JP2009078345A - Manipulator, manipulator system, and image display device for manipulator, and manipulation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manipulator and a manipulator system surely and accurately repeating movements for such an operation that the injection operation using a capillary action is carried out to a microscopic object such as a cell. <P>SOLUTION: In the manipulator having a nano-positioner structure and performing an injection to the microscopic object by fine movements of the capillary action, the manipulator comprises a control section 43 for controlling the capillary actions, and operation sections 47, 49 being operated by an operator for instructing the capillary actions to the control section. The control section has button operation sections 47a, 47b for executing at least a part of the instruction by pushing. At least a part of the injection operation caused by the capillary action is carried out by pushing the button operation section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a manipulator, a manipulator system, an image display device for a manipulator, and a manipulation system that operate a minute object such as a cell.

  In the biotechnology field, a manipulator is known that operates on a minute object such as a cell such as injecting a nucleus or sperm into an egg cell under a microscope (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). As shown in FIG. 7, the micromanipulator 1000 disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a holder block 1300, a moving table 1400, a piezoelectric element 1500, a moving stage 1600, and a stepping motor 1700. A pipette 1100 is attached to a pipette holder 1200, and a glass injection capillary 1110 for injecting nuclei and sperm into cells such as eggs is connected to the tip of the pipette 1100.

  The holder block 1300 is attached to a moving table 1400, and the moving table 1400 is linearly movable along a guide rail 1900 provided on the moving stage 1600. A stepping motor 1700 is attached to the moving stage 1600, and the driving force of the stepping motor 1700 is transmitted to the moving table 1400 via a screw mechanism or the like (not shown). Accordingly, the moving table 1400 is linearly moved along the guide rail 1900 to move the holder block 1300, and the pipette 1100 and capillary 1110 are linearly moved to the desired positions via the holder block 1300 and the pipette holder 1200. The piezoelectric element 1500 is a piezo element that generates distortion upon application of voltage, and is directly attached to the holder block 1300. By applying a pulse voltage to the piezoelectric element 1500, the holder block 1300 vibrates, and the injection capillary 1110 vibrates minutely via the pipette holder 1200 and the pipette 1100.

  The operation of the injection capillary 1110 by the micromanipulator 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. The injection capillary 1110 is moved in the direction AA by the moving table 1400, and the injection capillary 1110 is minutely vibrated by the piezoelectric element 1500. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, perforations 3400 are formed in the cell membrane 3200 that covers the cytoplasm 3100 of the cell 3000 and the transparent band 3300 that protects the cell 3000 around the cell membrane 3200. Next, the injection capillary 1110 passes through the perforation 3400 and enters the cell 3000 by the moving table 1400, and the nucleus or sperm is injected from the injection capillary 1110 into the cell 3000. After injection, the injection capillary 1110 is removed from the cell 3000 by moving the moving table 1400 in the direction A ′ opposite to the direction AA. Note that the cell 3000 is held by the holding capillary 2100 during the above operation.

  The above-described piercing operation by the injection capillary 1110 is performed by driving the piezoelectric element 1500, and the operation for removing the injection capillary 1110 from the cell 3000 is performed by driving the manipulator 1000.

  In addition, when using a manipulator that performs a fine operation on a minute object such as a cell as described above, a microscope image is acquired and displayed on a display such as a personal computer (PC), and the microscope image on the display is displayed. The operation is performed while observing. Alternatively, an operator performs an operation while observing a target sample from an eyepiece of a microscope.

Patent Document 2 discloses a hydraulic remote control type micromanipulator device in which an operator can finely remotely control a microtool such as a glass electrode under a microscope by hydraulic pressure such as hydraulic pressure with a dial. Patent Document 3 discloses a manipulation system for cell manipulation, in which an operator operates a joystick while looking at a microscope eyepiece.
JP 2004-325836 A Japanese Patent No. 3341151 International Publication No. WO2004 / 015055A1

  As described above, the operation of removing the injection capillary from the cell such as an ovum is a human operation, and it is necessary to quickly perform in the opposite direction to the injection method, but such a fast operation depends on the skill of the operator. For this reason, there is a problem that an artificial error is likely to occur in the operation of removing the injection capillary from the cell. In addition, there are similar problems in the drilling and injection operations using the injection capillary.

  In view of the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention can reliably and accurately repeat the operation for such an operation when performing an injection operation with a capillary on a minute object such as a cell. It is a first object to provide a manipulator and a manipulator system.

  Further, when changing the display magnification or microscope magnification of the microscope image displayed on the PC display described above, the display setting on the display must be changed or the magnification of the objective lens of the microscope must be changed. For this reason, every time it is necessary to change the magnification, an operation for changing the magnification is required, which hinders quick operation processing by the manipulator.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides a manipulator system and a manipulator image display device that can perform rapid operation processing by a manipulator without the need to change the display magnification of a microscope image. The purpose of 2.

  Moreover, when operating the manipulator which has an actuator driven by hydraulic pressure or pneumatic pressure like patent document 2, the manipulator and the interface to operate are connected with a hose, and pressure is transmitted, but the hose which transmits pressure If the length of the switch becomes longer, it may be difficult to operate remotely because there is a possibility of malfunction. In addition, remote control is impossible when the distance is long. Further, when it is necessary to install a manipulator in the clean bench, the manipulator cannot be remotely operated. Therefore, the operator's upper limb must be put in the clean bench and operated, which places a heavy burden on the operator. In addition, many conventional manipulators have a joystick or the like installed at the microscope installation location, and the operator operates the eyepiece while looking through the eyepiece. In such an operation, the joystick is operated without visual observation. Requires skill, and also causes problems in operating vibrations transmitted to the microscope during joystick operation.

  A third object of the present invention is to provide a manipulation system that can be remotely operated using a manipulator system that can be electrically operated in view of the above-described problems of the prior art. It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a manipulator system that can be freely operated in an attitude and position that can be easily operated by an operator.

  In order to achieve the first object, the manipulator according to the present embodiment has a nanopositioner structure, and is a manipulator capable of injecting a minute object by performing a fine movement operation of the capillary. A control unit that controls the operation; and an operation unit that is operated by an operator to instruct the control unit to operate the capillary, wherein the operation unit is pressed at least partly of the instruction. And the button operation unit is executed, and at least a part of the injection operation by the capillary is performed by pressing the button operation unit.

  According to this manipulator, a button operation unit is provided in the operation unit for instructing the operation of the capillary, and at least a part of the injection operation by the capillary is performed by pressing the button operation unit. The operation for injecting an object can be performed repeatedly with high accuracy, with the occurrence of artificial errors being suppressed.

  In the manipulator, the injection operation using the capillary includes a drilling operation for the micro object, an injection operation into the micro object, and an operation for removing the capillary from the micro object. For example, by pushing the button operation unit, the operation of removing the capillary from the minute object is performed, so that an artificial error can be suppressed in the operation of removing the capillary, and the operation can be reliably and repeatedly performed.

  The button operation unit includes at least two button operation units, and the button operation unit is different from a drilling operation for the minute object and an injection operation into the minute object, and an operation for removing the capillary from the minute object. It is preferable to be configured to be performed by pressing separately. Note that the operability is improved by arranging at least two button operation units side by side.

  In order to achieve the first object, a manipulator according to another embodiment is a manipulator having a structure of a nanopositioner and capable of injecting a minute object by performing fine movement operation of the capillary, wherein the capillary And a control unit that is operated by an operator to instruct the control unit to operate the capillary, and the operation unit is pushed at least a part of the instruction. A button operation unit to be executed, and when the button operation unit is pressed, the capillary performs a punching operation on the micro object, an injection operation into the micro object, and the capillary is removed from the micro object. The operation is performed automatically and continuously.

  According to this manipulator, a button operation unit is provided in the operation unit for instructing the operation of the capillary, and a series of injection operations by the capillary is automatically performed continuously by pressing the button operation unit. The operation for the injection of the minute object such as the above can be performed reliably and accurately with the occurrence of artificial errors being suppressed.

  In each of the manipulators, it is preferable that the button operation unit is disposed in the vicinity of the operation unit. The button operation unit can be easily pushed while operating the operation unit, and the operability is improved.

