JP2015127777A - Device, method, and program for magnifying observation, computer readable recording medium, and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow for capturing an image with superior sense of resolution flexibly depending on chromatic aberration of a lens and an observation image.SOLUTION: A magnifying observation device includes; illumination means for irradiating an object under observation with illumination light; a camera unit having an image sensor that receives reflected or transmitted illumination light irradiated by the illumination means; a microscope lens unit optically coupled with the camera unit with optical axes aligned; image composition means 85 which generates a color image on the basis of received light data of a plurality of different wavelength components acquired by the camera unit through the microscope lens unit; display means for displaying the color image generated by the image composition means 85; and wavelength selection means 86 capable of selecting, from the plurality of wavelength components, wavelength components relatively less influenced by aberration of the microscope lens unit on the basis of aberration information of the microscope lens unit attached to the camera unit that allows for interchangeably attaching a plurality of microscope lens units with different specifications thereon.

Description

  The present invention relates to an enlarged observation apparatus such as a digital microscope or a microscope that captures and displays an enlarged image, an enlarged image observation method, an enlarged image observation program, a computer-readable recording medium, and a recorded device.

  An optical microscope using an optical lens, a digital microscope, or the like is used as a magnification observation apparatus that magnifies and displays a sample such as a minute object or a subject such as a workpiece. A digital microscope is a CCD, CMOS, or the like that electrically reads reflected light or transmitted light from an observation target fixed to an observation target fixing unit incident through an imaging optical system for each pixel arranged in a two-dimensional shape. The image is received by the image pickup device, and an electrically read image is displayed on a display unit such as a display.

  In such a magnification observation apparatus for an imaging optical system, the resolution is in principle proportional to the wavelength of illumination light. For this reason, a magnification observation apparatus has been developed that improves the resolution of the imaging optical system by using short-wavelength light, such as an ultraviolet microscope, and enables finer observation.

  Further, the larger the number of pixels of the image sensor, the more detailed display becomes possible. Particularly in recent years, there has been a growing demand for higher image quality, and CCDs of 2 million pixel class or 8 million pixel class, for example, having a large number of pixels are also used for the image sensor. Such an image sensor such as a CCD is a sensor that detects the intensity of light reception, and cannot identify a color. For this reason, in a conventional CCD, color information is obtained by applying a single color filter in advance to the CCD elements constituting each pixel and combining them with signals obtained from adjacent pixels with other color filters. Yes. In such a single plate type, so-called 1CCD system, as shown in FIG. 1, a Bayer arrangement is performed so that a plurality of CCD elements to which filters of different colors are applied are adjacent to each other. In the Bayer array, when attention is paid to four adjacent pixels, the number of RGB pixels is generally 1: 2: 1. In this configuration, since only one color signal can be acquired by the image sensor of each pixel, color information cannot be acquired for each pixel. Therefore, in order to obtain color information for each pixel, (1) a method for calculating other color information for each pixel based on different color information obtained in surrounding pixels, and (2) a small movement of the CCD In other words, RGB light reception signals are obtained in pixel units, and color information is obtained in pixel units by synthesizing a plurality of images. (3) RGB CCDs are arranged in pixel units 3 A so-called 3CCD system of a plate type is known.

JP 2009-128726 A JP 2012-230401 A

  On the other hand, in the magnifying observation apparatus, observation is performed by changing the wavelength of illumination light applied to the sample. Different observation images can be acquired by changing the wavelength of the irradiation light. For example, when observing a green flexible substrate, if the illumination light is red, the illumination light is transmitted inside, and an observation image like a perspective view is obtained. On the other hand, when illuminated with blue light, the illumination light is not transmitted to the inside, so a scratch pattern on the surface is observed. By changing the illumination light in this way, it is possible to produce a change in appearance such as selectively observing only the inside of the sample or only the surface layer or improving the contrast of the sample.

  However, when the observation is performed by changing the wavelength of the illumination light, if the observation is performed using a normal two-dimensional color image pickup device such as a CCD, the effective number of pixels decreases due to the influence of the Bayer arrangement of the image pickup device. There was a problem. As shown in FIG. 1 described above, the ratio of the number of RGB pixels in a normal image sensor is 1: 2: 1. For example, when blue illumination light is used, the effective number of pixels is white. It becomes 1/4 of the time of photographing using illumination light. For this reason, when observation is performed by changing the wavelength of illumination light, only extremely low-resolution images can be obtained as compared with observation using white light. As a result, even if it is attempted to improve the resolution by illuminating with the illumination light having the short wavelength described above, the effective number of pixels of the image pickup device is reduced, and it is difficult to obtain an improvement in the resolution of the entire system.

  On the other hand, when observation is performed by changing the wavelength of the illumination light, if the observation is performed using a monochrome imaging device, the above-described reduction in the effective number of pixels can be prevented. However, this method has a problem that only a monochrome image can be obtained even when observed using white light. In order to perform color observation in this case, a method of synthesizing a captured image by switching RGB filters at high speed is conceivable. However, this method has a problem that convenience is lowered as compared with the case where a color image manipulation element is used, for example, the mechanism is complicated and the switching operation is required, so that the frame rate is lowered.

  In addition, a method of acquiring a high-resolution color image by performing pixel shift in the so-called 3CCD method and combining RGB images has been proposed (Patent Document 3). However, this method has a problem that it is difficult to correct chromatic aberration. In other words, since the refractive index of the optical material constituting the lens varies depending on the wavelength of light, the position of the image point shifts depending on the wavelength, resulting in a blurred image, or the focal length varies depending on the wavelength, so that it is around the image surface. As it approaches, chromatic aberration occurs such that the image position shifts and color fringing occurs. For this reason, for example, it is necessary to perform correction with a compound lens combining various optical materials having different refractive indexes and wavelength dependencies so as to make the image formation point constant by correcting the chromatic aberration of each color of RGB. There was a problem of requiring. In addition, 3CCD is expensive, and there is a problem that the size of the image sensor increases.

  Accordingly, the present inventors have focused on blue light with a short wavelength and developed a method for obtaining an image with improved resolution (also referred to as a “super-resolution image”) by imaging using a blue light filter ( Patent Documents 1 and 2). According to this method, the luminance information is not calculated from the Bayer array shown in FIG. 1, but the shooting information in a single blue color is extracted and replaced with luminance (brightness). The resolution can be improved and the chromatic aberration of the lens can be reduced by a single wavelength, so that the resolution can be improved.

  However, the chromatic aberration of the lens varies depending on the wavelength. In general, the imaging lens is often designed to reduce aberration with respect to green light, but the weight is varied depending on the system. For example, when imaging is performed using a lens with inferior chromatic aberration of blue light, focusing is not achieved particularly in the periphery of the lens, and an image with a high resolution is not necessarily obtained. The imaging effect obtained varies depending on the wavelength selected in this way. Also, depending on the color or transmittance of the observation object, the blue light filter may not provide a high resolution effect. In addition, only blue light has limited color selection during synthesis using illumination light or a color filter.

  The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems. The main object of the present invention is a magnification observation apparatus, a magnification image observation method, a magnification image observation program, or a computer that can flexibly capture an image with excellent resolution according to the chromatic aberration of the lens and the observation image. Is to provide a simple recording medium.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first magnification observation apparatus, the imaging target is irradiated with illumination light, the amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light is detected, and the image of the imaging target is detected. A magnifying observation apparatus capable of imaging, an illuminating unit for irradiating an observation target with illumination light, and a camera unit having an imaging element for receiving reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light irradiated by the illumination unit, A microscope lens unit optically coupled to the camera unit with its optical axis aligned, and an image for generating a color image based on light reception data of different wavelength components obtained by the camera unit through the microscope lens unit A combining unit, a display unit for displaying a color image generated by the image combining unit, and a microscope lens unit mounted on the camera unit that can exchange a plurality of microscope lens units having different specifications. Based on the information, can be provided with a plurality of the microscope lens unit of the aberration effect is relatively small selectable wavelength selection means a wavelength component within the wavelength components. With the above-described configuration, high-resolution monochrome image data can be acquired with the light reception data of the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection unit in accordance with the currently mounted microscope lens unit. As a result, in an image obtained simply with a blue component of a short wavelength, if a clear image cannot be obtained due to the aberration of the microscope lens unit, a different wavelength such as a green component can be selected to obtain a clearer image. An image can be obtained.

  According to the second magnification observation apparatus, the image synthesizing unit adds color information of a color image acquired separately to a single color single color image obtained with the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selecting unit. The synthesized color image can be generated. With the above configuration, not only a simple color image but also a high-resolution color image in which color information is added to a high-resolution monochrome image captured with a blue component of a short wavelength, or a blue component is clear due to aberrations in the microscope lens unit. When a simple image cannot be obtained, it is possible to obtain a composite color image obtained by adding color information to a monochrome image acquired with a green component or a red component.

  Furthermore, according to the third magnifying observation apparatus, the wavelength component memory that stores in advance the wavelength components that are less affected by the aberration, corresponding to a plurality of microscope lens units having different specifications, according to the aberration information of each microscope lens unit. The wavelength selecting means can select the wavelength component corresponding to the microscope lens unit being mounted with reference to the wavelength component storage means. With the above configuration, the magnification observation apparatus can select an appropriate wavelength component with reference to the wavelength component storage unit according to the microscope lens unit currently mounted.

  Furthermore, according to the fourth magnification observation apparatus, the microscope lens unit includes a zoom lens capable of changing a magnification factor, and the wavelength selection unit further depends on the magnification factor of the microscope lens unit, Of the plurality of wavelength components, a wavelength component that is relatively less affected by the aberration of the microscope lens unit can be selected. With the above configuration, even when the aberration characteristic varies depending on the magnification ratio of the zoom lens, it is possible to select an appropriate wavelength component according to the magnification by the wavelength selection unit.

  Furthermore, according to the fifth magnification observation apparatus, the camera unit includes a camera-side connection terminal for electrically connecting the camera unit to the microscope lens unit, and the microscope lens unit includes A lens-side connection terminal for electrically connecting to a camera-side connection terminal of the camera unit; and the wavelength selection unit stores lens type information indicating a type of the microscope lens unit, which is held by the microscope lens unit. Further, it is possible to obtain a wavelength component that is obtainable through an electrical connection between the lens side connection terminal and the camera side connection terminal and that is less influenced by the aberration of the lens based on the obtained lens type information. With the above-described configuration, the magnification observation apparatus can select a wavelength component that is less affected by the aberration with respect to the connected microscope lens unit by electrical connection with the connected microscope lens unit.

