JP2019056855A - Microscope system, display control method and display control program - Google Patents

Abstract

To align a ground surface direction of a sample, represented in an observation image displayed on a display screen of a display part during an inclined observation, with a ground surface direction of the display screen.SOLUTION: A microscope system comprises: a stage 110 on which a sample is mounted; an observation optical system on which light corresponding to the sample mounted on the stage is made incident; an image signal generation part which receives light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal; a rotation part which rotates a head part 120 including the observation optical system and image signal generation part on an axis orthogonal to an optical system of the observation optical system to tilt the optical axis to an axis orthogonal to a sample mount surface of the stage; a tilt detection part 154 which detects the optical axis tilting to the axis orthogonal to the sample mount surface; and a control part 155 which rotates an observation image based upon the image signal generated by the image signal generation part according to the tilt of the optical axis detected by the tilt detection part and then displays it.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope system that displays an image obtained by capturing an optical image of a specimen on a display unit, a display control method that is executed in the microscope system, and a display control program that is executed by a computer of the microscope system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a form of a microscope system (so-called digital microscope) that displays an image obtained by taking an optical image of a specimen on a display unit, a microscope in which a head unit including an observation optical system and an imaging unit is tiltable The system is known.

  In such a microscope system, it is possible to perform normal observation in which the sample is observed from above by making the head portion upright, and to perform tilted observation in which the sample is observed from an oblique direction by inclining the head portion. However, when performing tilt observation, in order to avoid the fact that the observation target part is out of the observation field of view or the observation point or the focus position once adjusted is shifted when the head is tilted. The height of the stage on which the sample is placed needs to be adjusted in advance.

  With respect to such a microscope system, a microscope that can automatically match the height position of the observation object to the eucentric position (for example, see Patent Document 1) in order to eliminate the above-described troublesome adjustment. ) And a microscope system (see, for example, Patent Document 2) that can suppress the occurrence of displacement of the observation point and deviation of the focus without performing complicated operations even when the optical head is tilted. Has been.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-127779 JP 2013-72996 A

  In the microscope system as described above, the ground direction of the specimen represented in the observation image displayed on the display screen of the display unit during the tilt observation is, for example, an observation image 174 in FIG. 4 or an observation image 178 in FIG. As described above, since the display screen is in the left direction or the right direction, it does not coincide with the downward direction that is the ground direction of the display screen. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for the observer to grasp the positional relationship in the observation image.

  In view of the above situation, the present invention provides a microscope system and a display control method capable of matching the ground direction of a specimen represented in an observation image displayed on a display screen of a display unit during tilt observation with the ground direction of the display screen. And a display control program.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a stage on which a specimen is placed, an observation optical system on which light corresponding to the specimen placed on the stage is incident, and the light emitted from the observation optical system are received By rotating an image signal generation unit that generates an image signal and a head unit including the observation optical system and the image signal generation unit about an axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the observation optical system, A rotation unit that tilts an axis with respect to an axis perpendicular to the sample placement surface of the stage, an inclination detection unit that detects an inclination of the optical axis with respect to an axis perpendicular to the sample placement surface, and the image signal generation unit There is provided a microscope system comprising: a display control unit that performs control to rotate and display an observation image based on the image signal generated in accordance with the tilt of the optical axis detected by the tilt detection unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the stage control unit further performs a control for moving the stage in a direction parallel to the specimen placement surface in response to an input of a stage movement instruction from a user. The stage control unit, when the stage movement instruction is input when the observation image is rotated and displayed under the control of the display control unit, the stage control unit controls the stage according to the rotation direction of the observation image. Provided is a microscope system that performs control to move the stage by rotating a moving direction.

  A third aspect of the present invention provides a microscope system according to the first aspect, wherein the display control unit further performs control to simultaneously display the observation image before rotation and the observation image after rotation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the display control unit applies an image signal generated by the image signal generation unit when an inclination of the optical axis is not detected by the inclination detection unit. A pre-tilt observation image that is an observation image based on the image, and a post-tilt observation image that is an observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit when the tilt of the optical axis is detected by the tilt detection unit. A microscope system is further provided that further performs control to display the images simultaneously.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, when the display control unit performs control to display the pre-tilt observation image and the post-tilt observation image at the same time, the display controller displays the post-tilt observation image. There is provided a microscope system that further performs control to display a pattern indicating an observation direction of the sample on the pre-tilt observation image.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the display control unit includes a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image in which a predetermined specimen is schematically represented, and the inclination of the optical axis by the inclination detection unit. Simultaneously displaying an observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit when the image signal is detected, and a pattern indicating a direction corresponding to the observation direction of the specimen represented in the observation image Provided is a microscope system that further performs control to display on the three-dimensional image or the two-dimensional image.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the display control unit is configured to rotate the observation image when the aspect ratio of the observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit is not 1: 1. There is provided a microscope system that further performs control to display a partial image including a central position in the long side direction in the observation image on the entire image display area on a display screen of a display unit.

