JP3992302B2 - Image input / output device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to an image input / output device used to display a processed image by adding and inputting specimen images observed with an optical microscope, for example.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, in order to optically capture an image with high resolution and high brightness, an imaging optical system using an optical element having a large aperture is required. However, an imaging optical element typified by a lens generally has a shallow depth of focus as the aperture increases. However, in the field of using image equipment such as a microscope, a camera, and an endoscope, it is of course desirable that the obtained image is excellent in resolution and brightness. It is strongly required to be.
[0003]
In specimen inspection observation with an optical microscope, samples with steps, such as semiconductor wafer patterns, uneven biological specimens, LCD panel inspection, etc., with conventional images with shallow depth of focus, blurred images are mixed in the observation image, It may interfere with the inspection process. In particular, in the pattern inspection process of a semiconductor wafer, there is a strong demand for an image in which the depth of focus with less blur is enlarged by high-speed processing with a simple operation.
[0004]
Conventionally, as a method for enlarging the depth of focus, a plurality of images with different in-focus positions are input and added, and an appropriate recovery process is performed on the obtained image to impair resolution and brightness. There are JP-A-1-309478 and JP-A-3-165672 as techniques for reproducing an image having a deep focal depth without any problem.
[0005]
The former specific method is an example applied to an electronic camera as shown in FIG. 14, and the focal point position is changed to a predetermined speed within the exposure time from the distance measurement data of several subjects arbitrarily selected by the photographer. As a result, the focal point can be controlled so that the blur of the integrated image does not depend on the location, and a good image input can be performed.
[0006]
As the drive method, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, a step-like drive that temporarily stops the in-focus position of the input image is performed to integrate the input images, or as shown in FIG. This is an image integration method in which images are roughly integrated by moving the in-focus position quickly for images in the vicinity of, and densely integrated by moving slowly in the vicinity of the distance.
[0007]
In the latter method, as shown in FIG. 17, for example, based on the information on the number of subjects measured by the measuring means, the distance from the imaging unit to each subject, and the brightness of each subject, an image is discretely obtained. In addition to the above-mentioned method, a pre-processing for optimally setting the number of input images when inputting images, the exposure time at the time of input, and various conditions for integrating and inputting images while continuously changing the in-focus position is added to the former method. It is characterized by that. Based on this setting condition, the exposure time by the shutter control is changed as shown in FIG. 18 at the in-focus position of each subject, and good blur-free image input is performed. According to this, it is possible to obtain an image with a deep focal depth without losing resolution or brightness by capturing an image with an optimal exposure time from each input image, and to obtain a clear reproduced image with a good S / N ratio. Can be obtained.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the former method, the measurement position is inaccurate due to the backlash of the motor system in the step-like driving which is one of the driving methods, and the weight of the driving member and the piezo element itself in the actuator driving system by the piezo element. This causes inaccuracy of the measurement position due to the position displacement characteristics of the. In particular, a piezo element capable of high-speed movement requires a sufficient time to stop at a stable position as shown in FIG. 19, and requires a very long stabilization time compared to the time for capturing one screen of an image. To do.
[0009]
Such a driving method requires a great deal of time for the entire processing, and in an observation system that controls the position of a minute displacement such as a microscope, the focal depth is shallow at a high magnification, so that a slight positional fluctuation occurs. If it occurs, it is easy to obtain a blurred image, which is not a practical method.
[0010]
In addition, the latter method, which is driven based on information on the number of subjects, the distance from the imaging unit to each subject, and the brightness of each subject, is a continuous process and time for analyzing and calculating each information. Is necessary in advance, and it is very troublesome because an input image must be created by performing complicated calculations for the non-linear waveform. Furthermore, as for the method of adding input images, since image input is performed while performing exposure time control for each input image, a control shutter for exposure time control is required, and the exposure time for imaging is adjusted, A control unit for compensating for an insufficient light quantity of the image is required, which causes a problem that the apparatus becomes large.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in order to increase the depth of focus by adding the input image, each process such as preprocessing, drive control of the drive unit, and image addition is performed without performing complicated drive control. An object of the present invention is to provide an image input / output device capable of obtaining a good final image while simplifying as much as possible and capable of reducing the cost of the device configuration.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the image input / output device for inputting / outputting the specimen observation image information of the microscope, the imaging means for imaging the image of the subject and the focusing plane of the subject are performedforThe imaging means or the specimen holding means in the imaging meansIn the direction of the optical axisA driving means for driving; a contrast measuring means for specifying a plurality of in-focus positions based on the amount of light of the image obtained by the imaging means and its contrast; an in-focus position storage means for storing the in-focus positions; and the imaging means. Image storage means for storing the obtained image of the subject, and a plurality of in-focus positions stored in the in-focus position storage meanseachIn-focus positionAt the speed at which image input occurs while moving within the depth of focus range,And,From the first focal position to the last focal positionConstant speedControl the drive means to move withDrive control means, andpluralIn-focus positionEach of the images input from the imaging meansto addSo as to controlTiming signal generation means for generating an addition timing signal; and addition means for adding the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means and the image stored in the image storage means by the addition timing signal from the timing signal generation means; The added image by the adding means is subjected to spatial frequency filtering on the added image.Restore only the focused image by removing the blurImage focus recovery means for performing recovery processing.
