JP2015127780A - Microscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate work of attaching a lens on a camera.SOLUTION: A microscope head unit 4 includes: a physical connection mechanism which integrally and rotatably makes a physical connection between a microscope camera unit 10 and microscope lens unit 20, which can be removed by relative rotation; and an electrical connection mechanism which electrically connects the microscope camera unit 10 and microscope lens unit 20 to allow for reading lens identification information when the microscope camera unit 10 and microscope lens unit 20 are physically connected by the physical connection mechanism, where the lens identification information is electrically sent to a main body via the electrical connection mechanism, the microscope camera unit 10, and a cable unit 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope apparatus such as a digital microscope that captures and displays an enlarged image.

  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 an observation target 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 sensor and electrically read image is displayed on a display unit such as a display (for example, Patent Document 1). A configuration example of the digital microscope is shown in FIG. A digital microscope 1100 shown in this figure includes a stage 1130 on which an observation object S is placed, a microscope camera unit 1110 having an imaging device, and a microscope lens unit configured by a plurality of lenses provided at the tip of the microscope camera unit 1110. And a controller unit 1102 having a display unit 1152 connected to the microscope head unit 1104 via a cable unit 1103. An image obtained by imaging the observation object S on the stage 1130 is sent from the microscope head unit 1104 to the controller unit 1102 and displayed on the screen of the display unit 1152. The microscope camera unit 1110 and the microscope lens unit 1120 are mounted so that their optical axes coincide. Further, a microscope lens unit is exchangeable, and microscope lens units having different magnifications and diaphragms are selected depending on the observation purpose and the observation object.

  In a microscope with an interchangeable microscope lens unit, the microscope lens unit is physically attached to the tip of the microscope camera unit, as well as an electrical connection for reading the microscope lens unit information with the control system. It becomes. Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 12, the microscope camera unit 1110 and the microscope lens unit 1120 are mechanically coupled, and the lens side cable 1124 drawn from the microscope lens unit 1120 is connected separately from the controller unit 1102. It was. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 13, not only the microscope camera unit 1110 but also the microscope lens unit 1120 can be electrically connected to the controller unit, so that information on the microscope lens unit 1120 can be grasped on the controller unit 1102 side. However, with this configuration, when replacing the lens, it is necessary to attach and detach the cable as well as the lens main body, which requires troublesome connections and inconveniences in routing the cable. Especially in applications where the lenses are frequently changed, the work becomes complicated.

JP 2012-145722 A JP 2004-170574 A

  The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems. A main object of the present invention is to provide a microscope apparatus that saves labor for attaching a lens to a camera.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first microscope apparatus, a placement unit for placing an observation object, a microscope head part for imaging the observation object, and the microscope head part An image obtained by capturing an observation object with the microscope head unit, and a main body unit connected to the microscope head unit via the cable unit; A microscope unit comprising a display unit for displaying the image and a control unit for controlling the imaging conditions of the microscope head unit, wherein the microscope head unit has an image sensor and is connected to the cable unit A microscope microscope camera unit that sends image information from the imaging device to the main body unit via a lens, and a lens identification relating to the type of lens that is detachably attached to the tip of the microscope camera unit and can be electrically read A microscope lens unit for holding the information, and the microscope head unit physically connects the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit in a state where the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit can rotate integrally, and by relative rotation. A physical connection mechanism that is detachable, and the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are physically connected to each other by the physical connection mechanism, whereby the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are connected to the lens identification information. The lens identification information is electrically connected to the main body through the electrical connection mechanism, the microscope camera unit, and the cable unit. Sent. With the above configuration, by physically attaching the microscope lens unit to the microscope camera unit, electrical connection can be achieved at the same time, and it is possible to save the trouble of separately connecting a cable or the like for electrical connection. Further, the control means can acquire the type of the currently installed microscope lens unit without a cable, and can perform appropriate operation control according to the type of the currently connected microscope lens unit.