An eighth aspect of the present invention provides the microscope system according to the seventh aspect, wherein the partial image is an image obtained by trimming the observation image after rotation.
A ninth aspect of the present invention provides the microscope system according to the seventh aspect, wherein the partial image is an image obtained by enlarging and trimming the observation image after rotation.

A tenth aspect of the present invention provides a microscope system according to the first aspect, wherein the microscope system permits or prohibits the rotation by the display control unit in response to an instruction input from a user.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the observation image after the rotation is obtained by adding the observation image before the rotation to +90 degrees according to the inclination of the optical axis detected by the inclination detection unit or A microscope system is provided that is an image rotated at -90 degrees, or -270 degrees or +270 degrees.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an observation optical system in which light corresponding to a specimen placed on a stage enters, an image signal generation unit that receives the light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal; A microscope having a rotating unit that tilts the optical axis with respect to an axis orthogonal to the specimen mounting surface of the stage by rotating a head unit including the optical axis about the axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the observation optical system A display control method executed in the system, wherein an inclination of the optical axis with respect to an axis orthogonal to the specimen mounting surface is detected, and an observation image based on an image signal generated by the image signal generation unit is detected Provided is a display control method for rotating and displaying in accordance with the inclination of the optical axis.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is an observation optical system in which light corresponding to a specimen placed on a stage enters, an image signal generation unit that receives the light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal; A microscope having a rotating unit that tilts the optical axis with respect to an axis orthogonal to the specimen mounting surface of the stage by rotating a head unit including the optical axis about the axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the observation optical system The system computer detects an inclination of the optical axis with respect to an axis perpendicular to the specimen mounting surface, and an observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit is detected according to the detected inclination of the optical axis. Provided is a display control program that executes a process of rotating and displaying.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the ground direction of the specimen represented in the observation image displayed on the display screen of the display unit during the tilt observation can be matched with the ground direction of the display screen.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the microscope system which concerns on one embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the example of the inclination of the optical head with which the microscope system which concerns on one embodiment is provided. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the observation process performed in the microscope system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the observation image before and behind rotation when an optical head stands upright, and an optical head inclines in the + direction. It is a figure which shows an example of the observation image before and behind rotation when an optical head inclines in-direction. It is a figure explaining the example which displayed the pattern which shows the observation direction of a sample on a predetermined three-dimensional image. It is a figure explaining the example which displayed the pattern which shows the observation direction of a sample on the observation image before inclination. It is a figure explaining the example in case the aspect-ratio of the observation image based on the image signal for a display is not 1: 1. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of a control apparatus main body.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a microscope system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an inclination example of the optical head provided in the microscope system according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a microscope system 1 according to this embodiment includes a microscope apparatus 10 that generates an image signal corresponding to a specimen S, an observation image display based on an image signal generated by the microscope apparatus 10, and a microscope. And a control device 15 that controls the operation and the like of the device 10.

  The microscope apparatus 10 includes a base 100, a support column 103 installed on the base 100 via a rotating shaft 101 and a bearing 102, an XY stage 110 on which a specimen S is placed, and an XY stage 110 in the vertical direction of FIG. A stage holder 111 that is movably held, a stage operation unit 112 that changes the height of the stage holder 111 with respect to the base 100, an optical head 120 provided on the XY stage 110, and the optical head 120 with respect to the column 103. And an optical head holding section 130 that holds the movable head. In addition, the microscope apparatus 10 may include an illumination optical system that illuminates the specimen S. The configuration of the illumination optical system may be a transmission illumination optical system provided below the XY stage 110 or an epi-illumination optical system provided above the XY stage 110. Alternatively, it may be an oblique illumination optical system that irradiates the sample S with light obliquely (that is, from a direction intersecting with an axis orthogonal to the mounting surface of the sample S). In the following description, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is the X-axis direction, the depth direction in FIG. 1 is the Y-axis direction, and the up-down direction in FIG. 1 is the Z-axis direction. And it shall be installed so that it may become parallel to the field (XY plane) which consists of a Y-axis. Thereby, of course, the sample mounting surface of the XY stage 110 is also parallel to the XY plane. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the XY stage 110 is an electric XY stage in which stage movement (movement of the sample placement surface) in a direction parallel to the XY plane is electrically performed using a motor or the like. A manual XY stage in which the stage is moved manually may be used.