[0013]
  In invention of Claim 2,The adding means performs signal level conversion on one image based on the amount of light and contrast, and then adds the other image.I am doing so.
  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the adding means includes:Arbitrary level conversion is performed on the signal of the subject image obtained by the imaging means.I am doing so.
  In invention of Claim 4,When the drive system further performs closed-loop drive control, the drive control means always detects the position of the stage drive unit with the position detection unit of the drive amount control unit, and always performs position correction.I am doing so.
  In invention of Claim 5,The timing signal generating means can arbitrarily select the added timing signal to be generated.I am doing so.
  In invention of Claim 6,When the contrast measured by the contrast measuring unit or the light quantity thereof is insufficient with respect to a certain in-focus surface, the addition unit performs input by performing input of the in-focus surface for a plurality of images.Like.
[0014]
[Action]
As a result, according to the first aspect of the invention, when inputting an image,, Imaging means or specimen holding meansDrive in the optical axis directionSince it is constant at the speed at which image input is performed while moving within the focal depth range at each in-focus position, the image from the imaging means is added by the addition timing signal from the timing signal generating means.The driving means can be simplified, and it is not necessary to calculate complicated parameters such as input conditions or to perform exposure control of a special imaging unit, and a good final image can be obtained with simple control..
  MaClaim2According to the described invention, since the desired level conversion processing is performed in accordance with the environmental conditions at the time of image input and the characteristics of the subject, the brightness and contrast of the input image can be improved, and the degradation of the processed image can be prevented. A good final image can be obtained with simple control.
[0015]
  Claims3According to the described invention, arbitrary level conversion can be performed on the signal of the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means.
  Claims4According to the described invention, when the drive system performs closed-loop drive control, the position detection unit of the drive amount control unit always detects the position of the stage drive unit and always performs position correction to obtain a good observation image. be able to.
  Claims5According to the described invention, the timing signal generating means can arbitrarily select the added timing signal to be generated.
  Claims6According to the described invention, when the light amount and the contrast of the image are insufficient with respect to a certain focal plane, the insufficient light amount and the contrast of the image are obtained by performing input for a plurality of images on the focal plane and performing addition. It is possible to obtain a good image as a whole.
[0016]
【Example】
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the apparatus. The apparatus includes an optical microscope 11, a drive control unit 12 that performs drive control in the optical axis direction in order to perform focusing on an image obtained by the optical microscope 11, and the drive control. An image input / output unit 13 that performs input / output processing on an image obtained by the optical microscope 11 under the control of the unit 12 to obtain an added image, and displays a final image obtained by the image input / output unit 13, for example, CRT and The display unit 14 is composed of the drive circuit.
[0017]
The optical microscope 11 includes an illuminating device 15, a television camera 16, and a stage drive unit 17. For example, the stage drive unit 17 that drives a stage on which a specimen that is a subject is placed receives a drive signal from the drive control unit 12. Thus, the focal plane of the image is adjusted by moving in the optical axis direction. Thus, the sample image obtained by illumination with the light source from the illumination device 15 is captured by the television camera 16 and sent to the image input / output unit 13 as an analog image signal.
[0018]
In the image input / output unit 13, the analog image signal from the TV camera 16 is sampled and digitized by the A / D converter 18 and sent to the adding unit 19. The adder 19 adds the digital image signal from the A / D converter 18 and the image signal read from the first memory 20 to be described later, and stores them in the first memory 20. The image signal stored in the first memory 20 is read out to the spatial filter 21 and the adding unit 19.
