JP5185769B2 - Microscope system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope technique, and more particularly to a technique for improving the operability of a microscope.

  Many microscopes are generally equipped with a plurality of objective lenses. These objective lenses have a wide magnification range from several times to several hundreds of times. Here, when the objective lens used for observation is switched to one with a different magnification, the observation field of view changes, and the numerical aperture (hereinafter referred to as “NA”) and working distance (hereinafter referred to as “WD”). The observation specifications of the microscope will also change.

The user of the microscope searches for an observation specification that can optimally observe a desired observation site by changing the observation specification of the microscope by switching the objective lens.
By the way, with recent advances in imaging technology using digital cameras, microscopes having a function of displaying a microscope image on a monitor screen of a personal computer (personal computer) have become widespread. This type of microscope is imaged by a camera using a two-dimensional imaging device such as a CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensor, which is arranged in the observation optical path. A microscope image is displayed on the monitor screen.

  There is also a microscope system in which the objective lens is automatically switched by a user operating a personal computer that executes a GUI (Graphical User Interface) application program to give a predetermined switching instruction. Furthermore, the Z-stage for adjusting the aperture stop and field stop, the light amount adjustment of the light source, or focusing, and the driving of the XY stage on which the observation sample is placed are motorized. The number of system microscopes that can be operated is increasing.

  As one of such system microscopes, there is known a scanning laser microscope in which a laser beam is scanned two-dimensionally on an observation sample and a reflected image is received to obtain an enlarged image of the observation sample. In this scanning laser microscope, the observation specifications such as the size of the observation field of view and the display magnification of the image of the observation sample on the monitor can be changed by switching the objective lens. This observation specification can also be changed by an optical zoom function for changing the scanning range of the laser light or a digital zoom function for performing image enlargement processing on the microscope image.

  The scanning laser microscope is also known as a device that measures the three-dimensional shape of an observation sample in a non-contact manner. To measure the three-dimensional shape, first, the observation sample is two-dimensionally scanned with a laser beam focused at one point by the objective lens, and the reflected light is placed at a position conjugate to the focal position of the objective lens. Light is received through the aperture. Then, only the light at the focal position of the objective lens is received by the confocal stop, so that an image of only the focused portion of the observation sample can be acquired. Therefore, by changing the relative distance Z between the objective lens and the observation sample, the Z position where the luminance value of each pixel constituting the acquired image (confocal image) is maximized is obtained for each pixel, thereby obtaining the observation sample. The height shape of the entire surface is obtained.

In addition, as a technique related to the present application, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of displaying an operation guide of a microscope and facilitating setting of an observation state.
For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which, when a problem occurs during observation with a microscope, an operation state at that time is analyzed and an optimum operation at that time is instructed.
JP 7-289696 A JP 2006-108005 A

  In the microscope system that operates using the GUI as described above, when the interface handled by the GUI increases, the number of elements to be displayed on the display screen increases, and the display area of the GUI parts for operating the microscope is insufficient. Sometimes. Here, if all of the elements to be displayed are displayed, the screen display becomes complicated and the operability deteriorates.

  Since the scanning laser microscope is excellent in optical resolution, it is desirable to display the acquired microscope image as large as possible on the monitor screen. On the other hand, since it is multifunctional, many display elements are required for GUI operation. As a result, the size of the GUI display area on the monitor screen (application screen) of the personal computer executing the GUI application program is significantly insufficient.

  In addition, as described above, the scanning laser microscope can change the above-mentioned observation specifications by several methods, but the size of a desired field of view can be obtained by any method. Until then, the operation of the microscope was actually changed.

  Further, since the reflected light from the defocused portion is hardly detected by the confocal effect in the scanning laser microscope, the operation for finding the focus position at the observation site in the observation sample is difficult and troublesome.

  Furthermore, when the height information of the observation sample is obtained by measuring the three-dimensional shape described above, the local steeply inclined portion of the observation sample requires a large numerical aperture (NA) because the amount of reflected light is small. . That is, in this case, rather than the observation magnification, the NA is important information for determining the observation specification. In general, since the NA is not displayed on the application screen, the determination of the observation specification in this case is as follows. It was in a state that depends on the skill level of microscope operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a problem to be solved is to provide a screen display that improves the operability of the microscope.

A microscope system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a microscope that includes a plurality of objective lenses , acquires a microscope image of a sample, and a plurality of GUIs (graphical graphics) used for operating instructions to the microscope image and the microscope. User interface) display means for displaying the application screen together with a cursor pointing to the GUI component, and an input of a movement instruction for moving the cursor is acquired, and the cursor is moved according to the instruction A movement instruction acquisition means for moving on the application screen, an execution instruction acquisition means for acquiring an input of an execution instruction for executing the operation of the microscope, and the cursor when the execution instruction acquisition means acquires an input of the execution instruction Control means for performing control to operate the operation target of the microscope previously associated with the GUI component pointed by The GUI component located within the predetermined distance when the cursor is located within a predetermined distance from any one of the plurality of GUI components by movement according to the input of the movement instruction acquired by the movement instruction acquisition means Display control means for causing the display means to display information relating to the operation target of the microscope, which is associated in advance with the execution instruction acquisition means, irrespective of acquisition of the execution instruction input by the execution instruction acquisition means , and the application The screen includes an objective lens selection GUI component used for instructing selection of one of the plurality of objective lenses to be used for acquiring the microscope image, and the display control means has the cursor as the objective lens selection GUI. When the position is within the predetermined distance from the part, the microscope image is acquired with the changed objective lens instructed by the objective lens selection GUI part. Information indicating the microscopic observation specifications in case that is intended as to be displayed on said display means as the information relating to the operation target of the microscope, to solve the problems described above by this configuration.

In the microscope system described above, the microscope further includes a variable magnification observation optical system, and the display control means is configured such that when the cursor is positioned within the predetermined distance from the objective lens selection GUI component, Information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope in the case of acquiring the microscope image at the magnification of the objective lens after the change designated by the objective lens selection GUI component and the magnification of the current variable magnification optical system, You may comprise so that it may display on this display means as information regarding an operation target .

At this time, the information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope when the microscope image is acquired with the objective lens after change designated by the objective lens selection GUI component includes the numerical aperture of the objective lens , the objective lens Working distance, the size of the field of view of the microscope image when the objective lens is used, the display magnification when the microscope image is displayed on the display means, and the microscope image displayed on the display means You may comprise so that at least 1 or more of the relationship between distance and the actual distance on a sample may be included.

Further, in the above-described microscope system, the microscope further includes a variable magnification observation optical system, and the application screen displays a magnification change GUI component used for an instruction to change the magnification of the variable magnification observation optical system. And when the cursor is positioned within the predetermined distance from the magnification change GUI component, the display control means includes the changed magnification indicated by the magnification change GUI component and the current objective lens. Information indicating the observation specification of the microscope when the microscope image is acquired at a magnification of may be configured to be displayed on the display unit as information on the operation target of the microscope.

  At this time, the information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope when the microscope image is acquired at the magnification after the change instructed by the magnification change GUI component is the microscope when the objective lens is used. The size of the field of view of the image, the display magnification when the microscope image is displayed on the display means, and the relationship between the distance on the microscope image displayed on the display means and the actual distance on the sample You may comprise so that at least 1 or more of them may be included.

  In the microscope system described above, the display control unit may be configured to display information related to the operation target of the microscope on the display unit in a pop-up screen displayed on the application screen.

  At this time, the display control means is configured to display the pop-up screen on the display means in the form of a balloon expressing the relevance of the cursor to the GUI component located within the predetermined distance. May be.

  In the above-described microscope system, the display control unit may be configured to display information on the operation target of the microscope for any GUI component at the same predetermined position on the application screen. .