  The rotation shaft 101 is fixed to the base 100. The bearing 102 is fixed to the end portion of the column 103 so that the axis R1 common to the rotating shaft 101 is orthogonal to the axis R2 of the column 103. By fitting the bearing 102 to the rotary shaft 101, the axis R2 of the support column 103 is orthogonal to the axis R1, and the support column 103 is rotatable about the axis R1. In addition, the optical axis L1 of the optical head 120 connected through the support column 103 and the optical head holding unit 130 is also orthogonal to the axis R1, and the optical head 120 is also rotatable about the axis R1. That is, the bearing 102 and the rotation shaft 101 constitute a rotation unit having the axis R1 of the optical head 120 connected to the support column 103 via the optical head holding unit 130 as a rotation axis. Thereby, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the optical head 120 can be tilted (hereinafter also referred to as “tilt”) in the YZ plane (in the plane composed of the Y axis and the Z axis). In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the tilting operation of the optical head 120 is performed manually, but the optical head 120 may be tilted electrically using a motor or the like.

  The stage operation unit 112 is realized by, for example, a handle 112a and a linear guide 112b that can be manually rotated by a user. When the user rotates the handle 112a, the stage holder 111 moves in a direction (Z-axis direction) orthogonal to the sample placement surface of the XY stage 110 according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount.

  The optical head 120 includes a lens barrel 121, an objective lens 122 provided at the end of the lens barrel 121 on the XY stage 110 side, a zoom lens group 123a provided inside the lens barrel 121, and the zoom lens group 123a. The motor-driven zoom 123 includes a motor 123b for driving, and the focal length can be changed. The imaging unit 124 is provided at the end of the lens barrel 121 opposite to the objective lens 122. Among these, the objective lens 122 and the zoom lens group 123a constitute an observation optical system into which observation light corresponding to the specimen S placed on the XY stage 110 is incident. The optical axis L1 of the optical head 120 is also the optical axis of the observation optical system. The imaging unit 124 includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), for example, receives observation light that has passed through the observation optical system, and generates an electrical signal (imaging signal) that is an image signal corresponding to the observation light. Output.

The optical head holding unit 130 includes an electric head operation unit 131 fixed to the optical head 120 side, and a support 132 fixed to the support column 103 side.
The support tool 132 is fastened to the support column 103 by a fixed handle 133. In addition, the support 103 is provided with a lower stopper 134, which prevents the support 132 from slipping down. Note that the position of the support 132 with respect to the support column 103 can be manually adjusted by the user, for example, by loosening the fixed handle 133 once.

  The electric head operation unit 131 includes, for example, a linear guide 131a provided to be parallel to both the axis R2 and the optical axis L1 of the optical head 120, and a motor 131b. The electric head operation unit 131 is connected to the support tool 132 via the linear guide 131a, and changes the position in the axis R2 direction with respect to the support tool 132 by the operation of the motor 131b. As a result, the optical head 120 can move along the axis R2.

  The electric head operation unit 131 is provided with a position detection unit 135 that detects the position of the electric head operation unit 131 with respect to the support 132, in other words, the position of the optical head 120 with respect to a predetermined reference position, and the detection result signal is controlled. To the unit 155.

  On the other hand, the control device 15 includes a control device main body 150 realized by a personal computer, a workstation, or the like, and a display unit 160 realized by a monitor device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

  The control device main body 150 includes an operation input unit 151 that receives an input from the user, an image processing unit 152, a storage unit 153, a tilt detection unit 154 that detects the tilt of the optical head 120, And a control unit 155 that controls the operation of the microscope apparatus 10 and the display of the display unit 160.

  The operation input unit 151 includes a keyboard, various input buttons and switches, a joystick, a pointing device such as a mouse used for a point operation with respect to the display screen 161 of the display unit 160, and the like, and a signal input via these input devices. Accept and output to control unit 155.

  The image processing unit 152 performs predetermined image processing on the image signal generated by the imaging unit 124 to generate an image signal for display. The image processing unit 152 also performs image processing such as image rotation, trimming, and enlargement.

  The storage unit 153 is realized by a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, a RAM, and a ROM, a recording medium such as an HDD, MO, CD-R, and DVD-R, and a drive device that drives the recording medium. A program for executing various operations, various information used during the execution of the program, an image signal input from the imaging unit 124, and the like are stored. In addition, the storage unit 153 stores information regarding a state in which the focal point FP of the optical head (observation optical system) 120 and the rotation center axis R1 of the optical head 120 overlap. Hereinafter, a state where the focal point FP of the optical head 120 and the rotation center axis R1 overlap each other is referred to as a eucentric state. Further, the information regarding the eucentric state is referred to as eucentric information. The eucentric information includes, for example, the same focal length of the objective lens 122, the state of each part of the microscope apparatus 10 in the eucentric state (when the motor 131b is a stepping motor, the number of pulses from the origin position of the stepping motor, Information such as an output value of the position detection unit 135).

