JP5803442B2 - Microscope control apparatus, microscope apparatus, image processing apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope control device, a microscope device, an image processing device, and a program.

  Conventionally, when performing multipoint time-lapse observation of cells, a plurality of images captured by a microscope are arranged in a grid pattern on one screen and displayed together.

JP 2006-220904 A

  In the prior art, there is room for improvement in that it is difficult for the user to intuitively grasp which part of the culture vessel each cell is captured.

Microscope control device of the present invention includes an imaging unit for capturing an image of the object imaged by the microscope objective lens, the relative position of the test object and the objective lens, the light of the objective lens A position adjustment unit that adjusts in a direction that intersects the axis, and an information acquisition unit that acquires information on imaging coordinates in a direction that intersects with the optical axis of the objective lens when the object is imaged in association with the image And displaying only the image at a position in the display area of the display device where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area, and changing the display magnification of the image, the image in the display area A display control unit that zooms the image while maintaining a relative distance therebetween .

The microscope apparatus of the present invention includes the above-described microscope control apparatus.

The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an image of a test object formed by an objective lens of a microscope and information on imaging coordinates in a direction intersecting with the optical axis of the objective lens when the test object is imaged. When displaying only the image at a position where the image capturing coordinates are mapped in the display area of the display unit and the display area of the display device, and changing the display magnification of the image A display control unit that zooms the image while maintaining a relative distance between the images in the display area.

  Note that a program that causes a computer to operate as the above microscope control device or the above image processing device, a storage medium that stores the program, and an operation of the above microscope control device or the above image processing device are represented by method categories. Any of these is effective as a specific embodiment of the present invention.

  By displaying an image at a position where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area of the display device, an image display that makes it easy to grasp the positional relationship between the test objects is realized.

The figure which shows the structural example of the microscope system of 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the operation example in the time-lapse observation in the microscope system of 1st Embodiment. (A), (b): Overview of processing in # 106 of FIG. Figure showing an example of image playback display Figure showing an example of image playback display Figure showing an example of image playback display Figure showing an example of image playback display Flow chart showing an example of an image reproduction operation in the microscope system of the first embodiment The figure which shows the structural example of the image processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the structural example of the microscope which has a culture apparatus

<Description of First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a microscope system according to the first embodiment which is an example of a microscope apparatus and a microscope control apparatus.

  The microscope system includes a moving stage 11 on which a specimen 1 is placed, a microscope device 12, a computer 13, a display device 14 that displays an image, a storage device 15 that stores an image, and the like, and an input that accepts user input. Device 16. The moving stage 11, the microscope device 12, the display device 14, the storage device 15, and the input device 16 are connected to the computer 13, respectively. Moreover, as an example, the sample 1 in the first embodiment is a culture container in which a test object (a plurality of cells) to be observed is stored together with a culture medium.

  The moving stage 11 is movable in directions perpendicular to the optical axis AX of the optical system of the objective lens 31 of the microscope (X direction and Y direction shown in FIG. 1). By this movement, the position adjustment and the focus adjustment of the field of view (observation region) of the microscope with respect to the specimen 1 are performed. The moving stage 11 is driven in the X and Y directions by a motor unit 21 (position adjusting means, stage driving means) connected to the computer 13. The moving stage 11 is provided with an encoder 22 (stage position detecting means) for detecting the position of the stage in the X and Y directions, and the position information of the stage in the X and Y directions is input to the computer 13.

  The microscope apparatus 12 includes an objective lens 31, a focus adjustment mechanism 32, an excitation light illumination device 33, a fluorescent filter block 34, a second objective lens 35, an optical path switch 36, an imaging device 37 as an example of an imaging unit, and a transmission illumination device 40. The condenser lens 43 is provided. Among them, the transmission illumination device 40 and the condenser lens 43 are arranged above the culture vessel in FIG. 1, and the other elements are arranged below the culture vessel in FIG. The fluorescent filter block 34 is equipped with a dichroic mirror, an excitation filter, a fluorescent filter, and the like. The optical path switch 36 includes a mirror 36a that can be inserted into and removed from the optical path.

  The objective lens 31 is movable in the direction of the optical axis AX (Z direction shown in FIG. 1) by the focus adjustment mechanism 32. By the movement in the Z direction, the focus adjustment of the objective lens 31 with respect to the cells in the culture container is performed.

