JP4374893B2 - Focusing device and microscope equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a focusing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a focusing apparatus for a microscope using a motor, in order to retract the stage at a high speed when exchanging specimens, a retracting switch, or an upward coarse movement button and a downward coarse movement button are separately prepared. The quasi part is retracted at high speed, and the fine movement and coarse movement range of the focusing part that moves the objective lens or stage in the direction of the optical axis according to the type of objective lens arranged on the optical axis is set in advance. When a jog provided in the external controller is operated, fine movement and coarse movement are switched within a range set based on a signal from a position detector built in the microscope body (for example, Patent Document 1). reference.).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98256
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above disclosed example, when the range of coarse movement and fine movement changes depending on the thickness of the specimen to be observed and the shape of the observation specimen, it is necessary to reset the range of coarse movement and fine movement, which makes the operation complicated and causes the focus There is a problem that the alignment work cannot be performed efficiently.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a focusing device capable of changing a moving speed and a moving amount of a focusing unit in a wide range by operating a focusing handle of a microscope, and the same It aims at providing the microscope provided with.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the focusing apparatus for focusing the objective lens on the specimen placed on the stage, the stage or the moving means for moving the objective lens in the optical axis direction, and the stage Alternatively , a focusing handle for instructing movement of the objective lens, and a first control mode for controlling a moving speed of the moving unit according to a rotation speed of the focusing handle, which is predetermined for each objective lens , Or control information on whether the second control mode controls the amount of movement of the moving means according to the number of rotations of the focusing handle, and when moving the moving means by operating the focusing handle, There is provided a focusing apparatus comprising a control unit that controls the moving unit based on the type of the objective lens arranged in an optical path .
[0007]
In the focusing apparatus according to the present invention, the first control mode is control when the objective lens has a low magnification, and the second control mode is control when the objective lens has a high magnification. It is preferable that
[0008]
In the focusing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the focusing apparatus further includes detection means for detecting the type of the objective lens. In the present invention, a microscope characterized by including the focusing apparatus is provided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microscope equipped with a focusing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system of the microscope aiming device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an example of the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed that determines the relationship between the number of pulses per unit time and the speed stored in the control system. FIG. 4 shows an example of drive control information data stored in the control system. FIG. 5 shows an example of a drive control information table showing the relationship between the objective lens attached to the microscope and the drive control information. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microscope focusing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0012]
In FIG. 1, illumination light from a light source 3 provided in the microscope main body 1 is light that transmits and illuminates the specimen 7, and is irradiated onto the specimen 7 placed on the stage 5 via an illumination optical system (not shown). . Light from the specimen is collected by an objective lens 11 selected from a plurality of objective lenses attached to an objective lens switching device 9 (hereinafter referred to as a revolver) of the microscope body 1 and attached to the optical axis, It reaches the eyepiece 13 through an observation optical system (not shown) and is observed by an observer. The revolver 9 is provided with a code (number or the like) used for distinguishing a plurality of attached objective lenses, and the position of the revolver 9 of the objective lens 11 inserted in the optical axis is determined as an objective lens position determination described later. It is detected by the sensor 21 and is associated with the above-mentioned symbol.
[0013]
On the side surface of the lower part of the microscope main body 1, a focusing handle 17 is provided for instructing the vertical movement of the focusing unit 15 coupled to the lower part of the stage 5. The microscope body 1 is provided with a control unit 19, an objective lens position determination sensor 21, an encoder 25, a stepping motor 27, and a motor driver 29. In this embodiment, the stage is moved, but the objective lens may be moved.
[0014]
The control unit 19 is attached to the revolver 9 and an objective lens position determination sensor 21 that is disposed in the vicinity of the revolver 9 and detects the position of the revolver 9 to which the objective lens 11 located on the optical axis is attached. An information input device 23 (for example, a PC or an external terminal) for inputting objective lens information (magnification, numerical aperture NA, etc.) of a plurality of objective lenses and which objective lens is attached at which position of the revolver 9; A motor driver 29 that controls the driving of an encoder 25 that is connected to the focusing handle 15 and generates a pulse signal by rotation of the focusing handle 15 and a stepping motor 27 that moves the focusing unit 15 coupled to the stage 5 up and down. It is connected. In this way, a microscope equipped with a focusing device is configured.
