Method of determining the distance of a feature on an object from a microscope, and a device for carrying out the method
US5841149A · kind A · utility
10Cited by
4References
17Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 12, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 24, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 12, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B90/20
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention is directed to a surgical microscope in which, to determine the distance between the microscope (8, 13) and the object (22), the travel time of a beam of light (57c) emanating from the microscope and reflected by the object is determined. The travel time is determined by phase measurement or by interference matching. In the case of direct phase measurement, modulated light is used. In the case of interference matching, partly coherent light is used. In order to ensure high accuracy over wide measurement range, the two measurement methods are preferably used in combination.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.