  Furthermore, according to the sixth magnification observation apparatus, the illumination apparatus further includes an illumination light selection unit capable of switching a wavelength component of the illumination light emitted by the illumination unit, and the illumination light selected by the illumination light selection unit The wavelength component can be the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection means. With the above-described configuration, it is possible to select and illuminate illumination light having an appropriate wavelength component according to lens aberration information selected by the wavelength selection unit on the illumination unit side.

  Furthermore, according to the seventh magnifying observation device, the illuminating means can include a light emitting diode capable of emitting red light, green light, or blue light.

  Furthermore, according to the eighth magnification observation apparatus, the wavelength component that is less affected by the aberration is the green component, and the single-color image or the synthesized color image generated by the image synthesizing unit is converted into a high-resolution image. it can. With the above configuration, not only a blue component with a short wavelength but also a microscope lens unit with a large blue component aberration, a monochrome image with a high resolution is acquired with the green component, and is sharper than a monochrome image acquired with the blue component. Observation is possible.

  Furthermore, according to the ninth magnified observation device, for each pixel constituting the image sensor, each image sensor constituting the pixel group of interest for a pixel group of interest in which three or more pixels are arranged adjacent to each other. The detection positions of any of the image sensors that constitute the pixel group of interest are relative to each other by the amount of displacement corresponding to the pixel interval of the image sensor so that the received light amount is detected at each position. The image synthesizing means can generate a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing images obtained by shifting the position of the image sensor by the optical path shifting means. With the above configuration, a high-resolution image can be synthesized by a so-called pixel shifting technique.

  Furthermore, according to the tenth magnification observation apparatus, the image pickup device further includes three or more adjacent pixels having light receiving characteristics in different wavelength ranges for the pixels constituting the image pickup device. The observation apparatus further includes an image sensor selection unit for selecting which of the pixels in the wavelength range of the image sensor has a different wavelength range, and is selected by the image sensor selection unit. The wavelength range of the selected pixel can be the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection means. With the above configuration, a color image is picked up with a color image sensor, and the wavelength of illumination light is selected by receiving light with an appropriate wavelength component and a pixel in the corresponding wavelength range according to the aberration characteristics of the microscope lens unit. The same effect as that can be obtained.

  Furthermore, according to the eleventh magnification observation apparatus, the microscope lens unit is optically designed such that the aberration of a specific wavelength component has a characteristic with relatively less aberration than other wavelength components. can do. With the above configuration, it is not a well-balanced optical design that exhibits excellent aberration characteristics over a wide wavelength range as in the past, but aberration specification is excellent only in a specific wavelength range, and aberration characteristics are deteriorated in other wavelength ranges. Even a microscope lens portion having such a biased optical design can be used by selecting a specific wavelength component by the wavelength selection means. As a result, it is possible to design a microscope lens unit specialized for a specific wavelength, which is advantageous for obtaining a high-definition image.

  Furthermore, according to the twelfth magnification observation method, in the magnification observation method of irradiating the imaging target with illumination light, detecting the amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, and acquiring the image of the imaging target A step of acquiring information of a microscope lens unit mounted on a camera unit having an imaging element, and the influence of aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components is relatively based on the acquired information. The wavelength selection means, a step of irradiating the observation object with illumination light of the selected wavelength component from the illumination means, and a reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light as the microscope lens unit. And generating a single color image of a single color based on the obtained light reception data, and generating a composite color image by adding color information of the color image acquired separately to the single color image. And display means It can include a step of indicated. As a result, not only a mere color image but also a high-resolution color image in which color information is added to a high-resolution monochrome image captured with a blue component of a short wavelength, for example, and a blue component is clear due to the aberration of the microscope lens unit. When an image cannot be obtained, it is possible to obtain a composite color image obtained by adding color information to a monochrome image acquired with a green component or a red component.

  Furthermore, according to the thirteenth magnification observation method, the magnification observation method irradiates the imaging target with illumination light, detects the amount of reflected light or transmitted light received from the illumination light, and acquires the image of the imaging target. A step of acquiring information of a microscope lens unit mounted on a camera unit having an imaging element, and the influence of aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components is relatively based on the acquired information. The wavelength selection means, a step of irradiating the observation object with white illumination light from the illumination means, and the reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light through the microscope lens unit. Wavelength components selected by the wavelength selection means among the pixels constituting the image sensor and having three or more adjacent light receiving characteristics in different wavelength ranges when detected by the image sensor With corresponding pixels A step of generating a single-color image from the received light-receiving data, generating a composite color image in which color information of a color image acquired separately is added to the single-color image, and displaying the combined color image on a display unit. . As a result, not only a mere color image but also a high-resolution color image in which color information is added to a high-resolution monochrome image captured with a blue component of a short wavelength, for example, and a blue component is clear due to the aberration of the microscope lens unit. When an image cannot be obtained, it is possible to obtain a composite color image obtained by adding color information to a monochrome image acquired with a green component or a red component.

  Furthermore, according to the fourteenth magnification observation program, magnification observation is performed to irradiate the imaging target with illumination light, detect the amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, and acquire an image of the imaging target. The program is a function for acquiring information of a microscope lens unit mounted on a camera unit having an image sensor, and the influence of the aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components based on the acquired information. It is obtained by detecting the reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light irradiated to the observation object from the illumination means by the camera unit through the microscope lens unit, and a wavelength selection function for selecting relatively few wavelength components. Based on the received light data, a single color image is generated, and a composite image composition function for generating a composite color image by adding color information of the color image acquired separately to the single color image is implemented in a computer. And irradiating illumination light corresponding to the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection function from the illumination means, or irradiating the observation target with white illumination light from the illumination means, and reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, When detecting with the imaging device of the camera unit through the microscope lens unit, the wavelength selection among pixels constituting the imaging device and having three or more adjacent pixels having light receiving characteristics in different wavelength ranges A single color image is generated from the received light data detected by the pixel corresponding to the wavelength component selected by the means, and a composite color image is generated by adding color information of the color image acquired separately to the single color image. Can do. As a result, not only a mere color image but also a high-resolution color image in which color information is added to a high-resolution monochrome image captured with a blue component of a short wavelength, for example, and a blue component is clear due to the aberration of the microscope lens unit. When an image cannot be obtained, it is possible to obtain a composite color image obtained by adding color information to a monochrome image acquired with a green component or a red component.

  Furthermore, the 14th computer-readable recording medium or recorded device stores the above program. CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, flexible disk, magnetic tape, MO, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD + R, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, Blu-ray (registered) Trademark), HD DVD (AOD), and other magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, and other media that can store programs. The program includes a program distributed in a download manner through a network line such as the Internet, in addition to a program stored and distributed in the recording medium. Further, the recording medium includes a device capable of recording the program, for example, a general purpose or dedicated device in which the program is implemented in a state where the program can be executed in the form of software, firmware, or the like. Furthermore, each process and function included in the program may be executed by computer-executable program software, or each part of the process or hardware may be executed by hardware such as a predetermined gate array (FPGA, ASIC), or program software. And a partial hardware module that realizes a part of hardware elements may be mixed.

1 is an external view of a magnification observation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the magnification observation device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows a coaxial epi-illumination. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the imaging system of a magnification observation apparatus. It is a top view which shows a mode that the detection position of an image pick-up element is relatively shifted with an optical path shift means so that the amount of light received may be detected by making a round of the position of the pixel of each image pick-up element about an attention pixel group. It is an image figure which shows the user interface screen of a magnification observation program. It is an image figure which shows the example of an imaging condition selection screen. It is a block diagram of the magnification observation device concerning a modification. It is a perspective view which shows a camera side connection surface. It is a perspective view which shows a lens side connection surface. It is a disassembled perspective view of the microscope lens part and camera part of a head part. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that a head part is rock | fluctuated. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a magnification observation apparatus according to Example 2. It is a top view which shows the state by which the image pick-up element of a different color is Bayer arrayed. It is a schematic diagram which shows the magnification observation apparatus which concerns on a modification. It is a schematic diagram which shows the magnification observation apparatus which concerns on another modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies a magnification observation apparatus, a magnification image observation method, a magnification image observation program, or a computer-readable recording medium for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, The present invention does not specify a magnification observation apparatus, a magnification image observation method, a magnification image observation program, or a computer-readable recording medium as follows. Further, the present specification by no means specifies the members shown in the claims to the members of the embodiments. In particular, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely explanations. It is just an example. Note that the size, positional relationship, and the like of the members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, in the following description, the same name and symbol indicate the same or the same members, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, each element constituting the present invention may be configured such that a plurality of elements are constituted by the same member and the plurality of elements are shared by one member, and conversely, the function of one member is constituted by a plurality of members. It can also be realized by sharing.

  The connection between the magnification observation apparatus used in the embodiment of the present invention and the computer, printer, external storage device and other peripheral devices for operation, control, display, and other processing connected thereto is, for example, IEEE 1394, RS-232x, RS-422, serial connection such as USB, parallel connection, or communication via network such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, etc. Do. The connection is not limited to a physical connection using a wire, but IEEE802. Wireless connection using radio waves such as wireless LAN such as x, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared rays, optical communication, or the like may be used. Furthermore, a memory card, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like can be used as a recording medium for exchanging data or storing settings. In this specification, the magnifying observation apparatus, the magnifying image observing method, the magnifying image observing program, or the computer-readable recording medium includes not only the magnifying observation apparatus body but also a peripheral device such as a computer or an external storage device. In addition, it is used to include a magnified observation system.

  Further, in this specification, the magnification observation apparatus is not limited to a system that performs magnification observation, and an apparatus or method that performs input / output, display, calculation, communication, and other processes related to imaging in hardware. An apparatus and method for realizing processing by software are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, a general-purpose circuit or computer that incorporates software, programs, plug-ins, objects, libraries, applets, compilers, modules, macros that operate on specific programs, etc., and enables imaging itself or related processing The system also corresponds to the magnification observation apparatus of the present invention. In this specification, the computer includes a workstation, a terminal, and other electronic devices in addition to a general-purpose or dedicated electronic computer. Further, in the present specification, the program is not limited to a program that is used alone, an aspect that functions as a part of a specific computer program, software, service, etc., an aspect that is called and functions when necessary, an environment such as an OS, etc. It can also be used as a mode provided as a service, a mode that operates resident in the environment, a mode that operates in the background, and other support programs.

  Hereinafter, the magnification observation apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The magnification observation apparatus 100 is roughly divided into an imaging system 1 and a control system 2 as shown in FIG. The imaging system 1 includes an illumination unit 60 for illuminating a sample or a workpiece or other subject that is the observation object S, and a head unit 4 that images the observation object S illuminated by the illumination unit 60. The head unit 4 includes a camera unit 10 including an image sensor 12 and a microscope lens unit 20 that is detachably attached to the tip of the camera unit 10. The microscope lens unit 20 constitutes an imaging optical system (lens optical system) composed of a plurality of optical lenses. Here, the microscope lens unit 20 includes an objective lens unit 25. The head unit 4 functions as an imaging unit that receives reflected light or transmitted light of illumination light.