  In the microscope system described above, the microscope includes an objective lens, and a Z scanning mechanism that changes the relative distance between the sample and the objective lens in the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, The application screen is an image used to start execution of an image acquisition operation for sequentially acquiring the microscope image every time the Z scanning mechanism is controlled to change the relative distance by a predetermined distance within a predetermined upper and lower limit range. When the cursor is located within the predetermined distance from the image acquisition GUI component, the display control means includes an estimated GUI component, and an estimated value of the time required from the start to completion of the image acquisition operation. You may comprise so that it may display on this display means as information regarding the operation object of this microscope.

  Further, in the microscope system described above, the microscope has a plurality of operation modes corresponding to applications, and the display control means is associated in advance with the GUI component where the cursor is located within the predetermined distance. From the information regarding the operation target of the microscope that is selected according to the operation mode set for the microscope when the cursor is located within the predetermined distance, You may comprise.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a screen display that improves the operability of the microscope.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a microscope system for carrying out the present invention.
The microscope system shown in FIG. 1 is output from a scanning laser microscope main body 1, a computer 2 that controls the entire system, an instruction acquisition unit 3 that acquires various instructions from a user of the microscope system, and a computer 2. And a monitor 4 for displaying various screens.

  The scanning laser microscope main body 1 includes a laser light source 11, a beam splitter 12, an XY scanning mechanism 13, an objective lens 14, a confocal stop 15, a light receiving element 16, an amplifier 17, an objective lens switching mechanism 18, a Z scanning mechanism 19, and a control. The unit 20 is provided.

The light emitted from the laser light source 11 enters the XY scanning mechanism 13 after passing through the BS 12.
The XY scanning mechanism 13 scans incident light two-dimensionally. When the light that has passed through the XY scanning mechanism 13 passes through one of the plurality of objective lenses 14 that is arranged on the optical path by the objective lens switching mechanism 18, it becomes convergent light and passes through the surface (sample surface) of the measurement sample 5. Scan. Here, the XY scanning mechanism 13 includes, for example, a galvanometer mirror or a resonant galvanometer mirror, and can control the swing angle to irradiate convergent light on an arbitrary position on the measurement sample 5.

  By the way, the size of the observation area of the measurement sample 5 by the microscope system is determined by the magnification of the objective lens 14 arranged on the optical path and the scanning range of the convergent light by the XY scanning mechanism 13. Therefore, the magnification of the microscope image can be changed by changing the scanning range of the convergent light by the XY scanning mechanism 13. In the present application, the magnification observation optical system that changes the magnification of the microscope image in this way is referred to as “optical zoom”.

  When the convergent light that has passed through the objective lens 14 is reflected by the sample surface, the reflected light passes through the objective lens 14 and the XY scanning mechanism 13 on the optical path, and is then reflected by the beam splitter 12 to be confocal stop 15. Head for. The pinhole provided in the confocal stop 15 is disposed at a position optically conjugate with the focal position of the objective lens 14 on the optical path, and only the reflected light that has passed through the pinhole is the light receiving element 16. Is received.

  The light receiving element 16 outputs an electrical signal having a magnitude corresponding to the amount of reflected light received. The output signal is amplified by the Amp 17 and then converted into digital data corresponding to the magnitude of the signal by an analog-digital converter (not shown) and sent to the computer 2 as luminance information.

  The Z scanning mechanism 19 is a mechanism that moves the objective lens 14 upward or downward to change the relative distance between the measurement sample 5 and the objective lens 14 in the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens 14.

  The computer 2 gives various operation instructions to the control unit 20, and causes the XY scanning mechanism 13, Amp 17, the objective lens switching mechanism 18, and the Z scanning mechanism 19 to perform operation control based on the operation instructions. Further, the computer 2 generates a microscope image of the measurement sample 5 based on the luminance information received from the scanning laser microscope main body 1 and the information on the irradiation position of the convergent light in the scanning operation performed by the XY scanning mechanism 13. . Thus, a microscope image of the measurement sample 5 is acquired.

  Furthermore, the computer 2 displays the generated microscope image on the monitor 4 and displays GUI parts for operating the microscope system on the monitor 4. An instruction from the user is acquired by associating the GUI component with the operation content of the user with respect to the instruction acquisition unit 3, and an operation instruction corresponding to the instruction is given to the control unit 20 to control the operation of each unit.

  The computer 2 includes an arithmetic processing unit 21 and a storage unit 22. Here, the arithmetic processing unit 21 has an arithmetic processing device such as an MPU that controls the operation of the entire computer 2 by executing a control program, and a main memory that the arithmetic processing device uses as a work memory as necessary. ing. The storage unit 22 is, for example, a hard disk device that stores and stores various control programs, control data, and the like. For various control operations to be described later performed by the computer 2, a control program for causing the computer 2 to perform the control operation is stored in the storage unit 22 in advance, and the arithmetic processing unit of the arithmetic processing unit 21 reads the control program. It is realized by executing.

  The storage unit 22 stores specification data indicating various specifications for the microscope system. The specification data may be registered in advance at the time of shipment of the microscope system, or may be registered by the manufacturer of the system or the user himself / herself at the time of installing the microscope system.

A first example of the specification data of the microscope system registered in advance in the storage unit 22 is shown in FIG.
In the example of FIG. 2, fixed information and variable information are shown as specification data.

  The fixed information (a) in FIG. 2 is information that can be normally handled as a fixed value. Here, each information of the monitor pixel pitch, the number of fields of view, and the number of samplings is shown as fixed information.

The monitor pixel pitches PX and PY are pixel pitches of the monitor 4 in the X direction (horizontal direction) and the Y direction (vertical direction), respectively, and are values determined by the specifications of the monitor 4.
The field numbers XFN and YFN are the sizes of the observation field in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, when an objective lens 14 having a magnification of 1 is placed on the optical path of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 for observation. Is a value indicating

Sampling numbers SX and SY respectively indicate the number of pixels (number of pixels) corresponding to the size of the observation visual field in the X direction and the Y direction.
On the other hand, as variable information, specification data of each of the plurality of objective lenses 14 mounted on the objective lens switching mechanism 18 is shown in the table of FIG.

  In this table, the column “Revolver No.” shows the numbers given to the respective mounting parts of the objective lens switching mechanism 18 to which a plurality of objective lenses 14 are mounted. The values indicating the name, magnification, numerical aperture, and working distance of the objective lens 14 attached to the attachment portion indicated by this number are “name”, “magnification”, “NA”, and It is shown in each column of “WD”. These values are variable information because they are changed when the user replaces the objective lens 14.

  Next, FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a first example of an application screen displayed on the monitor 4. This application screen is displayed when the above-described GUI application program is executed by the arithmetic processing unit 21 of the computer 2.

The image display unit 301 is an area for displaying a microscope image acquired as described above.
The optical zoom setting unit 302 is a magnification change GUI component used to instruct to change the magnification of the microscope image by the optical zoom described above, and a slide bar for instructing the change of the magnification is displayed.

  The objective lens setting unit 303 is an objective lens selection GUI component used for setting the magnification of the objective lens 14 used for acquiring a microscope image, and a setting button for instructing selection of this magnification is displayed.

The image acquisition button 304 is an operation button as a GUI component used for instructing acquisition of a microscope image.
The various operation units 305 are areas in which GUIs used for other operation instructions of the microscope system are displayed.