  In addition, a coarse movement unit that coarsely drives the capillary, and a fine movement unit that finely drives the capillary, and the control unit switches between the coarse movement and the fine movement of the capillary based on the operation of the operation unit. Can be configured.

  The operation unit described above can be configured by a pointing device, and the operation of the capillary can be instructed by operating the pointing device.

  A manipulator system according to another embodiment includes the above-described manipulator and another manipulator that operates a capillary that holds the micro object.

  According to this manipulator system, it is possible to reliably perform an injection operation while holding a micro object such as an egg or a cell with another capillary, and the operation by the injection operation at this time is performed by pressing a button operation unit. Therefore, the operation for the injection of the minute object can be reliably and accurately repeated with the occurrence of an artificial error being suppressed.

  The manipulator system further includes a microscope that can observe the tip of each capillary and the minute object, and a display unit that includes a CRT, a liquid crystal panel, or the like that displays a microscope image based on an image signal from the microscope. (Display), and the above-described button operation unit is displayed on the display unit, and a pointing device such as a mouse is operated on the screen of the display unit to press the button operation unit. .

  In order to achieve the second object, the manipulator system according to the present embodiment includes a manipulator for manipulating a minute object, a microscope for observing an enlarged image of the minute object to be manipulated, and magnification using the microscope. An image display unit including an image pickup unit that picks up an image and a display unit that displays a microscopic image of the object obtained by the image pickup unit, and divides the screen of the display unit into each divided screen. A microscope image of the object is displayed.

  According to this manipulator system, a microscopic image of a minute target object is displayed on a divided screen, so that a microscopic image of the same target object can be displayed on at least two screens, for example, the display magnification can be changed and displayed. It becomes. For this reason, there is no need to change the display magnification of the microscope image, and quick operation processing by the manipulator becomes possible.

  In the above-described manipulator system, each microscope image divided and displayed on the display unit can have different display magnifications. Thereby, it is possible to perform fine operations on the cells and the like with the microscope image at the high magnification while grasping the state of the minute object such as the cells under the microscope with the microscope image at the low magnification.

  Each microscope image is taken by the same imaging unit, and each microscope image is acquired by one imaging unit.

  Further, each microscope image having a different display magnification can be obtained by image processing in the image display device.

  Moreover, the image display apparatus for manipulators is used for the above-mentioned manipulator system. Thereby, since the microscopic image of the minute target object is displayed on the divided screens, the microscopic image of the same target object can be displayed on at least two screens. For example, the display magnification can be changed and displayed. For this reason, there is no need to change the display magnification of the microscope image, and quick operation processing by the manipulator becomes possible.

  In order to achieve the third object, the manipulation system according to the present embodiment includes a manipulator system including a pair of manipulators capable of operating a minute object by performing a fine movement operation by an electrically drivable actuator, and the manipulator An information terminal device installed remotely from the system is connectable via a network, and the manipulator system is remotely operated based on information input from the information terminal device.

  According to this manipulation system, since the actuator can be electrically driven based on information input from the information terminal device connected via the network, the manipulator can operate the minute object. The manipulator can be remotely operated at a remote position.

  In the above manipulation system, the manipulator system captures the micro object to obtain a microscope image, and has a microscope having an electric focusing actuator, a sample stage capable of moving the micro object by the electric actuator, and one of the manipulators. And an injector that is electrically and pressure-adjustable so that the micro object can be injected, and the information terminal device can display the information input means for inputting the information and the microscope image. Display means for displaying a microscope image obtained from the manipulator system via a network on the display unit, and remotely operating each actuator and the injector based on information input from the information input means. it can. When a capillary for holding a minute object with negative pressure is attached to the other of the pair of manipulators, the negative pressure is configured to be adjustable electrically, and the negative pressure of the capillary can be adjusted remotely.

  In order to achieve the fourth object, the manipulator system according to the present embodiment includes a pair of manipulators capable of operating a minute object by performing a fine movement operation by an electrically driven actuator, and a control for controlling the manipulator Means and an operation means for operating the manipulator via the control means, wherein the operation means is configured to operate the manipulator wirelessly.

  According to this manipulator system, since the manipulator can be operated wirelessly by the operating means, it can be operated at any position both on the desk and in the air, and can be freely operated in an attitude and position that is easy for the operator to operate. it can.

  In the manipulator system, the micro object is imaged to obtain a microscopic image, and a microscope having an electric focusing actuator, a sample stage in which the micro object can be moved by the electric actuator, and the micromanipulator attached to one of the manipulators. An injector capable of adjusting pressure electrically and so as to enable injection to an object; and a display unit capable of displaying the microscope image, and operating each actuator and the injector based on a wireless operation of the operation unit. be able to. As a result, the manipulator can be operated in a posture that is easy for the operator to operate while viewing the microscope image displayed on the display means, and the burden on the operator can be reduced. In addition, since there is no need to operate near the microscope, vibration transmitted to the microscope when the operator operates can be reduced, and adverse effects on the microscope due to vibration can be suppressed.

  According to the manipulator and manipulator system of the present invention, when performing an injection operation with a capillary on a minute object such as a cell, the operation of the capillary for such operation can be reliably and accurately repeated.

  According to the manipulator system and the image display device for a manipulator of the present invention, there is no need to change the display magnification of the microscope image, and quick operation processing by the manipulator becomes possible.

  According to the manipulation system of the present invention, remote operation is possible using a manipulator system that can be electrically operated. In addition, it is possible to provide a manipulator system that can be freely operated in an attitude and position that can be easily operated by the operator.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a manipulator system according to a first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, a manipulator system 10 includes a microscope unit 12, a holding manipulator 14, and an injection manipulator 16 as a system for performing an artificial operation on a minute object such as a cell under microscope observation. Manipulators 14 and 16 are arranged on the left and right of the unit 12.

  The microscope unit 12 includes a camera 18, a microscope 20, and a base 22, the microscope 20 is disposed above the base 22, and the camera 18 is connected to the microscope 20. A micro object such as a cell can be placed on the base 22, and light (irradiated from the microscope 20) is irradiated on a cell (not shown) on the base 22. When the light reflected by the cells on the base 22 enters the microscope 20, an optical image related to the cells is magnified by the microscope 20 and then captured by the camera 18, and an image captured by the camera 18 is displayed on the display unit 45. Cells can be observed.

  The holding manipulator 14 includes a holding pipette 24, an XY-axis table 26, a Z-axis table 28, a driving device 30 for driving the XY-axis table 26, and a driving device 32 for driving the Z-axis table 28 as orthogonal three-axis manipulators. I have. The holding pipette 24 is connected to a Z-axis table 28, and the Z-axis table 28 is arranged on the XY axis table 26 so as to be movable up and down. The XY axis table 26 is configured to move along the X axis or the Y axis by driving of the driving device 30, and the Z axis table 28 is moved along the Z axis (in the vertical axis direction) by driving of the driving device 32. Configured to move along).

  A holding capillary 25 is attached to the tip of the holding pipette 24 connected to the Z-axis table 28, and moves in the three-dimensional space as a moving area according to the movement of the XY-axis table 26 and the Z-axis table 28. Thus, the cell or the like on the base 22 is held.

  The injection manipulator 16 includes an injection pipette 34, an XY-axis table 36, a Z-axis table 38, a driving device 40 for driving the XY-axis table 36, and a driving device 42 for driving the Z-axis table 38 as orthogonal three-axis manipulators. The injection pipette 34 is connected to a Z-axis table 38, the Z-axis table 38 is disposed on the XY-axis table 36 so as to be movable up and down, and the driving devices 40 and 42 are connected to a controller 43.

  In FIG. 1, the manipulators 14 and 16 are configured to be driven from the bottom in the order of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, but are not limited to this configuration order (arrangement method), and may be configured in another order. For example, the pipettes 24 and 34 may be connected to an X-axis or Y-axis table.

