JP2964870B2 - Micro manipulator system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a micromanipulator system, and more particularly to a micromanipulator system provided with a microscope and a micromanipulator for three-dimensionally manipulating a microscopic sample within the field of view of the microscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when a DNA solution is injected into a cell, a micromanipulator system including a micromanipulator having a microneedle on one side and a capture needle on the other side, and a microscope for observing the operation contents. Is used. In a general micromanipulator system, an image is displayed on a CRT display or the like by operating a small instrument such as a small needle or a capture needle in a visual field of a microscope, and is placed in a container such as a petri dish while observing the displayed contents. A predetermined process is performed on a minute sample such as a cell.

In this type of micromanipulator system, for example, a joystick for X and Y axes that can be tilted back and forth and left and right, and a rotary dial for Z axis are operated with both hands to operate in three axial directions in a space. The micromanipulator is minutely operated (in the X, Y, and Z axis directions).

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional configuration,
With respect to the positional relationship between the micro sample and the micro device, the positional relationship within the horizontal axis can be determined while looking at the display screen. However, the only way to know the positional relationship in the Z-axis direction (height direction) is to judge from the degree of defocus. For example, by focusing on a micro sample and then focusing on a micro instrument, the positional relationship in the height direction is determined. For this reason, skill is required to determine the positional relationship in the height direction, and for many operators, the inability to understand the positional relationship in the height direction is an operational obstacle, and the operation of the micromanipulator is It is a factor that hinders the improvement of sex.

An object of the present invention is to improve the operability of a micromanipulator.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a microscope, a plurality of micromanipulators for three-dimensionally operating a microscopic instrument in the field of view of the microscope, imaging means for capturing an image in the field of view, and Reference position setting means for setting a height direction reference position, detection means for detecting the height position of the tip of each of the manipulators as position information from the height direction reference position, an image of the imaging means and the detection means Display means for combining the detected position information with the detected position information and displaying the screen on a screen, wherein the position information is displayed in a bar display for each manipulator in the same screen.

[0007]

In the micromanipulator system according to the present invention, the reference position setting means sets the reference position in the height direction of the micromanipulator. The height position of the tip of the micromanipulator is detected as position information from the height direction reference position by the detection means. The height position of the tip of the micromanipulator is combined with the image of the imaging means and displayed on the display means. Therefore, the height position of the tip of the micromanipulator can be easily determined, and the positional relationship between the micromanipulator in the height direction and the micromanipulator can be easily determined. Thus, the operability of the micromanipulator is improved.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows a micromanipulator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the micromanipulator system has micromanipulators 4 and 5 arranged on the side of the microscope 3,
They are fixed to the microscope 3 via the coupling frames 6 and 7, respectively. Although a pair of micromanipulators 4 and 5 are shown in FIG.
And a pair of micromanipulators are further disposed behind (vertically below the paper).

The micromanipulators 4 and 5 are provided with joysticks 10 and 11 provided on operation units 8 and 9, respectively.
The control is performed according to the operation of. The operation units are provided corresponding to the micromanipulators. When four micromanipulators are arranged, four operation units are provided. In the figure, two operation units 8 and 9 are shown.

The microscope 3 has an operation table 12 at the center thereof, and a petri dish 13 for accommodating a small sample such as a cell is arranged on the operation table 12. An objective lens (not shown) is arranged below the operation table 12, and the microscope 3
Is connected to a TV camera 14. The operation console 12
Horizontal direction (X, Y axis direction) by drive mechanism not shown
And in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The vertical movement may be such that the operation table 12 is fixed and the objective lens moves up and down. The microscope 3 has an eyepiece 15.
Is provided, and it is possible to observe an image by the objective lens.

The micromanipulator 4 is provided with an arm 17 having an instrument holder 16 at its tip, protruding from the operation table 12. The instrument holder 16 holds a small instrument 18 such as an injection pipette or a suction pipette. In addition, the micromanipulator 4 is provided with a driving mechanism in a horizontal direction (X, Y axis directions) and a vertical direction (Z axis direction) in order to move the small instrument 18 held by the instrument holder 16. The driving mechanism includes an X-axis stepping motor 19 driven in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis stepping motor (not shown) driven in the Y-axis direction, a Z-axis stepping motor 20 driven in the Z-axis direction, and X, Y, Z It is composed of guide rails (not shown) for guiding in each axial direction. Similarly, an arm 22 having a tool holder 21 at the tip is protrudingly provided on the operation table 12 side of the micromanipulator 5. The instrument holder 21 is the micro instrument 1
8 holds a small instrument 23 such as an injection pipette or a suction pipette. In addition, the micromanipulator 5 is provided with a driving mechanism in a horizontal direction (X- and Y-axis directions) and a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in order to move the small instrument 23 held by the instrument holder 21. This driving mechanism includes an X-axis stepping motor 24 driven in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis stepping motor (not shown) driven in the Y-axis direction, a Z-axis stepping motor 25 driven in the Z-axis direction, and X, Y, Z It is composed of guide rails (not shown) for guiding in each axial direction.

