JP5281763B2 - Control device, magnification observation system, and method for controlling magnification observation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce operational burden for separately setting up the magnification of a plurality of variable power devices which are needed for observing an observation object with a desired observation magnification. <P>SOLUTION: A magnification observation device has the plurality of variable power devices (Z revolver 6 and two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3) which change the observation magnification for a sample 8, and the comprehensive observation magnification as the whole device when observing the sample 8 is determined by the product of magnification of each variable power device. When an input part 16 acquires directions of the comprehensive observation magnification, a computer 12 for control determines and outputs the combination of magnification of each variable power device for performing observation of the sample 8 with the comprehensive observation magnification concerning the directions with the magnification observation device based on the comprehensive observation magnification. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for magnifying and observing an observation object, and more particularly to a technique for enabling observation of the observation object at a desired observation magnification.

In order to observe a fine observation object, a magnification observation apparatus such as a microscope for enlarging an image of the observation object has been conventionally used.
For example, in a scanning laser microscope, the total observation magnification during this magnified observation is determined by the magnification of the objective lens and the swing angle of the two-dimensional scanning scanner. First, the user roughly observes the vicinity of a desired region by setting the observation magnification to a relatively low magnification. Thereafter, while observing the specimen displayed on the monitor, both the magnification of the objective lens and the swing angle of the two-dimensional scanning scanner are adjusted, and the field of view of the microscope is adjusted to a desired region.

  The operation for adjusting the field of view is performed while the user is aware of the size of the specimen and the size of the observation area, and the magnification of the objective lens and the swing angle of the two-dimensional scanning scanner must be adjusted independently. is there.

  Here, in order to make it easy for the user to intuitively grasp the actual size of the specimen and to facilitate the above-described operation, from the objective lens to the PMT (photomultiplier tube), CCD (charge coupled device), etc. Conventionally proposed is a technique for calculating and displaying the length (scale) on the sample corresponding to the unit pixel of the monitor in a microscope equipped with an intermediate zooming device such as a zoom lens in the middle of the optical path to the light receiving element. ing. However, in this technique, since it is necessary for the user to adjust the setting of the objective lens and the magnification of the intermediate zooming device based on this scale, the operation becomes complicated and inconvenient. In addition, since a plurality of combinations of the magnification of the objective lens and the magnification of the intermediate zoom device can be normally obtained for one visual field region, it is difficult for the user to determine which combination should be set for observation.

Regarding the above problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, the movement amount of the XY stage is detected to acquire the actual movement amount indicating the actual movement amount of the sample, and the image of the sample before the movement of the XY stage and after the movement are obtained. The image movement amount indicating the movement amount of the image accompanying the movement of the XY stage is calculated by extracting the features of the specimen image in the image, and the actual movement amount and the image movement amount are used to correspond to the unit pixel of the image. A technique for calculating a scale indicating the length on a specimen has been proposed.
JP 2003-195183 A

  In the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, the user can intuitively grasp the actual size of the specimen, but the setting of the magnification of the objective lens and the magnification of the intermediate zoom device is still scale information. It is necessary for the user to make settings based on this.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the problem to be solved is to individually set the magnifications of a plurality of zooming devices that are necessary for observation of an observation object at a desired observation magnification. Is to reduce the operational burden to do.

The control device according to one aspect of the present invention has a plurality of magnification changing devices that change the observation magnification of the specimen, and the overall observation magnification that is the observation magnification of the entire apparatus when observing the specimen is changed. A control device for controlling the magnification observation device determined by the product of the magnifications of each magnification device, a comprehensive observation magnification acquisition means for acquiring an instruction of the total observation magnification, and a priority among the plurality of magnification change devices A priority magnification changer selection instruction acquisition means for obtaining an instruction to select the magnification, and a combination of magnifications of each of the magnification changers for observing the sample with the magnification observation apparatus at the overall observation magnification according to the instruction, A scaling magnification determining means that determines and outputs the information based on the information of the comprehensive observation magnification acquired by the comprehensive observation magnification acquisition means and the information of the priority scaling device acquired by the priority scaling device selection instruction acquiring means. And having It is intended to be to solve the aforementioned problems by the features.

In the above-described control device according to the present invention, the scaling factor determination unit is acquired by the priority scaling unit selection instruction acquisition unit among the combinations of scaling factors of the scaling units according to the determination. magnification of the variable power device is output as a result of selecting the determined what is the maximum, configuration to thereby Rukoto as.
Further, in the control device according to the present invention described above, the correspondence relationship between the overall observation magnification and the combination of the magnifications of the magnification changing devices for performing the observation of the sample by the magnification observation device at the overall observation magnification is shown. The magnification change determination means gives priority to the information obtained by the overall observation magnification acquisition means and the priority enlargement device selection instruction acquisition means. Based on the information of the magnification changing device, the contents of the table are referred to, and the magnification of each of the magnification changing devices can be determined.

Further, in the control device according to the present invention described above, the magnification change determination means includes information on the overall observation magnification acquired by the overall observation magnification acquisition means and the priority acquired by the priority magnification changer selection instruction acquisition means. the variable magnification device information and observation of the target present on the basis of the may be configured to calculate out determines the magnification of the variable magnification device each for performing a comprehensive observation magnification according to the instruction to.