  Further, according to the second microscope apparatus, the microscope lens unit further includes a lens body, and a mount part that is attached to an end surface of the lens body and constitutes the lens connection surface. A mount-side camera connection surface for connecting to the microscope camera unit, and a mount-side lens connection surface for connecting to the lens body, and the connection terminal is provided on the mount-side camera connection surface. The lens-side connection surface is configured such that the mount-side camera connection surface is fixed to the camera-side connection surface at a predetermined rotational position around the optical axis, and the mount-side lens connection surface is the lens body. It can be connected freely on the connection surface. With the above configuration, since the microscope camera unit can be adjusted to an arbitrary rotation angle while the microscope lens unit is fixed, it is possible to adjust the relative angle suitable for observation according to the movement of the mounting unit and the attitude of the microscope camera unit. It becomes possible.

  Further, according to the third microscope apparatus, the mount unit is electrically connected to the microscope lens unit via a flexible lens side cable, and the lens identification information of the microscope lens unit is: It can comprise so that it can send out to the lens side connection terminal of the said mount part via the said lens side cable. With the above configuration, by separately preparing an electrical connection path for sending lens identification information of the microscope lens unit to the mount unit, while allowing rotation of the mount unit and the microscope lens unit, the mount unit and the microscope lens unit It is possible to make an electrical connection. In particular, the rotatable connection structure between the mount portion and the microscope lens portion is simplified, and the rotation of the mount portion and the microscope lens portion is not hindered by the flexibility of the lens side cable. Furthermore, since the mount portion and the microscope lens portion are integrally attached to and detached from the microscope camera portion, it is not necessary to insert and remove the lens side cable, and simplification of the replacement operation of the microscope lens portion is maintained.

  Furthermore, according to the fourth microscope apparatus, the connection terminal can be composed of a plurality of terminals arranged in an arc along a circular cross section.

  Furthermore, according to the fifth microscope apparatus, the placing section can include a head tilting mechanism that can tilt the microscope head section with respect to the placing section. With the above-described configuration, the microscope lens unit can be exchanged smoothly in the microscope apparatus capable of tilt observation in which the microscope head unit is tilted with respect to the placement unit to perform imaging. In particular, in tilt observation, when the microscope head unit is tilted, the microscope lens unit easily approaches and comes into contact with the observation target. Therefore, the possibility of such contact can be reduced by fixing the microscope lens unit.

  Furthermore, according to the sixth microscope apparatus, the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are coupled to each other through the camera side connection surface and the lens side connection surface with respect to the mounting unit. The microscope camera unit can be configured to be rotatable around the optical axis. With the above configuration, the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are integrally rotated around the optical axis with respect to the mounting unit, and the direction in which the observation object on the mounting unit is actually moved and the display unit The moving direction in the display can be adjusted, and an easy-to-use observation environment is realized.

  Furthermore, according to the seventh microscope apparatus, the Z-axis moving means capable of automatically adjusting the relative distance between the placement section and the microscope head section, the relative position between the placement section and the microscope head section. An XY moving unit capable of changing a position; and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image obtained by synthesizing a plurality of images captured at different positions and relative distances by the Z-axis moving unit and the XY moving unit. it can.

  Furthermore, according to the eighth microscope apparatus, the microscope head unit is configured such that the microscope camera unit is held at an arbitrary rotation angle around the optical axis of the microscope camera unit with respect to the mounting unit. It is attached.

  Still further, according to the ninth microscope apparatus, the main body portion further includes an illumination light source for illumination, and the cable portion transmits an electric cable for transmitting the image information and light from the illumination light source. An optical cable for transmitting, and the microscope lens unit further receives illumination light from the illumination light source via the optical cable and illuminates the illumination light toward the observation target region. An optical system can be provided.

  Furthermore, according to the tenth microscope apparatus, the placement unit further includes an illumination light source for illumination, and the microscope lens unit further transmits illumination light from the illumination light source via the optical cable. And an illumination optical system for irradiating the illumination light toward the observation target region.

