Correction device for an optical arrangement and confocal microscope with such a device

Abstract

A correction device for an imaging optical arrangement exhibiting a light path ( 1 ), in particular for a microscope, that exhibits at least one plane-parallel transparent plate ( 9 ), which is held in a mounting plate in the image beam path ( 1 ) and is propelable around at least one axle in a tipping and/or a swiveling motion, in order in adjust a definite parallel misalignment of the beams in the image beam path ( 1 ) by a change in the tipping situation of the plate ( 9 ). A confocal microscope with such a correction device exhibits a confocal screen ( 4 ), which illustrates a specimen mark ( 10 ), whereby the plane-parallel plate ( 9 ) is placed in front of the detector unit ( 2 ) in the light path ( 1 ), in order to center the illustration of the aperture diaphragm on the detector unit.

1 . (canceled)  
   
   
       2 . (canceled)  
   
   
       3 . Microscope according to  claim 15 , further comprising changeable or adjustable elements in the light path, and 
 a servo unit (C), which records at least one operating parameter of the microscope and which adjusts the tilting situation to be dependent of the value of the operating parameter, wherein the servo unit (C) records a configuration of the changeable or adjustable elements as operating parameters.    
   
   
       4 . Confocal microscope according to  claim 15 , further comprising an automatic control loop (C) that uses the tilting situation of the at least two plane-parallel transparent plates as a correcting variable, wherein the automatic control loop (C) maximizes the radiation intensity at the detector unit or minimizes an image misalignment, or both.  
   
   
       5 . Microscope according to  claim 15 , comprising two plane-parallel transparent plates, wherein the plane-parallel transparent plates are independently movable and are made from materials of different dispersion, in order to adjust one of a color-independent and aimed color-dependent parallel misalignment.  
   
   
       6 . Microscope according to  claim 14 , wherein the at least one plane-parallel transparent plate comprises two sub panels and is made with materials of different dispersion, in order to compensate color transverse errors in the light path.  
   
   
       7 . (canceled)  
   
   
       8 . Microscope according to  claim 14 , wherein the detector unit covers a locally resolved detector.  
   
   
       9 . Microscope according to  claim 14 , further comprising changeable or adjustable elements in the light path, and 
 a servo unit (C), which records at least one operating parameter of the confocal microscope and which adjusts the tilting situation to be dependent of the value of the operating parameter, wherein the servo unit (C) records a configuration of the changeable or adjustable elements as operating parameters.    
   
   
       10 . Microscope according to  claim 9 , wherein the light path guides radiation of different wavelengths and the servo unit (C) records the wavelength in the light path as an operating parameter.  
   
   
       11 . Microscope according to  claim 14 , further comprising an automatic control loop (C) that uses the tilting situation of the at least one plane-parallel transparent plate as a correcting variable, wherein the automatic control loop (C) maximizes the radiation intensity at the detector unit or minimizes an image misalignment, or both.  
   
   
       12 . Microscope according to  claim 14 , further comprising a servo unit (C), which records at least one operating parameter of the optical arrangement and which adjusts the tilting situation to be dependent of the value of the operating parameter, and 
 wherein the confocal slit is designed as a slit diaphragm and the detector unit is designed as a line detector and wherein the tilting situation is adjustable about two axes such that the image of a specimen line is centered on the slit diaphragm.    
   
   
       13 . Microscope according to  claim 14 , further comprising a servo unit (C), which records at least one operating parameter of the optical arrangement and which adjusts the tilting situation to be dependent of the value of the operating parameter, and 
 wherein the confocal slit is designed as a slit diaphragm and the detector unit is designed as a line detector and wherein the tilting situation is adjustable about two axes such that the image of the slit diaphragm is centered about two axes on the detector line.    
   
   
       14 . Confocal microscope having a beam path and comprising: 
 a confocal slit,    a detector unit following the confocal slit, and    a correction device for focusing a selected specimen field on the confocal slit, wherein the correction device includes: 
 (a) at least one plane-parallel transparent plate, wherein the at least one plane-parallel transparent plate has at least one of a tilting and swiveling movement around at least two axes, wherein the plane-parallel transparent plate is provided between the specimen field and the confocal slit and also between the confocal slit and the detector unit, and  
 (b) at least one mounting plate in the image beam path, wherein the mounting plate holds the plane-parallel transparent plate in the image beam path and moves the plane-parallel transparent plate in at least one of a tilting movement and a swiveling around at least two axes, in order to adjust a constant parallel misalignment (dx, dy) of the beams in the light path by change of the tilting situation of the plane-parallel transparent plate,  
   wherein the plane-parallel transparent plate is placed first in the light path of the detector unit, in order to center the image of the selected specimen field on one of the detector unit and an image of the confocal slit on the detector unit.    
   
   
       15 . Confocal microscope having a beam path and comprising: 
 a confocal slit,    a detector unit following the confocal slit, and    a correction device for focusing a selected specimen field on the confocal slit, wherein the correction device includes: 
 at least two plane-parallel transparent plates, each of the plane-parallel transparent plates being tiltable around one axis wherein one of the plane-parallel transparent plates is provided between the specimen field and the confocal slit and another of the plane-parallel transparent plates is provided between the slit and the detector unit, and  
 (b) at least two mounting plates in the image beam path, wherein each of the mounting plates holds one of the plane-parallel transparent plates in the image beam path and moves the plane-parallel transparent plate in one of a tilting movement and a swiveling around one axis, in order to adjust a constant parallel misalignment (dx, dy) of the beams in the light path by change of the tilting situation of the plane-parallel transparent plate,  
   wherein the at least two plane-parallel transparent plates are placed first in the light path of the detector unit, in order to center the image of the selected specimen field on one of the detector unit and an image of the confocal slit on the detector unit.    
   
   
       16 . Microscope according to  claim 14  wherein the microscope has an excitation light path for the illumination of the selected specimen field, and wherein the at least one plane-parallel plate is included in the excitation light path.  
   
   
       17 . Microscope according to  claim 15 , wherein each of the at least two plane-parallel transparent plates comprises two sub panels and is made with materials of different dispersion, in order to compensate color transverse errors in the light path.  
   
   
       18 . Microscope according to  claim 3 , wherein the light path guides radiation of different wavelengths and the servo unit (C) records the wavelength in the light path as an operating parameter.  
   
   
       19 . Microscope according to  claim 15 , wherein the detector unit covers a locally resolved detector.  
   
   
       20 . Microscope according to  claim 15  wherein the microscope has an excitation light path for the illumination of the selected specimen field, and wherein the at least two plane-parallel plates are included in the excitation light path.