Method and array for detecting the position of a plane scanned with a laser scanner

US6594006B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Dirk Muehlhoff · Jena, DE
• Guenther Rudolph · Jena, DE
• Stefan Schmidt · Aalen, DE
• Gerhard Doering · Schlieben, DE
• Guenter Berthel · Jena, DE
• Thomas Hartmann · Uffing am Staffelsee, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 16, 2001
• Grant date: Jul 15, 2003
• Expiry date: Mar 16, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05B2219/50133
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and an arrangement for detecting the position of the plane XY of an object, which plane XY is to be scanned, and for its positioning in the focal plane X′Y′ of a laser scanner, preferably for a laser scanning microscope. According to the disclosure, it is provided in a method of the type described above that, after a rough orientation of the object carried out by placing on an object holder, a laser beam is directed successively in time to at least three different points P1, P2 . . . Pn located in the scan plane XY of the object and, in doing so, each of the reflections proceeding from the points P1, P2 . . . Pn is imaged on a position-sensitive detector, an actual position value is determined at the detector for each reflection and is compared with a stored reference position value, adjustment commands for changing the inclination of the object holder are obtained from the deviations of the actual position values from the reference position values, and the inclination of the object holder is changed on the basis of these adjustment commands until points P1, P2 . . . Pn are located in the focal plane X′Y′ of the laser scanner.