  The tilt detection unit 154 detects the tilt of the optical head 120 (the presence or absence of tilt and the tilt direction) by detecting the tilt angle of the optical head 120 using, for example, a rotary encoder, a photo interrupter, or a gyro sensor. The detection result signal is output to the control unit 155. The tilt angle of the optical head 120 is also the tilt angle of the optical axis L1 of the optical head 120 with respect to an axis perpendicular to the sample placement surface of the XY stage 110. In the detection of the tilt angle, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when the optical head 120 is in an upright state (that is, the optical axis L1 of the optical head 120 is orthogonal to the sample placement surface of the XY stage 110). The tilt angle is 0 ° (degrees), the tilt angle when tilted in the + Y direction (the Y axis + direction) with respect to the upright state is the + tilt angle, and the −Y direction with respect to the upright state The tilt angle is detected by setting the tilt angle when tilted in the negative direction of the Y axis as the tilt angle in the negative direction. When the detected tilt angle is 0 °, a detection result signal indicating no tilt is output, and when the detected tilt angle is other than 0 °, the tilt is present and the tilt direction (+ direction or − direction). A detection result signal indicating that is output. For example, when the detected inclination angle is + 45 °, a detection result signal indicating that there is an inclination and the inclination direction (+ direction) is output, and when the detected inclination angle is −45 °, there is an inclination. And a detection result signal indicating the tilt direction (− direction).

  The control unit 155 controls the display on the display unit 160. For example, when the detection result signal from the tilt detection unit 154 is a detection result signal indicating the presence of tilt and the tilt direction, the control unit 155 observes the observation image based on the display image signal generated by the image processing unit 152. The image (which is also an observation image based on the image signal generated by the imaging unit 124) is rotated in a direction corresponding to the tilt direction and displayed on the display unit 160. More specifically, when the tilt direction is the + direction, the observation image is rotated by −90 ° (or + 270 °) and displayed. When the tilt direction is the − direction, the observation image is + 90 ° (or -270 °) to rotate and display. Thereby, the ground direction of the specimen S represented in the observation image based on the display image signal can be matched with the ground direction of the display screen 161 of the display unit 160. Note that such rotation display of the observation image is performed, for example, by causing the image processing unit 152 to perform image rotation image processing on the display image signal and displaying the observation image based on the image signal after the processing. This is done by displaying on the screen. Further, the control unit 155 displays an observation image based on the display image signal generated by the image processing unit 152 when the detection result signal from the tilt detection unit 154 is a detection result signal indicating no tilt. To display. In addition, the control unit 155 displays various information on the display unit 160.

The control unit 155 controls the operation of the microscope apparatus 10.
For example, the control unit 155 controls the movement of the XY stage 110. More specifically, the control unit 155 moves the XY stage 110 in a direction parallel to the XY plane according to a stage movement instruction signal input from the operation input unit 151 in response to a user's joystick operation (stage movement instruction input). However, when the observation image is rotated and displayed on the display unit 160 when the stage movement instruction signal is input, the XY stage 110 is moved by rotating the movement direction according to the rotation direction. More specifically, when the observation image is displayed by being rotated by −90 ° (or + 270 °), the XY stage 110 is moved by rotating the moving direction by + 90 ° (or −270 °), and the observation image is displayed. When the image is displayed by being rotated by + 90 ° (or −270 °), the XY stage 110 is moved by rotating the moving direction by −90 ° (or + 270 °). Thereby, the direction of the user's joystick operation can be made to coincide with the moving direction of the sample S represented in the observation image rotated and displayed on the display unit 160.

  In addition, for example, the control unit 155 causes each unit to perform an operation of transitioning to the eucentric state based on information stored in the storage unit 153 according to a signal input from the operation input unit 151. For example, when the motor 131b is a stepping motor and the number of pulses from the origin position of the stepping motor is stored as eucentric information, the control unit 155 operates the motor 131b according to the number of pulses.

  The display unit 160 displays various information in addition to the observation image on the display screen 161 based on the control of the control unit 155. The display unit 160 may be realized by a monitor device on which a touch panel to which a signal is input by a touch operation on the screen is superimposed, and the display unit 160 and the operation input unit 151 may be integrated.

