WO2017056830A1

WO2017056830A1 - Fluorescence detection device

Info

Publication number: WO2017056830A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/075416
Authority: WO
Inventors: 数也石原; 潤哉大西; 満名倉; 信義粟屋
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2015-10-02
Filing date: 2016-08-31
Publication date: 2017-04-06

Abstract

To improve fluorescence detection accuracy. A fluorescence detection device (101A) is provided with: an LED (20) that emits single-wavelength excitation light; an image pickup unit (17) that picks up an image of a subject (100) to be subjected to fluorescence detection, said subject including a fluorescent area that emits fluorescence when irradiated with the excitation light; and an optical filter (18) that blocks input of the excitation light to the image pickup unit (17).

Description

Fluorescence detection device

The present invention relates to a fluorescence detection device that detects fluorescence emitted from a substance.

The fluorescence detection device can detect the fluorescence emitted by the substance by irradiating the substance with excitation light such as ultraviolet light, so that the detection result can be confirmed as a sanitary state that was not visible under visible light. For example, fluorescent detection devices can be brought into various places and environments inside and outside of environmental control equipment such as air conditioners and air purifiers, and inside and outside watering places such as toilets, kitchens, and bathrooms. The emitted fluorescence can be detected. Moreover, the information regarding the quality of food, safety | security, etc. can be obtained by detecting the fluorescent substance contained in a foodstuff with a fluorescence detection apparatus.

As a method for detecting a fluorescent material, there is known a method of irradiating ultraviolet light emitted from an ultraviolet lamp such as black light or a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as ultraviolet LED) that emits ultraviolet light, and thereby searching for the fluorescent material emitting fluorescence by the naked eye. . However, since the intensity of the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent material is weak, it is difficult to find the fluorescence with the naked eye under strong visible light, and it is necessary to suppress the ambient light to determine the presence or absence of fluorescence. For this reason, visible light was shielded or fluorescence was confirmed in a dark room.

Fluorescence refers to a phenomenon that absorbs light of a specific wavelength and emits light longer than that wavelength, and the light. As shown in FIG. 15, the molecule has a plurality of electron configurations and energy states, and the molecule is normally in the ground state S0. Among the molecules, when the fluorescent molecules are irradiated with excitation light such as ultraviolet rays, the fluorescent molecules receive the energy of the excitation light and enter, for example, the first electronic excited state S1 (excited singlet state). Since this high energy state is unstable, the energy is released as vibration energy in the non-radiation process IC and reaches the lowest order of the excited singlet state. Furthermore, fluorescence is emitted in the process of transition from the lowest order to the ground state S0. The fluorescence intensity F is a product of the excitation light intensity I ₀ , the fluorescent substance quantum yield φ, the fluorescent substance's molecular absorption efficiency ε, and the fluorescent substance's molar concentration C, as represented by the following equation: Is proportional to

F ∝I ₀・ φ ・ ε ・ C
If the energy of the molecule in the excited state is dissipated in the non-radiation process IC, the fluorescence becomes small. In addition, the excitation energy may be converted into its own vibration energy. For example, when a flexible functional group (such as long-chain alkyl) is bonded to the fluorescent molecule, the excitation energy changes to the kinetic energy of the molecule, and the fluorescence intensity decreases. On the other hand, the fluorescence of the fluorescent material becomes weaker at a high concentration. This is due to the interaction between fluorescent molecules, and is thought to be caused by the interaction between excited states or ground state species. Thus, since the fluorescence emitted as light with respect to the energy to be excited becomes small, the observation of fluorescence under visible light must be performed in an environment that does not include the fluorescence wavelength.

Also, as a means for increasing the fluorescence intensity, the fluorescent material needs to absorb a lot of excitation light. However, an ultraviolet LED generally used as a portable excitation light source has a weaker fluorescence intensity than a high-power ultraviolet lamp. In addition, when observing fluorescence with the naked eye, not only the sensitivity decreases due to the bright adaptation of the naked eye in the bright place, but also there is a number of overlapping light such as reflection of ambient light, making it difficult to identify only the fluorescence. .

In response to such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a freshness identification method that can easily identify freshness of food with the naked eye by irradiating food with ultraviolet rays. In this method, UV light is irradiated to food from an LED, the color developed by the autofluorescence of the food is photographed by the camera, and the reference data obtained by digitizing the color developed by the autofluorescence of the food, which is a pre-photographed reference, and the camera photographed. The freshness of the food is identified by comparing it with the measurement data obtained by digitizing the color image generated by the autofluorescence of the food.

Japanese Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-300180 (published on November 2, 2006)”

In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the camera directly receives not only food autofluorescence but also ultraviolet rays emitted from LEDs, and indirectly receives the ultraviolet rays as reflected light. For this reason, the image which image | photographed food received the influence of an ultraviolet-ray, and there existed a problem that the wavelength spectrum of the original autofluorescence of food did not appear appropriately, and the detection accuracy of fluorescence fell.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to increase the detection accuracy of fluorescence.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a fluorescence detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes at least one light source that emits single-wavelength excitation light, and a fluorescent site that emits fluorescence when irradiated with the excitation light. And an excitation light blocking unit that blocks the excitation light from entering the imaging unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the influence of excitation light can be eliminated and the fluorescence detection accuracy can be increased.

It is a block diagram which shows the fundamental structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus common to each embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. (A)-(d) are the images which imaged the fluorescence site | part of the fluorescence detection target object when the luminance value of the image signal given to a display part is changed in the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a fluorescent image coloring process performed by the fluorescence detection device according to the third embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. (A) is a rear view which shows the external structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention, (b) is a front view which shows the external structure of the said fluorescence detection apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the basic composition which detects the fluorescence site | part of the beef by the fluorescence detection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the frequency characteristic of the ultraviolet band pass filter in the basic composition of FIG. It is a figure which shows the frequency characteristic of the ultraviolet-ray cut filter in the basic composition of FIG. (A) is an image of beef imaged with ultraviolet rays having different wavelengths by the fluorescence detection apparatus according to the fifth embodiment, and (b) is an image of beef imaged with white light. (A) is an image in a state where domestic Japanese beef and imported beef are arranged, (b) is an image of domestic Japanese beef and imported beef imaged by the fluorescence detection apparatus according to Embodiment 5, (c) ) Is another image of domestic Japanese beef and imported beef imaged by the fluorescence detection apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mechanism in which fluorescence generate | occur | produces.