  Furthermore, according to the eleventh microscope apparatus, the microscope lens unit further includes an illumination light source for illumination and an illumination optical system for irradiating light from the illumination light source toward the observation target region. Can do.

1 is an external view of a microscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a microscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the imaging system of a microscope apparatus. 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 microscope camera part of a microscope head part. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that a microscope head part is rock | fluctuated. 6 is a perspective view showing a microscope apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which a microscope head unit is attached to and detached from a microscope apparatus according to a third embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the state which reads the head identification information of the microscope apparatus of FIG. 9 with a control system. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional digital microscope. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a mode that a microscope camera part and a microscope lens part are connected with the conventional microscope apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows a mode that a microscope camera part and a microscope lens part are electrically connected with a controller part by the microscope apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the microscope apparatus which concerns on a modification. It is a schematic diagram which shows the microscope apparatus which concerns on another modification. FIG. 16A is a schematic view showing a microscope head portion of a microscope apparatus according to still another modification, and FIG. 16B is a horizontal sectional view taken along line BB of the microscope head portion of FIG. 16A.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies a microscope apparatus for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the microscope apparatus 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 microscope apparatus used in the embodiments of the present invention and computers, printers, external storage devices 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 electrical, magnetic, or optical connection via 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, etc. . 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 term “microscope device” is used to mean not only a microscope body but also a magnification observation system in which peripheral devices such as a computer and an external storage device are combined.

  Further, in this specification, the microscope apparatus is not limited to a system that performs magnified 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 microscope 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, a microscope apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The microscope 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 illuminating unit 60 for illuminating a sample or a work or other subject that is the observation target S, and a microscope head unit 4 that images the observation target S illuminated by the illuminating unit 60. The microscope head unit 4 includes a microscope camera unit 10 including an image sensor 12 and a microscope lens unit 20 that is detachably attached to the tip of the microscope camera unit 10. The microscope lens unit 20 constitutes an imaging optical system (lens optical system) composed of a plurality of optical lenses. The head unit 4 functions as an imaging unit that receives reflected light or transmitted light of illumination light.

  The imaging system 1 also includes a placement unit 30 on which the observation object S is placed, and a first focus adjustment unit that adjusts the focal point by changing the relative distance between the placement unit 30 and the microscope head unit 4 in the optical axis direction. And an upper stage elevator 16 for driving the Z upper stage. On the other hand, the microscope 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 microscope camera unit 10.

  Furthermore, the control system 2 includes a main body unit 50 having a display unit 52 that displays an enlarged image captured by the microscope camera unit 10. The microscope 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 memory 53 as a focal length information storage unit that stores the two-dimensional position information of the observation object S in the plane, a display unit 52 for displaying an image read by the image sensor 12, a microscope head unit 4 and a lower stage elevator 35 and an interface 54 for communicating data. The microscope apparatus 100 captures and displays an observation image using an imaging element 12 that electrically reads reflected light or transmitted light from an observation object S fixed to a stage 30 that is incident via an imaging optical system 11. This is displayed on the unit 52.

  Furthermore, the microscope apparatus 100 includes an imaging condition for setting conditions for capturing an image with the microscope camera unit 10, an operation unit 55 for performing 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 region based on the focal length information stored in the memory 53 regarding part or all of the corresponding observation object S. Prepare. The microscope 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 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. These operation units 55 can be used not only for operation of the magnification observation operation program but also for operation of the microscope 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 for irradiating the observation object S with coaxial incident light, a ring illumination unit 63 for irradiating ring-shaped illumination light from a ring-shaped light source, and a transmission A transmission illumination unit 64 for irradiating light is 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 for sending light to the optical cable 3b via the connector. 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 and switching are performed by the illumination light control unit. The illumination light control unit includes an illumination light switching unit for switching illumination light.