  In the microscope system 1 configured as described above, the XY stage 110 is an example of a stage on which a specimen is placed. The objective lens 122 and the zoom lens group 123a are an example of an observation optical system in which light corresponding to a specimen placed on a stage enters. The imaging unit 124 is an example of an image signal generation unit that receives light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal. The bearing 102 and the rotating shaft 101 rotate the head unit including the observation optical system and the image signal generation unit about an axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the observation optical system, thereby changing the optical axis of the observation optical system to the specimen of the stage. It is an example of the rotation part inclined with respect to the axis | shaft orthogonal to a mounting surface. The inclination detection unit 154 is an example of an inclination detection unit that detects the inclination of the optical axis of the observation optical system with respect to an axis orthogonal to the specimen placement surface. A part of the function of the control unit 155 is a control for rotating and displaying an observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit according to the inclination of the optical axis of the observation optical system detected by the inclination detection unit. It is an example of the display control part which performs. Another part of the function of the control unit 155 is an example of a stage control unit that performs control to move the stage in a direction parallel to the sample placement surface in response to an input of a stage movement instruction from the user.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of observation processing executed in the microscope system 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an observation image when the optical head 120 is upright and an observation image before and after rotation when the optical head 120 is tilted in the + direction. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of observation images before and after rotation when the optical head 120 is tilted in the − direction.

  The observation processing shown in FIG. 3 is processing that enables normal observation in which observation is performed with the optical head 120 in an upright state and tilted observation in which observation is performed with the optical head 120 in an inclined state. When an observation start instruction signal is input from the operation input unit 151 to the control unit 155 according to the input), the operation starts.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the observation process starts, first, in step (hereinafter referred to as “S”) 301, the control unit 155 performs a process for causing the microscope apparatus 10 to transition to the eucentric state. In this process, the control unit 155 reads the eucentric information from the storage unit 153 and controls each unit of the microscope apparatus 10 based on the eucentric information, so that the focal point FP of the optical head 120 coincides with the rotation center axis R1. The eucentric state is realized.

  Thereafter, the user operates the stage operation unit 112 in the Z-axis direction to focus on the surface of the specimen S placed on the XY stage 110. In this state, desired observation is performed by tilting the optical head 120 or the like. During this time, the state in which the focal point FP and the rotation center axis R1 coincide with each other is maintained, so that even when the optical head 120 is tilted, the observation point and the focal point FP are not displaced.

  In S <b> 302, the tilt detection unit 154 detects the tilt angle of the optical head 120 to detect the tilt of the optical head 120 (the presence or absence of tilt and the tilt direction), and outputs a detection result signal to the control unit 155.

In S303, the control unit 155 determines whether or not the optical head 120 is tilted based on the presence or absence of the tilt indicated by the detection result signal input from the tilt detection unit 154.
When the determination result in S303 is Yes (when there is an inclination), in S304, the control unit 155 displays the image signal generated by the image processing unit 152 performing predetermined image processing on the image signal generated by the imaging unit 124. The observation image based on the image signal for use is rotated in the direction corresponding to the tilt direction indicated in the detection result signal and displayed on the display unit 160, and the process proceeds to S306.

  On the other hand, when the determination result in S303 is No (when there is no inclination), in S305, the control unit 155 displays the image signal generated by the image processing unit 152 by performing predetermined image processing on the image signal generated by the imaging unit 124. The observation image based on the image signal for use is displayed on the display unit 160, and the process proceeds to S306.

In step S306, the control unit 155 determines whether an observation end instruction signal is input from the operation input unit 151 in response to a user operation (observation end instruction input).
If the determination result in S306 is Yes, the observation process ends. If the determination result in S306 is No, the process returns to S302.

  According to such an observation process, when the optical head 120 is in an upright state, for example, an observation image 171 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display unit 160. The observation image 171 is an observation image based on a display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is 0 °.

  When the optical head 120 is tilted in the + direction, for example, the observation image 173 and the observation image 175 shown in FIG. 4 are displayed on the display unit 160. Note that the observation image 173 is an image obtained by rotating the observation image 172 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is + 20 °, by −90 ° (or + 270 °). The observation image 175 is an image obtained by rotating the observation image 174 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is + 45 °, by −90 ° (or + 270 °). In either case, in the observation image before rotation, the ground direction of the sample S represented in the observation image is the left direction, whereas in the observation image after rotation, the ground surface of the sample S represented in the observation image. The direction is downward.

  When the optical head 120 is tilted in the − direction, for example, an observation image 177 and an observation image 179 shown in FIG. 5 are displayed on the display unit 160. The observation image 177 is an image obtained by rotating the observation image 176 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is −20 ° by + 90 ° (or −270 °). . The observation image 179 is an image obtained by rotating the observation image 178 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is −45 °, by + 90 ° (or −270 °). In either case, in the observation image before rotation, the ground direction of the sample S represented in the observation image is the right direction, whereas in the observation image after rotation, the ground surface of the sample S represented in the observation image. The direction is downward.

  The arrows and “ground direction” on each of the observation images 172 to 179 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are shown for convenience of explanation, and do not actually exist. The observation images 171, 172, 174, 176, and 178 based on the display image signal shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are all images having an aspect ratio of 1: 1.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ground direction of the specimen S represented in the observation image displayed on the display screen 161 of the display unit 160 during the tilt observation is the downward direction that is the ground direction of the display screen 161. Therefore, the observer can easily grasp the positional relationship of the sample S represented in the displayed observation image.

