JP2005215357A - Scanning type laser microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an image of a sample kept at constant luminance regardless of scanning speed in scanning. <P>SOLUTION: An X-direction scanner 4 and a Y-direction scanner 5 driven by driving circuits 23 and 24 scan a laser beam with which the sample 9 is irradiated on the sample 9. A photomultiplier 14 photoelectrically converts light coming from the sample 9 irradiated with the laser beam and passing through a confocal pinhole 11 arranged at a conjugate position to a surface irradiated with the laser beam on the sample 9. A data processing device 20 generates the image of the sample 9 formed by determining the luminance of a pixel on the basis of the level of the integrated result by an analog integrator 16 in terms of an output from the photomultiplier 14, and displays it on a CRT monitor 21. When the scanning speed of the laser beam on the sample 9 is changed, the data processing device 20 gives an instruction to a high voltage generator 18, and controls the level of the integrated result by the integrator 16 by changing the voltage applied to the photomultiplier 14 on the basis of the scanning speed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique used in a scanning laser microscope used for observing a state of a biological tissue or the like in the fields of medicine, biology, and the like, and in particular, has a constant brightness regardless of the scanning speed during scanning. The present invention relates to a technique for obtaining a maintained image.

FIG. 8 will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a photoelectric signal processing circuit in a conventional scanning laser microscope, which is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
This photoelectric signal processing circuit includes a photomultiplier tube 101, a high-speed preamplifier 102, a pulse shaping circuit 103, an input selector 104, an analog integrator 105, a voltage comparator (A) 106, a voltage comparator (B) 107, an overload A warning generator (A) 108, an over warning generator (B) 109, an arithmetic control circuit 110, an operation unit 111, a gain setting unit 112, and a high voltage generator 113 are provided. The output photoelectric signal is processed.

The output current from the photomultiplier tube 101 is converted into a current voltage by the high-speed preamplifier 102 to a predetermined voltage level. A part of the output of the high-speed preamplifier 102 is input directly to the input selector 104 and partly via the pulse shaping circuit 103.
The input selector 104 switches the output based on the shape of the output signal waveform from the high speed preamplifier 102. More specifically, since the amount of light incident on the photomultiplier tube 101 is extremely small, the pulse shaping circuit 103 is used when the output signal waveform is an independent pulse waveform, that is, a random waveform such as a set of pulse trains. On the other hand, since the amount of light incident on the photomultiplier 101 is large, if the output signal waveform is continuous and smooth, a signal that does not pass through the pulse shaping circuit 103 is output.

The signal output from the input selector 104 is input to the analog integrator 105, and a signal integrated according to the integral gain set in advance by the arithmetic control circuit 110 with respect to the gain setting unit 112 is output as a photoelectric signal.
This photoelectric signal is then A / D converted and then stored in the video frame memory. This data is read from the video frame memory at a predetermined video rate, D / A converted, and input as a video signal on the monitor, whereby the sample image is displayed on the monitor.

  On the other hand, an output signal of the high-speed preamplifier 102, that is, a signal obtained by converting the output current from the photomultiplier tube 101 into a predetermined voltage level by current-voltage conversion, is a voltage comparator having an LPF (low-pass filter) in the input stage. (A) 106 and the voltage comparator (B) 107 having no such LPF are also input.

  The LPF at the input stage of the voltage comparator (A) 106 extracts the stationary component of the output signal from the high speed preamplifier 102. This steady component is compared with the voltage Vrefa by the voltage comparator (A) 106, and when the steady component exceeds Vrefa, the over warning generator (A) 108 generates an over warning A. The arithmetic and control circuit 110 monitoring the comparison result of the voltage comparator (A) 106 immediately decreases the output voltage of the high voltage generator 113 generating a voltage for causing the photomultiplier tube 101 to function. Thus, the photomultiplier tube 101 is protected.