In the control device according to the present invention described above, the plurality of zooming devices may be configured to be an objective lens and an optical zoom .

At this time, the priority zooming device selection instruction acquisition means receives an objective lens priority selection instruction acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to preferentially select the objective lens, and an instruction to preferentially select the optical zoom lens. An optical zoom lens priority selection instruction acquisition unit to be acquired may be included .

  Further, in the control device according to the present invention described above, the comprehensive observation magnification acquisition unit acquires designation of a region of interest to be observed by the magnification observation device, and performs the comprehensive observation based on the size of the region of interest. It can also be configured to calculate and acquire the magnification.

  Note that the control device according to the present invention described above and the magnification observation device are included, and the magnification observation device according to the combination of magnifications output from the magnification change determination unit included in the control device. A magnification observation system characterized by further comprising a magnification changing device magnification changing means for changing the magnification of the magnification changing device is also according to the present invention.

In addition, the control method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of magnification changing devices that change the observation magnification of the specimen, and the comprehensive observation is the observation magnification of the entire apparatus when observing the specimen. A control method performed by a control device that controls a magnification observation device whose magnification is determined by a product of the magnifications of each of the magnification change devices, wherein the comprehensive observation magnification acquisition means of the control device indicates the total observation magnification The priority scaling device selection instruction acquisition means possessed by the control device obtains an instruction to select a preferred one of the plurality of scaling devices, and the scaling magnification determination means possessed by the control device comprises: Information on the overall observation magnification obtained by the overall observation magnification acquisition means , a combination of magnifications of the magnification changing devices for performing observation of the specimen with the magnification observation device at the overall observation magnification according to the instruction , Take the priority scaling device selection instruction Means determines and outputs, based on the information of the acquired priority variable power device, it is characterized in, that solve the aforementioned problems by the features.

  According to the present invention, as described above, the operational burden for individually setting the magnifications of a plurality of zooming devices necessary for observation of an observation object at a desired observation magnification is reduced. The effect of doing.

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 scanning confocal laser microscope which is a magnification observation system for implementing the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the light emitted from the light source 1 passes through the beam splitter 2 and then enters the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3. The two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 includes a first scanning scanner 3 a and a second scanning scanner 3 b, and scans an incident light beam two-dimensionally and guides it to the objective lens 7. Here, the observation magnification of the specimen can be changed by controlling the swing angles of the first scanning scanner 3a and the second scanning scanner 3b. Therefore, the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 is one of the magnification changing apparatuses that the scanning confocal laser microscope has.

  The light beam incident on the objective lens 7 becomes focused light and scans the surface of the sample (observation specimen) 8. When the light reflected by the surface of the sample 8 is again introduced into the beam splitter 2 from the objective lens 7 via the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3, it is reflected by the beam splitter 2 and guided to the imaging lens 9. The imaging lens 9 condenses this light on the pinhole 10.

  Here, the condensing position by the objective lens 7 is arranged so as to be in a conjugate position with the pinhole 10. Therefore, when the sample 8 is at the condensing position by the objective lens 7, the reflected light from the sample 8 is condensed on the pinhole 10 and passes through the pinhole, but the sample 8 is condensing by the objective lens 7. When the position is shifted from the position, the reflected light from the sample 8 does not pass through the pinhole. Thus, the pinhole 10 cuts off the reflected light from other than the focal point of the sample 8. The photodetector 11 detects only light that has passed through the pinhole 10.

  The Z revolver 6 holds at least two or more objective lenses 7, and an objective lens 7 having a desired magnification can be inserted into an optical path for two-dimensional scanning. Therefore, the Z revolver 6 holding a plurality of objective lenses 7 is one of the magnification changing apparatuses that the scanning confocal laser microscope has. The Z revolver 6 is movable in the Z-axis direction (along the optical path from the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 to the sample 8), and changes the condensing position of the objective lens 7 and the relative position of the sample 8. Can be made.

  The sample 8 is placed on the sample table 13. The sample stage 13 can be moved in the XY directions (directions orthogonal to each other on a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis direction) by an electric stage 14.

  The two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3, the Z revolver 6, the photodetector 11, and the like are controlled by a control computer 12 that executes a microscope control program stored in advance. The user can operate each unit of the scanning confocal laser microscope by giving a predetermined instruction input to the input unit 16 according to the screen on the monitor 15 displayed by executing the microscope control program.

  Note that the entity of the control computer 12 is a computer with a very standard configuration, that is, an arithmetic processing unit such as an MPU that controls the operation of the entire computer by executing a control program, and the arithmetic processing unit can operate as necessary. Main memory used as memory, storage device such as a hard disk device for storing and storing various programs and control data, etc., and reception control of various signals sent from the photodetector 11 and the input unit 16 And a computer configured to include a two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3, a Z revolver 6, an electric stage 14, and an interface unit that performs transmission control of various signals to be sent to the monitor 15.

  As described above, the scanning confocal laser microscope shown in FIG. 1 has a two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 and a Z revolver 6 holding a plurality of objective lenses 7 as a magnification changing device for changing the observation magnification of the specimen. have. The control computer 12 also functions as a control device that controls the scanning confocal laser microscope.

