Sealed chamber

Abstract

To provide a method permitting observation with a high magnification while maintaining sealing properties by exposing cover glass mounting a sample to the outside and bringing an objective lens of a microscope closer in a sealed chamber for connecting an atmosphere of the sample.SOLUTION: In a sealed chamber composed of a canopy unit 5, a sidewall 8, and a bottom face 9, an internal thread 9a is provided on the bottom face 9, an external thread fitted to the internal thread 9a is provided on an outer surface of a cylindrical insert 1, the internal thread is provided on an inner surface, a seat is provided on the bottom face, cover glass 3 is placed on the seat, the external thread fitted to the internal thread is provided on an outer surface of a cylindrical sleeve 2. the sleeve 2 is fitted to the insert 1 and the cover glass 3 is fixed, a sample 13 is placed on the cover glass 3, the external thread of the insert 1 is fitted to the internal thread 9a provided on the bottom face 9, and an area between the sidewall 8 and a canopy base 5b is sealed by an O ring 4c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chamber for maintaining airtightness in the field of physics and chemistry.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for maintaining samples, materials, cells, etc. in a sealed environment in the medical and research fields. It is used for long-term storage and observation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

[0004] To maintain the state of a sample for a long time, the sample is placed in a rectangular parallelepiped chamber sealed with packing or the like to maintain a specific atmosphere. In addition, by providing transparent materials such as glass on the bottom and top surfaces, it is possible to place it on the stage of a microscope and observe the progress at any time.

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Liquid or samples filled with liquid are often observed with an inverted microscope. To observe at a high magnification, the objective lens is brought close to the sample. For example, the sample is placed in a resin container provided with a thin cover glass with a thickness of around 0.1 mm on the bottom surface, and the objective lens is brought close to the cover glass. Alternatively, there is a known observation method called oil immersion in which a specific oil is filled between the cover glass and the objective lens to correct the optical characteristics.

[0006] However, in a sealed container, the cover glass cannot be exposed, so there is a problem that observation at a high magnification cannot be performed. The present invention solves this problem.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the problem, the present device has a rectangular parallelepiped structure composed of a canopy, side walls, and a bottom surface. The canopy is hinged and can be opened and closed. A hole is provided on the bottom surface, and an internal thread is provided on the inner surface of the hole. A cylindrical insert with an external thread of the same dimension is provided on the outer surface. An annular seat is provided on the lower side, and a cover glass is placed on the seat. The external thread on the outer surface of the insert is fitted into the internal thread on the bottom surface. An internal thread is provided on the inner surface of the insert, and a cylindrical sleeve with an external thread of the same dimension is screwed onto the insert to hold down the cover glass. A sample is placed in the space formed by the sleeve and the cover glass.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] By exposing the cover glass while maintaining the airtightness of the chamber, the objective lens can be brought close to the sample, enabling observation at a high magnification while maintaining the airtightness.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described. (a) A canopy unit 5 is formed by sandwiching a glass 5c between a canopy base 5b and a canopy cover 5a. A bottom surface 9 is provided on a side wall 8, and one side of the canopy unit 5 and the side wall 8 is connected by a hinge 10. (B) A hook 6 is provided on the lid unit 5 on the opposite side of the hinge 10 via a rotating shaft 6a, a block 7 is provided on the side wall 8 on the same side as the hook 6, and a female screw 9a is provided on the bottom surface 9. (C) A male screw 1a that fits into the female screw 9a is provided on the outer surface of the insert 1, a female screw 1b is provided on the inner surface, a seat 1d on the circular ring is provided on the bottom surface, and the cover glass 3 is placed on the seat 1d. (D) A male screw 2a that fits into the female screw 1b of the insert 1 is provided on the outer surface of the sleeve 2 and tightened to the female screw 1b to fix the cover glass 3, and the male screw 1a of the insert 1 is tightened to the female screw 9a of the bottom surface 9. The present invention has the above structure and is used as follows.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the lid unit 5 is constituted by sandwiching the glass 5c with the lid base 5b and the lid cover 5a, the bottom surface 9 is provided below the side wall 8, one side of the lid unit 5 and one side above the side wall 8 are connected by the hinge 10, a hook 6 is provided on the lid unit 5 on the opposite side of the hinge 10 via a rotating shaft 6a, a block 7 is provided on the side wall 8 on the same side as the hook 6, an O-ring 4c is provided on the upper surface of the side wall 8, a hole is opened on the bottom surface 9 and a female screw 9a is provided on the inner surface.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 5, the cover glass 3 is placed on the seat 1d of the insert 1, the male screw 2a of the sleeve 2 is tightened to the female screw 1b of the insert 1 to fix the cover glass 3, and the sample 13 is placed in the space formed by the sleeve 2 and the cover glass 3.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the lid unit 5 is opened and the male screw 1a of the insert 1 is tightened to the female screw 9a of the bottom surface 9. It may be detached and attached for each configuration of the above

[0012] , but it may also be detached and attached individually as shown in FIG. 2 to insert the sample 13 later.

