Protective device and method for protecting microscope components from contact with a liquid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11221474-B2
Application number	US-202117240010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2021
Priority date	Apr 29, 2020
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A protective device for protecting microscope components from contact with a liquid comprises at least one objective protection ring for arrangement around an objective, wherein the objective protection ring comprises an annular contact area for contacting the objective; and a stand protector with a drainage channel for draining a liquid. The objective protection ring comprises a lower ring area located below the contact area and protruding further outwards radially than the contact area in order to form a free space in the inward direction.

First claim

We claim:

1. A protective device for protecting microscope components from contact with a liquid, comprising:
an objective protection ring for arrangement around an objective, wherein the objective protection ring comprises an annular contact area for contacting the objective; and
a stand protector with a drainage channel for draining a liquid;
wherein the objective protection ring comprises a lower ring area located below the contact area and protruding further outwards radially than the contact area so as to form a free space in an inward direction; and
wherein, in order to reduce an ingress of liquid via a capillary effect, a radial dimension of the free space is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

2. The protective device of claim 1 ,
wherein, in a mounted state, the free space runs in an annular fashion around an entire circumference of the objective so as to prevent the capillary effect.

3. The protective device of claim 1 ,
wherein an objective-changer cover or the stand protector comprises at least one objective opening for an objective and includes an inner collar at each objective opening, wherein the inner collar delimits a portion of the free space in a mounted state.

4. The protective device of claim 1 ,
wherein the radial dimension of the free space is greater than an axial distance between the objective protection ring and an objective-changer cover, or, in cases where an objective-changer cover is not provided, between the objective protection ring and the stand protector.

5. A microscope with a stand, at least one objective and the protective device defined in claim 1 .

6. The microscope of claim 5 ,
wherein the objective protection ring extends around the objective at its connecting end and otherwise leaves a casing surface of the objective free.

7. The microscope of claim 5 ,
wherein the stand protector is arranged so that a recess or a circumferential interruption of the drainage channel lies next to the objective located in an optical path of the microscope.

8. A protective device for protecting microscope components from contact with a liquid, comprising:
an objective protection ring for arrangement around an objective, wherein the objective protection ring comprises an annular contact area for contacting the objective; and
a stand protector with a drainage channel for draining a liquid;
wherein the objective protection ring comprises a lower ring area located below the contact area and protruding further outwards radially than the contact area so as to form a free space in an inward direction; and
wherein the protective device further comprises an objective-changer cover for arrangement on an objective changer.

9. The protective device of claim 8 ,
wherein the objective protection ring is arranged at a distance from the objective-changer cover in order to reduce an ingress of liquid via a capillary effect.

10. The protective device of claim 8 ,
wherein the objective protection ring comprises a hydrophobic coating on an inner side of the lower ring area and a hydrophilic coating at least on parts of its outer side.

11. The protective device of claim 8 ,
wherein the objective changer is an objective revolver or an objective slider; and
wherein the objective-changer cover is a revolver cover or an objective-slider cover for arrangement on the objective revolver or the objective slider.

12. The protective device of claim 11 ,
wherein at least one of the objective protection ring, the revolver cover, or the stand protector, comprises electrically conductive parts for electromagnetic shielding.

13. The protective device of claim 11 ,
wherein the revolver cover is configured with an overhang relative to the stand protector, wherein the overhang forms an annular gap between the revolver cover and the stand protector in order to prevent an ingress of liquid via a capillary effect.

14. The protective device of claim 11 ,
wherein the revolver cover has, in a radially outward direction, an outer collar that projects upwards, wherein, in a mounted state on an inclined objective revolver, the outer collar causes a draining of liquid at a lowermost side of the revolver cover.

15. The protective device of claim 11 ,
wherein the revolver cover has a hydrophobic coating in areas that delimit portions of the free space; and
wherein the revolver cover at least partially comprises a hydrophilic coating on its outer side for conducting a liquid from the objective protection ring to the stand protector.

16. The protective device of claim 8 ,
wherein, for an improved accessibility of a differential interference contrast (DIC) slot, the stand protector comprises a recess with a reduced depth of the drainage channel or a circumferential interruption on a side which lies opposite a lowermost side of the revolver cover or lies opposite a side of the stand protector on which the stand protector comprises a drain;
wherein the stand protector has, on its underside, a drip edge, which is shorter in an area of the recess;
the protective device further comprising a collection container which is fluidly connected to the drain of the stand protector.

17. The protective device of claim 8 ,
comprising an interface cover fixable at an objective opening of the objective-changer cover when an objective is not in use at the objective opening;
wherein the interface cover comprises a mounting area which engages the objective opening in a mounted state;
wherein the interface cover comprises an overhang area which extends upwards from the objective opening, projects radially over the mounting area and is located at a distance from the objective-changer cover in the mounted state;
wherein the interface cover comprises electrical contacts for connecting to contacts of the objective changer, wherein the interface cover comprises a memory with identification data that can be read via the electrical contacts.

18. A protective device for protecting microscope components from contact with a liquid, comprising:
an objective protection ring for arrangement around an objective, wherein the objective protection ring comprises an annular contact area for contacting the objective; and
a stand protector with a drainage channel for draining a liquid;
wherein the objective protection ring comprises a lower ring area located below the contact area and protruding further outwards radially than the contact area so as to form a free space in an inward direction; and
wherein an objective-changer cover extends under the objective protection ring further in a direction of a centre of the objective protection ring than the lower ring area of the objective protection ring,
or, in cases where an objective-changer cover is not provided, wherein the stand protector extends under the objective protection ring further in the direction of the centre of the objective protection ring than the lower ring area of the objective protection ring.

19. A method for protecting microscope components from contact with a liquid, including:
arranging an objective protection ring around an objective, wherein the objective protection ring contacts the objective with an annular contact area; and
arranging a stand protector on a stand of a microscope, wherein the stand protector comprises a drainage channel for draining a liquid;
wherein the objective protection ring comprises a lower ring area located below the contact area and protruding further outwards radially than the contact area so as to form a free space in an inward direction; and
wherein a

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh

Inventors

• Fahlbusch Ingo
• Schnüll Peter
• Knoblich Johannes

Classifications

• G02B21/248 Primary

  objective (or ocular) turrets · CPC title

• G02B21/33

  Immersion oils {, or microscope systems or objectives for use with immersion fluids} · CPC title

• G02B21/24 Primary

  Base structure · CPC title

• G02B21/02

  Objectives · CPC title

• G02B21/0088 Primary

  Inverse microscopes · CPC title