JP2000075208A - Inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an inspecting device by which relative remaining vibration between an XY stage obtained after a slide glass is moved and an optical system is eliminated and by which a holding means can be easily adjusted. SOLUTION: As to this inspecting device, the XY stage 181 is integrally attached below a surface plate 180 supported by a supporter 185, and the optical system 183 is integrally attached above the surface plate 180. The engaging part 181a of the stage 181 is engaged with the supporting part 180a of the surface plate 180, so that the stage 181 is attached to the surface plate 180 in a suspending state. A chuck means as the holding means is attached to the stage 181, and two pairs of forks 190 and 191 superpose both ends of the slide glass G in the longitudinal direction from upper and lower parts.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for inspecting a specimen (for example, blood) on a slide glass, and more particularly, to a mounting structure of an XY stage and an optical system, an XY stage for moving the slide glass, and an XY stage. The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus characterized by a holding means for holding a slide glass.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An inspection apparatus of this type generally has a structure as schematically shown in FIG. This inspection apparatus moves the slide glass G attached to the surface plate 200 and the slide glass G mounted on the surface plate 200 and held by holding means (see FIG. 18B) in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (front-back, left-right directions). Let X
A Y stage 201, a light source 202 for illuminating the slide glass G held by the holding means, and an optical system 203 for observing the illuminated slide glass G are provided. Optical system 20
Reference numeral 3 denotes a support 205 mounted on the surface plate 200, which is supported above the XY stage 201. The light source 202 is disposed on the surface plate 200 at the rear (or side) of the apparatus, and passes from the rear (or side) through the front. The upper part is illuminated.

As shown in FIG. 18B, the holding means has positioning plates 210a and 210b, and two Y-axis pressers 212 are provided for the positioning plates 210a and 210b.
Are provided so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction, and the holder lever 213 is provided so as to be swingable in the X-axis direction. The slide glass G is pressed against the positioning plate 210a by the Y-axis presser 212 and pressed against the positioning plate 210b by the holder lever 213, and is held by the holding means.

[0004]

However, the conventional inspection apparatus as described above has the following problems. Since the XY stage 201 and the optical system 203 are structurally separated (see FIG. 18A), after moving the slide glass G of the XY stage 201 with respect to the optical system 203, the XY stage 201 and the optical system 203 are separated. Relative residual vibration occurs between the system and the system 203, and it is necessary to wait for this vibration to subside. Further, the position of the slide glass G with respect to the optical system 203 may be shifted due to the residual vibration. Since the slide glass G is pressed in the two-dimensional directions of the X-axis direction by the holder lever 213 and the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis presser 212 (see FIG. 18B), the adjustment of the holding means is performed by the two Y-axis pressers 212. It is necessary to perform the operation at three points of the holder lever 213.
It takes time to adjust 3.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and eliminates and maintains relative residual vibration between the XY stage and the optical system after moving the slide glass. An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device that facilitates adjustment of the means.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an inspection apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a platen and a slide glass attached to the platen and held by holding means. An XY stage that moves in the axial and Y-axis directions (front-back, left-right directions), a light source that illuminates the slide glass held by holding means, and an optical system that observes the illuminated slide glass, wherein the optical system Are mounted integrally on a surface plate, and the XY stage is mounted integrally under the surface plate.

[0007] In this inspection apparatus, the optical system and the XY stage are integrally mounted on the upper and lower sides of the surface plate, respectively.
That is, since the XY stage and the optical system have the same vibration system,
After the slide glass is moved, no relative residual vibration occurs between the XY stage and the optical system. An inspection apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention provides a surface plate, an XY stage attached to the surface plate, and an XY stage for moving the slide glass held by the holding means in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (front-rear, left-right directions). A light source for illuminating the slide glass held by the means, and an optical system for observing the illuminated slide glass, wherein the holding means is a chuck means for holding both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass from above and below, respectively. There is a feature.

In this inspection apparatus, since both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass are sandwiched from above and below by the chuck means as the holding means, that is, since the slide glass is gripped by scissors, the holding means (the chuck) Means) is easy to adjust. Further, the inspection apparatus according to claim 5 is a platen, an XY stage attached to the platen, and configured to move the slide glass held by the holding means in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (front-rear, left-right directions), A light source for illuminating the slide glass held by the means, and an optical system for observing the illuminated slide glass, wherein the optical system is integrally mounted on a surface plate, and the X
The Y stage is integrally mounted under the surface plate, and the holding means is a chuck means for holding both ends of the slide glass in the longitudinal direction from above and below.

