JP2011237617A - Control device and laser scan microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce influence to the minimum when abnormality occurs in an input data column.SOLUTION: In a protection circuit 64 provided between an RAM63 and a DA converter 65, a data sequence set in a drive table of the RAM63 is monitored at real time by a monitoring part 71 and retrieval of the data column set in the drive table is stopped when abnormal data in the data sequence are detected and a data sequence set in a safety data table stored in a ROM72 is retrieved instead of the data sequence and supplied to the DA converter 65. Since a drive circuit 66 stops a scanner 14 from working, even when abnormality in the input data sequence occurs, the influence can be reduced to the minimum. This invention, for example, can be applied to a device for controlling operation of a predetermined part to be driven using a digital data sequence which changes with time.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device and a laser scanning microscope.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, devices that control the driving of a predetermined driven unit using a digital data sequence that changes with time are known. An example of such an apparatus is a laser scanning microscope. In a laser scanning microscope, for example, time-series data stored in a drive table is used to drive a scanning mechanism that scans a sample with laser light (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-145567 A

  However, in the laser scanning microscope, when an abnormality occurs in the data row of the drive table, the scanning mechanism is driven with an abnormal period or amplitude, and an unexpected operation is performed. For this reason, it has been required to suppress the influence of the operation due to the abnormal data string.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and is intended to minimize the influence when an abnormality occurs in an input data string.

  The control device of the present invention is arranged between a control circuit that generates a data string for controlling driving of a predetermined driven unit, and between the control circuit and the driving circuit of the driven unit, A protection circuit that outputs a data string to the drive circuit, and the protection circuit is configured to determine from the data string that is input from the control circuit, an abnormal data string that is generated due to an abnormal operation of the control circuit. Detection means for detecting the abnormal data string based on the determination condition, a blocking means for cutting off the output from the protection circuit of the detected abnormal data string when the abnormal data string is detected, and detection After the output of the abnormal data string is cut off, the output to the drive circuit is a safety signal for safely stopping the preset driven part from the data string input from the control circuit. And having a switching means for switching the data stream.

  A laser scanning microscope according to the present invention includes the above-described control device, a laser light source that emits laser light applied to a sample, and a scanning unit that scans the laser light emitted from the laser light source. Is driven by the drive circuit according to the data string based on a predetermined scanning condition generated by the control circuit.

  According to the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in an input data string, the influence can be minimized.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the optical system of the laser scanning microscope to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a structure of a scanner drive system. It is a flowchart explaining the process which protects a to-be-driven part. It is a flowchart explaining the detail of an error determination process. It is a figure which shows the example of a normal data sequence. It is a figure which shows the example of an abnormal data sequence. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the apparatus which has a protection circuit.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described. The description will be given in the following order.
1. First Embodiment 2. FIG. Modified example

<1. First Embodiment>
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an optical system of a laser scanning microscope 1 to which the present invention is applied. Here, the operation of the optical system of the laser scanning microscope 1 used for confocal observation will be described.

  Laser light (excitation light) emitted from the laser light source 11 is introduced into the scanner optical system by an optical fiber (not shown) whose output end is connected to a fiber connector (not shown). The laser light introduced into the scanner optical system is reflected by the dichroic mirror 12 in the direction of the mirror 13X. The laser beam reflected in the direction of the mirror 13X is reflected in the direction of the scanning lens system 15 by the mirror 13X and the mirror 13Y. Then, the laser light is condensed by passing through the scanning lens system 15 and the objective lens 16, and is irradiated on the sample 2 on the stage 22.

  The control device 20 drives the scanner 14X and controls the angle of the mirror 13X, thereby scanning the laser light applied to the sample 2 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) of the laser scanning microscope 1 and driving the scanner 14Y. Then, by controlling the angle of the mirror 13Y, the laser light applied to the sample 2 is scanned in the depth direction (y-axis direction) of the laser scanning microscope 1.