In this way, the application screen shows a microscope image and a plurality of GUI parts used for operating instructions for the microscope system.
When this application screen is displayed, a cursor 300 for specifying a position on the screen pointed to by the user is displayed over the application screen. The cursor 300 can be moved on the application screen by a user operating a pointing device such as a mouse device that is the instruction acquisition unit 3 and inputting a movement instruction. When the cursor 300 points to a GUI part such as an operation button or a slide bar displayed on the application screen, the user performs an input operation of a predetermined execution instruction to the instruction acquisition unit 3 (for example, a click operation on a mouse device) )I do. Then, the computer 2 acquires various operation instructions to the operation target of the microscope system associated with the GUI component in advance as operation instructions from the user to the microscope system. And this instruction | indication is sent to the control part 20, and operation | movement control of each part of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 is performed.

  Next, FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of a first example of the pop-up screen display process performed by the computer 2. This process is a process for presenting various information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system after changing the display magnification of the microscope image to the user without actually changing the observation state of the microscope.

  The computer 2 executes the above-described GUI application program in the arithmetic processing unit 21 to display the application screen of FIG. 3 on the monitor 4 and then starts this pop-up screen display processing.

First, in S101, a process of reading fixed information (FIG. 2A) of registered specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is performed.
Next, in S102, a process of generating a microscope image (live image) of the measurement sample 5 at this time based on the luminance information and the irradiation position information of the convergent light and displaying it on the image display unit 301 is started. The Thereafter, the live image display process is continuously performed.

  Next, in S103, the position (cursor position) pointed to by the cursor 300 at this time point is a predetermined distance (for example, 10 pixels) determined in advance from any objective lens setting button of the objective lens setting unit 303. A process for determining whether or not it is within the range is performed. Here, when it is determined that the cursor position is within a predetermined distance from any one of the objective lens setting buttons (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S104. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cursor position is farther than the predetermined distance with any of the objective lens setting buttons (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S108.

  The subsequent processes from S104 to S107 are for displaying various information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system on the monitor 4 when changing the display magnification of the microscope image by switching the objective lens.

  In S104, processing for reading out variable information (FIG. 2B) regarding the objective lens 14 corresponding to the objective lens setting button within a predetermined distance from the cursor position in the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is performed. Is called.

Next, in S <b> 105, processing for detecting the current magnification of the microscope image by the optical zoom described above from the set value in the optical zoom setting unit 302 is performed.
Next, in S106, the observation visual field size, the monitor magnification, and the actual distance per 10 mm on the monitor 4 are fixed among the values obtained by the processing of S104 and S105 and the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. A calculation process is performed based on the information (FIG. 2A). Here, the observation visual field size is the size of the visual field of the microscope image. The monitor magnification is a display magnification when the microscope image is displayed on the monitor 4. The actual distance per 10 mm on the monitor 4 indicates the relationship between the distance on the microscope image displayed on the monitor 4 and the actual distance on the measurement sample 5.

In the process of S106, an operation for obtaining values of the following expressions is performed.
FOVX = (XFN) / {(Mobj) × (Mzoom)}... [1]
Mmon = (PX) × (Mobj) × (Mzoom) × (SX) / (XFN)
……… [2]
D10 = 10 / (Mmon) ......... [3]
The above formulas will be described. The formula [1] is a formula for calculating the observation actual visual field size FOVX in the X direction of the monitor 4, the formula [2] is a formula for calculating the monitor magnification Mmon, and the formula [3] is a monitor. 4 is a calculation formula of the actual distance D10 per 10 mm on 4.

  In these equations, XFN is the number of fields in the X direction of the observation field which is one of fixed information, Mobj is the magnification of the objective lens 14 which is one of variable information, and Mzoom is the optical zoom. Magnification magnification. PX is the pitch of the pixels in the X direction of the monitor 4 which is one of the fixed information, and SX is the number of pixels corresponding to the size of the observation field of view which is one of the fixed information.

Next, in S107, N.I. of the objective lens 14 in the variable information read out by the process of S104. A. And W. D. A process for pop-up displaying each value of FOVX, Mmon, and D10 calculated by the process of S106 is performed. Each of these values is displayed as information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system when the objective lens 14 previously associated with the objective lens setting button is used for acquiring the microscope of the measurement sample 5. The

A first example of pop-up display is shown in FIG.
The pop-up is a small screen displayed on the application screen, and in this embodiment, the pop-up is displayed in the form of a so-called “speech balloon” and the relevance with the GUI component pointed by the pop cursor 300 is indicated. expressing.

  In the example of FIG. 5, this screen shows a case where the cursor 300 points to the “x20” setting button in the objective lens setting unit 303. Then, at this time, the pop-up screen 306 showing the above-described values is automatically displayed in the form of “speech balloon” from the “x20” setting button, and this setting button (that is, the objective lens 14) is displayed. It is expressed that the information is related to (magnification change). This display indicates that, in the current state of the microscope system, if the objective lens 14 is changed to a magnification of 20 times, the observation specification by the microscope system changes to the one displayed on the pop-up screen 306. Yes. Therefore, the user can recognize the observation specification after the change without actually changing the observation state of the microscope by confirming the display content of the pop-up screen 306, so that the operability is improved.

  As the display contents of the pop-up screen 306, instead of displaying all the five values shown in FIG. 5, one or more of these values are displayed as information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system. May be.

  After the process of S107 is completed, the process returns to S103, and the above-described process is repeated. Therefore, for example, in FIG. 5, when the cursor 300 is moved to move to another magnification from the “x20” setting button, the observation specifications after switching to the objective lens 14 with the magnification after the movement are represented. Pop-up screen 306 is automatically displayed.

  On the other hand, when the determination result in S103 is No, the processing from S108 to S112 is performed. By this process, various information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system when the display magnification of the microscope image is changed by the optical zoom is displayed on the monitor 4.

  First, in S108, a process of determining whether or not an operation of moving the cursor 300 within a predetermined distance from the slide bar of the optical zoom setting unit 302 and sliding the slide bar (for example, a drag operation of the mouse device) is performed. Is done. If it is determined that the operation is being performed (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S109. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation has not been performed (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S103, and the above-described process is repeated.

  Next, in S109, processing for detecting an enlargement magnification Mzoom by optical zoom corresponding to the slide amount of the microscope image is performed from the slide amount of the slide bar in the operation detected by the processing of S108.

  Next, in S <b> 110, processing for reading out variable information (FIG. 2B) regarding the objective lens 14 currently arranged on the optical path from the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is performed.

Next, in S111, the observation visual field size, the monitor magnification, and the actual distance per 10 mm on the monitor 4 are fixed among the values obtained by the processing of S109 and S110 and the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. A calculation process is performed based on the information (FIG. 2A). In this process, similar to the process of S106 described above, an operation for obtaining the values of the above-described expressions [1], [2], and [3] is performed.

  Next, in S112, a process of pop-up displaying each value of FOVX, Mmon, and D10 calculated by the process of S109 is performed. A display example of this pop-up is shown in FIG.

  In the second example of the pop-up display shown in FIG. 6, the cursor 300 is moved by the drag operation of the mouse device, and the slide bar of the optical zoom setting unit 302 is slid to minimize the optical zoom magnification. Shows the case. At this time, it is assumed that the drag operation is maintained in the mouse device and the drop operation is not yet performed.

  Then, at this time, the pop-up screen 306 showing the above-described values is displayed in the form of “speech balloon” from the slide bar, and information related to this slide bar (that is, optical zoom enlargement magnification change). It is expressed that. This display indicates that in the current state of the microscope system, when the change to minimize the magnification of the optical zoom is performed, the observation specification by the microscope system changes to that displayed on the pop-up screen 306. ing. Therefore, the user can recognize the observation specifications after changing the magnification without actually changing the observation state of the microscope by confirming the display content of the pop-up screen 306, so that the operability is improved.

  As the display contents of the pop-up screen 306, instead of displaying all three values shown in FIG. 6, one or more of these values are used as information indicating the observation specifications after changing the magnification of the microscope system. You may make it display.