[0009] This inspection apparatus has both the features of claims 1 and 3.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on embodiments. First, a schematic diagram of the configuration of the inspection apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. This inspection device includes a platen 180,
The holding means is attached to the surface plate 180 [(b) of FIG.
The slide glass G held by X-axis and Y-axis
XY stage 18 that moves in the axial direction (front-back, left-right direction)
1, a light source 182 for illuminating the slide glass G held by the holding means, and an optical system 183 for observing the illuminated slide glass G. The platen 180 is supported by a column 185 erected on a base (not shown) of the apparatus.
The XY stage 181 is integrally mounted below the surface plate 180, and the optical system 183 is integrally mounted on the surface plate 180. The light source 182 is disposed below the XY stage 181 and is fixed to the base of the device.

In this inspection apparatus, the platen 180 is XY
Having a support portion 180a for supporting the stage 181;
The stage 181 has an engaging portion 181a that engages with the supporting portion 180a of the surface plate 180, and the engaging portion 181a is
0a, the XY stage 181 moves the surface plate 18
It is attached in a hanging manner at 0. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the chuck means as the holding means holds the pair of forks 190 and 191 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass G from above and below.

Next, the detailed structure of the inspection apparatus will be specifically described. FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the inspection apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a partial front view of an upper side of the inspection apparatus, FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the same apparatus on the right side, and FIG. Is shown in FIG. In this inspection apparatus, an XY stage 9 (FIG. 2) in which four columns 8 are erected on a substrate 7, the platen 4 is supported by the columns 8 above the substrate 7, and chucks 150 are provided below the platen 4. 5, not shown in FIG. 5), and an optical system (for example, a microscope) 2 is integrally mounted on the surface plate 4. The light source 1 for illuminating from below the slide glass G positioned at the inspection position P while being held by the chuck means 150 includes a mirror base 1 attached to the base 7.
0, and the light illuminates the slide glass G from behind via the convex lens 11. The optical system 2 for observing the illuminated slide glass G has an objective lens section 21 facing the slide glass G at the inspection position P, and an eyepiece section 22 above the objective lens section 21.

A light-transmitting oil tank 3 for storing oil for immersing blood on the slide glass G at the inspection position P is disposed on the front right side of the inspection apparatus. An oil flow path (consisting of a pipe 50, tubes 51 and 52, and a nozzle 53) for dropping onto the slide glass G from above is provided.

The oil tank 3 has a transparent cylindrical shape here, is supported by three columns 40 erected on the base 7, and a cap 30 is detachably fitted to an upper opening. The pipe 50 provided inside the oil tank 3 is
It is led out of the tank 3 from the upper part of the oil tank 3,
The through-hole 60 of the tank 3 is fixed with, for example, a nut. Portion 60 where pipe 50 penetrates oil tank 3
Is located above the oil level L when the oil in the tank 3 is full, so that the penetrating portion 60 is not immersed in the oil.

As shown by a dashed line, for example, a tube 51 is connected to the end of the pipe 50,
Is a tube joint 61 for connecting the tube 51
a. The tube joint 61a is connected to an oil pump 63 via an electromagnetic valve 62 for switching an oil flow path. A tube 52 is connected to another tube joint 61b connected to an oil pump 63 via an electromagnetic valve 62. The tube 52 is an L-shaped tube attached to a nozzle rotating mechanism 5 provided near the inspection position P. Nozzle 53 is connected to one end (oil inflow side). The other end (oil outflow side) of the nozzle 53 is set so as to be located just above the slide glass G at a small interval. The nozzle rotation mechanism 5 rotatably supports the nozzle 53, is fixed to the surface plate 4 that supports the optical system 2, and is rotatable by a support shaft that passes through the center. By this nozzle rotating mechanism 5, the nozzle 53 can be rotated and separated from the inspection position P.

A photoelectric sensor 70 for detecting the presence or absence of oil in the oil tank 3 is arranged around the lower part of the oil tank 3. The photoelectric sensor 70 includes a light emitting unit 70a (not shown in the drawing) and a light receiving unit 70b.
a and 70b are located at positions offset from the center of the oil tank 3 so as to face each other with the oil tank 3 interposed therebetween.
Is mounted on a bracket 75 fitted and fixed to the lower part of the bracket. The arrangement of the light emitting / receiving sections 70a, 70b may be reversed.