  The voltage comparator (B) 107 is for detecting clipping of an independent pulse waveform in the output signal of the high-speed preamplifier 102. Therefore, no LPF is provided in the input stage. The voltage comparator (B) 107 detects a transient component included in the output signal from the high-speed preamplifier 102 by comparing with the voltage Vrefb higher than the voltage Vrefa described above. Here, when the output signal of the high-speed preamplifier 102 exceeds the voltage Vrefb, the over warning generator (B) 109 generates an over warning B. The arithmetic and control circuit 110 monitoring the comparison result of the voltage comparator (B) 107 immediately limits the output voltage of the high voltage generator 113 at this time, and the high speed pre-corresponding to the output current from the photomultiplier tube 101 is obtained. The upper limit of the output voltage from the preamplifier 102 is clipped so as to be equal to or lower than the voltage Vrefb. This prevents application of a high voltage to the photomultiplier tube 101 such that the pulse level in the output signal of the high speed preamplifier 102 is clipped.

  On the operation panel of the operation unit 111, an “HV” knob operated to adjust the voltage applied to the photomultiplier tube 101 by the high voltage generator 113, and a gain setting unit 112 to the analog integrator 105. A “GAIN” knob operated to adjust a gain to be set (gain) is provided. The rotation operation for these knobs is transmitted to a rotary encoder (not shown), and at this time, a pulse output from the rotary encoder is input to the arithmetic control circuit 110 and processed. In the adjustment performed by operating these knobs, first, the “HV” knob is operated to increase the voltage applied to the photomultiplier tube 101 to the clamp level immediately before the pulse level is clipped as described above. The “GAIN” knob is operated to increase the gain of the analog integrator 105 so that the photoelectric signal that is the integrated output reaches the white level.

  As described above, in the photoelectric signal processing circuit shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the voltage comparator (A) 106 that detects the stationary component of the photoelectric signal output by the photomultiplier tube 101 output from the high-speed preamplifier 102, A voltage comparator (B) 107 for detecting the pulse voltage of the photoelectric signal output is provided. When the voltage comparator (B) 107 detects that the height of the pulse has approached the clip level, the user is warned. If the operation knob that changes the applied voltage to the photomultiplier tube 101 is rotated in the direction of boosting, the applied voltage is clipped at a predetermined value so that it does not increase further. I have to.

By doing so, the photon pulse is prevented from being clipped and the occurrence of non-linear distortion can be avoided and the level of the pulse height can be limited near the clip level. Adjustment of the voltage applied to the photomultiplier tube 101 in the case of processing a photoelectric signal in a pulse manner can be performed appropriately and easily, and photon pulse processing can be executed more accurately and operability at the time of adjustment. Will improve.
JP-A-5-142476

  By the way, when the laser beam is scanned here and data is collected from the photomultiplier tube 101 at the next position, a drive unit that changes the angle of the axis of the optical system is necessary to scan the laser beam. It is. Therefore, when the specimen is observed as a two-dimensional surface, the moving time by the driving unit is required, so that data cannot be collected from the photomultiplier tube 101 in complete real time, and a finite time interval is obtained. Thus, data collection (sampling) is performed. Assuming that the sampling time interval is a sampling clock, the integration operation in the analog integrator 105 is repeated while resetting every sampling clock. That is, in order to collect data from the photomultiplier tube 101 in this case, the photoelectric signal processing circuit generally has a configuration in which each unit operates in synchronization with the sampling clock.

  When such a circuit configuration synchronized with the sampling clock is adopted, one piece of data collected at a certain position corresponds to one pixel data in the sample image, and this is linked with the scanning of the laser beam. Data collection sampling will be performed. Therefore, in this case, the frequency of the sampling clock is uniquely determined from the scanning speed when scanning the laser beam. Therefore, in order to change the scanning speed for scanning the sample, it is necessary to also change the integral gain set in advance in the analog integrator 105. If this change is not made, the photoelectric signal will change and the monitor will be changed. The brightness of the image displayed above changes.

