JP2004145153A - Confocal microscope with light quantity saturation display function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a confocal microscope with a light quantity saturation display function in which operation to adjust a light receiving gain or the like to an optimum condition is facilitated. <P>SOLUTION: A luminance saturation discrimination circuit 73 provided in the confocal microscope with a light quantity saturation display function includes a comparator 74 comparing the luminance of the input signal of each pixel of an image with set luminance just before saturation, a saturation pixel video signal generator 77 outputting a specified color pixel video signal, and a selector 76 obtaining a video signal by replacing the input signal with the pixel video signal from the generator 77 when the luminance of the input signal is higher than the set luminance according to output from the comparator 74. The pixel having the luminance equal to or above the set luminance just before saturation is colored in red or the like and displayed on the image of the surface of a sample displayed on the screen of a display device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a confocal microscope for acquiring information such as an ultra-deep image and a height distribution of a sample based on optical information from the sample, and more particularly to a confocal microscope with a light intensity saturation display function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a confocal microscope, light from a sample is received by a light receiving element via a confocal optical system, and based on the amount of received light, an ultra-depth image (an image with a very deep focal depth) or a height distribution of the sample is obtained. Information is obtained. When the relative distance between the sample placed on the stage and the objective lens is changed in the direction of the optical axis, the amount of light incident on the light receiving element via the confocal optical system, that is, the amount of received light, changes, and The amount of received light is maximized when the subject is in focus. Therefore, height information of the surface of the sample is calculated from the relative distance between the sample and the objective lens when the maximum amount of received light is obtained, and the height distribution of the surface of the sample is obtained by scanning the surface of the sample with light. be able to.
[0003]
The acquired height distribution is displayed on the screen of the display device by, for example, three-dimensional display. Alternatively, the height distribution replaced with a luminance distribution or a color distribution is displayed on the screen. A CRT (cathode ray tube) or an LCD (liquid crystal display) is used as a display device, and a controller for control, a display device, a console, and the like are connected to the confocal microscope to form a confocal microscope system.
[0004]
In addition, by connecting information on the amount of light received when each point (pixel) on the sample surface is focused (that is, information on the maximum luminance of each pixel), a monochrome image of the sample surface with a very deep depth of focus can be obtained. Can be. This image is a so-called super-depth image.
[0005]
When the relative distance (height) between the sample and the objective lens is fixed so that the maximum amount of received light can be obtained at an arbitrary pixel of interest, the amount of received light of a pixel having a large difference in height from the pixel of interest is remarkable. The image becomes smaller, and an image in which only the portion having the same height as the target pixel is bright (this is called a slice image) is obtained.
[0006]
Further, a common light source having a function of displaying a color image of the sample surface in the same range as the ultra-depth image by separating light from the sample irradiated with white light from the confocal optical system and receiving the light with a color image sensor is provided. There is also a focus microscope. This color image has a shallow depth of focus unlike an ultra-deep image, but by performing a synthesizing process to replace the luminance signal with the luminance signal of the ultra-deep image, a color image with a deep focal depth (a color ultra-deep image) It is also possible to obtain).
[0007]
In the measurement of a sample using a confocal microscope as described above, for example, the light receiving element or the signal processing circuit may be saturated because the light reflectance of the sample surface is very high. In this case, the relative distance (height) between the sample and the objective lens when the maximum amount of received light is obtained cannot be obtained accurately. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the light receiving sensitivity (the light receiving gain of the signal processing circuit) or the light attenuation by the ND filter so that the light receiving amount (or the light receiving signal) is not saturated.
[0008]
The user of the confocal microscope, for example, when the image of the sample displayed on the screen has a saturated portion (so-called overexposed portion), the light receiving element or the signal processing circuit is saturated in that portion. It is determined that there is an error, and the light reception gain and the like are adjusted as described above. However, in a sample in which the light reflectance of the surface is largely changed, when it is desired to observe a portion having a small light reflectance (dark portion) in detail, overexposure occurs in a portion having a large light reflectance (bright portion). However, there is a case where the light reception gain or the like is increased by ignoring it.