According to this oil detecting structure, since the oil tank 3 is transparent (light transmitting), the light from the light projecting portion 70a is refracted by the tank 3 and transmitted, and enters the oil inside. Since the refractive index of the oil is different from that of the air, if the oil in the tank 3 is higher than the light projection level, the light travels through the oil and does not enter the light receiving unit 70b. On the other hand, when the remaining oil amount is smaller than the light projection level, the light is refracted by the air and the tank 3 and proceeds, and enters the light receiving unit 70b.
Therefore, the presence or absence of oil in the oil tank 3 can be detected based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 70b.

A circuit board 12 on which various electronic components are mounted is disposed on the front left side of the inspection apparatus, and a connector 1 for connecting to other internal equipment (for example, a cassette transport unit).
3 is provided on the front side. FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the front side when viewing the XY stage 9 from the back side, FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the rear side, FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the front side, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of FIG. 8 and FIG.
0 and FIG. 11, a rear view of the XY stage 9 is shown in FIG.
FIG. 13 shows a view seen from the arrow B in FIG.

In the XY stage 9, a slide base 80 is mounted on the base 100 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction). Further, the chuck means 150 is mounted on the slide base 80 via a plate 95 in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). ). Therefore, the slide base 8
By the relative movements of the plate 0 and the plate 95, the chuck 150 moves in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and the slide glass G held by the chuck 150 is accurately positioned at the inspection position P.

More specifically, a bracket 81 is attached to one side end of the slide base 80,
, A motor (stepping motor) 82 for the X-axis direction is fixed. The rotating shaft 82a of the motor 82 is a shaft coupling 83
To the pole screw 84. Pole screw 8
4 has one end (an end on the motor 82 side) rotatably supported by a bearing 85 and the other end (an end on the opposite side) rotatably supported by a bearing 86. Motor 8
On the rear side of 2, the tumbler 87 is directly connected to the rotation shaft 82a, so that the pole screw 84 can be manually turned by the tumbler 87. Further, the bearing 85 is supported by a support unit 90, and the bearing 86 is supported by a bearing holder 91. When the motor 82 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the pole screw 8 via the shaft coupling 83.
4, the pole screw 84 rotates while being supported by the bearings 85 and 86 (see FIG. 13).

A holder nut 94 is fitted into the pole screw 84, and a plate 95 is attached to the holder nut 94. The holder nut 94 and the plate 95 move integrally in the X-axis direction according to the rotation of the pole screw 84. The position of the plate 95 (that is, the chuck means 150) in the X-axis direction is determined by three photo sensors 98a and 98 provided on a sensor holder 97 attached to the rear end of the base 80.
b, 98c. Among them, the photo sensor 98b is located above the other two photo sensors 98a and 98c (see FIGS. 9 and 12), and mainly the plate 95
The photo sensors 98a and 98c on both sides are mainly used to detect the left and right limit positions of the plate 95. This detection is performed by the plate 95
This is performed by a dog 99 having a U-shaped cross section attached to the rear end of the horn. That is, the movement of the dog 99 accompanying the movement of the plate 95 causes the photosensors 98 (a to c) to detect the presence or absence of light shielding, and the position of the plate 95 is accurately detected based on the detection.

On the other hand, a bracket 101 is attached to the rear end of the base 100, and a motor (stepping motor) 102 for the Y-axis direction is fixed to the bracket 101. A rotating shaft 102 a of the motor 102 is connected to a pole screw 104 by a shaft coupling 103. Pole screw 10
4 is a bearing 10 having one end (the end on the motor 102 side).
5, rotatably supported by the other end (opposite end)
Are rotatably supported by bearings 106. Further, on the rear side of the motor 102, a tumbler 107 is directly connected to the rotating shaft 102a, and the tumbler 107 allows the pole screw 104 to be manually turned. Further, the bearing 105 is supported by a support unit 110, and the bearing 106 is supported by a bearing holder 111. When the motor 102 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the pole screw 104 via the shaft coupling 103, and the pole screw 104 rotates while being supported by bearings 105 and 106 (see FIG. 11).

The pole screw 104 has a holder nut 114.
Are fitted, and a plate 115 is attached to the holder nut 114. Holder nut 114 and plate 115
Move integrally in the Y-axis direction according to the rotation of the pole screw 104. Furthermore, on both the left and right sides below the base 100,
Rails 120 each extending in the Y-axis direction are fixed, and each rail 120 has two slide units 1.
21 is mounted movably along the rail 120. The plate 115 is fixed to the two slide units 121 on the motor 102 side, and the slide base 80 is fixed to the four slide units 121 although not shown in the drawing. Therefore, with the movement of the plate 115 by the operation of the motor 102, the four slide units 121 move, whereby the slide base 80 moves in the front-back direction.

