JP2013145326A - Microscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out desired observation by easily positioning an observation target within the range of observation visual field.SOLUTION: A microscope device 100 comprises: a stage 10 supporting a specimen; stage moving means 11 for moving the stage within a predetermined movable range; imaging means 2 for picking up an observation image of the specimen supported on the stage 10; display means 3 for displaying an image of the observation image picked up by the imaging means; area specifying means 24 for specifying, as an observation area, an arbitrary area on the image displayed by the display means; and stage movement limiting means 25 configured such that the stage is moved so that an observation area specified by the area specifying means is displayed in the center position of the display means, and limits the range of movement of the stage by the stage moving means to a predetermined range narrower than the movable range.

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope apparatus.

When observing a specimen with a microscope device, the observation target of the specimen is displayed on the observation screen and desired observation is performed. During the observation, for example, the objective lens is changed or the stage is moved. As a result, the observation target may be out of the range of the observation visual field and may not be displayed on the observation screen. In particular, in observation using a high-magnification objective lens, since the observable visual field range is extremely small, it takes time to display the observation target again on the observation screen when the observation target is outside the observation visual field range. Resulting in.
Therefore, in Patent Document 1, when changing from an n-fold objective lens to an m-fold objective lens (n <m), the observation target with the n-fold objective lens is outside the range of the observation field of view with the m-fold objective lens. A technique for displaying a warning when it is outside the range of the observation field of view of the objective lens of m times is disclosed.

JP 2010-134357 A

However, since the above-described conventional microscope apparatus only gives a warning when the observation target is outside the observation visual field range, for example, when the observer accidentally moves the stage more than expected or shakes. If the stage has moved excessively due to unforeseen circumstances such as this, the observation target may still be out of the observation field of view and not displayed on the observation screen.
In such a case, since it takes time to display the observation target again on the observation screen, for example, when observing a temporal change of the observation target, a desired observation is performed. There is a possibility of not being able to.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a microscope apparatus capable of easily placing an observation target in an observation visual field range and performing desired observation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following means.
The present invention provides a stage for supporting a specimen, a stage moving means for moving the stage within a predetermined movable range, an imaging means for capturing an observation image of the specimen supported by the stage, and the image captured by the imaging means. Display means for displaying an image of an observation image, area specifying means for specifying an arbitrary area on the image displayed on the display means as an observation area, and the observation area specified by the area specifying means is the display means. There is provided a microscope apparatus comprising stage movement restriction means for moving the stage so as to be displayed at a center position and restricting a movement range of the stage by the stage movement means to a predetermined range narrower than the movable range.

  According to the present invention, the stage is moved so as to display an observation region, which is an arbitrary region, among the images of the observation image captured by the imaging unit at the center position of the display unit. Then, in a state where the observation area is displayed at the center position of the display means, the stage movement restriction means restricts the movement range of the stage to a predetermined range narrower than the movable range of the stage. It moves only within a predetermined range including the observation visual field range. For this reason, even when the observation region is out of the observation visual field range, it is easier to display the observation region again on the display means and to be within the observation visual field range, compared to the case where the entire movable range is movable. The desired observation can be performed also in the case of observing the temporal change of the observation. In addition, for example, even when the observation region is observed using an objective lens having a higher magnification than the objective lens used when the observation region is specified, the observation region is displayed at the center position, so that the observation target can be easily It is possible to perform desired observation by displaying it on the display means and keeping it within the observation visual field range.

In the present invention described above, it is preferable that the stage movement restriction unit restricts the movement range of the stage to a range where at least a part of the observation area is displayed on the display unit.
By doing in this way, since at least a part of the observation region is always included in the observation visual field range, the desired observation can be performed without losing the observation target from the observation visual field range.

In the present invention described above, it is preferable that the stage movement restriction unit restricts the movement range of the stage to a range in which a center position of the observation area is displayed on the display unit.
By doing so, the center of the observation region is always included in the observation visual field range, so that the desired observation can be performed without losing the observation target from the observation visual field range.

