JP6746463B2 - Console and magnifying observation apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a console for a magnifying observation device and a magnifying observation device including the console.

A magnifying observation device may be used for magnifying and observing an observation object (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the magnifying observation apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the observation target object is placed on the mounting unit, and the observation target object is imaged by the camera unit. The image obtained by imaging is displayed on the display unit. The mounting portion is held by a stage fixing mechanism so as to be movable in a horizontal plane and vertically movable. The camera unit is configured to be movable up and down in order to adjust the focus. An operation unit is provided for operating the magnifying observation apparatus.

JP, 2005-1277771, A

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not describe the detailed configuration of the operation unit. The operation unit for operating the magnifying observation apparatus is required to be compact and have good operability. In particular, since the operation unit is configured as a separate body from the imaging system including the placing unit and the camera unit, it is desired to operate the magnifying observation apparatus by a user's intuitive operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a console capable of operating the magnifying observation device by a user's intuitive operation and having improved operability and compactness, and a magnifying observation device including the console.

(1) The console according to the first aspect of the present invention is a magnified observation that includes a stage having a mounting surface on which an observation target object is mounted, and an imaging unit that images the observation target object mounted on the mounting surface. A console mountable on a support surface for operating the device, the main body having a first part and a second part, and imaging of an observation object by the imaging part provided in the first part. Key input unit including one or a plurality of keys for instructing a process relating to, a movement operation unit provided in the first portion for moving the stage in a plane parallel to the mounting surface, and a second portion And a dial portion for adjusting a relative vertical distance of the image pickup portion to the stage, the second portion is provided at a side portion of the first portion, and the dial portion is provided at a side portion of the second portion. Is provided on a side portion of the second portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis that faces toward, and the thickness of the first portion from the support surface is smaller than the thickness of the second portion from the support surface.

In the console, since the thickness of the first portion from the supporting surface is smaller than the thickness of the second portion from the supporting surface, the console is upsized as compared to the case where the first portion and the second portion have a common thickness. Is suppressed. Further, the key input unit and the movement operation unit provided in the first portion are not located above the upper end of the second portion. Therefore, the user can operate the key input unit and the movement operation unit with the forearm and wrist placed on the support surface. Therefore, the operability when performing the operation of instructing the process related to the imaging of the observation target and the operation of moving the stage in the plane parallel to the mounting surface is improved, and the fatigue of the user is reduced.

Further, the user grasps the dial portion on the side of the second portion with a finger and moves the finger up and down to rotate the dial portion, thereby adjusting the relative vertical distance of the imaging unit with respect to the stage. be able to. In this case, since the vertical movement of the finger and the relative vertical movement of the imaging unit are linked, the user can intuitively operate the relative vertical movement of the imaging unit.

As a result, it becomes possible to operate the magnifying observation apparatus by a user's intuitive operation, and operability and compactness are improved.

(2) The first portion may have a substantially flat shape.

In this case, the console is stable on the support surface. Further, the user can place various fingers on the first portion to perform various operations.

(3) The first portion has an operation surface on which the key input portion and the movement operation portion are arranged, and even if the height of the upper end of the dial portion from the support surface is larger than the height of the operation surface from the support surface. Good.

In this case, since the lower end of the dial portion is separated from the support surface, it is possible to reduce the contact of the user's finger with the support surface when operating the dial portion. Therefore, the operability of the dial portion is improved.

(4) The second portion may be formed so as to bulge upward from the operation surface of the first portion.

In this case, since the second portion is located between the operation surface and the dial portion, it is possible to prevent the user's finger from touching the dial portion when operating the key input portion and the movement operation portion arranged on the operation surface. It Further, it is possible to prevent the finger of the user from touching either the key input unit or the movement operation unit arranged on the operation surface when the dial unit is operated. This reduces the occurrence of erroneous operations.

(5) The first portion may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the rotation axis of the dial portion may be parallel to the long side of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

In this case, the key input unit, the movement operation unit, and the dial unit are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first portion. As a result, the user can easily understand the positional relationship between the key input unit, the movement operation unit, and the dial unit.

(6) The dial portion includes a first dial member having a first diameter and a second dial member having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, and the first and second dial members. May be rotatable about an axis of rotation.

In this case, the user can easily and intuitively identify the first and second dial portions. Therefore, the selective operation of the first and second dial portions becomes easy.

(7) The first dial member and the second dial member may be provided in this order from the side of the second portion to the side.

In this case, since the second diameter of the second dial member is smaller than the first diameter of the first dial member, the user's finger contacts the second dial member when operating the first dial member. Is reduced. Therefore, the occurrence of erroneous operation is reduced.