  Hereinafter, several examples of the scanning confocal laser microscope shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows a first example of the operation screen of the scanning confocal laser microscope shown in FIG. This screen is displayed on the monitor 15 by causing the control computer 12 to execute the above-described microscope control program.

  The photodetector 11 outputs a signal corresponding to the intensity of the received light. The control computer 12 generates an image of the sample 8 based on this signal, fits into the observation image display unit 21 on the screen of FIG.

  In addition, a slider which is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) component is arranged as the total magnification adjustment unit 22 on the operation screen of FIG. The user adjusts the overall observation magnification of the scanning confocal laser microscope by moving a slider which is the overall magnification adjustment unit 22 by, for example, dragging a mouse device provided as the input unit 16. be able to. Note that the input unit 16 at this time functions as a comprehensive observation magnification acquisition unit that acquires an instruction of the total observation magnification.

  The overall observation magnification of the scanning confocal laser microscope is the observation magnification of the scanning confocal laser microscope as a whole when the sample 8 is displayed on the observation image display unit 21 for observation. The product of the magnifications of the two zooming devices provided in the focal laser microscope, that is, the product of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom determined by the swing angle of the first scanning scanner 3a and the second scanning scanner 3b. It is determined.

  Here, FIG. 3 will be described. The figure shows the correspondence between the total observation magnification when the sample 8 is observed with the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1 and the combination of the objective lens 7 for obtaining the total observation magnification and the magnification of the optical zoom described above. It is an example of the table which showed the relationship. In the example of FIG. 3, the magnification of each of the objective lenses 7 held by the Z revolver 6 is 5 times, 10 times, 20 times, 50 times, and 100 times, and the first scanning scanner 3a and the second About the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom when the magnification of the optical zoom magnification determined from the swing angle with the scanning scanner 3b can be set from 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 times. All combinations are shown. In this embodiment, this table is stored in the control computer 12 in advance.

  In the case of the example of FIG. 3, since the objective lens 7 has a minimum magnification of 5 times and a maximum magnification of 100 times, and the optical zoom has a minimum magnification of 1 time and a maximum magnification of 5 times, the total observation magnification is the minimum. 5 times, the maximum is 500 times. Therefore, by moving the slider of the total magnification adjusting unit 22 in FIG. 2, the total observation magnification of the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1 can be adjusted in the range of 5 to 500 times.

  In the example of the table shown in FIG. 3, 25 combinations of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom are shown. Instead of this, for example, by setting the magnification of the optical zoom more finely than this, or by increasing the type of magnification of the objective lens 7 held by the Z revolver 6, the overall observation magnification is adjusted more finely. You can also

  Assume that when the table illustrated in FIG. 3 is stored in the control computer 12 in advance, the user moves the slider of the total magnification adjustment unit 22 and sets the total observation magnification to, for example, 20 times. In this case, the control computer 12 finds three combinations of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for obtaining a total observation magnification of 20 times based on the shaded cells in the table of FIG. Can do. In this way, the control computer 12 extracts and extracts all combinations of magnifications of the magnification changing apparatuses that can obtain the total observation magnification instructed by the user with the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. The combination of magnifications displayed on the monitor 15 is output as shown in the screen example of FIG. 4A.

  In the first example of the display of the combination of magnifications of the magnification changing apparatuses shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of combinations are respectively displayed as buttons that are GUI components. The user presses one of these buttons by dragging and clicking the mouse device provided as the input unit 16, for example. Then, the control computer 12 recognizes the combination displayed on the pressed button as a selection result by the user, and controls the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 and the objective lens 7 based on the selection result. To the control processing routine in the computer 12. In the control processing routine that receives this selection result, the swing angle between the first scanning scanner 3a and the second scanning scanner 3b in the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 is adjusted so that the optical zoom magnification in the combination related to the selection result is obtained. At the same time, the Z revolver 6 is rotationally driven to insert the objective lens 7 having the magnification in the combination according to the selection result into the optical path of the two-dimensional scanning. As a result, it is possible to observe the sample 8 at a desired overall observation magnification with the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG.

  In addition, instead of the screen shown in FIG. 4A, the control computer 12 displays a candidate for determining a combination of magnifications of each magnification changing apparatus that can obtain the overall observation magnification instructed by the user, instead of the screen shown in FIG. 4A. You may make it display the 2nd example of the display screen of the combination of the magnification of each magnification changing apparatus shown on the monitor 15. FIG. In the screen example of FIG. 4B, in addition to the combination of the magnifications of each of the variable magnification devices similar to that of FIG. The numerical aperture (NA) and the working distance (WD) of the objective lens 7 being displayed are displayed. By displaying this screen example, the accompanying information is also provided to the user.

  Here, FIG. 5 will be described. This figure is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the first example of the scaling device magnification setting processing performed by the control computer 12. The computer which is the control computer 12 can perform the magnification changing device magnification setting process when the MPU reads a predetermined control program from the storage device and executes it.

  The processing in FIG. 5 is started when it is detected in S501 that the input unit 16 has acquired an instruction from the user for starting adjustment of the overall observation magnification, and the operation screen illustrated in FIG. Processing to display is performed.

