JP2007003844A - Apparatus for operating microscope installed in remote place - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for performing a remote control of a microscope installed in a remote place with the same feeling as if the microscope in the remote place were positioned before operator's eyes. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus comprises a microscope controller for electrically controlling at least stage-shifting and focusing of the microscope, a first interface for connecting the microscope controller to the Internet, a second interface installed in the remote place physically separated from the microscope so as to be connected to the Internet and a remote controller connected to the second interface, having functions similar to the operating function of the microscope controller. The operator operates the remote controller while viewing a pickup image, then, the operator can carry out the functional control of the microscope in the remote place as if the microscope were positioned before operator's eyes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for operating a microscope placed at a remote location. More specifically, the present invention relates to a remote microscope via a communication line in the same sense as a microscope placed in front of the eye. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus capable of being operated.

  Currently, use of so-called remote diagnosis systems has begun in the medical field. This remote diagnosis system is based on information and images sent from a remote hospital or other medical institution through a communication line such as a public line. This system provides specialized advice to remote medical institutions. An image sent from a remote medical institution may include an image captured by a camera from a microscope. Such microscope images include not only pre-photographed images but also images that are captured in real time by operating a microscope in a remote medical institution on the spot. There is also. In this case, since the actual operation of the microscope, that is, stage movement, focus adjustment, etc., can only be performed conventionally at the remote medical institution side, the pathologist specializes in changing the magnification of the microscope and moving the stage for diagnosis. In the present situation, a teleconference system or the like is used to give a direct voice instruction to the microscope operator at the medical institution. For this reason, it was not possible to perform the functional operation of the microscope at a remote place quickly and as desired by the pathologist.

  Therefore, in view of the actual situation of the prior art, the present invention provides a remote microscope through a communication line such as the Internet with the same feeling as a microscope placed in front of the eyes while viewing an image. An object of the present invention is to provide a device that can be operated remotely.

According to one aspect of the invention,
In an apparatus that transmits an image captured by a microscope via a communication line, the apparatus includes:
A microscope controller for performing at least stage movement and focus adjustment of the microscope by electric control based on operation of a plurality of dials corresponding to a predetermined function;
A first interface for connecting the microscope controller to a communication line;
A second interface provided at a remote location physically separated from the microscope and connected to the communication line;
A remote control controller connected to the second interface and having a plurality of dials similar to the dials of the microscope controller;
A microscope that allows an operator to operate the remote control controller while viewing a captured image, so that the microscope in a remote location can be functionally operated in front of the operator. A remote control device is provided.

  In the above apparatus, the communication line is typically the Internet network.

  In the above apparatus, the dial controls the movement of the stage in the XY axis direction of the microscope and the focus adjustment in the Z axis direction.

  In the above apparatus, the microscope controller and the remote control controller may further include a switch for changing the magnification.

  In the above apparatus, the first interface and the second interface are preferably personal computers.

  According to the remote control device for a microscope of the present invention, the operator can perform functional operations such as moving the stage of the microscope, adjusting the focus, etc. while looking at the image, with the same feeling as if the microscope at the remote place is in front of the eyes. Therefore, necessary information can be obtained quickly and as the operator intends.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 2 show an embodiment for carrying out the present invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a remote control device for a microscope according to the present invention. The part shown on the upper side of the Internet network indicated by reference number 11 is the side of a medical institution such as a hospital in a remote place where the target microscope is actually installed. The lower part is a pathologist such as a university hospital. Although only one medical institution and one pathologist are shown in the figure, it is possible to connect many medical institutions and pathologists to the Internet network 11 without being limited to the number. Needless to say.