(8) A magnifying observation apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a magnifying observation apparatus that displays an image obtained by capturing an image of an observation target, and includes a stage having a mounting surface on which the observation target is mounted. , An image pickup unit for picking up an observation object placed on the placing surface, a moving unit for moving the stage in a plane parallel to the placing surface, and a relative vertical distance of the image pickup unit with respect to the stage. The relative distance changing unit to change, the console, and the processing related to the imaging by the imaging unit in response to the operation of the key input unit of the console, and the moving unit and the relative unit based on the operation of the moving operation unit and the dial unit. And a control unit that controls the distance changing unit.

The magnifying observation device includes the console described above. This allows an intuitive operation by the console when adjusting the relative vertical distance of the imaging unit with respect to the stage. In addition, the operability and compactness of the magnifying observation apparatus are improved.

(9) The magnifying observation device is provided on the side of the base that supports the stage, the moving unit, the relative distance changing unit, and the imaging unit, and adjusts the relative vertical distance of the imaging unit with respect to the stage. The base dial portion may be provided on the side portion of the base so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis that faces the side of the base.

In this case, the user grasps the base dial section on the side of the base with his/her finger and moves the finger up and down to rotate the base dial section, which is intuitive and intuitive as with the operation of the dial section of the console. In addition, the relative vertical movement of the image pickup unit can be operated.

According to the present invention, the magnifying observation apparatus can be operated by the user's intuitive operation, and the operability and compactness are improved.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the magnifying observation apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the measuring head of the magnifying observation apparatus of FIG. 3 is a plan view of the measuring head of FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the measuring head of FIG. 2. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus of FIG. It is a top view of the console concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the side view which looked at the console of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrow A. It is the side view which looked at the console of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrow B. It is the side view which looked at the console of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrow C. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a dial portion. It is an exploded perspective view of a dial part. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an arithmetic processing unit in FIG. 5. FIG. (A) is an external perspective view of a measuring head, (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which a lens-barrel part inclines.

Hereinafter, a console according to an embodiment of the present invention and a magnifying observation apparatus including the console will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a magnifying observation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the measuring head 100 of the magnifying observation apparatus 1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the measuring head 100 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the measuring head 100 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the magnifying observation apparatus 1 includes a measurement head 100 and a processing device 200.

(1) Measuring Head The measuring head 100 is, for example, a microscope, and includes a stand unit 110, a stage device 120, a lens barrel unit 130, a light projecting unit 140, and a control board 150. 2 to 4, the lens barrel section 130 and the light projecting section 140 are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stand unit 110 has an L-shaped vertical cross section, and includes an installation unit 111, a holding unit 112, and a focus driving unit 113. The installation portion 111 and the holding portion 112 are made of resin, for example. The installation unit 111 has a horizontal flat plate shape and is installed on the support surface SS. The holding part 112 is provided so as to extend upward from one end of the installation part 111.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stage device 120 includes a stage 121 and a stage drive unit 122. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the stage 121 is provided on the upper surface of the installation unit 111. The observation object S is placed on the stage 121. Two directions orthogonal to each other in a plane on the stage 121 on which the observation object S is placed (hereinafter, referred to as a placement surface) are defined as an X direction and a Y direction, which are indicated by arrows X and Y, respectively. In the present embodiment, the X direction and the Y direction are parallel to the support surface SS of the magnifying observation device 1. The direction of a normal line orthogonal to the mounting surface of the stage 121 is defined as the Z direction and is indicated by an arrow Z. In the present embodiment, the Z direction is perpendicular to the support surface SS of the magnifying observation device 1. The direction of rotation about an axis parallel to the Z direction is defined as the θ direction and is indicated by an arrow θ.

The stage drive unit 122 in FIG. 1 includes an actuator (not shown) such as a stepping motor. The stage drive unit 122 moves the stage 121 in the X direction, the Y direction, or the Z direction, or rotates it in the θ direction, based on the drive pulse given from the control board 150. The user can also manually move the stage 121 in the X direction, Y direction, or Z direction, or rotate it in the θ direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lens barrel section 130 includes a lens unit 131 and an imaging section 132, and is arranged above the stage 121. The lens unit 131 can be replaced with another lens unit depending on the type of the observation object S. The lens unit 131 includes an objective lens 131a and a plurality of lenses (not shown). The optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a is parallel to the Z direction. The image pickup unit 132 includes, for example, a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) camera. The imaging unit 132 may include another camera such as a CCD (charge coupled device) camera.