As described above, the illumination unit 60 includes the coaxial incident illumination unit 62 and the 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. The lighting control of the illumination unit 60 is performed by the illumination light control unit. The illumination light control unit includes an illumination light switching unit, and the illumination switching unit can switch between the coaxial incident illumination unit 62 and the ring illumination unit 63. The illumination switching unit can also be configured to mix the coaxial incident illumination unit 62 and the ring illumination unit 63 at different ratios.
(Lighting source)

  As the illumination light source, a semiconductor light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an LD (Laser Diode) can be used. For example, an LED having an RGB wavelength range is prepared, and illumination light can be switched to red, green, and blue by turning on each LED, or white light can be obtained by mixing these colors. 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 microscope apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 14 includes a transmission illumination light source 65B as an illumination light source on the placement unit 30 side. 15 includes an illumination light source 65C for coaxial epi-illumination and ring illumination on the microscope lens unit 20 side. In addition to using a common illumination light source for coaxial epi-illumination and ring illumination, an illumination light source for ring illumination can be provided separately from the coaxial epi-illumination. An example of a microscope head portion provided with a ring illumination light source is shown in a cross-sectional view of 16A. The microscope head unit 4B shown in this figure has an illumination head 26 fixed to the tip. The illumination head 26 is for irradiating the observation object with light from a large number of LEDs 27. For example, the illumination head 26 includes light guide means in which a metal thin film is deposited on the outer surface of a transparent acrylic resin. As shown in the bottom view of FIG. 16B, the LEDs 27 are provided over the entire circumference, for example, at an equiangular pitch on the circumference.

With such a configuration, there is no need to transmit illumination light from the main body side to the microscope head side by using an optical fiber or the like, and there is an advantage that the configuration can be simplified by reducing the number of cables drawn to the outside. Further, inside the microscope head side, the light from the illumination light source may be 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, has a long life, and can be made maintenance-free.
(Support base 40)

An example of the external configuration of the imaging system 1 of the microscope 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 microscope 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 microscope head unit 4 while holding the mounting unit 30. Yes. 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. 3, the lower stage elevator 35 is realized by the slider 32 fixed to the base portion 41 so as to be movable up and down as the Z-axis movement mechanism, and further, the intermediate stage fixed on the slider 32 as the rotational movement 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 is configured to swing the microscope head unit 4 with respect to the mounting unit 30. The swinging unit 46 is swingably connected to the base unit 41 via the swinging shaft 45. 46 is provided with a head fixing portion 48 for fixing the microscope 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 microscope 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 a position intermediate from the upper portion of the swing column 47 so as to hold the microscope head unit 4 above the placement unit 30. Further, a fixing mechanism for fixing the microscope head unit 4 is provided at the tip of the head arm 49. Here, the fixing mechanism is formed in a ring shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the microscope head portion 4, and the microscope 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. The

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 microscope head unit 4 is swung can be seen with the scale.
(Microscope camera unit 10)

The microscope head unit 4 includes a microscope camera unit 10 having an image sensor, and a microscope lens unit 20 that is detachably attached to the tip of the microscope camera unit 10. The microscope 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.
(Display unit 52)

  Such image data and the setting contents held in the memory 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 50 inputs control data related to the control of the stepping motor 37 to the motor control circuit 36, whereby the optical axis between the placement unit 30 and the microscope head unit 4 including the imaging optical system 11 and the imaging element 12. The relative distance in the direction, 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 microscope head unit 4 can also be changed. The microscope head unit 4 is connected to the main body unit 50 and the cable unit 3. Thereby, the data acquired by the microscope head unit 4 is sent to the main body unit 50 via the cable unit 3, and necessary processing can be performed on the main body unit 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 memory 53 together with pixel arrangement information (x, y) as 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 microscope head unit 4 can be used by being attached to the camera mounting 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 microscope apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, the microscope camera unit 10 displays an observation image obtained by imaging the observation object S by 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 microscope 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.
(Physical connection mechanism)

