding direction of the y-axis displacement guide rails 42. The y-axis displacement guide rails 42 are fixedly connected to the x-axis displacement platform 51.

[0025] There are four z-axis support components 3 in total, which are fixedly connected to the four corners of the upper surface of the y-axis displacement platform 41 and are centrosymmetric. In addition to supporting the sample platform 2, they also have the function of enabling the sample platform 2 to displace in the vertical direction and tilt in two axes. The z-axis support component 3 includes a support guide base 32, and a support rod 31 that can move along the guiding direction of the support guide base 32 is arranged inside the support guide base 32, so that the support height of the z-axis support component 3 can be adjusted. The top end of the support rod 31 is movably connected to the bottom of the sample platform 2, and the support rod 31 is driven to move up and down by a z-axis drive motor 33. Preferably, the top end of the support rod 31 is spherical.

[0026] Since the sample platform 2 is used to place samples, a spherical concave surface 201 corresponding to the z-axis support component 3 is provided on the bottom surface of the sample platform 2, and the support rod 31 is movably connected to the sample platform 2 in the form of a spherical joint. A sample fixing component 1 is provided on the upper surface of the sample platform 2, and the fixing forms of the samples include, but are not limited to: pasting, gluing, clamping with a fixture, fixing with screws, etc.

[0027] The host control component 7 is signal-connected to the rotation drive motor 63, the x-axis drive motor 53, the y-axis drive motor 43, and the z-axis drive motor 33 through data lines. The host control component realizes the automatic leveling of the surface of the measured sample through the program control of the translation amount and tilt amount of the sample platform 2.

[0028] The operation process of this embodiment: Fix the sample of the laser confocal microscope on the surface of the sample fixing component 1 with double-sided tape. Subsequently, adjust the x, y displacements and rotation angles of the sample platform 2 of this embodiment so that it is within the measurement range of the above microscope. Then observe and measure the position space coordinates of three points on the sample surface that are far away from each other with the microscope, as shown in Figure 5 (a). Determine a space plane through the above three points, refer to Figure 5 (b), and automatically calculate the angle α between the above space plane and the horizontal plane through a computer program, so as to obtain the quantified inclination degree of the sample surface, refer to Figure 5 (c). Finally, through the host control component, control the support heights of the 4 z-axis support components 3 so that they support the sample platform 2 to tilt at an appropriate angle in the x and y directions to complete the leveling of the sample surface, as shown in Figure 5 (d).

Claims

1. An automatic leveling device for a laser confocal microscope sample, comprising a sample platform (2) for carrying the sample, characterized in that: The sample platform (2) is supported by a z-axis support assembly (3) disposed below the bottom surface thereof; each corner of the sample platform (2) is supported by at least one z-axis support assembly (3); the z-axis support assembly (3) is movably connected to the sample platform (2); and the support height of each z-axis support assembly (3) can be independently adjusted.

2. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 1, characterized in that: The z-axis support assembly (3) comprises a support guide seat (32), and a support rod (31) is arranged inside the support guide seat (32) and can move along the guide direction of the support guide seat (32), so that the support height of the z-axis support assembly (3) can be adjusted.

3. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 2, characterized in that: The z-axis support assembly (3) further comprises a z-axis drive motor (33), which is connected to the support rod (31) and drives the support rod (31) to move up and down.

4. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 3, characterized in that: The top end of the support rod (31) is spherical, the bottom surface of the sample platform (2) is provided with a corresponding spherical concave surface (201), and the support rod (31) and the sample platform (2) are movably connected in the form of a spherical joint.

5. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a horizontal displacement component, wherein the z-axis support component (3) is supported and connected between the sample platform (2) and the horizontal displacement component, and the horizontal displacement component can be displaced in the horizontal direction and drive the sample platform (2) to displace synchronously.

6. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 5, characterized in that: The horizontal displacement assembly comprises a y-axis displacement assembly (4), the y-axis displacement assembly (4) comprises a y-axis displacement platform (41), a y-axis displacement guide rail (42) and a y-axis driving motor (43), the y-axis displacement guide rail (42) extending along the y-axis direction and arranged on both sides of the y-axis displacement platform (41), the y-axis driving motor (43) connected to and driving the y-axis displacement platform (41) to move along the guide direction of the y-axis displacement guide rail (42), and the z-axis support assembly (3) is fixed to the upper surface of the y-axis displacement platform (41).

7. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 6, characterized in that: The horizontal displacement assembly further comprises an x-axis displacement assembly (5), the x-axis displacement assembly (55) comprising an x-axis displacement platform (51), an x-axis displacement guide rail (52) and an x-axis driving motor (53), the x-axis displacement guide rail (52) extending along the x-axis direction and arranged on both sides of the x-axis displacement platform (51), the x-axis driving motor (53) connected to and driving the x-axis displacement platform (51) to move along the guide direction of the x-axis displacement guide rail (52), the x-axis displacement assembly (55) being arranged below the y-axis displacement assembly (4), and the y-axis displacement guide rail (42) being fixed on the x-axis displacement assembly (55).

8. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 7, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a rotating assembly (6), wherein the rotating assembly (6) comprises a base (62), a rotating platform (61) and a rotating drive motor (63); a surface of the base (62) is provided with a receiving groove (621) for receiving the rotating platform (61); the rotating platform (61) rotates with the z-axis as the rotating axis; the rotating drive motor (63) is connected to and controls the rotating angle of the rotating platform (61); and the x-axis displacement guide rail (52) is fixed on the rotating platform (61).

9. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 8, characterized in that: The center of the rotating component (6) and the center of the horizontal displacement component in the initial state are coaxial.

10. The automatic leveling device for laser confocal microscope samples according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a host control component, which is connected to the signal of the host control component and drives the z-axis drive motor (33), the y-axis drive motor (43), the x-axis drive motor (53) and the rotation drive motor (63) to automatically adjust the position and tilt of the sample platform (2).

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