JP2605129B2 - Micro instrument moving device in micro manipulator - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a micro-tool moving apparatus, and more particularly to a micro-tool moving apparatus in a micro-manipulator for operating a micro-tool to process a micro-processed object. .

[Conventional technology]

For example, a micromanipulator is used when performing a microinjection on a cell or the like or measuring an intracellular potential. In a general micromanipulator, a microscopic instrument such as a microneedle or a micropipette is operated under a visual field of a microscope so that a predetermined process is performed on a microscopic workpiece such as a cell placed in a container such as a petri dish. It has become. In such an operation, usually, the micro instrument is attached with a certain inclination with respect to the horizontal direction.

This type of micromanipulator has a driving device to which a micro instrument is attached, and an operation rod or knob for an operator to instruct the operation of the driving device. The driving device is connected to an operation rod or a knob via a hydraulic mechanism or electrically. In addition, of the operation stick and the knob, the operation stick is used when moving a small instrument in two horizontal directions (X and Y directions), and the knob is used when moving the small instrument in a vertical direction (Z direction). You.

In this micromanipulator, when it is desired to precisely move a small instrument, the fine movement section of the driving device is driven by manual operation of an operation rod or a knob, and the small instrument is moved in the X, Y, and Z directions.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional micromanipulator, when the small instrument is moved in the Z direction, the knob is rotated by the operator, and the small instrument is moved in the Z direction according to the amount of rotation. At this time, the micro instrument can be moved in the Z direction regardless of the position of a container such as a petri dish. For this reason, during the operation of moving the small instrument in the Z direction, the small instrument is often inadvertently connected to the bottom of a container such as a petri dish and broken.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a micro instrument moving device capable of improving the operability of a micro manipulator by moving a micro instrument only within an arbitrary designated range.

[Means for solving the problem]

A micro-tool moving device in a micro-manipulator according to the present invention is a micro-tool moving device in a micro-manipulator for operating a micro tool to process a micro-processed object. As shown in FIG. 1, the micro-tool moving device includes an operation signal supplying device, a moving range specifying device, a signal converting device, a drive limiting command device, and a driving device.

The operation signal supply unit is a unit that issues an operation signal for designating movement of the micro instrument. The moving range designating means is a means for designating a moving range of the small instrument. The signal conversion unit is a unit that receives an operation signal from the operation signal supply unit and converts the operation signal into a drive signal for driving a micro instrument. The drive restriction command means, even if the operation signal from the operation signal supply means exceeds the movement range specified by the movement range designation means, regardless of the operation signal, within the movement range designated by the movement range designation means This is a means for instructing the signal conversion means to generate only a drive signal. The driving device is a device that receives a driving signal from a signal conversion unit and drives a micro instrument.

[Action]

In the apparatus for moving a small instrument in a micromanipulator according to the present invention, first, a movement range designating means designates a movement range of the small instrument.

Next, the operation signal supply unit issues an operation signal for instructing movement of the micro instrument. The signal conversion unit receives the operation signal from the operation signal supply unit and converts the operation signal into a drive signal for driving the micro instrument. The driving device receives the driving signal from the signal conversion means and drives the micro instrument. Thus, a small object can be processed by operating the small instrument.

In the above operation, even if the operation signal from the operation signal supply unit exceeds the movement range specified by the movement range designation unit, the drive restriction command unit performs the movement specified by the movement range designation unit regardless of the operation signal. It instructs the signal conversion means to generate a drive signal only within the range. As a result, the micro instrument can move only within the specified movement range. Therefore, for example, if the moving range of the small instrument in the Z direction is set to a range in which the small instrument does not come into contact with a container such as a petri dish, the problem such as breakage of the small instrument can be solved. This allows
Operability of the micromanipulator is improved.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a micromanipulator employing a moving device as one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, a micromanipulator includes a microscope 12 mounted on a base 11, a moving device 13 arranged on the side of the microscope 12, and a control device 14 for controlling the operation of the moving device 13.
And

The microscope 12 has an operation table 15 at the center thereof, and a container 16 such as a petri dish containing an object to be processed is placed on the operation table 15. An objective lens 17 is arranged below the operation table 15, and a lower end of the objective lens 17 is connected to a television camera 18. TV camera 18
Is electrically connected to the control device 14, and sends an image signal obtained by the objective lens 17 to the control device 14.