The microscope apparatus 100 also includes a physical connection mechanism that allows the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 to be physically connected in a relatively non-rotatable state and to be detachable. Specifically, the microscope 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. 4, 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. 4 and 5, 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 side edge 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 microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 can be connected in a locked state by being guided and engaged. Moreover, the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 can be easily separated by rotating the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 relatively to release the locked state. Note that the relatively non-rotatable state in the above-described physical connection mechanism means a state in which the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are coupled in the locked state, and the microscope camera unit and the microscope are coupled or detached during the operation. It does not mean an operation of releasing the locked state or the locked state by relatively rotating the lens unit. 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 for detachably connecting the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit.
(Electrical connection mechanism)

  Furthermore, the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 are provided with an electrical connection mechanism for electrically connecting each other. Specifically, the microscope 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 microscope 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, in the mechanically connected state, that is, in the rotation position of the microscope lens unit 20 and the microscope camera unit 10 in the locked state, the corresponding camera side connection terminal 72 and the lens side connection terminal 74 are brought into contact with each other. The size and shape are designed. In other words, when the microscope 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.

  4 and 5, 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 microscope head unit 4 and the microscope camera unit 10 are connected, the terminals come into contact with other terminals and the surface is rubbed, so that dust and foreign matters on the surface are scraped off to increase the contact resistance. Can be avoided. However, the terminal arrangement structure is not limited to this example. 4 and 5, 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 microscope 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 microscope 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, 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 advance in the memory of the main unit 50 53 or the like can also be stored 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 microscope camera unit, the main unit 50 acquires detailed information corresponding to the model with reference to the memory 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 microscope apparatus, there is a case where it is desired to rotate the microscope camera unit around the optical axis with respect to the mounting unit. For example, when moving the observation object on the placement unit, the movement direction of the image displayed on the screen of the display unit is up and down and left and right sensuously as the movement direction of the actual observation object. It is desirable to match. Also, in tilt observation where the microscope lens unit is tilted at the top of the mounting unit, the vertical direction is more intuitive to grasp image changes than the horizontal direction of the display unit. Often easy. In order to realize such observation, it is necessary to physically rotate the microscope camera unit with respect to the placement unit.
However, it is not always necessary to rotate the microscope lens unit attached to the tip of the microscope camera unit. On the contrary, since the microscope lens part tends to increase in size especially as the magnification is increased, the weight is also increased, and a certain mechanical strength is required for holding the microscope lens part. For this reason, if the microscope lens unit is made to be rotatable while maintaining sufficient rigidity, the operation of rotating the heavy and large microscope lens unit becomes troublesome for the user, and the configuration becomes complicated and the cost increases. There was a problem. In addition, since the microscope lens unit is fixed in a posture protruding from the microscope camera unit to the mounting unit side, it is necessary to take care that the microscope lens unit does not contact the observation object. The configuration for rotating the is inconvenient.

  Therefore, a configuration is conceivable in which the microscope lens unit is fixed to the support base, while the microscope camera unit can be rotated around the optical axis relative to the microscope lens unit. However, in this case, there is a problem that the structure for attaching and detaching the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit becomes complicated. In other words, the microscope lens section, which generally tends to be heavier than the microscope camera section, is fixed so that it does not come off from the tip of the microscope camera section, but it can be detachable when necessary. It is not easy to adopt a configuration that allows rotation of the lens unit and the microscope camera unit. In particular, the more you try to increase the rigidity and reliability of the connection part, the more difficult and troublesome it will be to attach and detach, so if you need to change the microscope lens frequently depending on the observation application and purpose, lens replacement work There was also a concern that could be extremely cumbersome.