[Outline of Fluorescence Detection Device 101]
A basic configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 common to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 11, a memory unit 12, a communication unit 13, an antenna 14, a position information acquisition unit 15, a display unit 16, and an imaging unit. 17, an optical filter 18, an LED driving unit 19, an LED 20, and a battery 21. The fluorescence detection device 101 irradiates the fluorescence detection target object 100 with the excitation light emitted from the LED 20, and images the fluorescence detection target object 100 with the imaging unit 17, thereby generating the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent site in the fluorescence detection target object 100. It is a device to detect. The MPU 11 analyzes the imaging data of the fluorescent part obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 17 by executing a control program for fluorescence detection, and detects the presence of a fluorescent substance, the hue of fluorescence, the intensity of fluorescence, and the like. .

The fluorescence detection apparatus 101 is integrated with a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) capable of configuring a dedicated processor, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) capable of configuring a dedicated processing circuit, instead of the MPU 11. May be provided. Thereby, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 can be provided with a function specialized in the analysis of the imaging data of the fluorescent part for detecting the fluorescence, and the efficiency of the process of detecting the fluorescence can be improved.

The fluorescence detection apparatus 101 includes the MPU 11 and the memory unit 12 so as to comprehensively control each unit of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101. The memory unit 12 includes various types of memories such as a system memory (main memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The memory unit 12 includes a control program for controlling each unit of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101, imaging data obtained by the imaging unit 17 imaging the fluorescence detection target 100, and analysis data obtained by the MPU 11 analyzing the imaging data. Memorize etc.

The communication unit 13 modulates an input signal (baseband signal or the like) into an RF signal and outputs the RF signal to the antenna 14 and receives to demodulate the RF signal input from the antenna 14 into an output signal (baseband signal or the like). Circuit. Since the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 includes the communication unit 13 and the antenna 14, it can wirelessly transmit information about the detected fluorescence (fluorescence detection information).

The position information acquisition unit 15 acquires position information of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 using a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), or the like. Since the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 includes the position information acquisition unit 15, the acquired position information can be added to the fluorescence detection information to be transmitted.

The display unit 16 is a device that displays an image based on the image data processed by the MPU 11. As the display unit 16, a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (electro-luminescence) panel is used. The fluorescence detection apparatus 101 can display an image of the fluorescence detection target 100 captured by the imaging unit 17 by including the display unit 16. The display unit 16 may include a touch screen so that an input operation on the display surface of the display unit 16 can be performed.

In addition, the image of the fluorescence detection target object 100 can be output as a printed matter in addition to being displayed on the display unit 16. For this purpose, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101 may have a printing function, or may be configured to transmit a printing signal to an external printing apparatus.

The imaging unit 17 is a digital camera including a lens module, an imaging device, an image processing circuit, and the like, and outputs imaging data obtained by imaging the fluorescence detection target 100. The optical filter 18 (excitation light blocking unit) is a filter that blocks ultraviolet rays, and is attached to the lens of the imaging unit 17.

The LED drive unit 19 is a drive circuit that supplies a drive current to the LED 20 based on a control command of the MPU 11, and controls the light output. The LED 20 is a light source that generates excitation light (in particular, ultraviolet light) having a single wavelength that excites the fluorescence detection target 100 so as to generate fluorescence. A light source other than an LED may be employed as the excitation light source, but it is preferable to configure the excitation light source with an LED in consideration of downsizing the fluorescence detection apparatus 101. Although one LED 20 is provided, a plurality of LEDs 20 may be provided. When a plurality of LEDs 20 are provided, for example, the same type of LEDs are provided, such as a plurality of white LEDs, a plurality of different single-wavelength visible light LEDs, and a plurality of different single-wavelength ultraviolet LEDs.

The battery 21 supplies power to a power-supplied unit in the fluorescence detection apparatus 101, that is, the MPU 11, the memory unit 12, the communication unit 13, the position information acquisition unit 15, the display unit 16, the imaging unit 17, and the LED driving unit 19.

Embodiment 1
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In addition, about the component which has a function equivalent to the component in the above-mentioned fluorescence detection apparatus 101, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Configuration of fluorescence detection apparatus 101A)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A according to the first embodiment. The fluorescence detection device 101A is configured based on the fluorescence detection device 101 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and includes a fluorescence detection control unit 3A shown in FIG. The fluorescence detection control unit 3A is a part that realizes the control function of the MPU 11 described above.

The fluorescence detection control unit 3A includes a light source control unit 31, an imaging control unit 32, a data holding control unit 33, and a display control unit 34.

The light source control unit 31 outputs a lighting control signal for controlling the lighting of the LED 20 to the LED driving unit 19. Specifically, the light source control unit 31 outputs a lighting control signal so that the LED 20 is lit while the imaging unit 17 is imaging based on an imaging control signal described later from the imaging control unit 32. For this reason, the light source control part 31 outputs a lighting control signal in the period when the imaging control signal mentioned later is active. Further, the light source control unit 31 (flashing control unit) may output a lighting control signal so that the LED 20 flashes while the imaging unit 17 is imaging.

The imaging control unit 32 controls the imaging operation of the imaging unit 17. Specifically, the imaging control unit 32 receives an imaging instruction from the user and gives an imaging control signal for performing an imaging operation to the imaging unit 17. The imaging control unit 32 causes the imaging unit 17 to switch between a normal imaging mode for simply imaging, a still image imaging mode for storing still images, and a moving image imaging mode for storing moving images. The imaging control signal includes a normal imaging signal output in the normal imaging mode, a still image imaging signal output in the still image imaging mode, and a moving image imaging signal output in the moving image imaging mode. Further, the imaging control unit 32 gives the imaging data output from the imaging unit 17 in the normal imaging mode to the display control unit 34, and holds the imaging data output from the imaging unit 17 in the still image imaging mode and the moving image imaging mode. It passes to the control unit 33.

The data holding control unit 33 stores the imaging data received from the imaging control unit 32 in the data holding unit 22 and reads the stored imaging data from the data holding unit 22. The data holding unit 22 is configured in the memory unit 12 in order to store imaging data.

The display control unit 34 controls the display operation of the display unit 16. Specifically, the display control unit 34 obtains image data (imaging data) of an image to be displayed from the imaging control unit 32 or the data holding control unit 33 and provides the display unit 16 with various image data for display. A control signal is given to the display unit 16.

(Fluorescence detection by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A)
An operation of detecting the fluorescence of the fluorescence detection target 100 by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A configured as described above will be described.

When the user performs an imaging operation with the lens of the imaging unit 17 facing the fluorescence detection target 100, an imaging control signal is given from the imaging control unit 32 to the imaging unit 17. Thereby, when a lighting control signal is given from the light source control unit 31 to the LED drive unit 19, the LED 20 is driven by the LED drive unit 19 to emit ultraviolet rays as excitation light. The imaging unit 17 captures an image of the fluorescence detection target 100 based on the imaging control signal, and outputs imaging data of the captured image to the imaging control unit 32. The display control unit 34 causes the display unit 16 to display an image of the fluorescence detection target object 100 by providing the display unit 16 with imaging data acquired via the imaging control unit 32.