The position of the slide unit 121, that is, the slide base 80 in the Y-axis direction is determined by the photo sensors provided on the sensor holders 127a and 127b attached to the side end of the base 100 opposite to the motor 102 side. 128a, 128b. The photo sensor 128a is located on the front side, and the photo sensor 128b is located on the rear side, and is used to detect the front and rear limit positions of the slide base 80. This detection is performed by two L-shaped dogs 129a attached to corresponding ends of the slide base 80,
129b (see FIGS. 7 and 12). The dog 129a corresponds to the photo sensor 128a, and the dog 129b corresponds to the photo sensor 128b. The movement of the dogs 129a and 129b accompanying the movement of the slide base 80 causes the photo sensors 128a and 128b to detect the presence or absence of light blocking and to slide based on the detection. The position of the base 80 is accurately detected.

The XY stage 9 is integrally mounted below the surface plate 4. In this embodiment, the XY stage 9 is
Two guide holders 6 extending in the Y-axis direction are provided on the lower surface of the base (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and four guides 130 capable of engaging with the guide holders 6 are protruded from the upper surface of the base 100. (See FIGS. 8, 9 and 12).
The XY stage 9 fits the guide 130 of the base 100 into the guide holder 6 of the surface plate 4, moves the XY stage 9 to a predetermined position along the guide holder 6, and then tightens the screw with the screw. It is fixed in a hanging manner. Therefore, the XY stage 9 can be attached to and detached from the base 4, and if the XY stage 9 is removed from the base 4,
Maintenance and the like of the XY stage 9 can be easily performed.

On the other hand, the chuck means 150 is mounted on the plate 95 which is movable in the X-axis direction with respect to the slide base 80 as described above, and this mounting is performed by screws. For this reason, the chuck means 150 can also be attached to and detached from the plate 95, that is, the XY stage 9. Even if the chuck means 150 is damaged, by removing the chuck means 150 from the plate 95, only the chuck means 150 can be attached. Can be exchanged,
Replacement costs can be reduced.

The chuck means 150 is shown in FIG. 14 (a plan view on the front side), FIG. 15 (a right side view), FIG. 16 (a rear view), and FIG. 17 (a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 14). Structure. The chucking means 150 holds both ends of the slide glass G in the longitudinal direction from above and below.
It has a pair of forks 151, and each fork 151
It is composed of book forks 151a and 151b. This fork 151 is attached to the tip of a base fork 152.

At both ends of the base fork 152, clampers 153 are respectively mounted so as to be slightly swingable. As shown in FIG. 17, a set screw 161 is screwed into a side end of the base fork 152, and further, a bush 160,
The nut 164 is screwed to the set screw 161 with the flat washer 161, washer 162 and spacer 163 interposed therebetween, so that the clamper 153 is slightly swingably supported by the base fork 152. Here, the long fork 151a of the fork 151 is fixed immovably, but the short fork 151b is supported by the clamper 153 so as to be slightly displaceable enough to easily hold the slide glass G.

A bolt 165 is inserted through the front side of the base fork 152 in a penetrating manner. A spacer 166 is fitted to the bolt 165 below the base fork 152, and a nut 167 is screwed. Spacer 16
A coil spring 168 is inserted into a bolt 165 between the nut 6 and the nut 167, and the coil spring 168 is
The clamper 153 is urged upward through 66.

Therefore, if the short fork 151b is displaced downward when the slide glass G is sandwiched by the fork 151, the clamper 15 is pressed against the urging force of the coil spring 168.
The front side of 3 goes down and the rear side goes up. When the slide glass G is removed from the fork 151, the front side of the clamper 153 is raised and the rear side is lowered by the coil spring 168, and the clamper 153 returns to the original state.

At the rear of the base fork 152, brackets 170 are attached at four places by studs 171 and nuts 172. On both sides of the bracket 170,
A photosensor 173 is attached to each of the photosensors 173. One of the photosensors 173 is a light emitting unit and the other is a light receiving unit.
They face each other so that light from the light emitting unit is received by the light receiving unit. Here, when the fork 151 does not hold the slide glass G, the light from the light emitting unit is received by the light receiving unit, and when the fork 151 holds the slide glass G,
By raising the rear side of the clamper 153 as described above,
The optical path is blocked at the rear of the clamper 153. Based on the presence or absence of light blocking between the photosensors 173, it is determined whether or not the chuck means 150 is holding the slide glass G.