  The configuration on the medical institution side in FIG. 1 will be described. Reference numeral 21 represents a microscope installed at a remote place. Currently, the operation of the biological microscope has almost the same operation specifications with respect to vertical and horizontal stage movement and focus adjustment, with no differences in operation by manufacturers. A microscope controller 22 is attached to the microscope 21. The microscope controller 22 includes a microscope electric stage including a dial, an interface unit for operating a switch, an XY-axis power unit, and a Z-axis power unit. By operating these, the stage of the microscope can be moved in the XY axis direction, or the focus adjustment in the Z axis direction can be performed. Furthermore, the microscope controller 22 can also have switch means for changing the magnification of the microscope. The functional operations of the microscope 21 in the XY axis direction and the Z axis direction can be performed by a joystick 24 connected via the microscope controller 22 as necessary. A feature of the present invention is that the microscope controller 22 is connected to the Internet network 11 through an interface device 25 which is preferably a personal computer. A camera device 26 is optically coupled to the microscope 21 to capture a microscope image. Images from the camera 26 are distributed by a video distributor 27 to a video monitor device 28 and a video distribution server 29 that display images from the microscope 21 in real time. The video distribution server 29 is connected to the Internet network 11. The video capture represented by reference numeral 30 is for capturing an image of the camera 26. The captured image is stored and saved in the interface personal computer 25. Furthermore, image distribution can be performed in response to an external browsing request.

  What is indicated by reference numeral 32 is a teleconference system, and is not a feature that is particularly characteristic in the present invention. The teleconference system 32 includes a microphone 33a, a speaker 33b, a communication camera 33c, and a microserver 34, which are input / output devices. The microphone 33a and the speaker 33b may be a headset incorporating them.

  Next, the configuration of a pathologist such as a university hospital will be described. Reference numeral 40 is a remote control controller which is a characteristic component of the present invention. As will be described later, the remote operation controller 40 has dial operation means for adjusting at least the XY axis direction and the Z axis direction of the microscope. The remote operation controller 40 is connected to the Internet network 11 through an interface device 41 which is preferably a personal computer. A video receiving server 42 is connected to the Internet network 11, and an image sent from the video distribution server 29 on the medical institution side via the Internet network is displayed on the moving image monitor device 43 in real time. A teleconference system 52 similar to the teleconference system 32 on the medical institution side is also provided on the pathologist side.

  In the above configuration, the interface device 25 connected to the microscope controller 22 on the medical institution side, the remote operation controller 40 on the pathologist's side, and the interface device 41 connected to the controller do not exist in the conventional apparatus. It is a component device.

  In a conventional apparatus that does not have these characteristic devices, a microscopic image captured by the camera 26 and displayed on the moving image monitor device 28 can be viewed simultaneously on the moving image monitor device 43 in real time by the pathologist. The pathologist could not perform the functional operation of the microscope. In other words, when it is desired to move the stage in the X and Y axes and adjust the focus of the microscope, the microscope is actually operated from the pathologist to the medical institution through the teleconference systems 32 and 52 provided on both sides. There was only a way to ask the person who was instructed to do it.

  On the other hand, in the device of the present invention, by providing the above-described characteristic constituent devices, the pathologist can operate the remote operation controller 40 while viewing the image displayed on the video monitor device 43, The stage movement in the XY axis direction and the focus adjustment in the Z axis direction of the microscope 21 at a remote location can be performed with the same feeling as if the microscope was in front of the eye.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a remote controller 40 used on the pathologist side of the apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, a dial indicated by reference numeral 60 is for moving the stage in the XY axis direction, and a dial 60a for adjusting the X axis direction and a dial 60b for adjusting the Y axis direction. Are provided in a double layer on one axis. The dial 62 is a dial for adjusting the Z-axis direction, that is, the focus of the microscope. These dials 60 and 62 are a microscope that is usually used even when nerves are concentrated on the image by adjusting the size, feel, distance between the dials and the like attached to the actual microscope. Compared with the above operation, it becomes possible to operate smoothly without a sense of incongruity.

  The rotary shafts of the dials 60 and 62 are provided with a rotary encoder that outputs the rotation direction and the amount of change as electrical data. The output data from the rotary encoder is FV converted and further A / D converted by the interface device 41, and then sent to the Internet 11 via the port.