  Fluorescence emitted from the sample 2 that is excited by irradiating with laser light passes through the objective lens 16 and the scanning lens system 15, is descanned by the mirror 13Y and the mirror 13X, and then passes through the dichroic mirror 12. Then, only the fluorescence emitted from the vicinity of the focal plane of the objective lens 16 among the descanned fluorescence passes through the pinhole 17, and a predetermined wavelength component is transmitted by the fluorescence filter 18, for example, PMT (photomultiplier tube). , Photomultiplier) is converted into an electrical signal. The electric signal is supplied to the control device 20, converted into image data by the control device 20, and supplied to the display device 21. The display device 21 displays an image based on the image data, that is, an image of the sample 2.

  In addition to the above, the control device 20 performs control of laser light irradiation by the laser light source 11, control of the pinhole diameter of the pinhole 17, or control of switching of the fluorescent filter 18.

  In the following description, the scanner 14X and the scanner 14Y are referred to as the scanner 14 when it is not necessary to distinguish between them, and the mirror 13X and the mirror 13Y are referred to as the mirror 13 when it is not necessary to distinguish between them.

  FIG. 2 shows a scanner driving system that drives the mirror 13X and the mirror 13Y via the scanner 14X and the scanner 14Y and controls the scanning (scanning) of the laser light among the elements constituting the control device 20 of the laser scanning microscope 1. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a structure of 51 (control apparatus). In FIG. 2, the description of the mirror 13X and the mirror 13Y is omitted.

  The scanner drive system 51 includes a control controller 61, a timing control circuit 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, a protection circuit 64, a DA (Digital / Analog) converter 65, and a drive circuit 66.

  The control controller 61 is constituted by, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the operation of the entire scanner drive system 51. Further, the control controller 61 acquires information regarding the operation status of each unit of the laser scanning microscope 1 based on information from other elements constituting the control device 20.

  The control controller 61 creates a drive table used to generate drive signals X and Y for driving the scanner 14X and the scanner 14Y so as to scan the designated scanning area at the designated speed, and stores the drive table in the RAM 63. That is, there are two types of drive tables for driving the scanner 14X (hereinafter also referred to as x-axis) and for driving the scanner 14Y (hereinafter also referred to as y-axis), and are output from the drive circuit 66, for example. Data strings corresponding to the voltage values of the drive signal X and the drive signal Y are arranged in time series. In other words, it can be said that the drive table is a time-series digital data string for driving the scanner 14X or the scanner 14Y.

  Further, the control controller 61 controls the timing control circuit 62 so that the designated scanning area is scanned at the designated speed based on the x-axis and y-axis drive tables stored in the RAM 63. Control.

  The timing control circuit 62 is provided with a reference clock generator (not shown), and a clock signal is generated by the reference clock generator. Although not shown, the clock signal is acquired by the timing control circuit 62 in a state where the clock signal is converted to a predetermined frequency by a frequency divider that converts the clock signal from the reference clock generator, for example.

  The timing control circuit 62 supplies, to the RAM 63, an address signal indicating an address for reading data in synchronization with the clock signal generated by the reference clock generator based on the control of the control controller 61. The RAM 63 sequentially outputs the digital data string set in the drive table to the DA converter 65 via the protection circuit 64 based on the address signal.

  The DA converter 65 converts the digital data string supplied via the protection circuit 64 into an analog signal and supplies it to the drive circuit 66. Based on the analog signal from the DA converter 65, the drive circuit 66 supplies a drive signal X having a voltage corresponding to the digital data string read from the x-axis drive table to the scanner 14X, and the angle of the mirror 13X. To control. Similarly, based on the analog signal from the DA converter 65, the drive circuit 66 supplies a drive signal Y having a voltage corresponding to the digital data string read from the y-axis drive table to the scanner 14Y, and a mirror. Control the angle of 13Y.