  The transmission illumination device 40 includes a light source 41 and a collimator lens 42, and emits an illumination light beam for bright field observation. The transmitted illumination device 40 is turned on during bright field observation and turned off during fluorescence observation. The excitation light illumination device 33 emits an excitation light beam for fluorescence observation. The excitation light illumination device 33 is turned on during fluorescence observation and turned off during bright field observation.

  Here, at the time of bright field observation, the illumination light beam emitted from the transmission illumination device 40 passes through the condenser lens 43 and illuminates the observation region of the specimen 1. The light beam transmitted through the sample 1 enters the objective lens 31. The light beam incident on the objective lens 31 passes through the fluorescent filter block 34 and the second objective lens 35 and enters the optical path switch 36. When the mirror 36a of the optical path switch 36 is inserted in the optical path, the light beam is reflected by the mirror 36a and guided to an eyepiece (not shown). On the other hand, when the mirror 36 a of the optical path switch 36 is separated from the optical path, the light flux passes through the optical path switch 36 and enters the imaging device 37. The light beam incident on the imaging device 37 forms a bright field image of the observation region on the imaging element 37 a in the imaging device 37. The image sensor 37a captures the bright field image and acquires image data (hereinafter referred to as “bright field image”).

  At the time of fluorescence observation, the excitation light beam emitted from the excitation light illumination device 33 passes through the light control filter 33 a and the fluorescence filter block 34 and enters the objective lens 31 from the image side, thereby passing through the observation region of the specimen 1 through the objective lens 31. Irradiate. Fluorescence generated in the sample 1 in response to the excitation light beam enters the objective lens 31 from the object side, passes through the fluorescence filter block 34 and the second objective lens 35, and enters the optical path switch 36. When the mirror 36a of the optical path switch 36 is inserted in the optical path, the light beam is reflected by the mirror 36a and guided to an eyepiece (not shown). On the other hand, when the mirror 36 a of the optical path switch 36 is separated from the optical path, the light flux passes through the optical path switch 36 and enters the imaging device 37. The light beam incident on the imaging device 37 forms a fluorescent image of the observation region on the imaging element 37 a in the imaging device 37. The image sensor 37a captures the fluorescent image and acquires image data (hereinafter referred to as “fluorescent image”).

  The microscope described in the present embodiment is an inverted microscope, but may be an upright microscope.

  An optical path connecting the objective lens 31 to the imaging device 37 and an optical path connecting the objective lens 31 to the eyepiece lens (not shown) are referred to as an observation optical path. This observation optical path has a portion that is partially in common with an optical path called an excitation light illumination optical path that connects the excitation light illumination device 33, the fluorescence filter block 34, and the objective lens 31.

  The fluorescence filter block 34, the second objective lens 35, and the optical path switch 36 are disposed on the observation optical path.

  The optical path from the transmission illumination device to the specimen 1 is referred to as a transmission illumination optical path, and a collimator lens is disposed in the transmission illumination optical path.

  The computer 13 is a module including a CPU 13a that controls the operation of the microscope system in an integrated manner and a nonvolatile memory 13b. Here, the computer 13 in the first embodiment controls the microscope apparatus 12 to capture a bright field image or a fluorescence image of the cell at the specified imaging coordinates. At this time, the computer 13 can also perform time-lapse observation in which the same cell is continuously imaged at regular intervals. The computer 13 can also perform the above time-lapse observation on a plurality of cells in parallel (multi-point time-lapse observation).

  The CPU 13a functions as a position adjustment unit 51, an information acquisition unit 52, a tracking processing unit 53, and a display control unit 54 by executing the program. The above program is stored in, for example, the memory 13b.

  The position adjustment unit 51 is a driver that controls the motor unit 21 and adjusts the relative position between the optical system of the objective lens of the microscope and the test object (cell) in the XY direction intersecting the optical axis AX. The observation position in the XY direction is moved by the adjustment in the XY direction. In this embodiment, the position of the moving stage 11 in the X and Y directions is adjusted, but the position of the objective lens 31 in the X and Y directions may be adjusted, and both the moving stage 11 and the objective lens 31 are moved. You may make it perform position adjustment of both.

  The information acquisition unit 52 acquires information on imaging coordinates (XY coordinates of the moving stage 11) when imaging a test object (cell) and information on imaging time. Each information of imaging coordinates and imaging time is recorded by the information acquisition unit 52 in a state associated with each image.

