Patents Assigned to Carl Zeiss Microimaging GmbH
  • Patent number: 7485875
    Abstract: A resolution-enhanced luminescence microscopy method, wherein a sample is excited so as to luminesce, and thus to emit a given luminescence radiation, by irradiation of exciting radiation and an image of the luminescent sample is obtained, wherein the luminescent sample is transferable from a first state of luminescence, in which first state the sample's excitability for emission of the given luminescence radiation increases up to a maximum value as the exciting radiation power increases, into a second state of luminescence, in which second state the sample has reduced excitability for emission of the given luminescence radiation relative to the first state, wherein the maximum value is assigned to a threshold value of exciting radiation power and the sample is transferable into the second state by irradiation of exciting radiation power above the threshold value, the sample being brought into the first state in partial areas and being brought into the second state in adjacent partial areas by irradiating exc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Wolleschensky, Michael Kempe
  • Patent number: 7480094
    Abstract: An arrangement for switching the operating modes of a microscope tube between the observation position, photo position and simultaneous observation/photo position. A prism is used having surfaces of different transparency which can be moved selectively into the beam path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventor: Andreas Hermann
  • Patent number: 7468834
    Abstract: Microscope with heightened resolution and linear scanning wherein the sample is illuminated with a first and a second illuminating light, whereby the first illuminating light excites the sample, and the second illuminating light is generated through the refraction of coherent light at a periodic structure and displays a periodic structure in a lateral beam direction and in axial beam direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventor: Ralf Wolleschensky
  • Patent number: 7463344
    Abstract: Arrangement and method for the optical detection of light radiation which is excited and/or backscattered in a specimen, wherein the illumination of the specimen and/or the detection of the specimen light is carried out by at least two objectives arranged on different sides of the specimen. The specimen illumination is focused in or in the vicinity of a pupil plane of the beam path between the specimen plane and the detection plane at least on one axis and an element for the spatial separation of the illumination light from the detection light are provided in this plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Wolleschensky, Michael Kempe
  • Patent number: 7459698
    Abstract: Process for the observation of at least one sample region with a light raster microscope by a relative movement between the illumination light and sample via a first scanner along at least one scanning axis essentially perpendicular to the illumination axis wherein at an angle to the plane of the relative movement, preferably perpendicular thereto a second scanner is moved and an image acquisition takes place by the movement of the first and second scanners being coupled and a three-dimensional sampling movement being done by the illumination of the sample wherein the second scanner is coupled to the movement of the first scanner in such a manner that straight and/or curved lines and/or plane and/or curved surfaces are scanned which are extended along at least one scanning direction of the first scanner as well as along the scanning direction of the second scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Engelmann, Joerg-Michael Funk, Joerg Steinert, Bernhard Zimmermann, Stefan Wilhelm, Joerg Engel, Ulrich Meisel
  • Patent number: 7456026
    Abstract: An arrangement for the detection of fluorescent light with at least one imaging microscope unit and at least one device component for analyzing molecular interactions in small volumes, wherein measurement locations for the analysis of molecular interaction are determined and selected in at least two dimensions by the imaging method; the imaging microscope unit and the device components are operated with a shared control unit; and at least the analysis results of the device component are graphically depicted via the control unit and a computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Reinhard Janka, Volker Juengel, Tilo Jankowski, Frank Hecht
  • Patent number: 7430075
    Abstract: A condenser arrangement for brightfield illumination and/or darkfield illumination for optical microscopes comprises in a housing basic optics having at least one lens, at least one front optics which can be inserted into the illumination beam path in front of the basic optics, and means for inserting the front optics into the illumination beam path of the microscope. A first swiveling arm and a second swiveling arm are swivelably arranged at the housing of the condenser. The first swiveling arm carries first front optics with a high aperture for brightfield illumination and the second swiveling arm carries second front optics for darkfield illumination. The two swiveling arms are arranged at a defined distance from the shared basic optics of the condenser in direction of the optical axis of the illumination beam path. An aperture iris diaphragm is provided on the object side in front of the basic optics and is opened when the cardioid optics are inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Dietrich, Michael Brehm, Heino Heise
  • Patent number: 7420674
    Abstract: A method and/or arrangement for the analysis of fluorescing samples in an image-generating microscope system, preferably a laser scanning microscope, wherein the sample is scanned point-by-point or line-by-line in at least one surface section and a dispersive splitting of the radiation coming from the sample is carried out during the scanning, wherein the split radiation is detected by at least one line of detector elements in a wavelength-dependent manner, a selection of two-dimensional or three-dimensional sample parts which correspond to pre-stored two-dimensional or three-dimensional geometric objects or the like is carried out based on the recorded and stored intensity distribution of at least one of these detection elements and/or at least one other detection element for the radiation reflected from the sample by image processing, and an analysis of the spectral signature and/or spatial spectral sequence is carried out for at least a portion of these sample regions with respect to the fluorescence marke
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Gerstner, Joerg Lindenau
  • Patent number: 7416313