  The protection circuit 64 is provided to protect a driven part such as the scanner 14 or the sample 2 to be observed when an abnormal digital data string generated by an abnormal operation of the control controller 61 is input. ing. The protection circuit 64 includes a monitoring unit 71 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 72.

  The monitoring unit 71 is arranged between the RAM 63 and the DA converter 65, and inputs a digital data string (hereinafter also referred to as an input data string) set in the drive table input from the RAM 63 to the DA converter 65 in real time. To determine whether the input data string from the RAM 63 is a normal data string (hereinafter referred to as a normal data string) or an abnormal data string (hereinafter referred to as an abnormal data string). Then, the abnormal data string is detected.

  The abnormal data string is generated, for example, due to an abnormal operation of the control controller 61, and this determination process is performed based on a predetermined determination condition (error determination condition described later). Although details will be described later, for example, a change in numerical characteristics of the input data string can be used as the determination condition. The determination condition is set in advance at the time of factory shipment, for example, is stored in the timing control circuit 62, and is acquired when monitoring is started.

  When the monitoring unit 71 determines that the input data string from the RAM 63 is a normal data string, that is, when no abnormal data string is detected, the monitoring unit 71 passes the input data string input from the RAM 63 as it is and performs DA conversion. Output to the device 65.

  On the other hand, when the monitoring unit 71 determines that the input data string from the RAM 63 is an abnormal data string, that is, when an abnormal data string is detected, the monitoring unit 71 shuts off the output from the monitoring unit 71 and drives the RAM 63 drive table. The reading of the input data string set in (2) is stopped, and the detected abnormal data string is blocked from being input. Then, after the output of the detected abnormal data string is cut off, the monitoring unit 71 reads a data string (hereinafter referred to as a safety data string) set in the safety data table stored in the ROM 72, and the safety data The sequence is output to the DA converter 65 instead of the input data sequence from the RAM 63.

  In this safety data table, for example, a safety data string corresponding to a drive signal for safely stopping the scanner 14 (driven part) being driven is set in advance, and a drive circuit 66 via a DA converter 65 is set. By switching the output to the data sequence of the drive table of the RAM 63 to the safety data sequence of the safety data table of the ROM 72, the drive of the scanner 14 is safely stopped by the drive circuit 66.

  Further, when an abnormal data string is detected, the monitoring unit 71 outputs a signal for notifying the detection of the abnormality (hereinafter referred to as an abnormality notification signal) to the control device 20 (another control device) in FIG. To do. Thereby, the control apparatus 20 can control the laser light source 11 according to the abnormality notification signal output from the monitoring part 71, for example, and can stop emission of a laser beam.

  As described above, the scanner drive system 51 of FIG. 2 is configured.

  Next, processing for protecting the driven part (scanner 14 and the like), the sample 2 and the like from the influence of the abnormal data string, which is executed by the protection circuit 64 of FIG. 2, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the laser scanning microscope 1 is activated, the protection circuit 64 cuts off the output of the digital data string set in the drive table to the DA converter 65 (hereinafter also referred to as “off”) (in step S11). Processing), an error determination condition for determining whether the input data string from the RAM 63 is a normal data string or an abnormal data string is read into the monitoring unit 71 (processing in step S12). As a result, the conditions for error determination are initialized.

  Subsequently, in step S13, the monitoring unit 71 initializes variables used for error determination, such as a time count counter and the number of errors, and in step S14, for example, the maximum value and the minimum value of the input data string, Initialize error determination conditions such as inflection point counting counter.

  When the above initial setting is completed, the monitoring unit 71 waits until the input data from the RAM 63 is updated (the process of step S15). Thereafter, when the input data arrives, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the monitoring unit 71 performs error determination processing on the arrived input data string. In this error determination process, for example, the number of errors is counted based on a predetermined error determination condition such as the maximum value and minimum value of the input data string, the number of inflection points, etc. This will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the error determination process for the arrived input data string is completed, in step S17, the monitoring unit 71 determines whether or not the number of errors obtained by the error determination process exceeds a predetermined threshold value. If it is determined in step S17 that the number of errors is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, an abnormal data string is not detected from the input data string, and the process proceeds to step S18. In step S <b> 18, the monitoring unit 71 starts output (hereinafter also referred to as “ON”) to the DA converter 65 of the input data string whose output to the DA converter 65 has been turned off. As a result, the digital data string set in the drive table of the RAM 63 passes through the monitoring unit 71 and is supplied to the DA converter 65, and the drive circuit 66 drives the normal scanner 14.