  Further, after the pop-up screen 306 is displayed, when a drop operation that is a paired operation with the drag operation is performed on the mouse device, a predetermined operation instruction is sent to the control unit 20 and the scanning range of the XY scanning mechanism 13 is slid. Control to change to the range corresponding to the instruction on the bar is performed. As a result, the display magnification of the microscope image is actually changed.

After the process of S112 is completed, the process is returned to S103, and the above-described process is repeated.
By performing the above pop-up screen display processing by the computer 2, various information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system when the display magnification of the microscope image is changed can be obtained without actually changing the observation state of the microscope. Presented to the user. That is, in the microscope system of FIG. 1, when the cursor 300 is positioned within a predetermined distance from the GUI component on the application screen, information related to the operation target of the microscope system that is associated in advance with the GUI component is displayed on the monitor 4. Display. Here, the display of this information is irrelevant whether or not the instruction acquisition unit 3 has acquired a predetermined execution instruction input operation (for example, a click operation on a mouse device or a drop operation in a drag and drop operation). To be done.

  As described above, in the microscope system according to the present embodiment, not all the observation specifications when each objective lens 14 is used are continuously displayed, but only those relating to the objective lens 14 to be changed are displayed. Therefore, the complexity of the application screen is suppressed, and a limited space on the screen can be used effectively.

Further, since the observation specifications can be confirmed before actually switching the objective lens 14 and the optical zoom, the waste of operation is reduced.
In addition, since the working distance of the objective lens 14 is displayed, even if the microscope has a very shallow depth of focus such as a scanning laser microscope, it is easy to find the focal position. In addition, for example,
When observing the measurement sample 5 having a large local inclination, it is possible to support an operation of selecting the objective lens 14 based on its numerical aperture instead of selecting based on the magnification.

  In the present embodiment, the information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope system is displayed on the pop-up screen 306. Instead, this information is used for any GUI component in the same predetermined position on the application screen, for example, the observation specification display unit 307 arranged at the lower end in the application screen as shown in the screen example of FIG. May be displayed. The observation specification display unit 307 may be arranged at a predetermined position other than the lower end in the application screen.

  In the present embodiment, as the information indicating the observation specification of the microscope system, the observation actual visual field size FOVX in the X direction of the monitor 4 is calculated by the processing of S106 or S111, and the calculated value is displayed. Instead of this, the actual observation visual field size FOVY in the Y direction of the monitor 4 may be calculated in the processing, and the calculated value may be displayed. Note that FOVY can be calculated by substituting the number of visual fields YFN in the X direction of the observation visual field, which is one of fixed information, into the above-described equation [1] instead of the above-described XFN. Of course, in the processing, both FOVX and FOVY may be calculated and the calculated values may be displayed.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is implemented using a microscope system including a scanning laser microscope has been described. However, a microscope system that includes another type of microscope and that implements the present invention can be configured. For example, the present invention can be implemented in a microscope system that does not use a laser light source and includes a normal microscope such as an optical microscope or a stereoscopic microscope. In this embodiment using a scanning laser microscope, the optical zoom magnification is changed by changing the scanning range of the convergent light by the XY scanning mechanism 13. On the other hand, in the case of a normal microscope, for example, the same zooming operation can be provided by inserting / removing lenses having different focal lengths with respect to the optical path. Therefore, by providing a GUI component (for example, a selection button) for instructing such an insertion / removal operation of the lens in the optical zoom setting unit 302, the present invention is applied to a microscope system having a normal microscope. Can be implemented.

Similarly to the first embodiment, this embodiment also implements the present invention using a microscope system having the configuration shown in FIG.
First, FIG. 8 will be described. FIG. 8 shows a second example of the application screen displayed on the monitor 4. This application screen is displayed when the above-described GUI application program is executed by the arithmetic processing unit 21 of the computer 2.

  The application screen shown in FIG. 8 is different from the first example shown in FIG. 3 in that various GUI parts are provided on the various operation units 305. This GUI component is used to instruct the operation of sequentially acquiring the confocal image of the measurement sample 5 while changing the relative distance Z between the objective lens 14 and the measurement sample 5 in order to measure the height of the measurement sample 5. It is.

  When measuring the height of the measurement sample 5, the user obtains a confocal image in the following procedure while viewing the live image of the measurement sample 5 displayed on the image display unit 301 on the application screen. The range of (the optical axis direction of the objective lens 14) is set.

First, the user operates the Z scanning mechanism 19 by depressing the up arrow button 311 using the cursor 300 to move the objective lens 14 upward (in a direction away from the measurement sample 5). When the focal position of the objective lens 14 moves to the upper limit setting position Zh of the confocal image acquisition range, the upper limit SET button 312 is pressed using the cursor 300 at that position.

  Next, the user drives the Z scanning mechanism 19 by pressing the down arrow button 313 using the cursor 300 to move the objective lens 14 downward (in the direction approaching the measurement sample 5). When the focus position of the objective lens 14 moves to the lower limit setting position Zl of the confocal image acquisition range, the cursor 300 is used to press the lower limit SET button 314 at that position.

  Next, the user uses the cursor 300 to select one of the measurement mode selection buttons 315 that is a radio button for selecting a measurement mode in height measurement. FIG. 8 shows a “high accuracy mode” and a “high speed mode” as measurement modes. Here, the “high accuracy mode” is a measurement mode in which the confocal image acquisition interval is set to be narrow, and is for measuring the height with high accuracy. On the other hand, the “high-speed mode” is a measurement mode in which the confocal image acquisition interval is set wider than the “high-accuracy mode”, and the height measurement is performed in a shorter time than the “high-accuracy mode”. It is.

  Thereafter, the user performs an operation of moving the cursor 300 and places the cursor 300 within a predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (at this time, the operation of pressing the image acquisition button 304 is not performed). The image acquisition button 304 is an image acquisition GUI component used for instructing the start of an operation for sequentially acquiring microscope images of the measurement sample 5. This sequential acquisition of microscope images is performed by controlling the Z scanning mechanism 19 to change the position of the objective lens 14 by a predetermined distance within the range between the upper limit setting position Zh and the lower limit setting position Zl. This is an operation for sequentially acquiring microscopic images.

  When the cursor 300 is placed within a predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304, a pop-up screen 306 showing an estimated value of the time required for height measurement is displayed as a “speech balloon” from the image acquisition button 304. It is automatically displayed in the form of The expected value of this time is an estimated value of the time required from the start to the completion of the above-described image acquisition operation.

  Therefore, the user can recognize the time required to measure the height before executing the height measurement by confirming the display content of the pop-up screen 306. Here, when the user feels that the measurement takes too much time, for example, the measurement mode is changed from the high-accuracy mode to the high-speed mode at some sacrifice of the accuracy of the measurement, or the convergent light by the XY scanning mechanism 13 is changed. Change the measurement conditions by setting the scanning range narrow. In this way, the measurement time can be adjusted before actually starting the height measurement.

  Next, FIG. 9 will be described. FIG. 9 shows a second example of the specification data of the microscope system registered in the storage unit 22 in advance. The example of FIG. 9 is obtained by adding some items to the first example shown in FIG. 2, and common items are the same as those of the first example. Therefore, only the added items will be described here.

In FIG. 9, (a) fixed information is added with frame rate information.
The frame rate f is a value indicating the number of drawn live images per second (that is, the number of confocal images acquired per second).

  Further, in the variable information (b) in FIG. 9, information on the acquisition interval of the confocal image is added as specification data of each of the plurality of objective lenses 14 attached to the objective lens switching mechanism 18.

  The high accuracy mode Δz1 is a value indicating a confocal image acquisition interval when height measurement is performed in the high accuracy mode using the objective lens 14 attached to the attachment site indicated by this number.