The moving device 13 is mounted on the base 11 and is electrically connected to the control device 14. Moving equipment
The lower part of 13 is a base 20, on which a coarse moving part 21 is mounted. The coarse moving section 21 can move the platform 20 in units of several tens of micrometers in the vertical and horizontal directions by a step motor (not shown). Microscope of coarse moving part 21
A fine movement section 22 is attached to the 12-side surface. Fine movement part 22
Indicates horizontal and vertical directions (X, Y, Z directions) depending on the electromagnetic method
Can be moved in units of 1 μm. At the tip of the micro instrument holder 23 provided at the end of the micro motion unit 22 on the microscope 12 side, a micro instrument such as a micro needle or
24 are installed. The distal end of the micro instrument 24 is extended toward the container 16.

The control device 14 includes a control unit 26 and a CRT 2
7 and an operation box 28. The control unit 26 incorporates a power supply, a microcomputer, and the like, and can control the operation of the mobile device 13 and the like. The CRT 27 displays an image of a cell or the like obtained by the objective lens 17 and displays an operation procedure and a question for an operator. The operation box 28 is used by an operator to control the micromanipulator. The operation box 28 includes a group of keys 29 for setting various conditions, a coarse movement unit operation key 30 for instructing movement of the coarse movement unit 21 in the X, Y, and Z directions, and an operation of the micromanipulator. Various lamp groups 31 for notifying the operator of the mode, a joystick 32 for instructing the fine movement unit 22 to move in the X and Y directions, and a Z axis knob 33 for designating the movement of the fine movement unit 22 in the Z direction And a scale knob 34 for specifying an operation ratio, a stop button 35, and an XYZ / XY switch 36.

The key group 29 includes numeric keys and the Y
A lock Y key for designating that the movement in the axial direction is to be stopped, and a lock Y key for setting the lower limit of the micro instrument holder 23 in the Z direction.
BL key etc. are included. The joystick 32 and the Z-axis knob 33 are mainly composed of a variable resistor, and the movement is detected by a change in the resistance value. The scale knob 34 is also mainly composed of a variable resistor, and the set value of the operation ratio is detected based on the resistance value. XYZ / XY switch 36 is XY
It can be switched to either Z side or XY side. Here, the XYZ side means a mode in which the operation ratio specified by the scale knob 34 is used in any of the X, Y, and Z axes. Also, XY
The side means a mode in which the operation ratio specified by the scale knob 34 is used for the directions of the X and Y axes, and the maximum operation ratio is used for the direction of the Z axis. The operation ratio is the ratio of the amount of movement of the small instrument 24 to the amount of movement of the joystick 32 and the amount of rotation of the Z-axis knob 33.

As shown in FIG. 3, the microcomputer in the control unit 26 has a CPU 40. The CPU 40 is connected to a ROM 41 storing a control program and the like, a RAM 42 for storing processing data and the like, an A / D converter for the CRT 27 and the mobile device 13. A / D
Joystick 32, Z-axis knob 33,
A scale knob 34 is connected, and a key group 29, a coarse operation unit operation key 30, a lamp group 31, a stop button 35, and an XYZ / XY switch 36 are connected via an I / O port 45.

Next, the operation of the micromanipulator according to the control of the control unit 26 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

