JP3692081B2 - Imaging apparatus having movable object to be imaged - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an imaging apparatus that images a specimen such as bacteria or bacteria as an imaging target, and in particular, the imaging surface is divided into a plurality of areas by moving a mounting table on which the imaging target is mounted. The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus of an optical enlargement system for imaging.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of food hygiene and the like, devices for detecting or measuring microorganisms such as bacteria present in foods are widely used. The microorganism detection method in these devices is a culture method in which microbial cells are cultured on a flat medium solidified with agar or gelatin, and the resulting colonies (group of fungi) are counted as the number of viable bacteria. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) detection method, which detects the presence or absence of microorganisms by detecting the fluorescence generated from the reaction between the photoprotein and its substrate, or using fluorescent dyes with different wavelengths and using fluorescent staining Various methods are used depending on the environment in which microorganisms such as bacteria are detected, such as a fluorescent staining method that detects different properties of bacteria by a single treatment.
[0003]
As an example of such an apparatus, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-286296 discloses that a solution containing microorganisms is attached to the surface of a plate, a detection reagent is dropped, an excitation light source is turned on from the bottom of the plate, and the microorganisms on the plate are fluorescent. Color is developed and received by a fluorescence light receiving unit, and a fluorescent microorganism is emitted for each simple substance by a spectral film that transmits only a specific wavelength. And, by counting the number of living and dead cells and the number of dead cells by counting this single luminescent substance, a living cell existing is counted, and a microorganism measuring device for confirming the number of living cells and dead cells in a specimen is disclosed. ing.
[0004]
In this type of device, in order to obtain received image data by converting the amount of received light into an electrical signal, the charge generated by the photodiode is stored in a capacitor and is transmitted to the outside in accordance with a predetermined clock. Imaging means (hereinafter referred to as “CCD camera”) using a charge coupled device (hereinafter referred to as “CCD” (Charge-Coupled Devices)) that can be used as By the way, some charge coupled devices are called MOS type (Metal Oxide Semiconductor), but the basic principle of converting light into electric charge is the same as that of the CCD type.
[0005]
In general, the CCD camera is widely used as an imaging unit in various fields as well as the microorganism measuring apparatus described above. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-241127 discloses an image processing apparatus that outputs an image signal obtained by irradiating a magnetic head as an object to be inspected with an illuminating device and imaging the transmitted light or reflected light with an imaging device. The surface inspection apparatus which detects the foreign material or defect of a to-be-inspected object, and was equipped with the alignment mechanism of to-be-inspected object is disclosed. Also in this conventional apparatus, a CCD camera is used as an imaging unit, and the stage on which the magnetic head is mounted is placed on a plane in order to inspect (image) multiple positions of the magnetic head to be inspected (imaging). Are moved in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and inspection (imaging) is executed at a plurality of predetermined positions. At that time, in order to correct a focus shift with respect to the inspection (imaging) target area of the magnetic head accompanying the stage movement, an automatic focusing mechanism that functions so as to focus on the surface of each inspection (imaging) area is provided.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, in order to eliminate the focus shift caused by the movement of the imaging target, an apparatus configuration for imaging a wide imaging area at a time by fixing and fixing the imaging target can be considered. Under the conditions of ensuring a predetermined image quality with a constant resolution, it is necessary to use an expensive CCD corresponding to high pixels, and the inspection object must be moved in order to reduce the manufacturing cost of the inspection apparatus. I don't get it. Further, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the auto focus mechanism is provided, which leads to an increase in the manufacturing cost of the inspection apparatus, and causes an increase in the size of the apparatus.