  In order to prevent this phenomenon, the sample may be scanned after the user adjusts the “GAIN” knob of the operation unit 111 every time the scan speed is changed. Since the operation of changing the scan speed is frequently performed in order to change this, the method of performing the adjustment every time the specimen observation conditions are changed makes the labor of observation complicated. In addition, it may be necessary to obtain an image by performing scanning at a scan speed that is not constant. However, in the above-described method, an image obtained in such a case is uneven in luminance. The correct observation will not be possible.

As described above, in the photoelectric signal processing circuit for processing the photoelectric signal from the photomultiplier tube, which is provided in the conventional scanning laser microscope, an appropriate image can be obtained when the scanning speed at the time of scanning is changed. I had the problem of being difficult.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a problem to be solved is to obtain a sample image having a constant luminance regardless of the scanning speed at the time of scanning.

  The scanning laser microscope according to the present invention includes a scanning unit that scans the sample with laser light applied to the sample, and light that comes from the sample in response to the irradiation of the laser light, and the laser light on the sample Based on the photoelectric conversion means for performing photoelectric conversion of the light that has passed through the confocal pinhole disposed at a position conjugate to the irradiation surface, and the magnitude of the generated signal generated from the output of the photoelectric conversion means Image generation means for generating an image of the sample in which the luminance of the pixel is determined, and control means for controlling the generation signal in accordance with a change in the scanning speed of the laser light. To do.

  According to this configuration, when the scanning speed of the laser beam is changed, the generated signal is generated from the output of the photoelectric conversion means, and the magnitude thereof is the basis for determining the luminance of each pixel in the sample image. The control means controls the generated signal. Therefore, the control means performs control to increase the generation signal when the laser beam scanning speed is changed, and the control means generates when the laser light scanning speed is changed. By performing control to reduce the signal, the luminance of the specimen image can be made uniform before and after the change of the scanning speed of the laser beam. As a result, a sample image having a constant luminance can be obtained regardless of the scanning speed at the time of scanning.

  In the scanning laser microscope according to the present invention described above, the photoelectric conversion means described above is a photomultiplier, and the control means described above determines the voltage applied to the photomultiplier based on the scanning speed described above. The above-described generated signal may be controlled by changing the value.

Here, the control means performs the above-described control based on the relationship between the voltage applied to the photomultiplier and the electron multiplier of the photomultiplier obtained in advance for the photomultiplier. May be.
In the scanning laser microscope according to the present invention described above, the generation signal described above is generated by multiplying the integration result of the outputs of the photoelectric conversion means by a predetermined coefficient, and the control means described above The generated signal may be controlled by changing the coefficient based on the scanning speed.

In the scanning laser microscope according to the present invention described above, the control means described above may control the generated signal by changing the intensity of the laser light based on the scanning speed. Good.
Further, in the scanning laser microscope according to the present invention described above, the control means described above controls the generated signal by changing the aperture diameter of the confocal pinhole based on the scanning speed. It may be.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a specimen image having a constant luminance regardless of the scanning speed at the time of scanning.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, FIG. 1 will be described. This figure shows the configuration of a first example of a scanning laser microscope embodying the present invention.
The laser beam (illumination light) generated by the laser light source 1 passes through the beam expander 2 and then is reflected by an optical path splitting element 3 such as a beam splitter or a dichroic mirror, and is configured using a galvano mirror or the like. The beams are sequentially incident on the X direction scanner 4 and the Y direction scanner 5 and deflected so as to perform two-dimensional scanning. The laser beam emitted from the Y-direction scanner 5 enters the objective lens 8 through the pupil projection lens 6 and the imaging lens 7 and is two-dimensionally scanned on the sample 9.

  The fluorescence (or reflected light) from the specimen 9 in response to the laser beam irradiation follows the same optical path as the laser beam and returns to the optical path splitting element 3, but is transmitted through the optical path splitting element 3, and the laser beam in the specimen 9 is further transmitted. After passing through a confocal optical system 10 having a confocal pinhole 11 which can be changed by an aperture diameter controller 12, the dichroic mirror and the interference filter The light is received by a photomultiplier (photomultiplier tube) 14 through a wavelength selection element 13 such as the same. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the case where only one photomultiplier 14 is provided is shown. However, a plurality of wavelength selection elements 13 and photomultipliers 14 may be provided to enable measurement of different fluorescence wavelengths. Good.

