Objective-Lens Pen Mount for In-View Microscope Slide Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for marking microscope slides during specimen analysis are time-consuming, inaccurate, and require cytotechnologists to refocus and move awkwardly, limiting precision due to the small size of the marks and the need for manual operation outside the field of view.
Innovation Solution
A detachable microscope pen mount and guide system that attaches to the objective lens, allowing the pen to be rotated and lowered into the field of view for precise marking without leaving the eyepiece, enabling the creation of dots, arcs, and various shapes directly on the slide.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a cytotechnologist uses a marking pen to mark the slide manually, then the marking can be made, but the cytotechnologist must take eyes away from eyepieces and refocus, reducing efficiency and precision
Solution Approach 1:
The marking apparatus is merged with the microscope structure by attaching it to the objective lens. This integration allows the marking function to be performed while maintaining the viewing function, eliminating the need to remove eyes from eyepieces and refocus. The pen mount becomes part of the microscope system, enabling simultaneous marking and observation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pen mount acts as an intermediary device between the cytotechnologist's viewing function and the marking function. It provides a mechanical interface that allows the pen to be positioned and actuated while the microscope maintains its optical path, serving as a mediator that enables both functions to coexist without interfering with each other.
2Manufacturing precision
If the pen is steered at an angle into a small field of view for marking, then marking can be performed, but the relative size of pen tip (1 mm) and field of view (2.2 mm) makes precise marking difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pen mount introduces a new spatial dimension for marking by rotating the pen around the objective lens axis. This rotational movement in a different plane allows the pen tip to be positioned precisely at the desired location on the slide without requiring manual steering through the limited field of view. The rotation provides an additional degree of freedom for accurate positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The pen mount is pre-positioned and rotated into the correct orientation before marking is performed. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the pen tip is already aligned with the desired marking location when the marking action is initiated, eliminating the need for real-time manual steering and refocusing during the marking process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the microscope nosepiece is rotated to position the marking apparatus, then marking can be performed, but improper rotation may lead to errors and the cytotechnologist must refocus
Solution Approach 1:
The pen mount is designed to be self-positioning through its attachment to the objective lens and integration with the microscope's rotation mechanism. The mount automatically maintains its relationship with the optical axis during nosepiece rotation, eliminating the need for manual repositioning and ensuring consistent, accurate marking positions without requiring user intervention or refocusing.
4Productivity
If the pen is actuated toward the slide at an angle using the U-Marker, then marking can be made, but the cytotechnologist cannot see through the microscope while marking, reducing precision
Solution Approach 1:
The marking function is merged with the viewing function through the integrated pen mount. The pen is positioned and actuated in a way that allows simultaneous marking and viewing through the microscope eyepieces. This integration ensures that the marking action does not block the optical path, enabling the cytotechnologist to see through the microscope while marking the slide.
Data Source
AI summary
A detachable microscope pen mount for marking a microscope slide includes an attachment collar configured to secure to an objective lens, a lever secured to the attachment collar, a pen holder secured to the lever, and a pen secured to the pen holder and having a pen tip, where activating the lever moves the pen tip into a field of view and lowers the pen tip onto the microscope slide. Also disclosed is a method of marking a microscope slide includes identifying an object of interest in a field of view, positioning the object of interest in a center of the field of view, inserting a pen having a pen tip along a trough into a center of the trough, lowering the pen tip onto the microscope slide, and marking the microscope slide by tracing the inside of the center of the trough. Another method of marking a microscope slide includes identifying an object of interest in a field of view, positioning the object of interest in a center of the field of view, inserting a pen having a pen tip along a trough until it reaches an outside surface of a tube in the trough, lowering the pen tip onto the microscope slide, and marking the microscope slide by tracing the outside of tube.