Patent ID: 6906859
Filing Date: 2005-06-14
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An epi-illumination apparatus for fluorescent observation, comprising: a light source for emitting illumination, being arranged on a predetermined optical axis; extracting means for extracting a plurality of narrow wavelength bands from a wavelength band of said illumination, said extracting means being arranged on said optical axis; an aperture stop arranged on said optical axis, on a plane generally conjugated with a pupil plane of an objective; a filter having regions of different spectral transmission characteristics with respect to said plurality of narrow wavelength bands, said filter being arranged near said aperture stop on said optical axis; and adjusting means for adjusting light intensities of transmitted light from said filter in said plurality of narrow wavelength bands independently by moving said filter in a direction orthogonal to said optical axis, wherein said filter includes a plurality of zones adjacent to each other sectioned by one or more boundaries which cross the direction of movement of said filter, said spectral transmission characteristics of adjacent zones out of said plurality of zones differing from each other; said adjusting means adjusts said light intensities independently by moving said filter so that said transmitted light varies in at least either areas of sections of light in said plurality of narrow wavelength bands or intensity distributions in said sections of said light; said one or more boundaries of said plurality of zones of said filter are formed in an aslant direction to the direction of movement of said filter; and said plurality of zones are composed of only a short wave transmission zone and a long wave transmission zone.