[0007]
In view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention realizes downsizing and cost reduction of an imaging unit that images an object to be inspected, and a focus shift with respect to an imaging object that moves in a plurality of imaging areas. An object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus that can achieve a desired image pickup accuracy without occurrence of the above-described problem.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  For this reason, the present inventionA base; imaging means attached to the base for photographing an object to be imaged; a carriage disposed below the imaging means and moving in a plane along a vertical axis direction and a horizontal axis direction; and provided on the carriage. A stage on which the object to be imaged is placed; and a stage attitude regulating means for regulating an inclination attitude of the stage; the carriage is guided by a first guide member provided on the base and is movable in a vertical axis direction And a second carriage guided by a second guide member provided on the first carriage and movable in the horizontal axis direction. The stage posture restricting means includes a plurality of connecting members that connect the stage to the second carriage, and the plurality of connecting members are attached to side walls facing the stage and the second carriage. And a plurality of recesses formed in each of the connecting members are engaged with a plurality of protrusions formed on the side surfaces of the second carriage and the stage, and the second carriage is mounted on the second carriage. The stage is connected to. And the inclination of the vertical axis and horizontal axis direction of the stage is corrected according to the mounting positions of the plurality of connecting members.
[0009]
As a result, in the present invention, it becomes possible to keep the relative distance of the imaging area surface of the imaging object placed on the stage with respect to the imaging device constant, and the precise imaging in the entire imaging area in the imaging area. The image can be acquired.
[0010]
Here, the stage posture regulating means includes a fixing means that is arranged to face the side wall surface side of the stage, and fixes a relative position between the carriage and the stage in the imaging area. By having at least four fixing screws, the relative position is securely fixed.
[0011]
The carriage is movable in a first direction, and a second carriage is movable in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction disposed on the first carriage. Therefore, the movement in the two-dimensional direction and its fine position control can be performed with a simple movement mechanism.
[0012]
The carriage in the apparatus is disposed between the stage and the second carriage, and urges the stage upward with respect to the second carriage, and the stage as the second carriage. A connecting member that is connected to the carriage, and the fixing means fixes the connecting member against the urging force of the elastic member, whereby the stage holds a predetermined posture, and further, the elastic member Are provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of the stage, so that the workability when fixing the relative position for realizing the flatness of the imaging surface with respect to the imaging device is greatly improved.
[0013]
For this purpose, the base includes a mounting surface extending in a substantially vertical direction for mounting the imaging means, and the stage is positioned in a substantially horizontal direction at an angle of approximately 90 degrees with respect to the mounting surface. Configured to be held.
[0016]
Each of the first and second guide members in the present apparatus has at least one guide rail.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of an imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the entire imaging apparatus H, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing the entire imaging apparatus H.
[0019]
The main configuration of the imaging apparatus includes a stage 3 on which an object to be imaged is placed, a front cover 22 that opens and closes to perform an operation such as placing the object to be imaged on the stage 3, and an object to be imaged as light. A light source unit 24 that irradiates, a CCD camera 20 that receives two-dimensional image light from a subject that has been irradiated by the light source unit 24 and emits excitation light from a reagent, and converts it into image data using an electrical signal, and a plurality of filters A filter moving unit 23 that supports and moves to switch a filter in accordance with switching of light emission, and further, a first carriage movement for moving the stage 3 to an operation position when placing the imaging target on the stage 3 A mechanism 13 and a second carriage moving mechanism 12. The stage 3 is formed between the upper surface of the second carriage and the kit holder 27, and an emblem kit or a film kit with a specimen attached thereto is mounted thereon.
[0020]
The mounting table 3 on which the object to be imaged is mounted will be described below as the stage 3. However, the shape or the like is not limited to the shape or the like described in this description or the attached drawings. In addition, in the present embodiment, the mounting of the kit with the specimen attached is exemplified as a configuration for placing the specimen as the imaging target on the stage 3, but the present invention is not limited to this.