[0015]
Next, the control system 19 of the focusing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
[0016]
In FIG. 2, when the focusing handle 17 is rotated, two signals output from the encoder 25, encoder signal A (hereinafter referred to as A signal) and encoder signal B (90 degrees out of phase with respect to the A signal) Hereinafter, the signal B is input to the control circuit of the control unit 19. In the control circuit, when determining the rotation direction signal, the rotation / stop signal for determining the rotation start / stop, and the rotation speed, which are used when the stepping motor 27 is driven in the speed control mode described later, from the A signal and the B signal. A speed signal (number of pulses per unit time) used and an UP pulse signal and a DOWN pulse signal used when the stepping motor 25 is driven in a pulse control mode to be described later are formed.
[0017]
The CPU section incorporates the number of pulses per unit time shown in FIG. 3 versus the set speed, drive control information data corresponding to the objective lens characteristics shown in FIG. 4, various control programs, and the like. When the objective lens information (for example, the position of the revolver 9 on which the objective lens is mounted and the type, magnification, NA, etc. of the objective lens) is input from the information input device 23, the number of pulses per unit time shown in FIG. From the drive control information data corresponding to the set speed and the objective lens characteristics shown in FIG. 4, a drive information control information table associating the position of the revolver 9, objective lens information, and control mode as shown in FIG. 5 is created. Yes.
[0018]
Position information of the revolver 9 is input from the objective lens position determination sensor 21 to the CPU, and the control of the stepping motor 27 corresponding to the objective lens 11 is performed from the drive information control information table shown in FIG. A mode is selected and directed to the control circuit. The objective lens information used directly may be input from the information input device 23 without using the objective lens position determination sensor 21.
[0019]
The control circuit outputs each of the above signals depending on whether the speed control mode or the pulse control mode is set in the control mode.
[0020]
The speed control mode is a mode in which the rotational speed of the focusing handle 17 is detected and the moving speed of the focusing unit 15 is controlled based on the detected rotational speed. That is, the speed of the focusing unit 15 is determined by the number of pulses per unit time from the encoder 25 when the focusing handle 17 is rotated. FIG. 3 shows set speed data with respect to the number of pulses per unit time. For example, when the focusing unit 15 is controlled according to the curve of (1) , when the focusing handle 17 is rotated slowly, the focusing unit 15 moves at a slow speed, and when the focusing handle 17 is rotated quickly, The focusing unit 15 moves at a speed higher than the number of pulses per unit time increases.
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows three types of pulses per unit time versus set speed curves ( (1) , (2) , (3) ). The speed control mode 1 is a control mode used when the NA of the objective lens is less than 0.15 in FIG. 4, and the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve (1) in FIG. The quasi part 15 is driven. In the speed control mode 2, when the NA of the objective lens is 0.15 or more and less than 0.30, the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve (2) of FIG. 3 is used. When NA is 0.30 or more and less than 0.50, the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve (3) shown in FIG. 3 is used.
[0022]
The pulse control mode is a mode in which the number of rotations of the focusing handle 17 is detected and the movement amount of the focusing unit 15 is controlled based on the detected number. That is, in this mode, the focusing unit 15 is driven by a predetermined amount of movement for each pulse in accordance with a pulse signal output from the encoder 25 when the focusing handle 17 is rotated. For example, in FIG. 4, pulse control mode 1 is a fine movement mode in which the focusing unit 15 moves by 100 μm when the focusing handle 17 is rotated once. Similarly, the pulse control mode 2 is a fine movement mode in which the focusing unit 15 moves by 50 μm when the focusing handle 17 is rotated once. In the pulse control mode 3, the focusing handle 17 is rotated when the focusing handle 17 is rotated once. This is a fine movement mode in which the quasi part 15 moves by 25 μm. Since the number of pulses output from the encoder 25 when the focusing handle 17 makes one rotation is constant, the amount of movement of the focusing unit 15 per pulse decreases according to the pulse control modes 1 to 3, and the delicate focus. Matching is possible.
