Abstract: A movable part to which a specimen or optical component is fixed is effectively damped in a short period of time at low cost, while saving space and energy and avoiding heat generation, thus allowing high-precision observation of a specimen to be carried out quickly after stopping at a certain position. The invention provides a microscope system including a driving mechanism for driving a movable part to which a specimen or optical component is fixed and stopping the movable part at a certain position; and a vibration damping mechanism for damping vibrations generated when stopping the movable part with the driving mechanism. The vibration damping mechanism includes an inertial member having a prescribed mass and a viscoelastic member sandwiched between the inertial member and the movable part. Dimensions in a plurality of directions of the viscoelastic member are set on the basis of resonance frequencies of vibrations generated in multiple directions when stopping the movable part.

Abstract: A movable part to which a specimen or optical component is fixed is effectively damped in a short period of time at low cost, while saving space and energy and avoiding heat generation, thus allowing high-precision observation of a specimen to be carried out quickly after stopping at a certain position. The invention provides a microscope system including a driving mechanism for driving a movable part to which a specimen or optical component is fixed and stopping the movable part at a certain position; and a vibration damping mechanism for damping vibrations generated when stopping the movable part with the driving mechanism. The vibration damping mechanism includes an inertial member having a prescribed mass and a viscoelastic member sandwiched between the inertial member and the movable part. Dimensions in a plurality of directions of the viscoelastic member are set on the basis of resonance frequencies of vibrations generated in multiple directions when stopping the movable part.

Abstract: A focusing position detecting device of this invention comprises a CCD image sensor including a light receiving section in which an image of a subject which is formed by an image forming optical system and is an object of focusing position detection is projected on a plurality of picture elements, a shift register for transferring charges read out from the picture elements in synchronism with a charge transfer clock, and an output section for sequentially storing charges transferred by the shift register, a picture element readout circuit for supplying a picture element readout signal to the CCD image sensor and reading out charges stored in the picture elements to the shift register, a sampling circuit for sampling the charges stored in the output section to derive a luminance signal for each of the picture elements, a focusing position deriving circuit for deriving the focusing position of the image forming optical system from the luminance signal sampled by the sampling circuit, and a reset circuit for res

Abstract: A photomicrographic apparatus, which takes a picture of an enlarged image of a specimen observed under a microscope, causes filter insert/remove means to insert a light intensity-reducing filter in the photometric optical path to a light-receiving element when the light-receiving surface illuminance of the light-receiving element exceeds the upper limit of a first photometry enable illuminance range, and makes the filter insert/remove driving means remove the light intensity-reducing filter from the photometric optical path to the light-receiving element when the light-receiving surface illuminance of the light-receiving element drops below the lower limit of a second photometry enable illuminance range.

Abstract: An automatic focal-point sensing apparatus includes a lighting optical system (14, 15) for illuminating a specimen. An objective optical system (5), which receives the optical image from the specimen, forms a first optical image at a position a specified distance apart from and before the expected image formation plane and a second optical image at a position a specified distance apart from and after the expected image formation plane. At least one image sensor (6) converts the first and second optical images from the objective optical system (5) into corresponding electric signals. A magnification sensor (8) detects the magnification of the objective (2). The CPU (10) calculates the contrast of each of the first and second optical images on the basis of the electric signals. Further, the CPU (10), when the magnification of the objective (2) is low, detects the in-focus point based on the difference in contrast between the first and second optical images.

Abstract: A driving section relatively drives an optical system and an object in a direction of an optical axis of the optical system. An information detecting section detects information of the object obtained by the optical system. A focusing position detecting section detects evaluation values representing in-focus states of a plurality of positions in a focusing position and positions near the focusing position, in response to a plurality of focusing position calculation methods different from each other, based on the information of said object respectively. An initializing section initializes an optimal focusing position calculation method, of the plurality of focusing position calculation methods, which is most suitable for a focusing operation of the object.