Optical lens for use in a media supply device and lens, media supply device and microscope

Abstract

An optical lens for use in a media feed device, having a first lens surface and a second lens surface, wherein the first lens is provided to be facing an object to be observed and the second lens surface is provided to be facing away from the object to be observed. At least one channel opening onto the first lens surface is present, wherein the at least one channel runs through the optical lens and at least one section of a media line is formed in the at least one, channel or, if a plurality of channels are formed, at least one of the plurality of channels opens up outside a highest point in alignment with a line that is vertical with respect to the first lens surface and to the surface of the earth.

Claims

1. A microscope having an optical lens, said optical lens comprising: a first lens surface and a second lens surface, wherein the first lens surface is arranged to be facing an object to be observed and the second lens surface is arranged to be facing away from the object to be observed; with respect to a line that is oriented vertical with respect to the surface of the earth when the earth's gravitational force acts along an optical axis, at least one channel opening onto the first lens surface, wherein the at least one channel runs through said optical lens, one section of a media line formed in each of the at least one channel, the at least one channel or, if a plurality of channels are formed, at least one of the plurality of channels opens up outside a highest point in vertical alignment of the first lens surface, an immersion device; a controllable and displaceable stage for holding a sample carrier with a sample placed on a base of the sample carrier; an illumination objective and a detection objective, whereas respective objective axes of said illumination objective and said detection objective are orthogonal to one another and are directed to a common point of the sample; said illumination objective and said detection objective being both placed below the stage; said optical lens located in beam paths of said illumination objective and said detection objective as a common optical lens; wherein said common optical lens is formed as a meniscus lens assigned to the stage and sealed by a protective element in a form of a horizontally arranged membrane from an optics space, where said illumination objective and said detection objective are arranged and into which said optical lens arches; at least a first channel opening onto the first lens surface; wherein the at least first channel runs through said optical lens; and a section of a media line being formed in the first channel.

2. The microscope having an optical lens as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a used region of said optical lens is present in which no channel runs through.

3. The microscope having an optical lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wall of a first channel forms the one section of the media line.

4. The microscope having an optical lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the media line has the one section accommodated in a first channel.

5. The microscope having an optical lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first lens surface has a concave embodiment.

6. The microscope having an optical lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second lens surface has a concave, planar or convex or aspherical embodiment.

7. The microscope having an optical lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein said optical lens is formed as an arrangement of a plurality of individual lenses.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of illustrations and exemplary embodiments. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a first exemplary embodiment of an optical lens according to the invention in a sectional representation,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a second exemplary embodiment of an optical lens according to the invention in a sectional representation as a front lens of an objective,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a third exemplary embodiment of an optical lens according to the invention in a view from above,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a first exemplary embodiment of an immersion device according to the invention in a first view,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of the exemplary embodiment of an immersion device according to the invention in a second view and

(7) FIG. 6 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a media feed device according to the invention with an optical lens arranged inclined with respect to the vertical.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(8) The exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are schematic and are not to scale. The same reference signs denote the same elements.

(9) A first exemplary embodiment of an optical lens 1 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1 as a section along a diameter of the rotationally symmetrical optical lens 1. The optical lens 1 has a first lens surface 1.1 and a second lens surface 1.2. An optical axis 1.3 of the optical lens 1 coincides with a vertical. The optical lens 1 shown in FIG. 1 is oriented perpendicularly. The first lens surface 1.1 has a concave shape and faces a contact region 5, which can be filled with a medium 7 (see FIG. 3). In the middle of the optical lens 1, i.e. at its vertex or zenith, a channel 3 is present, which runs through the material of the optical lens 1 and whose mouth 3.2 faces the contact region 5. The first lens surface 1.1 is provided to be facing an object 15 to be observed (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 6), while the second lens surface 1.2 is provided to be facing away from the object 15 to be observed.

(10) Those regions of the optical lens 1 that the channel 3 does not run through represent an optical used region 2 of the optical lens 1. In the used region 2, rays passing through the optical lens 1, for example illumination radiation IB (see FIGS. 4 and 5) and/or detection radiation DB (see FIG. 4), are not influenced by the channel 3, in particular are not refracted, diffracted and/or dispersed thereby.

(11) The optical lens 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment can be assigned as an individual lens, for example as a meniscus lens or as a virtual relay, to one or more objectives 8 in such a way that their respective optical axes 4 are directed to the used region 2 (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 5).

(12) An embodiment of the optical lens 1 as a front lens of an objective 8 is shown in FIG. 2. The optical lens 1 of the second exemplary embodiment has two channels 3 which are formed in the lateral regions of the optical lens 1. As a result, the used region 2 is located around the optical axis 4 of the objective 8 and occupies the central part of the optical lens 1.

(13) The channels 3 are formed so far to the side that feeding or discharging a medium 7 (see FIGS. 3 to 6) into or out of the contact region 5 can take place by means of a media line 6 not shown here (see FIGS. 3 to 5).

(14) A third exemplary embodiment of an optical lens 1 according to the invention is shown in plan view in FIG. 3. The concave-shaped first lens surface 1.1 can be seen, which is filled with a medium 7 in its central depression as the contact region 5. The medium 7 is feedable to the contact region 5 via a channel 3, which is formed as a channel 3 which is open in a direction toward the observer. The medium 7 is dischargeable via a second channel 3, which is surrounded by the material of the optical lens 1 (symbolized by dashed lines). The channels 3 open onto the central depression and thus onto the contact region 5 (mouths 3.2).

(15) A media line 6 is connected to each of the channels 3. The walls 3.1 of the channels 3 serve as sections 6.1 of the media lines 6.