The joystick 1 of the operation units 8 and 9
0 and 11 are 36 with respect to the vertical axis direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1).
The micromanipulators 4 and 5 can be controlled in the horizontal direction (X- and Y-axis directions). A rotary dial is provided on the upper part of the joysticks 10 and 11, and by operating the rotary dial, the micromanipulators 4 and 5 are operated.
In the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The operation units 8 and 9 are provided with key switches for performing other controls.

Operation signals from the operation units 8 and 9 are input to the control unit 26. The control unit 26 outputs a control signal for driving the micromanipulators 4 and 5 according to the operation signals of the operation units 8 and 9. Further, the control unit 26 is connected to the microscope 3
May be controlled to adjust the focus and move and drive the operation console 12. Further, the image of the TV camera 14 is input and displayed on the monitor 27.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 26 is provided with a control unit 28 composed of a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and the like. The control unit 28 includes the TV camera 14, the operation unit 8
(9) driving units 29 and 30 for driving the respective motors of the micromanipulators 4 and 5 in three axial directions, a memory 31 for storing various set values and the like, a video RA
M32 and output of video RAM 32 and TV camera 14
Adder 3 for superimposing the captured image with
3 are connected. The video RAM 32 stores information for displaying a scale corresponding to the magnification, a mark indicating a positional relationship in the Z-axis direction described later, and the like corresponding to the display position. The monitor 27 for displaying the superimposed image is connected to the adder 33.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the control flowcharts of FIGS. Control unit 28
Then, initialization is performed in step S1 of FIG. Here, for example, the drive units 2 of the micromanipulators 4 and 5
9. Set 9, 30 to the initial position. In step S2,
It is determined whether to display the Z position. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the joysticks 10, 11 have been operated. In step S4, a display process described later is performed. In step S5, it is determined whether another key has been operated.
If the determination in step S5 is NO, the process moves to step S6. In step S6, other processing is performed and step S6 is performed.
Return to 2. If it is determined in step S5 that another key has been operated, the flow shifts to step S11 to perform a process corresponding to the key operation.

If it is determined in step S2 that the Z position is to be displayed, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, a Z-direction reference position setting process as shown in FIG. 4 is performed. In this reference position setting process, an initial value 1 is substituted for a variable k in step S21. In step S22, the lower limit position Z-L in the Z direction of the micromanipulator
It is determined whether to set the limit. Step S22
When it is determined that the Z-Limit is ON, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23,
For the k-th micromanipulator, ZL
It is determined whether or not the limit setting is ON. Last time Z
If the Limit setting is ON, step S
It moves to 25. If the Z-Limit setting was OFF last time, the process proceeds to step S24. Step S24
In step S22, it is determined that the Z-Limit setting key has been turned ON by performing a joystick operation or the like in the operation in step S22, and the Z-axis direction position of the k-th micromanipulator at this time is set as a reference position. Store in. In step S25, 1 is added to the variable k.
In step S26, the variable k is compared with the number n of the micromanipulators arranged in this system. If the variable k is equal to or smaller than the number n of micromanipulators, the process proceeds to step S22, and Z-Limit is set for the next micromanipulator. If it is determined in step S26 that the value of the variable k has become larger than n, the process returns to the main routine.

In step S3, the operation units 8,
If it is determined that the joysticks 10 and 11 of No. 9 have been operated, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the driving unit 2 is operated in accordance with the operation direction of the operated joystick.
The micromanipulators 4 and 5 are controlled by driving the driving unit 9 or the driving unit 30. In step S9, it is determined whether the setting for displaying the Z position has been made. If the setting for displaying the Z position has been made, step S10
Move to In step S10, Z as shown in FIG.
Position display processing is performed.

