US 7,508,582 B2
Mirror-changing confocal optical device
Vincent Lauer, 1 villa de Beauté , Nogent sur Marne 94130 (France)
Appl. No. 10/549,426
PCT Filed Mar. 12, 2004, PCT No. PCT/FR2004/000626
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Dec. 08, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2004/086124, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 07, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 03 03584 (FR), filed on Mar. 20, 2003; and application No. 03 12697 (FR), filed on Oct. 28, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2007/0177257 A1, Aug. 02, 2007
Int. Cl. G02B 21/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 359—368  [359/388; 359/634] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A confocal optical device for illuminating a plurality of illuminated points (309) using a plurality of illuminating beams coming from an illumination source (308) and focused on said plurality of illuminated points, and for focusing on a plurality of microscopic holes (306) associated with the plurality of illuminated points a plurality of beams to be detected coming from the plurality of illuminated points, comprising:
a beamsplitter (321) passed through by a first plurality of beams (FD) and reflecting a second plurality of beams (FE), one of the first and second pluralities of beams being the plurality of illuminating beams (FE), and the other being the plurality of beams to be detected (FD),
a redirection mirror (320) substantially parallel to the beamsplitter and attached to the beamsplitter, the assembly consisting of the beamsplitter and the redirection mirror being exchangeable, and the redirection mirror being disposed to reflect the second plurality of beams.