Illumination device for an optical viewing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568722-B2
Application number	US-201514752693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Jun 26, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

An illumination device for an optical viewing apparatus has a light source including a first individual light source and a second individual light source arranged in a plane. The first individual light source has a first midpoint and the second individual light source has a second midpoint. An axial direction is defined by a vector from the second midpoint to the first midpoint. An illumination optical unit defines an optical axis which is arranged perpendicularly to the plane and intersects the plane at an intersection point. The light source is imaged toward infinity by the illumination optical unit. The first individual light source has an extent along the axial direction. The midpoint is offset by an amount (Δ) in a positive direction along the axial direction relative to the intersection. The relationship 0.1*L 1 ≦Δ≦1*L 1 is satisfied for the offset.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical microscope for viewing an eye of a patient, the surgical microscope comprising:
an observation optical unit and a main objective defining an object plane;
said observation optical unit and said main objective conjointly defining a viewing beam path;
an illumination device having a light source for generating illuminating light and illumination optics configured for imaging said illuminating light at infinity;
said light source defining a light source plane and having a first individual light source and a second individual light source;
a deflection element arranged downstream of said illumination optic for coupling said illumination light into said viewing beam path and toward said eye via said main objective as a beam of parallel rays so as to permit focusing of said parallel rays beyond said object plane and within said eye;
said first and said second individual light sources being arranged in said light source plane;
said first individual light source having a first midpoint (M 1 );
said second individual light source having a second midpoint (M 2 );
said second midpoint (M 2 ) and said first midpoint (M 1 ) defining a vector from said second midpoint (M 2 ) to said first midpoint (M 1 );
said vector defining a first axial direction (A 1 );
said illumination optics defining an optical axis (Z) arranged perpendicular to said light source plane and intersecting said light source plane at an intersection point;
said first individual light source having a first extent (L 1 ) along said first axial direction (A 1 );
said first midpoint (M 1 ) being offset by an amount (Δ) in a positive direction along said axial direction (A 1 ) with respect to said intersection point so as to bring said second individual light source closer to said optical axis causing said first and second individual light sources to effect illuminations at respectively different angles with respect to said optical axis thereby providing two types of illumination of the ocular fundus of the eye when said first and second light sources are switched on separately; and
wherein the following relationship for said offset is satisfied: 0.1*L 1 ≦Δ≦1*L 1 .

2. The surgical microscope of claim 1 , wherein the illumination device defines a second axial direction (A 2 ) perpendicular to said first axial direction (A 1 ); and, said first midpoint (M 1 ) is offset a second amount in the direction of said second axial direction with respect to said intersection point.

3. The surgical microscope of claim 1 , wherein:
said light source defines an array of individual light sources having a first row and a second row;
said first individual light source is arranged in said first row of said array;
said second individual light source is arranged in said second row of said array; and,
said first individual light source and said second individual light source are mutually independently controllable.

4. The surgical microscope of claim 3 , wherein said light source further has at least a third and a fourth individual light source; and, said third and said fourth individual light sources are arranged in said array.

5. The surgical microscope of claim 4 , wherein said individual light sources are configured in one of a square, rectangular and round manner.

6. The surgical microscope of claim 1 further comprising a control unit configured to control the brightness of each of said individual light sources via control of at least one of voltage, current control and pulsewidth modulation with freely settable pulse ratios.

7. The surgical microscope of claim 1 , wherein the following relationship for said offset is satisfied: 0.15*L 1 ≦Δ≦0.7*L 1 .

8. The surgical microscope of claim 1 , wherein the following relationship for said offset is satisfied: 0.2*L 1 ≦Δ≦0.5*L 1 .

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Reimer Peter
• Kolster Daniel
• Merz Franz
• Meinkuss Stefan

Classifications

• G02B21/125

  affording both dark- and bright-field illumination · CPC title

• G02B21/06 Primary

  Means for illuminating specimens · CPC title

• G02B21/082 Primary

  for incident illumination only · CPC title

• G02B21/0012

  Surgical microscopes (counterbalanced structures for surgical microscopes G02B7/001) · CPC title