JP2001110349A - Remote operating system for electron microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique that prevents the operating signal from recorded in a queue of signal processing by a computer or the like caused by its real-time processing being unavailable because of processing time, signal queue, etc., generated in such units of passing through as a communication circuit and a connected computer, and from execution of processing at a timing unexpected by the microscope operator, to offer a good operability from a remote spot. SOLUTION: Problems are solved by executing signal processing of ignoring signals among received ones that can not be processed in real time by using a computer, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for increasing the added value of a high-priced or scarce-value apparatus such as an ultra-high voltage electron microscope by operating the apparatus from a remote place.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since a conventional remote device is a system mainly based on a mouse operation on a personal computer screen, it has not been possible to operate the remote device at such a high speed as to lose the field of view of a sample to be observed. However, a remote operation device having a full-scale operation console requires the same operation as the main device. In particular, in a sample feeding operation, a high-speed operation has been enabled by using a rotary encoder or the like as an operation signal for executing the high-speed feeding. However, the amount of operation signals per unit time becomes enormous, and as a result, real-time processing cannot be performed by a computer or the like in a transmission line such as a communication line, and unprocessed signals are stored in a queue inside the computer, and a moving operation is performed. After stopping the test, unexpected sample feeding occurred in the observed image, and the operability was significantly reduced.

[0003]

Normally, every time an operation signal from a remote device is generated, it is transmitted to a main unit via a power transmission line. However, it is impossible to process a large amount of operation signals in real time due to the response speed of a computer connected to the transmission line or the waiting time of a communication line. At this time, in the processing of a general computer or the like, the unprocessed signal is stocked and transmitted when the condition for processing is satisfied. However, the stored unprocessed signals are unnecessary signals for devices such as electron microscopes, and even if they are processed and transmitted for a moment after the operation is completed, the observed image will move, greatly impairing operability. Become.

[0004]

In a device such as an electron microscope operated by an operator while observing an observation image, if the delay time of a signal through a communication line or the like between the operation signal and the video signal is constant, the operation signal may be lost. The problem of delay time can be prevented with some operation practice. Therefore, it is possible to provide an optimal remote control system by invalidating the signals waiting to be processed by the computer or the like in an unprocessed state.

[0005]

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of an electron microscope.
Fig. 1 shows the principle diagram of the transmission electron microscope. The electron beam 42 emitted from the electron gun 51 is accelerated by the accelerating tube 43 to which the voltage of the high-voltage power supply 66 is applied, is adjusted to an appropriate brightness and spot diameter by the condenser lens 54, and is irradiated to the sample 55 placed on the sample stage 56. The electron beam 52 transmitted through the sample 55 contains the information of the sample 55 and is enlarged by the first intermediate lens 58, the second intermediate lens 59, and the projection lens 60 and projected on the fluorescent plate 61, and is observed as an electron microscope image by the emission of the fluorescent material. it can. This image is usually observed from the position A in the figure through the observation window 64, and can be focused by, for example, the objective lens 57, and magnification adjustment, focus adjustment, and the like can be executed by the main console 11 through the general control device 12.

For photographing an electron microscope image, a fluorescent plate 61 (not shown) is removed from the optical axis, and an electron beam 52 is set at the center of a film exposure chamber 62.
Irradiate 3 and expose. The setting operation of the film 63 is controlled by the film control device 65. Usually, a film feed and an exposure switch are arranged on the console 11 of the main body, and the operation can be performed.

Further, in order to observe an image with a TV camera, an image emitted and transmitted by the fluorescent screen 61 is photographed by the TV camera 16 and displayed on the video monitor 17. Of course at this time film 63
Need not be present in the path of the electron beam 52.