  Thereafter, the monitoring unit 71 increments the time counting counter in step S19 to update the elapsed time, and determines whether or not the updated elapsed time falls within a predetermined monitoring time unit in step S20. . If it is determined that it is within the monitoring time unit (“Yes” in step S20), the monitoring is continued without initializing the error determination condition, so the process returns to step S15 and the above-described processes are repeated. As a result, an error determination process (the process of step S16) is performed every time the input data string arrives until it is determined that it is outside the monitoring time unit (“No” in step S20), and obtained by the error determination process. It is determined whether or not the number of errors given exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S17). If it is determined in step S20 that the unit is outside the monitoring time unit (“No” in step S20), the process returns to step S13, the error determination condition is initialized, and the error determination process is performed again. Will be done.

  Then, the processing of steps S13 to S20 is repeated, and if it is determined in step S17 that the number of errors exceeds a predetermined threshold value, an abnormal data sequence is detected from the input data sequence. The output of the input data string (abnormal data string) from the RAM 63 is blocked and the input is also blocked (the process of step S21). At this time, the monitoring unit 71 outputs an abnormality notification signal to the control device 20 (step S22).

  In step S23, the monitoring unit 71 reads the safety data string set in the safety data table stored in the ROM 72, and outputs the output to the drive circuit 66 via the DA converter 65 from the data string of the drive table. Switch to the data column of the safety data table.

  As a result, a safety data string corresponding to a drive signal for safely stopping the scanner 14 being driven is input to the DA converter 65, and the drive of the scanner 14 </ b> X and the scanner 14 </ b> Y is safely stopped by the drive circuit 66. Then, the mirror 13X and the mirror 13Y stop at a predetermined angle.

  For example, if some abnormality occurs in the control controller 61 or the like and an abnormality occurs in the digital data string of the drive table, the scanning mechanism (mirror 13 or scanner 14 or the like) is driven with an abnormal period or amplitude. If an unexpected operation is performed and such a drive is performed for a long time, the scanning mechanism may be damaged. That is, for example, the scanner 14 such as a galvano scanner must be driven at a certain frequency or lower. However, when an abnormal data string is generated, a high frequency component is included. When the natural frequency is reached, a load is applied and the scanner 14 may be damaged. In addition, since the scanner 14 is driven by the drive circuit 66 to control the angle of the mirror 13, if the drive of the scanner 14 is suddenly stopped, it is turned to a certain angle immediately before the mirror 13 stops. As a result, the laser beam is fixed and output in that direction. As a result, the laser beam continues to be applied to the sample 2 (a specific portion thereof), and it is considered that the sample 2 is damaged.

  Therefore, the protection circuit 64 converts the data sequence that is the source of the drive signal from the data sequence of the drive table of the RAM 63 to the safety data table preset in the ROM 72 when an abnormal data sequence is detected from the input data sequence. By switching to the data string, not only the driving of the scanner 14 is safely stopped, but also a safe state in which the laser beam is not continuously irradiated on the sample 2 is achieved. That is, in this case, the safety data string corresponds to a drive signal for driving and stopping the scanner 14 so that the laser beam emitted from the laser light source 11 is in a safe state in which the sample 2 is not continuously irradiated. It will be.

  Further, the abnormality notification signal from the monitoring unit 71 is supplied to the control device 20. The control device 20 stops the emission of the laser light from the laser light source 11 in response to the abnormality notification signal from the monitoring unit 71.

