Optical microscope and method for detecting lens immersion

摘要

An optical microscope and method for detecting lens immersion in optical microscopy includes an ultrasound circuit acoustically coupled to both an objective lens and a sample slide of an optical microscope, the ultrasound circuit comprising an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver. The optical microscope and method includes transmitting an ultrasound pulse from the ultrasound transmitter to the ultrasound receiver, determining that a transit time of the ultrasound pulse is less than a threshold time, and providing an output signal from the pulse discriminator indicating that the ultrasound pulse is less than the threshold time.

主权项

1. A method for detecting lens immersion in optical microscopy, the method comprising:
providing an ultrasound circuit acoustically coupled to both an objective lens and a sample slide of an optical microscope, the ultrasound circuit comprising an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver, where the ultrasound circuit is configured to provide a first acoustic path, through a body of the optical microscope, when the objective lens and the sample slide are not both in direct contact with an immersion fluid, and a second, shorter, acoustic path through the immersion fluid, when the objective lens and the sample slide are both in direct contact with the immersion fluid; transmitting an ultrasound pulse from the ultrasound transmitter to the ultrasound receiver; determining with a pulse discriminator that a transit time of the ultrasound pulse is less than a threshold time, where the threshold time is selected to determine whether the pulse was transmitted along the first acoustic path or the second acoustic path; and providing an output signal from the pulse discriminator indicating that the transit time of the ultrasound pulse is less than the threshold time in order to indicate that the objective lens and the sample slide are both in direct contact with the immersion fluid.