As described above, by irradiating the fluorescence detection target object 100 with the ultraviolet rays emitted from the LED 20 of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A, the fluorescent substance present in the fluorescence detection target object 100 absorbs the light energy emitted by the LED 20 to generate specific light. Releases energy as fluorescence. And since the observation range is displayed on the display part 16 by imaging with the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A by making the fluorescence site | part which emits fluorescence in the fluorescence detection target object 100 into an observation range, it is easy to confirm an observation range with the naked eye. it can.

In the normal imaging mode, the imaging control unit 32 gives imaging data to the display control unit 34. The display unit 16 displays an image of the fluorescence detection target object 100 based on the imaging data given from the display control unit 34. Thereby, the fluorescence site | part in the fluorescence detection target object 100 displayed on the display part 16 can be confirmed immediately.

In the still image capturing mode and the moving image capturing mode, the image capturing control unit 32 provides the image capturing data to the data holding control unit 33. As a result, the data holding unit 22 stores the imaging data given from the data holding control unit 33. When displaying the imaging data, the data holding control unit 33 reads the imaging data from the data holding unit 22 and gives it to the display control unit 34. The display unit 16 displays an image of the fluorescence detection target 100 based on the imaging data from the display control unit 34. Thereby, based on the imaging data imaged in the past, the fluorescence site | part in the fluorescence detection target object 100 can be confirmed. Also, by storing the imaging data, various types of analysis and processing of the imaging data can be performed. In particular, when the fluorescence detection object 100 is moving such as being conveyed by a belt conveyor or the like, in order to follow the movement of the fluorescence detection object 100, the fluorescence detection object 100 is imaged in the moving image capturing mode. Is required.

Further, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A includes the optical filter 18 so that ultraviolet rays can be prevented from entering the imaging unit 17. Therefore, the photographed image is not affected by the ultraviolet rays, and appropriately represents the autofluorescence coloring state of the fluorescence detection object 100. Therefore, the fluorescence detection accuracy can be improved.

By the way, in the normal imaging mode and the moving image imaging mode, the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescence detection object 100 is also flashed by intermittently turning on (flashing) the LED 20. Thereby, the blinking image by the autofluorescence of the fluorescence detection object 100 is displayed on the display unit 16. The blinking image increases the stimulus to the viewer's vision and makes it easy to recognize the fluorescent state of the fluorescent site.

(Example)
Here, a specific example in the fluorescence detection by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101A will be described.

As the LED 20 as an ultraviolet excitation light source, an LED having a peak wavelength of 365 nm, a half width of 10 nm, and an optical output of 0.5 W was used. The peak wavelength and light output of the LED 20 are not limited to this, and a short wavelength or long wavelength LED 20 may be used depending on the target fluorescent substance. As for the light output, when the shooting environment is bright, a high output of about 2 W is preferable. When the high-power LED 20 is mounted, the light in the visible light wavelength region is increased. Therefore, if the visible light wavelength region overlaps with the fluorescent wavelength region to be observed, it is difficult to distinguish the fluorescent material. For this reason, when using the light of a high output ultraviolet excitation light source, the visible light of the light source was suppressed through a band pass filter, and the fluorescence detection object 100 was irradiated.

As the image pickup device of the image pickup unit 17, a CMOS (Complementary 青色 Metal 装着 Oxide Semiconductor) image pickup device equipped with a blue color filter was used. The image pickup device is not limited to this, and a CCD image pickup device that is more sensitive to weak light may be used. The display unit 16 is a 5-inch liquid crystal display having a touch screen function. The display unit 16 is not limited to this, and may be a display panel having a size of about 4 inches to 10 inches.

In addition, since the blue color filter mounted on the imaging element transmits near ultraviolet rays, an image obtained by imaging the observation range of the fluorescence detection object 100 is tinged with a strong blue color when receiving light from the LED 20. For this reason, as an optical filter 18 that shields the excitation light emitted from the LED 20, an ultraviolet cut filter or an ultraviolet cut acrylic made by Fuji Film, or an ultraviolet cut filter made by Asahi Optical was used.

[Embodiment 2]
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. For convenience of explanation, components having the same functions as those described in the above-mentioned “Overview of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101” and the components described in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

(Display gamma correction)
In a normal display, the displayed image brightness is not directly proportional to the signal intensity, and a pixel with a small signal intensity is displayed darker than expected brightness.

(Luminance) = (Signal strength) ^γ
Γ in the above formula is called a display gamma value (γ value), and the brightness of the halftone of the display image is determined by the magnitude of this value. When γ = 1, in which the signal intensity and the luminance are directly proportional to each other, human vision has a characteristic that it is sensitive to dark colors, so that an image is displayed darkly. For this reason, the γ value differs depending on the display, but is generally set to 1.82 to 2.2.

However, since the gamma characteristic of the display is close to that of human vision, even if the gamma correction is performed as described above, weak fluorescence is also displayed as weak fluorescence on the display.

In human vision, the intensity of light that actually enters the eye is not directly proportional to the perceived brightness, and is expressed as the following equation. In the case of human vision, the index a is approximately 1/3 to 0.45 and is sensitive to dark colors.

(Feeling brightness) = (Intensity of light that actually enters the eyes) ^a
From the above, by making the γ value smaller than 1, an image darker than that felt by human vision is displayed. The signal strength is much higher than that. When imaging the fluorescence detection object 100 for the purpose of detecting fluorescence, information other than the fluorescence site is not useful, and it is important that the presence or absence of the fluorescence site in the fluorescence detection object 100 can be determined.

(Configuration of fluorescence detection apparatus 101B)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101B according to the second embodiment. 4A to 4D are images obtained by imaging the fluorescent site of the fluorescence detection target 100 when the gradation signal supplied to the display unit 16 is changed in the fluorescence detection apparatus 101B. The lower side of each image in FIG. 4 shows the spectral distribution of each gradation of 256 in the image.

The fluorescence detection device 101B is configured based on the fluorescence detection device 101 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and includes a fluorescence detection control unit 3B shown in FIG. The fluorescence detection control unit 3B is a part that realizes the control function of the MPU 11 described above.

The fluorescence detection control unit 3B includes a light source control unit 31, an imaging control unit 32, and a data holding control unit 33, similarly to the fluorescence detection control unit 3A of the first embodiment. Further, the fluorescence detection control unit 3B includes a display control unit 34B instead of the display control unit 34 of the fluorescence detection control unit 3A, and further includes a lookup table 35 (indicated by “LUT” in the figure). .

