JP2011145094A - Particle observation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a particle observation device capable of easily observing moving particles. <P>SOLUTION: The particle observation system 1 is equipped with a light irradiation part 3 for irradiating particles 91 with a laser beam Lb, an imaging part 5 for imaging the particles 91 irradiated with the laser beam Lb from the light irradiation part 3, an image analyzer 6 for analyzing the image of the particles 91 imaged by the imaging part 5, a particle moving part 4 for moving the particles 91 and a particle movement control part 37 for controlling the particle moving part 4 on the basis of the image analyzing data analyzed by the image analyzer 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a particle observation apparatus for observing moving particles.

  Conventionally, a particle observation apparatus and method for observing fine particles (for example, particles of 1 μm or less) in a fluid are known. Non-Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of irradiating light from a light source onto a particle to be observed and observing the dark field of the particle with the light scattered by the particle.

Hironari Kikura and one other, "Microscale fine particle flow measurement-particle size measurement and behavioral analysis of ferromagnetic nanoparticle using dark field method", Journal of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2008.2, Vol. 111, no. 1071, p14-17

  However, the technique of Non-Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to observe because particles in the fluid move and deviate from the field of view.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a particle observation apparatus that can easily observe moving particles.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a light irradiating unit that irradiates light to particles, an imaging unit that images the particles irradiated with light from the light irradiating unit, and the imaging An image analyzing means for analyzing an image of the particles imaged by the means; a particle moving means for moving the particles; and the particle moving means based on the image analysis information analyzed by the image analyzing means. And a particle movement control means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the particles include a ferromagnet, the particle moving means includes magnetic force line generating means for generating magnetic force lines by an electric current, and the particle movement control means is configured to generate the magnetic force lines. The movement of the particles is controlled by controlling the means.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the particle moving means further includes a superconducting electromagnet.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the particle moving means further includes a permanent magnet for assisting the magnetic force of the magnetic force line generating means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the particles include a conductive material, the particle moving means includes an electric field generating means for generating an electric field by a voltage, and the particle movement control means is configured to generate the electric field. The movement of the particles is controlled by controlling the means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the particle moving means includes near-field light generating means for generating near-field light by laser light, and the particle movement control means controls the near-field light. To control the movement of the particles.

  The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that the light irradiation means includes a laser device that emits laser light for irradiating the particles.

  The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the light irradiation means further includes a beam expander for expanding the laser light.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the laser device oscillates laser light in pulses.

  The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that the laser device emits linearly polarized laser light.

  According to the present invention, the particle movement control unit controls the particle moving unit for moving the particles based on the image analysis information obtained by analyzing the particle image. Thereby, this invention can image, moving a particle | grain to the area | region which can be imaged. As a result, the present invention can easily observe the moving particles.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a particle observation apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a right view of the observation part vicinity of an observation cell. It is a figure for demonstrating the magnetic force line which generate | occur | produces from a coil. It is a figure for demonstrating the magnetic force line which generate | occur | produces from another coil. It is a figure explaining the electric current supplied to a coil. It is a whole block diagram of the particle | grain observation apparatus by 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the particle | grain moving part by 3rd Embodiment. It is a whole block diagram of the particle observation apparatus by 4th Embodiment. It is a whole block diagram of the particle observation apparatus by 5th Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the particle observation apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the vicinity of the observation part of the observation cell. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining magnetic lines of force generated from a coil. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining magnetic lines of force generated from another coil. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the current supplied to the coil. In addition, the figure of the observation part vicinity enclosed with the dotted line in FIG. 1 is a front view. In the following description, the vertical and horizontal directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1 are the vertical and horizontal directions in the dotted frame. Also, the surface direction in FIG. 1 is the front in the dotted frame (see FIG. 2).

  The particle observation apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is for observing ferromagnetic particles 91 in a liquid (fluid). The diameter of the particles 91 is about 1 μm or less. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the particle observation device 1 includes an observation cell 2, a light irradiation unit 3, a particle moving unit 4, an imaging unit 5, an image analysis device 6, and a control device 7. ing.