[0009]
Therefore, the user often determines the luminance saturation (whiteout) and adjusts the light receiving gain and the like based on the case by case. As an index for judging the luminance saturation, there is a confocal microscope in which a received light amount of a maximum luminance portion in a slice image or a super-depth image is displayed on a screen.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, it is not easy to adjust the light receiving gain or the like to an optimum state simply by displaying the light receiving amount of the maximum luminance portion on the screen, since the distribution of the luminance of the entire screen is not known. In particular, when it is desired to observe a specific portion of the image of the sample surface displayed on the screen as described above in detail, light is received so that the brightness of the portion is not saturated and displayed as brightly as possible (easy to observe). It is difficult to adjust the gain etc.
[0011]
An object of the present invention is to provide a confocal microscope with a light intensity saturation display function that can easily adjust a light receiving gain or the like to an optimal state in view of the above-described conventional problems.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The confocal microscope with the light intensity saturation display function of the present invention receives light from the sample surface with a light receiving element via a confocal optical system, and acquires height information and light amount information on the sample surface based on the received light information. A confocal microscope that displays an image of a sample surface obtained by processing acquired information on a screen of a display device. Among them, a function is provided in which a pixel having a saturated luminance or a pixel having a luminance equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before the saturation is displayed with a predetermined color.
[0013]
With such a function, in a slice image or a super-depth image that is displayed in black and white, a pixel whose luminance is saturated or a pixel whose luminance is equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation is displayed in, for example, red. Thus, the user can easily perform an operation of adjusting the light receiving gain and the like to an optimum state while visually checking the image. In particular, when it is desired to observe a specific portion of the image on the sample surface in detail, it becomes easy to adjust the light receiving gain and the like so that the brightness of the portion does not saturate and is displayed as bright as possible.
[0014]
In a preferred embodiment, the confocal microscope with the light intensity saturation display function of the present invention is a slice image representing the light reception amount at each point when the height is fixed so that the maximum light reception amount is obtained at any point on the sample surface, A function is provided in which real-time display is performed by giving a predetermined color to a pixel whose luminance is saturated or a pixel whose luminance is equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation among the pixels constituting the slice image. The software or hardware processing as described above is required to obtain an ultra-deep image, and it takes a certain amount of time to complete the processing, but a slice image is displayed immediately. Therefore, when the light receiving gain or the like is adjusted, the slice image after the adjustment is displayed with almost no delay. As described above, since an image in which a predetermined color is added to a saturated pixel or a pixel having a luminance equal to or higher than the set luminance immediately before the saturation is displayed in real time, it is easy to adjust the light receiving gain and the like.
[0015]
In another preferred embodiment, a confocal microscope with a light intensity saturation display function of the present invention includes a comparator for comparing the luminance of each pixel of the image with a set luminance, and a video signal for a saturated pixel that outputs a pixel video signal of a predetermined color. A luminance saturation determination circuit that includes a generator and a selector that replaces a video signal of a pixel having a luminance higher than the set luminance with a pixel video signal from the video signal generator for a saturated pixel based on an output of the comparator. . As described above, by performing the processing of coloring the pixels having the set luminance or more immediately before the saturation by hardware, the processing speed is faster and the load on the software is lighter than when the processing is performed by software. .
[0016]
In still another preferred embodiment, the confocal microscope with the light intensity saturation display function of the present invention has a function of superimposing and displaying a histogram relating to the luminance of each pixel in the image displayed on the screen. By displaying such a relationship between the luminance and the number of pixels as a histogram, particularly, by displaying the histogram in real time over the slice image, it becomes easier to adjust the light receiving gain and the like to an optimum state. .
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a confocal microscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The confocal microscope system 1 includes a confocal microscope having a confocal optical system 2 and a non-confocal optical system 3, a laser driving circuit 44 of the confocal microscope, signal processing circuits 41, 42, 43 from light receiving elements, and an objective lens. A controller including a moving mechanism 40, a controller 46 using a microcomputer, and the like, and a display device 47 and an input device 48 connected to the controller are provided.
[0019]
First, the confocal optical system 2 of the confocal microscope and its signal processing will be described. The confocal optical system 2 includes a light source 10 for irradiating the sample wk with monochromatic light (for example, laser light), a first collimating lens 11, a polarizing beam splitter 12, a quarter-wave plate 13, a horizontal deflection device 14a, and a vertical deflection. The device 14b includes a first relay lens 15, a second relay lens 16, an objective lens 17, an imaging lens 18, a pinhole plate 9, a light receiving element 19, and the like.