  The high-speed mode Δz2 is a value indicating a confocal image acquisition interval when the height measurement is performed in the high-speed mode using the objective lens 14 attached to the attachment part indicated by this number. In the objective lens 14, the value is larger than Δz1.

  Next, FIG. 10 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the second example of the pop-up screen display processing performed by the computer 2. This process is a process for presenting the estimated time required for measuring the height of the measurement sample 5 to the user before actually starting the measurement.

  The computer 2 executes the above-described GUI application program in the arithmetic processing unit 21 to display the application screen of FIG. 7 on the monitor 4 and then starts this pop-up screen display processing.

First, in S201, a process of reading fixed information (FIG. 9A) of registered specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is performed.
Next, in S <b> 202, processing for generating a microscopic image (live image) of the measurement sample 5 at this time point based on the luminance information and the irradiation position information of the convergent light and displaying it on the image display unit 301 is started. The Thereafter, the live image display process is continuously performed.

  Next, in S203, processing for setting the upper limit position of the confocal image acquisition range is performed. In this process, first, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the up arrow button 311 by the cursor 300 is detected, the Z scanning mechanism 19 is driven according to the detection result, and the objective lens 14 is moved upward. Move to. Next, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the upper limit SET button 312 by the cursor 300 is detected, and the position of the objective lens 14 when the operation is detected is acquired as the upper limit setting position Zh. To do.

  Next, in S204, processing for setting the lower limit position of the confocal image acquisition range is performed. In this process, first, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the down arrow button 313 by the cursor 300 is detected, and the Z scanning mechanism 19 is driven according to the detection result to move the objective lens 14 downward. Move. Next, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the lower limit SET button 314 by the cursor 300 is detected, and the position of the objective lens 14 when the operation is detected is acquired as the lower limit setting position Zl. To do.

  Next, in S205, processing for detecting an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the selection operation of the measurement mode selection button 315 by the cursor 300 and acquiring an operation instruction of the measurement mode corresponding to the detection result is performed.

  Next, in S206, a process for determining whether or not the above-described cursor position at this point is within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 pixels) from the image acquisition button 304 is performed. If it is determined that the cursor position is within a predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S207. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cursor position is farther than the predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S210.

The subsequent processing from S207 to S209 is for displaying the expected time required for measuring the height of the measurement sample 5 on the monitor 4 before actually starting the measurement.
First, in S207, the revolver No. of the objective lens 14 is changed. The process of acquiring is performed. In addition, the revolver No. acquired by this processing. Is a number given to the mounting portion of the objective lens switching mechanism 18 to which the objective lens 14 currently disposed on the optical path of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 is mounted.

  Next, in S208, among the specification data stored in the storage unit 22, the revolver No. acquired by the process in S207 is displayed. A process of reading the variable information (FIG. 9B) is performed.

  In S209, the expected time described above is determined based on the values obtained by the processes of S203, S204, and S208 and the fixed information (FIG. 9A) of the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. Processing to calculate and pop up is performed.

In the process of S209, an operation for obtaining a value of the following equation is first performed.
T = | (Zh) − (Zl) | / {(ΔZ) × (f)}... [4]
The above formula [4] is a formula for calculating the expected time T described above. In this equation, Zh and Zl are the values of the above-described upper limit setting position and lower limit setting position, respectively. ΔZ is a confocal image acquisition interval corresponding to the measurement mode detected by the process of S205, which is one of variable information. Therefore, when the detection result by the process of S205 is the high accuracy mode, ΔZ is the value of the high accuracy mode Δz1. On the other hand, when the detection result by the process of S205 is the high speed mode, ΔZ is the value of the high speed mode Δz2. Further, f is the above-described frame rate, which is one piece of fixed information.

  When the estimated time T is calculated as described above, the estimated time T is then displayed as a pop-up screen 306 in the form of “speech balloon” from the image acquisition button 304 as shown in the screen example of FIG. To do.

  Next, in S210, a process for determining whether or not the value (measurement condition) used for calculating the expected time T described above has been changed in accordance with an instruction given by the user operating the instruction acquisition unit 3 is performed. . Here, when it is determined that the measurement condition has been changed (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S203, and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the measurement condition has not been changed (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S211.

  Next, in S <b> 211, processing for determining whether or not an operation on the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the image acquisition button 304 with the cursor 300 is detected is performed. If it is determined that an operation corresponding to pressing of the image acquisition button 304 is detected (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S212. On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation corresponding to pressing of the image acquisition button 304 is not detected (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S203 and the above-described process is repeated.

  In S212, the process of sequentially acquiring confocal images for height measurement is started, and thereafter, the process of FIG. 10 ends. When the process of S212 is performed, a predetermined instruction is sent to the control unit 20. The control unit 20 that has received this instruction controls the Z scanning mechanism 19 to change the position of the objective lens 14 by a predetermined distance within the range between the upper limit setting position Zh and the lower limit setting position Zl. The operation of sequentially acquiring the microscopic images is performed. Here, the predetermined distance when changing the position of the objective lens 14 is set to a value of Δz1 in the high accuracy mode according to the measurement mode set for the microscope system, and in the high speed mode. Is set to a value of Δz2.

By performing the above pop-up screen display processing in the computer 2, the expected time required for measuring the height of the measurement sample 5 is displayed as information related to the operation target of the microscope system associated with the image acquisition button 304 in advance. The Here, this information is displayed and presented to the user before actually starting the measurement. Therefore, when it is expected that time will be required for height measurement, the user can set the measurement conditions after accurately determining the expected time, and therefore, waste of time for measurement is reduced. Moreover, the skill level of the microscope operation for doing so is not questioned.

Similarly to the first embodiment, this embodiment also implements the present invention using a microscope system having the configuration shown in FIG.
First, FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B will be described. These drawings both show examples of application screens displayed on the monitor 4. These application screens are displayed when the above-described GUI application program is executed by the arithmetic processing unit 21 of the computer 2.

  The scanning laser microscope has both a function of photographing and displaying a microscope image (luminance image) of the sample as in the first embodiment and a function of measuring the height of the sample as in the second embodiment. . A third example of the application screen in FIG. 11A is a luminance image photographing mode (hereinafter referred to as “operation mode”) in which the microscope system in FIG. 1 captures and displays a microscope image (luminance image) of the measurement sample 5. A screen example in “Observation mode” is shown. On the other hand, the fourth example of the application screen shown in FIG. 11B shows a screen example in the height measurement mode which is an operation mode in which the microscope system of FIG. 1 measures the height of the measurement sample 5.

  When the screen example of FIG. 11A and the screen example of FIG. 11B are compared, the cursor 300 points to the “x20” setting button in the objective lens setting unit 303 in both cases. However, the display content of the pop-up screen 306 is partially different. That is, in the screen example of FIG. 11A, information on the depth of focus and the observation visual field is displayed, whereas in the screen example of FIG. 11B, information on the expected value of the time required for height measurement is displayed. .

  As described above, the microscope system according to the present embodiment changes the display items of the pop-up screen 306 in accordance with the operation mode of the microscope system, and does not display unnecessary items in the operation mode. .

  Next, FIG. 12 will be described. FIG. 12 shows a third example of the specification data of the microscope system registered in advance in the storage unit 22. The example of FIG. 13 is obtained by adding some items to the second example shown in FIG. 9, and the common items are the same as those of the second example. Therefore, only the added items will be described here.

Information on the wavelength of the light source is added to the fixed information in FIG.
The light source wavelength λ is a value indicating the wavelength of the laser light emitted from the laser light source 11.
Note that the variable information in FIG. 12B is the same as that in the second example shown in FIG.