  The XY axis table 36 is configured to move along the X axis or the Y axis by driving of the driving device 40, and the Z axis table 38 is moved along the Z axis (in the vertical axis direction) by driving of the driving device 42. Configured to move along). The injection pipette 34 connected to the Z-axis table 38 has an injection capillary 35 attached to the tip thereof, and the injection capillary 35 has a needle shape and is inserted into a cell or the like on the base 22.

  The XY-axis table 36 and the Z-axis table 38 are moved by moving the three-dimensional space including the cells on the base 22 as a moving area by driving the driving devices 40 and 42, and the injection pipette 34, for example, the injection capillary 35 is the base. 22 is configured as a coarse movement mechanism (three-dimensional axis movement table) that drives coarse movement to an insertion position to be inserted into a cell on 22.

  The tables 36 and 38 have a function as a nanopositioner in addition to a function as a moving table, and support the injection pipette 34 so as to be reciprocally movable, and the injection pipette 34 in the longitudinal direction (axial direction). It is configured to be finely driven along.

  Specifically, the fine movement mechanism 44 shown in FIG. 2 is added (built in) to the XY axis table 36 and the Z axis table 38 as a nanopositioner. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fine movement mechanism added to the XY axis table 36 and the Z axis table 38 of FIG.

  The fine movement mechanism 44 of FIG. 2 includes a housing 48 that constitutes a main body of a piezoelectric actuator. A screw shaft 50 is inserted into the housing 48 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical piezoelectric element 54, A cylindrical spacer 56 is accommodated on the outer peripheral side of the screw shaft 50, and bearings 58 and 60 are accommodated by being fixed to the screw shaft 50 by a lock nut 66 with an inner ring spacer 62 therebetween.

  The bearings 58 and 60 include inner rings 58a and 60a, outer rings 58b and 60b, and balls 58c and 60c inserted between the inner rings 58a and 60a and the outer rings 58b and 60b, respectively. The outer ring 58b and 60b are fitted to the outer peripheral surface via the inner ring spacer 62, and the outer ring 58b and 60b are fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the housing 48 to rotatably support the screw shaft 50. The bearing 58 is preloaded by tightening the lid 64 via the piezoelectric element by contact with the spacer 56 fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the housing 48. On one end side of the housing 48, holes 48a and 48b are formed for passing signal lines for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element. In the preload adjustment, the pressing force is adjusted by adjusting the length of the spacer 56, and an appropriate preload is applied to the bearings 58 and 60. As a result, a predetermined preload is applied to the bearings 58, 60, and a gap 63 as an axial distance is formed between the outer rings of the bearings 58, 60.

  The piezoelectric element 54 is connected to the controller 43 of FIG. 1 via lead wires 70 and 72 inserted into the holes 48a and 48b, respectively. In the axial direction of the injection pipette 34 in accordance with the voltage from the controller 43. It is configured as one element of a piezoelectric actuator that expands and contracts along.

  When an injection voltage is applied from the controller 43, the piezoelectric element 54 performs a perforation operation for inserting the injection capillary 35 into a cell on the base 22, and the controller 43 performs a fine movement voltage. Is applied, the position of the injection capillary 35 is finely adjusted by finely moving the screw shaft 50 along its longitudinal direction (axial direction).

  In setting the injection voltage for the piezoelectric element 54, the amplitude of the voltage and the waveform of the voltage can be adjusted in accordance with the properties of the cell to be operated. Moreover, although the cylindrical piezoelectric element is used in FIG. 2, it is not limited to this, For example, a rectangular tube type may be sufficient.

  When the controller 43 drives the injection manipulator 16, the XY axis table 36 and the Z axis table 38 are coarsely driven to bring the injection capillary 35 attached to the tip of the injection pipette 34 closer to the cells on the base 22. After positioning, the injection capillary 35 is finely driven using the fine movement mechanism 44.

  The controller 43 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as arithmetic means and hardware resources such as RAM and ROM as storage means, and is based on a predetermined program. Various calculations are performed, and a drive command is output to the drive devices 40 and 42 according to the calculation results. At the same time, a cell image captured by the camera 18 and information on the calculation results are displayed on a display unit (PC display) 45 including a CRT or a liquid crystal panel. It is comprised as a control means to display on the screen.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the main part of the control system of the controller 43 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the joystick of FIGS.

  1 includes, for example, a stepping motor 46 (FIG. 3) as a coarse motor, and the rotation of the stepping motor 46 is converted into a linear motion by a linear guide, a ball screw, or the like. It is configured to be. As shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 44 of the controller 43 instructs the stepping motor 46 to drive via a driver (not shown) during coarse movement, and also sends an amplifier (not shown) to the piezoelectric element 54 during fine movement. Command to drive through.

  A joystick 47 connected to the controller 43 is used as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 in order to switch between coarse movement and fine movement in the manipulator 16 shown in FIG.

  3 receives the operation direction signal from the joystick 47, and determines the operation direction of the joystick 47. For example, the injection manipulator 16 is stopped when the joystick 47 is in the neutral position as shown in FIG. Then, when the main body (handle) 47e is gripped by the operator and operated to the right side R, the stepping motor 46 is driven to coarsely drive the injection capillary 35.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the joystick 47 includes first and second push button switches 47a and 47b arranged side by side above the joystick 47. In FIG. 3, when the first push button switch 47a is pressed and turned on, the piezoelectric element 54 is driven, and the injection capillary 35 moves by a minute amount at a position close to the cell, thereby performing a perforating operation on the cell. It has become. When the second push button switch 47a is pressed and turned on, the stepping motor 46 is driven, and the injection capillary 35 is driven in the backward direction C (FIG. 5) so as to be removed from the intracellular position. .

  Next, the operation of the manipulator system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 schematically shows a microscope field of view by the microscope unit 12 of FIG. 1, and is a diagram for explaining each step (a) to (d) for injection into an egg.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the holding manipulator 14 is driven and the egg D on the base 22 is held by the holding capillary 25, and the joystick 47 in FIGS. 46 is driven to bring the tip 35a of the injection capillary 35 closer to the egg D.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the joystick 47 is operated to the left L, the stepping motor 46 is driven by the controller 43, and the tip 35 a of the injection capillary 35 is brought into contact with the egg D.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the first push button switch 47a on the upper part of the joystick 47 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is pressed, an injection voltage is applied from the controller 43 to drive the piezoelectric element 54, Based on the signal waveform of the injection voltage that has been initially set, the piezoelectric capillary 54 causes the injection capillary 35 to perform a perforating operation at the tip 35a, and the tip 35a of the injection capillary 35 enters the egg D through the zona pellucida in the forward direction B. And a solution containing sperm is injected from the injection capillary 35.

  In the punching operation by the piezoelectric element 54, the driving time of the piezoelectric element 54 varies depending on the individual difference of the egg. Therefore, the piezoelectric element 54 is continuously driven while the push button switch 47a is being pressed, and the push button switch 47a is released. The piezoelectric element 54 is preferably turned off.

  Next, after the above-described injection operation, as shown in FIG. 5D, when the second push button switch 47b at the top of the joystick 47 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is pressed, the stepping motor 46 is driven and the injection pipette 34 is moved. Then, the injection capillary 35 is driven in the backward direction C to be extracted from the cell D.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the operations from the start of the piercing operation / injection by the piezoelectric element 54 to the removal of the injection capillary 35 from the cell (egg D) are performed by the push button switches 47a, 47b. The operation can be performed only by pushing, and the operation of the lever of the joystick is not necessary and the operation becomes easy. In addition, by making the above operation a button operation, it is possible to stably execute the initially set operation, thereby reducing human error and making it possible to repeatedly perform each operation stably. Become.

  Further, since the first and second push button switches 47a and 47b are arranged on the upper portion of the joystick 47, the push button switches 47a and 47b can be easily pushed continuously, and the punching operation / injection operation and the injection capillary are pulled out. The operation can be performed continuously and accurately and easily.

  Next, instead of the operation with the joystick 47 described above, the mouse 49 in FIG. 1 may be used to operate on the screen of the display unit 45. 6 is displayed on the screen 45a of the display unit 45 in FIG. 6, for example, and the push button 41a that performs the same operation as the switch by clicking with the mouse 49 in FIG. 1 is displayed. ~ 41e are displayed. By operating these push buttons 41a to 41e with the mouse 49, it is possible to perform the same operations as in FIGS.