The display control unit 34B (luminance reduction unit) converts the image data to be given to the display unit 16, that is, the gradation signal (luminance value Y) so that the halftone luminance of the image displayed on the display unit 16 is reduced. Convert using an expression.

Y = 255 × (Y / 255) ^{(1 / γ)}
The above conversion expression is an expression when the gradation of the pixel is 8 bits, that is, 256 gradations (lightness of 0 to 255 levels). When the gradation of the pixel is 12 bits, it becomes 4096, so “255” in the above conversion formula becomes “4096”.

In this conversion, when the value of γ is 1, the luminance value Y does not change. When the value of γ is greater than 1, the luminance value Y is increased and the image is displayed brightly, whereas the value of γ is greater than 1. When it is small, the luminance value Y is low and the image is displayed darkly. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the γ value is 1, the display image is bright overall, so that the luminance difference between the fluorescent part and other parts is small. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the γ value is 0.8, the display image becomes darker as compared with the case where the γ value is 1, and the luminance between the fluorescent part and other parts is increased. The difference increases. When the γ value shown in FIG. 4C is 0.6, the tendency becomes more remarkable. When the γ value shown in (d) of FIG. 4 is 0.4, the fluorescent part maintains the brightness while the other part is displayed in black.

A plurality of γ values prepared in advance are stored in the lookup table 35. For example, different γ values are prepared according to the type of fluorescence detection object 100 (difference in fluorescence brightness), and each γ value and the type of fluorescent material are set in the lookup table 35. Yes. As the γ value, a value smaller than 1 is set in the range of 0.2 to 0.8, preferably 0.4 to 0.6.

Note that the gamma value of the display unit 16 (luminance reduction unit) is set so that the halftone luminance of the displayed image is reduced instead of converting the gradation signal using the conversion formula as described above. May be.

(Fluorescence detection by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101B)
According to the fluorescence detection apparatus 101B configured as described above, since the γ value is set to be smaller than 1 in the above conversion formula, the entire image obtained by capturing the fluorescence detection object 100 is displayed on the display unit 16. Appears dark. However, since the luminance of the fluorescent part in the fluorescence detection object 100 is higher than the other luminances, the contrast difference between the fluorescent part and the other part becomes large, and only the fluorescent part can be displayed in a conspicuous manner.

Thereby, even if the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent site of the fluorescence detection object 100 is weak, the presence of the fluorescent substance can be easily confirmed. Therefore, the presence / absence of a fluorescent site in the fluorescence detection object 100 can be easily determined.

[Embodiment 3]
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, components having the same functions as those described in the above-mentioned “Overview of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101” and the components described in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration of fluorescence detection apparatus 101C)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The fluorescence detection device 101C is configured based on the fluorescence detection device 101 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and includes a fluorescence detection control unit 3C shown in FIG. The fluorescence detection control unit 3C is a part that realizes the control function of the MPU 11 described above.

The fluorescence detection control unit 3C includes a light source control unit 31, an imaging control unit 32, and a data holding control unit 33, similarly to the fluorescence detection control unit 3A of the first embodiment. The fluorescence detection control unit 3C includes a display control unit 34C instead of the display control unit 34 of the fluorescence detection control unit 3A, and further includes a hue / lightness / saturation calculation unit (hereinafter referred to as “HSV calculation unit”) 36. And a coloring portion 37.

The HSV calculation unit 36 (color element calculation unit) has an R value, a G value, and a B value (hereinafter, “RGB value”) for all pixels of the image of the fluorescence detection target 100 represented by the captured data stored in the data holding unit 22. The hue value (H value) and the saturation of the three elements of color, hue (H: Hue), saturation (S: Saturation), and lightness (V: Value), respectively, A degree value (S value) and a lightness value (V value) are calculated. If the HSV calculation unit 36 only needs to be able to detect the fluorescence of the specific fluorescence detection target 100, the H value, the S value, and the V value may not be all necessary. It is only necessary to calculate at least one necessary one (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “HSV value” as appropriate).

The coloring unit 37 (color element determination unit) includes the H value, S value, and V value stored in the database 23 for all the pixels calculated by the HSV calculation unit 36, respectively. It is determined whether or not the value is within a specified range. In addition, if the calculated H value, S value, and V value are values within specified ranges, the coloring unit 37 (coloring display control unit) displays the pixel having the value replaced with a specific color. As such, the display controller 34 is provided with replacement color data representing the color. Further, if the calculated H value, S value, and V value are values outside the specified ranges, the coloring unit 37 displays the RGB value so that the pixel having the value is displayed as the original RGB value. Color data is given to the display control unit 34. The database 23 stores predetermined ranges of the above-described H value, S value, and V value that indicate fluorescent sites, and is configured in the memory unit 12.

(Fluorescence detection by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C)
The operation of colored display of fluorescent sites by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the fluorescent image coloring process by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C.

As shown in FIG. 6, first, the LED 20 irradiates the fluorescence detection object 100 with ultraviolet rays, and the imaging unit 17 images the fluorescence detection object 100 (step S1). Next, the HSV calculation unit 36 acquires imaging data from the imaging control unit 32 via the data holding control unit 33 (or directly from the imaging control unit 32), and based on the imaging data, acquires an image of the fluorescence detection target 100. RGB values are extracted for all the constituent pixels (step S2). Further, the HSV calculation unit 36 calculates the HSV value in units of pixels based on the extracted RGB values (step S3).

In step S3, the HSV calculation unit 36 calculates the HSV value using the following formula. Here, MAX, that is, max (R, G, B) indicates the maximum value among R value, G value, and B value, and MIN, that is, min (R, G, B), indicates R value, G value, B Indicates the minimum value. The HSV calculation unit 36 calculates the H1 value as the H value when the B value is the maximum value, calculates the H2 value as the H value when the R value is the maximum value, and when the B value is the maximum value H3 value is calculated as H value, and when MIN and MAX are equal, H value is set as an undefined H0 value. The HSV calculation unit 36 sets the V value to MAX and the S value to a value obtained by subtracting MIN from MAX.

The coloring unit 37 determines whether or not the HSV value calculated as described above is within a prescribed range of the HSV value stored in the database 23 (step S4). In this determination, the coloring unit 37 compares each of the calculated HSV values with the upper limit value and the lower limit value of each specified range of the HSV values. In the database 23, numerical ranges of the H value, the S value, and the V value based on a predetermined fluorescence wavelength of a fluorescent substance to be detected are stored as a prescribed range.