  In S502, an overall observation magnification adjustment process is performed in which an instruction from the user to the input unit 16 is acquired and the slider of the overall magnification adjustment unit 22 on the operation screen of FIG. 2 is moved in accordance with the instruction.

  In S503, search processing is performed on the table illustrated in FIG. 3 that shows the correspondence relationship between the overall observation magnification and the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom. Details of the combination table search process will be described later.

  In S504, the screen shown in FIG. 4A showing candidates for determining the combination of the magnification of the objective lens and the optical zoom extracted by the combination table search process in S503, or the screen shown in FIG. 4B with additional information added to the determination result. Is displayed on the monitor 15.

  In S505, a process of acquiring a selection result of a combination of the magnification of the objective lens and the magnification of the optical zoom, which is selected by the user by the operation on the screen displayed on the monitor 15 in the process of S504, is performed.

  In S506, the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 and the Z revolver 6 are controlled, and the first scanning scanner 3a and the second scanning scanner 3b are obtained so as to obtain the optical zoom magnification in the combination related to the selection result obtained by the processing in S505. And the processing of inserting the objective lens 7 having the magnification according to the selection result into the optical path of the two-dimensional scanning is performed, and thereafter the processing of FIG. 5 is terminated.

The processing up to this point is the zooming device magnification setting processing.
Next, FIG. 6 will be described. This figure is a flowchart showing the contents of a first example of the combination table search process performed by the control computer 12 as the process of S503 in the magnification change ratio setting process shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, first, when the combination table search process is started in S <b> 601, in the subsequent S <b> 602, a process for acquiring the adjustment result of the overall observation magnification adjusted in S <b> 502 of FIG. 5 is performed.

  In S603, the table showing the correspondence relationship between the overall observation magnification illustrated in FIG. 3 and the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom is referred to, and the value of the overall observation magnification shown in each cell of the table is referred to. A process of comparing the adjusted overall observation magnification value acquired by the process of S602 is performed. In the subsequent S604, a process for determining whether or not the two values match is performed by this comparison process. If it is determined that the two values match (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S605. On the other hand, when it is determined that the two do not match (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S606.

  In S605, the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom associated with the cell in which the value that matches the value of the adjusted overall observation magnification obtained by the process of S602 is stored is obtained from the table. Then, a process of temporarily storing in the storage area of the control computer 14 is performed.

  In S606, processing for determining whether or not the comparison processing in S603 has been completed for all the cells in the table is performed. Here, when it is determined that the comparison process has been completed for all the cells (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S607. On the other hand, when it is determined that cells that have not been subjected to the comparison process still remain (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S603, and the process of S603 is performed on the cells that have not yet been compared. .

  In S607, processing for determining whether or not there is one or more combinations temporarily stored in the storage area of the control computer 14 by the processing in S605 is performed. Here, when it is determined that one or more combinations exist in the storage area (when the determination result is Yes), the table search process is terminated, and the magnification and optical power of the objective lens stored in the storage area are terminated. All the combinations with the zoom magnification are returned to the processing of FIG. 5 as the extraction results by the table search processing. On the other hand, when it is determined that this combination does not exist at all in the storage area (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S608.

  In S608, among the values of the overall observation magnification shown in each cell of the table, the one closest to the adjusted overall observation magnification value obtained by the processing in S602 is acquired, and the adjusted overall observation is obtained. A process of changing the magnification value to the acquired value is performed, and then the process returns to S603, and the comparison process of S603 is performed using the changed value.

The process so far is the combination table search process.
As described above, in this embodiment, in the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1, a table showing the correspondence between the total observation magnification and the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom is stored in the control computer 12 in advance. A combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for preparing and observing the sample 8 at the total observation magnification designated by the user based on the contents of the table is used. Is determined and the result is output, and the Z revolver 6 and the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 are controlled.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in order to obtain the total observation magnification instructed by the user with the scanning confocal laser microscope, the user can use the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom (that is, the first scanning scanner). 3a and the swing angle of the second scanning scanner 3b) do not need to be adjusted independently, and the scanning confocal laser microscope can be put into an observation start state simply by instructing a desired overall observation magnification. As a result, the operational burden on the user is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, there are a plurality of candidates that are the determination results of the combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enabling observation of the sample 8 at the total observation magnification instructed by the user. In this case, one of them is selected by the user, and the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom are controlled based on the selection result. Instead, if the user gives an instruction to prioritize either the objective lens 7 or the optical zoom to the control computer 12 in advance, and there are a plurality of determination candidates for the combination of the magnifications, The control computer 12 automatically selects the combination of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom, which has the highest priority, that has the highest magnification, from the plurality of candidates, and outputs the selection result. Thus, the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom may be controlled.

Here, FIG. 7 will be described. This figure shows a second example of the operation screen of the scanning confocal laser microscope shown in FIG.
The screen example of FIG. 7 includes an observation image display unit 21 and a total magnification adjustment unit 22 similar to those of the first example of the operation screen shown in FIG. Is provided.