  In addition, the imaging system 1 serves as a placement unit 30 on which the observation object S is placed, and a first focus adjustment unit that adjusts the focus by changing the relative distance between the placement unit 30 and the head unit 4 in the optical axis direction. And an upper stage elevator 16 for driving the upper Z stage and the upper Z stage. On the other hand, the head unit 4 also includes an upper Z stage as a second focus adjustment unit that adjusts the focal point by changing the relative distance from the mounting unit in the optical axis direction. The observation object S placed on the placement unit 30 is incident via the imaging optical system 11 and reflected from the observation object S or irradiated from the bottom surface side of the observation object S. The transmitted light is electrically read by the image sensor 12 of the camera unit 10.

  Further, the control system 2 includes a main body unit 50 having a display unit 52 that displays an enlarged image captured by the camera unit 10. The camera unit 10 is connected to the main body unit 50 via the cable unit 3. In the example of FIG. 1, the display unit 52 is provided integrally with the main body unit 50, but the display unit may be a separate member from the main body unit. Further, the cable unit 3 transmits illumination light from the main body unit 50 to the head unit 4 side in addition to an electrical cable for transmitting image information obtained by the imaging element of the camera unit 10 to the main body unit 50 side. The optical cable 3b is provided. The cable portion 3 can be integrated with the electrical cable and the optical cable 3b, or these can be provided individually.

  Furthermore, the placement unit 30 can be moved in a plane in addition to the movement in the height direction, that is, the Z direction by the lower stage elevator 35. Specifically, an XY stage that can move in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is provided. In addition, a rotatable stage (θ stage) that rotates the placement unit 30 may be provided.

  A block diagram of the main body is shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, the main body 50 indicates focal length information related to the relative distance between the stage 30 and the imaging optical system 11 in the optical axis direction when the focal point is adjusted by the lower stage elevator 35, substantially perpendicular to the optical axis direction. A storage unit 53, a display unit 52 for displaying an image read by the image sensor 12, a head unit 4 and a lower stage elevator, as a focal length information storage unit for storing together with the two-dimensional position information of the observation object S in the plane 35 and an interface 54 for communicating data. The magnification observation apparatus 100 captures an observation image using the imaging element 12 that electrically reads reflected light or transmitted light from the observation target S fixed to the stage 30 incident via the imaging optical system 11, It is displayed on the display unit 52.

The storage unit 53 stores a lens identification information storage unit that stores lens identification information and lens aberration information, which will be described later, or a wavelength component in which a wavelength component with less aberration of each lens unit is stored in association with the aberration information of the lens unit. It also functions as a storage means. The storage unit 53 is configured by a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like. An individual storage unit may be provided for each database.
(Lens identification information)

  The lens identification information includes information such as the lens type, the position of the focal length, and the length of the lens barrel. As described above, since the imaging system 1 and the control system 2 are connected via the cable unit 3, the control system 2 can perform appropriate control by determining the type of lens currently mounted. For example, by grasping the physical length of the microscope lens unit 20, when the microscope lens unit 20 is lowered on the stage on the Z, the lower limit movement that can be lowered so as not to contact the observation object S or the mounting unit 30. You can keep track of the distance and limit it so that it doesn't fall any further.

  In addition to directly recording the information of the microscope lens unit as the lens type information, only the identification information of the microscope lens unit, for example, the model, is recorded, and the detailed information of the microscope lens unit corresponding to the model is stored in the main body unit 50 in advance. It can also be stored in the section 53 or the like as a lookup table associated with the model. As a result, when the main body unit 50 acquires the model that is the lens identification information through the camera unit, the main unit 50 acquires the detailed information corresponding to the model with reference to the storage unit 53, and stores the detailed information in the microscope lens unit based on the acquired information. It is possible to perform matching control. With this method, it is possible to grasp necessary information on the main body unit 50 side while reducing the amount of information to be held on the microscope lens unit side.

  Further, the magnifying observation apparatus 100 includes an imaging condition for setting conditions for capturing an image with the camera unit 10, an operation unit 55 for performing various other necessary settings and operations, and a set area. A control unit 51 that calculates the height in the optical axis direction of the observation object S corresponding to the set area based on the focal length information stored in the storage unit 53 relating to a part or all of the corresponding observation object S. Is provided. The magnification observation apparatus 100 can calculate an average height (depth) in the optical axis direction of the observation object S corresponding to a region designated by using the imaging element 12.

  The control unit 51 is a state in which a plurality of observation images picked up from the same field of view of the sample S using a plurality of illumination filters are simultaneously displayed on the display unit 52 using an optical path shift control unit 81 for operating the optical path shift unit 14 described later. From the image selection means 82 that can select one, the imaging condition setting means 83 that sets the image observation condition including the type of the illumination filter used for imaging the observation image selected by the image selection means 82 as the imaging condition, An image synthesizing unit 85 that synthesizes at least two observation images obtained by imaging the same sample S using different illumination filters, and an operation of synthesizing the observation images by the image synthesizing unit 85 to obtain a color high-resolution image observation image. Based on the aberration information of the microscope lens unit that is currently mounted on the camera unit among the plurality of interchangeable microscope lens units that can be automatically replaced. Influence of aberration of the microscope lens unit among the plurality of wavelength components realizes the functions of wavelength selection means 86 or the like that can select a relatively small wavelength components. The control unit 51 can be composed of a gate array such as an ASIC or FPGA.

The operation unit 55 is connected to the main body unit 50 or the computer in a wired or wireless manner, or is fixed to the computer. Examples of the general operation unit 55 include various pointing devices such as a mouse, keyboard, slide pad, track point, tablet, joystick, console, jog dial, digitizer, light pen, numeric keypad, touch pad, and accu point. In addition to the operation of the operation program for magnification observation, these operation units 55 can be used for operations of the magnification observation apparatus 100 itself and its peripheral devices. Furthermore, using a touch screen or touch panel on the display itself that displays the interface screen, the user can directly input or operate the screen by hand, or use voice input or other existing input means, Or these can also be used together. In the example of FIG. 1, the operation unit 55 is configured by a pointing device such as a mouse.
(Lighting unit 60)

  The illumination unit 60 generates illumination light that illuminates the observation object S imaged on the image sensor 12. The illumination light source of the illumination unit 60 is built in the main body unit 50, and illumination light is transmitted to the illumination unit 60 of the head unit 4 through the optical cable 3 b. Note that the illumination unit 60 may be of any type that is built into the head unit 4 or a separate unit that is detachable from the head unit 4. As the illumination method of illumination light, epi-illumination, transmission illumination, or the like can be used as appropriate. The epi-illumination is an illumination method in which illumination light is dropped from above the observation object, and includes ring illumination, coaxial epi-illumination, and the like. The illumination unit 60 shown in FIG. 1 includes a coaxial incident illumination unit 62 (see FIG. 3) for irradiating the observation object S with coaxial incident light, and a ring illumination for irradiating ring-shaped illumination light from a ring-shaped light source. A unit 63 and a transmission illumination unit 64 for irradiating transmitted light are provided. These lights are connected to the main body 50 via the optical cable 3b. The main body 50 includes a connector for connecting the optical cable 3b, and incorporates an illumination light source 65 for sending light to the optical cable 3b via the connector (see FIG. 3). Further, the ring illumination unit 63 can switch between all-around illumination and side illumination. In order to realize this, there are a configuration in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a ring shape as the ring illumination unit 63, a configuration in which some LEDs are turned ON / OFF, a configuration in which a turret mask that cuts a part of illumination light is arranged, etc. Available. The illumination light control unit 66 performs lighting control and switching of the illumination light. The illumination light control unit 66 includes an illumination light switching unit 61 for switching illumination light.

Details of the illumination unit 60 are shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. The illumination unit 60 includes a coaxial incident illumination unit 62 and a ring illumination unit 63. The coaxial epi-illumination is a method of irradiating from the same direction as the imaging surface of the camera, and is also called bright field illumination. The coaxial epi-illumination is effective when looking at unevenness of a mirror workpiece, such as a silicon wafer or an LCD panel. Lighting control of the illumination unit 60 is performed by the illumination light control unit 66. The illumination light control unit 66 includes an illumination light switching unit 61. The illumination switching unit 61 can switch between the coaxial incident illumination unit 62 and the ring illumination unit 63. The illumination switching unit 61 can also be configured to mix the coaxial epi-illumination unit 62 and the ring illumination unit 63 at different ratios.
(Illumination light source 65)

  As the illumination light source 65, a semiconductor light emitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED) or a semiconductor laser (Laser Diode: LD) can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, LEDs 65r, 65g, and 65b having wavelength ranges of R, G, and B are prepared, and illumination light is switched to red, green, and blue by turning on each LED, or white color is obtained by mixing these colors. Light can be obtained. Moreover, white LED can also be prepared separately. In particular, since the LED is excellent in ON / OFF responsiveness, there is an advantage that the measurement throughput can be improved. It also has features such as long life, low power consumption, low heat generation, and resistance to mechanical shock. Or it can also be set as the light source using wavelength conversion members, such as the fluorescent substance excited by the ultraviolet-ray of visible light, or visible light. Thereby, even one LED can emit white light. Further, an LED capable of emitting ultraviolet light or infrared light in addition to visible light can be used as a light source. For example, observation with infrared light is useful for analysis of defective products, tissue distribution of living tissue, and the like. The illumination light source is not limited to the semiconductor light emitting element, and a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, an HID lamp, or the like may be used as a white light source that emits white light in a wide wavelength range. Moreover, it is good also as a light source which can irradiate not only visible light but infrared light. In particular, a halogen lamp is preferable because the wavelength range of the emission wavelength is wide. In addition to using a single light source, a plurality of light sources can be provided, and these can be turned on simultaneously to make mixed color light illumination light, or can be switched to illuminate.

  The illumination light source is not limited to the configuration built in the main body. For example, it can also be provided on the placement unit or the microscope lens unit. As a modification, the magnification observation apparatus 400 illustrated in FIG. 15 includes a transmission illumination light source 65B as an illumination light source on the placement unit 30 side. 16 includes an illumination light source 65C for coaxial epi-illumination and ring illumination on the microscope lens unit 20 side. With such a configuration, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to transmit illumination light from the main body side to the head side with an optical fiber or the like, and the configuration can be simplified by reducing the number of cables drawn to the outside. Also, inside the head portion side, the light from the illumination light source is branched by an optical fiber, and a semiconductor light emitting element such as a high-intensity LED may be provided for direct illumination. In particular, an LED is small in size and generates a small amount of heat as compared with a conventional halogen lamp or the like.