In step S4, when the coloring unit 37 determines that the calculated HSV value is within the specified range (YES), the display control unit 34C causes the display unit 16 to display pixels in a specific single color (step) S5). In step S4, the coloring unit 37 identifies the fluorescent material based on the result of determining which of the H value, the S value, and the V value is within the specified range, and the color assigned to the identified fluorescent material. Is provided to the display control unit 34C.

On the other hand, if the coloring unit 37 determines in step S4 that the calculated HSV value is outside the specified range (NO), the display control unit 34C causes the display unit 16 to display the pixels with the original RGB values. (Step S6). In step S4, the coloring unit 37 gives the original RGB value data to the display control unit 34C based on the determination result that all of the H value, the S value, and the V value are outside the specified range.

Then, following step S5 and S6, the coloring unit 37 determines whether or not the display has been completed for all the pixels of the captured image (step S7). If it is determined in step S7 that the display has been completed for all pixels (YES), the process is completed, and if it is determined that the display has not been completed for all pixels (NO), the process proceeds to step S4. Transition.

As described above, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C determines that the pixel whose HSV value is determined to be within the specified range is determined as a fluorescent site (fluorescent substance) and displays the pixel in a specific single color, while the HSV value is within the specified range. A pixel determined to be an outside value is determined to be a non-fluorescent substance and is displayed as an RGB value at the time of imaging. Thereby, even if it is weak fluorescence, based on the gradation signal obtained from the imaging part 17, the pixel corresponding to a fluorescence site | part can be emphasized and displayed in the image of the fluorescence detection target object 100. FIG. Therefore, the presence of the fluorescent substance within the observation (imaging) range can be easily recognized.

Generally, the RGB saturation of an image taken with a camera image sensor decreases with the brightness of the environment. This is because the S / N of the RGB gradation signal obtained from the fluorescence is lowered by overlapping with the RGB gradation signal of the ambient light.

However, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C according to the present embodiment calculates the HSV value from the RGB gradation signals of the image captured by the imaging unit 17, and the HSV value is a specified range of the HSV value specific to the fluorescent substance to be detected. It is determined whether the value is within the range. In this way, by using the HSV value that well represents the fluorescence characteristics of the fluorescent material for the determination, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of the fluorescent material by eliminating the influence of the environmental light.

For example, when dust as a fluorescent material is irradiated with ultraviolet rays having a peak wavelength at 365 nm and picked up, the coloring unit 37 displays the image of the image when the RGB value of the picked-up image is 8 bits (256 gradations). It is determined whether the H value and the V value of each pixel satisfy 150 <H value <190 and 230 <V value <256, which are dust specified ranges, respectively. When the coloring unit 37 determines that the H value and the V value of the pixel are values within the above-described specified range, the coloring unit 37 identifies the pixel as a pixel corresponding to dust. On the other hand, if the coloring unit 37 determines that the H value and the V value of the pixel are outside the specified range, the coloring unit 37 identifies the pixel as an invalid pixel that is not dust. Pixels determined to correspond to dust are displayed on the display unit 16 in a color corresponding to the dust. Thereby, even if the fluorescence intensity is weak, the presence of dust can be easily recognized. In addition to dust, the database 23 stores the HSV values defined ranges of various fluorescent substances such as oil, urine, vitamins, and pollen. Therefore, it is easy to select a fluorescent substance as a detection target. The fluorescent substance can be specified and displayed as an image.

Note that the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C can be applied to the fluorescence detection apparatus 101B of the second embodiment.

[Embodiment 4]
The following description will discuss Embodiment 4 of the present invention with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. For convenience of explanation, components having the same functions as the components described in the above-described “Overview of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101” and Embodiments 1 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration of fluorescence detection apparatus 101D)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101D according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a rear view showing the external configuration of the fluorescence detection device 101D, and FIG. 8B is a front view showing the external configuration of the fluorescence detection device 101D.

The fluorescence detection device 101D is configured based on the fluorescence detection device 101 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and includes a fluorescence detection control unit 3D shown in FIG. The fluorescence detection control unit 3D is a part that realizes the control function of the MPU 11 described above. In addition, the fluorescence detection device 101D includes five LEDs 20a to 20e as the plurality of LEDs 20. The LEDs 20a to 20e have different peak wavelengths in the range of 280 nm to 405 nm. Therefore, the LED driving unit 19 is configured to drive these LEDs 20a to 20e. However, the number of LEDs 20 is not limited to five.

In the present embodiment, when the LEDs 20a to 20e are not particularly limited, they are referred to as “LED 20”.

The fluorescence detection control unit 3D includes an imaging control unit 32 and a data holding control unit 33, similarly to the fluorescence detection control unit 3A of the first embodiment. Further, the fluorescence detection control unit 3D has a light source control unit 31D instead of the light source control unit 31 of the fluorescence detection control unit 3A. Furthermore, similarly to the fluorescence detection control unit 3C of the third embodiment, the fluorescence detection control unit 3D includes a display control unit 34C, an HSV calculation unit 36, and a coloring unit 37.

The light source control unit 31D (simultaneous lighting control unit) may light one of the LEDs 20a to 20e (single lamp lighting mode), or may light the LEDs 20a to 20e simultaneously (simultaneous lighting mode). Further, the light source control unit 31D (switching lighting control unit) may switch the LEDs 20a to 20e so as to synchronize with the imaging timing of the imaging unit 17 (switching lighting mode). The light source control unit 31D performs such lighting control during a period in which the above-described imaging control signal from the imaging control unit 32 is active in at least one selected from the above three lighting modes.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101D incorporates the configuration shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8A, the lens 17a of the imaging unit 17 is disposed on one surface of the housing 24, and the LEDs 20a to 20e are disposed so as to surround the lens 17a. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the display surface 16a of the display unit 16 is disposed on the other surface of the housing 24 (the surface opposite to the surface on which the lens 17a is provided).

(Fluorescence detection by the fluorescence detection device 101D)
According to the fluorescence detection apparatus 101D configured as described above, the fluorescence detection object 100 is imaged in each of the single lamp lighting mode, the simultaneous lighting mode, and the switching lighting mode by including the plurality of LEDs 20a to 20e. Can do. Thereby, when the fluorescent substance of the fluorescence detection target 100 is known, a specific single LED 20 that can excite the fluorescent substance in the single lamp lighting mode is used. When the fluorescent substance of the fluorescence detection object 100 is not known, the fluorescence detection object 100 is irradiated with a plurality of excitation lights having different wavelengths in the simultaneous lighting mode. Thereby, the fluorescent substance excited by the excitation light of any wavelength can be fluorescent. Therefore, when the fluorescence detection object 100 includes a plurality of fluorescent sites that emit fluorescence by excitation light having different wavelengths, these fluorescent sites can be detected simultaneously. Furthermore, if the imaging data of the fluorescence detection object 100 corresponding to the emission wavelengths of the LEDs 20a to 20e is acquired and stored in the data holding unit 22 in the switching lighting mode, the fluorescence state of each emission wavelength can be verified. .