Therefore, in this embodiment, by separating the connecting portion between the microscope lens unit 20 and the microscope camera unit and the portion that relatively rotates the microscope camera unit, the detachable structure of the microscope lens unit 20 and the microscope camera unit, and This has succeeded in simplifying the structure for relatively rotating the microscope camera unit around the optical axis. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the microscope lens unit 20 is provided with a mount unit 22, and the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 are detachably connected via the mount unit 22. And the lens body 21 are rotatable.
(Mount 22)

The microscope lens unit 20 shown in FIG. 6 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 microscope 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 microscope camera unit 10. As such a physical coupling mechanism, the same configuration as in FIG. In other words, in the physical coupling mechanism, the rotation of the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 around the optical axis is not allowed, and is 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 microscope 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. 6, the mount column portion protruding from the center of the mount portion 22 is inserted into a cylindrical body formed on 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 that can hold the microscope lens unit 20 at an arbitrary angle around the optical axis of the microscope camera unit so that the microscope lens unit 20 is rotatable 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 microscope camera. It is sent to the control system 2 through the unit 10. 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. Further, since the mount unit 22 and the microscope lens unit 20 are integrally attached to and detached from the microscope 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 also maintained. .

  In the example of FIG. 6, the mount portion 22 and the lens body 21 are separated for convenience of explanation. However, in practice, 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. Information sent from the control system to the microscope lens unit includes the focus of the microscope lens unit, magnification for a diaphragm or zoom lens, magnification of an objective lens for a lens with an objective switching mechanism, objective lens switching instruction, etc. Is mentioned. 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 microscope 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 microscope camera unit 10 is placed on the mounting unit 30. However, the microscope camera unit 10 can be held in a predetermined posture while allowing rotation around the optical axis, and the degree of freedom of magnification observation can be increased.

  With the mount unit 22 described above, the microscope camera unit 10 can be held with respect to the mounting unit 30 at an arbitrary rotation angle around the optical axis of the microscope camera unit 10. As a result, the microscope 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. Accordingly, it is possible to adjust the relative angle suitable for observation.

Further, with this configuration, the microscope 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. 7, in the microscope apparatus 100 in which the microscope head unit 4 is mounted on the head tilting mechanism 44 and can swing about the swing shaft 45, the microscope head unit 4 is swung. It is necessary to pay attention not to contact the observation object S in the state, but at least the microscope camera unit 10 does not need to be rotated around the optical axis, thereby eliminating unnecessary movement and causing a contact accident. Can be avoided.
(Example 2)

Further, for example, as in the microscope apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the plurality of objective lenses 21 a and 21 b provided at the distal end of the microscope lens unit 21 are set on the surface on which the microscope head unit 4 is swung. Even in a configuration in which switching is performed by swinging in a vertical 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. In addition, there is an advantage that a contact accident can be avoided by eliminating unnecessary movement.
(Example 3)

  In the above example, the configuration in which the microscope lens unit is attached to and detached from the microscope camera unit via the mount unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration using the mount unit, and the microscope lens unit can be directly connected to the microscope camera unit. In this case, the microscope lens unit and the microscope camera unit are integrally fixed, and relative rotation is not performed at the connection portion between the microscope lens unit and the microscope camera unit. Instead, the microscope lens unit and the microscope camera unit are integrally connected, and are rotatable about the optical axis with respect to the mounting unit. An example of such a configuration is shown in an exploded perspective view of FIG. The basic configuration of the microscope apparatus 300 shown in this figure is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same members as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In the microscope apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 9, the microscope lens unit 20 is attached to the head tilt mechanism 44 via a holding unit. The holding unit is spaced above the mounting unit 30 and protrudes from the front surface of the head tilt mechanism 44 in a posture substantially parallel to the mounting unit 30. The holding unit rotatably holds the microscope lens unit 20, and the lens side connection surface 73 of the microscope lens unit 20 is exposed on the upper surface thereof. In this state, the exposed lens side connection surface 73 can be joined to the camera side connection surface 71 of the microscope camera unit 10. The lens-side connection terminal 74 of the lens-side connection surface 73 and the camera-side connection terminal 72 of the camera-side connection surface 71 can use the same configurations as those shown in FIGS. When the camera-side connection surface 71 is attached to the lens-side connection surface 73, the microscope camera unit 10 and the microscope lens unit 20 can be integrated and rotated around the optical axis via the holding unit. Further, as shown in FIG. 10 described above, since the microscope lens unit 20 can be electrically connected to the microscope camera unit 10 without a cable, the lens type information of the microscope lens unit 20 can be sent to the control system 2 side through the microscope camera unit 10. . If it is this structure, it will become possible to rotate the microscope camera part 10 relatively with respect to the mounting part 30, without providing the rotation mechanism of the microscope camera part and microscope lens part which used the mount part. In particular, when the microscope lens unit 20 is relatively small or light, the structure for rotating the microscope lens unit 20 is not so complicated, and mechanical strength is not required, it can be suitably used.
Example 4