  In the screen example of FIG. 7, three options of “objective lens priority”, “zoom priority”, and “user selection” are shown as the magnification adjustment priority selection unit 23, and a GUI component is associated with each option. A check box is placed. The user checks any one of the check boxes by, for example, dragging and clicking the mouse device provided as the input unit 16. Then, the option associated with the checked check box is selected, and the control computer 12 acquires an instruction for this selection by the user.

Here, the determination operation of the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom performed by the control computer 12 displaying the operation screen illustrated in FIG. 7 on the monitor 15 will be described.
First, the user moves the slider, which is the total magnification adjustment unit 22, by dragging the mouse device provided as the input unit 16, for example, thereby setting the total observation magnification of the scanning confocal laser microscope. adjust. Here, it is assumed that the overall observation magnification which has been 5 times is adjusted to 20 times by this adjustment.

  The control computer 12 refers to the table illustrated in FIG. 3 when obtaining an instruction for the overall observation magnification based on the operation on the input unit 16 at this time. Then, based on the shaded cells in the table of FIG. 3, three combinations of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for obtaining a total observation magnification of 20 times are found.

  Here, when “objective lens priority” is selected by the user's operation on the magnification adjustment priority selection unit 23, the control computer 12 selects the objective lens among the three candidate combinations of magnification combinations. 7 is selected as a result of determining the combination of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom. Control the magnification.

  Here, when “zoom priority” is selected by the user's operation on the magnification adjustment priority selection unit 23, the control computer 12 selects the objective among the three candidate combinations of magnification combinations. A combination in which the magnification of the lens 7 is 5 times and the magnification of the optical zoom is 4 times, and the magnification of the optical zoom is maximum is selected and output as a determination result of the combination of the magnifications, and the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom Control the magnification.

  On the other hand, when “user selection” is selected by the user's operation on the magnification adjustment priority selection unit 23, the control computer 12 displays the screen of FIG. 4A or the screen of FIG. 4B as described above. A screen is displayed on the monitor 15, and the selection result of the combination of magnifications of the objective lens and the optical zoom, which is selected by the user by operating the display screen, is output as the determination result of the combination of the magnifications, and the objective lens 7. And the magnification of the optical zoom.

  In this way, in order to obtain the overall observation magnification instructed by the user with the scanning confocal laser microscope, the user can use the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom (that is, the first scanning scanner 3a). And the swing angle of the second scanning scanner 3b) are not required to be adjusted independently of each other, and a scaling unit that prioritizes the setting of the magnification is designated in the scaling adjustment priority selection unit 23, so that a desired magnification can be obtained. Even when there are a plurality of combinations of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for obtaining the overall observation magnification, the scanning confocal laser microscope is set to the observation start state only by instructing the desired overall observation magnification. Can do. As a result, the operational burden on the user is reduced.

  In the first embodiment described above, in the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1, a table showing the correspondence between the overall observation magnification and the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom is prepared in the control computer 12 in advance. The control computer 12 determines a combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom so that the sample 8 can be observed at the total observation magnification instructed by the user based on the contents of the table. It was. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enabling the observation of the sample 8 at the total observation magnification instructed by the user in the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. Is not determined using the table, but is calculated based on the total observation magnification. Hereinafter, this calculation procedure will be described.

  When the operation screen shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the monitor 15, first, the user drags the mouse device provided as the input unit 16, for example, to move the slider that is the total magnification adjustment unit 22. By moving, the overall observation magnification of the scanning confocal laser microscope is adjusted. Here, it is assumed that the overall observation magnification which has been 5 times is adjusted to 20 times by this adjustment. At this time, it is assumed that the magnification of each of the objective lenses 7 held by the Z revolver 6 is 5 times, 10 times, 20 times, 50 times, and 100 times.

  Here, the control computer 12 selects the magnification of the objective lens 7 in which the value obtained by dividing the adjusted overall observation magnification by the magnification of the objective lens 7 is 1 or more, and at the magnification of the selected objective lens 7 A value obtained by dividing the overall observation magnification is calculated as the optical zoom magnification.

By performing this calculation, the control computer 12 finds the following three combinations as combinations of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom.
Objective lens: 5x, optical zoom: 4x Objective lens: 10x, optical zoom: 2x Objective lens: 20x, optical zoom: 1x In this way, the objective held by the Z revolver 6 The magnification of the optical zoom is calculated for each magnification of the lens 7. The combination of magnifications of the objective lens and the optical zoom obtained in this way is stored and held in the storage area of the control computer 12.

  The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment described above, and the control computer 12 generates and monitors the screen of FIG. 4A or the screen of FIG. 4B based on the combination of magnifications held in the storage area as described above. 15 is displayed. Then, the selection result of the combination of the magnification of the objective lens and the magnification of the optical zoom selected by the user by the operation on the display screen is output as the determination result of the combination of the magnifications.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enabling observation of the sample 8 at the total observation magnification instructed by the user is based on the total observation magnification. Calculate and decide.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in order to obtain the total observation magnification instructed by the user with the scanning confocal laser microscope, the user can use the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom (that is, the first scanning scanner). 3a and the swing angle of the second scanning scanner 3b) do not need to be adjusted independently, and the scanning confocal laser microscope can be put into an observation start state simply by instructing a desired overall observation magnification. As a result, the operational burden on the user is reduced. In addition, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to prepare in advance in the control computer 12 a table showing the correspondence relationship between the total observation magnification and the combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom.

  Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the user gives an instruction to prioritize either the objective lens 7 or the optical zoom to the control computer 12 in advance, and the magnification When there are a plurality of combination determination candidates, the control computer 12 automatically selects the combination having the maximum magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom that has the highest priority from the plurality of candidates. The magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom may be controlled by outputting the selection result.

  In the first embodiment described above, in the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1, the control computer 12 displays the operation screen shown in FIG. 2 or 7 on the monitor 15, and the user moves on this display screen. Based on the position of the slider, which is the total magnification adjusting unit 22, an instruction for the total observation magnification is received from the user. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1, the control computer 12 acquires designation of a region of interest that the user desires to observe from the user, and sets the size of the region of interest. Based on this, the control computer 12 calculates and acquires the total observation magnification.

  First, FIG. 8A will be described. FIG. 8A shows a third example of the operation screen of the scanning confocal laser microscope shown in FIG. The screen in FIG. 8A shows a state in which the magnified observation object image 24 is displayed on the observation image display unit 21 in the second example of the operation screen shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 8A, a region-of-interest designation frame 25 is a frame for the user to designate a region of interest. The user clicks or drags the mouse device provided as the input unit 16, for example, to display the region-of-interest designation frame 25 in the observation image display unit 21 on which the magnified observation object image 24 is displayed. Draw.

  The operation for drawing the region-of-interest designation frame 25 is, for example, the upper left corner and the lower right vertex of the region-of-interest designation frame 25 with a pointer (not shown) that moves in the observation image display unit 21 according to the operation on the input unit 16. When the user designates, the control computer 12 forms the region-of-interest designation frame 25 having the same aspect ratio as that of the observation image display unit 21. The operation for drawing the region-of-interest designation frame 25 is not limited to this operation. Instead, for example, the user designates the upper left and upper right vertices in the region-of-interest designation frame 25. The control computer 12 may form a region-of-interest designation frame 25 having the same aspect ratio as that of the observation image display unit 21, and the user designates the upper left and lower left vertices in the region-of-interest designation frame 25. Thus, the control computer 12 may form the region-of-interest designation frame 25 having the same aspect ratio as that of the observation image display unit 21.

  When the designation of the region of interest is received from the user as described above, the control computer 12 first determines the region of interest on the sample stage 13 based on the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom when the region of interest is designated. The actual size of is calculated. Then, an enlargement magnification for enlarging the region of interest until it matches the size of the observation image display unit 21 is calculated based on the actual size of the region of interest and the size of the observation image display unit 21. The magnification of this calculation result is acquired as the total observation magnification instructed by the user.

  The subsequent control computer 12 is the same as that in the first embodiment. That is, a table showing a correspondence relationship between the overall observation magnification and the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom is prepared in the control computer 12 in advance, and the sample 8 is calculated based on the overall observation magnification calculated as described above. The control computer 12 determines a combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enabling observation of the image based on the contents of the table and outputs the result, and the Z revolver 6 and the two-dimensional scan The mechanism 3 is controlled. As a result, an operation screen like the fourth example of the operation screen shown in FIG. 8B in which the region of interest specified by the user is enlarged on the entire observation image display unit 21 is displayed on the monitor 15, and the sample 8 Can be further magnified.

  Instead of preparing the above-described table in the control computer 12, the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enlarging the actual size of the region of interest until the region of interest matches the size of the observation image display unit 21. You may make it prepare the table which showed the correspondence with the combination of these magnifications. In this case, the combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enlarging the region of interest until it matches the size of the observation image display unit 21 so that the sample 8 can be magnified is described above. The control computer 12 determines from the actual size of the region of interest calculated in this way based on the contents of the table, outputs the result, and controls the Z revolver 6 and the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3. As a result, an operation screen as shown in FIG. 8B is displayed on the monitor 15, and further magnified observation of the sample 8 becomes possible. In this case, it is not necessary to calculate the enlargement magnification when enlarging the region of interest until it matches the size of the observation image display unit 21.

  Here, FIG. 9 will be described. This figure is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the second example of the zooming device magnification setting processing performed by the control computer 12. The computer which is the control computer 12 can perform the magnification changing device magnification setting process when the MPU reads a predetermined control program from the storage device and executes it.

  The process of FIG. 9 is started when it is detected in S901 that the input unit 16 has acquired an instruction from the user who starts adjustment of the overall observation magnification, and the operation screen illustrated in FIG. Processing to display is performed.

  In S902, a region-of-interest specifying process, that is, a process of obtaining an instruction from the user for the input unit 16 and drawing the region-of-interest specifying frame 25 on the observation image display unit 21 on the operation screen of FIG. 8A is performed.

  In S903, search processing is performed on the table illustrated in FIG. 3 that shows the correspondence relationship between the overall observation magnification and the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom. Details of the combination table search process will be described later.

  In S904, the screen shown in FIG. 4A showing candidates for determining the combination of the magnification of the objective lens and the optical zoom extracted by the combination table search process of S903, or the screen shown in FIG. 4B with additional information added to the determination result. Is displayed on the monitor 15.