  In the present invention described above, the image processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores the observation region and a display region selection unit that selects an observation region to be displayed on the display unit, and the stage moving unit is selected by the display region selection unit. It is preferable to read the observed area from the storage means and move the stage so that the observed area is displayed on the display means.

  According to the present invention, the display area selection means selects the area to be displayed on the display means, reads the selected observation area from the storage means, and displays the selected observation area on the display means by moving the stage. Therefore, for example, when a plurality of observation areas are specified, a desired observation area can be selectively displayed. In addition, for example, when the restriction on the movement of the stage by the stage movement restriction unit is released and the desired observation area is completely out of the observation visual field range, by selecting the area to be displayed by the display area selection unit, Since the observation area selected by moving the stage can be displayed on the display means, the desired observation area can be easily displayed again on the display means to be within the observation visual field range.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the observation target can be easily placed in the observation visual field range and desired observation can be performed.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a microscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the display state of the monitor with which the microscope apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed by the microscope apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

A microscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a microscope apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a microscope main body 1, a camera unit (imaging unit) 2 that images an observation target in the microscope main body 1, and a monitor that displays an image captured by the camera unit 2. (Display means) 3 and a controller 4 for controlling them are provided.
The microscope main body 1 supports a specimen A and is movable in a direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the optical axis of an objective lens 12 described later, and the stage 10 is movable in accordance with a pulse from a controller 4 described later. An actuator (stage moving means) 11 that moves within a range; an objective lens 12 for observing the specimen A supported by the stage 10 by changing the magnification; a revolver 13 that holds a plurality of objective lenses 12 having different magnifications; A beam splitter 14 that branches incident light, an imaging lens 15 that forms an image of the specimen A, and an eyepiece 16 that allows an observer to observe the image of the specimen A are provided.

  The camera unit 2 captures an observation image of the specimen A supported by the stage 10 and acquires image data. That is, the camera unit 2 forms an observation image of the specimen A on an imaging device (not shown) through the objective lens 12 and the imaging lens 13, and converts the formed observation image of the specimen A into an electrical signal. Further, digital image data relating to the observation image of the specimen A is acquired by performing A / D conversion and predetermined image processing. Then, the camera unit 2 transmits the acquired image data to the monitor 3 via the controller 4 described later.

  The monitor 3 displays an image related to the observation image of the specimen A captured by the camera unit 2 based on the image data received from the camera unit 2 via the controller 4. The monitor 3 holds coordinate information on the stage 10 for the displayed image. For example, when the microscope apparatus is activated, the coordinate information is obtained by moving the stage 10 to a predetermined reference position. When the stage 10 is moved, a pulse of an electric signal output from the controller 4 (described later) to the actuator 11 is input to the stage 10. Can be obtained by detecting the difference from the reference position of the stage 10.

  The controller 4 determines a moving range of the stage 10, a CPU (central processing unit) 20 that determines the moving range of the stage 10, a first storage unit 21 that is a readable / writable memory that functions as a work area of the CPU 20, and the moving range of the stage 10. A second storage unit 22 that stores programs and various data that are necessary at the time is provided, and a general-purpose or dedicated computer can be applied as the controller 4.

  The CPU 20 develops a predetermined processing program stored in the second storage unit 22 in the first storage unit 21 in order to determine the moving range of the stage, and as a processing unit realized by executing the expanded program, An area specifying unit 24, a stage movement limiting unit 25, and a display area selecting unit 26 are provided.

  The region specifying unit 24 specifies an arbitrary region on the image related to the observation image of the specimen A displayed on the monitor 3 as the observation region R1. The area is specified by, for example, designating an arbitrary area for the image displayed on the monitor 3 by a mouse (not shown) or a touch operation by the observer, and the area specifying unit 24 is specified. The region is transmitted to and stored in the first storage unit 21 as the observation region R1. Note that FIG. 2A shows an example of the observation region R1 specified on the monitor 3. In the example of FIG. 2A, an example in which a rectangular observation region R1 including an observation target that is an object to be observed is specified is shown. However, the shape of the observation region R1 is arbitrary, and a plurality of observation regions R1 may be specified. Good.