The lens barrel section 130 is attached to the holding section 112 by the focus driving section 113 of the stand section 110. The focus drive unit 113 of this example includes a stepping motor. The focus drive unit 113 moves the lens barrel unit 130 in the direction of the optical axis A1 (Z direction) of the objective lens 131a based on the drive pulse given from the control substrate 150. As a result, the focal position of the light passing through the lens unit 131 changes in the Z direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holding part 112 has a base dial part 115 for moving the lens barrel part 130 to a position above the stage 121 along the direction of the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a. Is provided. Further, a rotation receiving unit 116 is provided near the base dial unit 115.

The base dial unit 115 includes a coarse adjustment dial 115A for moving the image pickup unit 132 with a large movement amount and a fine adjustment dial 115B for moving the image pickup unit 132 with a small movement amount. Further, the base dial unit 115 includes two encoders (not shown) corresponding to the coarse adjustment dial 115A and the fine adjustment dial 115B, respectively.

The coarse adjustment dial 115A and the fine adjustment dial 115B have a flat columnar shape, and are provided on the side portions of the holding portion 112 rotatably around a rotation axis A10 that faces the side of the holding portion 112. In the present embodiment, the rotation axis A10 is parallel to the X direction. The coarse adjustment dial 115A and the fine adjustment dial 115B are arranged in this order so as to be separated from the side portion of the holding portion 112 to the side. The diameter of the coarse adjustment dial 115A is larger than the diameter of the fine adjustment dial 115B.

The rotation acceptance unit 116 is configured by an integrated circuit such as CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). The rotation reception unit 116 outputs a signal indicating the rotation direction and rotation amount of each dial to the control unit 410 of FIG. 5, which will be described later, through the control board 150, based on the outputs from the two encoders provided in the base dial unit 115. .. As a result, the focus drive unit 113 is controlled by the focus control unit 830 in FIG. 5 described later, and the lens barrel unit 130 moves in the direction of the optical axis A1.

For example, the user holds the coarse adjustment dial 115A with a finger and moves the finger up and down to rotate the coarse adjustment dial 115A in one direction (or in the opposite direction) by a certain amount. In this case, the lens barrel section 130 moves largely in the direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the rough adjustment dial 115A. Further, the user holds the fine adjustment dial 115B with a finger and moves the finger up and down to rotate the fine adjustment dial 115B in one direction (or in the opposite direction) by a certain amount. In this case, the lens barrel unit 130 moves a small amount in the direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the fine adjustment dial 115B.

The light projecting section 140 is integrally attached to the lens unit 131 so as to surround the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a. Thereby, the positional relationship between the light projecting section 140 and the lens unit 131 can be uniquely determined. Further, since it is not necessary to add a member for holding the light projecting section 140 to the magnifying observation device 1, the magnifying observation device 1 can be made compact.

Light is emitted from the light projecting unit 140 to the observation object S on the stage 121. The light reflected above the stage 121 by the observation target S is condensed and imaged by the lens unit 131, and then received by the imaging unit 132. The imaging unit 132 generates image data based on pixel data corresponding to the amount of light received by each pixel. The imaging unit 132 gives the generated plurality of image data to the processing device 200.

The control board 150 is provided in, for example, the holding unit 112 of the stand unit 110, and is connected to the focus drive unit 113, the stage drive unit 122, the imaging unit 132, and the rotation reception unit 116. The control board 150 controls the operations of the focus driving unit 113 and the stage driving unit 122 based on the control of the processing device 200. A control signal is input from the processing device 200 to the imaging unit 132. Further, the image data generated by the image pickup unit 132 is sequentially given to the processing device 200 via the cable 203.

(2) Processing Device As shown in FIG. 1, the processing device 200 includes a housing 210, a light generation unit 300, and a control device 400. The housing 210 accommodates the light generation unit 300 and a part of the control device 400 excluding a console 500 (FIG. 5) described later. The light generating section 300 is optically connected to the light projecting section 140 of the measuring head 100 by the fiber unit 201. The fiber unit 201 includes a plurality of optical fibers (not shown).

The light generator 300 includes a light source 310 and a light shield 320. The light source 310 is, for example, an LED (light emitting diode). The light source 310 may be another light source such as a halogen lamp. The light blocking section 320 is arranged between the light source 310 and the fiber unit 201 so as to partially block the light emitted by the light source 310. The light emitted by the light source 310 passes through the light blocking portion 320 and enters the fiber unit 201. As a result, light is emitted from the light projecting section 140 of the measuring head 100 through the fiber unit 201.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 400 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 400 includes a control unit 410, a storage unit 420, a display unit 430, and an operation unit 440. The control unit 410 includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit). The storage unit 420 includes, for example, a ROM (read only memory), a RAM (random access memory) or an HDD (hard disk drive). In the present embodiment, control unit 410 and storage unit 420 are realized by a personal computer.