  The tracking processing unit 53 performs processing for tracking the imaging range of the imaging device 37 in the movement direction in the XY direction of the cell when performing time-lapse observation of the cell.

  The display control unit 54 controls display of an image on the display device 14. The operation of the display control unit 54 will be described later.

  Hereinafter, an operation example in the microscope system according to the first embodiment will be described separately for an operation in time-lapse observation and an operation for reproducing an image acquired in time-lapse observation.

(Operation during time-lapse observation)
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example in time-lapse observation in the microscope system of the first embodiment.

  Step # 101: The CPU 13a of the computer 13 initializes a cell observation schedule. The observation schedule is information indicating the number of observations of time-lapse observation, the observation interval, and imaging points at each observation time.

For example, the CPU 13a receives the following inputs (1) to (4) from the input device 16 as items of the observation schedule of the culture vessel.
(1) Imaging coordinates on the culture vessel (X direction, Y direction)
(2) Observation method (bright field / fluorescence)
(3) Objective lens magnification (2x, 4x, 10x, 20x, etc.)
(4) Time lapse observation time interval and number of observations Note that a plurality of imaging coordinates in (1) can be designated on the culture vessel. And CPU13a sets an observation schedule based on said input. The observation schedule data is stored in the memory 13b under the control of the CPU 13a.

  Step # 102: The CPU 13a compares the observation schedule with the current time to determine whether or not the observation time of the culture container has come. If the above requirement is satisfied (YES side), the process proceeds to # 103. On the other hand, when the above requirement is not satisfied (NO side), the CPU 13a waits until the next observation time.

  Step # 103: The CPU 13a instructs the microscope apparatus 12 to image cells. At this time, the position adjustment unit 51 moves the moving stage 11 in the XY directions so that the position of the optical axis AX of the objective lens of the microscope matches the imaging coordinates. And the imaging device 37 images the cell image (bright field image and fluorescence image) of an imaging coordinate based on the setting of an observation schedule. Note that the imaging device 37 may capture the bright field image and the fluorescence image with the same imaging coordinates. When a plurality of imaging coordinates are set, the imaging device 37 captures a cell image corresponding to each imaging coordinate.

  Step # 104: The information acquisition unit 52 records the data of the cell image captured in # 103 in the storage device 15 in association with the supplementary information indicating the imaging condition. The incidental information includes observation time information, imaging coordinate information, image type information (bright-field image / fluorescence image), and observation target identification information. Note that the identification information of the observation target is an identification code indicating the identity of the cells, and when the same cells are imaged in time series in time-lapse observation, the same codes are assigned between the images.

  Step # 105: The CPU 13a determines whether or not there is an image acquired by the previous time lapse observation. If the above requirement is satisfied (YES side), the process proceeds to # 106. On the other hand, if the above requirement is not satisfied (in the case of initial observation: NO side), the process proceeds to # 107.

  Step # 106: The tracking processing unit 53 compares two images having the same identification information and the observation time before and after (images acquired in the current and previous observations) and obtains the movement amount of the cell in the XY direction. And the tracking process part 53 changes the imaging range (observation visual field) of the imaging device 37 in next observation according to the movement amount of a cell. Note that the tracking processing unit 53 executes the process of # 106 for each piece of observation target identification information.

  As an example, the tracking processing unit 53 in # 106 obtains the centroid position of each cell from the above two images, and calculates the deviation between the centroid positions of the cells. Then, the tracking processing unit 53 moves the imaging coordinates applied in the next observation so as to cancel out the deviation (cell movement amount) of the center of gravity (see FIG. 3A). When the imaging coordinates are different between the two images (when cell tracking described later is performed), the tracking processing unit 53 corrects the relative position of the two images using the imaging coordinates, What is necessary is just to calculate the shift | offset | difference (cell movement amount) of said gravity center position (refer FIG.3 (b)).

  Thereafter, the tracking processing unit 53 refers to the observation schedule corresponding to the cell identification information, and updates the information on the imaging coordinates applied in the next observation. In the next observation, an image is captured with the updated imaging coordinates as a reference, and therefore the imaging range of the imaging device 37 moves so as to track cells by the processing of the tracking processing unit 53 in # 106. .

  Step # 107: The CPU 13a refers to the observation schedule and determines whether or not the time-lapse observation is finished. If the above requirement is satisfied (YES side), the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 2 ends. On the other hand, if the above requirement is not satisfied (NO side), the process returns to # 102 and the above processing is repeated.