[0014] When the sample 13 is liquid, in order to prevent leakage, an O-ring 4b is sandwiched between the cover glass 3 and the sleeve 2 as shown in FIG. 6. By further providing a sealing means between the cover glass 3 and the seat 1c of the insert 1, the inside can be maintained in a more highly sealed state.

[0015] In order to maintain the airtightness inside the chamber, a flange 1c is provided on the insert 1, and an O-ring 4a is sandwiched between the flange 1c and the bottom surface 9. A flange 2b may be provided on the sleeve 2 to further seal the space between the flange 1c and the flange 2b. The flanges 1c and 2b can also be used as places to be grasped by hand when tightening or loosening the screws by cutting notches on two sides as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, an O-ring 4c is provided at the upper part of the side wall 8, the top cover unit 5 is closed as shown in FIG. 3, and the hook 6 is rotated and fitted into the block 7 for fixing. The O-ring 4c keeps the top cover unit 5 in close contact with the side wall 8 to maintain the airtightness inside the chamber.

[0017] When observing the sample 13 at a high magnification, the objective lens 14 is brought close to the cover glass 3 as shown in FIG. 6. When performing oil immersion observation, oil 15 is filled between the objective lens 14 and the cover glass 3.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, an annular seat 9b is provided below the female screw 9a on the bottom surface 9 to place the cover glass 3, and the structure can be simplified by tightening the insert 1.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a transparent conductive film 5d is provided on the glass 5c, and by applying a voltage, it can also be used as a heating means for temperature control.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, a joint 11 is provided on the side wall 8 to connect the tube 12, and gas can be circulated inside through the tube 12.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0021] 1 Insert 1a Male Screw 1b Female Screw 1c Flange 1d Seat 2 Sleeve 2a Male Screw 2b Flange 3 Cover Glass 4a O-ring 4b O-ring 4c O-ring 5 Canopy unit 5a Canopy cover 5b Canopy base 5c Glass 5d Transparent conductive film 6 Hook 6a Rotating shaft 7 Block 8 Side wall 9 Bottom surface 9a Female screw 9b Seat 10 Hinge 11 Joint 12 Tube 13 Sample 14 Objective lens 15 Oil

Claims

1. A sealed chamber comprising a rectangular parallelepiped housing for storing a sample therein, wherein the housing is composed of a top cover, side walls, and a bottom surface, a hole is provided in the bottom surface, and an internal thread is provided on the inner surface of the hole, the top cover has transparent glass, means for opening and closing the top cover from the side walls by means of a hinge, or fitting or sliding, sealing means disposed between the top cover and the side walls, an insert having a cylindrical shape, an external thread fitting the internal thread on the bottom surface provided on an outer surface of a side, an internal thread provided on an inner surface of the side, an annular seat on the bottom surface, and a flange on the upper part, a cover glass disposed on the seat, a sleeve having a cylindrical shape, an external thread fitting the internal thread of the insert provided on an outer surface of a side, sealing means disposed between the sleeve and the cover glass, sealing means disposed between the flange of the insert and the bottom surface of the housing and is configured such that the external thread of the sleeve is fitted into the internal thread of the insert to hold the cover glass, the external thread of the insert is tightened into the internal thread of the bottom surface of the housing, and a sample to be observed is placed in a space formed by an inner surface of the sleeve and the cover glass. A sealed chamber characterized by the above.

2. The sleeve has a flange on the upper part, The sealed chamber according to claim 1, further comprising sealing means disposed between the flange of the insert and the flange of the sleeve.

3. A transparent conductive film is provided on the surface of the glass, lead wires are provided at both ends of the transparent conductive film, means for applying a voltage are provided at both ends of the lead wires, a joint is provided on the side wall, The sealed chamber according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a tube is provided in the joint. ​

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