  The photomultiplier 14 is a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts the fluorescence (or reflected light) from the specimen 9 received through the wavelength selection element 13 and obtains luminance information of the irradiation position of the laser light at that time in the specimen 9. It is set as the electric current value shown. The luminance information, which is the current value, is converted into a voltage value by the current-voltage conversion circuit 15 and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 17 through the analog integrator 16 and converted into digital data. The detection signal is input to the data processing device 20.

Here, the analog integrator 16 outputs a signal obtained by integrating the input signal with an arbitrary integration time constant, and here, the input luminance information is integrated and output as integrated luminance information.
The data processing device 20 processes the digital data sent from the A / D conversion circuit 17 and generates an image in which the luminance of the pixel is determined based on the above-described integrated luminance information, that is, an image of the sample 9. In addition to being displayed on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor 21, instructions are given to each part of the scanning laser microscope to control the overall operation. The data processing device 20 can be configured, for example, by using a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and causing the CPU to execute a control program prepared in advance.

The scan drive circuit 23 drives the X direction scanner 4, and the scan drive circuit 24 drives the Y direction scanner 5. That is, the X direction scanner 4 and the Y direction scanner 5 and the scanning drive circuits 23 and 24 constitute a scanning unit.
The high voltage generator 18 generates a voltage value to be applied to the photomultiplier 14 based on the integrated luminance information converted into digital data by the A / D conversion circuit 17 and an eigenvalue parameter obtained by adjustment performed in advance before observation. The voltage value obtained by calculation is generated and applied to the photomultiplier 14. The memory 19 stores the eigenvalue parameter obtained by the adjustment before observation immediately after the adjustment, and the eigenvalue parameter is read out when the voltage value is calculated as described above.

  The scanning control device 22 uses the X-direction scanner 4 and the Y-direction scanner 5 based on the integrated luminance information converted into digital data by the A / D conversion circuit 17 and the information collected by the data processing device 20 as necessary. A control signal for controlling the movement position, movement speed, etc. is output to the scanning drive circuits 23 and 24.

  The beam expander 2, the optical path splitting element 3, the X direction scanner 4, the Y direction scanner 5, the pupil projection lens 6, the imaging lens 7, the objective lens 8, the scanning control device 22, the scanning drive circuit 23, and the scanning drive circuit. 24 constitutes an irradiation unit. The confocal optical system 10 includes a confocal pinhole 11 whose aperture diameter can be changed, an aperture diameter controller 12 that controls the aperture diameter of the confocal pinhole 11, an imaging lens, and the like. The analog integrator 16 constitutes an accumulating unit, and the A / D conversion circuit 17, the data processing device 20, and the CRT monitor 21 constitute a display unit.

  As the confocal pinhole 11, for example, a single pinhole whose diameter is enlarged or reduced, or a plurality of pinholes having different diameters arranged on a rotating disk are selectively inserted into the optical path. A thing etc. can be comprised. Here, the control method by the aperture diameter controller 12 is selected according to the configuration of the confocal pinhole 11.

Next, FIG. 2 will be described. This figure is a timing chart showing the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG.
Each signal waveform shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
“Sampling clock timing” indicates a sampling clock, and indicates that the clock period, that is, the scan speed is changed in the middle of the sampling clock. More specifically, it is shown that the scanning speed fa switches to a scanning speed fb faster than fa at “timing” tc.

“Photomultiplier 14 output” indicates a current value corresponding to the detected luminance of the fluorescence. Here, for simplicity, a certain amount of luminance is detected when the output of the high voltage generator 18 is constant. It is shown as being.
“Analog integrator 16 reset” indicates the timing at which the analog integrator 16 is reset in the integration operation, and the signal level changes from “L” level to “H” level at the timing of the rising edge of the sampling clock. This indicates that the analog integrator 16 has been reset.