[0021]
The lower part of the first carriage 6 is slidably fitted with a first guide member (guide rail) 9 for guiding it in the first direction (the arrow Y direction shown in FIG. 1 in the longitudinal axis direction). A first sleeve 31 and a second sleeve 32 are provided. The first lower part of the second carriage 7 is slidably fitted to second guide members (guide rails) 10a and 10b for guiding the second carriage 7 in the second direction (arrow X direction in the horizontal axis direction). A sleeve 33 and a second sleeve 34 are provided. As a result, the first carriage 6 and the second carriage 7 constitute the first moving mechanism 13 (driving in the Y direction) and the belt 36 constituting the second moving mechanism 12 (driving in the X direction). Towed and moved by.
[0022]
When the power is turned on by the power switch, the initial operation is started first. In the initial operation, the stage 3 moves to the reference position. This reference position is an imaging position for imaging a specimen that is an object to be imaged, and is set immediately below the CCD camera 20.
[0023]
The stage 3 is an X-HP disposed at a reference position in the X direction along the shaft direction of each of the first guide members (guide rails 9a and 9b) and the second guide members (guide rails 10a and 10b). Both the sensor and the Y-HP sensor arranged at the reference position in the Y direction move to a position where they are turned on.
[0024]
When the initial operation is completed, the device enters a standby state. When the front cover 22 is opened, a signal indicating that the cover has been opened by an operator is emitted from a cover sensor (not shown). In accordance with this signal (cover opening signal), the stage 3 moves to the front where the front cover 22 is opened. The front cover 22 is kept open by a coil spring when the front cover 22 is opened.
[0025]
When an object to be imaged (specimen) is mounted on the stage 3 and the front cover 22 is closed by the operator, the signal of the cover sensor is sent to the data processing device connected to the interface, indicating that the preparation is complete. Display above. The operator instructs the data processing apparatus to start imaging. The instructed data processing apparatus sends an imaging start command to the imaging apparatus. The control unit of the imaging apparatus controls the first carriage moving mechanism unit 13 to move the stage 3 to the imaging home position, that is, the initial imaging position.
[0026]
Imaging is repeated while changing the position of the stage 3 little by little. Since there are a plurality of types of mounting kits for mounting the specimen to be imaged, the case of measuring the emblem kit is different from the case of measuring the film kit. Here, the total area to be imaged is 12 mm * 9 mm in the case of the emblem kit, and the area that can be acquired by one imaging is 1.2 mm * 0.9 mm, so 100 imaging frames are required. become. The imaging process takes an image while moving the position ten times in the Y direction, moves in the X direction, and repeats this.
[0027]
Each time one frame is imaged, the image data is transmitted to the data processing device. When the acquisition of the image data is completed, the data processing device requests the imaging device to acquire the next frame, and thereby the imaging device performs position movement and re-imaging. In this manner, necessary frame imaging is repeated. After all necessary frames have been imaged, the stage 3 returns to the home position described above.
[0028]
In FIG. 4, the imaging target PG is fixed on the stage 3 with a kit holder 27, and the stage 3 is provided on the carriage 2.
[0029]
In this apparatus, the CCD camera 20 is not moved, but the stage 3 side on which the imaging target PG is placed is moved. If the image formation point from the imaging object PG is not accurately focused on the photoelectric conversion element of the CCD camera 20 during imaging due to the movement of the stage 3, a precise image cannot be obtained, and as a result The body cannot be accurately recognized. For this reason, even when the stage 3 moves, it is necessary to maintain the parallelism of the stage 3 with respect to the imaging means so that the stage 3 is always within a prescribed depth of focus range (for example, within 60 micrometers).
[0030]
For this reason, in the present invention, in order to keep the relative distance between the CCD camera 20 side and the imaging area A on the stage 3 constant, the stage attitude regulating means 4 that regulates the tilt attitude of the stage 3 and the fixing means The fixing screw 5 and the connecting member 8 were disposed at a plurality of positions along the vertical axis direction (Y direction) and the horizontal axis direction (X direction) of the stage 3. Thereby, the parallelism in the plane direction with respect to the CCD camera 20 of the stage 3 and the condenser lens disposed in front of the CCD camera 20 for obtaining an image of the imaging target is ensured.