The control unit 410 includes a drive control unit 800 and a calculation processing unit 900. The storage unit 420 stores a system program. The storage unit 420 is also used for processing various data and storing various data provided from the control unit 410. The functions of the drive control unit 800 and the arithmetic processing unit 900 are realized by the control unit 410 executing a system program stored in the storage unit 420.

The drive control unit 800 includes a light projection control unit 810, an image pickup control unit 820, a focus control unit 830, and a stage control unit 840. The light projection control unit 810 is connected to the light generation unit 300 of FIG. 1 through the cable 202 and controls the operation of the light generation unit 300. The imaging control unit 820, the focus control unit 830, and the stage control unit 840 are connected to the control board 150 of the measurement head 100 of FIG.

The imaging control unit 820, the focus control unit 830, and the stage control unit 840 respectively control the operations of the imaging unit 132, the focus drive unit 113, and the stage drive unit 122 through the control board 150. The imaging control unit 820 also sequentially supplies the image data generated by the imaging unit 132 to the arithmetic processing unit 900.

The arithmetic processing unit 900 causes the display unit 430 to display an image based on the image data provided by the imaging control unit 820. Further, the arithmetic processing unit 900 responds to a command or the like given from the operation unit 440, for example, and performs various processes according to the command. Details of the arithmetic processing unit 900 will be described later. The image data acquired by the arithmetic processing unit 900 is stored in the storage unit 420.

The display unit 430 includes, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel. The display unit 430 may be configured by another display unit such as an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel. As described above, the display unit 430 displays the image of the observation target S based on the image data acquired by imaging under the control of the control unit 410.

Operation unit 440 includes a mouse, a touch panel, a pointing device such as a trackball or a joystick, and a keyboard, and also includes a console according to an embodiment of the present invention. Various commands and the like are given to the control device 400 by the user operating the operation unit 440.

(3) Console FIG. 6 is a plan view of the console 500 according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a side view of the console 500 of FIG. 6 viewed in the direction of arrow A, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the console 500 of FIG. 6 viewed in the direction of arrow B, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the console 500 of FIG. 6 viewed in the direction of arrow C.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the console 500 has a first portion 510 and a second portion 550, and is placed on the support surface SS of FIG. The first portion 510 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape. The second portion 550 is provided on the side portion of the first portion 510 so as to be aligned in the direction of the long side of the first portion 510 (longitudinal direction).

The console 500 according to the present embodiment is operated by the user, for example, in a state where the longitudinal direction of the first portion 510 is arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction of the user. In the following description, one of the both ends in the lateral direction of the first portion 510, which is closer to the user when the user operates the console 500, is referred to as a front part 510N, and is located far from the user. The other end is referred to as a back portion 510F. Further, the direction from the back portion 510F to the front portion 510N is called front, and the direction from the front portion 510N to the back portion 510F is called back.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, the cable 204 is connected to the central portion of the inner portion 510F in the longitudinal direction of the first portion 510. The cable 204 is connected to the control unit 410 in FIG.

As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first portion 510 has an operation surface 511 on a part of the upper surface. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the operation surface 511 is slightly inclined with respect to the support surface SS in the lateral direction of the first portion 510 so as to face obliquely upward and upward. As a result, the thickness of the inner portion 510F of the first portion 510 from the support surface SS is larger than the thickness of the front portion 510N of the first portion 510 from the support surface SS.

As shown in FIG. 6, on the operation surface 511, a plurality (11 in this example) of keys 520 having a circular shape, a plurality (8 in this example) of keys 530 having a rectangular shape, a joystick 540, and A dial 541 is arranged. The user can give various commands to the control device 400 by operating the plurality of keys 520, 530, the joystick 540 and the dial 541.

The operation surface 511 is divided into three areas 511A, 511B, 511C. The regions 511A, 511B, and 511C are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first portion 510 so as to be separated from the second portion 550 in this order.

A joystick 540, a dial 541 and a plurality of (six in this example) keys 520 are provided in the area 511A. The joystick 540, the dial 541 and the plurality of keys 520 in the area 511A are mainly used to give a command for adjusting the imaging condition of the observation object S to the control unit 410 in FIG.