  “Analog integrator 16 output” outputs 0 V when “Analog integrator 16 reset” is “H” level, and “Analog integrator 16 reset” when “Analog integrator 16 reset” is “L” level. The result of integration of “photomultiplier 14 output” after “16 reset” becomes “H” level is output.

“A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” indicates that A / D conversion of “analog integrator 16 output” is executed immediately before “analog integrator 16 reset” becomes “H” level.
“A / D conversion circuit 17 output” is A / D converted from “analog integrator 16 output” and output as 10-bit (1024 values) digital data, and the value is “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing”. It is shown that it is updated according to the pulse.

The “high voltage generator 18 output” indicates that the output of the high voltage generator 18 is changed when the scan speed is changed from fa to fb.
Here, when attention is paid to “timing”, each signal state during operation at a slow scan speed fa is shown at ta and tb, and each signal when the scan speed fa is changed to a fast scan speed fb at tc and td. Te, tf, and tg show signal states when the scan speed fa is changed to the fast scan speed fb but the present invention is not applied.

Next, the operation of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 2, attention is paid to “timing” tb, tc, and td.
When the data processor 20 changes the scan speed from the slow scan speed fa to the fast scan speed fb, the data processor 20 notifies the scan controller 22 of the change in the scan speed, and the high voltage generator 18 is changed. The voltage generated by the control is changed according to the scan speed fb. In this way, by increasing the voltage value generated by the high voltage generator 18, the electron multiplier of the photoelectric conversion is increased in the photomultiplier 14, so that the current output of the photomultiplier 14 is increased.

  The relationship between the electron multiplier μ of the photomultiplier 14 and the voltage HV to be applied is generally

It is. In the formula [1], α and β are constants specific to the photomultiplier 14.
At the time of adjustment performed in advance before the specimen image is observed, the digital output of the A / D conversion circuit 17 obtained when the voltage applied to the photomultiplier 14 is changed while irradiating the specimen 9 with a certain amount of light is used to The constants α and β specific to the multiplier 14 are calculated by the data processor 20 and stored in the memory 19.

  In this state, when the scan speed is changed from fa to fb, the data processing device 20 uses the current output of the photomultiplier 14 and constants α and β required to maintain a constant luminance in the acquired specimen image. The applied voltage HV is calculated based on the above, and the calculated voltage is output to the high voltage generator 18.

  Here, the cycle of “analog integrator 16 reset” is shortened by increasing the scanning speed, but the effect of this cycle shortening is an increase in the current output of the photomultiplier 14 by increasing the applied voltage. As a result of canceling out by the minute, the magnitude of the “analog integrator 16 output” at the time when the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” pulse occurs does not change before and after the scan speed is changed. Accordingly, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” does not change before and after the scan speed is changed.

By processing the “output of the A / D conversion circuit 17”, which is the luminance information of the digital data, by the data processing device 20, a sample image whose brightness remains unchanged before and after the scan speed is changed is displayed on the CRT monitor 21. .
Here, if the applied voltage to the photomultiplier 14 is not increased even though the scanning speed is increased from fa to fb, as shown in the “timing” tf portion, “ Since the “high voltage generator 18 output” is at the same level as at “timing” tb, the current output of the photomultiplier 14 also remains at the same level as at timing tb. The slope of the integration operation does not change. However, on the other hand, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” has a shorter cycle, so the value of “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” becomes small. As a result, a dark image is displayed on the CRT monitor 21 after increasing the scanning speed.

  As described above, by changing the voltage value applied to the photomultiplier 14 in accordance with the scanning speed, it is possible to continue to observe an image whose brightness is kept constant. Further, the values of the intrinsic parameters α and β of the electron multiplication characteristic of the photomultiplier 14 are stored in the memory 19 during adjustment, and the voltage applied to the photomultiplier 14 based on the value read from the memory 19 during the observation operation. By calculating the value, it is possible to detect luminance information that is not affected by variations in the electron multiplication characteristics of the individual photomultipliers 14.