  In this way, by preparing an illumination light source that can emit red, green, and blue light, a filter such as a conventional white light source can be eliminated, and mechanical operation such as filter switching is not required, and only an electrical signal is generated. Stable and high-speed illumination light switching is realized. Further, since LEDs have a long life, maintenance work such as replacement of a light bulb can be saved. Furthermore, since the semiconductor light emitting element is smaller than the bulb, there is an advantage that a plurality of types of light emitting elements can be arranged in a space-saving manner. Furthermore, for example, by providing an infrared light emitting element or an ultraviolet light emitting element, it is possible to easily switch the illumination light to not only visible light but also infrared light, ultraviolet light, and the like. In addition, the cooling fan can be reduced in size or omitted with low power consumption, and excellent in quietness. In this way, an illumination light source including a plurality of light emitting elements having different wavelength ranges can be controlled by the illumination light selecting means 87, and a light emitting element having a desired wavelength range can be selected and turned on to emit illumination light.

  When a white light source such as a halogen lamp is used as the illumination light source, illumination filter means for limiting the wavelength is provided as one form of illumination light selection means. The illumination filter means includes, for example, each illumination filter of a red filter that transmits a red component, a blue filter that transmits a blue component, a green filter that transmits a green component, and a transmission filter that transmits all the components in a rotary turret. These are mechanically switched by the rotation of. Alternatively, instead of the turret type color filter, R, G, B and transmission spectral characteristics can be switched or transmission can be switched by an applied voltage using a liquid crystal RGB filter. In addition, the illumination filter means can be provided with a diffusion filter, a polarization filter, and the like in addition to such a color filter. Thus, the illumination filter means can change not only the wavelength of the illumination light but also the characteristics such as intensity and polarization state by switching the filter. In addition, a plurality of characteristics such as wavelength, intensity, polarization state, and the like can be changed by using a plurality of filters having two or more stages.

In addition to the three primary colors RGB, these complementary colors (for example, cyan, magenta, and yellow) can be used as appropriate for the illumination light source and illumination filter means. In addition, a filter that transmits ultraviolet light or infrared light can be used as a filter.
(Support base 40)

An example of the external configuration of the imaging system 1 of the magnification observation apparatus 100 is shown in FIG. The imaging system 1 shown in this figure includes a placement unit 30 on which the observation object S is placed and a support base 40 that supports the head unit 4. The support base 40 includes a stage fixing mechanism 42 that holds the mounting unit 30 in a horizontal plane or a state in which the mounting unit 30 can move up and down, and a head tilting mechanism 44 that tilts the head unit 4 while holding the mounting unit 30. . The stage fixing mechanism 42 and the head tilting mechanism 44 are fixed to the base portion 41. The base portion 41 is formed in a flat plate shape, so that the support base 40 can be stably provided.
(Stage fixing mechanism 42)

The stage fixing mechanism 42 fixes the mounting unit 30 to the support base 40 through one or more moving mechanisms that can move the mounting unit 30 in the horizontal plane (XY axis direction) and in the vertical direction (Z axis direction). ing. Specifically, here, as a moving mechanism, a Z-axis direction moving mechanism (first focus adjustment unit) for moving the mounting unit 30 in the Z-axis direction, and a mechanism for moving the mounting unit 30 in the XY-axis direction. An XY axis movement mechanism and a rotation movement mechanism for rotating the placement unit 30 in the θ direction can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the lower stage elevator 35 is realized by a slider 32 fixed to the base 41 so as to be movable up and down as a Z-axis moving mechanism, and further, an intermediate fixed on the slider 32 as a rotary moving mechanism. The mounting portion 30 can be rotated by the connecting portion 34, and the mounting portion 30 can be moved in the XY-axis direction by an XY stage fixed on the intermediate connecting portion 34 as an XY axis moving mechanism.
(Head tilt mechanism 44)

  On the other hand, the head tilting mechanism 44 tilts the head unit 4 with respect to the mounting unit 30, and a swinging unit 46 that is swingably connected to the base unit 41 via a swinging shaft 45, and a swinging unit 46. And a head fixing portion 48 for fixing the head portion 4. The oscillating portion 46 includes an oscillating column 47 provided in a posture protruding upward from the base portion 41, and an oscillating shaft 45. The head fixing portion 48 includes a head arm 49 that fixes the head portion 4 to the swing column 47 in a substantially parallel posture. The swing column 47 is provided with a swing shaft 45 at the lower end, and is supported by the base portion 41 so as to turn around the swing shaft 45. The head arm 49 is fixed by clamping the swing column 47 at an intermediate position from the upper portion of the swing column 47 so as to hold the head unit 4 above the placement unit 30. A fixing mechanism for fixing the head unit 4 is provided at the tip of the head arm 49. Here, the fixing mechanism is formed in a ring shape surrounding the outer periphery of the head portion 4, and the head portion 4 is inserted into the center of the ring shape, and is fixed by being screwed with a set screw from a plurality of surrounding positions.

On the upper surface of the base portion 41, a block 41a that extends downward is fixed, and a bearing portion 41b is formed above the block 41a. The bearing portion 41b includes a pair of guide portions 41c that are fixed apart from each other, and the pair of guide portions 41c are formed in a concave shape in a side view. Each guide portion 41c opens a circular hole formed with an axis parallel to the Y-axis direction as a central axis. A rocking shaft 45 is fitted in these holes along the Y-axis direction. In this example, a scale is provided on the swing shaft 45 so that the angle at which the head portion 4 is swung can be seen with the scale.
(Camera unit 10)

The head unit 4 includes a camera unit 10 having an image sensor and a microscope lens unit 20 that is detachably attached to the tip of the camera unit 10. The camera unit 10 includes an imaging element 12 that electrically reads reflected light incident through the imaging optical system 11 from the observation object S illuminated by the illumination unit 60. In this example, the imaging device 12 uses a CMOS, but other light receiving devices such as a CCD can also be used.
(Optical path shifting means 14)

Furthermore, the magnification observation apparatus 100 can also include an optical path shift unit 14 for relatively shifting the detection position of the image sensor 12 and an optical path shift control unit 81 for operating the optical path shift unit 14. Specifically, for three or more target pixel groups, the pixel interval of the image sensor so that the light reception signal makes a round at the position of each pixel of the image sensor constituting the target pixel group and the received light amount is detected at each position. The detection position of one of the image sensors constituting the target pixel group is relatively shifted by the optical path shift means 14 by the amount of displacement corresponding to.
(Optical path shift control means 81)

  On the other hand, when the sample S is irradiated with illumination light of a predetermined wavelength via the illumination filter selected by the filter selection unit 88, the optical path shift control unit 81 is an image sensor corresponding to the wavelength region among the plurality of image sensors. The optical path shift means 14 is operated so as to detect the amount of received light. As a result, the selection of the illumination filter and the image sensor and the pixel shift can be linked, and the user can perform high-speed switching without cumbersome switching or illumination light and the combination of the illumination filter and the image sensor corresponding to the illumination light. A resolution observation image can be easily acquired.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the optical path shift means 14 is provided in the camera unit 10, and a higher resolution than that of the CMOS can be obtained by pixel shifting. The pixel shift is a space between an adjacent element and an element (pixel) by using a piezoelectric element or the like as described in Patent Document 2 for a single plate type and Patent Document 3 for a three-plate type, for example. In addition, by pixel shift that physically shifts the element, for example, an image obtained by shifting the sample S by half the pixel pitch and an image before the shift are combined with each other to increase the resolution. In addition, the color reproducibility is also improved by acquiring RGB data at each pixel by shifting by one pixel pitch. As typical image shifting mechanisms, there are an image sensor driving method in which the image sensor 12 is moved by an actuator AC, an LPF tilt method in which the LPF is tilted, a lens moving method in which the lens is moved, and the like.

When the pixel shifting function is executed, as shown in FIG. 14, in the state in which the image pickup elements are arranged in a matrix in a Bayer array for each pixel, the optical path shifting means 14 has a 2 × 2 adjacent area as shown in FIG. It can be switched to shift to the pixel position. As a result, the image pickup devices having different light receiving characteristics arranged in a Bayer array are shifted by the optical path shift means 14 so as to make a round for adjacent 2 × 2 pixels of interest, and light reception signals are transmitted at all 2 × 2 pixel positions. It is possible to obtain a high-resolution observation image. Note that the shift amount by which the image sensor is relatively shifted by the optical path shifting means 14 is moved four times counterclockwise, a total of four pixels, as the amount of displacement corresponding to the pixel interval of the image sensor in the example of FIG. However, it is also possible to move only two adjacent pixels such as up and down, left and right, or 3 pixels. Further, the amount of movement is not limited to one pixel of the image sensor, and may be set to 1/2 pixel or 1/3 pixel. By adjusting the amount of movement according to the peak position and range of the light receiving sensitivity of each pixel constituting the image sensor, the amount of received light can be improved even with a moving amount of one pixel or less, so that high resolution can be achieved. Thus, the amount of displacement corresponding to the pixel interval of the image sensor is not limited to the pixel pitch or an integer multiple thereof, and includes fractional multiples such as 1/2 pixel and 1/3 pixel.
(Display unit 52)

  Further, such image data and setting contents held in the storage unit 53 can be displayed on the display unit 52. The display unit 52 can use a monitor such as a CRT, a liquid crystal display, or an organic EL. In addition, an operation unit 55 is connected to the control unit 51 for a user to perform various operations. The operation unit 55 is an input device such as a console or a mouse. Also in this example, the display unit and the operation unit can be integrated with the main body unit or can be external members. Furthermore, if a display part is comprised with a touch panel, a display part and an operation part can also be comprised integrally.

  Here, the operation of the lower stage elevator 35 will be described. The main body unit 50 inputs control data related to the control of the stepping motor 37 to the motor control circuit 36, whereby the optical axis direction of the mounting unit 30 and the head unit 4 having the imaging optical system 11 and the imaging element 12. The relative distance at, here, the height in the z direction is changed. Specifically, the main body 50 controls the rotation of the stepping motor 37 by inputting control data necessary for controlling the lower stage elevator 35 to the motor control circuit 36, and the height z ( z position) is moved up and down. The stepping motor 37 generates a rotation signal corresponding to the rotation. Based on the rotation signal input via the motor control circuit 36, the main body 50 determines the height z of the mounting unit 30 as information regarding the relative distance between the mounting unit 30 and the imaging optical system 11 in the optical axis direction. Remember. The placement unit 30 functions as an observation positioning unit that positions the observation position with respect to the observation object S.