[0031]
  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carriage 2 of the imaging apparatus. The carriage 2 includes a first carriage 6 and a second carriage 7. The first carriage 6 is guided by a first guide member (guide rail) 9 fixed to the base 1 and is configured to be movable in a first direction (Y direction). The carriage 2 in this apparatus is disposed on the first carriage 6 and is movable in a second direction (X direction) substantially orthogonal to the first direction (Y direction), and a second carriage 7. The carriage 7 is connected to a stage 3 on which an object to be imaged is placed, and to the stage 3 and the second carriage 7.pluralConnecting member 8;A stage attitude regulating means 4 constituted by the plurality of connecting members, and a fixing means for fixing the stage attitude regulating means 4.It consists of fixing screws 5a and 5b. Furthermore, second guide members (guide rails) 10 a and 10 b for guiding the second carriage 7 in a second direction (X direction), which is the moving direction of the second carriage 7, are provided below the second carriage 7. .
[0032]
  Configure the stage attitude regulating means 4Connecting member 8Are arranged in two pairs (four in total) facing the side wall surface of the stage 3, and the relative position between the carriage 2 and the stage 3 is fixed by fixing means (fixing screws) 5. Thereby, the fixed positional relationship between the two becomes more reliable.
[0033]
Each of the first carriage 6 and the second carriage 7 includes an individual drive motor and a drive transmission mechanism. This realizes low maximum power consumption.
[0034]
2 and 3, the second carriage moving mechanism 12 is mounted on the first carriage 6 and moves the second carriage 7 in the horizontal axis direction (X direction). It comprises a drive source and a drive transmission unit. With this configuration, the carriage 2 can be reduced in size. In the present embodiment, both of them are not moved at the same time due to the relationship of power consumption, but it goes without saying that both may be controlled to move simultaneously.
[0035]
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the stage 3 when FIG. 3 is viewed from above. The second carriage 7 faces the side wall surface side of the stage 3, and two pairs of stage posture restricting means 4 (four in total) and fixing means (fixing screws) for fixing the relative positions of the carriage 2 and the stage 3. 5, a connecting member 8 that connects the stage 3 to the upper part of the second carriage 7, and a second moving mechanism unit for moving the second carriage. The first carriage is guided by the guide rail 9 and can be moved in the first direction (Y direction), and the second carriage is guided by the guide rail 10 and moved in the second direction (X direction). It is configured to be possible.
[0036]
Between the stage 3 and the second carriage 7, springs 11, which are elastic members that bias the stage 3 upward with respect to the second carriage 7, are pivoted at respective positions corresponding to the four corner portions of the stage 3. It is wound around the core and arranged. Further, the connecting member 8 that connects the stage 3 to the upper part of the second carriage 7 resists the upward biasing force of the spring 11 by the fixing screw 5 so that the stage 3 maintains a predetermined (horizontal) posture. The connecting member 8 is fixed.
[0037]
On the stage 3, the imaging target PG is placed. On the stage 3 in the figure, the imaging area A, a height adjustment reference position p 0 for adjusting the tilt of the stage and the distance from the CCD camera 20, and Height adjustment positions p1, p2, p3, and p4 are shown. The posture adjustment of the table is performed using the height adjustment reference position and the height adjustment position and the adjustment jig. Thereby, the operation | work at the time of fixing the said relative position which implement | achieves the planarity of the imaging surface with respect to an imaging device is made easy.