Specifically, the joystick 540 is used to give a command to move the stage 121 in FIG. 1 in the X direction or the Y direction to the control unit 410 in FIG. The dial 541 is rotatably provided around a rotation axis orthogonal to the operation surface 511, and is used to give a command for adjusting the brightness of the image of the observation object S to the control unit 410 in FIG. 5. The joystick 540 is located near the back part 510F. Further, the dial 541 is located in front of the joystick 540 and in the vicinity of the front portion 510N. This prevents the user's finger from touching the joystick 540 when adjusting the brightness of the image of the observation object S, and prevents an erroneous operation.

The plurality of keys 520 provided in the area 511A are, for example, a command key for switching on and off of illumination by the light projecting unit 140 in FIG. 1, light in a plurality of emitting directions from the light projecting unit 140 to the observation target S in FIG. 1 includes an illumination switching command key for switching and irradiating, a white balance adjustment command key, and an origin movement command key for returning the stage 121 of FIG. 1 to a predetermined position.

A plurality (four in this example) of keys 520 and a plurality (six in this example) of keys 530 are provided in the area 511B. The plurality of keys 520 and 530 in the area 511B are mainly used to give the control unit 410 of FIG. 5 an execution command of a process relating to imaging of the observation object S.

The plurality of keys 520 provided in the area 511B include, for example, an image stabilization command execution command key that suppresses image distortion due to vibration, a process execution command key that displays a scale on the display unit 430 of FIG. It includes an execution command key for a process of displaying an image of the observation object S on the entire screen of the display unit 430.

The plurality of keys 530 provided in the area 511B are, for example, an execution command key for an autofocus process, an execution command key for removing halation generated in the image of the observation object S, and a process for improving the resolution of the image. The execution command key, the execution command key for the process of connecting a plurality of images, the execution command key for the process of adjusting the dynamic range, and the image data focused on all parts of the observation object S are generated and It includes an execution command key for a process of acquiring a three-dimensional shape.

On an operation surface of a general remote controller or the like, a key which is assumed to be frequently used is provided near the upper end and the left end corner of the operation surface when a user looks at the operation surface. Therefore, among the regions 511A, 511B, and 511C, the region 511C located on the leftmost side from the user is provided with an execution command of a process that is assumed to be frequently used in the process related to the imaging of the observation object S. 5 is provided for giving to the control unit 410.

In the area 511C of this example, one key 520 and a plurality of (two in this example) keys 530 are provided. A key 520 provided in the area 511C is, for example, an execution command key for a process of returning the magnification observation apparatus 1 to the initial state when the power is turned on. The key 520 is located at the innermost position of the area 511C. The plurality of keys 530 provided in the area 511C are, for example, an imaging command key for instructing a process of sequentially storing the acquired image data in the storage unit 420 of FIG. 1, and a temporary stop of the image data storage process. Includes a pause command key for commanding.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second portion 550 is formed on the side of the first portion 510 so as to bulge upward from the operation surface 511 of the first portion 510. Also, the first portion 510 and the second portion 550 have a common bottom surface. Thereby, the thickness of the first portion 510 from the support surface SS is smaller than the thickness of the second portion 550 from the support surface SS. The second portion 550 is provided with a dial portion 560 for moving the lens barrel portion 130 of FIG. 1 along the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a. Further, a rotation receiving unit 590 is provided near the dial unit 560.

The dial unit 560 includes a coarse adjustment dial 560A and a fine adjustment dial 560B, similar to the base dial unit 115 of FIG. The dial unit 560 also includes two encoders E1 and E2 (FIG. 10), which will be described later, respectively corresponding to the coarse adjustment dial 560A and the fine adjustment dial 560B.

Coarse adjustment dial 560A and fine adjustment dial 560B have basically the same shape and size as coarse adjustment dial 115A and fine adjustment dial 115B in FIG. Specifically, the coarse adjustment dial 560A and the fine adjustment dial 560B have a flat columnar shape and are rotatably attached to the side portion of the second portion 550 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis A20 that faces the second portion 550. It is provided. In the present embodiment, rotation axis A20 is parallel to support surface SS and is parallel to the longitudinal direction of first portion 510.

As shown in FIG. 8, the diameter of the coarse adjustment dial 115A is larger than the diameter of the fine adjustment dial 115B. This allows the user to easily and intuitively distinguish between the coarse adjustment dial 115A and the fine adjustment dial 115B. Therefore, it becomes easy to selectively operate the coarse adjustment dial 115A and the fine adjustment dial 115B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the coarse adjustment dial 560A and the fine adjustment dial 560B are arranged in this order so as to be separated laterally from the side portion of the second portion 550. In this case, since the diameter of the fine adjustment dial 115B is smaller than the diameter of the coarse adjustment dial 115A, it is possible to reduce the contact of the user's finger with the fine adjustment dial 115B when operating the coarse adjustment dial 115A. Therefore, the occurrence of erroneous operation is reduced.