[0020]
As the light source 10, for example, a semiconductor laser that emits red laser light is used. Laser light emitted from the light source 10 driven by the laser drive circuit 44 passes through the first collimator lens 11, the optical path is bent by the polarization beam splitter 12, and passes through the 波長 wavelength plate 13. Thereafter, the light is deflected in the horizontal (horizontal) direction and the vertical (vertical) direction by the horizontal deflection device 14a and the vertical deflection device 14b, passes through the first relay lens 15 and the second relay lens 16, and is sampled by the objective lens 17. The light is focused on the surface of the sample wk placed on the stage 30.
[0021]
The horizontal deflection device 14a is constituted by a resonant (resonant type) scanner, and the vertical deflection device 14b is constituted by a galvano (electromagnetic) scanner. By deflecting the laser light in both the horizontal and vertical directions, the surface of the sample wk is scanned with the laser light. For convenience of description, the horizontal direction is referred to as an X direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as a Y direction. The objective lens 17 is driven in the Z direction (optical axis direction) by the objective lens moving mechanism 40. Thereby, the relative position between the focus of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk in the optical axis direction can be changed.
[0022]
However, the relative position in the optical axis direction between the focus of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk can be changed by another method. For example, instead of driving the objective lens 17 in the Z direction, the sample stage 30 may be driven in the Z direction. Alternatively, a configuration in which the focal point of the objective lens 17 is moved in the Z direction by inserting a lens whose refractive index changes between the objective lens 17 and the sample wk is also possible. The sample stage 30 can be displaced in the X, Y, and Z directions by manual operation.
[0023]
The laser light reflected by the sample wk reverses the above optical path. That is, the light passes through the objective lens 17, the second relay lens 16, and the first relay lens 15, and again passes through the quarter-wave plate 13 via the horizontal deflection device 14a and the vertical deflection device 14b. As a result, the laser light passes through the polarization beam splitter 12 and is condensed by the imaging lens 18. The condensed laser light passes through the pinhole of the pinhole plate 9 disposed at the focal position of the imaging lens 18 and enters the light receiving element 19. The light receiving element 19 is composed of, for example, a photomultiplier tube (photomultiplier tube) or a photodiode, and converts the amount of received light into an electric signal. The electric signal corresponding to the amount of received light is provided to the first AD converter 41 via an output amplifier and a gain control circuit (not shown), and is converted into a digital value.
[0024]
The height (depth) information of the sample wk can be acquired by the confocal optical system 2 configured as described above. The principle will be briefly described below.
[0025]
As described above, when the objective lens 17 is driven in the Z direction (optical axis direction) by the objective lens moving mechanism 40, the relative distance in the optical axis direction between the focal point of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk changes. When the focal point of the objective lens 17 is focused on the surface of the sample wk, the laser light reflected on the surface of the sample wk is condensed by the imaging lens 18 via the above optical path, and almost all the laser light is It passes through the pinhole of the pinhole plate 9. Therefore, at this time, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19 is maximized. Conversely, when the focus of the objective lens 17 is shifted from the surface of the sample wk, the laser light condensed by the imaging lens 18 focuses on a position shifted from the pinhole plate 9, so that a part of the laser beam is focused. Only light can pass through the pinhole. As a result, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19 is significantly reduced.
[0026]
Therefore, if the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19 is detected at any point on the surface of the sample wk while driving the objective lens 17 in the Z direction (optical axis direction), the objective lens 17 when the amount of received light is maximized is detected. (The relative position between the focus of the objective lens 17 and the sample wk in the optical axis direction) can be uniquely obtained as height information.
[0027]
In practice, each time the objective lens 17 is moved by one step (one pitch), the surface of the sample wk is scanned by the horizontal deflection device 14a and the vertical deflection device 14b to obtain the amount of light received by the light receiving element 19. When the objective lens 17 is moved in the Z direction from the lower end to the upper end of the measurement range in the Z direction, light reception amount data that changes according to the Z direction position is obtained for each point (pixel) in the scanning range.