  That is, by clicking the coarse motion button 41a displayed on the screen 45a with the mouse 49, the stepping motor 46 is driven, and the tip 35a of the injection capillary 35 is brought close to the ovum D as shown in FIG. . Here, you may stop by clicking the stop button 41b.

  Next, the coarse motion button 41a is clicked to drive the stepping motor 46, and the injection capillary 35 is moved to bring the tip 35a into contact with the ovum D as shown in FIG.

  Next, when the injection button 41d is clicked, an injection voltage is applied to drive the piezoelectric element 54, and as shown in FIG. 5C, the injection capillary 35 performs a perforation operation at the tip 35a to perform injection.

  Next, when the backward button 41e is clicked after the above-described injection operation, the stepping motor 46 is driven, and the injection capillary 35 is driven in the backward direction C as shown in FIG. .

  In FIGS. 3 to 5 and 6 described above, the drilling operation / injection operation and the operation of removing the injection capillary are performed separately by two push buttons. However, by pressing one push button, Further, it may be carried out automatically and continuously from the drilling operation / injection operation to the operation of removing the injection capillary.

  As described above, the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in FIG. 4, the push button switches 47a and 47b have been described as an example. However, other push button switches can be provided with the same function, and are similar to other push button switches that are easy for the operator to operate. Function can be allocated.

  Further, by using a mouse having a push button switch as the mouse 49 in FIG. 1, the same operation as that of the first and second push button switches 47a and 47b of the joystick 47 is performed by pressing the push button switch attached to the mouse 49. You may comprise so that it may be performed. In this case, switching between coarse movement and fine movement may be performed by, for example, push buttons 41a, 41b, and 41c similar to those in FIG.

  A pointing device other than a joystick or a mouse may be used. For example, a pen tablet or the like may be used. When there are not enough push buttons, it is preferable to install a clickable push button on the screen.

  <Second Embodiment>

  The manipulator system 10 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the manipulator system 10 includes a microscope unit 12, a holding manipulator 14, and an injection manipulator as a system for performing a minute artificial operation on a minute object such as a cell under microscope observation. 16, and manipulators 14 and 16 are arranged on the left and right of the microscope unit 12. The microscope unit 12 includes a camera 18, a microscope 20, and a base 22. The microscope 20 is disposed above the base 22, and the camera 18 using an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS is connected to the microscope 20. A micro object such as a cell can be placed on the base 22, and light (irradiated from the microscope 20) is irradiated on a cell (not shown) on the base 22. When the light reflected by the cells on the base 22 enters the microscope 20, an optical image related to the cells is magnified by the microscope 20 and then captured by the camera 18, and an image captured by the camera 18 is displayed on the display unit 45. Cells can be observed.

  In addition, since each part of the manipulator system 10 is the same as that of FIG. 1, the description is abbreviate | omitted. The XY axis table 36 and the Z axis table 38 have a fine movement mechanism 44 added (built-in) as a nanopositioner. The fine movement mechanism 44 is the same as that shown in FIG. Omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the main part of the control system of the controller 43 of FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a divided screen of the display unit of FIG.

  1 includes, for example, a stepping motor 46 (FIG. 3) as a coarse motor, and the rotation of the stepping motor 46 is converted into a linear motion by a linear guide, a ball screw, or the like. It is configured to be. As shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 44 of the controller 43 instructs the stepping motor 46 to drive via a driver (not shown) during coarse movement, and also sends an amplifier (not shown) to the piezoelectric element 54 during fine movement. Command to drive through.

  An image display device is configured by the display unit 45, the image processing unit 80, and the CPU 44 that controls the display unit 45 and the image processing unit 80 in FIG. That is, the CPU 44 in FIG. 9 controls the screen display form of the display unit 45, and divides the screen 45a of the display unit 45 into, for example, two screens 81 and 82 as shown in FIG. A microscope image captured by the camera 18 provided in the microscope 20 of FIG. 1 is displayed on each of the divided screens 81 and 82 as an image of a minute object such as a cell.

  The image from the camera 18 is subjected to various types of image processing by the image processing unit 80 in FIG. 9. For example, a microscopic image of a minute object can be reduced or enlarged to a desired magnification. In other words, the image processing unit 80 performs a reduction process or an enlargement process on the input image with a predetermined algorithm in a software manner to obtain a reduced or enlarged output image.

  As shown in FIG. 10, for example, a microscope image with a display magnification of 10 times (× 10) that has been enlarged by the image processing unit 80 is displayed on the screen 81, and the same microscope image with a display magnification of 40 times (× 40) is displayed on the screen 82. Is displayed.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the joystick of FIG. The joystick 47 connected to the controller 43 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 is used, for example, when the injection manipulator 16 is stopped when the joystick 47 is in the neutral position as shown in FIG. When gripped and operated to the right side R or left side L, the stepping motor 46 is driven to drive the injection capillary 35 coarsely.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the joystick 47 includes first and second push button switches 47a and 47b arranged side by side on the upper portion thereof, and when the first push button switch 47a is pressed and turned on, the piezoelectric element 54 is driven, and a microscopic movement is performed at a position where the injection capillary 35 approaches the cell, thereby perforating the cell. When the second push button switch 47b is pressed and turned on, the stepping motor 46 is driven, and the injection capillary 35 is driven in the backward direction C (FIG. 6) so as to be removed from the intracellular position.

  In addition, you may comprise so that the said button operation of the 2nd pushbutton switch 47b may be substituted using the hat switch 47d installed in the upper part of the joystick 47 like FIG. Also, other push button switches such as the third push button switch 47c adjacent to the push button switch 47a in FIG. 11 can be provided with the same function, and other push button switches that are easy for the operator to operate can be used. Similar functions may be allocated.

  Next, the operation of the manipulator system 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 and FIG. 5 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the holding manipulator 14 is driven, and the egg D on the base 22 is held by the holding capillary 25, and the joystick 47 in FIGS. 46 is driven to bring the tip 35a of the injection capillary 35 closer to the egg D.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the joystick 47 is operated to the left L, the stepping motor 46 is driven by the controller 43, and the tip 35 a of the injection capillary 35 is brought into contact with the egg D.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the first push button switch 47a on the upper part of the joystick 47 in FIG. 11 is pressed, the piezoelectric element 54 is driven by applying the injection voltage from the controller 43, and the initial setting is performed. On the basis of the signal waveform of the injection voltage, the piezoelectric capillary 54 causes the injection capillary 35 to perforate at the tip 35a, and the tip 35a of the injection capillary 35 is inserted into the egg D through the zona pellucida in the forward direction B. Then, a solution containing sperm is injected from the injection capillary 35.

  In the punching operation by the piezoelectric element 54, the driving time of the piezoelectric element 54 varies depending on the individual difference of the egg. Therefore, the piezoelectric element 54 is continuously driven while the push button switch 47a is being pressed, and the push button switch 47a is released. The piezoelectric element 54 is preferably turned off.

  Next, after the above-described injection operation, as shown in FIG. 5D, when the second push button switch 47b on the upper part of the joystick 47 in FIG. 11 is pressed, the stepping motor 46 is driven and the axial length of the injection pipette 34 is increased. By driving along the direction and driving the injection capillary 35 in the backward direction C, the cell is pulled out of the cell D.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operations from the start of the piercing operation / injection by the piezoelectric element 54 to the removal of the injection capillary 35 from the cell (egg D) are performed only by the pressing operation of the push button switches 47a and 47b. This eliminates the need for lever operation of the joystick and facilitates operation. In addition, by making the above operation a button operation, it is possible to stably execute the initially set operation, thereby reducing human error and making it possible to repeatedly perform each operation stably. Become.

  Further, since the first and second push button switches 47a and 47b are arranged on the upper portion of the joystick 47, the push button switches 47a and 47b can be easily pushed continuously, and the punching operation / injection operation and the injection capillary are pulled out. The operation can be performed continuously and accurately and easily.

