US 12,436,375 B2
Observation system and observation device
Tadashi Hirata, Nagano (JP); and Shintaro Takahashi, Nagano (JP)
Assigned to Evident Corporation, Nagano (JP)
Filed by Evident Corporation, Nagano (JP)
Filed on Jul. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/217,589.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-109955 (JP), filed on Jul. 7, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0012230 A1, Jan. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. G02B 21/18 (2006.01); G02B 3/06 (2006.01); G02B 21/26 (2006.01); G02B 21/36 (2006.01); G02B 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 21/18 (2013.01) [G02B 3/06 (2013.01); G02B 21/26 (2013.01); G02B 21/362 (2013.01); G02B 21/367 (2013.01); G02B 2003/0093 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An observation comprising:
a mounting table on which a sample container is placed;
a surface light source disposed in one of two regions divided by the mounting table, the surface light source having a light emitting plane;
an observation optical system disposed in another one of the two regions;
a conveyance mechanism configured to move the observation optical system in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the observation optical system to change an observation position at which a bottom surface of a housing portion of the sample container and the optical axis intersect; and
a controller comprising hardware, the controller being configured to control a light emission pattern defined by a light emitting region where light is emitted on the light emitting plane,
wherein the controller executes:
first light emission pattern control in which the light emission pattern is changed according to the observation position, or, alternatively,
second light emission pattern control in which the light emission pattern is switched between a plurality of periodic light emission patterns having phases different from each other; and
the first light emission pattern control so as to change at least one of a position and a width of the light emitting region according to the observation position; and
in a case where a part of an end of the light emitting region closest to the optical axis is located in a positive region, a conditional expression for the light emitting region
0.2 NA<Smin<0.9 NA  (1)
is satisfied, and
in a case where the part of the end of the light emitting region closest to the optical axis is located in a negative region, a conditional expression for the light emitting region
−0.9 NA<Smax<−0.2 NA  (3)
is satisfied,
where Smin represents a sine of an incident angle of illumination light from one end of the light emitting region to the observation position, Smax represents a sine of an incident angle of illumination light from another end of the light emitting region located on a positive side with respect to the one end to the observation position, and NA represents a numerical aperture on an object side of the observation optical system.