When the main switch (not shown) of the micromanipulator is turned on, the program starts. Step S1
Then, initialization such as clearing a lock Y flag and a BL flag to be described later, setting a lower limit to a limit value, and turning off each lamp of the lamp group 31 is performed. Here, the lower limit value is a lower limit value of the small instrument 24 in a state where there is no special designation in the movement range.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not there has been a key input from the key group 29 and the operation keys 30. Without key input,
Move to step S3. In step S3, it is determined whether the stop button 35 has been pressed, that is, whether the stop button 35 is in the ON state.
If the stop button 35 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, joystick 32, Z-axis knob 3
3. Input the signal of the scale knob 34. In step S5, a drive signal in the X direction is calculated based on the input signal and output to the moving device 13. In the moving device 13, upon receiving the output, the fine movement unit 22 moves in the X direction by a specified amount. In step S6, it is determined whether or not the lock Y flag is set. If the lock Y flag has not been set, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, a drive signal in the Y direction is calculated based on the signal input in step S4, and output to the moving device 13. In the moving device 13, upon receiving the output, the fine movement section 22 moves by a specified amount in the Y direction. Steps
Upon completion of the process in S7, the process proceeds to step S8. If the lock Y flag is set in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8 without performing the process in step S7.
Move to That is, even if an operation signal in the Y-axis direction is input in step S4, the lock Y
If the flag has been set, the micro instrument 24 is not driven in the Y-axis direction.

In step S8, it is determined whether the XYZ / XY switch 36 is located on the XYZ side or the XY side. If the XYZ / XY switch 36 specifies the XYZ mode, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, a drive signal in the Z direction is calculated based on a coefficient corresponding to the scale knob 34, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S8, XY
If the mode on the side has been designated, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the drive signal in the Z direction is calculated by setting the coefficient of the operation ratio to the maximum value, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, it is determined whether the drive signal in the Z direction has exceeded a limit value. If the drive signal in the Z direction does not exceed the limit value, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the Z calculated in step S9 or step S11
The driving signal in the direction is output to the moving device 13. In the moving device 13, the fine movement section 22 moves in the Z direction by a specified amount in response to the output. On the other hand, if the drive signal in the Z direction exceeds the limit value in step S10, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the drive signal in the Z direction is set to the limit value, and subsequently, in step S12, the above-described processing is performed.

Upon completion of the process in the step S12, the process returns to the step S2.

As described above, since the processing from step S8 to step S11 is employed in the processing from step S8 to step S13 for controlling the micro instrument 24 in the Z direction, the state of the operation ratio can be switched, and the micromanipulator can be switched. Operability is improved. That is, when a fine operation of the micro instrument 24 is required in any of the X, Y, and Z axes, a precise operation can be performed based on the setting of the scale knob 34. Also, for example, when it is desired to move the micro-apparatus largely in the vertical direction (Z direction) so as to prevent the micro-apparatus 24 from touching the container 16 or the like while holding the cells with the micro-apparatus 24 and to move to the next operation, , Can be switched with one touch so that the operation ratio in the Y direction is common and the operation ratio in the Z direction is maximized. Thereby, the operability of the micromanipulator is improved.

Next, when the stop button 35 is pressed, that is, when the stop button is turned on, the determination in step S3 is Yes, and the
The processing from step 4 to step S12 is not performed. That is, while the operator is pressing the stop button 35, no matter how the joystick 32 or the Z-axis knob 33 is operated,
The micro instrument 24 is not driven. This function can be used as follows.For example, when it is desired to move the micro-tool 24 over a wide range, the operation signal other than the operation signal in a certain direction is ignored, and only the operation signal in the direction is converted into the drive signal. In addition, control can be performed by turning ON / OFF the stop button 35. More specifically, for example, the case shown in FIG. 6A can be considered. FIG. 6A is a field of view of a microscope projected on CRT 27, and it is assumed that a cell to be processed has an upper right corner. Here, the movable range of the fine instrument 24 by the fine movement unit 22 is represented by a two-dot chain line a.
In the normal driving by the fine movement unit 22,
Cannot be moved to the desired cell position. Therefore, first, the joystick 32 is operated to bring the micro instrument 24 closest to the cell within the range a. In this case, a normal driving process of the micro instrument 24 is performed based on the processes from step S4 to step S13. Next, the stop button
Turn on 35, and in that state, move the joystick 32 in the opposite direction. In this case, steps S4 to S13
Is not performed, the micro instrument 24 is not driven regardless of the movement of the joystick 32. By moving the joystick 32 in the opposite direction, the range a
Is shifted to the desired cell side. By repeating this operation, as shown in FIG.
A desired cell can be put into the movable range a by the fine movement section 22. As described above, according to this embodiment, for example, the micro instrument 24 can be moved to the cell at the end in the visual field of the microscope only by operating the joystick 32. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the coarse moving portion 21 to largely move the small instrument 24, and the operation can be performed smoothly and precisely.