  The stage movement restricting unit 25 moves the stage 10 so that the observation region R1 specified by the region specifying unit 24 is displayed at the center position of the monitor 3, and the moving range of the stage 10 by the actuator 11 is narrower than the movable range. Limit to range. That is, the stage movement restriction unit 25 can restrict the movement range of the stage 10 so that at least a part of the observation region R1 specified by the region specification unit 24 is displayed on the monitor 3, for example. The moving range of the stage 10 can be limited so that the center position of R1 is displayed on the monitor 3.

  The display area selection unit 26 selects an observation area to be displayed on the monitor 3. When a plurality of observation areas are specified and these observation areas are stored in the first storage unit 21 to be described later, the display area selection unit 26 selects one of the observation areas, and selects the selected observation area as the first observation area. The stage 10 is moved so that the observation region is displayed on the monitor 3 by the actuator 11 based on the position of the observation region read out from the storage unit 21 in the specimen A.

  The 1st memory | storage part 21 memorize | stores the observation area specified by the area | region specific part 24, and outputs the observation area selected by the display area selection part 26 mentioned later as needed.

  In the microscope apparatus 100 configured as described above, the specimen A is observed as follows. When the sample A is irradiated with light having a predetermined wavelength from a light source (not shown), the irradiated light is reflected by the sample A, and the reflected light enters the beam splitter 14 via the objective lens 12. The beam splitter 14 branches the incident light in two directions, the imaging lens 15 side and the eyepiece lens 16 side. The light branched to the eyepiece 16 side is formed as an observation image of the specimen A in the eyepiece 16, and the observer can observe the observation image of the specimen A with the naked eye by looking into the eyepiece 16. The light branched to the imaging lens 15 side is imaged on the imaging element of the camera unit 2 as an observation image of the specimen A by the imaging lens 15, and image data of the observation image of the specimen A is acquired in the camera unit 2. The By displaying the acquired image data on the monitor 3, the observer can observe the observation image of the specimen A on the monitor 3.

  Here, a case where an arbitrary region in the observation image of the specimen A is observed in a state where the image related to the observation image of the specimen A is displayed on the monitor 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, an arbitrary area on the image related to the observation image of the specimen A displayed on the monitor 3 is specified as the observation area R1, and the specified area is stored in the first storage unit 21 (step S101). The CPU 20 acquires coordinate information [Xc = (x1−x2) / 2, Yc = (y1−y2) / 2] on the monitor 3 of the central position of the stored observation region R1, and stores the acquired coordinate information of the central position. It memorize | stores in the 1st memory | storage part 21 (step S102). When a plurality of observation areas are set, the coordinate information of the center position is calculated for each observation area, and each coordinate information is recorded.

  Subsequently, the CPU 20 calculates a difference between the acquired center position of the observation region R1 and the center position of the image displayed on the monitor 3, and outputs a pulse from the CPU 20 to the actuator 11 based on the calculated difference. The stage 10 is moved so that the center position of the region R1 matches the center position of the image displayed on the monitor 3 (step S103).