During the observation with an electron microscope, the sample 55 is very often moved. There are two types of movement, a field-of-view selection movement for searching for the optimal target position of the sample 55 to be observed, and a fine movement for detailed observation of the target portion of the sample 55. The former moving operation moves the sample 55 at the highest speed to select an optimal target portion for observation, and the latter moves the sample 55 at an extremely low speed to observe the details of the target portion. Although the movement of the sample 55 is performed by driving the sample stage 56 as shown in FIG. 5, the X-axis motor driver 67-1 is operated by the operation switch of the console 11.
Then, the sample stage 66 is moved by finely moving the X-axis drive motor 69-1 and the Y-axis drive motor 69-2 continuously and through the stage driver 67 including the Y-axis motor driver 67-2. This operation can be moved by an X-axis feed knob 71 and a Y-axis feed knob 72 arranged on the main console 11 (also the remote console 14) shown in FIG. Usually, a rotary encoder is mechanically connected to this knob, and the sample stage 56 is moved from the general control device 12 (remote control device 15 in the case of remote operation) to the sample stage 56 as described above every time the knob is operated. It can move and observe each part of the sample.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the main console 11.
Since the present invention relates to the sample stage, only the XY two-axis feed knob is shown. However, the present invention is actually constituted by a number of knobs and switches such as a focus knob and a magnification setting knob. The remote console 14 is not shown, but the console 1
Needless to say, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a system configuration of a remote control device. In the figure, the parts indicated by the main unit 13 include all the structural components from the electron gun 51 to the film exposure chamber 62 in FIG. The video monitor 17 can also be operated by the desk 11
To observe the image of the electron microscope. In the remote operation, an operation signal of operating the remote console 14 is transmitted to the main controller 12 to indicate that the operation can be performed similarly to the main console 11. The flow of the remote operation signal is transmitted from the remote operation console 14 to the remote operation control device 15, from the communication signal processing device 31 attached to the remote device via the remote operation personal computer 22 to the communication terminal device 32, and to the main unit via the communication line 33. Communication terminal device 34, communication signal processing device 3 including
5 and is sent from the personal computer 21 to the general control device 12 to control the main device 13. Further, the image of the electron microscope is constantly photographed by the TV camera 16 and is displayed on the remote video monitor 27 through a route reverse to the operation signal.

Here, the time from the generation of a remote operation signal (this example is limited to the sample feed, but other operation signals are the same) until the image observation at the end of the transmission of the electron microscope image, that is, this remote operation system system The total delay time is related to the response of the electron microscope and is a factor for determining the operability. However, the sensory time from the sample feeding operation until the change in the image of the electron microscope is observed is always constant, and the operator who performs the observation operation even when the sample feeding operation is early or late recognizes the signal delay by itself. In addition, an operation that does not give a sense of incongruity to the delay time can be performed with some operation practice. However, when the transmission amount of the operation signal exceeds the capacity of the computer or the communication line, it is generally recorded in a queue in the computer. In other words, the operation signal recorded in the queue continues communication both during and after the sending operation until the transmission of all the recorded signals is completed. The transmission of the recording signal is a signal that is not recognized by the operator, and when the sample is moved by this signal, the operability is significantly impaired and the user feels uncomfortable.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a system capable of improving the operability by eliminating the transfer of the recording signal. FIG. 1 relates to transmission / reception signals between two computers transmitting and receiving in a plurality of computers connected to a transmission path between the remote console control device 15 on the remote device side and the main computer 21 (or the general control device 12) on the main device side. Signal processing. (A) is a processing timing chart of the received transmission signal, in which the response processing time (Ti) of the receiving computer is known, and only the signal amount that can be processed within that time is transmitted by the transmitting computer. For example, even if the operation signal received by the transmitting computer is not processed by the receiving computer, the transmitting computer does not transmit the signal and the unprocessable signal is not recorded in a queue of the receiving computer. That is, the transmitting computer receives the operation signal P12 received within the time Ti from P11.
And P13 are invalidated, and P21 (the same signal as P11) and P13
22 (same signal as P14) is transmitted. By applying such reception and transmission control to all the computers connected to the remote operation system and to the communication line, there is no operation signal recorded in the queue in the remote operation system and the operability is improved. Can be achieved. (B) is a control sequence for executing this processing. STEP 1 waits for reception by the transmitting computer, and STEP 2 processes the received signal. STEP 3 compares the response time Ti of the receiving computer with the time Tn from P11 of the received signal. If Tn is greater than Ti, The received signal is transmitted to the receiving computer, and when Tn is smaller than Ti, the received signal is not transmitted. In this case, since the signals P11 and P14 match, the transmission processing is performed to the next receiving side computer in STEP4 as P21 and P22.

Similarly to the signal processing, the processing time Ti of the computer having the slowest response processing in the remote control system is
On the other hand, similarly to the above-described signal processing, it is also possible to execute the transmission control of the operation signal by the computer which transmits first, for example, the remote operation personal computer 22, and it is needless to say that the same effect can be obtained.