Next, FIG. 3 will be described. This figure shows the configuration of a second example of a scanning laser microscope embodying the present invention.
The second example shown in FIG. 3 is different from the analog integrator 16 in the first example shown in FIG. 1 only in that an analog integrator 25 whose integration gain can be appropriately changed by the data processing device 20 is used. Since it is different from the first example and the other parts have the same configuration and have already been described, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

Next, FIG. 4 will be described. This figure is a timing chart showing the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG.
4, “sampling clock timing”, “photomultiplier 14 output”, “analog accumulator 25 reset”, “analog accumulator 25 output”, “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing”, “A / D” Each signal waveform of the “converter circuit 17 output” is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 except that the analog integrator 16 is the analog integrator 25, and has already been described. Then, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

The “high voltage generator 18 output” indicates that the output of the high voltage generator 18 is not changed even when the scan speed is changed from fa to fb.
The operation of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
Attention is paid to “timing” tb, tc, and td in FIG.

  When the data processing device 20 changes the scanner speed from the slow scan speed fa to the fast scan speed fb, the data processing device 20 notifies the scan control device 22 of the change in the scan speed and also integrates with the analog integrator 25. The integral gain (coefficient multiplied by the integration result) in the operation is fb / fa times the integral gain before the change according to the scan speed before and after the change. By increasing the integral gain in this way, the slope of the “analog integrator 25 output” becomes steep even if the current output of the photomultiplier 14 is not increased as in the first example described above. Increases in a short time.

  Here, the period of “analog integrator 25 reset” is shortened by increasing the scanning speed, but the influence of this period shortening is offset by the steep slope of “analog integrator 25 output”. As a result, the magnitude of the “analog integrator 25 output” at the time when the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” pulse is generated does not change before and after the scan speed is changed. Accordingly, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” does not change before and after the scan speed is changed.

By processing the “output of the A / D conversion circuit 17”, which is the luminance information of the digital data, by the data processing device 20, a sample image whose brightness remains unchanged before and after the scan speed is changed is displayed on the CRT monitor 21. .
Here, if the integration gain in the integration operation in the analog integrator 25 is not increased in spite of the fact that the scan speed is increased from fa to fb, it is indicated by the “timing” tf portion. In addition, the inclination of “analog integrated value 16 output” does not naturally change. On the other hand, since the period of “sampling timing of A / D conversion circuit 17” is shortened, the value of “output of A / D conversion circuit 17” becomes small. As a result, a dark image is displayed on the CRT monitor 21 after increasing the scanning speed.

As described above, by changing the integral gain of the analog integrator 25 in accordance with the scan speed, it is possible to continue to observe an image whose brightness is kept constant.
Next, FIG. 5 will be described. This figure shows the configuration of a third example of a scanning laser microscope embodying the present invention.

  The third example shown in FIG. 5 is except that a laser power controller 26 that allows the data processing device 20 to control the output power of the laser light source 1 (the intensity of the laser light generated by the laser light source 1) is added. Since it has the same configuration as the first example shown in FIG. 1 and has already been described, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

Next, FIG. 6 will be described. This figure is a timing chart showing the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG.
In FIG. 6, “sampling clock timing”, “photomultiplier 14 output”, “analog accumulator 16 reset”, “analog accumulator 16 output”, “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing”, “A / D” Each signal waveform of the “converter circuit 17 output” is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 and has already been described, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The “high voltage generator 18 output” indicates that the output of the high voltage generator 18 is not changed even when the scan speed is changed from fa to fb.
“Laser light source 1 output” indicates that the laser output is increased when the scan speed is changed from fa to fb and the speed is increased.

The operation of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
Attention is paid to “timing” tb, tc, and td in FIG.
When the data processor 20 changes the scanner speed from the slow scan speed fa to the fast scan speed fb, the data processor 20 notifies the scan controller 22 of the change of the scan speed and instructs the laser power controller 26. The laser output power of the laser light source 1 is set to fb / fa with respect to the laser output power before the change according to the scan speed before and after the change. By increasing the laser output power in this way, the current output of the photomultiplier 14 is increased without using the first example described above.