[0028]
FIG. 2 is a graph showing an example of received light amount data that changes according to the Z-direction position of the objective lens 17. Based on such received light amount data, the maximum received light amount and the Z-direction position at that time are obtained for each point (pixel). Therefore, the distribution of the surface height of the sample wk on the XY plane is obtained. This process is executed by the control unit 46 using a microcomputer.
[0029]
The obtained surface height distribution information can be displayed on the monitor screen of the display device 47 by several methods. For example, the height distribution (surface shape) of the sample can be displayed three-dimensionally by three-dimensional display. Alternatively, the height data can be converted into luminance data to be displayed as a two-dimensional distribution of brightness. By converting the height data into color difference data, the height distribution can be displayed as a color distribution.
[0030]
Further, a surface image (monochrome image) of the sample wk can be obtained from a luminance signal using the received light amount obtained for each point (pixel) in the XY scanning range as luminance data. If a luminance signal is generated using the maximum amount of received light in each pixel as luminance data, an ultra-deep image with an extremely deep focal depth focused at each point having a different surface height can be obtained. When the height (Z-direction position) at which the maximum amount of received light is obtained at an arbitrary pixel of interest is fixed, the amount of received light of a pixel having a large height difference from the pixel of interest is significantly small, and An image in which only portions having the same height are bright (ie, a slice image) is obtained.
[0031]
Next, the non-confocal optical system 3 provided in the confocal microscope and its signal processing will be described. The non-confocal optical system 3 includes a white light source 20, a second collimating lens 21, a first half mirror 22, a second half mirror 23, and a color for irradiating the sample wk with white light (illumination light for capturing a color image). It includes a CCD (image sensor) 24 and the like. In addition, the non-confocal optical system 3 shares the objective lens 17 of the confocal optical system 2, and the optical axes of the two optical systems 1 and 2 partially match.
[0032]
For example, a white lamp is used as the white light source 20, but a special light source may not be provided, and natural light or indoor light may be used. The white light emitted from the white light source 20 passes through the second collimating lens 21, the optical path is bent by the first half mirror 22, and is focused on the surface of the sample wk placed on the sample stage 30 by the objective lens 17. .
[0033]
The white light reflected by the sample wk passes through the objective lens 17, the first half mirror 22, and the second relay lens 16, is reflected by the second half mirror 23, enters the color CCD 24, and forms an image. The color CCD 24 is provided at a position conjugate with or close to the pinhole of the pinhole plate 9 of the confocal optical system 2. The color image picked up by the color CCD 24 is read out by the CCD drive circuit 43, and its analog output signal is given to the second AD converter 42 and converted into a digital value. The color image thus obtained is displayed on the monitor screen of the display device 47 as an enlarged color image for observing the sample wk.
[0034]
Further, the super-depth image obtained by the confocal optical system 2 and the normal color image obtained by the non-confocal optical system 3 are combined to obtain a deep color super-depth with a focal depth substantially in focus at all pixels. Images can also be generated and displayed. For example, a color super-depth image is easily generated by replacing the luminance signal forming the color image obtained by the non-confocal optical system 3 with the luminance signal of the super-depth image obtained by the confocal optical system 2. be able to.
[0035]
The controller including the control unit 46 is also in charge of the processing regarding the color image as described above. An input device 48 such as a console (operation console) and a display device 47 such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or an LCD (liquid crystal display device) are connected to the controller. A pointing device such as a mouse is also connected as the input device 48.
[0036]
The user can set various measurement parameters using the input device 48 according to the guidance displayed on the screen of the display device 47. For example, a moving range (measurement range) and a moving pitch of the objective lens 17 in the Z direction are set. Alternatively, by setting the light receiving sensitivity (PMT gain) of the light receiving element 19 and the amount of attenuation by the ND filter according to the light reflectance of the surface of the sample wk, etc., the super-depth image or the slice image displayed on the screen is appropriate. Adjust so that the brightness (brightness) is high. Further, the shutter speed, gain, and white balance for obtaining a color image by the color CCD 24 are set.
[0037]
Further, the confocal microscope system 1 (controller thereof) of the present embodiment is also provided with an interface for connecting an external computer system such as a personal computer. By connecting an external computer system in which dedicated software for controlling the confocal microscope system 1 is installed to the confocal microscope system 1, processing of acquired image information and height distribution information of the sample wk can be performed seamlessly. It is possible to do.