  By the loop from # 102 to # 107, time-lapse observation can be performed for the cell corresponding to the imaging coordinates while tracking the movement of the cell (# 106).

(Image playback operation)
4 to 7 show examples of image reproduction display in the microscope system of the first embodiment.

  In the microscope system of the first embodiment, when the image acquired by the time lapse observation is reproduced, the display control unit 54 is imaged in the display area of the display device 14 (for example, one window on the display screen) at the same time. Display only cell images. The image displayed in the display area may be either a bright field image or a fluorescent image. Further, the bright field image and the fluorescence image may be superimposed and displayed on the display area. The specimen image is not displayed in the area excluding the display image (background of the display image). For example, a monochromatic image unrelated to the sample is displayed, or a pattern unrelated to the sample is displayed. That is, a captured image is displayed in the display area in consideration of the imaging position.

  At this time, the display control unit 54 displays each image at a position where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area. That is, the display position of the cell image in the display area directly reflects the relative positional relationship of the cells in the culture container at the time-lapse observation. Normally, the image layout in the display area is a layout in which images are randomly distributed in the display area.

  For example, when the culture container at a certain observation period is viewed in plan, the cell B is located in the vicinity of the lower left of the cell A, and the cell C is located in the lower right of the cell A. Consider the case where each cell is imaged. When an image corresponding to the above observation time is displayed in the display area, the image of the cell B is displayed so as to partially overlap the lower left of the image of the cell A, and the image of the cell C is oblique to the image of the cell A. They are displayed separately in the lower right (see FIG. 4).

  With this display, the user can grasp the state of each cell from the image in the display area, and at the same time, can grasp the relative position of the cell from the display position in the display area.

  In addition, since the cells are tracked during the time-lapse observation, the display control unit 54 switches the image display in the display area in time series according to the observation time, thereby moving the movement of the cells in the culture container to a moving image. It can also be displayed. FIG. 5 shows an example of moving image display of cell images.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the images of the cells (A to C) are displayed as moving images in the display area according to the imaging coordinates in the order of time T1 to T3 under the control of the display control unit 54. When the cell is moving, the display position of the image in the display area changes with time. With this display, the user can grasp the movement state of the cells during the time-lapse observation.

  Here, in order to facilitate identification of individual cells, the display control unit 54 may display an identification display indicating the commonality of cells in the time axis direction in the display area when performing the above moving image display. . As an example, the display control unit 54 may highlight the outer periphery of the image having the same identification information with the same color, or may display characters or marks according to the identification information around the image. 4 and 5 show a state in which characters (“CELL_A”, etc.) are displayed as the identification information.

  In addition, the display control unit 54 may display a moving display indicating a change in position of the same cell over time in the display area when performing the above moving image display in order to make it easier to grasp the moving state of the cell. Good. As an example, when displaying the image at time T2, the display control unit 54 causes the outer edge of the image at time T1 to be superimposed on the display area. Then, when displaying the image at time T3, the display control unit 54 superimposes the outer edges of the images at times T1 and T2 on the display area (see FIG. 5). As another example, the display control unit 54 may display a line indicating the movement locus of the cell in the display area (illustration is omitted in this case).

  The display control unit 54 has a first zoom mode and a second zoom mode as operation modes when changing the display magnification of the image within the display area. The zooming operation is executed in real time by the display control unit 54 when an image is reproduced in accordance with a user instruction. Further, switching between the first zoom mode and the second zoom mode is performed according to a user instruction.

  FIG. 6 shows a display example in the first zoom mode. When changing the display magnification of the image, the display control unit 54 in the first zoom mode changes the relative distance between the images in the display area according to the display magnification. That is, in the first zoom mode, the size of each image and the relative distance between the images change according to the display magnification before and after zooming. When the entire range of the culture vessel cannot be displayed in the display area, the display control unit 54 may display a user interface (for example, a scroll bar) for switching the range displayed in the display area on the display device 14. And a user should just change a display range using said user interface.

  FIG. 7 shows a display example in the second zoom mode. When changing the display magnification of the image, the display control unit 54 in the second zoom mode zooms only the image according to the display magnification while maintaining the relative distance between the images in the display area. That is, the relative distance between images in the second zoom mode does not change before and after zooming, but the size of each image in the second zoom mode changes according to the display magnification before and after zooming.