Next, when any one of the keys of the key group 29 is pressed, the determination in step S2 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S14 in FIG.

Here, for example, when it is desired to prevent the movement of the small instrument 24 in the Y-axis direction (when the lock Y mode is desired), the lock Y key is pressed. If the input key is lock Y key,
The process moves from step S14 to step S15. Step S15
Then, it is determined whether or not the lock Y flag is set. If it is not in the lock Y state, the determination is No, and the routine goes to Step S16. Lock Y in step S16
After the flag is set and the lock Y lamp of the lamp group 31 is turned on in step S17, the process returns to step S2. Since the lock Y flag is set in step S16, the process enters the lock Y mode. Further, the operator is notified that the lock Y mode has been entered by turning on the lock Y lamp. In the lock Y mode, in the processing from step S4 to step S13, the determination in step S6 is Yes. That is, even if an operation signal in the Y-axis direction is input in step S4, if the lock Y flag is set in step S6, the micro instrument 24 is not driven in the Y-axis direction. This makes it possible, for example, to use micro-instruments to perform micro-injections on cells or to measure intracellular potentials.
When it is desired to insert the cell 24 into the cell by moving it only in the axial direction (X direction), the microdevice 24 can be moved exactly in the X direction, and accurate work can be easily performed. As a result, the operability of the micromanipulator is improved.

To release the lock Y mode, the lock Y key of the key group 29 is pressed again. As a result, the program goes through step S2, step S14, step S15, and step S1.
Move to 8. In step S18, the lock Y flag is cleared. In step S19, the lock Y lamp of the lamp group 31 is turned off, and the process returns to step S2.

Next, in order to solve the problem that the micro-equipment 24 comes into contact with the container 16 and breaks due to carelessness in the operation of moving the micro-equipment in the Z-axis direction, it is desired to restrict the downward movement of the micro-equipment 24. In this case (when the BL mode is desired), the following is performed.

First, the micro-tool 24 is lowered by operating the Z-axis knob 33 so as to approach the container 16 to a desired degree. The processing at this time is performed according to steps S4 to S13. Next, the BL key of the key group 29 is pressed. Program steps
S2, the process proceeds from step S14 to step S20.

In step S20, it is determined whether the BL key has been pressed,
It is determined whether a signal has been input. Since the determination in step S20 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, it is determined whether the BL flag is set. If not in BL mode, the judgment is No,
Move to step S22. In step S22, the BL flag is set, and subsequently, in step S23, the BL lamp of the lamp group 31 is turned on. Then, in step S24, the current micro instrument 2
After setting the position in the Z direction of 4 as the limit value, step S
Return to 2. Since the BL flag was set in step S22,
Subsequent processing is in the BL mode. In addition, the operator is notified that the BL mode has been entered by turning on the BL lamp. In the BL mode, in the processing from step S4 to step S13, the criterion of step S10 is the value set in step S24. That is, even if the operation signal in the Z-axis direction is input in step S4, the micro instrument 24 is not driven below the position set in step S24. This solves the problem that the micro-instrument 24 comes into contact with the bottom of a container such as the container 16 and breaks due to carelessness when the micro-instrument is moved in the Z direction. Therefore, the operability of the micromanipulator can be improved.

To cancel the BL mode, the BL key of the key group 29 is pressed again. As a result, the program goes through step S2, step S14, step S20, and step S21, and
Move to 25. In step S25, the BL flag is cleared,
In step S26, the BL lamps of the lamp group 31 are turned off. In step S27, the limit value in the Z-axis direction is set to the lowermost end, and the process returns to step S2.

In the BL mode, for example, DN attached to cells
It can be used effectively when injecting A or the like. That is, the processing from step S22 to step S24 may be performed at the position where the micro-instrument 24 is first inserted into the cell. After that, the container 16 is moved in the X and Y directions to determine the cells to be processed, and the micro-instrument 24 is accurately positioned at a predetermined height simply by turning the Z-axis knob 33 and lowering the micro-instrument 24 appropriately. Therefore, the injection operation can be easily performed.