  Needless to say, the lower stage elevator 35 is not limited to such an electric type, and may be manually raised and lowered.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, not only the relative distance in the optical axis direction between the mounting unit 30 and the imaging optical system 11 is changed by changing the height of the mounting unit 30, but also the height of the imaging optical system, That is, the height of the head part 4 can also be changed. The head unit 4 is connected to the main body unit 50 and the cable unit 3. Thereby, the data acquired by the head part 4 is sent to the main body part 50 via the cable part 3, and a required process can be performed on the main body part 50 side.

  The image sensor 12 can electrically read the amount of received light for each pixel arranged two-dimensionally in the x and y directions. The image of the observation object S formed on the image sensor 12 is converted into an electrical signal in accordance with the amount of received light in each pixel of the image sensor 12, and further converted into digital data in the image sensor control circuit 13. The main body 50 uses the digital data converted by the image sensor control circuit 13 as the received light data D in a plane (x and y directions in FIG. 2) substantially perpendicular to the optical axis direction (z direction in FIG. 2). The information is stored in the storage unit 53 together with pixel arrangement information (x, y) as the two-dimensional position information of the observation object S. Here, the in-plane substantially perpendicular to the optical axis direction does not need to be a plane strictly forming 90 ° with respect to the optical axis, and the shape of the observation object S is determined by the resolution of the imaging optical system and the imaging element. Any observation surface may be used as long as it is within a recognizable inclination range.

In the above description, an example in which the observation object S is placed on the placement unit 30 is shown as an example of the placement unit 30. For example, instead of the placement unit, an arm is attached and the observation target is attached to the tip of the arm. It can also be set as the structure which fixes the thing S. FIG. Further, the head unit 4 can be used by being attached to the camera attachment unit 43, and can be arranged at a desired position and angle by a method such as hand-holding so as to be detachable.
(Control unit 51)

  The control unit 51 controls the captured observation image to be displayed after being converted to a resolution that can be displayed by the display unit 52. In the magnifying observation apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, the camera unit 10 displays an observation image obtained by imaging the observation object S with the imaging element 12 on the display unit 52. In general, the performance of an image sensor such as a CMOS or CCD often exceeds the display capability of the display unit, so in order to display a captured observation image on a single screen, the resolution is displayed on a single screen by thinning the image. Reduced to the possible size and reduced. When the reading resolution when reading with the camera unit 10 is the first resolution, the display unit 52 displays the second resolution lower than the first resolution.

Furthermore, when still images of observation images are continuously captured and displayed on the display unit 52, the captured images may be displayed by switching them continuously to display them as if they were moving images. Such a continuous shooting mode can be switched to normal still image shooting and display mode by the control unit 51. In addition, the pixel shifting function can also be used during such continuous shooting.
(Magnification observation program)

FIG. 6 shows a user interface screen of the magnification observation program for operating the magnification observation apparatus 100. Such an operation screen can be displayed on the display unit 52 of the magnification observation apparatus 100 or a monitor of a computer externally connected to the main body unit. The user performs various settings and operations of the magnification observation apparatus 100 from the displayed screen. The magnification observation program is incorporated in the main body unit 50.
(Procedure for switching illumination light)

In the illumination condition selection screen 200 shown in FIG. 6, illumination light can be switched. Specifically, when a “wavelength switching” button is pressed, a dialog for selecting a wavelength band appears. Here, in the pull-down menu format, one of blue illumination, green illumination, red illumination, infrared illumination, high-resolution color image acquisition, and infrared + color image acquisition can be selected. The illumination unit 60 is provided with a plurality of illumination filters, and the illumination light is switched according to the wavelength selected here. Here, when a light other than white light is selected as the illumination light, the pixel shift function is set to always work when displaying an image or storing a still image. By such pixel shifting, a monochrome observation image can be acquired without impairing the resolution.
(Imaging condition selection screen 6)

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the observation with the illumination light changed can be easily performed, the images acquired with a plurality of different illumination lights are displayed side by side as the imaging condition selection screen 6 for the same field of view of the sample S, When the user selects a desired image, an easy setting function of an observation condition that is determined as an observation condition (such as selection of illumination light, illumination filter, and image sensor) set in the selected image can be realized. As an example of the imaging condition selection screen 6, as shown in FIG. 7, observation images obtained by imaging illumination light as white light, red light, green light, and blue light are displayed as a list by dividing the display unit 52 into four parts. Is available. When the user selects a desired observation image on the screen while using the imaging condition selection screen 6 as the image selection means 82 and contrasts various observation images actually obtained, the illumination used for imaging the selected image. The combination of the filter and the image sensor 12 is read out, and this condition is automatically set by the imaging condition setting unit 83 as an image observation condition in subsequent observations. Moreover, the observation image acquired on the imaging condition selection screen 6 can be a normal observation image, or a simple observation image that is simply captured in a shorter time, for example, by reducing the frame rate. The simple imaging condition for acquiring the simple observation image is automatically set by the imaging condition setting unit 83 of the calculation unit. Thus, by shortening the imaging time of each observation image, a plurality of simple observation images can be acquired in a short time. Here, by pressing a “preview function” button (not shown), simple observation images using all the illumination filters are acquired, and an imaging condition selection screen is automatically displayed. As a result, the user can acquire a plurality of observation images with different image observation conditions in a short time without performing a switching operation of a plurality of illumination filters, an operation of acquiring or storing an observation image, and the actually obtained image. Since the image observation conditions can be selected sensuously based on the image, desired observation can be easily performed without being bothered by the meaning, correlation, adjustment work, etc. of the plurality of parameters. Although the example of FIG. 7 shows an example in which only the illumination light is changed, an imaging condition selection screen in which other image observation conditions such as the frame rate and the presence / absence of pixel shift can be configured.
(Image composition means 85)

  Furthermore, a high-resolution color image can be acquired using the image composition means 85. If observation is performed with illumination light having a short wavelength, an image with high resolution can be obtained. By utilizing this property and using blue illumination light and pixel shifting, a high-resolution monochromatic image can be obtained. However, this image has only blue information and is not a full color image. Therefore, a full color image using white illumination light is acquired separately, and the color information (chromaticity, saturation) of the full color image is superimposed on the luminance information of the single color image by the image synthesis means 85, so that the composite color with high resolution is obtained. An image can be obtained. In other words, among single-plate image sensors, an image sensor that can capture illumination light with a short wavelength, specifically, a monochrome high-resolution image is captured using a blue image sensor, and a color observation image taken separately. Can be combined with the high-resolution monochrome observation image to obtain a color high-resolution observation image (luminance composite image).

  In the conventional magnification observation apparatus, since color information that can be detected by one pixel is single, in order to obtain a color image, (1) color information that cannot be detected in each pixel is adjacent to the surroundings (the color that cannot be detected). There is a need to predict color information based on color information of pixels (which can detect information) and (2) to use a three-plate type imaging device such as a so-called 3CCD.

On the other hand, in the synthesis method by the image synthesis means 85 described above, a color image having a higher resolution than the colorization by prediction of (1), a sharp edge of the sample can be obtained, and less expensive than 3CCD of (2). Can be configured. Furthermore, the size of the image sensor, that is, the camera can be reduced as compared with 3CCD. In addition to shifting the pixel by one pixel, it is also possible to shift the pixel by 1/2 or 1/3 pixel, and there is an advantage that a higher resolution image can be obtained compared to 3CCD having the same number of pixels. . Furthermore, it is not necessary to shift the pixels for each wavelength of RGB, and it is sufficient to shift the pixels once for a high-resolution image with a short wavelength and to synthesize and synthesize a color image with ordinary white light. The advantage of being able to synthesize a high-resolution color image is also obtained.
(Automatic synthesis means 84)

Furthermore, the automatic synthesizing unit 84 can automatically perform the steps of acquiring a series of images and synthesizing the images without the user manually performing the steps. As a result, the user can easily obtain a high-resolution color image, and high-definition observation is realized. The procedure for automatically acquiring the composite image by the automatic combining means 84 is as follows. When the user presses the “acquire high resolution color image” button on the operation screen of the magnification observation program shown in FIG. 1) An instruction to select the blue filter BF is sent to the filter selection unit 88, and the optical path shift unit 14 is operated by the optical path shift control unit 81 so that the blue imaging element is imaged at each pixel position and synthesized. To obtain a high-resolution observation image of the area;
(2) Sending an instruction to select the transmission filter PF to the filter selection unit 88 and operating the optical path shift unit 14 to the optical path shift control unit 81 so that all image sensors are imaged at each pixel position. To obtain a color observation image of
(3) The image synthesizing unit 85 automatically performs the operation of synthesizing the color information of the color observation image with the high resolution observation image and synthesizing the color high resolution image observation image. As a result, a color high-resolution image can be acquired with almost one touch, and the user-friendliness is extremely high. Any of the operations (1) and (2) may be performed first. That is, the same result can be obtained by first capturing a color image with white light and then capturing and synthesizing a blue high-resolution image. A high-resolution color image can also be obtained by combining single-color images captured with blue light, green light, and red light. In this case, since three observation images are acquired, it takes a long imaging time. On the other hand, since a luminance signal can be acquired for each wavelength component of RGB, there is an advantage that a clearer image can be acquired.

Here, when blue light is used as illumination light, the wavelength of blue light is shorter than that of red and green, so that in principle, the highest resolution image can be obtained. However, the inventors have tested and found that illumination with blue light is not necessarily the most suitable in all situations. As a result of searching for the cause, it was found that it depends on the aberration of the optical lens included in the microscope lens unit. In general, an optical design of a lens is designed so that aberrations are reduced as much as possible. However, deviation from complete imaging by an imaging optical system occurs as the distance from the center to the periphery of the lens increases. As such optical aberration, chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, coma, astigmatism, curvature of image surface, distortion and the like are known. We thought that such aberrations had no wavelength dependence at first, and that the influence of chromatic aberration can be suppressed by limiting the wavelength range of illumination light to blue. Actually, chromatic aberration depends on the wavelength of illumination light. It has been found that the influence changes, and even with a lens that has less aberration with green light, the aberration may be greater with blue light. As a result of such aberrations, especially when blurring or distortion occurs in the periphery of the lens, the original high-resolution performance using the short wavelength of blue light cannot be fully utilized, and the quality of the resulting image will also be degraded. was there.
(Wavelength selection means 86)

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when acquiring a high-resolution image, instead of fixing the illumination light to blue light as in the past, appropriate illumination light is used according to the characteristics of the microscope lens part, particularly the aberration-related characteristics. As a result of selection, it was successful to obtain a high-quality image with reduced influence of aberration. Specifically, information on the aberration of the interchangeable microscope lens unit is acquired on the main unit side, and illumination light having an appropriate wavelength component is selected in accordance with this information, and a clear single color monochromatic image is obtained. obtain. For this reason, the control unit is provided with a wavelength selection unit 86, and the wavelength selection unit 86 makes the relative influence of the aberration of the microscope lens unit based on the aberration information of the microscope lens unit currently mounted on the camera unit. Therefore, a configuration for selecting a few wavelength components is adopted. The wavelength selection unit 86 determines an appropriate wavelength component corresponding to the aberration of the lens from information such as the lens model number included in the lens identification information of the microscope lens unit with reference to the wavelength component storage unit. When a high-resolution image is captured, an instruction is given to perform imaging with the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection means 86. In the example of FIG. 2, the wavelength selection unit 86 includes illumination light selection unit 87 that can switch the wavelength component of the illumination light emitted by the illumination unit. The illumination light corresponding to the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection means 86 is controlled to be selected by the illumination light selection means 87 and turned on. As a result, a high-definition single-color single-color image can be obtained, and this single-color image can be used as luminance information, and a color composite image can be obtained by placing color information of a color image separately captured for each pixel. Can do.