[0038]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration in which an external computer system 50 is connected to a controller of the confocal microscope system 1. The external computer system 50 includes a display device 51 such as a CRT or an LCD, a keyboard 52, a mouse (may be another pointing device) 53, a communication interface 54 such as an RS232C or a USB (universal serial bus), a processing device (CPU) 55, A main memory 56 as a semiconductor storage medium, a fixed disk device 57 as an auxiliary storage device, and a removable disk device 58 are provided.
[0039]
The dedicated software for controlling the confocal microscope system 1 is supplied in a state stored in a storage medium 59 such as a CD-ROM, and is supplied from the storage medium 59 by a removable disk device 58 such as a CD-ROM drive. It is read and installed in the fixed disk device 57. The dedicated software installed in the fixed disk device 57 is loaded into the main memory 56 and executed by the processing device 55. The processing executed by such dedicated software includes processing for setting measurement conditions of the confocal microscope system 1 and processing of an image obtained as a result of the measurement.
[0040]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display of the display device 51 by the dedicated software. In a screen display 60 displayed on the display device 51, an image display area 61 on the left side is for displaying measurement results such as a color image, an ultra-depth image, a slice image, and a height distribution image obtained from the confocal microscope system 1. A vertically long operation section area 62 for setting measurement conditions is displayed on the right side of the area.
[0041]
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the operation section area 62 in the screen display 60 of FIG. By using the mouse 53 to operate a push button or a slide bar in the operation section area 62, select each pull-down menu, and the like, manual setting of each measurement parameter can be performed. For example, if the slide lever 63 for gain adjustment is moved up and down by a drag operation of the mouse 53, the light receiving sensitivity (PMT gain) of the light receiving element 19 changes and the brightness (luminance) of the image can be adjusted. The brightness (brightness) of the image can also be adjusted by moving the ND filter adjustment slide lever 64 adjacent thereto up and down to change the amount of light attenuation.
[0042]
Alternatively, by selecting an appropriate numerical value from a pull-down menu that appears when the triangle mark 65 on the right side of the distance is clicked with the mouse 53, the Z-direction movement range (measurement range) of the objective lens 17 can be set. Similarly, by selecting an appropriate numerical value from a pull-down menu that appears when the triangle mark 66 is clicked on the lower pitch, an appropriate Z-direction movement pitch can be set.
[0043]
The adjustment of the brightness (brightness) of the image by changing the PMT gain or the attenuation amount of the ND filter is also important for correctly measuring the height distribution of the sample surface by the confocal optical system 2. For example, since the light reflectance of the sample surface is very high, the light receiving element 19 or the signal processing circuit may be saturated. In this case, the relative distance (height) between the sample wk and the objective lens 17 when the maximum amount of received light is obtained cannot be accurately obtained. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to lower the PMT gain or adjust the light attenuation by the ND filter so that the light reception amount (or light reception signal) does not saturate.
[0044]
When the saturation of the light reception amount or the light reception signal as described above occurs, the saturated portion in the super-depth image or the slice image displayed in the image display area 61 of the screen display 60 becomes white. Therefore, when an overexposed portion exists in the image, it is determined that the light receiving element or the signal processing circuit is saturated in that portion, and the above-described adjustment of the PMT gain and the like is performed. However, it is difficult to determine whiteout in an image unless one is accustomed to it.
[0045]
Also, in the sample wk in which the light reflectance of the surface is largely changed, when it is desired to observe a portion having a small light reflectance (dark portion) in detail, overexposure occurs in a portion having a large light reflectance (bright portion). Even so, there is a case where the light receiving gain or the like is increased by ignoring it. In this case, the PMT gain or the like is adjusted so that the luminance of the portion to be observed is not saturated and the image is displayed as brightly as possible (easy to observe).
[0046]
In the confocal microscope system 1 of the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the above-described determination of overexposure (saturation) and adjustment of the PMT gain and the like, the super-depth image and the slice image displayed in the image display area 61 are used. A function is provided in which pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than the set luminance immediately before saturation are given a predetermined color and displayed. Ultra-depth images and slice images are black-and-white images, and it is not easy to determine the saturation of luminance based on the presence or absence of overexposure. By displaying, it is possible to easily visually determine whether or not the luminance of the portion to be observed is saturated (or just before the saturation).