  Furthermore, in the above example, in order to grasp | ascertain the lens classification information of the microscope lens part 20 with a control system, the structure which provides the lens side connection terminal 74 in the lens connection surface of the microscope lens part 20 was demonstrated. In this configuration, the lens identification information is sent from the microscope lens unit 20 to the microscope camera unit via the lens side connection terminal 74 and the camera side connection terminal 72. Since the microscope camera unit is connected to the control system via a cable, the head identification information is transmitted to the control system via the cable via the microscope camera unit. Thereby, the control system 2 can grasp the type of the microscope lens unit 20 currently attached to the microscope camera unit.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens identification information of the microscope lens unit can be transmitted to the control system wirelessly. For example, wireless connection using an existing communication method such as radio waves or electromagnetic waves, for example, wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, or optical communication or acoustic wave communication can be realized. With this configuration, it is possible to transmit lens identification information directly from the microscope lens unit to the control system without using a connection terminal between the microscope lens unit and the microscope camera unit. The advantage that the contact point for can be omitted is obtained.

  On the other hand, a transmitter for radio waves is required on the lens side. However, lens identification information can be sent to the control system even with a simple configuration by using encoding and decoding of a signal that can transmit information without power, such as an IC tag, a barcode, or a two-dimensional code. For example, a barcode that encodes lens identification information is imprinted in advance on a part of the microscope lens unit, and is read by the control system. Alternatively, a barcode in which lens identification information is similarly encoded on the optical path of the microscope lens unit, for example, on the inside of the microscope lens unit or a cap of the microscope lens unit can be read and decoded by the microscope camera unit.

  The microscope apparatus of the present invention can be suitably used for a reflection or transmission type digital microscope. In addition, when the present technology is applied to a fluorescence microscope, reflected light or transmitted light from an observation target with respect to illumination light can be read as excitation light.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500 ... microscope apparatus 1 ... imaging system 2 ... control system 3 ... cable part; 3b ... optical cable;
4, 4B ... Microscope head unit 10 ... Microscope camera unit 11 ... Imaging optical system 12 ... Imaging device; 13 ... Imaging device control circuit 16 ... Upper stage elevator 20 ... Microscope lens unit 21 ... Lens body; 21a, 21b ... Objective lens DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 ... Mount part 23a ... Mount side camera connection surface; 23b ... Mount side lens connection surface 24 ... Lens side cable 26 ... Illumination head 27 ... LED
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Mounting part 32 ... Slider 34 ... Intermediate | middle connection part 35 ... Lower stage elevator 36 ... Motor control circuit 37 ... Stepping motor 40 ... Supporting base 41 ... Base; 41a ... Block; 41b ... Bearing part; 41c ... Guide part 42 ... Stage fixing mechanism 43 ... Camera mounting part 44 ... Head tilting mechanism 45 ... Oscillating shaft 46 ... Oscillating part 47 ... Oscillating column 48 ... Head fixing part 49 ... Head arm 50 ... Main body part; 51 ... Control part; 52 ... Display unit 53 ... Memory; 54 ... Interface; 55 ... Operating unit 60 ... Lighting unit 62 ... Coaxial epi-illumination unit 63 ... Ring illumination unit 64 ... Transmission illumination unit 65B ... Transmission illumination light source; 65C ... Illumination light source 71 ... Camera side connection Surface 72 ... Camera side connection terminal 73 ... Lens side connection surface 74 ... Lens side connection terminal 1100 ... Digital microscope 1102 ... Controller unit 110 ... cable portion 1104 ... microscope head portion 1110 ... microscope camera unit 1120 ... Microscope lens unit 1124 ... lens-side cable 1130 ... stage 1152 ... display section S ... observation target