  The wavelength component storage means stores in advance the wavelength components that are less affected by the aberration, corresponding to a plurality of microscope lens units having different specifications, according to the aberration information of each microscope lens unit. As a result, the magnification observation apparatus can select an appropriate wavelength component with reference to the wavelength component storage unit according to the currently mounted microscope lens unit. For example, in an imaging optical system that is employed by a microscope lens unit, an image that is less affected by aberrations may be obtained when green light illumination is used rather than blue light. In such a case, the green light is selected as the illumination light by the illumination light selection means 87 according to the characteristics of the microscope lens unit when the high-resolution image is captured.

  In the case of a zoom lens capable of changing the magnification, it is not uncommon for aberration characteristics and the like to differ depending on the magnification ratio. In this case, since the aberration is different between the low magnification and the high magnification, an appropriate wavelength component may be different depending on the magnification even in the same microscope lens unit. For this reason, the illumination light selection means 87 can also select the optimal illumination light according to this magnification setting with reference to the magnification of the zoom lens.

  The lens aberration information can be stored together with other information relating to the microscope lens unit, for example, the model, the total length, the focal length, and the like as one of lens identification information described later. For example, when the lens identification information is the model number of the microscope lens unit and the model number of the microscope lens unit mounted on the camera unit is read by the main body unit, a wavelength component suitable for capturing a high-resolution image corresponding to this model number (for example, blue, (Green, red) is determined by the wavelength selection unit 86 with reference to information stored in the storage unit 53 (corresponding to the wavelength component storage unit) in advance, and the illumination unit is controlled so that the corresponding illumination light is obtained. When the microscope lens unit is a zoom lens and the aberration characteristics change according to the magnification, an appropriate wavelength component is stored in advance in the storage unit 53 for each magnification. In this case, the wavelength may be defined according to the range of the enlargement ratio.

  Here, although the chromatic aberration of the optical lens included in the microscope lens unit is targeted, the wavelength component is selected based on other aberrations such as spherical aberration, coma, astigmatism, curvature of the image surface, distortion, and the like. You can also. In this case, not only a single aberration but also a plurality of aberration parameters may be combined, or an appropriate wavelength component may be selected by weighting them. Further, not only the aberration of the microscope lens unit but also appropriate illumination light can be selected according to the compatibility with the observation object. For example, the imaging effect to be obtained also changes depending on the wavelength component selected as the illumination light, so that arbitrary illumination light according to the imaging purpose is selected using this. In this case, it is not restricted to the structure which selects illumination light with an illumination light selection means, You may comprise so that a user may select illumination light manually.

  Furthermore, the wavelength components to be selected are not limited to the blue, green, and red RGB systems, and can be selected using a complementary color system such as cyan, yellow, and magenta. Alternatively, the problem of aberration similarly occurs not only in the optical lens but also in the electronic lens system, and therefore the present invention can be applied even when such a lens is used. For example, it is possible to obtain an effect of raising a foreign object by obtaining luminance information from a color corresponding to a complementary color according to an observation object or an observation application.

  Conversely, since illumination light can be selected according to the aberration characteristics of each wavelength of the microscope lens unit, the characteristics are enhanced on the premise of luminance synthesis by such wavelength selection from the stage of optical design of the microscope lens unit. Therefore, the weight of the lens design can be shifted to an arbitrary wavelength. In other words, in the past, optical design has been made in a wide wavelength range, in other words, to reduce the influence of aberrations uniformly in any color. For this reason, although the overall balance is good, aberrations in each color The characteristics were not always optimal. For example, if the visible light has the shortest wavelength (purple), an image with high resolution can be obtained. However, since an ordinary photographing lens assumes the entire visible light as illumination, the wavelength weight for purple is often low.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the magnification observation apparatus is premised on luminance synthesis with only a specific color (wavelength component) from the beginning, the lens of the lens is specialized for such a specific wavelength component. Optical design can be performed. In this case, since it is not necessary to consider the aberration characteristics of other colors, a more optimal optical design assigned to a specific color is realized. In this way, on the premise of obtaining luminance with monochromatic light, in the imaging lens design, for example, by giving the weight of the imaging wavelength to purple, it is possible to shoot with high resolution that can not be obtained with a normal imaging lens Can do.
(Image sensor selection means 88)

  Furthermore, in the above example, the example which comprised so that the wavelength component of illumination light might be selected according to the aberration information of a microscope lens part was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the same effect can be obtained by specifying or limiting the light receiving component received at the imaging element side to the wavelength component that reduces the aberration of the microscope lens unit, while the illumination light is white light. can get. For example, when an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS in which R, G, and B pixels are Bayer arranged as shown in FIG. 1 is used as the image sensor, only pixels corresponding to the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection means are used. By receiving the light, the same effect as when the illumination light is selected as a specific wavelength component can be obtained. Such an example is shown in FIG. 8 as a modification. The magnifying observation apparatus shown in this figure includes, in the control means 51, an image sensor selection means 88 for selecting which color pixel among the pixels having different light receiving wavelengths (colors) of the image sensor. Yes. This magnification observation apparatus selects an appropriate wavelength component, that is, a color by the wavelength selection unit 86 according to the aberration characteristics of the microscope lens unit, receives this selection by the image sensor selection unit 88, and selects it when capturing a high-definition image. Control is performed so that an image is picked up by the image pickup element of the selected color. For example, when the microscope lens unit has a green wavelength component and little chromatic aberration, light can be received by only the green (G) pixel of the image sensor, and a high-definition image can be obtained with a single color. As described above, the luminance information of the monochrome image can be combined with the color information of the color image captured separately to obtain a color synthesized image by the image synthesizing unit 85. Thereby, it is possible to obtain the same effect as when the wavelength of the illumination light is substantially selected by switching on the imaging element side while the illumination light is white light. In particular, since the user does not have to be aware of switching of the illumination light, an operation environment that is less uncomfortable than that of illuminating the illumination light with primary colors is realized. In addition, when the light is received by only one of the R, G, and B pixels, the number of pixels is ¼. Therefore, the pixel shifting technique described above is used to shift the pixel to a position where the pixel is not used. However, by repeating the imaging four times and synthesizing them, it is possible to take an image with the same resolution as when imaging using all the pixels.

In this way, it is possible to obtain a clearer image by selecting other wavelength components such as a green component even when a clear image is not obtained with blue illumination light due to chromatic aberration of the lens. It becomes. In particular, the wavelength of green light is longer than that of blue light, so the resolution is inferior to that of blue light. In general, optical lenses are designed with reference to green, which has high human eye visibility and is located in the center of the spectrum. In many cases, it is superior to blue light in terms of aberrations. Therefore, when using a microscope lens that has a large influence of aberrations on blue light, the quality is higher than that of high-resolution images captured with blue light. It is possible to obtain a simple image. In addition, although red light has a long wavelength, it has excellent transparency and can be suitably used depending on the observation target.
(How to use the magnifier)

  Using the magnification observation apparatus 100 described above, a clear observation image with high resolution can be taken and displayed on the display unit 52 for observation. The user irradiates the sample with light in a specific wavelength range selected according to the purpose. For example, blue illumination with a short wavelength is used for improving the resolution, red illumination with a long wavelength is used for improving the transmittance, and infrared illumination is used for observing the inside of a sample that does not transmit visible light. Further, by combining infrared illumination and white light illumination, the inside and outside of the sample can be observed simultaneously. For example, when the sample to be observed is an IC chip, the structure existing in the silicon can be confirmed by the effect of infrared rays, while the character information such as the number marked on the chip surface can be recognized by white light. Thus, when infrared light is used together, there is an advantage that both the inside and the outside of the sample can be observed.

The combination of these illumination lights uses the filter selection means 88 to select an appropriate illumination filter for the light source light from the filter means 86. At the time of image capture, the image sensor control circuit 13 selects only the pixel information of the color filter with the highest sensitivity in the image sensor for the illumination light selected by the filter selection means 88, and acquires an observation image. Further, by the pixel shifting function, a fine actuator AC is connected to the two-dimensional color imaging device as the optical path shift means 14, and the selected element is moved up, down, left, and right by the pixel unit as shown in FIG. Take multiple shots. By reconstructing the entire image information based on the pixel information obtained in this manner, a high-resolution single color (monochrome) image can be obtained. In this manner, a high-quality image can be created that selectively uses optimal pixel information from among the R, G, and B colors according to the wavelength of irradiation light selected by the user. For example, when the user selects blue light as the irradiation light from the operation screen of the magnification observation apparatus shown in FIG. 6, the pixel of the image sensor with the highest sensitivity is the pixel of the blue color filter. Therefore, red and green pixel information is ignored, and an image is created using only the blue color information by using the pixel shifting function. This makes it possible to obtain an optimal observation image without damaging the resolution and sensitivity of the camera depending on illumination conditions while using a camera using a normal color image sensor.
(Physical connection mechanism)