[0047]
FIG. 6 shows an example of a slice image displayed in the image display area 61. In this slice image, a large number of colored pixels are gathered in the lower left portion 70, and it can be seen that a saturation state of luminance occurs in this portion. In the upper right part of the image display area 61, a histogram 71 described later is displayed so as to overlap the image.
[0048]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a luminance saturation determination circuit for realizing a function of adding a predetermined color to a pixel having luminance equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation and displaying the pixel. The luminance saturation determination circuit 73 includes a comparator 74, an enable / disable switch 75, a selector 76, and a video signal generator 77 for a saturated pixel.
[0049]
The comparator 74 compares the luminance of the input signal of each pixel of the image with the set luminance immediately before saturation. According to the output of the comparator 74, if the luminance of the input signal is equal to or less than the set luminance, the selector 76 converts the input signal to a video signal as it is, and if the luminance of the input signal is higher than the set luminance, generates a video signal for a saturated pixel. The input signal is replaced with a pixel video signal (for example, a red pixel signal) from the device 77 to form a video signal. The enable / disable switch 75 switches an operation state (enable) or a non-operation state (disable) of the comparator 74 and the selector 76. That is, it is possible to switch between enabling and disabling the function of adding a predetermined color to a pixel having a luminance equal to or higher than the set luminance immediately before saturation and disabling the function (displaying a monochrome super-depth image or slice image as it is).
[0050]
The function of giving a predetermined color to a pixel having a luminance equal to or higher than the set luminance immediately before saturation and displaying the same can be realized by software, but is preferably realized by a circuit (hardware) as shown in FIG. . Particularly, in the case of displaying slice images displayed in real time at a high speed following an operation of switching the height (the relative distance between the sample wk and the objective lens 17), the above-described function is realized by hardware having a high processing speed. There is a need. In the case where the image is displayed through software processing after a predetermined measurement time elapses, as in the case of a super-depth image, there is no problem even if the above functions are realized by software.
[0051]
Next, the histogram 71 displayed on the image in the upper right part of the image display area 61 in FIG. 6 will be described. The histogram 71 is displayed as a graph in which the horizontal axis indicates the luminance (that is, the amount of received light) of each pixel, and the vertical axis indicates the number of pixels corresponding to each pixel.
[0052]
By superimposing and displaying the histogram 71 relating to the luminance of each pixel of the currently displayed image on the image, it can be used as an index when the above-described manual setting of the PMT gain and the ND filter attenuation is performed. In particular, by displaying the histogram 71 in real time over the slice image, the work of adjusting the PMT gain and the like to the optimum state becomes much easier. If the slice image and its histogram when the height (the relative distance between the sample wk and the objective lens 17) is changed are displayed in real time, it is determined that the setting is not intended by the user during the measurement. The measurement can be immediately interrupted and restarted.
[0053]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a first circuit configuration example for displaying a histogram. The input signal is converted into a digital value by an AD converter 80, and is temporarily stored as luminance data for each pixel in a memory 82 controlled by a memory control unit 81. The luminance data for each pixel is divided into a processing path for image data reaching the selector 87 via the frame memory 83 and the correction circuit 84, and a processing path for histogram data reaching the selector 87 via the histogram counter 85 and the CPU 86.
[0054]
The selector 87 selects the image data and the histogram data input through the individual processing paths and transfers them to the computer system 50, and the computer system 50 displays the image on the display device 51 according to the above-mentioned dedicated software. At this time, a histogram 71, which is a graph obtained by processing the histogram data, is displayed over the image.
[0055]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the histogram counter 85. The histogram counter 85 includes two dual-port memories 90 and 91 and an adder 93. Further, a memory controller 94 for controlling the dual port memories 90 and 91 and a delay unit 92 are provided. Brightness data is written to the first dual-port memory 90 in real time, and brightness data is written to the second dual-port memory 91 for each screen. Thus, the CPU 86 of FIG. 8 can obtain the latest histogram data of the display image at an arbitrary timing.