[0019]
The spatial filter 21 removes a blurred portion after addition of the image signal read from the first memory 20 by a spatial frequency filtering process, and performs a recovery process to restore only the focused image in the second memory 22. Remember. The image signal stored in the second memory 22 is converted into an analog signal again by the D / A converter 23 and output from the image input / output unit 13 as a final image signal after processing. Display output.
[0020]
However, the CPU 24 controls the adder 19, the first memory 20, the spatial filter 21, and the second memory 22, while the storage controller 25 controls the first memory 20 and the second memory 22. The writing / reading is controlled.
[0021]
The drive control unit 12 includes a drive amount control unit 26 and an image addition timing generation unit 27, both of which are also connected to the image input / output unit 13. That is, the drive amount control unit 26 detects the position of the stage drive unit 17 of the optical microscope 11 and performs drive control on the detected position, while the image addition timing generation unit 27 generates an addition timing signal of the image signal. This is supplied to the adding unit 19 of the image input / output unit 13.
[0022]
Next, FIG. 2 mainly shows the configuration of the drive amount control unit 26. As shown in the figure, the drive amount control unit 26 includes a reference signal generation unit 26a, a drive waveform generation unit 26b, and a position detection unit 26c.
[0023]
For example, in the case of driving using a piezo element, since the voltage level corresponds to the optical axis direction, the driving amount control unit 26 variably inputs the voltage level to the stage driving unit 17 to drive. In this case, the CPU 24 sends information on the set driving speed to the reference signal generator 26a. The reference signal generator 26a generates a reference signal waveform corresponding to the speed information and outputs it to the drive waveform generator 26b.
[0024]
The drive waveform generator 26b generates a drive waveform corresponding to the reference signal waveform from the reference signal generator 26a. The drive waveform output from the drive waveform generator 26b is converted into a high voltage waveform in order to move the drive unit. The stage drive unit 17 is driven by this drive waveform signal, the position by the stage drive unit 17 at this time is detected by the position detection unit 26c according to the signal from the CPU 24, and the detection result is sent to the image addition timing generation unit 27 and the CPU 24. Output.
[0025]
For example, in the case of open loop control that does not perform particularly fine position control, the drive waveform generator 26b generates a drive waveform at a desired speed by changing the frequency of the reference signal generator 26a according to the set speed of the CPU 24 as described above. Alternatively, the waveform can be generated by setting a drive waveform at a constant speed using a waveform generation memory.
[0026]
However, in the driving method using a piezo element as described above, in order to maintain an accurate relationship between the driving waveform and the position, it is necessary to always make the driving start position and the end position and the distance of the reciprocating stroke the same.
[0027]
Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
First, in order to confirm the position where the focal point of the observation specimen placed on the stage driven by the stage driving unit 17 of the optical microscope 11 is, the focusing optical axis position of the input image as an input condition, Preprocessing is performed to obtain data on the number of sheets and the amount of light.
[0028]
That is, the stage drive unit 17 is moved step by step at a predetermined interval of the optical axis, and image data of the observation specimen is obtained from the television camera 16 one by one. Each obtained piece of image data is sampled and digitized via the A / D converter 18 in the image input / output unit 13, and then the addition unit 19 does not actually perform any addition processing, but the original data. The image is temporarily stored in the first memory 20 as it is. The CPU 24 reads the image data stored in the first memory 20 and analyzes various data.
[0029]
That is, the CPU 24 calculates, for example, the contrast value and the light amount of an image at a certain position, and when the series of analysis processes is completed, the drive amount control is performed so as to move the focusing optical axis at the next position. The stage 26 is further moved by one step by the stage driving unit 17, and the same analysis processing as that described above is performed. This repeated process is sequentially performed within the range where the sample exists in the optical axis direction.As a result, several images with sufficient contrast in the sample to be added and selected are selected, and the focal plane position and the number of images are selected. The light quantity distribution of the image is obtained.
[0030]
Needless to say, the smaller the finer the optical axis movement interval for capturing the image, the higher the accuracy of the obtained analysis result.
The position and the number of images to be captured are set in the drive control unit 12 based on the information obtained by the preprocessing as described above, and the linear drive at a constant speed of the stage drive unit 17 for image capture is executed in the optical axis direction. Is done.