  5A to 5D, the low-magnification image and the high-magnification image of the same microscope image are displayed on the two-divided screens 81 and 82 of the display unit 45 as shown in FIG. While displaying the image, it is possible to execute fine operations on the cell D with the high-magnification image while grasping the state of the cell D with the low-magnification image. For example, when the operation shown in FIG. 5B is performed, the low-magnification image and the high-magnification image are displayed on the screens 81 and 82 divided into two as shown in FIG. The whole cell D can be grasped by the image, and the tip 35a of the injection capillary 35 can be brought into contact with the ovum D while viewing the high-magnification image of the screen 82.

  As described above, according to the manipulator system 10 of the present embodiment, when manipulators 14 and 16 operate minute objects such as cells, microscope images are collected by one camera 18, for example, a PC (personal computer). Etc. can be acquired. The acquired microscope image can be divided into two screens 81 and 82 of the display unit 45 and displayed at different display magnifications. For example, the screen 81 has a display magnification of 10 times and the screen 82 has a display magnification of 40 times. As a result, it is possible to perform fine operations on the high-magnification image while always grasping the sample state under the microscope with the low-magnification image. Further, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of replacing the objective lens of the microscope, and a high-magnification objective lens is not necessary. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use an expensive product such as an electric revolver with a microscope, which can contribute to the cost reduction of the entire manipulator system.

  As described above, the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the display magnification on the screens 81 and 82 in FIG. 4 can be changed. For example, one can be set to approximately the same magnification and the other can be set to a desired magnification by digital zoom. Moreover, the divided screens of the display unit 45 are not limited to two screens, and may be further increased to three screens, four screens,.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a manipulator system according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the electric triaxial manipulator for injection shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 shows a manipulator system 500 that further embodies the manipulator system 10 of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the manipulator system 500 according to this embodiment includes an electric triaxial (XYZ) manipulator 140 for holding, an electric triaxial (XYZ) manipulator 160 for injection, an inverted microscope 120, an electric microscope A sample stage 110, and the electric triaxial manipulators 140 and 160 are attached so as to be integrated with the inverted microscope 120. Note that the electric triaxial manipulators 140 and 160 may be attached so as to be integrated with the sample stage 110, which makes it less susceptible to external vibration and the like.

  The electric triaxial manipulator 160 for injection is provided with a nut rotary actuator 170 capable of driving a motor and a piezoelectric element so as to reciprocate an injector 340 capable of adjusting pressure by electric power in the direction of the installation axis. A similar nut rotary actuator 191 is also attached to the electric triaxial manipulator 140 for holding.

  The inverted microscope 120 includes an electric focusing actuator, a revolver unit for switching an objective lens, and a light source for irradiating light to an observation object.

  In addition, legs 149 and 169 for supporting the electric triaxial manipulators 140 and 160 in the direction of gravity are installed in order to improve the stability when the electric triaxial manipulators 140 and 160 are installed. In FIG. 12, each leg 149, 169 is disposed only at one location for each electric triaxial manipulator 140, 160, but may be plural.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the electric triaxial manipulator 160 is configured by combining three uniaxial actuators 161, 162, and 163 in the triaxial (XYZ) direction. Each of the single-axis actuators 161 to 163 includes a stepping motor, a coupling, a BS (ball screw), a guide element, and a slider, and limit switches are installed at both ends in the drive axis direction to prevent an overstroke. . Further, by turning off the excitation of the stepping motors of the single-axis actuators 161 to 163, the manipulator 160 can be manually operated in the respective axial directions by the manual knobs 161a, 162a, and 163a of the single-axis actuators 161 to 163. It has a configuration. The electric triaxial manipulator 140 is configured in the same manner.

  The single-axis actuator 163 is used for driving in the Z-axis direction, a θ stage 164 is disposed on the Z-axis slider 163b, and a nut rotary actuator 170 is disposed on the θ stage 164. The θ stage 164 is for adjusting the installation angle of the nut rotary actuator 170 and is a manual type, but may be an electric type. The installation angle of the θ stage 164 is set so as to coincide with the bending angle or the injection angle of the glass injection capillary 341 mounted on the injector 340.

  Next, the nut rotary actuator 170 of FIGS. 12 and 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the nut rotary actuator 170 of FIG. 13 cut in a direction parallel to the plane of the θ stage 164. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the nut rotary actuator 170 of FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the nut rotary actuator 170 includes a housing 480 that constitutes a main body as a piezoelectric actuator, and a pipette injector 340 is provided in a substantially cylindrical housing 480. Is a screw shaft 520 having a threaded portion on the outer peripheral side, and a hollow rotating shaft 540 surrounding the screw shaft 520 is inserted. The bottom of the housing 480 is fixed to the base 560 and is configured as a fine movement mechanism and a nanopositioner.

  The root side of the pipette-like injector 340 is connected to the tip side of the screw shaft 520 via a jig 580, and a screw that is screw-coupled with a screw portion on the outer periphery of the screw shaft 520 in the middle of the screw shaft 520. A ball screw nut (BS nut) 600 as an element is mounted, and a slider 620 is connected between the jig 580 and the screw shaft 520. The slider 620 is disposed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base 560 and is connected to the linear guide 660 with a notch 640 therebetween. The linear guide 660 is disposed on the bottom side of the base 560 and is coupled to the base 560 via a bearing 680 so as to be movable along the axial direction of the screw shaft 520.

  That is, the linear guide 660 is configured to reciprocate the slider 620 supporting the tip end side of the screw shaft 520 along the base 560 in accordance with the axial movement of the screw shaft 520. At this time, the portion of the screw shaft 520 closer to the injector 340 than the ball screw nut 600 is slidably supported by the linear guide 660 via the slider 620, so that the linear motion of the screw shaft 520 is transmitted to the injector 340. be able to.

  The ball screw nut 600 is fixed to a step portion 540a on one end side (tip side) in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 540 and is screwed to a screw portion on the outer periphery of the screw shaft 520, so that the screw shaft 520 extends along the axial direction. Thus, it can freely support reciprocating motion (linear motion). That is, the ball screw nut 600 is configured as an element for converting the rotary motion of the rotary shaft 540 into the linear motion of the screw shaft 520.

  The other axial end of the rotating shaft 540 is connected to a rotating portion in the hollow motor 700. Bolts 780 are fixed to the base 560 of the housing 740 of the hollow motor 700 via a rubber washer 760 as an elastic body. When the hollow motor 700 is driven, the rotary shaft 540 rotates, and the rotary motion of the rotary shaft 540 is transmitted to the screw shaft 520 via the ball screw nut 600 so that the screw shaft 520 moves linearly along the axial direction. It has become.

  On the other hand, the bearings 800 and 820 are accommodated with the inner ring spacer 840 therebetween, adjacent to the step portion 540 a of the rotating shaft 540. The bearings 800 and 820 include inner rings 800a and 820a, outer rings 800b and 820b, and balls 800c and 820c inserted between the inner ring and the outer ring, and the inner rings 800a and 820a are fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 540. The outer rings 800b and 820b are fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the housing 480 so as to rotatably support the rotating shaft 540. The bearings 800 and 820 are fixed to the rotary shaft 540 by a lock nut 860 with the inner ring spacer 840 therebetween. The bearing 800 is configured to be restricted from moving in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 540 by contacting the step 540 a in the housing 480 and the annular spacer 920. An annular piezoelectric element 920 and an annular spacer 900 are press-fitted between the outer ring 820 b of the bearing 820 and the lid 880 of the housing 480.

  The bearings 800 and 820 and the piezoelectric element 920 are preloaded by adjusting the length of the spacer 900 and closing the lid 880. Specifically, when the length of the spacer 900 is adjusted and the cover 880 is closed, a preload is applied as a pressing force along the axial direction to the bearings 820 and the outer rings 820b and 800b of the bearing 800 by the fastening force according to the position. At the same time, a preload is also applied to the piezoelectric element 920. As a result, a predetermined preload is applied to the bearings 800 and 820 and the piezoelectric element 920, and a gap 940 is formed between the outer rings of the bearings 800 and 820 as a distance between the axial directions.