  Next, FIGS. 13A and 13B will be described. These are flowcharts showing the processing contents of the third example of the pop-up screen display processing performed by the computer 2. This process is a process for displaying a display item corresponding to the operation mode of the microscope system on the pop-up screen 306 and presenting it to the user.

Note that the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B show only the hop-up display process according to the operation of the cursor 300, and the operation control for the actual switching of the objective lens 14 and the actual change of the optical zoom magnification. Processing is omitted from these figures. However, the computer 2 performs operation control for actual switching of the objective lens 14 and actual change of the optical zoom magnification according to a predetermined operation (depressing operation of each button or dropping operation after dragging the slide bar). Assumed to be performed.

  The computer 2 executes the above-described GUI application program in the arithmetic processing unit 21. Then, after the application screen of FIG. 11A or FIG. 11B is displayed on the monitor 4 according to the operation mode already set at this time, this pop-up screen display processing is started.

First, in S301, a process of reading fixed information (FIG. 12A) of registered specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is performed.
Next, in S <b> 302, a process of generating a microscope image (live image) of the measurement sample 5 at this point based on the luminance information and the irradiation position information of the convergent light and displaying the image on the image display unit 301 is started. The Thereafter, the live image display process is continuously performed.

  Next, in S303, processing is performed to determine what the operation mode of the microscope system at this time is set. If it is determined that the setting of the operation mode of the microscope system is the observation mode, the process proceeds to S311. On the other hand, when it is determined that the setting of the operation mode of the microscope system is the height measurement mode, the process proceeds to S321.

  In S <b> 311, it is determined whether or not the above-described cursor position on the application screen displayed on the monitor 4 at this time is within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 pixels) from the image acquisition button 304. Processing is performed. If it is determined that the cursor position is within a predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S312. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cursor position is farther than the predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S313.

  In S312, a flow A process, which is one of the subroutine processes shown in FIG. 13B, is performed. This flow A process is a process for displaying only the depth of focus in the current observation state of the microscope system on the pop-up screen 306.

Here, the flow A process of FIG. 13B will be described.
First, in S341, the revolver No. of the objective lens 14 is changed. The process of acquiring is performed. In addition, the revolver No. acquired by this processing. Is a number given to the mounting portion of the objective lens switching mechanism 18 to which the objective lens 14 currently disposed on the optical path of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 is mounted.

  Next, in S342, among the specification data stored in the storage unit 22, the revolver No. acquired by the process in S341 is displayed. The process of reading the variable information (FIG. 12B) is performed.

  Next, in S343, the current depth of focus of the microscope system is calculated based on the value obtained by the processing in S342 and the fixed information (FIG. 12A) of the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. Processing is performed.

In the process of S343, an operation for obtaining a value of the following equation is first performed.
DOF = α × (λ) / {2 × (NA) ² }... [5]
The above equation [5] is a formula for calculating the DOF of the microscope system. In this equation, α is an optical sectioning coefficient due to the confocal effect, and this value is an inherent constant determined by the optical design of the scanning laser microscope main body. Λ is the value of the light source wavelength described above, which is one of fixed information. In addition, N.I. A. Is the numerical aperture of the objective lens 14 which is one of the variable information.

  Next, in S344, a process of pop-up displaying only the DOF value calculated in the process of S343 is performed, and thereafter, the flow A process is terminated, and the process proceeds to S313 in FIG. 13A. In the process of S344, the DOF value is displayed on a pop-up screen 306 in the form of a “speech balloon” from the image acquisition button 304.

  Returning to FIG. 13A, in S313, it is determined whether or not the above-described cursor position is within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 pixels) set in advance from any objective lens setting button of the objective lens setting unit 303. Processing is performed. If it is determined that the cursor position is within a predetermined distance from any one of the objective lens setting buttons (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S314. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cursor position is farther than the predetermined distance with any of the objective lens setting buttons (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S315.

  In S314, a flow B process, which is one of the subroutine processes shown in FIG. 13B, is performed. This flow B process is a process for displaying the depth of focus in the current observation state of the microscope system on the pop-up screen 306 together with the numerical aperture and working distance of the objective lens 14.

Here, the flow B process of FIG. 13B will be described.
First, in S351, processing for reading out variable information (FIG. 12B) regarding the objective lens 14 corresponding to the objective lens setting button within a predetermined distance from the cursor position in the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. Is done.

  Next, in S352, the current depth of focus of the microscope system is calculated based on the value obtained by the processing in S351 and the fixed information (FIG. 12A) of the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. Processing is performed. In this process, the calculation for obtaining the value DOF of the above-described equation [5] is performed in the same manner as the process of S343 of the flow A process described above.

  Next, in S353, the DOF value calculated by the process of S352 and the N.V. of the objective lens 14 among the variable information read by the process of S351. A. And W. D. A process of pop-up displaying each value of is performed. Then, the flow B process is terminated, and the process proceeds to S315 in FIG. 13A. In the process of S353, DOF, N.I. A. , And W. D. Are displayed on a pop-up screen 306 in the form of a “speech balloon” from an objective lens setting button within a predetermined distance from the cursor position.

  Returning to FIG. 13A, in S315, a process of determining whether or not an operation of moving the cursor 300 and sliding the slide bar of the optical zoom setting unit 302 (for example, a drag operation of the mouse device) is performed. If it is determined that the operation is being performed (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S316. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation is not performed (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S317.

In S316, a flow C process, which is one of the subroutine processes shown in FIG. 13B, is performed. This flow C process is a process for displaying on the pop-up screen 306 the depth of focus in the current observation state of the microscope system and the observation actual visual field size FOVX.

Here, the flow C process of FIG. 13B will be described.
First, in S361, a process of detecting an enlargement magnification Mzoom by optical zoom corresponding to the slide amount of the microscope image is performed from the slide amount of the slide bar in the operation detected by the process of S315.

  Next, in S362, the revolver No. of the objective lens 14 is changed. The process of acquiring is performed. In addition, the revolver No. acquired by this processing. Is a number given to the mounting portion of the objective lens switching mechanism 18 to which the objective lens 14 currently disposed on the optical path of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 is mounted.

  Next, in S363, the revolver No. acquired by the process of S362 among the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is displayed. The process of reading the variable information (FIG. 12B) is performed.

  Next, in S364, the current depth of focus of the microscope system is calculated based on the value obtained by the process of S363 and the fixed information (FIG. 12A) of the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. Processing is performed. In this process, similar to the process of S343 of the flow A process described above, an operation for obtaining the value DOF of the above-described equation [5] is performed.

  In S365, the observation actual visual field size FOVX in the X direction of the microscopic image displayed on the monitor 4 is fixed information (the fixed information (the value obtained by the processing in S361 and S363) and the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 ( The calculation process is performed based on FIG. In this process, an operation for obtaining the value FOVX of the above-mentioned [1] expression is performed in the same manner as the process of S106 in the first example of the pop-up screen display process shown in FIG.

  In S366, a process of pop-up displaying each value of DOF and FOVX calculated by the processes of S364 and S365 is performed. Thereafter, the flow C process is terminated, and the process proceeds to S317 of FIG. 13A. In the process of S366, each value of DOF and FOVX is displayed on a pop-up screen 306 in the form of a “balloon” from the slide bar of the optical zoom setting unit 302.

  Next, in S317, processing is performed to determine whether or not any value (observation condition) that affects the observation specifications by the microscope system has been changed according to an instruction given by the user operating the instruction acquisition unit 3. . Here, when it is determined that the observation condition is changed (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S311 and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the observation condition has not been changed (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S318.

  Next, in S318, processing for determining whether or not an operation on the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the image acquisition button 304 by the cursor 300 is detected is performed. If it is determined that an operation corresponding to pressing of the image acquisition button 304 is detected (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S319. On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation corresponding to pressing of the image acquisition button 304 is not detected (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S311 and the above-described process is repeated.