In the present embodiment, for example, the following modifications may be made.
In S304 in the observation process shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 155 may rotate and display the observation image based on the display image signal, and may display the observation image before the rotation. That is, the observation image before rotation and the observation image after rotation may be displayed simultaneously. In this case, for example, when the optical head 120 is inclined + 45 °, the observation image 174 that is the observation image before rotation and the observation image 175 that is the observation image after rotation shown in FIG. 4 are displayed simultaneously. Displayed on the display screen 161 of the unit 160. Note that the observation images before and after the rotation displayed at this time may be displayed on the left and right, or may be displayed on the top and bottom, for example, and the arrangement is not particularly limited. With such a display, the observer can simultaneously confirm the observation images before and after the rotation.

  Further, when the observation images before and after the rotation are simultaneously displayed in this way, the control unit 155 further displays a predetermined three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image, and also displays the observation image before the rotation (tilt) on the image. You may make it display the pattern which shows the direction corresponding to the observation direction (direction currently observed) of the sample S represented by the (after-observation image). More specifically, an image signal of a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image in which a predetermined specimen is schematically represented is stored in advance in the storage unit 153, and the control unit 155 displays the observation images before and after the rotation at the same time. In addition, a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image based on the image signal stored in the storage unit 153 is further displayed, and a direction corresponding to the observation direction of the specimen S is displayed on the three-dimensional image or the two-dimensional image. You may make it display the pattern shown.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a pattern indicating the observation direction of the specimen S is displayed on a predetermined three-dimensional image. For example, when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is + 45 °, as shown in FIG. 6, it corresponds to the observation direction of the sample S represented in the observation image 174 based on the image signal for display generated at this time. An arrow pattern 181 a indicating the direction to be displayed is displayed on a predetermined three-dimensional image 181. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis representing the coordinate system of the specimen schematically represented in the image may be further displayed on the three-dimensional image 181 at this time. .
With such a display, the observer can also confirm the observation direction of the sample S.

  In the observation process shown in FIG. 3, the display image signal generated when the optical head 120 is in the upright state is stored in the storage unit 153, and then the optical head 120 is tilted to perform S304. Is generated when the control unit 155 rotates and displays the observation image based on the display image signal generated in the tilted state and in the upright state stored in the storage unit 153. An observation image based on the displayed image signal for display may be displayed. That is, the observation image after rotation and the observation image before tilting may be displayed simultaneously. In this case, for example, when the optical head 120 is tilted by + 45 °, the observation image 175 that is the observation image after rotation and the observation image 171 that is the observation image before the tilt shown in FIG. 160 is displayed on a display screen 161. Note that the rotated observation image and the pre-tilt observation image displayed at this time may be displayed on the left and right, or may be displayed on the top and bottom, for example. It is not limited. With such a display, the observer can simultaneously confirm the observation image after rotation and the observation image before tilting.

  Further, when the observation image after rotation and the observation image before tilting are simultaneously displayed in this way, the control unit 155 may further display the observation image before rotation. That is, the observation image before and after rotation and the observation image before tilting may be displayed simultaneously. In this case, for example, when the optical head 120 is tilted by + 45 °, the observation image 174 that is the observation image before rotation, the observation image 175 that is the observation image after rotation, and the pre-tilt image shown in FIG. An observation image 171 that is an observation image is simultaneously displayed on the display screen 161 of the display unit 160. Note that the observation image before and after rotation and the observation image before tilting displayed at this time may be displayed in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction, for example, or may be displayed separately in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction. The arrangement is not particularly limited. With such a display, the observer can simultaneously confirm the observation image before and after the rotation and the observation image before the tilt.

  Further, in the case where the observation image before and after rotation and the observation image before tilting are simultaneously displayed in this way, the control unit 155 further displays the sample S represented in the observation image before rotation (observation image after tilting). A pattern indicating the observation direction may be displayed on the observation image before tilting.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a pattern indicating the observation direction of the specimen S is displayed on the observation image before tilting. For example, when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is + 45 °, as shown in FIG. 7, it is represented in an observation image 174 (observation image after tilting) based on the display image signal generated at this time. A pattern 171a indicating the observation direction of the sample S is displayed on the observation image 171 before tilting.
With such a display, the observer can also confirm the observation direction of the sample S.

