Inverted Microscope Segmented Immersion Supply for Lens Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inverted microscopes with integrated immersion-liquid supplying apparatuses face issues such as increased weight and vibration due to the immersion-liquid storage tank being mounted on the rotating revolver, leading to prolonged convergence times and potential leakage risks, which affect image clarity and operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An inverted microscope design that allows easy switching between liquid-immersion and dry objective lenses using a rotating revolver with a separate immersion-liquid feeding base and transmission mechanism, enabling continuous liquid supply without the need for a dedicated, centrally mounted storage tank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the immersion-liquid storage tank is mounted on the rotating revolver, then the immersion liquid can be continuously supplied during observation, but the rotating revolver becomes heavier and generates more vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the immersion-liquid supplying apparatus into two independent parts: the immersion-liquid storage tank is fixed to the support stand (stationary), while the immersion-liquid supply pipe is attached to the rotating revolver (movable). This segmentation allows the heavy storage tank to remain stationary, eliminating the weight and vibration problems, while the supply pipe moves with the revolver to maintain liquid supply connection.
2Reliability
If the immersion-liquid storage tank is mounted on the rotating revolver, then the immersion liquid can be continuously supplied, but the rotating revolver becomes dedicated to the inverted microscope and less versatile
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the storage tank from the rotating revolver, the patent makes the revolver structure simpler and more compatible with different microscope types. The revolver can now be easily attached to or detached from various microscope models, including upright microscopes, enhancing the system's versatility while maintaining continuous liquid supply capability.
3Ease of operation
If the immersion-liquid supply pipe is fixed to the rotating revolver, then the liquid supply follows the lens movement, but the pipe may interfere with the optical path when the lens is in certain positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the immersion-liquid supply pipe at the periphery of the rotating revolver, away from the central optical path. The pipe is arranged to extend in the up-down direction at the edge of the revolver, ensuring that even when the revolver rotates to different lens positions, the supply pipe does not block or interfere with the light path between the objective lens and the specimen.
Data Source
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AI summary
An inverted microscope includes: a liquid-immersion objective lens 102a; a dry objective lens 102b; a rotating revolver 103 that is capable of mounting the plurality of objective lenses, and that rotates to switch between the objective lenses; a support stand 100; a focus mechanism 104 that moves the rotating revolver 103 with respect to the support stand 100 in a direction of an optical axis O3a; an immersion-liquid feeding base 11a fixed to the support stand 100; an immersion-liquid feeding section 11b that is movable with respect to the immersion-liquid feeding base 11a in a direction along the optical axis, and that includes an immersion-liquid supply pipe 11c that supplies immersion liquid to the liquid-immersion objective lens; and a transmission mechanism 11ba and 11a that transmits a movement of the focus mechanism in the direction of the optical axis to the immersion-liquid feeding section when the liquid-immersion objective lens is placed within a focus range on the optical axis, and that releases the movement of the focus mechanism in the direction of the optical axis from being transmitted to the immersion-liquid feeding section when the liquid-immersion objective lens is on the optical axis and is placed in a downward region out of the focus range.