Patent ID: 8056456

Claim:
A microtome for producing flat thin sections of a specimen, the microtome comprising: a blade edge; a specimen carrier for holding the specimen; a drive device for producing a relative motion between the blade edge and the specimen carrier in a horizontal sectioning plane; a light-ribbon micrometer arranged between the blade edge and the specimen, wherein the light-ribbon micrometer generates a light-ribbon in a plane perpendicular to the sectioning plane, wherein the plane of the light ribbon is located at a fixed horizontal distance relative to the blade edge, the light-ribbon micrometer including a receiver unit having a plurality of discrete detector elements arranged in the plane of the light ribbon, wherein a known vertical location of the blade edge relative one of the plurality of detector elements defines a device constant; and a coding device that measures a horizontal length of the specimen in the sectioning plane based on signals generated by the light-ribbon micrometer from movement of the specimen completely through the light ribbon micrometer by the drive device and the specimen carrier; wherein said coding device is associated with the drive device for controlling an alternating drive as a function of the fixed horizontal distance, of the device constant, of the measured horizontal length of the specimen and of specimen position signals generated by the light-ribbon micrometer.