  Here, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of an image reproduction operation in the microscope system of the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 8, the description will be made on the assumption that the image data acquired by the time lapse observation (FIG. 2) is recorded in the storage device 15 in advance.

  Step # 201: The CPU 13a refers to the observation time of the incidental information, reads out and acquires the cell image corresponding to the designated observation time from the storage device 15. For example, when displaying an image of time lapse observation as a moving image, in the processing of # 201, the first to last observation time is sequentially designated by the CPU 13a.

  Step # 202: The display control unit 54 refers to the imaging coordinates of the incidental information, and displays the image acquired in # 201 in the display area of the display device 14. At this time, the display control unit 54 displays each image at a position where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area. Thereby, the cell image is displayed in the display area of the display device 14 as shown in FIG.

  Step # 203: The display control unit 54 determines whether or not a zoom instruction has been received from the user. If the above requirement is satisfied (YES side), the process proceeds to # 204. On the other hand, if the above requirement is not satisfied (NO side), the process proceeds to # 205.

  Step # 204: The display control unit 54 performs a zoom operation for changing the display magnification of the image in the display area, and updates the display of the display device 14. The zoom operation in # 204 may be the first zoom mode (see FIG. 6) or the second zoom mode (see FIG. 7).

  Step # 205: The display control unit 54 determines whether or not to end the reproduction display of the image. For example, when the last image of time lapse observation is currently being reproduced, there is no image to be reproduced next time, so the display control unit 54 determines to end the reproduction display of the image. Even when an instruction to end reproduction is received, the display control unit 54 determines to end reproduction display of the image.

  If the above requirement is satisfied (YES side), the display control unit 54 ends the image reproduction operation of FIG.

  On the other hand, if the above requirement is not satisfied (NO side), the process returns to # 201 and the above operation is repeated. In the process of # 201 after the loop, the image at the next observation time is read by the CPU 13a. In the process of # 202 after the loop, an image at the next observation time is reproduced and displayed in the display area. Thereby, the moving image display as shown in FIG. 5 is performed. This is the end of the description of the image reproduction operation of FIG.

<Description of Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which an image of a cell captured by the microscope system of the first embodiment is read from the outside and image reproduction display as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is performed.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. The image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is a personal computer in which an image processing program is installed.

  The image processing apparatus (computer) 61 in FIG. 9 includes a data reading unit 62, a storage device 63, a CPU 64, a memory 65, an input / output I / F 66, and a bus 67. The data reading unit 62, the storage device 63, the CPU 64, the memory 65, and the input / output I / F 66 are connected to each other via a bus 67. Furthermore, an input device 68 (keyboard, pointing device, etc.) and a monitor 69 as an example of a display device are connected to the computer 61 via an input / output I / F 66. The input / output I / F 66 accepts various inputs from the input device 68 and outputs display data to the monitor 69.

  The data reading unit 62 is used when reading image data or a program from the outside. For example, the data reading unit 62 communicates with a reading device (such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a magneto-optical disk reading device) that acquires data from a removable storage medium, or an external device in accordance with a known communication standard. A communication device to perform (USB interface, LAN module, wireless LAN module, etc.). Note that the data reading unit 62 in the second embodiment functions as an acquisition unit that acquires image data together with incidental information from the microscope system of the first embodiment.

  The storage device 63 is configured by a storage medium such as a hard disk or a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, for example. The storage device 63 stores an image processing program. The storage device 63 can also store image data read from the data reading unit 62.

  The CPU 64 is a processor that comprehensively controls each part of the computer. The CPU 64 operates as the display control unit 54 of the first embodiment by executing the image processing program.

  The memory 65 temporarily stores various calculation results in the image processing program. The memory 65 is, for example, a volatile SDRAM.

  The image reproduction operation in the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as the flowchart of FIG. 8 except that the image processing apparatus acquires cell image data and supplementary information from the data reading unit 62. Description is omitted. In the image reproduction operation of the second embodiment, substantially the same effect as the image reproduction operation of the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Supplementary items of the embodiment>
(Supplement 1) The bright field image in the above embodiment may be an image captured by a phase difference observation method, a differential interference observation method, a polarization observation method, or the like. Moreover, in the said embodiment, the test object used as observation object is not limited to a cell.

