Patent DE-102005033927-A1 (DE)
Title: Mechanism for transillumination and incubator for inverse microscopes for the observation of living cells, comprises a microscope stand, an image optics, a lighting mechanism and hermetically locked incubator
Inventor: HOERING LUTZ
IPC: G01N33/48
Filed: 2005-07-14
Abstract: The mechanism for transillumination and incubator for inverse microscopes for the observation of living cells, comprises a microscope stand, an image optics, a lighting mechanism and hermetically locked incubator in which a sample carrier (4) is arranged for mounting of living cell cultures on a microscope plate. The upper part of the incubator exhibits the lighting mechanism for a contrast of the transmitted light in the light field. The lighting mechanism is arranged stationarily over the image optics. The mechanism for transillumination and incubator for inverse microscopes for the observation of living cells, comprises a microscope stand, an image optics, a lighting mechanism and hermetically locked incubator in which a sample carrier (4) is arranged for mounting of living cell cultures on a microscope plate. The upper part of the incubator exhibits the lighting mechanism for a contrast of the transmitted light in the light field. The lighting mechanism is arranged stationarily over the image optics. The incubator exhibits two incubator chambers for the thermal isolation of the sample volume from the environment, and a thermal isolation of the incubator from the microscope stand is intended. The lighting mechanism comprises a LED (5) that is connected with a power connection, a collector (6) and a mirror for the deflection of a light beam leaving the collector to a biconvex lens that is arranged in the path of rays or the lighting mechanism comprises a lens system for illuminating the sample carrier. The lens is embedded in a covering of the upper section of the incubator in such a manner that the lens together with its mount seals an incubation volume of an internal incubator chamber (2) against the volume of an external incubator chamber (3). The focal length of the lens is dimensioned with respect to the incubator height in such a manner that a light beam almost completely illuminates the wells of the sample carrier with field homogeneity. The external incubator chamber of the incubator encloses a volume that surrounds the internal incubator chamber of the incubator. The internal incubator chamber encloses a volume that surrounds a sample, in which the temperature, the humidity and the CO2 -content are regulated by control devices. The internal incubator chamber is sealed against the external incubator chamber by means of a sealing between the incubator lower part and the incubator upper part. The external incubator chamber, which is built as covering hood in the form of an equipment cover, encloses a volume, which surrounds the internal incubator chamber. The inner side of the equipment cover of the incubator exhibits a non-heat conducting protective layer. A flap is intended for sample supply at a side panel of the cover. A heatable intermediate plate is arranged between a firmly-fixed microscope slide and the microscope stand. A lower surface of the heatable intermediate plate exhibits a non-heat conducting protective layer. The heatable intermediate plate exhibits holding elements for the attachment of the heatable intermediate plate on to the microscope stand. The holding elements are built as ceramic sockets with a thread for the thermal isolation of the heatable intermediate plate from the microscope stand. An independent claim is included for a reader microscope with a mechanism for transillumination.