  The observation cell 2 is for flowing the liquid 92 together with the particles 91 to be observed. The observation cell 2 is made of resin or glass that can transmit light. As shown in FIG. 2, the observation cell 2 has an inflow portion 11, an observation portion 12, and an outflow portion 13. The inflow part 11, the observation part 12, and the outflow part 13 are comprised integrally. In the inflow part 11, the observation part 12, and the outflow part 13, a liquid flow path is formed in series. The liquid 92 containing the particles 91 flows to the inflow part 11, the observation part 12, and the outflow part 13. The observation unit 12 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the front.

  The light irradiation unit 3 irradiates the sheet 91 of the observation unit 12 of the observation cell 2 with the sheet-like laser light Lb. The light irradiation unit 3 includes a laser device 15, a beam expander 16, a reflection member 17, and a light receiving element 18. Note that the laser beam may be linear instead of sheet.

  The laser device 15 is for emitting a laser beam La for irradiating the particles 91. The laser device 15 is composed of a YAG laser that emits laser light (green light) La having a wavelength of about 532 nm. The laser device 15 oscillates linearly polarized laser light La in a pulsed manner. The laser device 15 may oscillate circularly polarized laser light, or may continuously oscillate laser light.

  The beam expander 16 is for spreading the linear laser beam La in one direction. Thereby, the laser beam La becomes a sheet-like laser beam Lb having a certain width in the left-right direction and irradiates the observation unit 12.

  The reflection member 17 reflects the laser beam Lb traveling in the right direction downward where the observation unit 12 is disposed.

  The light receiving element 18 is for receiving the laser beam Lb transmitted through the observation unit 12 and outputting a detection signal to the control device 7. Based on this detection signal, the control device 7 detects the deviation of the laser light Lb and adjusts the direction of the laser device 15.

  The particle moving unit 4 stops or moves the ferromagnetic particles 91 by a magnetic field. The particle moving unit 4 includes four sets of coils 21, 22, 23, 24 and coil power supplies 25, 26, 27, 28.

  The four coils 21 to 24 are respectively arranged in the four directions of the upper left and lower right of the observation unit 12 of the observation cell 2. The coils 21 to 24 generate lines of magnetic force 93 to the observation unit 12 when supplied with current. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the coil 21 generates a magnetic force line 93 in the vertical direction. As a result, the magnetic force in the direction attracted by the coil 21 (upward) acts on the ferromagnetic particles 91. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the coil 22 generates a magnetic force line 93 in the left-right direction. Thereby, the magnetic force in the direction attracted to the coil 22 (leftward) acts on the ferromagnetic particles 91.

  The four coil power supplies 25 to 28 are connected to different coils 21 to 24, respectively. The coil power supplies 25 to 28 supply currents having a pulse waveform (sine wave) shown in FIG. 5 to the coils 21 to 24. The current waveform may be an arbitrary waveform or a direct current. Here, in order to simplify the explanation, a pulse waveform (sine wave) is used.

  The imaging unit 5 is for imaging the particles 91 irradiated with the laser beam Lb. The imaging unit 5 is composed of a CMOS camera capable of high-speed imaging. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 5 is disposed in front of the central part of the observation unit 12. Note that the position of the imaging unit 5 in FIG. 1 is shown for convenience and is different from the actual position. The imaging unit 5 captures a dark field image of the particles 91 of the observation unit 12 with light in which the sheet-like laser light Lb is Rayleigh scattered by the particles 91. The imaging unit 5 images the particles 91 in synchronization with the pulsed laser beam Lb. That is, the imaging unit 5 images the particles 91 at a predetermined time interval (hereinafter, imaging interval) TI. The imaging unit 5 outputs the captured image data of the particles 91 to the image analysis device 6.

  The image analysis device 6 analyzes the image data of the particles 91 captured and input by the imaging unit 5 and displays an image of the particles 91. The image analysis device 6 includes a display unit 31 that displays an image and an image analysis unit 32.

  The display unit 31 includes a liquid crystal display device or the like.