In the inspection apparatus thus configured, X
In order to position the slide glass G at the inspection position P by the Y stage 9, first, the slide glass G is held by the fork 151 of the chuck means 150 in the XY stage 9. When the slide glass G is set on the fork 151, it is detected by the photo sensor 173. Then, the motor 102 operates and the slide base 80
While moving in the axial direction, the motor 82 operates and the chuck means 150 moves in the X-axis direction. Slide base 8
Since the position of 0 is detected by the photo sensors 128a and 128b and the position of the chuck means 150 (that is, the plate 95) is detected by the photo sensors 98a, 98b and 98c, the slide glass G held by the chuck means 150 is It is accurately positioned at the inspection position P.

[0033]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to the inspection apparatus described above, since the optical system and the XY stage are respectively mounted integrally above and below the surface plate,
Since the Y stage and the optical system have the same vibration system, there is no relative residual vibration between the XY stage and the optical system after the slide glass is moved.

Further, according to the structure of the second aspect, difficulty in mounting the XY stage in the anti-gravity direction is eliminated, and the XY stage can be easily mounted on the surface plate. Moreover, by removing the XY stage from the surface plate, maintenance of the XY stage and the like can be easily performed. According to the inspection device of the third aspect, since both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass are clamped from above and below by the chuck means as the holding means, that is, since the slide glass is gripped by scissors, the holding is performed. The adjustment of the means (chuck means) is easy.

Further, according to the structure of claim 4, the chuck means can be removed from the XY stage, so that when the chuck means is damaged, only the chuck means is replaced.
Replacement costs can be reduced. According to the inspection apparatus of the fifth aspect, the effects of both the first and third aspects can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a schematic configuration diagram of an inspection device of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic configuration diagram of a chuck unit in the inspection device.

FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the inspection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the upper side of the device.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the right side of the device.

FIG. 5 is a partial front view of the left side of the device.

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a front side of the XY stage in the inspection apparatus as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 7 is a rear partial plan view of the XY stage in the inspection apparatus as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 8 is a partial side view of a front side of an XY stage in the inspection apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a partial side view on the rear side of the XY stage in the inspection apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of one side as viewed from an arrow A in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is a partial plan view of the other side as viewed from an arrow A in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 12 is a rear view of the XY stage.

FIG. 13 is a view as viewed from an arrow B in FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the front side of the chuck means in the XY stage.

FIG. 15 is a right side view of the chuck means.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of the chuck means.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 14;

18A and 18B are schematic diagrams of a configuration of an inspection apparatus according to a conventional example.
And a schematic configuration diagram of a holding means in the inspection apparatus (b)
It is.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source 2 Microscope (optical system) 4 Surface plate 6 Guide holder (support part) 8 Post 9 XY stage 80 Slide base 82,102 Motor 95 Plate 100 Base 130 Guide (engagement part) 150 Chuck means G Slide glass

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2G045 CA25 FA11 FA16 HA16 JA07 JA08 2H052 AB01 AB03 AC01 AD11 AD15 AD18 AD19 AD26 AD36 AD37 AF02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A surface plate, an XY stage attached to the surface plate, and an XY stage for moving the slide glass held by the holding means in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (front-back, left-right directions), and a slide held by the holding means. An inspection apparatus comprising a light source for illuminating glass and an optical system for observing an illuminated slide glass, wherein the optical system is integrally mounted on a surface plate, and the XY stage is integrally mounted under the surface plate. An inspection device characterized in that the inspection is performed. 2. The surface plate has a support portion for supporting an XY stage. The XY stage has an engagement portion that engages with a support portion of the surface plate, and the engagement portion engages with the support portion. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the XY stage is attached to the surface plate in a suspended manner. 3. A platen, an XY stage attached to the platen, and an XY stage for moving the slide glass held by the holding means in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (front-back, left-right directions), and a slide held by the holding means. An inspection apparatus comprising a light source for illuminating the glass and an optical system for observing the illuminated slide glass, wherein the holding means is a chuck means for holding both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass from above and below, respectively. Inspection equipment. 4. An inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said chuck means is detachably attached to an XY stage. 5. A platen, an XY stage attached to the platen, and an XY stage for moving the slide glass held by the holding means in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (front-back, left-right directions), and a slide held by the holding means. An inspection apparatus comprising a light source for illuminating glass and an optical system for observing an illuminated slide glass, wherein the optical system is integrally mounted on a surface plate, and the XY stage is integrally mounted under the surface plate. The inspection device is characterized in that the holding means is a chuck means for holding both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass from above and below, respectively.