  (Supplement 2) The microscope of the present invention includes a chamber in which the environment (temperature, humidity, oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, etc.) of the region where the observation specimen is to be placed is constant, and observes a living specimen in culture. A microscope equipped with a possible culture apparatus may be used.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of a microscope having a culture apparatus. In FIG. 10, elements common to those in FIG. In FIG. 10, the microscope apparatus 12 is accommodated in the chamber 70. The internal atmosphere of the chamber 70 is maintained at environmental conditions (for example, a temperature of 37 ° C., a humidity of 90%, and a CO ₂ concentration of 5%) suitable for cell culture by an environment control device 71 controlled by the computer 13.

  (Supplement 3) In the above embodiment, the example in which the functions of the position adjustment unit 51, the information acquisition unit 52, the tracking processing unit 53, and the display control unit 54 are realized by software is described. However, in the present invention, of course, the functions of the position adjustment unit 51, the information acquisition unit 52, the tracking processing unit 53, and the display control unit 54 may be realized by hardware using an ASIC.

  From the above detailed description, features and advantages of the embodiments will become apparent. It is intended that the scope of the claims extend to the features and advantages of the embodiments as described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the right. Further, any person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field should be able to easily come up with any improvements and modifications, and there is no intention to limit the scope of the embodiments having the invention to those described above. It is also possible to use appropriate improvements and equivalents within the scope disclosed in.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Specimen, 11 ... Moving stage, 12 ... Microscope apparatus, 13 ... Computer, 13a ... CPU, 13b ... Memory, 14 ... Display apparatus, 15 ... Storage device, 16 ... Input device, 21 ... Motor unit, 22 ... Encoder, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Objective lens, 32 ... Focus adjustment mechanism, 33 ... Excitation light illuminating device, 33a ... Dimming filter, 34 ... Fluorescence filter block, 35 ... 2nd objective lens, 36 ... Optical path switch, 36a ... Mirror, 37 ... Imaging Device: 37a ... Image sensor, 40 ... Transmission illumination device, 41 ... Light source, 42 ... Collimator lens, 43 ... Condenser lens, 51 ... Position adjustment unit, 52 ... Information acquisition unit, 53 ... Tracking processing unit, 54 ... Display control unit , 61 ... Computer, 62 ... Data reading unit, 63 ... Storage device, 64 ... CPU, 65 ... Memory, 66 ... Input / output I / F, 67 ... Bus, 68 ... Input Vice, 69 ... monitor, 70 ... chamber, 71 ... environmental controls

Claims (6)

An imaging unit that captures an image of the object imaged by the objective lens of the microscope;
A position adjusting unit that adjusts the relative position between the objective lens and the test object in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens;
An information acquisition unit that acquires information on imaging coordinates in a direction intersecting with the optical axis of the objective lens when imaging the test object, in association with the image;
When only the image is displayed in the display area of the display device and at the position where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area , and the display magnification of the image is changed, the image between the images in the display area is displayed. A display control unit that zooms the image while maintaining a relative distance ;
A microscope control apparatus comprising: In the microscope control apparatus according to claim 1,
A tracking processing unit for tracking the imaging range of the imaging unit in the moving direction of the test object when imaging a plurality of images with different imaging times for the same test object;
The information acquisition unit acquires the information of the imaging time in association with the image,
The display control unit uses the information on the imaging time and the information on the imaging coordinates to change the display position of the image in the display area and capture only the images captured in time series. Microscope control device that displays according to the series. In the microscope control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The said display control part is a microscope control apparatus which displays the identification display which shows the commonality of the test object in a time-axis direction on the said display area.   A microscope apparatus comprising the microscope control apparatus according to claim 1. A process of capturing an image of the object imaged by the objective lens of the microscope;
  Adjusting the relative position of the objective lens and the test object in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the objective lens;
  Processing for acquiring information on imaging coordinates in a direction intersecting with the optical axis of the objective lens when imaging the test object in association with the image;
  A process of displaying only the image in a display area of the display device and a position where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area;
  A process of zooming the image while maintaining a relative distance between the images in the display area when changing the display magnification of the image;
  That causes the computer that controls the microscope to execute. An acquisition unit that associates and acquires an image of an object imaged by an objective lens of a microscope and information on imaging coordinates in a direction that intersects with the optical axis of the objective lens when the object is imaged When,
  When only the image is displayed in the display area of the display device and at the position where the imaging coordinates are mapped in the display area, and the display magnification of the image is changed, the image between the images in the display area is displayed. A display control unit that zooms the image while maintaining a relative distance;
  An image processing apparatus comprising:

Images