  In S905, a process of acquiring a selection result of a combination of the magnification of the objective lens and the magnification of the optical zoom, which is selected by the user by the operation on the screen displayed on the monitor 15 by the process of S904, is performed.

  In S906, the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3 and the Z revolver 6 are controlled, and the first scanning scanner 3a and the second scanning scanner 3b are obtained so as to obtain the optical zoom magnification in the combination related to the selection result obtained by the processing in S905. And the processing of inserting the objective lens 7 having the magnification according to the selection result into the optical path of the two-dimensional scanning is performed, and thereafter the processing of FIG. 9 is terminated.

The processing up to this point is the zooming device magnification setting processing.
In the process of S904 in the magnification changing apparatus magnification setting process shown in FIG. 9, the combination of magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom for enabling observation of the sample 8 at the designated overall observation magnification is determined. When there are a plurality of candidate candidates, the user selects one of them, and the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom are controlled based on the selection result. Instead, as described in the first embodiment, the user gives an instruction to give priority to either the objective lens 7 or the optical zoom to the control computer 12 in advance, and the combination of the magnifications. When there are a plurality of determination candidates, the control computer 12 automatically selects a combination of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom that has the highest magnification from the plurality of candidates. And the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom may be controlled by outputting the selection result.

  Next, FIG. 10 will be described. This figure is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the first example of the combination table search process performed by the control computer 12 as the process of S903 in the magnification changing apparatus magnification setting process shown in FIG.

  9, when the combination table search process is first started in S1001, in subsequent S1002, the region of interest designation frame 25 drawn on the observation image display unit 21 in S902 of FIG. 9 and the objective set at this time are displayed. Based on the magnification of the lens 7 and the optical zoom, a process of acquiring the actual length of the region of interest on the sample stage 13 in the X direction or the Y direction is performed.

  In S1003, the actual length (size) of the region of interest in the X direction or Y direction stored in advance in the storage region of the control computer 12 and the region of interest are set to the size of the observation image display unit 21. By referring to a table showing the correspondence relationship between the objective lens 7 for enlarging until they match and the combination of magnifications of the optical zoom, the length of the region of interest shown in each cell of the table and the processing of S1002 A process of comparing the acquired actual length in the X direction or Y direction of the region of interest is performed. In subsequent S1004, a process for determining whether or not the two values match is performed by this comparison process. If it is determined that the two values match (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S1005. On the other hand, when it is determined that the two do not match (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S1006.

  In S1005, the combination of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom magnification associated with the cell in which the value matching the length of the region of interest acquired by the processing of S1002 is stored is acquired from the table. Processing for temporarily storing in the storage area of the control computer 14 is performed.

  In S1006, a process for determining whether or not the comparison process in S1003 has been completed for all the cells in the table is performed. Here, when it is determined that the comparison process has been completed for all the cells (when the determination result is Yes), the process proceeds to S1007. On the other hand, when it is determined that cells that have not been subjected to the comparison process still remain (when the determination result is No), the process returns to S1003, and the process of S1003 is performed on the cells that have not been compared. .

  In S1007, a process of determining whether or not there is one or more combinations temporarily stored in the storage area of the control computer 14 by the process of S1005 is performed. Here, when it is determined that one or more combinations exist in the storage area (when the determination result is Yes), the table search process is terminated, and the magnification and optical power of the objective lens stored in the storage area are terminated. All the combinations with the zoom magnification are returned to the process of FIG. 9 as the extraction results by the table search process. On the other hand, when it is determined that this combination does not exist at all in the storage area (when the determination result is No), the process proceeds to S1008.

  In S1008, a value closest to the length of the region of interest acquired by the processing of S1002 is acquired from the values of the overall observation magnifications shown in each cell of the table, and the length of the region of interest is A process of changing to the acquired value is performed, and then the process returns to S1003, and the comparison process of S1003 is performed using the value after the change.

The process so far is the combination table search process.
As described above, in this embodiment, in the scanning confocal laser microscope of FIG. 1, the actual size of the region of interest and the objective for enlarging the region of interest until it matches the size of the observation image display unit 21. A table showing the correspondence relationship between the lens 7 and the combination of magnifications of the optical zoom is prepared in the control computer 12 in advance, and the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom are calculated from the actual size of the region of interest designated by the user. The control computer 12 determines the combination of the magnifications based on the contents of the table, outputs the result, and controls the Z revolver 6 and the two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in order to obtain the total observation magnification instructed by the user with the scanning confocal laser microscope, the user can use the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the magnification of the optical zoom (that is, the first scanning scanner). 3a and the swing angle of the second scanning scanner 3b) do not need to be adjusted independently, and the scanning confocal laser microscope can be put into an observation start state simply by instructing a desired overall observation magnification. As a result, the operational burden on the user is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the control computer 12 determines the combination of the magnification of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom based on the contents of the table based on the actual size of the region of interest designated by the user. Instead, as in the second embodiment, the combination of the magnifications of the objective lens 7 and the optical zoom can be determined by calculating from the actual size of the region of interest designated by the user. It is.