  Here, the period of “analog integrator 16 reset” is shortened by increasing the scanning speed. The effect of this period shortening is an increase in the current output of the photomultiplier 14 by increasing the laser output power. As a result of canceling out by the minute, the magnitude of the “analog integrator 16 output” at the time when the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” pulse occurs does not change before and after the scan speed is changed. Accordingly, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” does not change before and after the scan speed is changed.

By processing the “output of the A / D conversion circuit 17”, which is the luminance information of the digital data, by the data processing device 20, a sample image whose brightness remains unchanged before and after the scan speed is changed is displayed on the CRT monitor 21. .
Here, if the laser output power of the laser light source 1 is not increased even though the scanning speed is increased from fa to fb, as shown in the “timing” tf portion, Since the “voltage generator 18 output” is at the same level as at “timing” tb, the current output of the photomultiplier 14 also remains at the same level as at timing tb, and the integration at “analog accumulator 16 output”. The slope of movement does not change. However, on the other hand, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” has a shorter cycle, so the value of “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” becomes small. As a result, a dark image is displayed on the CRT monitor 21 after increasing the scanning speed.

As described above, by causing the laser power controller 26 to change the laser output power of the laser light source 1 in accordance with the scanning speed, it is possible to continue observation of an image whose brightness is kept constant. become.
Next, a fourth example of the scanning laser microscope for carrying out the present invention will be described.

The configuration of the scanning laser microscope in the fourth example is the same as the configuration of the first example shown in FIG.
In the fourth example, the aperture diameter controller 12 controls the aperture diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 in accordance with the change of the scanning speed.

Here, FIG. 7 will be described. This figure is a timing chart showing the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope in the fourth example of the scanning laser microscope embodying the present invention.
In FIG. 7, “sampling clock timing”, “photomultiplier 14 output”, “analog accumulator 16 reset”, “analog accumulator 16 output”, “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing”, “A / D” Each signal waveform of the “converter circuit 17 output” is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 and has already been described, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The “high voltage generator 18 output” indicates that the output of the high voltage generator 18 is not changed even when the scan speed is changed from fa to fb.
The “confocal pinhole 11 opening diameter” indicates that when the scanning speed is changed from fa to fb and the speed is increased, the opening diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 is increased.

The operation of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. 1 in the fourth example will be described with reference to FIG.
Attention is paid to “timing” tb, tc and td in FIG.
When the data processor 20 changes the scanner speed from the slow scan speed fa to the fast scan speed fb, the data processor 20 notifies the scan controller 22 of the change of the scan speed and instructs the aperture controller 12. And the aperture diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 is increased in accordance with the changed scanning speed. When the opening diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 is increased, the amount of light received by the photomultiplier 14 is increased, so that the current output of the photomultiplier 14 is increased without using the first example described above.

  Here, the period of “analog integrator 16 reset” is shortened by increasing the scanning speed. The effect of this period shortening is due to the fact that the aperture diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 is increased. As a result, the magnitude of “analog integrator 16 output” at the time when the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” pulse is generated does not change before and after the scan speed is changed. Accordingly, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” does not change before and after the scan speed is changed.

By processing the “output of the A / D conversion circuit 17”, which is the luminance information of the digital data, by the data processing device 20, a sample image whose brightness remains unchanged before and after the scan speed is changed is displayed on the CRT monitor 21. .
Here, if the opening diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 is not increased although the scanning speed is increased from fa to fb, as shown in the “timing” tf portion, “ Since the “high voltage generator 18 output” is at the same level as at “timing” tb, the current output of the photomultiplier 14 also remains at the same level as at timing tb. The slope of the integration operation does not change. However, on the other hand, the “A / D conversion circuit 17 sampling timing” has a shorter cycle, so the value of “A / D conversion circuit 17 output” becomes small. As a result, a dark image is displayed on the CRT monitor 21 after increasing the scanning speed.