  In S304 in the observation process shown in FIG. 3, when the aspect ratio of the observation image based on the display image signal is not 1: 1, the control unit 155 rotates the observation image based on the display image signal. At the same time, a partial image including the center position in the long side direction in the rotated observation image may be displayed on the entire image display area on the display screen 161 of the display unit 160. In this case, the partial image is, for example, an image obtained by trimming the observation image after rotation or an image obtained by enlarging and trimming the observation image after rotation. In this way, the observation image is displayed by rotating and trimming, or rotating, enlarging, and trimming, for example, image processing for image rotation and trimming, or image rotation for an image signal for display, Enlargement and trimming image processing is performed by the image processing unit 152, and an observation image based on the image signal after the processing is displayed on the display unit 160. It should be noted that either the order of enlargement and trimming may be performed first.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the aspect ratio of the observation image based on the display image signal is not 1: 1.
In FIG. 8, an observation image 191 is an observation image based on a display image signal generated when the optical head 120 is in an upright state (inclination angle is 0 °). The observation images 192, 194, 196, and 198 are observation images based on display image signals generated when the optical head 120 is in an inclined state. Both are observation images having an aspect ratio other than 1: 1.

  The observation image 193 is an image obtained by enlarging and trimming the observation image 192 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is + 20 °, after being rotated by −90 ° (or + 270 °). It is. The observation image 195 is an image obtained by enlarging and trimming an observation image 194 based on a display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is + 45 °, after being rotated by −90 ° (or + 270 °). It is.

  The observation image 197 is enlarged and trimmed after rotating the observation image 196 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is −20 ° by + 90 ° (or −270 °). It is an image. The observation image 199 is enlarged and trimmed after rotating the observation image 198 based on the display image signal generated when the tilt angle of the optical head 120 is −45 ° by + 90 ° (or −270 °). It is an image.

  As described above, when the aspect ratio of the observation image based on the display image signal generated when the optical head 120 is tilted is not 1: 1, further enlargement and trimming are performed after the observation image is rotated. Will be displayed. Thereby, for example, the region of interest of the observer in the sample S represented in the observation image can be displayed on the entire image display region on the display screen 161 of the display unit 160. It is known that a partial image including a central position in the long side direction in an observation image whose aspect ratio is not 1: 1 generally includes a region of interest of the observer in the sample S. Also in this case, in the observation image after rotation, enlargement, and trimming, the ground direction of the sample S represented in the observation image is made to coincide with the downward direction that is the ground direction of the display screen 161 of the display unit 160. Of course you can.

  Note that the arrows and the “ground direction” on each of the observation images 192 to 199 shown in FIG. 8 are also shown for convenience of explanation, similarly to those shown in FIGS. Does not actually exist.

  Further, the control unit 155 permits or prohibits the image rotation performed in S304 in the observation process illustrated in FIG. 3 in accordance with a signal input from the operation input unit 151 in response to a user operation (instruction input). It may be. In this case, for example, in S304 when image rotation is prohibited, the observation image based on the generated image signal for display is displayed on the display unit 160 without being rotated, as in S305. Thus, the observer can observe the observation image based on the display image signal generated when the optical head 120 is tilted as it is (not rotated).

The control device main body 150 may be realized by the following hardware configuration.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the control device main body 150.
As shown in FIG. 9, the control device main body 150 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a memory 202, an input / output device 203, an external storage device 204, and a portable recording medium driving device 205 in which a portable recording medium 207 is accommodated. And a communication device 206. The CPU 201, the memory 202, the input / output device 203, the external storage device 204, the portable recording medium drive device 205, and the communication device 206 are connected to each other via a bus 208.

  The CPU 201 is an arithmetic device that executes a program for processing performed by the control device main body 150. The memory 202 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is used as a work area of the CPU 201, and the ROM stores a program and information necessary for executing the program in a nonvolatile manner. .

The input / output device 203 is an interface device that exchanges signals with an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a joystick, the microscope device 10, and the display unit 160.
The external storage device 204 is a storage that stores in a non-volatile manner a program, information necessary for executing the program, information (for example, an image signal) acquired by executing the program, and the like. The external storage device 204 is, for example, a hard disk device. The portable recording medium driving device 205 accommodates a portable recording medium 207 such as an optical disk or a compact flash (registered trademark). Similarly to the external storage device 204, the portable recording medium 207 is a storage that stores in a non-volatile manner a program, information necessary for executing the program, information acquired by executing the program, and the like.

  The communication device 206 is a communication interface device that transmits and receives information to and from other devices such as servers via a communication network. Note that the program and information necessary for executing the program may be input from another device such as a server via the communication network and the communication device 206.

