Patent ID: 6683735
Filing Date: 2004-01-27
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A microscope for observing a fluorescent specimen comprising:an illumination source; microscope optics in an optical pathway for generating a magnified image of a specimen comprising one or more fluorescent materials; a beamsplitter changer comprising a plurality of dichroic beamsplitters arranged about a center axis parallel to a line bisecting a predetermined reflection angle to the optical pathway and mounted for rotation about the center axis to allow positioning a selected one of the dichroic beamsplitters in the optical pathway, said optical pathway resulting in reflection of light from the illumination source to the specimen, and transmitting light received through the microscope optics from the specimen, wherein, when the selected dichroic beamsplitter corresponds to a particular fluorescent material under observation, the dichroic beamsplitter reflects light from the illumination source at an excitation wavelength corresponding to the fluorescent material under observation and the dichroic element transmits light shifted in wavelength by a Stokes shift of the fluorescent material under observation; a motor and motor controller for rapidly effecting the positioning of the dichroic filter by rotating the beamsplitter changer about the center axis; and a computer control, the motor controller responsive to the computer control wherein computer software commands the changer to rotate different ones of the plurality of dichroic beamsplitter elements into the optical pathway to image a particular fluorophore, thereby providing a microscope system in which the device is commanded by the software to change dichroic beamsplitter elements.