Also in the present embodiment, similarly to the fluorescence detection apparatus 101C of the third embodiment, the fluorescent material is used by using the display unit 16, the database 23, the display control unit 34C, the hue / lightness / saturation calculation unit 36, and the coloring unit 37. Can be displayed in a specific color. Since the detailed operation is the same as that described in the third embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

Further, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101D can also highlight and display an image of a fluorescent site from a difference between a plurality of imaging data. Specifically, the light source control unit 31D switches and turns on the LEDs 20a to 20e, and the imaging unit 17 images the fluorescence detection target 100 for each of the lit LEDs 20a to 20e, and the HSV calculation unit 36 (difference calculation unit). However, for each imaging data, at least one HSV value is calculated, and a difference (numerical fluctuation) in the HSV value between each imaging data (between two imaging data) is calculated. By determining whether or not this difference is within the prescribed range of the difference calculated in advance, the fluorescent material can be estimated based on the difference in fluorescence (fluorescence color or the like) based on the difference in wavelength of the excitation light.

[Embodiment 5]
The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, components having the same functions as those described in the above-mentioned “Overview of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101” and the first, third, and fourth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. To do.

(Application of fluorescence detection to meat)
This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to fluorescence detection of meat, fish, dairy products, and the like. Hereinafter, detection of detection objects in meat, fish, dairy products, and the like will be described.

<Case 1>
Fats, proteins, amino acids, etc. are important items for examining the quality of meat, fish, dairy products and the like. For example, it is known that oleic acid, a kind of unsaturated fatty acid, contributes to a mouthfeel and a unique scent of Japanese beef in the taste of Wagyu beef. Aged meat and fish are said to produce umami when glutamic acid, a kind of amino acid whose protein is degraded, is combined with inosinic acid produced by the degradation of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). In addition, it is said that zinc protoporphyrin is produced in pork that has been dried and salted, such as aged Parma ham and Jinhua ham, and is said to have a flavor brewing and oxidation inhibiting effect.

It is very important that these substances can be measured non-invasively by optical spectroscopic means.Furthermore, in the case of meat and fish, the composition varies greatly depending on the fat and lean parts. Will be able to obtain information. On the other hand, most of the specific absorption spectra of light of these proteins and fats are in the mid-infrared region of 1500 nm to 2500 nm. In this wavelength range, since Si cannot be used as a light receiving device because there is no sensitivity range of the emission wavelength of Si, it is necessary to use InGaAs having a sensitivity range in the above wavelength range as a light receiving device. However, an InGaAs light receiving device is very expensive and cannot be finely processed like a Si element, so that the image resolution of the light receiving device is significantly limited.

<Case 2>
The visualization of the distribution of unsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid in beef within the meat has been reported in the following literature using a mid-infrared absorption spectrum.

"K. Kobayashi eta al., J. Near Infrared Spectrosc. 18,301-315, 2010," Near infrared spectroscopy and hyper spectral imaging for prediction and visualization of fat and fatty acid content in intact raw beef cuts "
In the method for visualizing the distribution of unsaturated fatty acids in meat described in this document, a relatively accurate content consistent with the amount measured by quantitative analysis from the absorption spectrum of oleic acid and linolenic acid in fat is used. Derived. However, the above-described InGaAs light receiving device element is used as the light receiving element. Moreover, since spectral information is obtained with a hyperspectral camera having a high wavelength resolution in order to extract a weak absorption spectrum, it is limited to applications in an organization having specialized knowledge. It is not easy for individual workers to use a hyperspectral camera in this way at a storage site or a distribution site in the livestock industry.

<Case 3>
It has been reported in the following literature that oleic acid was visualized from the absorption spectrum at a wavelength in the Si sensitivity range.

“Takayuki Tanaka et al., Research Report No. 13, Gifu Prefectural Institute of Information Technology, 18-23, 2011, Research and Development of Portable Beef Taste Measurement Terminal for Increasing the Value of Prefectural Brand Beef (Part 2)”
In the technique described in this document, the distribution of oleic acid is derived from the spectrum intensity in a time-division method using a near-infrared camera including a Si light receiving element and LED light sources of 760 nm, 930 nm, and 1040 nm. Yes. With this technology, an inexpensive and simple device can be realized, but it is not derived from an absorption spectrum of a component that can be specified like mid-infrared spectroscopy, and the accuracy of the calibration curve is inferior to that of the mid-infrared. .

<Case 4>
As an example of using fluorescence, the following literature reports that the fluorescence of zinc protoporphyrin contained in salted and dried pork was observed using an LED having an excitation light of 420 nm.

“Junichi Wakamatsu, 2006 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research II, Grant No. 656, Role of Sea Salt in Formation of Zinc Protopoliphyrin IX (ZPP) in Dry-cured Ham without Coloring Agent”
Since monochromatic light is used as the excitation light, many autofluorescent substances cannot be identified.

(Configuration of fluorescence detection apparatus 101E)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the fluorescence detection apparatus 101E according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a basic configuration for detecting a fluorescent part of beef by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101E. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the frequency characteristics of the ultraviolet bandpass filter in the basic configuration. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the frequency characteristics of the ultraviolet cut filter in the above basic configuration.

The fluorescence detection device 101E is configured based on the fluorescence detection device 101 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and includes a fluorescence detection control unit 3E shown in FIG. The fluorescence detection control unit 3E is a part that realizes the control function of the MPU 11 described above. Similarly to the fluorescence detection device 101D of the fourth embodiment, the fluorescence detection device 101E includes a plurality of LEDs 20a to 20e (here, five). The LEDs 20a to 20e have different peak wavelengths.

The fluorescence detection control unit 3E includes an imaging control unit 32, a data holding control unit 33, and a display control unit 34, similarly to the fluorescence detection control unit 3A of the first embodiment. Further, the fluorescence detection control unit 3E includes a light source control unit 31E instead of the light source control unit 31 of the fluorescence detection control unit 3A. Therefore, the LED driving unit 19 is configured to drive these LEDs 20a to 20e.

The light source control unit 31E may select and light one of the LEDs 20a to 20e (single lamp lighting mode), or switch on and turn on the LEDs 20a to 20e so as to be synchronized with the imaging timing of the imaging unit 17. (Switching lighting mode). The light source control unit 31E performs such lighting control during a period in which the above-described imaging control signal from the imaging control unit 32 is active in at least one of the two lighting modes described above.