If any other key of the key group 29 is pressed, the program proceeds from step S2 to step S28 through steps S14 and S20, and the processing corresponding to that key is performed. Further, by pressing the coarse moving section operation key 30, the coarse moving section 21 is driven in the X, Y, and Z directions.

[Other embodiments]

(A) In the description of the embodiment, the micromanipulator having one moving device 13 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the micromanipulator has one or more pairs of moving devices 13, Good.

(B) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the fine movement unit 22 is driven by an electromagnetic force is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

(C) In the above embodiment, X,
The Z-direction control is performed by the Y-direction and Z-axis knobs 33, but the Z-axis knob 33 is omitted and the joystick 32
The control in the Z direction may be performed by the rotation of.

In this case, not only the lock Y mode but also a lock XY mode for locking both X and Y axes may be employed. To realize this, for example, a lock XY flag and a lock XY lamp are provided, and the steps S14 to S14 are performed.
The same processing as the processing in 19 can be performed in the X and Y directions. In addition, a step for determining whether or not the lock XY flag is set is provided between step S4 and step S5, and if the determination in this step is Yes, the process proceeds to step S8.

(D) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the downward movement of the small instrument 24 is limited by the processing from step S20 to step S27 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the horizontal direction (X direction and A configuration for restricting the movement in the (Y direction) can be realized in the same manner.

(E) In the above embodiment, the operation ratio can be switched between the mode common to the X, Y, and Z axes and the mode common only to the X, Y axes. However, the switching mode is not limited to this. Absent.

For example, the operation ratio may be switched between a state where the operation ratio is set to the maximum value common to the X, Y and Z axes and a state where the operation ratio is set to the setting value of the scale knob 34 only for the X and Y axes. . Also, the operation ratio can be switched between a state where the operation ratio is set to the maximum value for the X, Y and Z axes and a state where the operation ratio is set to the scale knob 34 for the X, Y and Z axes. Good.

(F) In the above embodiment, the operation ratio is determined by one scale knob 34, but another knob may be provided. In this case, for example, instead of simply switching the operation ratio in the Z-axis direction to the maximum value, the operation ratio can be switched to a desired value. In addition, all the knobs may be common to the X, Y, and Z axes, and switching between the operation ratio setting values of the respective knobs may be performed.

(G) In the above embodiment, two types of operation ratios are provided and switched between them. However, three or more types of operation ratios may be provided and switched between them.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the micro instrument moving device of the micro manipulator according to the present invention, the drive restriction instructing means generates the driving signal only within the moving range specified by the moving range specifying means regardless of the operation signal from the operation signal supplying means. Since the command is issued to the signal conversion means so as not to perform the movement, the micro instrument can be moved only within the designated movement range. Therefore,
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a micro instrument can move only within arbitrary designated ranges, and the micro instrument moving device which can improve the operability of a micromanipulator is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a micromanipulator employing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control unit, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are front views showing an example of a microscope field of view. 12 ... Micro-operating device, 13 ... Moving device, 14 ... Control device, 24 ...
Small instruments, 26 ... Control unit, 31 ... Lamp group,
32: Joystick, 33: Z-axis knob, 34: Scale knob, 35: Stop button, 36: XYZ / XY switch, 40
…CPU.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A micro-tool moving device in a micro-manipulator for processing a micro-processed object by operating a micro-tool, wherein an operation signal supply for issuing an operation signal for commanding the movement of the micro-tool is provided. Means, a movement range designation means for designating a movement range of the micro instrument, a signal conversion means for receiving an operation signal from the operation signal supply means and converting the operation signal into a drive signal for driving the micro instrument, Even if the operation signal from the operation signal supply unit exceeds the movement range designated by the movement range designation unit, the drive signal is transmitted only within the movement range designated by the movement range designation unit regardless of the operation signal. A drive restriction command unit for instructing the signal conversion unit so as not to generate the signal, and a driving device that receives a drive signal from the signal conversion unit and drives the micro instrument. Fine instrument movement device in micromanipulator equipped with.