[0038]
FIG. 5 shows a side view of the second carriage 7. On the side wall surface side of the stage 3, a connecting member 8 that connects the stage 3 and the second carriage 7, first inclination adjusting means 4 a and 4 b that are stage attitude regulating means 4 that adjust the inclination of the stage 3, and the stage Fixing screws 5a and 5b, which are fixing means for fixing 3, a long hole 14 that enables adjustment of the fixing position of the fixing screws 5a and 5b, a plurality of recesses 29 provided in the connecting member 8, and a plurality of recesses 29, and a plurality of pin-shaped convex portions 30 that engage with each other. As already described, the second carriage is fitted to the second guide members (guide rails) 10a and 10b provided on the first carriage 6 at the lower part of the second carriage while sliding the second carriage. Sleeves 33, 34 are provided to allow movement.
[0039]
  The connecting member mentioned aboveThe stage posture restricting means 4 is configured as a part. The connecting member 8 fixed by one fixing screw 5 has a two-piece configuration having a plurality of recesses 29 and is provided on each side surface of the stage 3 and the second carriage 7 facing the connecting member 8. The plurality of pin-shaped convex portions 30 are respectively engaged with the plurality of concave portions 29 of the connecting member 8 and positioned. For the predetermined positioning (determining the posture of the stage 3), the plurality of pin-shaped convex portions 30 are movable along the contact surface of the concave portion 29 in the concave portions 29 of the corresponding connecting members 8 respectively. It has become. A long hole 14 is also formed in the contact surface of the connecting member 8 screwed by the fixing screw 5, and the connecting member is connected to the fixing screw 5 in accordance with the relative movement by the concave portion 29 and the convex portion 30 described above. 8 can be moved relative to each other. By disposing these plural restricting (fixed) positions facing the side wall surface side of the stage 3, the stage 3 can be freely tilted within a predetermined range, and the horizontal position adjustment with high accuracy of the stage 3 is possible. Is possible.
[0040]
Next, position adjustment by the surface of the stage 3 will be described.
[0041]
The base 1 has a surface extending in a substantially vertical direction, and the CCD camera (imaging means) 20 is attached to a predetermined position on this surface. The stage 3 is configured to hold its posture in a substantially horizontal direction at an angle of approximately 90 degrees with respect to the mounting surface of the CCD camera 20. In the manufacturing process of this apparatus, for example, an L shape (right angle) is used. The horizontal positioning of the stage 3 is performed using a jig. That is, one end of the jig is aligned with the mounting surface of the base 1 to which the CCD camera 20 is not mounted, and the other end is aligned with the stage 3. In this case, the other end surface of the jig facing the stage 3 is at least a surface (for example, corresponding to the imaged object PG) of the area of the imaged area A of the imaged object PG placed on the stage 3. It is important that it is formed as having a region surface.
[0042]
Thus, the horizontal posture of the stage 3 is formed by fixing with the fixing screw 5 with a jig set between them. In the position adjustment by this surface, the above-described spring 11 is disposed between the stage 3 and the second carriage 7 at positions corresponding to the four corners of the stage 3, so that the horizontal posture of the stage 3 can be adjusted. Therefore, the work related to the position adjustment for this becomes easy.
[0043]
According to the present invention, the position of the stage 3 can be adjusted in the horizontal direction, vertical direction, vertical direction, and horizontal direction with a simple configuration as described above. It is possible to always keep the distance between the two constant.
[0044]
  That is, the above-described stage posture restricting means 4 is composed of a plurality of connecting members arranged in two pairs (four in total) facing the side wall surface of the stage 3, and the vertical axis that is the moving direction of the first carriage 6. The height position adjustment in the vertical axis direction (Y direction) is performed with the connecting members paired in the direction (Y direction). Similarly, height position adjustment in the horizontal axis direction (X direction) is performed by a connecting member paired in the horizontal axis direction which is the moving direction of the second carriage 7.
[0045]
  In this way, the first tilt adjustment in the vertical axis direction (Y direction) and the second in the horizontal axis direction (X direction) with a plurality of connecting members so as to form a pair in the moving direction of the first and second carriages. Adjust the tilt.
[0046]
Here, the attitude control of the stage by the adjustment reference position provided on the surface of the stage 3 will be described.