[0031]
It is assumed that the storage time of image data can be arbitrarily selected depending on the signal system or imaging situation. For example, in NTSC, which is generally used in domestic television systems, one screen image is input in 1 frame storage time of 1/30 seconds as a standard. In order to be able to input image data of a desired focal plane within this time, that is, while the focal plane to be input is moving within the sample focal depth range in the optical axis direction derived from the characteristics of the objective lens, Drive at a constant speed to allow input.
[0032]
The CPU 24 determines the drive speed so as to satisfy this condition, and sets it in the drive amount control unit 26. The image capture position information is obtained by generating an image capture timing based on the data calculated by the preprocessing and the position detection data. At this time, image data for several screens is added from the calculated data. If necessary, the image addition timing generator 27 generates timing signals for the number of sheets required for the addition in accordance with the signal from the position detector 26c.
[0033]
The image capturing operation for each sheet will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the time t and the optical axis distance Z of the stage drive unit 17 linearly driven in the optical axis direction at a constant speed v1, and the timing of generating a timing signal for image addition corresponding to this. 4 is an enlarged view of the generation timing of the image addition timing signal.
[0034]
The drive amount control unit 26 of the drive control unit 12 drives the stage drive unit 17 linearly at a constant speed v1 and inputs an image within the focal depth interval of ΔZ1 at the positions Z11, Z12, and Z13 in FIG. The times at that time are t1, t2, and t3, respectively, and the allowable input time is Δt1. During this time, the CPU 24 sets the speed so that an image is input (Δt1> 1/30 [seconds], v1 = Z11 / t1).
[0035]
Then, the CPU 24 generates an image capture timing signal at a certain set time when the image capture target position is reached, and generates an image input and addition permission signal as shown in FIG. 4 (2) as a capture start trigger. , Input to the adder 19.
[0036]
The addition unit 19 performs addition input on an image that has been input during the permission period in which the addition permission signal is at the “H” level. In this method, image input and addition are performed at the start time of the frame of the image, that is, at the start timing of the vertical synchronization signal as shown in FIG. 4 (3). An addition permission signal is generated at the position to perform image addition with the next image. As a result, it is possible to sequentially input a sharp image with no blur in the focused range of interest within the focal depth range, and finally a good observation image can be obtained by performing the recovery process.
[0037]
In addition, if the light quantity or image contrast is insufficient for a certain focal plane, the input of the focal plane is performed for multiple images and addition is performed to compensate for the insufficient light quantity and image contrast. As a result, a good image can be obtained.
[0038]
FIGS. 5 and 6 explain the operation of capturing a plurality of images. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the time t and the optical axis distance Z of the stage drive unit 17 linearly driven in the optical axis direction at a constant speed v2. FIG. 6 shows the generation timing of the image addition timing signal in an enlarged manner.
[0039]
In this case, since a plurality of images are captured and input as shown in FIG. 5, the constant driving speed v2 is within the focal depth range on the in-focus plane to be measured. It may be set to be sufficiently lower than the driving speed v1 at that time, and the number of pulses of the image input timing signal is generated by the number of additions of the input image as shown in FIGS. At this time, similarly, image input is performed at the positions Z21, Z22, and Z23 in FIG. 5 within the interval of the focal depth of ΔZ1. The times at that time are t1, t2, and t3, respectively, and the allowable input time is Δt2. In the meantime, the CPU 24 sets the speed so that an image is input. For example, although two screens are input in FIG. 6, in such a case, the driving speed v2 may be set so that the focal depth range can be driven in a time of 2/30 [seconds] (Δt2> 2). / 30 [seconds], v2 = Z21 / t1).
[0040]
Then, the CPU 24 continuously generates two pulses of an image addition timing signal indicating the number of input images as shown in FIG. 6A, and inputs the signal to the adder 19. In this case, the number of sheets to be added corresponds to the number of pulses, and as described above, image input is performed for two screens. The pulse of the image addition timing signal indicating the number of input images may be generated at a time using a plurality of signals in parallel.
[0041]
When the drive system performs closed-loop drive control, the position detection unit 26c of the drive amount control unit 26 always detects the position of the stage drive unit 17 and constantly corrects the position while maintaining position accuracy. Drive at a constant speed. Then, when the target position for image capture is reached, an image capture timing signal is used as a trigger based on the position detection signal to generate an input and addition permission signal as in FIG. . Therefore, processing similar to the processing in the case of the open loop described above is performed, and finally a good observation image can be obtained.
[0042]
In the configuration of the above-described embodiment, in the case of an image with insufficient light quantity and contrast with respect to a certain focal plane, the same image is added and corrected multiple times. It is necessary to reduce the speed accordingly, and it is necessary to change the setting for each sample.