Further, the fluorescence detection apparatus 101E adopts the configuration shown in FIG. 10 as the basic configuration of fluorescence detection. As shown in FIG. 10, in this configuration, the LEDs 20a to 20e as excitation light sources have five types of wavelengths of 365 nm (ultraviolet light), 375 nm (ultraviolet light), 385 nm (ultraviolet light), 395 nm (ultraviolet light), and 405 nm (visible light), respectively. LED of wavelength. Further, an ultraviolet bandpass filter 25 having a filtering characteristic of 350 nm to 400 nm shown in FIG. 11 is arranged on the light emitting side of the LEDs 20a to 20e. The imaging unit 17 is configured by a single-plate color camera (RGB three colors) or a multispectral camera using filters of a plurality of wavelength bands of three or more colors. The optical filter 18 is composed of an ultraviolet cut filter having a characteristic of blocking a wavelength of 420 nm or less as shown in FIG. The display unit 16 includes a color display.

(Fluorescence detection by the fluorescence detection device 101E)
An operation of detecting the fluorescence of the meat (fluorescence detection object 100) by the fluorescence detection apparatus 101E configured as described above will be described. FIG. 13A is an image of beef imaged with ultraviolet rays having different wavelengths by the fluorescence detection device 101E, and FIG. 13B is an image of beef imaged with white light. (A) of FIG. 14 is an image showing a state in which domestic Japanese beef (domestic beef) and imported beef (imported beef) are arranged. FIG. 14 (b) is an image showing a state in which the fat portion of the domestic Japanese beef and imported beef (foreign beef) in FIG. 14 (a) is fluorescent in blue-green when irradiated with excitation light of 365 nm. . (C) of FIG. 14 is an image showing a state in which the fat portion is fluorescent in blue-green when the domestic Japanese beef and imported beef of FIG. 14 (a) are irradiated with excitation light of 405 nm.

The fluorescence detection device 101E selects light from any one of the LEDs 20a to 20e and turns it on to beef as the fluorescence detection object 100 (Japanese beef shown in FIG. 14 (a)). And the imported beef), and the beef is imaged by the imaging unit 17. The imaging data obtained as a result can be used for later detailed analysis by being stored in the data holding unit 22 as necessary.

As shown in FIG. 13 (a), it can be seen from the images of beef imaged with light of wavelengths of 365 nm, 375 nm, 385 nm, 395 nm, and 405 nm that the colored state of the fat portion is different.

Specifically, the fat portion emits blue-green fluorescence when irradiated with excitation light of 365 nm. In addition, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the fat portion of domestic Japanese beef with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids is strongly fluorescent, whereas the imported beef said to have a low content of unsaturated fatty acids. The fat part is weakly fluorescent. In addition, it is observed that the fluorescent color is slightly different between Japanese beef and imported beef. This is because it depends on the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids or the content of different fatty acids such as oleic acid and linolenic acid in unsaturated fatty acids.

Note that imported beef here refers to beef other than Japanese beef. For comparison, a beef image captured by irradiating white light is shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14 (c), it is observed that the whole red portion is fluorescent in red with an excitation light having a longer wavelength of 405 nm. This fluorescence is attributed to components other than fat, such as proteins and amino acids.

As described above, by using a light source including a plurality of single color LEDs 20a to 20e and a color camera, a light source having a wide wavelength width such as a black light and a type of fluorescence that cannot be distinguished using a monochrome camera are classified. can do. Therefore, the fluorescence detection object 100 such as meat can be easily specified.

Further, unlike the case 1 described above, the fluorescence detection device 101E utilizes the property that a substance having a double bond such as an unsaturated fatty acid emits fluorescence in the visible light region when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Further, since the fluorescence emitted from the LEDs 20a to 20e has a wavelength in the Si sensitivity range, an imager having a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) with low cost and high spatial resolution is used. It can be used as a light receiving element.

Note that the present embodiment can be applied to any of the first to fourth embodiments described above.

[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (particularly the fluorescence detection control units 3A to 3E) of the fluorescence detection devices 101A to 101E described above may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like as described above. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a dedicated processor.

In the latter case, the fluorescence detection devices 101A to 101E include a processor that executes instructions of a control program that is software for realizing each function, a ROM in which the control program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU), or A storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM for developing the program, and the like are provided. The computer (or processor) reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
The fluorescence detection apparatus 101 according to the first aspect of the present invention includes at least one light source (

LED

20, 20a to 20e) that emits excitation light having a single wavelength, and a fluorescent site that emits fluorescence when irradiated with the excitation light. An imaging unit 17 that captures an image of the fluorescent detection target 100 including the excitation light and an excitation light blocking unit that blocks the excitation light from entering the imaging unit 17 are provided.

In the configuration described above, the fluorescence detection object 100 emits fluorescence when excited by irradiation of excitation light from the light source, while the imaging unit 17 captures the fluorescence detection object 100 to capture fluorescence. The object 100 is captured as an image. From this image, it is possible to confirm the fluorescence emitting part (fluorescence part) in the fluorescence detection object 100. Further, since the excitation light is blocked by the excitation light blocking unit, the excitation light does not enter the imaging unit 17. Thereby, since the image is not affected by the excitation light, the fluorescent site can be clearly displayed in the captured image even if the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent site is weak.

The fluorescence detection device according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the display unit 16 that displays the captured image of the fluorescence detection object 100 and the halftone in the image displayed on the display unit 16 in the above aspect 1. You may further provide the brightness | luminance reduction part (the display part 16, the display control part 34B) which reduces a brightness | luminance.

In the above configuration, the luminance reduction unit reduces the halftone luminance in the image. Specifically, the luminance reduction unit realizes the reduction of the halftone luminance by the display unit 16 in which the display characteristic (gamma characteristic) is set, or the display unit displays the image. This is realized by correcting the applied gradation signal. Thereby, in the image, the brightness of the halftone is lowered, but the brightness of the fluorescent part having a relatively high brightness is not lowered. Therefore, since the contrast difference between the fluorescent site and the other site in the image becomes large, weak fluorescence can be easily confirmed.

The fluorescence detection device according to aspect 3 of the present invention may further include a blinking control unit that controls lighting of the light source so that the light source blinks in the above aspect 1 or 2.

In the above configuration, when the light source blinks, the image displayed on the display unit 16 also blinks. Therefore, the stimulus for vision is increased, and the fluorescence state of the fluorescent site can be easily recognized.