(16) An immersion device 9 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The immersion device 9 is a constituent part of a microscope 10, not shown in more detail.

(17) The optical lens 1 is formed in the form of a meniscus lens and assigned to a stage 13, advantageously to a controllably displaceable stage 13. The optical lens 1 is sealed by a protective element 17 in the form of a horizontally arranged membrane from an optics space O, in which objectives, an illumination objective 11 and a detection objective 12 in this example, are arranged and into which the optical lens 1 arches.

(18) A Petri dish is present on the stage 13 as a sample carrier 14, a sample 15 being placed on the base of said sample carrier. This base is formed by a cover glass 21 that is defined in terms of its thickness and refractive index.

(19) The illumination objective 11 and the detection objective 12, and hence the optical axes 4 thereof, are respectively inclined at an angle of, e.g., 45° in relation to a vertical axis that is shown as a reference axis (interrupted solid line) and directed to a common point of the sample 15. Here, the two objective axes 4 are orthogonal to one another. The optical lens 1 is located in the beam paths of the illumination objective 11 and the detection objective 12, which is shown by the schematic illustration of illumination radiation IB (illumination beam) and detection radiation DB (detection beam) using interrupted solid lines.

(20) The optical lens 1 has two channels 3, of which the mouth 3.2 of one of the channels 3, provided for the connection of a media line 6, can be seen in FIG. 4.

(21) The media line 6 is connected to a reservoir 18, in which medium 7 is contained and is feedable to the contact region 5 through the media line 6 by means of a pump 19. The pump 19 is connected to a control unit 20 and actuatable thereby.

(22) A gap 16 is present between the optical lens 1 and the lower side of the sample carrier 14. This is filled with a medium 7, for example with an immersion medium, due to arising capillary forces when the contact region 5 is filled with the medium 7. The contact region 5 that is filled with the medium 7, the region of the gap 16 below the sample 15 also being counted as such, forms an optical connection with few or no refractive index differences between the optical lens 1 and the material of the base of the sample carrier 14.

(23) In an alternative embodiment, the optical lens 1 embodied as a meniscus lens has a channel 3 which runs through the zenith of the optical lens 1 from the first lens surface 1.1 to the second lens surface 1.2. The channel 3 can be used for discharging the medium 7. Thus, the medium 7 can be guided into the contact region 5 via the protective element 17, for example run into said contact region. If necessary, the medium 7 is sucked through the channel 3.

(24) The immersion device 9 is shown in a second view in FIG. 5, wherein the direction of view corresponds to the direction of the arrow A from FIG. 4. The reservoir 18, the pump 19 with media line 6 and the control unit 20 are represented from the same perspective as in FIG. 4.

(25) In addition to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 shows media lines 6 that are connected to the optical lens 1 (illustrated in a section). The media lines 6 are connected to the optical lens 1 by means of a respective connector element 22, for example a nozzle with a union nut.

(26) The media line 6 coming from the reservoir 18 is additionally plugged into the channel 3 up to its mouth 3.2. The other media line 6, which serves to discharge the medium 7 from the contact region 5, is only connected to the connector element 22 and held at the optical lens 1. The wall 3.1 of the channel 3 functions as the wall of the media line 6 via the section 6.1 (see FIG. 3).

(27) In order to operate the immersion device 9, a medium 7, in particular an immersion medium, is filled into the reservoir 18. The medium 7 is selected, for example, on the basis of the properties of the materials of the optical lens 1, the cover glass 21 and/or the sample 15 and the illumination radiation IB used. As a result of a control command of the control unit 20, the medium 7 is conveyed by the pump 19 through the media line 6 into the contact region 5 until the latter is filled and bubble-free wetting of the first lens surface 1.1 via the used region 2 and of the object carrier 14 at least below the sample 15 via a region to be observed has occurred.

(28) Subsequently, the sample 15 can be observed and imaged by virtue of the selected illumination radiation IB being radiated into the sample 15 through the used region 2 of the optical lens 1 and through the medium 7 located in the contact region 5 and the base of the object carrier 14, by means of the illumination objective 11. Detection radiation DB coming from the sample 15 in the form of reflected portions of the illumination radiation IB and/or radiations excited by the illumination radiation IB, such as fluorescence radiation, are captured by means of the detection objective 12 and supplied to a detector (not shown).

(29) After the end of the sample examination, the immersion medium can be replaced by a new immersion medium or by a rinsing medium. The consumed medium 7, in this case the immersion medium, leaves the contact region 5 through the second channel 3 and it is guided into a collection or waste reservoir (not shown), for example.

(30) In further embodiments of the immersion device 9, the pump 19 is actuated by means of the control unit 20 in such a way that the medium 7 in the contact region 5 is replaced at intervals or continuously.

(31) A use of an optical lens 1 with a channel 3 according to the invention is shown in an example in FIG. 6. The optical axis 4 of the objective 8 coincides with the vertical. The optical axis 1.3 of the optical lens 1 is inclined by approximately 45° with respect to the vertical and is in a working position.

(32) While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with currently preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

REFERENCE SIGNS

(33) 1 optical lens 1.1 first lens surface 1.2 second lens surface 1.3 optical axis (of the optical lens 1) 2 (optical) used region 3 channel 3.1 wall (of the channel) 3.2 mouth (of the channel) 4 optical axis (of the objective) 5 contact region 6 media line 6.1 section (of the media line) 7 medium 8 objective 9 immersion device 10 microscope 11 illumination objective 12 detection objective IB illumination radiation DB detection radiation O optics space 13 stage 14 sample carrier 15 sample 16 gap 17 protective element 18 reservoir 19 pump 20 control unit 21 cover glass 22 connector element