  As a result, as described above, the scanner 14 is driven so that the laser light emitted from the laser light source 11 is not continuously irradiated onto the sample 2, and then the abnormality notification signal from the monitoring unit 71 is responded. Since the laser light source 11 is controlled by the control device 20 and the irradiation of the laser beam is stopped, it is possible to reliably prevent the sample 2 from being irradiated with an unexpected laser beam.

  As described above, when an abnormality occurs in the input data string, the output of the input data string is cut off, and then the safety data string is output to stop the scanner 14 safely and notify the controller 20 of the abnormality notification signal. Thus, the irradiation of the laser beam by the laser light source 11 can be stopped. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage to the sample 2 due to continuous irradiation of the laser beam to the sample 2 while preventing the driven portion such as the scanner 14 from being damaged. It is possible to suppress the influence of the occurrence of the occurrence to the minimum.

  Next, details of the error determination process corresponding to the process of step S16 of FIG. 3 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This error determination process is executed by the monitoring unit 71. As described above, as the error determination condition, the maximum and minimum values of the input data string from the RAM 63 and the change in numerical characteristics of the input data string such as the number of inflection points are used.

  First, in step S51, it is determined whether or not the input data from the RAM 63 is less than or equal to the minimum value of the input data string input earlier. If it is determined that the input data is less than or equal to the minimum value (“Yes in step S51”). In step S52, the minimum value of the input data string input earlier is replaced with the input data determined to be equal to or less than the minimum value.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S51 that the input data exceeds the minimum value of the input data string input previously, the process of step S52 is skipped, and the process proceeds to step S53.

  Next, in step S53, it is determined whether or not the input data from the RAM 63 is equal to or greater than the maximum value of the previously input data string, and if it is determined to be equal to or greater than the maximum value (" Yes "), in step S54, the maximum value of the input data string input earlier is replaced with the input data determined to be greater than or equal to the maximum value.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S53 that the input data is less than the maximum value of the input data string input previously, the process of step S53 is skipped, and the process proceeds to step S55.

  Next, in step S55, it is determined whether or not the input data from the RAM 63 is an inflection point (in an input data string arranged in time series), and if it is determined to be an inflection point (step S55). In step S56, the number of inflection points is incremented.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S55 that the input data is not an inflection point, the process of step S56 is skipped, and the process proceeds to step S57.

  In step S57, it is determined whether or not the number of inflection points or the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the input data string exceeds a predetermined threshold value. If it is determined in step S57 that the number of inflection points or the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the number of errors is incremented in step S58.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S57 that the number of inflection points or the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the input data string is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the process of step S58 is skipped.

  When the process of step S57 or S58 ends, the process returns to step S16 of FIG. 3, and the processes after step S17 are repeated. That is, every time the input data string arrives at the monitoring unit 71, the error determination process of FIG. 4 (the process of step S16 of FIG. 3) is performed, for example, the number of inflection points or the maximum and minimum values of the input data string. If it is determined that the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold, the number of errors is incremented, and then it is determined whether or not the number of errors obtained by the error determination process exceeds a predetermined threshold (FIG. 3). Step S17). The processing after step S17 is as described above.

  Normally, even when control is performed with digital data, it is rare that control is performed with random numerical values, and in a certain time unit, it becomes normal when a specified data change width is indicated. In most cases, the width of the data change due to the comparison between the maximum value and the minimum value of the input data string is one guideline for the error determination process. Therefore, as the error determination condition of the error determination process in FIG. Yes. Even if the amount of change is within a specified range, if data that vibrates in a short time is not expected, counting the number of inflection points in the input data is also a guideline for error determination processing. Since there are many cases, the number of inflection points is also used as the determination condition in the error determination process of FIG. 4 described above. However, in the error determination process of FIG. 4 described above, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the input data string or the number of inflection points is an example, and is not limited to these examples. Appropriate determination conditions are appropriately determined according to changes in the numerical characteristics of the assumed digital data sequence.