The fluorescence detection device according to aspect 4 of the present invention is the fluorescence detection device according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 2, wherein at least one of a hue, brightness, and saturation of a pixel constituting the image captured by the imaging unit 17 is determined for each pixel. A color element calculation unit (hue / lightness / saturation calculation unit 36) that is calculated based on a gradation signal, and at least one of the calculated hue, brightness, and saturation is the excitation light to the fluorescence detection target 100. And a color element determination unit (coloring unit) that determines whether or not the fluorescent part that emits fluorescence by the irradiation is within the prescribed ranges of hue, lightness, and saturation calculated in advance.

In the above configuration, when it is determined that at least one of the calculated hue, lightness, and saturation is within the prescribed ranges of the hue, lightness, and saturation calculated in advance for the fluorescent region, the fluorescent region is indicated. It is recognized as a thing. Further, if at least one of the calculated hue, brightness, and saturation is not determined to be within the specified range (outside the specified range), it is recognized that it does not indicate the fluorescent site. In this way, by determining the presence or absence of a fluorescent site based on hue, lightness, and saturation, it is more susceptible to environmental light, compared to determining the presence or absence of a fluorescent site based on a gradation signal. Even if the intensity of the light is weak, the presence or absence of a fluorescent site can be easily determined.

The fluorescence detection device according to aspect 5 of the present invention provides the fluorescence detection device according to aspect 4, wherein the color element determination unit determines that at least one of the calculated hue, brightness, and saturation is within the specified range. You may further provide the coloring display control part (coloring part 37) displayed with a specific color.

In the above configuration, pixels that are determined to have at least one of hue, lightness, and saturation within the specified range are displayed in a specific color, so that even if the intensity of fluorescence is weak, the pixels corresponding to the fluorescent region are emphasized. Can be displayed. Thereby, a fluorescent site can be easily recognized.

In the fluorescence detection device according to aspect 6 of the present invention, in any of the above aspects 1 to 5, a plurality of the light sources may be provided, each of which emits the excitation light having a different single wavelength.

In the above configuration, since a plurality of light sources each emit excitation light having different wavelengths, it is possible to detect fluorescence of a plurality of fluorescence detection objects having different wavelengths of excitation light emitting fluorescence.

The fluorescence detection device according to aspect 7 of the present invention may further include a simultaneous lighting control unit (light source control unit 31D) that simultaneously lights a plurality of the light sources in the above aspect 6.

In the above configuration, when the fluorescence detection object 100 includes a plurality of fluorescent sites that emit fluorescence with excitation light having different wavelengths, the plurality of light sources can be turned on simultaneously so that these fluorescent sites can be detected simultaneously. .

In the fluorescence detection device according to aspect 8 of the present invention, in any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, a plurality of the light sources are provided, each emitting the excitation light having a different single wavelength, and switching the plurality of light sources. For the image of the fluorescence detection object 100 captured by the switching lighting control unit to be lit and the imaging unit 17 imaged with respect to the light source that has been lit, at least one of the hue, brightness, and saturation of the pixels constituting the image is set. A color element calculation unit that calculates based on a gradation signal of a pixel and a difference calculation unit that calculates at least one difference between hue, brightness, and saturation calculated for the two images may be further provided.

In the above configuration, at least one of the hue, lightness, and saturation of the pixels constituting the plurality of images of the fluorescence detection target object 100 irradiated with the excitation light having different single wavelengths is calculated, and the two values are calculated. The difference between images is calculated. Thereby, when the fluorescence state (fluorescence color etc.) of the fluorescence site | part in the fluorescence detection target object 100 differs by the excitation light of a different single wavelength, the fluorescent substance which comprises a fluorescence site | part can be estimated based on the difference.

In the fluorescence detection device according to aspect 9 of the present invention, in any of the above aspects 1 to 8, the light source may emit excitation light that excites the unsaturated fatty acid contained in the fluorescence detection object 100.

According to said structure, when the fluorescence detection target object 100 contains an unsaturated fatty acid, since the unsaturated fatty acid which is a fluorescent substance emits fluorescence by irradiation of excitation light, it is food by the fluorescence state, such as the fluorescence color. The presence of unsaturated fatty acid in the fluorescence detection target can be confirmed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

(Cross-reference of related applications)
This application claims the benefit of priority to the Japanese patent application filed on Oct. 2, 2015: Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-197096. Included in this document.

16 Display unit 17 Imaging unit 18 Optical filter (excitation light blocking unit)
20 LED (light source)
20a-20e LED (light source)
31 Light source control unit (flashing control unit)
31D Light source control unit (simultaneous lighting control unit, switching lighting control unit)
34B Display control unit (luminance reduction unit)
36 Hue / lightness / saturation calculator (color element calculator, difference calculator)
37 Coloring section (color element determination section, coloring display control section)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Fluorescence detection target object 101 Fluorescence detection apparatus 101A-101E Fluorescence detection apparatus

Claims

At least one light source each emitting single wavelength excitation light;
An imaging unit that images a fluorescence detection target including a fluorescent site that emits fluorescence when irradiated with the excitation light;
A fluorescence detection apparatus comprising: an excitation light blocking unit that blocks the excitation light from entering the imaging unit.
A display unit for displaying an image of the captured fluorescence detection target;
The fluorescence detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a luminance reduction unit that reduces a halftone luminance in the image displayed on the display unit.
The fluorescence detection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a blinking control unit that controls lighting of the light source so that the light source blinks.
A color element calculation unit that calculates at least one of the hue, brightness, and saturation of the pixels constituting the image captured by the imaging unit based on the gradation signal of each pixel;
Whether at least one of the calculated hue, brightness, and saturation is within a predetermined range of hue, brightness, and saturation calculated in advance for a fluorescent site that emits fluorescence when the fluorescence detection target is irradiated with the excitation light. The fluorescence detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a color element determination unit that determines whether or not.
A color display control unit configured to display the pixel determined by the color element determination unit with a specific color when at least one of the calculated hue, brightness, and saturation is within the specified range; The fluorescence detection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
6. The fluorescence detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light sources are provided and each emits the excitation light having a different single wavelength.
The fluorescence detection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a simultaneous lighting control unit that lights a plurality of the light sources simultaneously.
A plurality of the light sources are provided, each emitting the excitation light having a different single wavelength,
A switching lighting control unit that switches on and turns on the plurality of light sources;
The imaging unit calculates at least one of the hue, brightness, and saturation of the pixels that constitute the image of the image of the fluorescence detection target imaged with respect to the lit light source based on the gradation signal of each pixel. A color element calculation unit;
The fluorescence according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a difference calculation unit that calculates at least one difference of hue, brightness, and saturation calculated for the two images. Detection device.
The fluorescence detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the light source emits excitation light that excites an unsaturated fatty acid contained in the fluorescence detection object.