In S319, the process of acquiring a microscope image in the observation mode is started, and thereafter, the process of FIG. 13A ends.
On the other hand, when it is determined by the determination processing in S303 that the setting of the operation mode of the microscope system is the height measurement mode, the processing from S321 to S332 is performed.

  First, in S321, processing for setting an upper limit position of a confocal image acquisition range for height measurement is performed. In this process, first, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the up arrow button 311 by the cursor 300 is detected, the Z scanning mechanism 19 is driven according to the detection result, and the objective lens 14 is moved upward. Move to. Next, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the upper limit SET button 312 by the cursor 300 is detected, and the position of the objective lens 14 when the operation is detected is acquired as the upper limit setting position Zh. To do.

  Next, in S322, processing for setting the lower limit position of the confocal image acquisition range is performed. In this process, first, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the down arrow button 313 by the cursor 300 is detected, and the Z scanning mechanism 19 is driven according to the detection result to move the objective lens 14 downward. Move. Next, an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the lower limit SET button 314 by the cursor 300 is detected, and the position of the objective lens 14 when the operation is detected is acquired as the lower limit setting position Zl. To do.

  Next, in S323, a process of detecting an operation to the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the selection operation of the measurement mode selection button 315 by the cursor 300 and acquiring an operation instruction of the measurement mode corresponding to the detection result is performed.

  Next, in S324, processing for determining whether or not the above-described cursor position at this point is within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 pixels) from the image acquisition button 304 is performed. If it is determined that the cursor position is within a predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S325. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cursor position is farther than the predetermined distance from the image acquisition button 304 (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S326.

  In S325, a flow D process, which is one of the subroutine processes shown in FIG. 13B, is performed. This flow D process is a process for displaying only the expected time required for measuring the height of the measurement sample 5 in the microscope system on the pop-up screen 306 on the monitor 4 before actually starting the measurement.

Here, the flow D process of FIG. 13B will be described.
First, in S371, the revolver No. of the objective lens 14 is changed. The process of acquiring is performed. In addition, the revolver No. acquired by this processing. Is a number given to the mounting portion of the objective lens switching mechanism 18 to which the objective lens 14 currently disposed on the optical path of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 is mounted.

  Next, in S372, the revolver No. acquired by the process of S371 among the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 is displayed. The process of reading the variable information (FIG. 12B) is performed.

  In S373, the estimated time required for the measurement of the height of the measurement sample 5 is determined by the fixed values of the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 and the values obtained by the processes in S321, S322, S323, and S372. A calculation process is performed based on (FIG. 12A). In this process, similarly to the process of S209 in the second example of the pop-up screen display process shown in FIG. 10, an operation is performed to obtain the value T of the above-mentioned formula [4] as the expected time.

In S374, a process of pop-up displaying only the value of T calculated by the process of S373 is performed. Thereafter, the flow D process is terminated, and the process proceeds to S326 of FIG. 13A.
In the process of S374, the value of T is displayed on the pop-up screen 306 in the form of “speech balloon” from the image acquisition button 304.

  Returning to FIG. 13A, in S326, it is determined whether or not the above-described cursor position is within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 pixels) set in advance from any objective lens setting button of the objective lens setting unit 303. Processing is performed. Here, when it is determined that the cursor position is within a predetermined distance from any one of the objective lens setting buttons (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S327. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cursor position is farther than the predetermined distance with any of the objective lens setting buttons (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S328.

  In S327, a flow E process, which is one of the subroutine processes shown in FIG. 13B, is performed. In this flow E process, the expected time required for measuring the height of the measurement sample 5 in the microscope system, together with the numerical aperture and working distance of the objective lens 14, is displayed on the monitor 4 on the pop-up screen 306 before actually starting the measurement. It is a process for displaying with.

Here, the flow E process of FIG. 13B will be described.
First, in S381, processing for reading out variable information (FIG. 12B) regarding the objective lens 14 corresponding to the objective lens setting button within a predetermined distance from the cursor position in the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. Is done.

  Next, in S382, the estimated time required for the measurement of the height of the measurement sample 5 is determined from the values obtained by the processes in S321, S322, S323, and S381, and the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 The calculation processing is performed based on the fixed information (FIG. 12A). In this process, an operation for obtaining the value T of the above-described equation [4] is performed in the same manner as the process of S373 of the flow D process described above.

  Next, in S383, the value of T calculated by the process of S382 and the N.E. of the objective lens 14 in the variable information read out by the process of S381. A. And W. D. A process of pop-up displaying each value of is performed. Then, the flow E process is terminated, and the process proceeds to S328 in FIG. 13A. In the process of S383, T, N. A. , And W. D. Are displayed on a pop-up screen 306 in the form of a “speech balloon” from an objective lens setting button within a predetermined distance from the cursor position.

  Returning to FIG. 13A, in S328, a process of determining whether or not an operation of moving the cursor 300 and sliding the slide bar of the optical zoom setting unit 302 (for example, a drag operation of the mouse device) is performed. Here, when it is determined that the operation is being performed (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S329. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation is not performed (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S330.

  In S316, a flow F process, which is one of the subroutine processes shown in FIG. 13B, is performed. This flow F process is a process for displaying the expected time required for measuring the height of the measurement sample 5 in the microscope system and the observation actual visual field size FOVX on the pop-up screen 306.

Here, the flow F process of FIG. 13B will be described.
First, in S391, processing for detecting an enlargement magnification Mzoom by optical zoom corresponding to the slide amount of the microscope image is performed from the slide amount of the slide bar in the operation detected by the processing of S328.

  Next, in S392, the revolver No. of the objective lens 14 is changed. The process of acquiring is performed. In addition, the revolver No. acquired by this processing. Is a number given to the mounting portion of the objective lens switching mechanism 18 to which the objective lens 14 currently disposed on the optical path of the scanning laser microscope main body 1 is mounted.

  Next, in S393, among the specification data stored in the storage unit 22, the revolver No. acquired by the process in S392 is displayed. The process of reading the variable information (FIG. 12B) is performed.

  Next, in S394, the estimated time required for the measurement of the height of the measurement sample 5 is determined from the values obtained by the processes of S321, S322, S323, and S393, and the specification data stored in the storage unit 22. The calculation processing is performed based on the fixed information (FIG. 12A). In this process, an operation for obtaining the value T of the above-described equation [4] is performed in the same manner as the process of S373 of the flow D process described above.

  In S395, the observation actual visual field size FOVX in the X direction of the microscope image displayed on the monitor 4 is set to each value obtained by the processing of S391 and S393, and fixed information of the specification data stored in the storage unit 22 ( The calculation process is performed based on FIG. In this process, an operation for obtaining the value FOVX of the above-mentioned [1] expression is performed in the same manner as the process of S106 in the first example of the pop-up screen display process shown in FIG.

  In S396, a process of popping up each value of T and FOVX calculated by the processes of S394 and S395 is performed, and thereafter, the flow F process is terminated, and the process proceeds to S330 of FIG. 13A. In the process of S396, each value of T and FOVX is displayed on a pop-up screen 306 in the form of “speech balloon” from the slide bar of the optical zoom setting unit 302.

  Next, in S330, processing for determining whether or not the measurement conditions for height measurement by the microscope system have been changed according to an instruction performed by the user operating the instruction acquisition unit 3 is performed. Here, when it is determined that the measurement condition has been changed (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S321 and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the measurement condition has not been changed (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S331.

  Next, in S331, processing for determining whether or not an operation on the instruction acquisition unit 3 corresponding to the pressing operation of the image acquisition button 304 by the cursor 300 is detected is performed. If it is determined that an operation corresponding to pressing of the image acquisition button 304 is detected (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S332. On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation corresponding to pressing of the image acquisition button 304 is not detected (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S321 and the above-described process is repeated.

