Patent ID: 7706060
Filing Date: 2010-04-27
Classification: G01N,G02B

Abstract:
1. A microscopic observation and inspection system using a plurality of observation methods, characterized by comprising a total internal reflection sample illuminator comprising an evanescent wave-generation light source in which laser light from that light source is introduced into a slide glass through which the laser light is guided by multiple total internal reflections to generate evanescent waves on an upper surface of said slide glass so that a cell sample placed on the upper surface of said slide glass is illuminated with said evanescent waves, wherein: said total internal reflection sample illuminator comprises an entrance prism and a radiation prism which support said slide glass movably in a plane thereof via a droplet of index-matching liquid, said entrance prism is fixed with respect to said evanescent wave-generation light source, and said radiation prism is located in such a way as to be adjustable in terms of position in a direction of travel of said laser light with respect to said entrance prism, a supporting surface of said entrance prism for said slide glass is flush with a supporting surface of said radiation prism for said slide glass irrespective of a position of the said radiation prism being adjusted, there is a slide glass position adjustment mechanism provided which takes a grip on said slide glass supported on said entrance prism and said radiation prism to adjust a position of said slide glass in a two-dimensional direction along a plane thereof, said total internal reflection sample illuminator is set up such that said laser light leaves said supporting surface via said entrance prism and enters said slide glass supported thereon via said index-matching liquid trickling down thereon through which said laser light is guided by multiple total internal reflection, entering from said supporting surface of said radiation prism into said radiation prism via said index-matching liquid trickling down on said supporting surface of said radiation prism, and is radiated out from said radiation prism, and in response to a command from said controller, said slide glass position adjustment mechanism is controlled to select an observation and inspection position for the cell sample on said slide glass a microscope objective lens is located at a position where said slide glass in said total internal reflection sample illuminator is supposed to be placed thereon and in a vertical direction to said slide glass, on an imaging side of said microscope objective lens, an imaging optical system and an imaging device are located in one optical path via an optical path splitter and an excitation light source for a drop fluorescence microscope is located in another optical path, shutter units adapted to block off or transmit illumination light are located, one in an optical path from said evanescent wave-generation light source to a laser light inlet of said slide glass, and another between said excitation light source for a drop fluorescence microscope and said optical path splitter, there is a controller provided which controls an illumination light source switchover by opening or closing each of said shutter units and slide glass position adjustment by said slide glass position adjustment mechanism, and in response to a command from said controller, the opening or closing of each of said shutter units is controlled so that an illumination light optical path for said evanescent wave-generation light source and an illumination light optical path for said excitation light source for a drop fluorescence microscope are selectively opened, a total internal reflection fluorescence microscope image and a drop fluorescence microscope image at the selected cell sample observation and inspection site on said slide glass are captured in said controller via said imaging device, and cell reactions are detected from said total internal reflection fluorescence microscope image and said drop fluorescence microscope image.