As described above, by allowing the aperture diameter controller 12 to change the aperture diameter of the confocal pinhole 11 according to the scan speed, it is possible to continue observation of an image whose brightness is kept constant. It becomes like this.
In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, it is possible to achieve both detection dynamic range expansion and high resolution by combining the methods from the first example to the fourth example described above and controlling the factors contributing to brightness. .
As described above, according to the present invention, the voltage applied to the photomultiplier, the integral gain when integrating the output signal from the photomultiplier, the intensity of the laser beam irradiated to the specimen, or the opening of the focal pinhole today. By controlling parameters that affect the brightness of the image, such as the aperture, according to the scanning speed at which the laser beam is scanned, the dependence of the display image brightness on the scanning speed can be reduced. The feeling of incongruity in the observation is relieved.

  In addition, since the scanning speed can be changed even during the scanning of the laser beam, it is possible to scan not only a rectangular area but also an area of various shapes as a specimen observation area. Shortening and laser irradiation to unnecessary areas are reduced.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the 1st example of the scanning laser microscope which implements this invention. 2 is a timing chart showing the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 2nd example of the scanning laser microscope which implements this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 3rd example of the scanning laser microscope which implements this invention. 6 is a timing chart showing the relationship of the operation timing of each part of the scanning laser microscope shown in FIG. It is a timing chart which shows the relationship of the operation | movement timing of each part of a scanning laser microscope in the 4th example of the scanning laser microscope which implements this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the photoelectric processing circuit in the conventional scanning laser microscope.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser light source 2 Beam expander 3 Optical path dividing element 4 X direction scanner 5 Y direction scanner 6 Pupil projection lens 7 Imaging lens 8 Objective lens 9 Sample 10 Confocal optical system 11 Confocal pinhole 12 Aperture diameter controller 13 Wavelength selection 13 Element 14 Photomultiplier 15 Current conversion circuit 16, 25 Analog integrator 17 A / D conversion circuit 18 High voltage generator 19 Memory 20 Data processing device 21 CRT monitor 22 Scan control device 23, 24 Scan drive circuit 26 Laser power controller DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Photoelectric amplifier tube 102 High-speed preamplifier 103 Pulse shaping circuit 104 Input selector 105 Analog integrator 106 Voltage comparator (A)
107 Voltage comparator (B)
108 Over warning generator (A)
109 Over warning generator (B)
110 arithmetic control circuit 111 operation unit 112 gain setting unit 113 high voltage generator

Claims (6)

Scanning means for scanning the sample with laser light applied to the sample;
Photoelectric conversion of the light that has arrived from the specimen in response to the irradiation of the laser light and has passed through a confocal pinhole disposed at a position conjugate to the irradiation surface of the laser light in the specimen. Photoelectric conversion means to perform;
Image generating means for generating an image of the specimen in which the luminance of a pixel is determined based on the magnitude of a generation signal generated from the output of the photoelectric conversion means;
Control means for controlling the generation signal in accordance with a change in the scanning speed of the laser beam;
A scanning laser microscope characterized by comprising: The photoelectric conversion means is a photomultiplier,
The control means controls the generated signal by changing a voltage applied to the photomultiplier based on the scanning speed.
The scanning laser microscope according to claim 1.   The control means performs control for changing the voltage based on a relationship between a voltage to be applied to the photomultiplier and an electron multiplication factor of the photomultiplier obtained in advance for the photomultiplier. The scanning laser microscope according to claim 2. The generation signal is generated by multiplying the integration result of the output of the photoelectric conversion means by a predetermined coefficient,
The control means controls the generated signal by changing the predetermined coefficient based on the scanning speed.
The scanning laser microscope according to claim 1.   The scanning laser microscope according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the generated signal by changing the intensity of the laser light based on the scanning speed. The scanning laser microscope according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the generated signal by changing an opening diameter of the confocal pinhole based on the scanning speed.

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