The rotation reception unit 590 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer, and is housed inside the second portion 550. The rotation acceptance unit 590 outputs a signal indicating the rotation direction and rotation amount of each dial to the control unit 410 of FIG. 5, based on the outputs from the two encoders E1 and E2 (FIG. 10) provided in the dial unit 560. .. As a result, the focus drive unit 113 in FIG. 1 is controlled by the focus control unit 830 in FIG. 5, and the lens barrel unit 130 in FIG. 1 moves in the direction of the optical axis A1.

For example, the user grips the coarse adjustment dial 560A with a finger instead of the coarse adjustment dial 115A in FIG. 1, and moves the finger up and down to rotate the coarse adjustment dial 560A by a certain amount in one direction (or in the opposite direction). In this case, the lens barrel unit 130 moves largely in the direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the rough adjustment dial 560A. Further, the user grips the fine adjustment dial 560B with the finger instead of the fine adjustment dial 115B of FIG. 1, and moves the finger up and down to rotate the fine adjustment dial 560B in one direction (or the opposite direction) by a certain amount. In this case, the lens barrel unit 130 moves a small amount in the direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the fine adjustment dial 560B.

(4) Various Features Regarding Shape of Console The first portion 510 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape. Thereby, the console 500 is stably placed on the support surface SS. Also, the user can perform various operations by placing his/her finger on the first portion 510.

The height of the upper end of the dial portion 560 from the support surface SS is larger than the height of the operation surface 511 from the support surface SS. In this case, since the lower end of the dial portion 560 is separated from the support surface SS, the finger of the user is less likely to come into contact with the support surface SS when operating the dial portion 560. Therefore, the operability of the dial portion 560 is improved.

A second portion 550 that bulges upward from the operation surface 511 is located between the plurality of keys 520 and 530, the joystick 540 and the dial 541 on the operation surface 511 and the dial portion 560. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the user's finger from touching the dial portion 560 when operating the plurality of keys 520, 530, the joystick 540 and the dial 541. Further, it is possible to prevent the user's finger from touching any of the plurality of keys 520, 530, the joystick 540, and the dial 541 during the operation of the dial unit 560. Therefore, the occurrence of erroneous operation is reduced.

The first portion 510 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the rotation axis A20 of the dial portion 560 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first portion 510. In this case, the plurality of keys 520 and 530, the joystick 540, the dial 541, and the dial portion 560 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first portion 510. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the positional relationship between the plurality of keys 520, 530, the joystick 540, the dial 541 and the dial portion 560.

The outer shape of the cross section of the dial portion 560 parallel to the rotation axis A20 is larger than the outer shape of the cross section of the joystick 540 parallel to the operation surface 511. As a result, the dial portion 560 does not become excessively small, so that the user can easily rotate the dial portion 560 while holding the dial portion 560 with a finger. Further, since the joystick 540 does not become excessively large, the user can easily tilt the joystick 540 while holding the joystick 540 with his/her finger.

The height of the upper end of the dial portion 560 from the support surface SS is substantially equal to the height of the upper end of the joystick 540 from the support surface SS. Thereby, the user can operate the dial portion 560 and the joystick 540 at a substantially common height position from the support surface SS.

In the above console 500, a portion provided with a configuration (joystick 540, dial 541 and dial portion 560) that is gripped and operated with a finger and a configuration (a plurality of keys 520 and 530) that is pressed with a finger to be operated are provided. The part to be cut is separated in the longitudinal direction of the first part 510. Thereby, when any one of the plurality of keys 520 and 530 is operated, the user's finger is less likely to come into contact with any of the joystick 540, the dial 541 and the dial portion 560, and erroneous operation is reduced.

The outer surfaces of the joystick 540, the dial 541 and the dial portion 560 may have a black color, and the outer surfaces of the plurality of keys 520 and 530 may have a silver color. In this case, the user can easily discriminate between the configuration in which the user holds and operates the finger and the configuration in which the user presses and operates with the finger.

Further, in FIG. 6, a portion surrounded by a thick solid line, that is, a portion of the operation surface 511 that surrounds the plurality of keys 520 and 530 has a black outer surface and a plurality of keys 520 and 530 has a silver outer surface. Good. In this case, the appearance of the plurality of keys 520 and 530 is emphasized.