  That is, in determining whether a digital data string is normal or abnormal, the relationship with time is an important factor. For example, the output change range indicated by the data is usually designed to always stay within the allowable range of the device, but the allowable change range of the data within the unit time is usually on the output side. Usually, it is much smaller than the allowable range, and it is usually different depending on the use environment. Accordingly, the monitoring unit 71 sets the minimum unit time for inspecting the data string, the amount of change in data allowed in the minimum unit time, and the time for monitoring the data string as parameters. It is possible to perform an error determination process when an abnormal data string exceeding 1 is detected.

  Here, a digital data string input to the protection circuit 64 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a graph showing a normal data string (data corresponding to the voltage value of the drive signal) in time series (direction from left to right in the figure). As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of a normal data string, if the change width is within a certain time, it is normal that the amount stays at a certain assumed amount, and the curve becomes smooth. On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows an example of a graph showing an abnormal data string (data corresponding to the voltage value of the drive signal) in time series (direction from left to right in the figure). As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of an abnormal data string, it is normal for the data change to exceed the assumption within a short time, and the curve does not become smooth.

  That is, the protection circuit 64 monitors the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the input data string and the change in numerical characteristics of the input data string such as the number of inflection points, and the input data string from the RAM 63 is shown in FIG. In the case of the normal data string as shown, the input data string is output to the DA converter 65 as it is, whereas when the input data string as shown in FIG. 6 is input, it is detected as an abnormal data string. The output of the input data string is cut off, and the safety data string is output to the DA converter 65 instead.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the protection circuit 64 is a circuit different from the control controller 61 as a control circuit that controls each part of the scanner drive system 51. If it occurs, it will not be affected. That is, when any abnormality occurs in the control controller 61, an abnormal data string as shown in FIG. 6, for example, is detected by the protection circuit 64 independent of the control controller 61, and the input data string The output is cut off, and the safety data string is output to the DA converter 65 instead. Thus, the protection circuit 64 can safely stop the driven part without being affected even if the controller 61 for control operates abnormally.

  Further, since the protection circuit 64 is disposed immediately before the DA converter 65, the abnormal data string is not input to the DA converter 65 by the monitoring by the protection circuit 64, and the normality from the protection circuit 64 is normal. A data string or a safety data string is input.

<2. Modification>
In the above description, the laser scanning microscope 1 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also applicable to other devices that control the operation of a predetermined driven unit using a digital data sequence that changes over time. Can do. Then, next, the case where this invention is applied to apparatuses other than the laser scanning microscope 1 is demonstrated, referring FIG. Devices that control the operation of a predetermined driven unit using a digital data sequence that changes with time include, for example, digital audio devices and NC (Numerical Control) machine tools.

  In such devices as digital audio equipment and NC machine tools, as shown in FIG. 7, the digital data sequence generated by the digital data generation source is sent to the digital data output destination via a predetermined data transmission path. 2 is provided between the digital data generation source and the digital data output destination as described above.

  A digital data string is input to the protection circuit 64 via the data transmission path, and an abnormal data string is detected according to the set error determination condition. If the input data string is a normal data string, it is left as it is. Input to the digital data output destination. On the other hand, when an abnormal data string is detected from the input data string, the safety data string of the safety data table is input to the digital data output destination and the abnormality notification signal is output as described above. is there. At the digital data output destination, the input data string is normally input. However, when an abnormality occurs in the input data string, the input is switched from the input data string to the safety data string. The influence of the occurrence of is suppressed.