In S332, the process of sequentially acquiring confocal images for height measurement is started, and thereafter the process of FIG. 13A ends.
When the above pop-up screen display process is performed by the computer 2, the display items of the pop-up screen 306 are changed according to the operation mode of the microscope system, and only necessary items in the operation mode are displayed. That is, the monitor 4 is selected according to the operation mode set for the microscope system from the information related to the operation target of the microscope system, which is previously associated with the GUI component where the cursor 300 is located within a predetermined distance. Is displayed on a pop-up screen 306. Thereby, since the user can obtain only useful information according to the situation, the operability is improved. Moreover, since the skill level of the microscope operation for obtaining only useful information is not questioned, it is easy for beginners to use.

  In the present embodiment, the operation mode of the microscope system has been described as an example in which the high accuracy mode, the high speed mode, or the luminance image capturing mode at the time of height measurement is defined. Is not limited to these. For example, as an operation mode of the microscope system, there is a transparent film measurement mode for measuring the thickness of the transparent film. In this measurement mode, the thickness of the film is obtained by obtaining the difference distance between the positions where the intensity of the reflected light from the front and back surfaces of the transparent film is maximized. When the transparent film measurement mode is selected, measurement is possible when the cursor 300 is positioned near the selection button of the objective lens 14, the selection button of the optical zoom magnification, or the image acquisition button 304 indicating the start of measurement. Display the minimum film thickness and the expected measurement time. By doing in this way, selection of measurement conditions becomes easy.

  As described above, according to the microscope system according to each embodiment of the present invention, necessary information is displayed only when necessary. Therefore, the observation specification of the microscope system can be easily determined, and the operation of the microscope system can be easily understood by beginners of the microscope. Also, the application screen is not complicated.

  Furthermore, since the observation specifications of the microscope when the operation is performed are known before the operation is actually performed, unnecessary operations are reduced. Therefore, the user can achieve the purpose of use in a short time.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to each embodiment mentioned above, A various improvement and change are possible within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the microscope system which implements this invention. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the specification data of a microscope system. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of an application screen. It is the figure which showed the processing content of the 1st example of the pop-up screen display process with the flowchart. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of a pop-up display. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of a pop-up display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an observation specification display part. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of an application screen. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the specification data of a microscope system. It is the figure which showed the processing content of the 2nd example of the pop-up screen display process with the flowchart. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of an application screen. It is a figure which shows the 4th example of an application screen. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of the specification data of a microscope system. It is the figure (the 1) which showed the processing content of the 3rd example of the pop-up screen display process with the flowchart. It is the figure (the 2) which showed the processing content of the 3rd example of the pop-up screen display process with the flowchart.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Scanning laser microscope main body 2 Computer 3 Instruction acquisition part 4 Monitor 5 Measurement sample 11 Laser light source 12 Beam splitter 13 XY scanning mechanism 14 Objective lens 15 Confocal stop 16 Light receiving element 17 Amplifier 18 Objective lens switching mechanism 19 Z scanning mechanism 20 Control Unit 21 Arithmetic processing unit 22 Storage unit 301 Image display unit 302 Optical zoom setting unit 303 Objective lens setting unit 304 Image acquisition button 305 Various operation units 306 Pop-up screen 307 Observation specification display unit 311 Up arrow button 312 Upper limit SET button 313 Down arrow button 314 Lower limit SET button 315 Measurement mode selection button

Claims (10)

A microscope having a plurality of objective lenses and acquiring a microscope image of the sample;
Display means for displaying an application screen on which the microscope image and a plurality of GUI (graphical user interface) parts used for operating instructions for the microscope are displayed together with a cursor indicating the GUI parts;
A movement instruction acquisition means for acquiring an input of a movement instruction for moving the cursor and moving the cursor on the application screen according to the instruction;
Execution instruction acquisition means for acquiring an input of an execution instruction for executing the operation of the microscope;
Control means for performing control to operate the operation target of the microscope associated in advance with the GUI component pointed to by the cursor when the execution instruction acquisition means acquires the execution instruction input;
When the cursor is positioned within a predetermined distance from any one of the plurality of GUI parts by movement according to the input of the movement instruction acquired by the movement instruction acquisition unit, the GUI part positioned within the predetermined distance Display control means for causing the display means to display information related to the operation target of the microscope, which is associated in advance, regardless of acquisition of the execution instruction input by the execution instruction acquisition means ,
The application screen includes an objective lens selection GUI component used to instruct selection of one of the plurality of objective lenses used for acquiring the microscope image.
When the cursor is positioned within the predetermined distance from the objective lens selection GUI component, the display control means acquires the microscope image with the changed objective lens instructed by the objective lens selection GUI component. Information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope is displayed on the display means as information on the operation target of the microscope.
A microscope system characterized by that. The microscope further includes a variable magnification observation optical system,
When the cursor is positioned within the predetermined distance from the objective lens selection GUI component, the display control means is configured to change the magnification of the objective lens indicated by the objective lens selection GUI component and the current magnification. Information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope when acquiring the microscope image at the magnification of the optical system is displayed on the display means as information on the operation target of the microscope.
The microscope system according to claim 1. The information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope when acquiring the microscope image with the objective lens after the change designated by the objective lens selection GUI component includes the numerical aperture of the objective lens , the working distance of the objective lens, When using an objective lens, the size of the field of view of the microscope image, the display magnification when the microscope image is displayed on the display means, the distance on the microscope image displayed on the display means and the sample the microscope system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises at least one or more of the relationship between the actual distance. The microscope further includes a variable magnification observation optical system,
The application screen includes a magnification change GUI component used to instruct the magnification change of the magnification observation optical system.
When the cursor is positioned within the predetermined distance from the magnification change GUI component, the display control means uses the magnification after the change instructed by the magnification change GUI component and the current magnification of the objective lens. Information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope when acquiring a microscope image is displayed on the display means as information on the operation target of the microscope,
The microscope system according to claim 1.   Information indicating the observation specifications of the microscope when the microscope image is acquired at the magnification after the change instructed by the magnification change GUI component is the size of the field of view of the microscope image when the objective lens is used. At least one of a display magnification when the microscope image is displayed on the display means, and a relationship between a distance on the microscope image displayed on the display means and an actual distance on the sample. The microscope system according to claim 4, comprising the above. The display control means, the information about the operation target of the microscope, according to claims 1, characterized in that to be displayed on said display means in a pop-up screen that is displayed superimposed on the application screen in any one of 5 Microscope system.   The display control means causes the display means to display the pop-up screen on the display means in the form of a balloon expressing the relevance of the cursor to a GUI component located within the predetermined distance. The described microscope system. 6. The display control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein information on an operation target of the microscope is displayed at the same predetermined position on an application screen for any GUI component. The microscope system described in 1. The microscope
An objective lens;
A Z scanning mechanism for changing the relative distance between the sample and the objective lens in the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens;
With
The application screen is used for an instruction to start execution of an image acquisition operation for sequentially acquiring the microscope image every time the Z scanning mechanism is controlled to change the relative distance by a predetermined distance within a predetermined upper and lower limit range. Including image acquisition GUI parts,
When the cursor is positioned within the predetermined distance from the image acquisition GUI component, the display control means uses an estimated value of the time required from the start to the completion of the image acquisition operation as information related to the operation target of the microscope. Display on the display means;
The microscope system according to claim 1. The microscope has a plurality of predefined operation modes depending on the application,
The display control means determines whether the cursor is located within the predetermined distance from the information regarding the operation target of the microscope, which is previously associated with the GUI component located within the predetermined distance. Display on the display means what is selected according to the set operation mode.
The microscope system according to claim 1.