Patent ID: 8115993

Claim:
A stereo-examination system, comprising: an objective lens arrangement having an optical axis and an object plane, wherein the objective lens arrangement is configured to receive an object-side beam bundle emanating from the object plane and to convert the object-side beam bundle into an image-side beam bundle; a selection arrangement configured to select at least one pair of imaging beam bundles from the image-side beam bundle; an image transmission apparatus configured to generate stereoscopic images of an object positionable in the object plane from the at least one pair of imaging beam bundles; an illumination arrangement comprising: a light source configured to generate an illumination beam, a beam coupler configured to superpose a beam path of the illumination beam with a beam path of the image-side beam bundle and to direct the illumination beam towards the object plane, a field of a plurality of state-changing elements disposed in the beam path of the illumination beam between the light source and the beam coupler, wherein each element is selectively switchable between a first state in which light of the illumination beam is directed to the object plane, and a second state in which light of the illumination beam is not directed to the object plane; and a controller configured to control the state-changing elements such that the illumination beam, when seen in a cross-section at the objective lens arrangement, does substantially not overlap with the imaging beam bundles, wherein the selection arrangement is configured to displace, when seen in the cross-section at the objective lens arrangement, the at least one pair of imaging beam bundles relative to the image-side beam bundle, and wherein the controller is further configured to control the selection arrangement to displace, when seen in the cross-section a the objective lens arrangement, the at least one pair of imaging beam bundles relative to the image-side beam bundle.