  The image analysis unit 32 includes a calculation unit (not shown) such as a CPU (central processing unit) and a storage unit (not shown) such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). Have The image analysis unit 32 calculates the position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of the particles 91 by analyzing the image data input from the imaging unit 5. The position coordinates PP, displacement PD, speed PV, and acceleration PA are image analysis information. Specifically, the image analysis unit 32 specifies the position coordinates PP of the particles 91 from the image data input from the imaging unit 5. The image analysis unit 32 specifies the position coordinates PP of the particles 91 by calculating the center of gravity of the spreading particles 91 and binarizing. Thereafter, the position coordinate PP of the particle 91 is specified by the image data input at every imaging interval TI, and the displacement PD of the position coordinate PP is calculated. Next, the velocity PV of the particle 91 is calculated from the displacement PD and the imaging interval TI. Then, the acceleration PA of the particles 91 is calculated from the speed PV and the imaging interval TI. The image analysis unit 32 outputs the calculated position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of the particles 91 to the control device 7.

  The control device 7 governs overall control of the particle observation device 1. The control device 7 includes a calculation unit (not shown) such as a CPU (central processing unit) and a storage unit (not shown) such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). Have. The control device 7 includes an input unit 35, a light control unit 36, a particle movement control unit 37, and an imaging control unit 38. Each unit 35 to 38 may be configured by software such as a program, may be configured by hardware such as a circuit, or a combination thereof.

  The input unit 35 is for a user to input various instructions. The input unit 35 has a keyboard and a mouse. The input unit 35 inputs an instruction input from the user to the light control unit 36 and the particle movement control unit 37.

  The light control unit 36 is for controlling the light irradiation unit 3. The light control unit 36 outputs an instruction signal to the laser device 15. Thereby, the laser device 15 emits the laser light La at the imaging interval TI. Further, at the time of initial setting, a detection signal from the light receiving element 18 is input to the light control unit 36. Based on this detection signal, the light control unit 36 calculates the deviation of the laser light Lb and controls the laser device 15 to adjust the emission direction of the laser light Lb. The light control unit 36 may be configured to display the deviation of the laser light Lb, and the user may set the emission direction of the laser device 15.

  The particle movement control unit 37 controls the movement of the particles 91. The particle movement control unit 37 receives the position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of the particles 91 from the image analysis unit 32. The particle movement control unit 37 controls the four sets of coils 21 to 24 and the coil power supplies 25 to 28 based on the position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of these particles 91. Thereby, the movement of the particles 91 is controlled.

  The imaging control unit 38 is for controlling the imaging unit 5. The imaging control unit 38 outputs an imaging signal to the imaging unit 5 in synchronization with the cycle oscillated from the laser device 15 of the light irradiation unit 3.

(Operation of particle observation apparatus and particle observation method)
Next, the operation of the particle observation apparatus described above and the particle observation method will be described.

  First, a liquid 92 containing ferromagnetic particles 91 is caused to flow into the observation cell 2 in the order of the inflow portion 11, the observation portion 12, and the outflow portion 13. In this state, when the user selects start via the input unit 35 of the control device 7, the light control unit 36 of the control device 7 outputs an instruction signal to the laser device 15 of the light irradiation unit 3. As a result, the laser device 15 oscillates the laser beam La in a pulsed manner. The laser beam La is spread in one direction by the beam expander 16 and becomes a sheet-like laser beam Lb. Thereafter, the laser beam Lb is reflected by the reflecting member 17 and proceeds to the observation unit 12 of the observation cell 2. As a result, the sheet-like laser beam Lb illuminates the central portion of the observation unit 12 brightly. Here, when the laser beam Lb deviates from a desired region of the observation unit 12, the light control unit 36 adjusts the position of the laser device 15 based on the detection signal input from the light receiving element 18 to the light control unit 36. To do. Thereby, the laser beam Lb illuminates a desired region of the observation unit 12.