  As described above, several examples have been described as embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention is implemented by the scanning confocal laser microscope having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention can also be controlled from, for example, a control computer. It is also possible to implement in a conventional optical microscope comprising a plurality of objective lenses, an imaging lens, and a photodetector such as a CCD having a digital zoom function.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the scanning confocal laser microscope which implements this invention. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the operation screen of a scanning confocal laser microscope. It is a figure which shows the example of the table which showed the correspondence of the total observation magnification | multiplying_factor and the combination of the magnification of an objective lens and an optical zoom. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the display screen of the combination of the magnification of each magnification changing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the display screen of the combination of the magnification of each magnification changing apparatus. It is the figure which showed the processing content of the 1st example of the magnification changing apparatus magnification setting process with the flowchart. It is the figure which showed the processing content of the 1st example of the combination table search process with the flowchart. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the operation screen of a scanning confocal laser microscope. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of the operation screen of a scanning confocal laser microscope. It is a figure which shows the 4th example of the operation screen of a scanning confocal laser microscope. It is the figure which showed the processing content of the 2nd example of the magnification changing apparatus magnification setting process with the flowchart. It is the figure which showed the processing content of the 2nd example of the combination table search process with the flowchart.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source 2 Beam splitter 3 Two-dimensional scanning mechanism 3a 1st scanning scanner 3b 2nd scanning scanner 6 Z revolver 7 Objective lens 8 Sample 9 Imaging lens 10 Pinhole 11 Photodetector 12 Control computer 13 Sample stand 14 Electric stage 15 Monitor 16 Input unit 21 Observation image display unit 22 Total magnification adjustment unit 23 Scaling adjustment priority selection unit 24 Magnified observation object image 25 Region of interest designation frame

Claims (9)

Multiple magnification changing devices that change the observation magnification of the specimen, and the overall observation magnification, which is the observation magnification of the whole apparatus when observing the specimen, is determined by the product of the magnifications of the magnification changing devices. A control device for controlling the observation device,
Comprehensive observation magnification acquisition means for acquiring an instruction of the total observation magnification;
Priority scaling device selection instruction acquisition means for acquiring an instruction to select a preferred one of the plurality of scaling devices;
Information of the overall observation magnification acquired by the overall observation magnification acquisition means, a combination of magnifications of each of the zooming devices for performing observation of the specimen with the magnification observation device at the overall observation magnification according to the instruction, A scaling factor determining unit that determines and outputs information based on the information of the scaling unit that is prioritized acquired by the priority scaling device selection instruction acquiring unit,
A control device comprising: The scaling factor determining means selects the one with the maximum scaling factor of the scaling device acquired by the priority scaling device selection instruction acquiring means from among the combinations of magnifications of the scaling devices related to the determination. And output as a result of the decision,
The control device according to claim 1. Further it has a table which relationship is shown with magnification combination of the scaling device each for performing observation of the specimen by the magnifying observation apparatus and the total observation magnification the total observation magnification,
The scaling magnification determining means is based on the information on the overall observation magnification acquired by the integrated observation magnification acquisition means and the information on the priority scaling apparatus acquired by the priority scaling device selection instruction acquisition means. Referring to the contents of the table , determine the magnification of each of the zooming devices ,
The control device according to claim 1. The scaling magnification determining means is based on the information on the overall observation magnification acquired by the integrated observation magnification acquisition means and the information on the priority scaling apparatus acquired by the priority scaling device selection instruction acquisition means. control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculated out determines the magnification of the variable magnification device each for performing sample to be observed in total observation magnification according to the instruction.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of zooming devices are an objective lens and an optical zoom. The priority scaling device selection instruction acquisition means includes
An objective lens priority selection instruction acquisition unit for acquiring an instruction to preferentially select the objective lens;
An optical zoom lens priority selection instruction acquisition unit for acquiring an instruction to preferentially select the optical zoom lens;
The control device according to claim 5, further comprising:   Comprehensive observation magnification acquisition means acquires a designation of a region of interest to be observed by the magnification observation device, and calculates and acquires the comprehensive observation magnification based on the size of the region of interest. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
The magnification observation device;
Have
The magnifying observation apparatus further includes a magnifying device magnification switching unit that switches the magnification of the magnifying device in accordance with a combination of magnifications output from the magnifying power determination unit included in the control device.
Magnification observation system characterized by that. Multiple magnification changing devices that change the observation magnification of the specimen, and the overall observation magnification, which is the observation magnification of the whole apparatus when observing the specimen, is determined by the product of the magnifications of the magnification changing devices. A control method performed by a control device for controlling an observation device,
The comprehensive observation magnification acquisition means of the control device acquires an instruction of the comprehensive observation magnification,
The priority scaling device selection instruction acquisition means of the control device acquires an instruction to select a preferred one among the plurality of scaling devices,
The variable magnification determination means of the control device obtains a combination of the magnifications of the variable magnification devices for performing observation of the specimen with the magnification observation device at the general observation magnification according to the instruction. Determined and output based on the information of the overall observation magnification acquired by the means and the information of the zooming device to be prioritized acquired by the priority zooming device selection instruction acquiring unit,
A control method for a magnification observation apparatus.