In the Z position display process, an initial value 1 is substituted for a variable k in step S31. In step S31 ',
The k-th micromanipulator determines whether the Z-Limit setting is ON. If the Z-Limit setting is OFF, the process moves to step S37. In step S37, a display setting indicating that the Z-Limit setting is OFF is made. If the Z-Limit setting is ON, the process moves to step S32. Step S32
Then, the position of the k-th micromanipulator in the Z direction is read. Since the movement distance of the micromanipulator in the Z direction is determined by the control unit 28 of the control unit 26 based on the control signal given to the drive unit 29 (30), the Z position of the micromanipulator is determined based on the movement distance. Can be specified. In step S33, the position of the tool tip held by the tool holder is specified based on the Z-direction position of the micromanipulator read in step S32. Here, Z-
Since the reference position set by Limit is set to 0 and it is determined how far the reference device has moved from this reference position, the Z position of the micromanipulator read in step S32 coincides with the Z-direction movement amount of the tip of the micro instrument. . Therefore, the movement amount of the micromanipulator in the Z direction in step S32 is taken as the movement amount of the micro instrument in the Z direction. In step S34, a bar display indicating the distance from the reference position to the current Z-direction position and a numerical value indicating the distance are output as character information based on the tip position of the small instrument. Here, step S
“Z-Limit OFF” is displayed for the micromanipulator set to be displayed at 37. In step S35, 1 is added to the variable k. In step S36, the variable k is compared with the micromanipulator number n. If the variable k is equal to or smaller than n, the process proceeds to step S32, and the process of displaying the Z position is performed for the next micromanipulator. When the variable k becomes larger than n, the process returns to the main routine.

In the display process of step S4, an image photographed by the TV camera 14 is displayed. At this time, if the setting for displaying the Z position has been made, the character information indicating the Z direction position of the micromanipulator output in step S10 is combined with the image of the TV camera 14 and displayed on the monitor 27. At this time, a display as shown in FIG. 6 is performed on the monitor 27, for example. In FIG.
In the lower left portion of the screen 33, the height position of the tip of the micro instrument held by each micromanipulator is displayed. 1
As for the tip position of the micro instrument held by the micromanipulator, the height from the reference position is indicated by a bar display 34, and the distance is indicated by a numerical value display section 35. Similarly, the height display of the second micromanipulator is represented by a bar display 36 and a numerical display unit 37. Similarly, for the third micromanipulator, bar indication 3
The height is displayed by the numeral 9 and the numerical value display unit 38. 4
The Z-Limi
Since there was no movement from the t position, the numerical value display section 40
Is displayed and the bar is not displayed.

[Other Embodiments] (a) In the reference position setting process in step S7, Z-
Although the Limit position is set as the reference position, an arbitrary position can be set as the reference position. (B) The position in the Z direction can be displayed even for a micromanipulator for which Z-Limit is not set. (C) Although the superimposed display is performed by synthesizing the character information representing the Z-direction position with the image of the TV camera 14, the Z-direction position can be displayed on another display device. is there. (D) The number of micropurulators is not limited to that of the embodiment.

[0021]

In the micromanipulator system according to the present invention, the display means displays the taken image and the height position of the tip of the micro instrument held by each micromanipulator. As a result, the positional relationship of the tip of the micromanipulator can be grasped three-dimensionally based on the plane image obtained by the imaging and the display of the height position, and the operability of the micromanipulator is improved. Since the Z coordinates of all the micromanipulators in the system can be grasped, it is easy to grasp the movement of the whole system. In addition, when cells are adsorbed by an adsorption pipette, the position of the tip of the adsorption pipette can be grasped, so that it is easy to grasp the positional relationship between the sample and the micro-instruments held by other micromanipulators. It is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a micromanipulator system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control unit.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of a control unit.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of a control unit.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of a control unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Microscope 4,5 Micromanipulator 8,9 Operation unit 10,11 Joystick 12 Operation table 14 TV camera 16,21 Instrument holder 26 Control unit 27 Monitor

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takahiro Kanai 1 Shiwazu Works Sanjo Plant, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan (56) References JP-A-1-205118 (JP, A) JP-A-1 -87171 (JP, A) JP-A-6-109979 (JP, A) JP-A-6-167656 (JP, A) JP-A-4-229167 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. . ⁶ , DB name) G02B 21/32 B25J 7/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A microscope, a plurality of micromanipulators for three-dimensionally operating a microscopic instrument in a field of view of the microscope, an image pickup means for picking up an image in the field of view, and a height reference position of the manipulator are set. Reference position setting means, detection means for detecting the height position of the tip of each of the manipulators as position information from the height direction reference position, and synthesizing an image of the imaging means and position information detected by the detection means. Display means for displaying the position information on the screen, and the position information is displayed as a bar display for each manipulator in the same screen.