  Next, the particles 91 in the observation unit 12 are imaged by the imaging unit 5 arranged in front of the central part of the observation unit 12. Here, the imaging unit 5 captures a dark field image of the particle 91 with the laser light Lb that is Rayleigh scattered by the particle 91. This imaging operation is executed at the same imaging interval TI as the pulse interval of the laser beam Lb. Next, the imaging unit 5 outputs the captured image data to the image analysis unit 32 of the image analysis device 6.

  Next, in the image analysis device 6, the image of the particle 91 captured on the display unit 31 is displayed, and the image analysis unit 32 analyzes the image data. Specifically, the image analysis unit 32 calculates the position coordinates PP of the particles 91 from each image increase data. Next, the image analysis unit 32 calculates the displacement of the particle 91 from the calculated plurality of position coordinates PP. The image analysis unit 32 calculates the velocity PV of the particles 91 from the displacement PD and the imaging interval TI. Further, the image analysis unit 32 calculates the acceleration PA of the particles 91 from the speed PV and the imaging interval TI. Thereafter, the image analysis unit 32 outputs the calculated position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA to the particle movement control unit 37 of the control device 7.

  Next, the particle movement control unit 37 of the control device 7 is based on the position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of the particles 91 input from the image analysis unit 32 via the coil power supplies 25 to 28. The coils 21 to 24 are controlled. Specifically, initially, the particles 91 are moving inside the observation unit 12 together with the liquid 92 from top to bottom. That is, since the particles 91 have a downward speed, the particle movement control unit 37 supplies the coil 21 with a current having a sinusoidal waveform shown in FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic lines of force 93 are generated from the coil 21, and the upward magnetic force acts on the particles 91. As a result, the downward speed of the particles 91 is reduced. Here, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the magnitude of the current to be supplied to the coil 21 from the next time on by storing the current and the decelerated acceleration in association with each other. Thereafter, the particle movement control unit 37 repeats this operation to set the vertical velocity of the particles 91 to “0”. Similarly, when the particle 91 has a velocity in the right direction, the velocity of the particle 91 is controlled by supplying a current having a pulse waveform shown in FIG. Thereby, the particle movement control unit 37 stops the particles 91 at a desired position of the observation unit 12.

  Although the operation of the particle movement control unit 37 has been described on the assumption that the particle 91 is stopped, the particle 91 may be controlled to rotate. Specifically, the particle movement control unit 37 supplies the current to the coil 21 after supplying the current shown in FIG. Thereafter, the particle movement control unit 37 causes a current to flow through the coil 23 at a predetermined interval, and then causes a current to flow through the coil 24. In this way, the particle movement control unit 37 supplies the current in the order of the coils 21, 22, 23, and 24 and repeats, whereby the particle 91 can be rotated at the approximate center of the observation unit 12. Further, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the rotational speed by changing the magnitude of the current, and controls the rotational speed by changing the time interval for supplying the current.

  Further, the user may be configured to be able to input the movement pattern of the particles 91 by the input unit 35. The movement pattern referred to here includes linear movement and the like in addition to the stop and rotation movements described above.

  Thereafter, when the user inputs an end instruction using the input unit 35, the particle movement control unit 37 ends the above-described processing.

(Effect by 1st Embodiment)
Next, the effect by 1st Embodiment mentioned above is demonstrated.

  In the particle observation apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the image analysis unit 32 calculates the position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of the particles 91 from the image data, and outputs them to the particle movement control unit 37. Thereby, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the coils 21 to 24 based on the position coordinates PP, displacement PD, velocity PV, and acceleration PA of the particles 91. For this reason, since the particle movement control unit 37 can control the particle 91 in accordance with the movement of the particle 91, the particle 91 can be stopped at a desired place or can be moved such as a rotational movement. As a result, the user can easily observe the particles 91. Furthermore, since the particle observation apparatus 1 can maintain the particle 91 in the imaging region by controlling the movement of the particle 91, the same particle 91 can be observed for a long time.

  Moreover, in the particle observation apparatus 1, since the light irradiation unit 3 includes the beam expander 16 that spreads the laser beam La, the laser beam Lb can brighten a wide area of the observation unit 12. As a result, the imaging unit 5 can easily image the particles 91. Furthermore, even if the particles 91 are moving, it is difficult to leave the irradiation region of the laser light Lb, and thus it is possible to suppress the particles 91 once picked up from the imaging region of the imaging unit 5.