In addition, the magnification observation apparatus 100 includes a physical connection mechanism that physically connects the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 in a relatively non-rotatable state and that is detachable. Specifically, the camera unit 10 includes a camera side connection surface 71 for physically connecting to the microscope lens unit 20. The microscope lens unit 20 includes a lens-side connection surface 73 that is physically bonded to the camera-side connection surface 71. An example of the camera side connection surface 71 is shown in the perspective view of FIG. 9, and an example of the lens side connection surface 73 is shown in the perspective view of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the camera side connection surface 71 and the lens side connection surface 73 are mechanically connected by a physical connection mechanism, specifically, an engagement structure or a fitting structure. For example, in the example of FIGS. 9 and 10, a columnar protrusion is formed in the center of the camera-side connection surface 71 so as to protrude in a columnar shape, and an arcuate collar is provided on the edge of the side surface of the columnar protrusion. It partially protrudes. On the other hand, the lens-side connection surface 73 has a cylindrical recess into which a columnar protrusion can be inserted at the center, and further, a slit for engaging the collar portion is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical recess. . By partially notching the slit, the columnar protrusion can be inserted into the cylindrical depression, and the camera side connection surface 71 is rotated relative to the lens side connection surface 73, so that the collar portion becomes the slit. The camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 can be connected in a locked state by being guided and engaged. In addition, the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 can be easily separated by rotating the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 relatively to release the locked state. The relatively non-rotatable state in the physical connection mechanism mentioned above means a state in which the camera unit and the microscope lens unit are coupled in the locked state, and the camera unit and the microscope lens unit are coupled or detached. Is not meant to mean the operation of releasing the locked state or the locked state by relatively rotating. Further, the above engagement structure is an example, and in the present invention, a known configuration can be appropriately employed as a physical connection mechanism that detachably connects the camera unit and the microscope lens unit.
(Electrical connection mechanism)

  Furthermore, the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 are provided with an electrical connection mechanism for electrically connecting each other. Specifically, the camera unit 10 includes a camera side connection terminal 72 for electrically connecting to the microscope lens unit 20 on the camera side connection surface 71. Similarly, the microscope lens unit 20 includes a lens-side connection terminal 74 that is electrically connected to the camera-side connection terminal 72 when the microscope lens unit 20 is attached to the camera unit 10 on the lens-side connection surface 73. The camera side connection terminal 72 and the lens side connection terminal 74 are disposed on the camera side connection surface 71 and the lens side connection surface 73, respectively. The physical connection mechanism connects the camera side connection surface 71 and the lens side connection surface 73 to each other. Therefore, the position and size of the camera side connection terminal 72 and the lens side connection terminal 74 are brought into contact with each other at the rotational position of the microscope lens unit 20 and the camera unit 10 in the mechanically connected state, that is, in the locked state. Well, the shape is designed. In other words, when the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 are coupled by a physical connection mechanism, the connection of the electrical connection mechanism is also realized at the same time. As a result, unlike the prior art, there is no need to electrically connect the microscope lens unit to the control system or the imaging system via a separate cable or the like. As a result, an advantage of simplifying the operation at the time of lens replacement can be obtained particularly in observation in which the lens is frequently replaced. Also, the number of cables is reduced, which is advantageous in terms of handling.

  In the examples of FIGS. 9 and 10, the camera side connection terminal 72 and the lens side connection terminal 74 are provided on the circumferential portions of the camera side connection surface 71 and the lens side connection surface 73, respectively. With such an arrangement, when the head unit 4 and the camera unit 10 are connected, the terminal comes into contact with other terminals and the surface is rubbed, so that dust and foreign matter on the surface are scraped off to avoid an increase in contact resistance. it can. However, the terminal arrangement structure is not limited to this example. In the examples of FIGS. 9 and 10, the camera side connection terminal 72 and the lens side connection terminal 74 are each provided with seven terminals, but the number of terminals is not limited to this.

Furthermore, the camera unit 10 can mount a plurality of microscope lens units 20 having different specifications interchangeably. Each microscope lens unit 20 holds lens type information indicating the type of each microscope lens unit 20, and can transmit lens identification information via the lens side connection terminal 74. That is, when the microscope lens unit 20 is physically attached to the camera unit 10 by the physical connection mechanism, electrical connection by the electrical connection mechanism can be achieved at the same time. As a result, the main body unit 50 can acquire the type of the currently installed microscope lens unit without a cable, and therefore it is possible to perform appropriate operation control according to the type of the currently connected microscope lens unit. .
(Lens identification information)

  The lens identification information includes information such as the lens type, the position of the focal length, the length of the lens barrel, the lens aberration, or a wavelength component with little aberration. As described above, since the imaging system 1 and the control system 2 are connected via the cable unit 3, the control system 2 can perform appropriate control by determining the type of lens currently mounted. For example, by grasping the physical length of the microscope lens unit 20, when the microscope lens unit 20 is lowered on the stage on the Z, the lower limit movement that can be lowered so as not to contact the observation object S or the mounting unit 30. You can keep track of the distance and limit it so that it doesn't fall any further.

  In addition to directly recording the information of the microscope lens unit as the lens type information, only the identification information of the microscope lens unit, for example, the model, is recorded, and the detailed information of the microscope lens unit corresponding to the model is stored in the main body unit 50 in advance. It can also be stored in the section 53 or the like as a lookup table associated with the model. As a result, when the main body unit 50 acquires the model that is the lens identification information through the camera unit, the main unit 50 acquires the detailed information corresponding to the model with reference to the storage unit 53, and stores the detailed information in the microscope lens unit based on the acquired information. It is possible to perform matching control. With this method, it is possible to grasp necessary information on the main body unit 50 side while reducing the amount of information to be held on the microscope lens unit side.

In the present embodiment, the connecting portion between the microscope lens unit 20 and the camera unit and the part that relatively rotates the camera unit are separated, so that the structure for attaching and detaching the microscope lens unit 20 and the camera unit and the camera unit are optically transmitted. The structure that rotates relative to the axis is simplified. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the microscope lens unit 20 is provided with a mount unit 22, and the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 are detachably connected via the mount unit 22. The lens body 21 is rotatable.
(Mount 22)

The microscope lens unit 20 shown in FIG. 11 includes a lens body 21 composed of a plurality of optical lenses, and a mount unit 22 that is attached to the end surface of the lens body 21 and forms a lens-side connection surface 73. The mount unit 22 includes a mount-side camera connection surface 23 a for connecting to the camera unit 10 and a mount-side lens connection surface 23 b for connecting to the lens body 21 on the back surface side. The mount-side camera connection surface 23 a is a lens-side connection surface 73 including a lens-side connection terminal 74. Therefore, the mount-side camera connection surface 23 a is provided with a physical connection mechanism that is detachably connected to the camera-side connection surface 71 of the camera unit 10. As such a physical coupling mechanism, the same configuration as that in FIG. 10 described above can be used. In other words, in the physical coupling mechanism, the camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 are not allowed to rotate around the optical axis, and are fixed at a predetermined rotation position, that is, a rotation angle.
(Rotating mechanism)

On the other hand, the mount side lens connection surface 23 b is connected to the lens body 21 so as to be rotatable around the optical axis of the camera unit 10. For this reason, the connection surface between the mount side lens connection surface 23b and the lens body 21 includes a rotation mechanism. As the rotation mechanism, in the example of FIG. 11, the mount column portion protruding from the center of the mount portion 22 is inserted into a cylindrical body formed at the edge of the lens body 21 and further opened on the side surface of the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body and the mount column portion are connected by the advance of the set screw screwed into the screw hole. When the set screw is loosened, the lens body 21 and the mount portion 22 can be rotated relative to each other, and can be fixed at this rotation angle by fastening the set screw at a predetermined rotational position. The example of the rotation mechanism is not limited to this configuration, and a known configuration capable of rotating the microscope lens unit 20 around the optical axis of the camera unit and holding it at an arbitrary angle can be appropriately employed.
(Lens side cable 24)

  Furthermore, the electrical connection between the lens body 21 and the mount portion 22 is performed via the lens side cable 24 in the example of FIG. Here, the mount portion 22 and the microscope lens portion 20 are electrically connected via a flexible lens side cable 24. The lens side cable 24 is electrically connected to the lens side connection terminal 74, whereby lens identification information of the microscope lens unit 20 is sent to the lens side connection terminal 74 of the mount unit 22 via the lens side cable 24, and the camera unit. 10 to the control system 2. In this way, by separately preparing an electrical connection path for sending the lens identification information of the microscope lens unit 20 to the mount unit 22, while allowing rotation between the mount unit 22 and the microscope lens unit 20. The mount portion 22 and the microscope lens portion 20 can be electrically connected. In particular, the rotatable connection structure between the mount unit 22 and the microscope lens unit 20 is simplified, and the rotation of the mount unit 22 and the microscope lens unit 20 is not hindered by the flexibility of the lens-side cable 24. Both electrical connection and rotating structure can be achieved. Furthermore, since the mount unit 22 and the microscope lens unit 20 are integrally attached to and detached from the camera unit 10, there is no need to insert and remove the lens side cable 24, and labor saving in the replacement work of the microscope lens unit 20 is maintained.

  In the example of FIG. 11, the mount portion 22 and the lens body 21 are separated for convenience of explanation, but actually the mount portion 22 and the lens body 21 cannot be separated and are connected to be rotatable around the optical axis. doing.

  As a modification, the mount portion can be fixed to the head tilt mechanism. Since the head tilt mechanism is physically connected to the mounting unit, the position of the mount unit is fixed with respect to the mounting unit, and the microscope lens unit mounted on the mounting unit is also attached to the mounting unit. On the other hand, the position is fixed. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the microscope lens unit comes into contact with the observation object as compared with a configuration in which the microscope lens unit is movable.

As a modification, the lens identification information can be provided not on the lens body but on the mount. For example, the lens side connection terminal is connected to a dip switch provided in the mount portion, and the model number of the lens body is expressed by the ON / OFF pattern of the dip switch. In the control system, the model number of the lens body corresponding to the ON / OFF pattern of the dip switch and the detailed information of the lens body corresponding to the model number, for example, the total length of the microscope lens unit, the depth of field, and the like are stored in advance. be able to. As a result, the control system can read the lens identification information of the connected mount unit and similarly can grasp the information of the lens body. With this configuration, the exchange of electrical signals between the lens body and the mount portion can be made unnecessary, and an electrical connection structure between the lens body and the mount portion such as a lens side cable can be eliminated. On the other hand, a dedicated mount must be prepared for each lens body. However, the hardware configuration of the mount unit can be made common by using the dip switch as described above or by holding lens identification information in an E ² PROM or the like.

  In the above configuration, the configuration in which the lens identification information of the lens body or the mount portion is read by the control system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such transmission of information from the microscope lens unit to the control system, and conversely, a configuration in which a signal is transmitted from the control system to the microscope lens unit side may be employed. For example, when the focus adjustment of the microscope lens unit is motorized, a signal for controlling the movement of the microscope lens unit in the Z direction is sent from the control system to the microscope lens unit via the lens side connection terminal. Thus, the operation of the microscope lens unit can be controlled by the control system. Also in such control, appropriate control according to the type of the microscope lens part, for example, limiting the range that can be moved according to the total length of the microscope lens part, change the operation control according to the characteristics of each microscope lens part More accurate and appropriate observations can be realized. The information sent from the control system to the microscope lens unit includes the focus of the microscope lens unit, the exposure time such as the shutter speed, the aperture, and the like. As described above, the information sent from the control system to the microscope lens unit is not limited to the lens identification information, and may be other information using the lens identification information.