[0047]
  FirstTilt adjustmentFor example, the connecting members 4a and 4b in FIGS.Tilt adjustmentAs an example, the tilt of the stage 3 in the vertical axis direction (Y direction) and the horizontal axis direction (X direction) can be adjusted by adjusting the connecting members 4a or 4b in FIGS.
[0048]
  Here, the connecting means 4a and 4b arranged on the front side (left side as viewed in FIG. 4) with respect to the stage 3 in FIG.Tilt adjustmentAs shown in FIG. 3, the connecting means (4a in FIG. 3, upper side in FIG. 4) is the secondTilt adjustmentWill be described.
[0049]
  FirstTilt adjustmentIs adjusted so that the stage 3 is arranged in parallel to a guide rail 9a as a first guide member that guides the first carriage 6 so as to be movable, and the first height in the imaging area A is adjusted. Adjustment is performed such that the adjustment position p1 and the second height adjustment position p2 are the same height position.
[0050]
First, the first height adjustment position p1 is positioned at the height adjustment reference position p0. Then, an L-shaped (right-angled) jig as described above is similarly set on the height adjustment reference position p0, and the corresponding connecting member 8 is screwed with the fixing screw 5a. Here, the jig used in this embodiment does not have a wide area (area surface corresponding to the object to be imaged PG), but is preferably a minimal one that captures the height adjustment reference position p0 as a point. However, it is necessary to have rigidity.
[0051]
Next, after removing the jig once, the first carriage 6 is moved so that the second height adjustment position p2 is positioned at the height adjustment reference position p0, and then the jig is set again and the fixing screw. The corresponding connecting member 8 is screwed with 5b. Thereby, the stage 3 is positioned so that the inclination with respect to the guide rail 9a is adjusted in the imaging area 3, and the both are arranged in parallel.
[0052]
  Followed by the secondTilt adjustmentThe stage 3 is adjusted so as to be arranged in parallel with the guide rail 10a as the second guide member for movably guiding the second carriage 7, and the third height adjustment in the imaging area A is performed. Adjustment is performed such that the position p3 and the fourth height adjustment position p4 are the same height position.
[0053]
The third height adjustment position p3 is positioned at the height adjustment reference position p0. Here, only the height confirmation by the jig is performed, and after the jig is once removed, the second carriage 7 is moved. Then, after positioning the fourth height adjustment position p4 to the height adjustment reference position p0, the jig is set again and the fixing screws 5a and 5b (in this case, the rear side of the stage 3 in FIG. Corresponding connecting members 8 are screwed respectively (right side as viewed from FIG. 4). Thus, the stage 3 is positioned so that the inclination with respect to the guide rail 10a is adjusted in the imaging area A and both are arranged in parallel.
[0054]
By adjusting the tilt of the stage 3 as described above, the stage 3 is positioned parallel to the guide rails 9a and 10a in the imaging area 3, and as a result, the stage 3 is positioned with high accuracy even by movement of the carriage 2. It becomes possible to maintain the imaging accuracy of the CCD camera 20 with respect to the imaging area A.
[0055]
  In the present embodiment, the position adjustment (tilt adjustment) of the stage 3 with respect to the guide rails 9a and 10a has been described, but it goes without saying that the same adjustment can be made for the guide rails 9b and 10b. In this case, the reference numerals 4a and 4b arranged on the back side of the stage 3 in FIG.Tilt adjustmentIn addition, reference numerals 4b in FIG.Tilt adjustmentCan be used as
[0056]
Furthermore, in the description of the above-described embodiment, the adjustment in the horizontal axis direction (X direction) that is the movement direction of the second carriage 7 after the adjustment in the vertical direction (Y direction) that is the movement direction of the first carriage 6 is performed. The adjustment is performed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and after the adjustment in the horizontal axis direction (X direction) that is the movement direction of the second carriage 7, the vertical axis direction (the movement direction of the first carriage 6) ( (Y direction) may be adjusted, and the tilt adjustment of the stage 3 is performed at four positions located on the side wall side of the stage 3, but three positions where any one of the positions is omitted are provided as adjustment positions. But you can.