  In the particle observation device 1, the laser device 15 of the light irradiation unit 3 oscillates the laser beam La in a pulsed manner. The imaging control unit 38 can synchronize the imaging interval TI of the imaging unit 5 with the laser light La. Thereby, the particle observation apparatus 1 can suppress the heating of the liquid 92 and the particles 91 by the unnecessary laser light Lb.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment in which a part of the above-described embodiment is changed will be described. FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram of the particle observation apparatus according to the second embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to embodiment mentioned above, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the particle moving unit 4 </ b> A of the particle observation apparatus 1 </ b> A according to the second embodiment includes a superconducting electromagnet 41 for controlling the movement of the particles 91 and a coil for supplying current to the superconducting electromagnet 41. And a power source 42.

  The superconducting electromagnet 41 includes a superconducting coil 43 and a cooling unit 44. The winding of the superconducting coil 43 is made of a superconducting material. The observation unit 12 is disposed in the hollow portion 43 a of the superconducting coil 43. Thereby, the magnetic field of the superconducting coil 43 penetrates the inside of the observation unit 12 in the vertical direction. The cooling unit 44 is for cooling the superconducting coil 43. In the cooling unit 44, liquid helium for cooling, gaseous helium, liquid sodium, or the like is stored.

  In 2nd Embodiment, since the observation part 12 is arrange | positioned in the hollow part 43a, the imaging part 5 cannot be arrange | positioned in the front of the observation part 12. FIG. Therefore, the imaging unit 5A of the second embodiment includes reflection units 19a and 19b for reflecting the laser light Lb transmitted through the observation unit 12 to the imaging unit 5. The imaging unit 5 captures a dark field image of the particle 91 with the laser light Lb reflected by the reflection units 19a and 19b.

  In the second embodiment, the superconducting electromagnet 41 controls the movement of the particles 91 in the vertical direction. Thereby, 2nd Embodiment can control the particle | grains 91 of not only a ferromagnetic body but a weak magnetic body and a diamagnetic body with stronger magnetic force.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment in which the particle moving unit of the above-described embodiment is changed will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a particle moving unit according to the third embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to embodiment mentioned above, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The particle moving unit 4B according to the third embodiment includes four permanent magnets 45, 46, 47, and 48.

  The four permanent magnets 45 to 48 are for assisting the magnetic force of the coils 21 to 24. The four permanent magnets 45 to 48 are disposed outside the four coils 21 to 24. Here, the permanent magnets 45 to 48 are configured to be rotatable. Thereby, the permanent magnets 45 to 48 are rotated when the magnetic forces of the coils 21 to 24 are not reinforced. As a result, the magnetic lines of force of the permanent magnets 45 to 48 can be applied to the observation unit 12 only when necessary.

  In the third embodiment, since the magnetic forces of the coils 21 to 24 are reinforced by the permanent magnets 45 to 48, power saving can be realized.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a description will be given of a fourth embodiment in which the particle moving unit of the above-described embodiment is changed. FIG. 8 is an overall configuration diagram of the particle observation apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to embodiment mentioned above, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The particle moving unit 4C of the particle observation apparatus 1C of the fourth embodiment is for observing while controlling the movement of the particles 91 made of a charged conductive material by an electric field.

  The particle moving unit 4C of the particle observation apparatus 1C includes electrodes 51, 52, 53, and 54 arranged on four sides of the observation unit 12, and electrode power sources 55 and 56. The electrode power supply 55 applies positive and negative voltages to the electrode 51. The electrode 53 is grounded and has a ground potential. The electrode power source 56 applies positive and negative voltages to the electrode 52. The electrode 54 is grounded and has a ground potential.

