Abstract: A microscope system includes: a microscope main body including an objective lens arranged in such a manner that an optical axis of the objective lens is aligned with an observation light path of the microscope main body; and an automatic focus unit including a light source, a dichroic mirror arranged so as to be inserted on or to be deviated from the observation light path and configured to reflect light emitted from the light source in a direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, and a dichroic mirror moving mechanism. The microscope main body further includes a controller having a dichroic mirror movement control unit configured to control the dichroic mirror moving mechanism to move the dichroic mirror to an arrangement position of the dichroic mirror on the observation light path, the arrangement position being correlated to the objective lens in advance.

Abstract: A microscope system includes: a microscope main body including an objective lens arranged in such a manner that an optical axis of the objective lens is aligned with an observation light path of the microscope main body; and an automatic focus unit including a light source, a dichroic mirror arranged so as to be inserted on or to be deviated from the observation light path and configured to reflect light emitted from the light source in a direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, and a dichroic mirror moving mechanism. The microscope main body further includes a controller having a dichroic mirror movement control unit configured to control the dichroic mirror moving mechanism to move the dichroic mirror to an arrangement position of the dichroic mirror on the observation light path, the arrangement position being correlated to the objective lens in advance.

Abstract: A microscope includes a light source, a condenser lens disposed on an optical path of the light source to illuminate a specimen, an objective lens disposed on the optical path on an opposite side of the specimen from the condenser lens, a first polarizing plate disposed between the light source and the condenser lens, a compensator disposed between the condenser lens and the first polarizing plate to adjust retardation of light transmitted through the first polarizing plate, a second polarizing plate for transmitting only one-directional polarization component of the light transmitted through the specimen according to a relative positional relationship with the first polarizing plate, a driving unit for changing retardation of the compensator, and a control unit for causing the driving unit to drive the compensator to increase or decrease the retardation within a range including a position where the retardation is zero as a reference.

Abstract: A microscope includes: a light source configured to generate light for irradiating a specimen; a microscope main body which supports the light source and on which an accommodation unit that accommodates the specimen is placed; a plurality of optical units, each of which is detachably installed in the microscope main body, configured to arranged on an optical path of the light, and configured to change optical characteristics of the light incident thereon; an operation input unit that includes a plurality of input units configured to respectively receive inputs of drive signals for driving optical units to be controlled among the plurality of optical units; and a control unit configured to allocate optical units to be respectively driven with the drive signals by the plurality of input units according to the plurality of optical units installed in the microscope main body.

Abstract: The present invention can realize stable focus tracking in the AF control of a microscope by calculating an evaluation function based on a light intensity signal received in two regions and adjusting the slope of the evaluation function to be constant.

Abstract: A microscope apparatus includes: a stage; one or more light sources that emit light for exciting a sample on the stage; one or more cube turrets that arrange fluorescent cubes selectively on an observation optical path; shutters arranged on an illumination optical path and configured to switch between irradiation of the sample with the light and blocking of the light; an input unit that receives inputs of operation instructions for the shutters; an operation controller that controls operations of the shutters; and a controller that acquires, from a storage unit, operation conditions of the shutters corresponding to the operation instructions, and outputs instruction signals to the operation controller based on the acquired operation conditions in order to change conditions of the plurality of shutters. One of the shutters, and the other of the shutters or the one or more cube turrets are arranged on a same illumination optical path.

Abstract: A microscope includes: a light source configured to generate light for irradiating a specimen; a microscope main body which supports the light source and on which an accommodation unit that accommodates the specimen is placed; a plurality of optical units, each of which is detachably installed in the microscope main body, configured to arranged on an optical path of the light, and configured to change optical characteristics of the light incident thereon; an operation input unit that includes a plurality of input units configured to respectively receive inputs of drive signals for driving optical units to be controlled among the plurality of optical units; and a control unit configured to allocate optical units to be respectively driven with the drive signals by the plurality of input units according to the plurality of optical units installed in the microscope main body.

Abstract: A microscope includes a light source, a condenser lens, an objective lens, a polarizer, a compensator which is disposed on an optical path XA of the light source between the condenser lens and the polarizer and is rotatable about the optical path XA and is configured to adjust variation of retardation with respect to a specimen S by transmitting only a component of light in a specified vibration direction transmitted through the polarizer depending on an angle of rotation from a reference position, a driving unit configured to rotate the compensator, and a control unit configured to cause the compensator to increase or decrease the retardation within a range including a position where the retardation is zero as a reference.

Abstract: The present invention can realize stable focus tracking in the AF control of a microscope by calculating an evaluation function based on a light intensity signal received in two regions and adjusting the slope of the evaluation function to be constant.

Abstract: A confocal microscope includes an objective lens for converging light which is emitted from a light source to a sample, a scanning mechanism for relatively scanning the sample with the light converged to the sample, and a plurality of confocal diaphragm apertures that are arranged at positions optically conjugate to the light-gathering position of the objective lens and have different diaphragm diameters. The confocal microscope further includes a plurality of photodetectors for detecting the intensities of lights respectively transmitting through the confocal diaphragm apertures, and a weighting/combining arithmetic processing unit for combining signals output from the photodetectors after weighting the signals.

Abstract: A confocal microscope having an objective lens for converging light, which is emitted from a light source, to a sample, a scanning mechanism for relatively scanning the sample with the light converged to the sample, a plurality of confocal diaphragm apertures that are arranged at positions optically conjugate to the light-gathering position of the objective lens and have different diaphragm diameters, and a plurality of photodetectors for detecting the intensities of lights respectively transmitting through the confocal diaphragm apertures comprises a weighting/combining arithmetic processing unit for combining signals output from the photodetectors after weighting the signals.