  As mentioned above, the embodiment described above shows a specific example of the present invention in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The present invention can be variously modified and changed without departing from the concept of the present invention defined in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microscope system 10 Microscope apparatus 15 Control apparatus 100 Base 101 Rotating shaft 102 Bearing 103 Post 110 XY stage 111 Stage holder 112 Stage operation part 112a Handle 112b Linear guide 120 Optical head 121 Lens barrel 122 Objective lens 123 Electric zoom 123a Zoom lens group 123b Motor 124 Imaging unit 130 Optical head holding unit 131 Electric head operation unit 131a Linear guide 131b Motor 132 Support tool 133 Fixed handle 134 Lower stopper 135 Position detection unit 150 Control device main body 151 Operation input unit 152 Image processing unit 153 Storage unit 154 Tilt Detection unit 155 Control unit 160 Display unit 161 Display screen 171, 172, 173, 174, 175 Observation image 171a Pattern 176, 77,178,179 observation image 181 three-dimensional image 181a arrow pattern 191,192,193,194,195 observation image 196,197,198,199 observation image 201 CPU
202 Memory 203 Input / Output Device 204 External Storage Device 205 Portable Recording Medium Drive Device 206 Communication Device 207 Portable Recording Medium 208 Bus FP Focus L1 Optical Axis R1, R2 Axis S Sample

Claims (13)

A stage on which the specimen is placed;
An observation optical system on which light corresponding to the specimen placed on the stage enters;
An image signal generation unit that receives the light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal;
An axis perpendicular to the specimen mounting surface of the stage is obtained by rotating a head unit including the observation optical system and the image signal generator around an axis perpendicular to the optical axis of the observation optical system. A rotating part that is inclined with respect to
An inclination detecting unit for detecting an inclination of the optical axis with respect to an axis orthogonal to the specimen mounting surface;
A display control unit that performs control to rotate and display an observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit according to the inclination of the optical axis detected by the inclination detection unit;
A microscope system comprising: A stage control unit that performs control to move the stage in a direction parallel to the sample placement surface in response to an input of a stage movement instruction from a user;
When the stage movement instruction is input when the observation image is rotated and displayed under the control of the display control unit, the stage control unit moves the stage according to the rotation direction of the observation image. To move the stage by rotating
The microscope system according to claim 1. The display control unit further performs control to simultaneously display the observation image before rotation and the observation image after rotation.
The microscope system according to claim 1. The display control unit includes a pre-tilt observation image that is an observation image based on an image signal generated by the image signal generation unit when the tilt detection unit does not detect the tilt of the optical axis, and the tilt detection unit. Further performing control to simultaneously display the post-tilt observation image, which is an observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit when the tilt of the optical axis is detected.
The microscope system according to claim 1. When the display control unit performs control to display the pre-tilt observation image and the post-tilt observation image at the same time, a pattern indicating the observation direction of the specimen represented in the post-tilt observation image is displayed before the tilt. Further control to display on the observation image,
The microscope system according to claim 4. The display control unit is generated by the image signal generation unit when a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image schematically representing a predetermined specimen and an inclination of the optical axis are detected by the inclination detection unit. Control for simultaneously displaying an observation image based on the obtained image signal and displaying a pattern indicating a direction corresponding to the observation direction of the specimen represented in the observation image on the three-dimensional image or the two-dimensional image. Do further,
The microscope system according to claim 1. The display control unit, when the aspect ratio of the observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit is not 1: 1, the partial image including the central position in the long side direction in the rotated observation image, Further controlling to display the entire image display area on the display screen of the display unit,
The microscope system according to claim 1. The partial image is an image obtained by trimming the observation image after rotation.
The microscope system according to claim 7. The partial image is an image obtained by enlarging and trimming the observation image after rotation.
The microscope system according to claim 7. According to the instruction input from the user, the rotation by the display control unit is permitted or prohibited,
The microscope system according to claim 1. The observation image after rotation is obtained by rotating the observation image before rotation by +90 degrees or −90 degrees, or −270 degrees or +270 degrees, depending on the inclination of the optical axis detected by the inclination detection unit. Is an image,
The microscope system according to claim 1. The observation optical system includes a head unit including an observation optical system in which light corresponding to a specimen placed on a stage enters and an image signal generation unit that receives the light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal. A display control method executed in a microscope system including a rotation unit that rotates the optical axis with respect to an axis orthogonal to the sample placement surface of the stage by rotating the optical axis about an axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the stage. There,
Detecting an inclination of the optical axis with respect to an axis perpendicular to the specimen mounting surface;
An observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit is rotated and displayed according to the detected inclination of the optical axis,
A display control method characterized by the above. The observation optical system includes a head unit including an observation optical system in which light corresponding to a specimen placed on a stage enters and an image signal generation unit that receives the light emitted from the observation optical system and generates an image signal. A microscope system computer comprising a rotating unit that rotates the optical axis with respect to an axis orthogonal to the specimen mounting surface of the stage by rotating about an axis orthogonal to the optical axis of
Detecting an inclination of the optical axis with respect to an axis perpendicular to the specimen mounting surface;
An observation image based on the image signal generated by the image signal generation unit is rotated and displayed according to the detected inclination of the optical axis,
A display control program characterized by causing the process to be executed.