Patent ID: 7397602
Filing Date: 2008-07-08
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A fluorescent microscope comprising: a transmitted illumination optical system which includes a transmitted illumination light source and performs transmitted illumination; an LED light source which turns on and off in response to a rectangular drive signal at high speed; a fluorescence excitation optical system which leads light from the LED light source onto a specimen to perform epifluorescent illumination; an observation optical system to which fluorescence emitted from the specimen or transmitted light that has passed through the specimen is led; an imager which images the fluorescence or the transmitted light led to the observation optical system; and a controller which: (i) controls the LED light source to be turned on during a first period and turned off during a second period when performing the epifluorescent illumination, wherein the first period includes a photometry period in which photometry is performed to calculate an optimal exposure time during photographing and a photographing period in which photographing is performed with the calculated optimal exposure time, and wherein the second period includes a period from after ending of the photometry period to starting of the photographing period, and (ii) controls the LED light source to be turned off while continuously lighting the transmitted illumination light source when performing the transmitted illumination.