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CN-121986284-A - Microscope stand

CN121986284ACN 121986284 ACN121986284 ACN 121986284ACN-121986284-A

Abstract

A microscope stand (102) includes a base (110) having a viewing position (114) configured to receive an object (108) and a microscope stand (116) extending in a vertical direction (V) from the base (110). An imaging unit carrier (118) is movably mounted to the microscope stand (116) and is configured to mount the imaging unit (104) to the microscope stand (102). The imaging unit (104) is configured to generate a microscopic image of the object (108) received in the viewing position (114). The microscope stand (116) further includes a coarse drive (302) and a fine drive (304) mechanically coupled to the coarse drive (302) and arranged in series with the coarse drive (302), the coarse drive configured to coarse adjust a vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V). The fine drive (304) is configured to fine tune the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V). The coarse drive means (302) is arranged and configured to be movable by the fine drive means (304), and the fine drive means (304) is configured to move the coarse drive means (302) and the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V) in order to fine tune the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118).

Inventors

  • Christian Malte
  • HARALD SCHNITZLER

Assignees

  • 徕卡仪器（新加坡）有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240617
Priority Date
20231011

Claims (13)

  1. 1. A microscope stand (102), comprising: a base (110), the base (110) comprising a viewing position (114) configured to receive an object (108); A microscope stand (116), the microscope stand (116) extending in a vertical direction (V) from the base (110), and An imaging unit carrier (118), the imaging unit carrier (118) being movably mounted to the microscope stand (116) and configured to mount the imaging unit (104) to the microscope stand (102), the imaging unit (104) being configured to generate a microscopic image of the object (108) received in the viewing position (114); Wherein the microscope stand (116) comprises a coarse drive device (302), the coarse drive device (302) being configured to coarse-adjust the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V), and A fine drive (304), the fine drive (304) being mechanically coupled to the coarse drive (302) and being arranged in series with the coarse drive (302), the fine drive (304) being configured to fine tune the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V), wherein, The coarse drive means (302) is arranged and configured to be movable by the fine drive means (304), and the fine drive means (304) is configured to move the coarse drive means (302) and the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V) in order to fine tune the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118).
  2. 2. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a controller (106), the controller (106) being configured to control the coarse drive (302) and the fine drive (304) based on user input corresponding to a set point of a vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V).
  3. 3. The microscope stand (102) of claim 2, comprising a linear encoder (208), the linear encoder (208) being configured to generate a sensor signal corresponding to a vertical position of the imaging unit carrier (118) in a vertical direction (V) and to transmit the sensor signal to the controller (106).
  4. 4. A microscope stand (102) according to claim 3, wherein the controller (106) is a closed loop controller (106) configured to control the coarse drive means (302) and the fine drive means (304) based on the sensor signal.
  5. 5. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a stroke of the fine drive (304) is smaller than a stroke of the coarse drive (302).
  6. 6. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the course drive (302) has a stroke of at least 5mm and/or at most 2000 mm.
  7. 7. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stroke of the fine drive means (304) is at least 1 micrometer and/or at most 500 micrometers.
  8. 8. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step size of the fine drive (304) is smaller than the step size of the coarse drive (302).
  9. 9. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step size of the fine drive means (304) is at least 1 nanometer and/or at most 1000 nanometers.
  10. 10. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coarse drive (302) is a spindle drive, or a rack and pinion drive, or a belt drive.
  11. 11. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coarse drive means (302) comprises a stepper motor, a dc motor, a brushless dc motor or a linear motor.
  12. 12. The microscope stand (102) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fine drive means (304) comprises a piezoelectric motor (206) or a stepper motor.
  13. 13. The microscope stand (102) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (110) comprises a microscope stage (112), the microscope stage (112) being configured to be movable in at least one direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (V), and wherein a top surface of the microscope stage (112) comprises a viewing position (114).

Description

Microscope stand Technical Field The invention relates to a microscope stand comprising a base and a microscope stand extending in a vertical direction from the base. Background In the art, drive means for microscopes are known which move the sample and/or detection optics along the optical axis of the microscope. Since the optical axis is also referred to as the Z axis, these driving means are also referred to as Z driving means. These Z drives are capable of moving the focal plane position of the microscope relative to the sample in order to precisely align the focal plane position with the desired sample position. Because of the small depth of field of a typical microscope, high accuracy is required in adjusting the focal plane position. However, the sample may extend in the Z direction. Thus, the Z drive also requires a longer travel distance in order to achieve observation of thick samples. Known Z drive devices include manual Z drive devices and electric Z drive devices. In a manual Z drive, the movement of the control element (commonly referred to as a focus knob) is directly translated into movement of the sample or detection optics. The microscope may include two focus knobs, one for coarse focus plane position and a second for fine focus plane position. In an motorized Z drive, movement of the control element controls a motor that moves the sample or detection optics. The electric driving device realizes automatic focusing and can automatically collect images, in particular Z-axis layer scan images and depth extended images, so that digital image collection is supported to a great extent. Known motorized Z drive arrangements include a single motor, typically a stepper motor or a dc motor. However, there are also Z-drive devices comprising piezo-electric motors for very fine adjustment of the position of the sample or detection optics. The main disadvantage of the prior art is poor overall performance due to both the need for long travel distances and fast movements, and the need for high positioning accuracy. High positioning accuracy is generally achieved by using a motor-gear unit with a large reduction ratio, but this results in a slow moving speed. In contrast, a small reduction ratio achieves a high moving speed, but at the same time the positioning accuracy is proportionally reduced. The known prior art is therefore in technical dilemma, which results in functional limitations, in particular for digital microscopes. Disclosure of Invention It is an object to provide a microscope stand enabling adjustment of focal plane position with high accuracy while providing long stroke and fast moving speed. The above object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and in the following description. The proposed microscope stand includes a base having a viewing position configured to receive an object and a microscope stand extending in a vertical direction from the base. The imaging unit carrier is movably mounted to the microscope stand and is configured to mount the imaging unit to the microscope stand. The imaging unit is configured to generate a microscopic image of an object received in the observation position. The microscope stand further includes a coarse drive and a fine drive mechanically coupled to and arranged in series with the coarse drive, the coarse drive configured to coarse adjust a vertical position of the imaging unit carrier in a vertical direction. The fine driving device is configured to fine-tune the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier in the vertical direction. The coarse drive means is arranged and configured to be movable by the fine drive means, and the fine drive means is configured to move the coarse drive means and the imaging unit carrier in a vertical direction in order to fine tune the vertical position of the imaging unit carrier. The base may include, for example, a transmitted light stage. However, the base may also comprise any other arrangement allowing the sample to be placed in a viewing position. The microscope stand extends vertically from the base and mounts an imaging unit carrier that can be moved in a vertical direction. The imaging unit carrier mounts an imaging unit that is not part of the microscope stand. The microscope stand and the imaging unit together form at least part of a microscope system. The imaging unit is detachable from the imaging unit carrier and includes optical components for generating microscopic images. The imaging unit may further comprise an imaging sensor for capturing microscopic images and/or an eyepiece allowing a user to observe microscopic images. The fine drive is configured to move the imaging unit carrier in small steps. Thus, the fine drive arrangement allows for moving the imaging unit carrier with high precision, for example during auto-focusing or acquisition of Z-axis scout images. Instead, the coarse drive is configured to move