  In the fourth embodiment, the particle movement control unit 37 generates a vertical electric field between the electrode 51 and the electrode 53 by applying a voltage to the electrode 51 via the electrode power supply 55. Thereby, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the movement of the particles 91 in the vertical direction. Further, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the movement of the particles 91 in either the upward direction or the downward direction by controlling the polarity of the voltage of the electrode 51. In addition, the particle movement control unit 37 applies a voltage to the electrode 52 via the electrode power source 56, thereby generating an electric field in the left-right direction between the electrode 52 and the electrode 54. Thereby, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the movement of the particles 91 in the left-right direction. Further, the particle movement control unit 37 controls the movement of the particles 91 in either the left direction or the right direction by controlling the polarity of the voltage of the electrode 52.

  The particle observation apparatus 1C according to the fourth embodiment can control the movement of the conductive particles 91 by an electric field. Thereby, 1 C of particle | grain observation apparatuses can observe, controlling the movement of the electroconductive particle 91. FIG. Further, the particle observation apparatus 1C controls the positive / negative of the voltage applied to the electrode 51 (52) by the particle movement control unit 37, thereby moving the particle 91 upward or downward (left or right). Can be controlled. Thereby, the particle observation apparatus 1C can reduce the number of the electrode power supplies 55 (56) and can simplify the configuration.

<Fifth Embodiment>
Next, a fifth embodiment in which a part of the above-described fourth embodiment is changed will be described. FIG. 9 is an overall configuration diagram of the particle observation apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to embodiment mentioned above, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The particle moving unit 4D of the particle observation apparatus 1D according to the fifth embodiment further includes a near-field light generating unit 60 that generates a near-field light with a laser beam and controls a part of the movement of the particle 91. The near-field light generating unit 60 includes a laser device 61, an optical fiber 62, a connection member 63, and an optical fiber 64. In addition, since the light guide by the optical fiber becomes a factor disturbing the polarization component, the particles may be directly irradiated with the laser light without using the optical fiber.

  The laser device 61 emits laser light having a wavelength larger than the diameter of the particle 91 to be observed. The laser device 61 is connected to the particle movement control unit 37 so that an instruction signal can be input.

  The optical fiber 62 guides the laser light emitted from the laser device 61 to the connection member 63. The optical fiber 62 is disposed between the laser device 61 and a part of the side surface of the observation unit 12.

  The connection member 63 connects the optical fiber 62 and the optical fiber 64. The connection member 63 is attached to the side surface of the observation unit 12. One end of the optical fiber 62 and one end of the optical fiber 64 are connected to the connection member 63.

  The optical fiber 64 guides the laser light guided by the optical fiber 62 to the central portion of the observation unit 12.

  In the particle observation apparatus 1D according to the fifth embodiment, first, the particle movement control unit 37 stops the particles 91 near the other end of the optical fiber 64 by the electrodes 51 to 54. Thereafter, the particle movement control unit 37 inputs an instruction signal to the laser device 61. The laser device 61 emits laser light. The laser light is sequentially guided through the optical fiber 62, the connection member 63, and the optical fiber 64, and is emitted from the other end of the optical fiber 64. When the laser beam is irradiated onto the particle 91 having a diameter (1 μm or less) smaller than the wavelength, the laser beam generates near-field light around the particle 91. Here, the near-field light spreads from the outer periphery of the particle 91 to a region about the diameter of the particle 91. When the plurality of particles 91 are in the near-field light region, an electrostatic (or thermal) interaction force is generated between the particles 91 and the particles 91. Thereby, the particle movement control unit 37 can control the position of the particle 91 in the reduced region. In this state, the imaging unit 5 images the particles 91. Here, the imaging unit 5 images the particles 91 with the laser light Lb irradiated from the light irradiation unit 3 and the scattered light of the laser light emitted from the optical fiber 64.

  Note that the direction and magnitude of the interaction force of near-field light can be controlled by the polarization of the laser light to be irradiated. Specifically, when the laser light is linearly polarized light, the direction of the near-field light can be changed by changing the direction of the linearly polarized light with a polarizer or a wave plate. The laser light may be switched between linearly polarized light and circularly polarized light. Moreover, the magnitude | size of near-field light can be changed by changing the output of a laser beam.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in detail using embodiment, this invention is not limited to embodiment described in this specification. The scope of the present invention is determined by the description of the claims and the scope equivalent to the description of the claims. Hereinafter, modified embodiments in which the above-described embodiment is partially modified will be described.