[0057]
As described above in detail, in the imaging apparatus according to the present invention, an imaging unit that is fixed to a base and captures the imaging target while maintaining a constant focus on the imaging target, and the imaging target A carriage that moves in a plane along the vertical and horizontal axes in the imaging area, a stage that is provided on the carriage and on which the object to be imaged is placed, the imaging means, and the stage placed on the stage Stage attitude regulating means for regulating the tilt attitude of the stage in order to keep the relative distance from the imaging area surface of the imaged object to be fixed, the stage attitude regulating means in the imaging area on the stage By being arranged at positions along the vertical axis and horizontal axis moving directions, the CCD sensor of the imaging unit for imaging the specimen as the imaging target is also high. Expensive CCD corresponding to element becomes unnecessary, as also inexpensive structure while get the desired picture quality, and reduce the size and cost of the entire imaging apparatus.
[0058]
Furthermore, since the posture of the stage that can be moved for imaging can be adjusted with a simple configuration, there is no focus shift with respect to an imaging target that moves in a plurality of imaging areas without having an automatic focus adjustment device. This achieves a desired imaging accuracy that does not occur.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a side view of an imaging apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a front view of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carriage in the imaging apparatus.
4 is a plan view of the carriage shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above. FIG.
FIG. 5 shows a second carriage side view of the imaging apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 base
2 Carriage
3 stages
4 Stage posture control means
4a First and second inclination adjusting means
4b First and second inclination adjusting means
5 Fixing means (part of stage attitude regulating means, fixing screw)
6 First carriage
7 Second carriage
8 Connecting member (part of stage attitude control means)
9 First guide member (guide rail)
10 Second guide member (guide rail)
11 Elastic member (spring)
12 Second carriage moving mechanism
13 First carriage moving mechanism
20 CCD camera
22 Front cover
24 Light source
H Imaging device

Claims (7)

The base,
Imaging means attached to the base for photographing the imaged object ;
A carriage that is disposed below the imaging means and moves in a plane along the vertical axis direction and the horizontal axis direction;
A stage provided on the carriage and on which the object to be imaged is placed ;
A stage posture regulating means for regulating the tilt posture of the stage ;
The carriage is guided by a first guide member provided on the base and is movable in the vertical axis direction, and is guided by a second guide member provided on the first carriage and in the horizontal axis direction. And a second carriage that is freely movable,
The stage posture regulating means is composed of a plurality of coupling members that couple the stage to the second carriage,
The plurality of coupling members are arranged on the side wall surfaces of the stage and the second carriage facing each other so that the mounting positions can be adjusted, and the plurality of recesses formed in each of the coupling members are provided in the second carriage and Engage with a plurality of protrusions formed on the side surface of the stage, and connect the stage on the second carriage,
An imaging apparatus characterized in that the vertical and horizontal axis tilts of the stage are corrected according to the mounting positions of the plurality of connecting members . A pair of the connecting members are respectively disposed on opposing side wall surfaces of the stage and the second carriage,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member further includes a fixing unit that fixes a relative position between the stage and the second carriage. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fixing unit includes four fixing screws . The connecting member is provided between the stage and the second carriage, and resists a biasing force of an elastic member that biases the stage upward with respect to the second carriage. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage is held in a predetermined posture. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the elastic member is provided at a position corresponding to four corner portions of the stage. The base includes a mounting surface extending in a substantially vertical direction for mounting the imaging unit, and the connecting member has a posture of the stage in a substantially horizontal direction with an angle of approximately 90 degrees with respect to the mounting surface. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the imaging apparatus is configured to hold the imaging apparatus. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second guide members includes a guide rail.

Images