[0023]
Which mode is operated is switched by a control mode setting signal sent from the CPU according to the objective lens 11 inserted in the optical axis according to the information of the objective lens position determination sensor 21.
[0024]
When the objective lens 11 is an objective lens having an NA corresponding to the speed control mode (for example, a low-magnification objective lens), a control mode setting signal is sent from the CPU unit to the control circuit, and the control circuit enters the speed control mode. Necessary rotation direction signals, rotation / stop signals, and speed signals are output and input to the CPU unit. The CPU section sends a rotation speed signal to the motor controller according to the relationship between the rotation direction according to a predetermined program and the number of pulses per unit time from the encoder 25 shown in FIG. A rotation direction signal and a rotation speed signal of the stepping motor 27 are sent to 29, and the stepping motor 27 rotates at a predetermined speed to move the focusing unit 15 at a predetermined speed. At this time, the rotation speed of the stepping motor 27 is controlled so that the stepping motor 27 does not step out. Further, acceleration characteristics at the start of rotation, deceleration characteristics at the time of rotation stop, and the like are controlled according to a predetermined acceleration and deceleration program.
[0025]
When the objective lens 11 is an objective lens having an NA corresponding to the pulse control mode (for example, a high-magnification objective lens), a control mode setting signal is sent from the CPU unit to the control circuit, and the control circuit sets the pulse control mode. The UP pulse signal or DOWN pulse signal necessary for the output is output and sent to the motor controller, and the control signal for the stepping motor 27 is sent from the motor controller to the motor driver 29. The stepping motor 27 is rotated at a predetermined rotation amount per pulse. Rotate and move the focusing unit 15 by the set amount of movement.
[0026]
When a high frequency pulse is input from the encoder 25 to the control circuit, a frequency detection circuit (not shown) is provided to suppress the input of the high frequency pulse in order to prevent the stepping motor 27 from stepping out. good.
[0027]
Note that the amount of movement of the focusing unit 15 per step of the stepping motor 27 is determined at the time of design, and can be appropriately changed depending on the design of the microscope. The operations in the speed control mode and the pulse control mode are examples, and can be appropriately changed.
[0028]
Since an objective lens having a large NA has a shallow depth of focus, it is preferable that the amount of rotation of the focusing handle 17 and the amount of movement of the focusing unit 15 be proportional. Therefore, in FIG. The speed control mode is set and the pulse control mode is set for the objective lens having a large NA. However, the pulse control mode is set for the objective lens having a small NA and the speed control mode is adopted for the objective lens having a large NA. I do not care.
[0029]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the focusing apparatus of the present embodiment. In this flowchart, the position information of the plurality of objective lenses attached to the revolver 9 has been described as being already input via the information input device 21 (for example, the drive control information table shown in FIG. 5).
[0030]
Based on the information from the objective lens position determination sensor 21, the objective lens 11 currently inserted in the optical axis is discriminated (S1). The drive control information corresponding to the objective lens 11 is read from the drive control information in the CPU section (S2), and the feed control mode is set in the control circuit (S3). When the focusing handle 17 is rotated and a rotation instruction is given from the encoder 25 (S4), the control mode is discriminated (S5), steps S6 and S7 are executed in the speed control mode, and in the pulse control mode. Steps S8 and S9 are executed. The focusing unit 15 is driven in each control mode, the distance between the objective lens 11 and the sample 7 is adjusted, and the sample 7 is focused.
[0031]
When the revolver 9 is rotated and the objective lens 11 is exchanged, the operation starts from step S1, and the above-described steps S2 to S9 are executed to select drive control information corresponding to the exchanged objective lens 11. Then, the focusing unit 15 moves to focus the sample.
[0032]
In general, when observing a specimen, start observation with a low-magnification objective lens, focus on the specimen with a low-magnification objective lens, and then replace the high-magnification objective lens to focus on the specimen. Observations are made.