  For example, conventionally, in digital audio equipment, it is common to perform checksums on the original digital data to detect data corruption and prevent abnormal data from being reproduced. However, since the original digital data is finally converted to a time-series data string that is input to the DA converter, it is input directly to the DA converter thereafter. Therefore, if the path to the DA converter is abnormal and the DA converter input is not the intended data string, an unexpected operation may be performed in the driven unit. It was. Normally, a predetermined bandpass filter is provided on the output side of the DA converter, so that a certain level of output protection is provided. However, in digital audio equipment, for example, when the maximum output and the maximum band are output continuously, the driven The risk of disturbing the viewer's hearing due to unexpected behavior of the department is not zero. Also, in NC machine tools controlled by digital data, for example, the driven part may be moved by the input data string, but when the operating range and operating speed of the driven part's capacity limit are given continuously Depending on the usage environment, an unexpected operation may be performed by the driven part, which may cause danger. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the protection circuit 64 performs monitoring immediately before the digital data string is output to a digital data output destination such as a DA converter, and an abnormality is detected according to a predetermined error determination condition. When a data string is detected, transmission of the digital data string is immediately interrupted, and a safety data string for safely stopping the driven part is output as alternative data. Unexpected operation of the drive unit can be avoided.

  In the above description, the abnormality notification signal is output from the monitoring unit 71 to the control device 20 when an abnormal data string is detected, and the control device 20 outputs the abnormality notification signal from the laser light source 11 according to the abnormality notification signal. Although an example in which the emission of laser light is stopped has been described, what is controlled according to the abnormality notification signal is not limited to the laser light source 11, and other devices may be controlled. Furthermore, the data string input to the protection circuit 64 and monitored is not limited to a digital data string but may be an analog signal.

  In the present specification, the steps described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4 are not limited to the processes performed in time series according to the described order, but are not necessarily processed in time series. Or the process performed separately is also included.

  The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  1 laser scanning microscope, 11 laser light source, 12 dichroic mirror, 13X, 13Y, 13 mirror, 14X, 14Y, 14 scanner, 15 scanning lens system, 16 objective lens, 17 pinhole, 18 fluorescent filter, 19 detector, 20 control Device, 21 display device, 22 stage, 51 scanner drive system, 61 control controller, 62 timing control circuit, 63 RAM, 64 protection circuit, 65 DA converter, 66 drive circuit, 71 monitoring unit, 72 ROM

Claims (7)

A control circuit that generates a data string for controlling driving of a predetermined driven part;
A protection circuit that is arranged between the control circuit and the drive circuit of the driven part and outputs the generated data string to the drive circuit;
The protection circuit is
Detecting means for detecting the abnormal data string based on a predetermined determination condition for determining an abnormal data string generated by an abnormal operation of the control circuit from the data string input from the control circuit;
When the abnormal data string is detected, a blocking unit that blocks the output of the detected abnormal data string from the protection circuit;
After the output of the detected abnormal data string is shut off, the output to the drive circuit is safely stopped from the data string input from the control circuit. And a switching means for switching to the safety data string. The data string is a digital data string,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the protection circuit is disposed immediately before a DA (Digital / Analog) converter that converts the digital data string into an analog signal and outputs the analog signal to the drive circuit. . The said detection means detects the said abnormal data row | line | column using the change of the numerical characteristic of the said data row | line | column input from the said control circuit as the said judgment conditions. Control device. The protection circuit is
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit configured to output an abnormality notification signal indicating detection of the abnormal data string to another control device when the abnormal data string is detected. 5. The control device described. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A laser light source for emitting a laser beam irradiated on the sample;
A scanning unit that scans the laser light emitted from the laser light source as the driven unit;
The laser scanning microscope, wherein the scanning unit is driven by the drive circuit according to the data string based on a predetermined scanning condition generated by the control circuit. The safety data string is a data string for driving and stopping the scanning unit so that the laser beam is not irradiated onto the sample.
The drive circuit drives and stops the scanning unit based on the safety data string from the protection circuit so that the laser beam is not irradiated onto the sample. The laser scanning microscope described. The abnormality notification signal is a signal for stopping the emission of the laser light by the laser light source,
The other control device that controls the laser light source stops emission of the laser light from the laser light source according to the abnormality notification signal output from the protection circuit. Laser scanning microscope.

Images