  The piezoelectric element 920 is connected to a personal computer (PC) 430 (see FIG. 17) as a controller via a lead wire (not shown), and the longitudinal direction (axis) of the rotating shaft 540 according to the voltage from the personal computer 430. It is configured as one element of a piezoelectric actuator that expands and contracts along the direction). That is, the piezoelectric element 920 expands and contracts along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 540 in response to an applied voltage from the personal computer 430 and finely moves the rotating shaft 540 along the axial direction. When the rotating shaft 540 is finely moved along the axial direction, this fine movement is transmitted to the injector 340 via the screw shaft 520, and the position of the injector 340 is finely adjusted.

  As described above, the nut rotary actuator 170 converts the rotational motion of the ball screw nut 600 into the linear motion of the screw shaft 520 by the hollow motor 700 and directly moves the screw shaft 520, but the injector 340 attached to the screw shaft 520. Is not rotated by the linear guide 660 when the hollow motor 700 is driven, and has a function of preventing rotation. For this reason, the injector 340 can reciprocate linearly by driving the hollow motor 700.

  14 and 15 has a function of driving the hollow motor 700 to drive the injector 340 to set it at the center of the microscope visual field and to retract from the central part of the microscope visual field. By driving 920, the perforating operation on the cell (egg) by the glass capillary 341 (FIG. 13) attached to the tip of the injector 340 can be assisted.

  Next, the sample stage 110 in FIG. 12 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the sample stage 110 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 16, the sample stage 110 is configured such that two uniaxial actuators 111 and 112 are arranged in the biaxial direction and the sample stage 113 is moved in the biaxial direction, and is attached to the inverted microscope 120 in FIG. It has been. Manual knobs 111a and 112a are respectively attached to the shaft ends of the motors of the actuators 111 and 112 that drive the sample stage 110, and manual operation is also possible by turning off the excitation of the motors.

  Next, a personal computer as a controller for controlling the manipulator system 500 of FIG. 12 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a principal block diagram for explaining a control system by a personal computer for the manipulator system 500 of FIGS.

  17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 431 that performs various controls, a program 432 that is stored in a storage device and that is read when the manipulator system 500 is used, a liquid crystal panel, a CRT, and the like. A display unit 433, a storage unit 430a capable of storing a microscope image or the like in a recording medium such as a hard disk or an optical disk, and a communication unit 430b which is an interface for communication with the outside via a network such as the Internet. The joystick 470 and the mouse 470a operated by the operator are input means to another personal computer that can be connected to the personal computer 430 via a network. The personal computer 430 controls each part of the manipulator system 500 based on the operation signal of the operation of the joystick 470 and mouse 470a received by the communication unit 430b from the outside by the CPU 431 through the operation of the program 432 and the network.

  That is, the personal computer 430 drives the signal generator 438, and drives the piezoelectric element 920 that is a piezoelectric element of the nut rotary actuator 170 via the piezoelectric amplifier 434 according to the signal. Further, the personal computer 430 is electrically connected to the nut rotary actuator 170, the electric triaxial manipulators 140 and 160, the sample stage 110, and the focusing actuator 436 for electrically rotating the handle of the microscope 120 via the terminal block box 435, respectively. The hollow motor 700 of the nut rotary actuator 170, the uniaxial actuators 161 to 163 of the electric triaxial manipulator 160, the uniaxial actuators 111 and 112 of the sample stage 110, and the focusing actuator 436 are respectively connected. It is like that. Further, regarding the microscope 120, the revolver unit of the objective lens and the light amount adjustment of the light source may be electrically driven.

  Further, the manipulator 160 includes a syringe motor that adjusts the pressure of the injector 340, and the pressure of the syringe can be adjusted by driving and controlling the motor similarly. The microscope 120 is provided with a camera 437 configured with an image sensor, and a microscope image captured by the camera 437 is displayed on the display unit 433 of the personal computer 430.

  The holding manipulator 140 is also driven in the same manner, but the manipulator 140 includes a syringe motor that adjusts the pressure (negative pressure) of the holding capillary. (Negative pressure) can be adjusted.

  Next, the joystick in FIG. 17 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing an example of the joystick of FIG.

  The manipulator system 500 described above is operated using at least two joysticks 470. As an example, a joystick 470 having a handle 479 and a plurality of buttons 471 to 477 as shown in FIG. 18 is used.

  The operation shown in Table 1 below can be executed in the manipulator system 500 by the handle 479 and the plurality of buttons 471 to 477 of the joystick 470 shown in FIG. The handle 479 can be driven in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by tilting (tilting) in the right direction R and the left direction L, and can be driven in the Z-axis direction by rotating (twisting). In Table 1, “⇔” of the four-direction hat switch 477 is two switches in the left-right direction, and “↓ ↑” is two switches in the up-down direction. Negative pressure + and pressure + are increases in the absolute pressure value by each syringe motor, and negative pressure-and pressure-are decreases in the absolute pressure value. The fine movement drive Z +, − is an increase or decrease in the movement amount with respect to the Z-axis direction.

  Note that the layout for each operation of the handle 479 and the plurality of buttons 471 to 477 as shown in Table 1 can be changed as appropriate so that the operator can easily use the layout. In addition, when the piezoelectric element 920 is driven by cell operation, it may be necessary to drive with a plurality of parameters. In this case, it can be dealt with by adding a similar button.

  The joystick 470 to be used may be of a type that adjusts the speed according to the degree of tilting (tilting) of the handle 479, and stops driving the manipulators 140, 160 when released (speed command type), or tilted the handle 479. A type that drives the manipulators 140 and 160 as much as possible (position control type) may be used. In addition to the joystick, for example, a two-dimensional or three-dimensional mouse having a plurality of buttons may be used as the mouse 470a in FIG.

  Next, a controller screen displayed on the display unit 433 of the personal computer 430 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a controller screen displayed on the display unit 433 of the personal computer 430 in FIG.

  On the controller screen of the display unit 433 of the personal computer 430, the microscope image by the camera 437 is displayed on at least two screens as in FIG. 10 described above. For example, as shown in FIG. The first display screen 433a can be displayed at a standard magnification, and the second display screen 433b can be displayed at an enlargement magnification. In the example of FIG. 19, the egg D is operated by the manipulator system 500, and a state in which the injection capillary 341 at the tip of the injector 340 has perforated the egg D held in the glass holding capillary 342 by the negative pressure is displayed for the first time. The image is displayed on the screen 433a at the standard magnification, and is displayed at the enlargement magnification on the second display screen 433b. As a result, when referring to a low-magnification microscopic image and a high-magnification microscopic image as in FIG. 10, there is no need to change the display magnification of the microscopic image, and the manipulator system 500 can perform a quick operation process. It is possible to perform fine operations with an image with an enlarged magnification while always grasping the state of a sample such as a cell (egg) under a microscope with an image with a standard magnification.

  On the controller screen of the display unit 433, as shown in FIG. 19, the first and second display screens 433a and 433b are arranged at substantially the center left and right, and the operation state display panel 433c is arranged below the first display screen 433c. On the upper side, an image operation panel 433d, a sample stage operation panel 433e, and a manipulator operation panel 433f are arranged and can be operated by a mouse 470a.

  On the operation state display panel 433c, an actual XYZ position coordinate of the manipulators 140 and 160 is displayed on the display unit 433g, and a display unit 433h that can recognize which button is being pressed when the joystick 470 is operated is disposed. The operation state can be grasped while viewing the image, and an electric / manual switching unit 433i and a pause button 433j of the manipulators 140 and 160 are arranged.

  The image operation panel 433d is provided with an image magnification menu 433k and an image display position menu 433m on the first and second display screens 433a and 433b, and the operator can adjust the image magnification and display position. It has become. The microscope image can be saved in the storage unit 430a by an operation with the mouse 470a on the controller screen, and a moving image can be saved by pressing a button on the controller screen.

  In addition to the menu 433n for adjusting the drive parameter of the sample stage 110, the sample stage operation panel 433e is provided with buttons that can be operated such as XY drive and return to origin. The sample stage 110 can be driven by a button operation while viewing a microscope image on the display screens 433a and 433b. For example, it can be moved in the + X direction only while the button is pressed.