[0043]
For such an image with insufficient light quantity and contrast, data conversion for correcting this is performed in real time so that only one image needs to be acquired, and there is no need to change the drive speed setting. This will be described as another configuration example according to the embodiment.
[0044]
FIG. 7 exemplifies the configuration of the circuit and is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 1 described above. Therefore, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
Thus, the level converter including the A / D converter 18 that performs arbitrary level conversion on the analog image input signal obtained by the TV camera 16 and outputs the digitized signal is provided upstream of the adder 19. A portion 31 is provided.
[0045]
This level conversion unit 31 can process without adjusting the exposure time of imaging of each image and without generating a plurality of timing signals for one image.
FIG. 8 shows a first configuration example of the level conversion unit 31. The level conversion unit 31 is configured by the gain variable amplifier 32 and the A / D converter 18. In FIG. In this case, the analog image signal obtained by the television camera 16 is amplified several times by the variable gain amplifier 32, then sampled by the A / D converter 18 and digitized, and then added to the adder 19 in the next stage. Provided. Therefore, even if the image signal from the television camera 16 is insufficient in light quantity or insufficient in contrast, this can be compensated for each input image by arbitrarily adjusting the gain of the gain variable amplifier 32.
[0046]
FIG. 9 shows a second configuration example of the level conversion unit 31. The level conversion unit 31 is configured by the A / D converter 18 and the lookup table 33. In this case, the analog image signal obtained by the television camera 16 is sampled by the A / D converter 18 and digitized, and then supplied to the lookup table 33. A memory (ROM, RAM) is used as the look-up table 33, and A / D converted input image data is used as a designated address, and level-converted image data written in advance at the corresponding address position is read. Level conversion is performed by outputting to the adder 19 in the next stage. In the look-up table 33, image data level-converted in advance in accordance with an arbitrary amplification factor is written by the CPU 24 in the case of a RAM, for example. As in the case of FIG. Even if the signal is insufficient in light quantity or insufficient in contrast, this level conversion can sufficiently compensate for this.
[0047]
Further, the look-up table 33 is constituted by, for example, a RAM, and is provided so that the CPU 24 can freely set or rewrite the contents thereof, and can have various conversion characteristics depending on observation conditions and samples. Compared to the case shown in FIG. 8, the degree of freedom can be made higher.
[0048]
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the input image has a large number of low-luminance portions as a whole, the contrast with the portion having the high-luminance component can be clearly seen, but the contrast in the low-luminance portion is not clear.
[0049]
In such a case, a characteristic table as shown in FIG. 11 is written in the look-up table 33 and luminance conversion is performed. As a result, the low luminance portion is emphasized as shown in FIG. The contrast in the low-luminance portion is clarified, and an image display that can obtain a constant contrast as a whole is possible.
[0050]
In the above embodiment, the optical microscope 11 is moved in the direction of the optical axis by the stage drive unit 17 and the focal plane with respect to the specimen S placed on the stage is adjusted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. FIG. 13 lists other drive units that can adjust the focal plane of the object with the optical microscope 11. In addition to the stage drive unit 17, the objective revolver drive unit 41, the TV camera lens drive unit 42, and the like. Any one of these or a combination thereof can be easily realized. Furthermore, various drive mechanisms such as an electromagnetic motor, an ultrasonic motor, and a piezoelectric element can be considered as the drive mechanism of the drive unit.
[0051]
Further, the TV camera 16 is not limited to the NTSC system, but can obtain images by PAL, SECAM and other necessary television systems. If a high-definition system capable of capturing a higher-band image is used, a high resolution can be obtained. Needless to say, an image can be obtained.
[0052]
As mentioned above, although demonstrated based on the Example, the following invention is contained in this invention.
(1) In image input / output for inputting / outputting image information, an image pickup means for picking up an image of a subject, a drive means for performing focusing on the subject, the number of subjects, the distance from the image pickup means to the subject, Based on measurement means for measuring each information of the brightness of the subject, storage means for storing the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means, each information obtained by the measurement means, and information on the drive position by the drive means Driving control means for controlling the focal plane position with respect to the driving means, and an addition timing signal for the image stored in the storage means based on the driving position of the driving means and each information obtained by the measuring means. A timing signal generating means; an image of the subject obtained by the imaging means by an addition timing signal from the timing signal generating means; and an image stored in the storage means. A calculation adding means, image input and output apparatus characterized by comprising a recovery means for performing recovery processing by the spatial frequency filtering on the added image by the adding means.