  The shape, material, numerical value, arrangement, and the like of the configuration of the above-described embodiment can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, you may combine embodiment mentioned above.

  In the embodiment described above, the laser device is applied as the light source for irradiating the observation unit, but other light sources such as a white light source may be employed.

  In the above-described embodiment, no lens is provided in the light irradiation unit. However, the observation unit may be configured such that light is condensed by a plurality of lenses. Moreover, you may provide optical structures other than a lens in a light irradiation part.

  In the embodiment described above, particles are imaged by one imaging unit, but particles may be imaged from different directions by a plurality of imaging units. Thereby, the three-dimensional motion of the particles can be observed.

  In the embodiment described above, the diameter of the particles to be observed is 1 μm or less, but the present invention may be applied to an apparatus for observing particles of 1 μm or more. In this case, the scattering of the laser light by the particles may be Mie scattering or the like instead of Rayleigh scattering due to the relationship between the particle diameter and the wavelength of the laser light to be used.

  In the embodiment described above, particles made of a ferromagnetic material or a conductive material are set as an observation target. However, particles containing a ferromagnetic material or a conductive material may be set as an observation target.

  In the embodiment described above, the coil or the like is applied as the magnetic force line generating means, but other magnetic force line generating means such as a C-type magnet or a superconducting magnet may be applied.

1, 1A, 1C, 1D Particle observation device 2 Observation cell 3 Light irradiation part (light irradiation means)
4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D Particle moving part (particle moving means)
5, 5A Imaging section 6 Image analysis apparatus 7 Control apparatus 11 Inflow section 12 Observation section 13 Outflow section 15 Laser apparatus 16 Beam expander 17 Reflecting member 18 Light receiving elements 19a and 19b Reflecting sections 21 to 24 Coils (magnetic field lines generating means)
25-28 Coil power supply 31 Display unit 32 Image analysis unit (image analysis means)
35 Input unit 36 Light control unit 37 Particle movement control unit (particle movement control means)
38 Imaging control unit 41 Superconducting electromagnet 42 Coil power supply 43 Superconducting coil 43a Hollow portion 44 Cooling unit 45 Permanent magnets 51 to 54 Electrodes (electric field generating means)
55, 56 Electrode power supply 60 Near-field light generator 61 Laser device 62 Optical fiber 63 Connection member 64 Optical fiber 91 Particle 92 Liquid 93 Magnetic field line La, Lb Laser light PP Position coordinate PD Displacement PV Speed PA Acceleration TI Imaging interval

Claims (10)

A light irradiation means for irradiating the particles with light;
Imaging means for imaging the particles irradiated with light from the light irradiation means;
Image analysis means for analyzing an image of particles imaged by the imaging means;
Particle moving means for moving the particles;
A particle observation apparatus comprising: particle movement control means for controlling the particle movement means based on image analysis information analyzed by the image analysis means. The particles include a ferromagnetic material;
The particle moving means has a magnetic force line generating means for generating a magnetic force line by an electric current,
The particle observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the particle movement control unit controls the movement of the particle by controlling the magnetic field line generation unit.   The particle observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the particle moving means further includes a superconducting electromagnet.   The particle observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the particle moving unit further includes a permanent magnet for assisting the magnetic force of the magnetic field line generating unit. The particles include a conductive material;
The particle moving means has an electric field generating means for generating an electric field by a voltage,
The particle observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the particle movement control unit controls the movement of the particle by controlling the electric field generation unit. The particle moving means has near-field light generating means for generating near-field light by laser light,
The particle observation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the particle movement control unit controls the movement of the particles by controlling the near-field light.   The particle observation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit includes a laser device that emits laser light for irradiating the particles.   The particle observation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the light irradiation unit further includes a beam expander that expands the laser light.   The particle observation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the laser apparatus oscillates laser light in pulses.   The particle observation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the laser apparatus emits linearly polarized laser light.