Claims (11)

A placement unit for placing an object to be observed;
A microscope head for imaging an observation object;
A cable part connected to the microscope head part;
A main body connected to the microscope head via the cable;
A display unit for displaying an image obtained by capturing an observation object in the microscope head unit, which is provided integrally or separately from the main body unit;
A microscope apparatus comprising a control means for controlling imaging conditions of the microscope head unit,
The microscope head part is
A microscope microscope camera unit having an image sensor and sending image information from the image sensor to the main body unit via the connected cable unit;
A microscope lens unit that is detachably attached to the tip of the microscope camera unit and holds lens identification information regarding the type of electrically readable lens, and
Furthermore, the microscope head part is
A physical connection mechanism that physically connects the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit in an integrally rotatable state, and is detachable by relative rotation;
By electrically connecting the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit by the physical connection mechanism, the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are electrically connected so that the lens identification information can be read out. An electrical connection mechanism,
The lens apparatus is characterized in that the lens identification information is electrically sent to the main body through the electrical connection mechanism, the microscope camera unit, and the cable unit. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1,
The microscope lens unit further includes
The lens body;
A mounting portion mounted on an end surface of the lens body and constituting the lens connection surface;
The mount part is
A mount-side camera connection surface for connecting to the microscope camera unit;
A mount-side lens connection surface for connecting to the lens body,
The mount-side camera connection surface includes the connection terminal as the lens-side connection surface, and the mount-side camera connection surface is fixed to the camera-side connection surface at a predetermined rotational position around the optical axis. Configured,
2. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mount side lens connection surface is rotatably connected to a connection surface with the lens body. The microscope apparatus according to claim 2,
The mount part is electrically connected to the microscope lens part via a flexible lens side cable;
The microscope apparatus is configured so that the lens identification information of the microscope lens unit can be sent to the lens side connection terminal of the mount unit via the lens side cable. The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
2. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal includes a plurality of terminals arranged in an arc shape along a circular cross section. The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The microscope apparatus, wherein the placement unit includes a head tilt mechanism capable of tilting the microscope head unit with respect to the placement unit. The microscope apparatus according to claim 1,
The microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit can be rotated around the optical axis of the microscope camera unit with respect to the mounting unit in a state where the microscope camera unit and the microscope lens unit are coupled via the camera side connection surface and the lens side connection surface. A microscope apparatus characterized by comprising. The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a Z-axis moving unit capable of automatically adjusting a relative distance between the placement unit and the microscope head unit,
XY moving means capable of changing the relative position between the mounting portion and the microscope head portion;
Image combining means for generating a combined image obtained by combining a plurality of images captured at different positions and relative distances by the Z-axis moving means and the XY moving means;
A microscope apparatus comprising: The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The microscope apparatus, wherein the microscope head unit is attached to the mounting unit so that the microscope camera unit is held at an arbitrary rotation angle around the optical axis of the microscope camera unit. The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The main body further includes an illumination light source for illumination,
The cable portion includes an electrical cable that transmits the image information, and an optical cable that transmits light from the illumination light source,
The microscope lens unit further includes an illumination optical system for receiving illumination light from the illumination light source via the optical cable and irradiating the illumination light toward an observation target region. Microscope device. The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The mounting section further includes an illumination light source for illumination,
The microscope lens unit further includes an illumination optical system for receiving illumination light from the illumination light source via the optical cable and irradiating the illumination light toward an observation target region. Microscope device. The microscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The microscope lens unit further includes an illumination light source for illumination, and an illumination optical system for irradiating light from the illumination light source toward an observation target region.

Images