  In step S <b> 104, the stage movement restriction unit 26 reads the range of the observation region R <b> 1 stored in the first storage unit 21 and determines the movement range of the stage 10. The moving range of the stage 10 is, for example, a range in which at least a part of the observation region R1 specified by the region specifying unit 24 is displayed on the monitor 3, a range in which the center position of the observation region R1 is always displayed on the monitor 3, or The entire range of the observation region R1 can be appropriately determined according to the magnification of the objective lens 12, the size and characteristics of the observation region R1, and the like, such as a range where the entire range of the observation region R1 is displayed on the monitor 3.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the objective lens 12 is changed from n times to m times (n <m) before and after specifying the observation region R <b> 1, the specification is made after the objective lens 12 is changed. When the observed region R1 has a display range larger than that of the monitor 3, the observation region R1 can always be displayed on the monitor 3 by limiting the moving range of the stage 10 only within the observation region R1.
In the next step S105, the stage movement restriction unit 26 outputs information related to the determined movement range of the stage 10 to the actuator 11, and based on this, the actuator 11 determines the range determined from the current position of the stage 10 as a starting point. The movement range of the stage 10 is limited to the above.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the stage 10 is moved so that the observation region R1 which is an arbitrary region among the images of the observation image captured by the camera unit 2 is displayed at the center position of the monitor 3, and the observation region In a state where R1 is displayed at the center position of the monitor 3, the movement range of the stage 10 is restricted to a predetermined range narrower than the movable range of the stage 10 by the stage movement restriction unit 26. As a result, the observation region R1 moves only within a predetermined range including the display range of the monitor 3, so that even when the observation region R1 moves out of the screen of the monitor 3, it can move over the entire movable range of the stage 10. Compared with a certain case, it becomes easier to display the observation region R1 on the monitor 3 again and fit it in the screen of the monitor 3. Therefore, for example, even when observing a temporal change in observation, desired observation can be performed, and an objective lens having a higher magnification than the objective lens used when the observation region R1 is specified is used. Even when the observation region R1 is observed, the observation region R1 is displayed at the center position, so that the observation target can be easily displayed on the monitor 3 and placed in the observation visual field range, and desired observation can be performed.

  In addition, the restriction on the movement range of the stage 10 is released, the desired image processing is performed on the acquired image data, the other observation area of the same specimen A is observed, the other specimen is exchanged, etc. In this case, since the observation area R1 of the specimen A is stored in the first storage unit 21, it is easy to display the observation area R1 on the monitor 3 again.

  Note that the method for releasing the restriction on the movement range of the stage 10 after the observation of the observation region R1 is performed, for example, when the observation image is not displayed on the screen of the monitor 3, that is, when the specimen A is replaced. A method of automatically canceling the control, a method of canceling the movement restriction by providing a button such as “Release stage movement restriction” on the monitor 3, or a release button in the vicinity of the stage 10, For example, a method of canceling the movement restriction by pressing the cancel button can be applied. Further, when a plurality of observation areas are set, for example, by providing buttons such as “observation area 1” and “observation area 2” on the monitor 3, the desired observation area can be selected. The image can be immediately displayed at the center of the monitor 3 and observed.

1 Microscope body 2 Camera unit (imaging means)
3 Monitor (display means)
4 Controller 10 Stage 11 Actuator (Stage moving means)
12 Objective Lens 13 Revolver 14 Beam Splitter 15 Imaging Lens 16 Eyepiece 20 CPU
21 1st memory | storage part 22 2nd memory | storage part 24 Area | region specific | specification part 25 Stage movement restriction | limiting part 26 Display area | region selection part 100 Microscope apparatus

Claims (4)

A stage that supports the specimen;
Stage moving means for moving the stage within a predetermined movable range;
Imaging means for capturing an observation image of the specimen supported by the stage;
Display means for displaying an image of the observation image imaged by the imaging means;
Area specifying means for specifying an arbitrary area on the image displayed on the display means as an observation area;
The stage is moved so that the observation area specified by the area specifying means is displayed at the center position of the display means, and the moving range of the stage by the stage moving means is limited to a predetermined range narrower than the movable range. Stage movement restriction means,
A microscope apparatus comprising:   The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage movement restriction unit restricts the movement range of the stage to a range in which at least a part of the observation area is displayed on the display unit.   The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage movement restriction unit restricts the movement range of the stage to a range in which a center position of the observation region is displayed on the display unit. Storage means for storing the observation area;
Display area selection means for selecting an observation area to be displayed on the display means,
4. The stage according to claim 1, wherein the stage moving means reads the observation area selected by the display area selection means from the storage means, and moves the stage so that the observation area is displayed on the display means. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1.

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