    Abstract: The invention relates to an assembly for illuminating objects with light of different wavelengths in microscopes, automatic microscopes and devices for fluorescent microscopy applications. Said assembly comprises LED light sources for illuminating the objects, which are positioned in the illumination beam path of the microscope or device. A receiving element (6; 13) that can be rotated about a rotational axis (5) is provided with respective fixing elements (7) for at least one LED (3; 3.1). The receiving device (6; 13) is situated in a housing (1) that can be placed on or positioned in the device housing (18). A drive unit (9) for the defined adjustment of the receiving device (6; 13) is provided in such a way that the LED (3; 3.1) can be positioned in front of a light emission opening of the housing (1) with the respective focal point wavelength that is required for measuring and/or observation purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Westphal, Daniel Bublitz
  • Patent number: 7411166
    Abstract: A Device for coupling a short pulse laser into a microscope beam path, wherein the spectral components of the laser radiation are spatially separated by means of a dispersive element, the individual spectral components are manipulated and are then spatially superimposed again by means of another dispersive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Wolleschensky, Thomas Feurer, Roland Sauerbrey
  • Patent number: 7400433
    Abstract: Adjustable pinhole, particularly for the illumination beam path and/or detection beam path of a laser scanning microscope, wherein the pinhole is defined by foil edges which are adjustable relative to one another, and at least two foils, each with at least one straight edge, are advantageously arranged relative to one another and/or connected to one another in such a way that their edges describe an L-shape and the L-shaped connection pieces are arranged on one another in such a way that they define a rhombic or square light passage and they are moved relative to one another for adjusting the pinhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Karlheinz Bartzke, Ralf Wolleschensky, Karl-Heinz Klopfleisch, Jens Hofmann
  • Patent number: 7388322
    Abstract: The invention is directed to an illumination device for microscopes which is provided with a halogen lamp with a reflector and a filament extending in direction of the optical axis and a scatter disk and which enables a homogeneous illumination of the visual field without additional optical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Dietrich, Jan Buchheister
  • Patent number: 7382530
    Abstract: A method by which the illumination radiation to be coupled into the illumination beam path of a microscope can be exactly monitored and/or adjusted. In the method for adjusting a light source for a microscope, an imaging optical reflection unit, instead of the objective, is coupled to the microscope in order to image the light of the light source on a detector in such a way that a monitoring of the focus position and/or the position and/or an adjustment of the laser light source with respect to the focus position and/or the position can be carried out. Provided is an approach for monitoring and adjusting a laser beam to be coupled into the illumination beam path of a microscope particularly for using TIRF effects. It can also be used in principle for other solutions in which the parallelism of illumination beams must be monitored and/or adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Jan Thirase, Bruene Venus
  • Patent number: 7382542
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a high-aperture optical imaging system, particularly for microscopes, which comprises an objective and a tube lens unit and in which the objective has a magnification of less than or equal to 40× and a numerical aperture of greater than or equal to 1.0 and is chromatically corrected up to the infrared.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventor: Rolf Wartmann
  • Patent number: 7369228
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a spectrometer in which the electrical and optical components are connected to one another in a compact construction. A minimal expenditure on assembly and adjustment is achieved through a small quantity of individual parts. The compact spectrometer comprises an entrance slit, an imaging grating, one or more detector elements in rows or matrices, and elements of a controlling and evaluating unit. The detector elements and the entrance slit are arranged on a shared support, the elements of the controlling and evaluating unit being arranged on the free surfaces of the support. The entrance slit and the detector elements and the imaging spherical grating recessed into the spectrometer housing are arranged symmetric to an imaginary center axis of the support. Due to its compact size and the minimized expenditure on adjustment and assembly for its manufacture, the inventive spectrometer has numerous applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Felix Kerstan, Ullrich Klarner, Nico Correns, Gregor Tumpach
  • Patent number: 7335866
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for improving the depth discrimination in optically imaging systems. It is applicable in particular in light microscopy for improving image quality when examining three-dimensionally extending objects. It is applicable in the method of structured illumination as described in WO 97/6509. For this purpose, influences due to variations in the brightness of the light source, positioning of the imaged periodic structure and bleaching of the object in fluorescence illumination are determined and taken into account in the calculation of the object structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Backs, Joerg Schaffer, Lutz Schaefer, Martin Voelcker
  • Patent number: 7293885
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a microscope in which laser light is used to irradiate a sample to be examined and which is outfitted with a protective device for preventing eye damage due to laser light. It is the object of the invention to provide a protective device for microscopes of the type described above which ensures protection against eye damage and visibility of the sample. According to the invention, the protective device has at least one area which is not transparent to harmful radiation components, but which is transparent to harmless, visible radiation components, so that an observer can see the sample through this area without risk of eye damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Kramer, Bruene Venus
  • Patent number: 7268953
    Abstract: A microscope objective with high aperture, large object field and apochromatic correction in the wavelength range from ultraviolet to infrared. The microscope objective includes, starting from the object level: a first group of lenses with overall positive refraction power, including a cemented group with positive-negative refraction power effect, made out of one of two lenses, and of a further lens with positive refraction power, a second group of lenses with positive refraction power, including three cemented lenses, a third group of lenses with negative refraction power, including three cemented lenses, in which the side that faces the image plane is convex, a fourth group of lenses, consisting of a lens with positive refraction power and a cemented group of two lenses with positive-negative refraction power, and a fifth group of lenses, including two lenses in a cemented group with negative-positive refraction power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microimaging GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Matthae, Werner Kleinschmidt, Georg Herbst