[0056]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a second circuit configuration example for displaying a histogram. In this example, the histogram of the peak hold image is superimposed and displayed. The input signal is converted into a digital value by an AD converter 80, and is temporarily stored as luminance data for each pixel in a memory 82 controlled by a memory control unit 81. As the luminance data for each pixel, the peak value (peak luminance data) of the luminance of each pixel is stored in the frame memory 83 via the peak hold unit 88. The peak luminance data reaches the selector 87 as image data via the correction circuit 84, and is given to a histogram counter 85 to generate histogram data.
[0057]
The function of generating the histogram data is not limited to the configuration realized by the circuits (hardware) illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10, but may be configured by software.
[0058]
In the above-described embodiment, dedicated software for controlling the confocal microscope system 1 is installed in the external computer system 50, and measurement conditions are set on the screen of the display device 51 of the external computer system 50 and the obtained image is obtained. Has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The present invention can also be applied to the case where the measurement conditions are set and the obtained image is displayed using the display device 47 and the input device 48 which are provided as standard equipment in the confocal microscope system 1.
[0059]
Further, in order to obtain the height information of the surface of the sample wk by the confocal optical system 2, the stage 30 may be moved up and down instead of moving (moving up and down) the objective lens 17 in the Z direction. In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various forms.
[0060]
Although the confocal microscope of the above embodiment is a reflection type microscope, the present invention can also be applied to a transmission type confocal microscope. In the case of a transmission microscope, laser light of a confocal optical system and white light of a non-confocal optical system are irradiated from the back surface of the sample. The light source of the confocal optical system may be a monochromatic light source including a laser light source, or may include a plurality of wavelengths. The light source of the non-confocal optical system can be replaced by natural light or room light.
[0061]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the confocal microscope with a light-saturation display function of the present invention, in a slice image or a super-depth image displayed in black and white, a pixel whose luminance is saturated or a pixel whose luminance is equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation. Is colored. Thus, the user can easily perform an operation of adjusting the light receiving gain and the like to an optimum state while visually checking the image. In particular, when it is desired to observe a specific portion of the image on the sample surface in detail, it becomes easier to adjust the light receiving gain and the like so that the brightness of the portion is not saturated and the display is as bright as possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a confocal microscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an example of received light amount data that changes according to the Z-direction position of an objective lens.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example in which an external computer system is connected to a controller of the confocal microscope system.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of a display device using dedicated software.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an operation unit area in the screen display of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a slice image displayed in an image display area.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a luminance saturation determination circuit for realizing a function of adding a predetermined color to pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation and displaying the pixels.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a first circuit configuration example for displaying a histogram.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a histogram counter.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a second circuit configuration example for displaying a histogram.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 1 confocal microscope system 2 confocal optical system 19 light receiving element 47, 51 display device 60 screen display 61 image display area 70 coloring display section 71 histogram 73 brightness saturation determination circuit 74 comparator 76 selector 77 video signal generator for saturated pixel

Claims (4)

Light from the sample surface is received by a light receiving element via a confocal optical system, height information and light amount information of the sample surface are obtained based on the received light information, and the obtained sample is obtained by processing the obtained information. A confocal microscope that displays a surface image on a screen of a display device,
When displaying an image of the sample surface on a screen of a display device, a pixel having a luminance that is saturated or a pixel having a luminance equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation among pixels constituting the image is displayed with a predetermined color. A confocal microscope equipped with a light intensity saturation display function, having a function. In a slice image representing the amount of received light at each point when the height is fixed so that the maximum amount of received light is obtained at an arbitrary point on the sample surface, of the pixels constituting the slice image, pixels whose luminance is saturated 2. The confocal microscope according to claim 1, further comprising a function of applying a predetermined color to a pixel having a luminance equal to or higher than a set luminance immediately before saturation and displaying the color in real time. A comparator that compares the brightness of each pixel of the image with a set brightness, a video signal generator for a saturated pixel that outputs a pixel video signal of a predetermined color, and, based on an output of the comparator, higher than the set brightness. 3. A light intensity saturation display according to claim 1, further comprising: a selector for replacing a video signal of a pixel having brightness with a pixel video signal from the video signal generator for a saturated pixel. Confocal microscope with function. 4. The confocal microscope with a light intensity saturation display function according to claim 1, further comprising a function of superimposing and displaying a histogram relating to the luminance of each pixel in the image displayed on the screen on the image.

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