[0033]
When the low-magnification objective lens 11 is used, the stage 5 coupled to the focusing unit 15 is controlled using the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve (1) shown in FIG. For example, in the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve (1) , if the focusing handle 17 is rotated quickly, the moving speed of the steep part of the curve (1) is given to the stage 5, so the stage 5 is fast. Move with. As the position of the objective lens 11 approaches the in-focus vicinity, the observer slows down the rotational speed of the focusing handle 17, so that the moving speed of the part where the slope of the curve (1) is gentle is given to the stage 5. The moving speed becomes slow and focusing becomes easier. Since the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve is selected according to the characteristics of the selected objective lens 11, the observer can easily focus.
[0034]
After focusing with the low-magnification objective lens 11, when the revolver 9 is rotated and replaced with the high-magnification objective lens 11 (for example, 40-times objective lens), the control mode shown in FIG. The focusing unit 15 can be moved by a predetermined amount of fine movement according to the objective lens 11 by the rotation of the focusing handle 17 so that the specimen 7 can be easily focused even with the high-magnification objective lens 11. become. At this time, since the focusing is performed in advance with the low-magnification objective lens, the focusing can be performed in a short time even in the fine movement mode with the high-magnification objective lens. In this way, by sequentially increasing the magnification of the objective lens, focusing can be performed without damaging the specimen.
[0035]
When the observation of the specimen 7 is finished, the objective lens 11 (for example, 4 times) having a low magnification is switched to switch the control mode to a speed control mode capable of moving at high speed, and the focusing unit 15 is moved at high speed to move the specimen 7 May be withdrawn quickly and the specimen 7 may be replaced.
[0036]
As described above, in the focusing apparatus of the microscope according to the present embodiment, the movement mode of the focusing unit (stage) can be switched according to the information of the objective lens inserted into the optical axis. Similarly, since the focusing unit can be moved at a speed faster or slower than the operation speed of the focusing handle by operating only the focusing handle, it is possible to focus on the specimen quickly and easily.
[0037]
In the present embodiment, the case where the focusing unit 15 is coupled to the stage 5 to drive the stage 5 has been described. However, the focusing unit 15 is coupled to the objective lens unit to drive the objective lens and focus. You may make it match.
[0038]
Further, although the focusing unit 15 is driven by the stepping motor 27, a DC motor may be used instead of the stepping motor 27. When a DC motor is used, it is necessary to change the motor driver 29, the control unit, the motor controller, and the like according to the DC motor.
[0039]
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and is not limited to the above-described configuration and shape, and can be appropriately modified and changed within the scope of the present invention.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by operating the focusing handle of the microscope, the focusing device capable of changing the moving speed and moving amount of the focusing unit in a wide range and the microscope including the same Can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microscope equipped with a focusing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system of a microscope aiming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows an example of the number of pulses per unit time versus the set speed curve for determining the relationship between the number of pulses per unit time stored in the control system and the set speed.
FIG. 4 shows an example of drive control information data stored in the control system.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a drive control information table showing a relationship between an objective lens attached to a microscope and drive control information.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microscope focusing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Microscope body 3 Light source 5 Stage 7 Sample 9 Objective lens switching device (revolver)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Objective lens 13 Eyepiece 15 Focusing part 17 Focusing handle 19 Control part 21 Objective lens position discrimination sensor 23 Information input means 25 Encoder 27 Stepping motor 29 Motor driver

Claims (4)

In the focusing device that focuses the objective lens on the specimen placed on the stage,
Moving means for moving the stage or the objective lens in the optical axis direction;
A focusing handle for instructing movement of the stage or the objective lens;
A first control mode for controlling the moving speed of the moving means according to the rotational speed of the focusing handle, which is predetermined for each objective lens , or the moving means according to the rotational speed of the focusing handle. On the basis of the control information on the second control mode for controlling the movement amount of the lens and the type of the objective lens arranged in the optical path when the moving means is moved by operating the focusing handle. A focusing apparatus comprising a control unit for controlling the moving means. The first control mode is control when the objective lens has a low magnification, and the second control mode is control when the objective lens has a high magnification. The focusing device described.   The focusing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting a type of the objective lens.   A microscope comprising the focusing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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