  In this way, the connection surface between the camera unit 10 and the mount unit 22 is configured to be detachable, and the connection surface between the mount unit 22 and the lens body 21 is rotatable so that the camera unit 10 can be moved relative to the mounting unit 30. Thus, while allowing rotation around the optical axis, the camera unit 10 can be held in a predetermined posture, and the degree of freedom of magnification observation can be increased.

  The mount unit 22 can hold the camera unit 10 with respect to the mounting unit 30 at an arbitrary rotation angle around the optical axis of the camera unit 10. As a result, the camera unit 10 can be adjusted to an arbitrary posture, that is, a rotation angle regardless of the posture of the microscope lens unit 20 around the optical axis, that is, the rotation angle. Thus, the relative angle suitable for observation can be adjusted.

With this configuration, the camera unit 10 can be rotated while the microscope lens unit 20 is held without being moved. For this reason, it is easy to avoid a situation in which the objective lens comes into contact with the observation object S or the placement unit 30 due to the movement of the microscope lens unit 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, in the magnifying observation apparatus 100 in which the head unit 4 is mounted on the head tilting mechanism 44 and can swing about the swinging shaft 45, the head unit 4 is swung. However, it is necessary to take care not to contact the observation object S. At least, the camera unit 10 does not need to be rotated around the optical axis, thereby eliminating unnecessary movement and avoiding a contact accident. .
(Example 2)

  Further, for example, as in the magnifying observation apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the plurality of objective lenses 21 a and 21 b provided at the tip of the head unit 4 are perpendicular to the surface on which the head unit 4 is swung. Even in a configuration in which switching is performed by swinging in a smooth plane, the movement of the objective lenses 21a and 21b is limited only to swinging in the vertical plane, and the rotation around the optical axis is not permitted. There is an advantage that a contact accident can be avoided by eliminating unnecessary movement.

  The magnifying observation apparatus, the magnifying image observing method, the magnifying image observing program, and the computer-readable recording medium of the present invention can be suitably used for a microscope, a reflection / transmission type digital microscope, and a digital camera. In addition, when the present technology is applied to a fluorescence microscope, reflected light or transmitted light from a sample with respect to illumination light can be read as excitation light.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 200, 400, 500 ... Magnification observation apparatus 1 ... Imaging system 2 ... Control system 3 ... Cable part; 3b ... Optical cable 4 ... Head part 6 ... Imaging condition selection screen 10 ... Camera part 11 ... Imaging optical system 12 ... Image sensor; 13 ... Image sensor control circuit; 14 ... Optical path shift means 16 ... Upper stage elevator 20 ... Microscope lens part 21 ... Lens body; 21a, 21b ... Objective lens 22 ... Mount part 23a ... Mount side camera connection surface; ... mount side lens connection surface 24 ... lens side cable 25 ... objective lens part 30 ... mounting part 32 ... slider 34 ... intermediate connection part 35 ... lower stage elevator 36 ... motor control circuit 37 ... stepping motor 40 ... support base 41 ... Base; 41a ... Block; 41b ... Bearing part; 41c ... Guide part 42 ... Stage fixing mechanism 43 ... Camera mounting part 44 ... Head Inclination mechanism 45 ... oscillating shaft 46 ... oscillating portion 47 ... oscillating column 48 ... head fixing portion 49 ... head arm 50 ... main body portion; 51 ... control portion; 52 ... display portion 53 ... storage portion; 55 ... Operation unit 60 ... Illumination unit 61 ... Illumination switching unit 62 ... Coaxial epi-illumination unit 63 ... Ring illumination unit 64 ... Transmission illumination unit 65 ... Illumination light source; 65r, 65g, 65b ... LED
65B ... Transmitted illumination light source; 65C ... Ring illumination light source 66 ... Illumination light control unit 71 ... Camera side connection surface 72 ... Camera side connection terminal 73 ... Lens side connection surface 74 ... Lens side connection terminal 81 ... Optical path shift control means 82 ... image selection means 83 ... imaging condition setting means 84 ... automatic synthesis means 85 ... image synthesis means 86 ... wavelength selection means 87 ... illumination light selection means 88 ... imaging element selection means S ... observation object HM ... half mirror

Claims (15)

An enlargement observation apparatus capable of irradiating an imaging target with illumination light, detecting the amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, and capturing an image of the imaging target,
Illuminating means for irradiating the observation object with illumination light;
A camera unit having an image sensor that receives reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light irradiated by the illumination unit;
A microscope lens unit optically coupled with the camera unit aligned with the optical axis;
Image synthesizing means for generating a color image based on received light data of different wavelength components obtained by the camera unit through the microscope lens unit;
Display means for displaying a color image generated by the image composition means;
Based on the aberration information of the microscope lens unit that is mounted on the camera unit in which a plurality of microscope lens units having different specifications can be replaced, the influence of the aberration of the microscope lens unit is relative among the plurality of wavelength components. And a wavelength selecting means capable of selecting a small number of wavelength components. The enlarged image observation apparatus according to claim 1,
The image synthesizing unit is configured to be able to generate a synthesized color image in which color information of a color image acquired separately is added to a single color image obtained with the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selecting unit. Magnifying observation apparatus characterized by that. The magnified image observation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
Wavelength component storage means corresponding to a plurality of microscope lens portions of different specifications, having a wavelength component with less influence of aberration, stored in advance according to the aberration information of each microscope lens portion,
The magnifying observation apparatus characterized in that the wavelength selection means selects a wavelength component corresponding to the microscope lens part being mounted with reference to the wavelength component storage means. The magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The microscope lens unit includes a zoom lens capable of changing an enlargement ratio,
The wavelength selection unit is configured to further select a wavelength component that is relatively less affected by the aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components according to the magnification of the microscope lens unit. A magnifying observation device. The magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The camera unit includes a camera-side connection terminal for electrically connecting the camera unit to the microscope lens unit,
The microscope lens unit includes a lens side connection terminal for electrical connection with a camera side connection terminal of the camera unit,
The wavelength selection means can acquire lens type information indicating the type of the microscope lens unit held by the microscope lens unit through an electrical connection between the lens side connection terminal and the camera side connection terminal. A magnification observation apparatus configured to be able to select a wavelength component that is less affected by the aberration of the lens based on lens type information. The magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising illumination light selection means capable of switching a wavelength component of illumination light emitted by the illumination means,
The magnification observation apparatus, wherein the wavelength component of the illumination light selected by the illumination light selection unit is the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection unit. In the magnified image observation device according to claim 6,
The magnifying observation apparatus, wherein the illuminating unit includes a light emitting diode capable of emitting red light, green light, or blue light. A magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The wavelength component that is less affected by aberrations is the green color component,
A magnification observation apparatus, wherein the single color single color image or the composite color image generated by the image synthesizing means is a high resolution image. The magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a pixel group of interest in which at least three pixels are arranged adjacent to each other for the pixels constituting the image sensor. Any one of the image sensors constituting the pixel group of interest by the amount of displacement corresponding to the pixel interval of the image sensor so that the amount of received light is detected at each position by making a round of the positions of the pixels of each image sensor constituting the image sensor Optical path shift means for relatively shifting the detection position of
The magnifying observation apparatus, wherein the image synthesizing unit is capable of generating a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing images acquired by shifting the position of the image sensor with the optical path shifting unit. A magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The image sensor is arranged adjacent to three or more pixels having light receiving characteristics in different wavelength ranges for the pixels constituting the image sensor,
The magnification observation apparatus further includes an image sensor selection unit for selecting which of the wavelength regions of the pixels of the image sensor are to receive light.
The magnification observation apparatus, wherein the wavelength range of the pixel selected by the imaging element selection unit is the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection unit. A magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The magnification observation apparatus, wherein the microscope lens unit is optically designed so that an aberration of a specific wavelength component has a characteristic of relatively less aberration than other wavelength components. An enlarged observation method for irradiating an imaging target with illumination light, detecting a received light amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, and acquiring an image of the imaging target,
Obtaining information of a microscope lens unit mounted on a camera unit having an image sensor;
Based on the acquired information, a step of selecting a wavelength component having a relatively small influence of the aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components by a wavelength selection unit;
Irradiating the observation object from the illumination means with illumination light of the selected wavelength component;
The reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light is detected by the camera unit through the microscope lens unit, and a single color image is generated based on the obtained light reception data, and the single color image is separately acquired. And a step of generating a composite color image to which the color information of the color image is added and displaying it on the display means. An enlarged observation method for irradiating an imaging target with illumination light, detecting a received light amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, and acquiring an image of the imaging target,
Obtaining information of a microscope lens unit mounted on a camera unit having an image sensor;
Based on the acquired information, a step of selecting a wavelength component having a relatively small influence of the aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components by a wavelength selection unit;
Irradiating the observation target with illumination light of white light from the illumination means;
When the reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light is detected by the imaging device of the camera unit through the microscope lens unit, the pixels constituting the imaging device have three or more adjacent light receiving characteristics in different wavelength ranges. A single color image is generated from the received light data detected by the pixel corresponding to the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection means, and the color of the color image acquired separately in the single color image. And a step of generating a composite color image to which information is added and displaying it on a display means. An enlargement observation program for irradiating an imaging target with illumination light, detecting a received light amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light, and acquiring an image of the imaging target,
A function of acquiring information of a microscope lens unit mounted on a camera unit having an image sensor;
Based on the acquired information, a wavelength selection function for selecting a wavelength component that is relatively less affected by the aberration of the microscope lens unit among a plurality of wavelength components;
The reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light irradiated to the observation object from the illumination means is detected by the camera unit through the microscope lens unit, and a single color image is generated based on the obtained light reception data, and the A computer realizes a composite image composition function for generating a composite color image by adding color information of a color image acquired separately to a single color image,
Illumination light corresponding to the wavelength component selected by the wavelength selection function is irradiated from the illumination means, or white illumination light is irradiated from the illumination means to the observation object, and reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light is applied to the microscope. When detecting with the imaging device of the camera unit through the lens unit, among the pixels constituting the imaging device and having three or more adjacent light receiving characteristics in different wavelength ranges, the wavelength selecting means A single color image is generated based on the received light data detected by the pixel corresponding to the selected wavelength component, and a composite color image is generated by adding color information of the color image acquired separately to the single color image. Magnification observation program.   A computer-readable recording medium or a recorded device on which the program according to claim 14 is recorded.

Images