In the above-described signal processing, the response time Ti of each computer on the transmission path must be known, but the invention shown in FIG. 2 is a processing method irrelevant to the response time. For example, this method can be executed even by remote control only by the signal processing of the final reception processing unit of the operation signal, for example, the general processing device 12 and the stage driver 67 of the main unit in FIG. Although the specific circuit and the processing contents are not described in FIGS. 2 and 5, a normal processing computer is incorporated in the stage driver 67, and the sample feeding operation is executed by the program processing. (A) is a timing chart in which the stage driver 67 receives an operation signal and executes signal processing. The received signals are sequentially received from P11 to P15.
The problem can be solved by ignoring the signal received during the time period when the signal cannot be processed by the program. As a specific example, if the received signal is processed by a computer interrupt signal, a program system in which the received signal is superimposed and cannot be processed during the sample feeding drive, and the received signal is ignored by the program. Thus, processing can be performed in the same manner as the signal processing in FIG. (B) shows the received signal control sequence. In STEP1, the operation signal is received and the STE
At P2, the processing of the received signal is determined. That is, this is a process of determining whether or not the interruption process of the current reception signal is possible. If possible, execute sample feeding of the current received signal. If interrupt processing is not possible (during sample feeding of the previous received signal), ignore the received signal (if normal processing, record the received signal in the queue). Then, the process proceeds to the next reception waiting process in STEP1. In the meantime, if it becomes possible to execute the interrupt processing (the sample feeding being executed is completed), the next reception signal becomes possible for the sample feeding. If the received signal can be detected at that time, the sample feeding process in STEP 4 becomes possible. As shown in the sequence, the prohibition and the permission of the interrupt processing are generally prohibited in STEP 3 before the execution of the sample feeding drive and enabled in STEP 4 after the execution of the sample feeding drive.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of processing according to the present invention.
Although the description has been made as to whether or not the signal processing can be recorded in the queue and the interrupt processing can be performed, specifically, without following this description example, it is possible to eliminate the state in which the sample feed signal cannot be processed and integrated, thereby improving operability. The goal is to achieve it, not to ask for specific means.

[0016]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an apparatus capable of observing an image of an electron microscope or the like and performing excellent remote control.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a signal processing timing chart of a reception signal and a transmission signal between respective computers in a communication power transmission line and an example of a control sequence thereof.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing timing chart for executing processing of an unnecessary signal by a reception signal and drive signal processing, and an example of a control sequence thereof.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a remote operation system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a basic configuration example of a transmission electron microscope.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a basic configuration example and a control block of a sample stage mounted on an electron microscope.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sample feeding operation knob in a main body (remote) console.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: Main console, 12: General control device, 13: Main device, 14: Remote console, 15: Remote console control device, 1
6 TV camera, 17 Video monitor, 21 Personal computer, 22 Remote control personal computer, 27 Remote video monitor,
31 ... communication signal processing device, 32 ... communication terminal device, 33 ...
Communication line, 34 communication terminal device, 35 communication signal processing device, 51 electron gun, 52 electron beam, 53 accelerating tube,
54: capacitance コ ン デ ン サ, 55: sample, 56: sample stage, 57: objective lens, 58: first intermediate lens, 5
Reference numeral 9: second intermediate lens, 60: projection lens, 61: fluorescent plate, 62: film exposure chamber, 63: film, 64: observation window, 65: film controller, 66: high voltage power supply, 6
7 ... Stage driver, 67-1 ... X-axis motor driver, 67-2 ... Y-axis motor driver, 68 ... Lens power supply, 69-1 ... X-axis drive motor, 69-2 ... Y-axis drive motor, 71 ... X-axis Feed knob, 72 ... Y-axis feed knob.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenichi Mechinin 882, Momo, Oaza-shi, Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture Within the Hitachi Measuring Instruments Group, Ltd. Hitachi Science Systems Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An electronic microscope and a remote control device capable of transmitting and receiving a video signal and a control signal between a main control device and a remote control device which is physically separated from the main control device using a communication line or the like. A remote operation device that remotely operates the main body electron microscope with an operation signal transmitted from the operation device and simultaneously transmits an image of the electron microscope, for example, a TV image, etc. to the remote operation device and enables monitoring of the sample to be observed. Transmit the operation signal to the main unit indefinitely by the amount that generates the feed operation signal, and process the operation signal amount that exceeds the capacity of the computer or communication line connected to the power transmission line in the middle with the processing program of the transmission and reception computer, etc. An electron microscope remote control device, wherein remote control of feeding is enabled.