(5) Internal Structure of Dial Part FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the dial part 560, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the dial part 560. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the dial portion 560 includes a first base member 561, a substrate 562, a fine adjustment dial shaft 563, a bearing member 564, a second base member 565, a coarse adjustment dial 560A, and a sliding member. 567, 569, a first fixing member 568, a second fixing member 570, a fine adjustment dial 560B, encoders E1, E2 and a plurality of screws SW. The encoder E1 is an optical encoder and includes an optical scale 566A and a reading sensor 566B. The encoder E2 is a magnetic encoder and includes a magnetic scale 571A and a reading sensor 571B.

In FIG. 11, some components of the dial portion 560 are not shown, and only some of the screws SW used in the dial portion 560 are shown. Further, in FIG. 11, in addition to the configuration of the dial portion 560, a dial support member 551 that supports the dial portion 560 is shown. The dial support member 551 is provided inside the second portion 550 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the dial support member 551 has a disc-shaped support portion 551A, and extends inside the second portion 550 in a direction perpendicular to the support surface SS of FIG. It is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the rotation axis A20 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first base member 561 has a cylindrical portion 561A and a flange portion 561B. The first base member 561 is attached to the dial support member 551 so that the flange portion 561B contacts the support portion 551A of the dial support member 551 of FIG. The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 561A is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of a coarse adjustment dial 560A described later.

A substrate holding portion 561C for holding the substrate 562 is formed inside the cylindrical portion 561A. The substrate 562 is attached to the substrate holding portion 561C using a plurality of (eg, three) screws SW. The substrate 562 has a disc shape. As shown in FIG. 10, in the substrate 562, the reading sensor 566B of the encoder E1 is provided in a part of the outer peripheral edge portion, and the reading sensor 571B of the encoder E2 is provided in the central portion. In this state, the substrate 562 is perpendicular to the support surface SS of FIG. 6 and orthogonal to the rotation axis A20 of the dial portion 560.

Of the one surface and the other surface of the substrate 562, the second base member 565 has a plurality (for example, three) of screws SW on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first base member 561 facing the substrate holding portion 561C. Mounted using.

The rough adjustment dial 560A has a cylindrical shape and has an annular partition plate 560S on a part of its inner peripheral surface. The circular opening formed in the center of the partition plate 560S is formed so that the second base member 565 can be inserted therein. An annular optical scale 566A is adhered to one surface side of the partition plate 560S. In this state, a part of the optical scale 566A and the reading sensor 566B face each other, and one end of the coarse adjustment dial 560A and its vicinity cover the cylindrical portion 561A of the first base member 561. The member 565 is inserted inside the rough adjustment dial 560A.

A first fixing member 568 is provided on the other surface side of the partition plate 560S with an annular sliding member 567 interposed therebetween. The first fixing member 568 is attached to the second base member 565 using a plurality of screws SW. The first fixing member 568 prevents the coarse adjustment dial 560A from slipping out of the second base member 565.

With such a configuration, when the coarse adjustment dial 560A is rotationally operated, the optical scale 566A adhered to the coarse adjustment dial 560A is moved to the reading sensor 566B on the substrate 562 fixed to the first base member 561. Rotate relatively.

The reading sensor 566B is electrically connected to the rotation receiving unit 590 shown in FIG. As a result, a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the coarse adjustment dial 560A is output from the encoder E1 to the rotation reception unit 590 of FIG. In this case, the rotation acceptance unit 590 of FIG. 6 outputs a signal indicating the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the coarse adjustment dial 560A to the control unit 410 of FIG. 5, based on the output from the encoder E1.

The second base member 565 has a through hole 565H (FIG. 10) extending along the rotation axis A20 of the dial portion 560. The fine adjustment dial shaft 563 has a head portion 563A and a shaft portion 563B. The shaft portion 563B of the fine adjustment dial shaft 563 is inserted into the through hole 565H of the second base member 565 from the substrate 562 side through a cylindrical bearing member 564 having a flange at one end. A magnetic scale 571A is attached to the head portion 563A of the fine adjustment dial shaft 563 so as to face the reading sensor 571B provided on the substrate 562.

A second fixing member 570 is attached via a sliding member 569 to a portion of the fine adjustment dial shaft 563, which is a shaft portion 563B protruding from the through hole 565H of the second base member 565 to the opposite side of the substrate 562. ing. The second fixing member 570 prevents the fine adjustment dial shaft 563 from coming out of the through hole 565H of the second base member 565. A fine adjustment dial 560B is attached to the tip of the shaft portion 563B.

With such a configuration, when the fine adjustment dial 560B is rotationally operated, the magnetic scale 571A attached to the fine adjustment dial shaft 563 is moved to the reading sensor 571B on the substrate 562 fixed to the first base member 561. Rotate relatively.