  The manipulator operation panel 433f has a menu 433p for adjusting the driving parameters of the manipulators 140 and 160, and can be used by the operator by setting the parameters as desired. The manipulator operation panel 433f is provided with a button 433q for driving the nut rotary actuator 170 shown in FIGS. By pressing the button 433q, the nut rotary actuator 170 is driven with a preset stroke, and the injector 340 can be set at the center of the microscope and retracted.

  The nut rotary actuator 170 and the sample stage 110 can be performed by button operation on the controller screen of FIG. 19 as described above, but may be performed by the joystick 470 or the like.

  According to a conventional manipulator system such as Patent Document 3, a joystick or the like is installed at a microscope installation location, and the operator operates while looking through the eyepiece lens. In such an operation, the operation of the joystick is performed without visual observation. In order to use it, a skilled technique is required. However, according to the above-described manipulator system 500, the operation of the joystick 470 can be visually observed while viewing the controller screen of the display unit 433. In addition, since the operation state of the joystick 470 is displayed, the manipulator system 500 can be used easily and reliably.

  Next, a remotely operable manipulation system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a manipulation system that can be remotely operated via a network according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a manipulation system 901 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the above-described manipulator system 500 can be remotely operated by network communication.

  In the manipulation system 901, the manipulator system 500 and the personal computer PC1 as a controller are connected to each connector of the terminal block box 435. The PC 1 may be the same as the personal computer 430 in FIG. 17, but in FIG. 20, a program (1) for controlling the manipulator system 500 is installed.

  Further, in the manipulation system 901, as shown in FIG. 20, a personal computer PC2 for remote operation is separately prepared and can be connected to the network N together with the PC1. The network N may be the Internet, but may also be a dedicated line or a network provided in a specific area.

  The personal computer PC2 for remote operation includes a communication unit PC21 which is an interface for communication with the outside via a network N such as the Internet, a liquid crystal panel, a CRT, etc., and a control screen as a microscope image and a control program on a Web page. A display unit PC22 that can be displayed and a central processing unit (CPU) PC23 that performs various controls, and an interface PC24 that is operated by an operator are connected as command input means.

  The personal computer PC2 is connected to the PC1 via the network N, receives image information and controller information transmitted from the PC1 by communication A in FIG. 20, displays a microscope image and a control program screen on the display unit PC22, and communicates with each other. The interface information input from the interface PC 24 is transmitted to the PC 1 by B, and the PC 1 operates the manipulator system 500 based on the received interface information.

  The interface PC 24 may be, for example, a joystick 470 (FIGS. 17 and 18) or a mouse 470a (FIG. 17). In the case of the joystick 470, the handle 479 and the plurality of buttons 471 to 477 in FIG. Can be assigned to the same operation.

  The remote operation in the manipulation system 901 in FIG. 20 will be described. First, manipulator can be executed by setting an injection capillary 341 (FIGS. 13 and 19), a holding capillary 342 (FIG. 19) and a petri dish containing a sample necessary for manipulator operation in the manipulator system 500 of FIG. State.

  Next, PC1 and PC2 are activated and connected via the network N, and a program (1) for driving the manipulator system 500 is activated by the PC1 of FIG. When the controller information is transmitted from the PC 1 to the PC 2 via the network N in order to remotely operate the activated program (1) itself, a control program screen based on a Web page is displayed on the display unit PC22 of the PC 2. Microscope image information captured by the camera 437 is transmitted from the PC 1 to the PC 2 via the network N and displayed on the display unit PC22. When the program (1) is executed in such a configuration, the manipulator system 500 can be controlled by a command input signal from the interface PC24 connected to the PC2, and the program (1) activated on the PC1 is executed on the PC2. Therefore, all operations of the manipulator system 500 can be performed on the PC 2. In this way, the manipulator system 500 can be remotely operated by the PC 2. Note that the control program screen (controller screen) of the display unit PC22 of the PC 2 may have a screen display configuration as shown in FIG. 19, but is not limited to the example of FIG.

  A modification of FIG. 20 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 21, a program (2) for controlling the manipulator system 500 by a signal from the interface PC24 is installed in the PC2, and the program (2) is started, and a command input signal is sent from the interface PC24 to the PC2. When input, the interface information is transmitted to the PC 1 by the program (2), and the program (1) of the PC 1 reads the interface information transmitted from the program (2) via the network N, thereby performing all operations of the manipulator system 500. This can be done on PC2.

  Next, another example of a remotely operable manipulation system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a conceptual diagram for explaining another example of a manipulation system that can be remotely operated via a network according to the third embodiment.

  The manipulation system 902 shown in FIG. 22 communicates with another program for image information communication as compared with FIG. That is, in FIG. 20 described above, since the program (1) has a built-in program for displaying a microscope image from the microscope, a control screen (control program screen) by the program (1) may be used depending on the network communication method. ) Is displayed on the Web page and is controlled on the control screen to transfer the image information, the data capacity for communication becomes large. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, separate ports are installed in the PC1 and PC2 for image information communication, and network communication is performed by the program (3-1) installed in the PC1 and the program (3-2) installed in the PC2. Communicate with F. Further, interface information from the PC 2 to the PC 1 and controller information from the PC 1 to the PC 2 are communicated by the network communication G in the same manner as in FIG.

  According to the manipulation system 902 of FIG. 22, when remotely manipulating the manipulator system 500 with the PC 2, communication of image information becomes smooth and a time lag in communication at the time of manipulator operation can be reduced.

  A modification of FIG. 22 will be described with reference to FIG. The example of FIG. 23 is obtained by installing a program (2) for controlling the manipulator system 500 with a signal from the interface PC 24 in the PC 2 in FIG. As another example of the present embodiment, a program for image information communication may be inserted and used in the program (2) of FIG. 21, and thereby, on the Web page for driving the manipulator system 500 The load on the operation can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the manipulation systems 901 and 902 of FIGS. 20 to 23, the manipulator system 500 can be remotely operated. Therefore, when the manipulator system 500 is used in the clean bench, the operator The operator's upper limbs are no longer required to be operated in the clean bench, and when the operator needs to work in a clean room, the operator does not need to wear a clean suit to perform the injection work. Can be reduced. In addition, even when working using the manipulator system 500 in a restricted environment, the manipulator system 500 can be used in such a restricted environment by remotely operating the manipulator system 500. Further, even if the PC 1 and PC 2 can be connected to the network even when they are far away from each other, remote operation is possible.

  Further, an injection operation can be performed even if a skilled engineer is not near the manipulator system 500, so that there is no need for an operator at the place where the manipulator system 500 is installed, and another person can perform the injection capillary. Operation is possible only by preparing 341, holding capillary 342, and a petri dish containing a sample.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 24 is a principal block diagram for explaining a control system for the manipulator system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 25 is a plan view showing an example of a wireless interface that can be used in the manipulator system of FIG.

  The manipulator system according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in FIGS. 12 to 16, but uses a wireless interface as the manipulator operation means. That is, as shown in FIG. 24, the manipulator system 501 according to the present embodiment mainly operates the first wireless operation unit 430d and the holding manipulator 140 that wirelessly transmits an operation signal for mainly operating the injection manipulator 160. A second wireless operation unit 430e that wirelessly transmits an operation signal for performing the operation. The personal computer 430 includes a receiving unit 430c that receives operation signals from the first wireless operation unit 430d and the second wireless operation unit 430e, and controls each part of the manipulator system 501 based on the received operation signals. Each of the wireless operation units 430d and 430e transmits an operation signal wirelessly by radio waves or infrared rays.

  As the first wireless operation unit 430d and the second wireless operation unit 430e, for example, a wireless interface in which a wireless pointer and a mouse are integrated as shown in FIG. 25 is used. The wireless interface shown in FIG. 25 has a mouse function and a pointer function, and includes a click part KR that is manually operated and a plurality of button parts BT. The wireless interface has a mouse function when used on a desk and can be operated in the air. It has a pointer function. When the mouse function is used, it functions as an optical sensor, and when operating in the air, the gyro sensor or the like in the wireless interface functions and can be operated. When using the manipulators 140 and 160, the personal computer 430 receives and detects an operation signal generated manually by the pointer function, and operates the manipulators 140 and 160. When driving the sample stage 110, the wireless interface of FIG. 25 is placed on a desk and operated using a mouse function. The other actuators and injectors in the manipulator system 501 are operated using a plurality of button units BU.