  In addition to the operation dial, the remote operation controller 40 can be provided with a switch 63 for setting three-stage rotation speeds (high speed, medium speed, low speed), for example, by changing the magnification of the microscope. Data information based on this magnification change switch is also sent to the Internet network 11 after A / D conversion by the interface device 41. The switch 64 located at a position away from the switch 63 is for controlling a shutter for taking a still image of the camera 26 from the remote operation controller 40 or a microscope capable of switching the magnification of the objective lens with the switch. is there.

  The interface device 25 on the medical institution side receives digital information sent from the Internet network 11 via a port and performs the reverse operation. That is, the interface device 25 converts the digital signal received from the Internet network 11 from digital to analog and outputs the digital signal to the microscope controller 22. The microscope controller 22 receiving the analog signal from the interface device 25 drives the X-axis driving stepping motor and the Y-axis driving stepping motor after VF conversion, and the stage moves in the XY-axis direction accordingly. Become. The adjustment principle for the Z-axis direction between the pathologist and the medical institution is the same.

  An example of a specific operation is as follows. When the apparatus according to the present invention starts operation, first, at least the X-axis and Y-axis stage position information of the microscope controller 22 and the Z-axis focus adjustment position information are sent from the medical institution side to the pathologist and the interface device 25. Are sent via the Internet 11. The interface device 41 on the pathologist side registers these pieces of information as origin position registration information. Thereafter, from the pathologist, information on the change amount and change direction from the origin position registration information by dial operation of the remote controller 40 is sent to the medical institution via the Internet network 11 every predetermined time (for example, 150 msec). Sent. For example, the operation information of the remote operation controller 40 every 150 msec is transmitted to the medical institution side, and the microscope controller 22 provided in the microscope 21 performs the stage movement in the XY axis direction and the focus adjustment in the Z axis direction based on the information. The doctor on the specialist side can freely operate the microscope 21 at the remote place in exactly the same manner as the microscope in front of himself / herself while viewing the captured image of the microscope on the video monitor device 43 in real time. .

  It should be noted that the microscope remote control device of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example described above, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  As an application example of the present invention, in the remote diagnosis system described above, it is possible to make a more accurate and quick diagnosis by arbitrarily adjusting the observation position, the focus, etc. in the microscope observation at a remote place. It can be said that it is useful.

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a remote control device for a microscope according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a remote control controller used in the apparatus of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Internet Network 21 Microscope 22 Microscope Controller 24 Joystick 25 Interface Device 26 Camera 27 Video Distributor 28 Video Monitor Device 29 Video Distribution Server 30 Video Capture 32 Teleconference System 40 Remote Control Controller 41 Interface Device 42 Video Reception Server 43 Video Monitor Device 52 Teleconference system 60 XY axis operation dial 62 Focus adjustment dial 63 Rotation speed setting switch 64 Shutter switch

Claims (5)

In an apparatus that transmits an image captured by a microscope via a communication line, the apparatus includes:
A microscope controller for performing at least stage movement and focus adjustment of the microscope by electric control based on operation of a plurality of dials corresponding to a predetermined function;
A first interface for connecting the microscope controller to a communication line;
A second interface provided at a remote location physically separated from the microscope and connected to the communication line;
A remote control controller connected to the second interface and having a plurality of dials similar to the dials of the microscope controller;
A microscope that allows an operator to operate the remote control controller while viewing a captured image, so that the microscope in a remote location can be functionally operated in front of the operator. Remote control device.   2. The microscope remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication line is an internet network.   2. The remote control apparatus for a microscope according to claim 1, wherein the dial controls movement of the stage in the XY axis direction of the microscope and focus adjustment in the Z axis direction.   2. The microscope remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the microscope controller and the remote control controller further include a switch for changing a magnification. 2. The microscope remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the first interface and the second interface are personal computers.