[0053]
In this way, when inputting an image, the driving of the subject in the optical axis direction is set to a linear constant speed driving, and the timing signal generating means is provided that can add the required number of the same images by the light quantity and contrast of the image. As a result, it is possible to simplify the driving means, and there is no need to calculate complicated parameters such as input conditions or to perform exposure control of a special imaging unit, and a good final image can be obtained by simple control. it can.
[0054]
(2) In the image input / output device described in (1), the adding means performs signal level conversion on one image based on the amount of light and contrast, and then adds the image to the other image. Output device.
[0055]
In this way, the desired level conversion processing is performed in accordance with the environmental conditions at the time of image input and the characteristics of the subject, so that the brightness and contrast of the input image can be improved and the degradation of the processed image can be prevented. A good final image can be obtained with simple control.
[0056]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, each process such as preprocessing, drive control of the drive unit, and image addition is performed as much as possible without performing complicated drive control in order to increase the depth of focus by adding the input images. It is possible to obtain a good final image while simplifying, and to reduce the cost of the apparatus configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall circuit configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed circuit configuration of a drive amount control unit mainly in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an operation according to the embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the operation according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation according to the embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the operation according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating another circuit configuration according to the embodiment;
8 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a level conversion unit in FIG. 7;
9 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a level conversion unit in FIG. 7;
10 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the level conversion unit of FIG. 9;
11 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the level conversion unit of FIG. 9;
12 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the level conversion unit of FIG. 9;
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another driving unit that performs focusing surface alignment of the optical microscope according to the embodiment;
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first conventional image input / output device.
15 is a diagram illustrating a driving method of the apparatus of FIG. 14;
16 is a diagram illustrating a driving method of the apparatus in FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional second image input / output device.
18 is a diagram illustrating an exposure control method of the apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a position displacement characteristic of a piezo element.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 ... Optical microscope
12 ... Drive control unit
13. Image input / output unit
14 ... Display section
15 ... Lighting device
16 ... TV camera
17 ... Stage drive unit
18 ... A / D converter
19 ... Adder
20: First memory
21 ... Spatial filter
22 ... second memory
23 ... D / A converter
24 ... CPU
25. Storage control unit
26: Drive amount control unit
27. Image addition timing generator
31 ... Level converter
32 ... Variable gain amplifier
33 ... Lookup table
41 ... Objective revolver drive unit
42 ... TV camera lens drive unit

Claims (6)

In an image input / output device that inputs and outputs specimen observation image information of a microscope,
Imaging means for capturing an image of a subject;
Driving means for driving the imaging means or the sample holding means in the imaging means in the direction of the optical axis in order to perform focusing on the subject;
Contrast measuring means for specifying a plurality of in-focus positions based on the light amount of the image obtained by the imaging means and its contrast;
In-focus position storage means for storing the in-focus position;
Image storage means for storing an image of the subject obtained by the imaging means;
The speed at which image input is performed while moving within the focal depth range at each of the plurality of focal positions stored in the focal position storage means, and from the first focal position to the last focal position. Drive control means for controlling the drive means to move at a constant speed between the focal position and
Timing signal generating means for generating an addition timing signal for controlling to add images input from the imaging means at each of the plurality of in- focus positions;
Adding means for adding the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means and the image stored in the image storage means by the addition timing signal from the timing signal generating means;
An image input / output device comprising: image focus recovery means for performing recovery processing for restoring only a focused image by removing a blurred portion of the added image by spatial frequency filtering with respect to the added image by the adding means . The adding means is
2. The image input / output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a signal level conversion is performed on one image based on a light amount and a contrast and then the other image is added . The adding means is
3. The image input / output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an arbitrary level conversion is performed on a signal of the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means . The drive control means includes
2. The image input device according to claim 1, wherein when the drive system performs closed-loop drive control, the position detection unit of the drive amount control unit always detects the position of the stage drive unit and always performs position correction. Output device. 2. An image input / output apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said timing signal generating means can arbitrarily select an addition timing signal to be generated . The adding means is
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the contrast measured by the contrast measuring means or the light quantity thereof is insufficient with respect to a certain in-focus surface, the in-focus surface is input for a plurality of images and addition is performed . Image input / output device.

Images