  The personal computer 430 detects the use state of the wireless interface of FIG. 25, determines which mode (desktop or air) is currently operated, recognizes the position of the pointer by the pointer function, and manipulator system according to the position 501 is driven. The operator places the pointer on the image displayed on the display unit 43, and operates it by arbitrarily moving it.

  In addition, since a small movement of the pointer may be detected and a malfunction may be caused, it is preferable to operate the manipulator system 501 so that the manipulator system 501 can be driven only while the button in the wireless interface is being pressed. In addition, various operations in the manipulator system 501 can be performed by increasing the number of button units BU as necessary in the wireless interface of FIG. In addition, the wireless interface in FIG. 25 is an example, and other shapes and types can be used regardless of the shape and type of the interface.

  The first wireless operation unit 430d and the second wireless operation unit 430e may be configured by one wireless interface of FIG. 25. In this case, when the wireless interface of FIG. 25 is operated in the air, the injection manipulator 160 is driven. When operating on a desk, the holding manipulator 140 may be driven (or vice versa).

  When the first wireless operation unit 430d and the second wireless operation unit 430e are configured by two wireless interfaces, each wireless interface is used for injection and holding, but may be operated with compromise. May be used to drive a manipulator when used in the air, or to drive an actuator such as the sample stage 110 when used on a desk (or vice versa).

  In addition, the microscope image is displayed on the display unit 433, and as shown in FIGS. 10 and 19, the microscope image is displayed with two types of standard magnification and magnification, and each image is operated when the pointer is placed on the image. You may make it set the speed gain of the manipulation system to. As a result, the driving of the manipulator when the pointer is placed on the enlarged magnification image can be operated more finely than the driving of the manipulator when the pointer is placed on the standard magnification image.

  According to the present embodiment, the manipulator system 501 can be operated in a posture / position that is easy for the operator to operate while viewing the microscope image displayed on the display unit 433, and the burden on the operator can be reduced. Further, since there is no need to operate near the microscope 120, vibration transmitted to the microscope when the operator operates can be reduced, and adverse effects on the microscope 120 due to vibration can be suppressed.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the manipulator system by 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fine movement mechanism added to an XY axis table and a Z axis table in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control system principal part of the controller 43 of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the specific example of the joystick of FIG. 1, FIG. It is a figure for showing typically a microscope field of view by microscope unit 12 of Drawing 1, and explaining each step (a)-(d) for injection to an ovum. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the screen of the display unit 45 in FIG. 1 for explaining an example in which a mouse is used instead of the joysticks in FIGS. 3 and 4. It is a side view which shows the structure of the conventional manipulator. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the manipulator of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control system principal part of the controller 43 of FIG. 1 by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the divided | segmented screen of the display part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the specific example of the joystick of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the manipulator system by 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the electric triaxial manipulator for injection of FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the nut rotary actuator 170 of FIG. 13 cut along a plane parallel to the plane of the θ stage 164. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the nut rotary actuator 170 of FIGS. 13 and 14. It is a perspective view which shows the sample stage 110 of FIG. It is a principal block diagram for demonstrating the control system by the personal computer about the manipulator system 500 of FIGS. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the joystick of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the controller screen displayed on the display part 433 of the personal computer 430 of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the manipulation system which can be operated remotely via the network by 3rd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the manipulation system of the modification of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating another example of the manipulation system which can be remotely operated via the network by 3rd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the manipulation system of the modification of FIG. It is a principal part block diagram for demonstrating the control system about the manipulator system by 4th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the example of the wireless interface which can be used with the manipulator system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Manipulator system, 12 Microscope unit, 14 Holding manipulator, 16 Injection manipulator, 18 Camera, 20 Microscope, 25 Holding capillary, 35 Injection capillary, 43 Controller, Control part, 44 Fine movement mechanism, 45 Display part, 47 Joystick, 120 Inverted microscope, microscope, 140 holding manipulator, manipulator, 150 piezoelectric element, 160 injection manipulator, manipulator, 170 nut rotary actuator, 340 injector, 341 injection capillary, 342 holding capillary, 430 personal computer, controller, 433 display unit, 437 Camera, 470 Joystick, 500,501 Manipulator system, 700 hollow motor, 920 piezoelectric element, 901, 902 Manipulation system, D egg, cell

Claims (16)

A manipulator having a nano-positioner structure and capable of injecting a minute object by finely moving a capillary,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the capillary;
An operation unit operated by an operator to instruct the controller to operate the capillary,
The operation unit has a button operation unit that is executed by pressing at least a part of the instruction, and pressing the button operation unit performs at least a part of the injection operation by the capillary. A characteristic manipulator.   2. The manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the injection operation using the capillary includes a drilling operation for the micro object, an injection operation into the micro object, and an operation of removing the capillary from the micro object.   Provided with at least two button operation units, the button operation units that are different in the drilling operation for the minute object and the injection operation into the minute object and the operation for removing the capillary from the minute object are separately provided. The manipulator according to claim 1 or 2 performed by pushing. A manipulator having a nano-positioner structure and capable of injecting a minute object by finely moving a capillary,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the capillary;
An operation unit operated by an operator to instruct the controller to operate the capillary,
The operation unit has a button operation unit that is executed by pressing at least a part of the instruction, and when the button operation unit is pressed, a drilling operation for the micro object by the capillary is performed in the micro object. The manipulator is characterized in that the injection operation into the micro object and the operation of removing the capillary from the minute object are automatically and continuously performed.   The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the button operation unit is disposed in the vicinity of the operation unit. A coarse movement part for coarsely driving the capillary, and a fine movement part for finely driving the capillary,
The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit switches between coarse movement and fine movement of the capillary based on an operation of the operation unit. The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A manipulator system comprising: another manipulator that operates a capillary that holds the minute object. A manipulator that operates a minute object;
A microscope for observing an enlarged image of the manipulated minute object;
An imaging unit for capturing an enlarged image by the microscope;
An image display device having a display unit for displaying a microscopic image of the object obtained by the imaging unit,
A manipulator system characterized by dividing a screen of the display unit and displaying a microscope image of the object on each of the divided screens.   The manipulator system according to claim 8, wherein each microscope image divided and displayed on the display unit has a different display magnification.   The manipulator system according to claim 9, wherein each of the microscopic images is captured by the same imaging unit.   The manipulator system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the microscope images having different display magnifications are obtained by image processing in the image display device.   The image display apparatus for manipulators used for the manipulator system of any one of Claims 8 thru | or 11.   A manipulator system including a pair of manipulators that can be operated on a minute object by performing a fine movement operation by an electrically driven actuator, and an information terminal device installed away from the manipulator system can be connected via a network. And the manipulator system is remotely operated based on information input from the information terminal device. The manipulator system captures the micro object to obtain a microscope image, and has a microscope having an electric focusing actuator, a sample stage capable of moving the micro object by the electric actuator, and one of the manipulators attached to the manipulator An electric pressure adjustable injector so as to enable injection of a minute object;
The information terminal device includes information input means for inputting the information and display means capable of displaying the microscope image, and displays the microscope image obtained from the manipulator system via the network on the display unit. The manipulation system according to claim 13, wherein the actuator and the injector are remotely operated based on information input from the information input means.   A pair of manipulators capable of operating on a minute object by performing a fine movement operation by an electrically driven actuator, a control means for controlling the manipulator, and an operation means for operating the manipulator via the control means. A manipulator system comprising: the operating means configured to operate the manipulator wirelessly.   A microscope having an electric focusing actuator that images the micro object to obtain a microscope image, a sample stage that can move the micro object by an electric actuator, and an injection to the micro object attached to one of the manipulators An injector capable of adjusting pressure by electric power and a display unit capable of displaying the microscope image, and operating each actuator and the injector based on a wireless operation of the operation unit. The described manipulator system.

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