Center masking add-on illuminator
AssigneeEdge Scientific Instrument Company LLC
InventorGary Greenberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for masking (center and peripheral) the microscope condenser lens to simultaneously maximize resolution, contrast and depth of field utilizing, at a conjugate plane of the aperture plane where an image of the rear aperture of the condenser lens has been created, a plurality of light sources to illuminate two or more of the faces of a multi-faced mirror in the shape of a pyramid which moves relative to the light sources to vary the amount of center masking continuously over a range including zero while directing multiple oblique beams of light onto the objective lens including such apparatus for connection to the illumination port of a light microscope in place of a standard light source.
Claims31
An illuminator for attachment to the illumination port of a light microscope, comprising in combination:
- a pyramid-shaped mirror having a plurality of reflective faces;
- a plurality of light sources illuminating a plurality of faces of said pyramid-shaped mirror;
- and
- a housing containing said pyramid-shaped mirror and having a connector for attachment to the illumination port of the microscope.
An illuminator for attachment to the illumination port of a light microscope having a condenser lens with a center, an optical axis and a rear aperture at its aperture plane, and an objective lens with an optical axis, comprising in combination:
- a lamp condenser lens;
- a pyramid-shaped mirror having a plurality of reflective faces;
- a plurality of light sources illuminating a plurality of faces of said pyramid-shaped mirror;
- and
- a housing containing said pyramid-shaped mirror, said lamp condenser lens and said light sources and having a connector for attachment to the illumination port of the microscope wherein said lamp condenser lens is disposed to create an image of the rear aperture of the microscope condenser lens at a conjugate aperture plane within said housing and at or near said pyramid-shaped mirror when said housing is connected to the illumination port and, further, wherein light from the faces of said pyramid-shaped mirror is directed onto the image of the rear aperture of the microscope condenser lens at the conjugate aperture plane.
An illuminator for a microscope for illuminating a specimen to create an image of the specimen to be viewed in the microscope, the combination comprising:
- a mirror in the shape of a multi-sided pyramid;
- and
- at least two light beams illuminating the specimen to create an image of the specimen in the microscope wherein said light beams travel non-coincident paths to different sides of said mirror.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.