The reading sensor 571B is electrically connected to the rotation acceptance unit 590 of FIG. As a result, a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation direction and rotation amount of the fine adjustment dial 560B is output from the encoder E2 to the rotation reception unit 590 of FIG. In this case, the rotation reception unit 590 of FIG. 6 outputs a signal indicating the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the fine adjustment dial 560B to the control unit 410 of FIG. 5, based on the output from the encoder E2.

(6) Arithmetic Processing Unit FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the arithmetic processing unit 900 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the arithmetic processing unit 900 includes a data generation unit 910, a focus determination unit 920, a condition setting unit 930, a direction determination unit 940, a conversion unit 950, and an exclusion unit 960.

The data generation unit 910 performs, for example, a process of connecting image data, a process of adjusting a dynamic range, a process of improving the resolution of an image, or the like in accordance with a command from the operation unit 440. The focus determination unit 920 determines the degree of focus for each pixel in the target region for the acquired image data when receiving an instruction for autofocus processing from the operation unit 440, for example. The determination of the focus degree is performed based on the information regarding the brightness value in the target area.

The condition setting unit 930 sets an imaging condition according to a command from the operation unit 440, for example, and causes the storage unit 420 of FIG. 1 to store imaging information indicating the set imaging condition. The image capturing conditions include, for example, the light receiving time of the image capturing unit 132 in FIG. 1 and on/off of illumination. The drive control unit 800 in FIG. 5 controls the operations of the measurement head 100 and the light generation unit 300 in FIG. 1 based on the imaging conditions set by the condition setting unit 930.

When the base dial unit 115 of FIG. 1 or the dial unit 560 of FIG. 6 is rotated, the rotation direction and the rotation amount are given to the arithmetic processing unit 900 from the rotation receiving units 116 and 590 of FIG. 1 or 6.

The direction determination unit 940 determines whether the lens barrel unit 130 in FIG. 1 should be moved upward or downward based on the given rotation direction, and gives the determination result to the focus control unit 830 in FIG.

The conversion unit 950 converts the amount of rotation given from the rotation reception units 116 and 590 of FIG. 1 or 6 into the amount of movement of the lens barrel unit 130. Here, the amount of movement of the lens barrel 130 converted per unit amount of rotation differs depending on the type of dial operated by the user. In this example, the conversion unit 950 converts the movement amount of the lens barrel portion 130 corresponding to the coarse adjustment dials 115A and 560A per unit rotation amount of the lens barrel portion 130 corresponding to the fine adjustment dials 115B and 560B per unit rotation amount. Convert larger than the amount of movement. The conversion unit 950 gives the conversion result to the focus control unit 830 in FIG.

The focus control unit 830 controls the focus drive unit 113 so that the lens barrel unit 130 moves in the direction determined by the direction determination unit 940 by the movement amount converted by the conversion unit 950.

The amount of movement of the lens barrel portion 130 per unit amount of rotation of the coarse adjustment dials 115A and 560A is preferably set to be equal, and the amount of movement of the lens barrel portion 130 per unit amount of rotation of the fine adjustment dials 115B and 560B is also equal to each other. It is preferably set. In this case, the user can operate the base dial portion 115 and the dial portion 560 with the same feeling when adjusting the position of the lens barrel portion 130.

The movement amounts of the lens barrel portion 130 per unit rotation amount of the coarse adjustment dials 115A and 560A may be set to be different from each other, and the movement of the lens barrel portion 130 per unit rotation amount of the fine adjustment dials 115B and 560B. The amounts may be set differently from each other.

When one of the coarse adjustment dials 115A and 560A and the fine adjustment dials 115B and 560B is operated, when the other dial is operated due to an erroneous operation or the like, a plurality of types of signals regarding the rotating direction and the rotating amount of the dial are output. Are provided to the arithmetic processing unit 900. In this case, the lens barrel 130 may move in a direction not intended by the user, or the lens barrel 130 may move at a speed not intended by the user.

Therefore, while the exclusive unit 960 receives the signal corresponding to one of the coarse adjustment dials 115A and 560A and the fine adjustment dials 115B and 560B, it outputs the signals corresponding to the other dials to the direction determination unit 940 and the conversion unit. It is prohibited to be input to the unit 950. This prevents an unintended operation of the lens barrel 130 due to an erroneous operation.

(7) Tilt Mechanism of Lens Barrel Section FIG. 13A is an external perspective view of the measuring head 100, and FIG. 13B is a schematic view showing a state where the lens barrel section 130 is tilted. As shown in FIG. 13A, the measuring head 100 of this example includes a tilting mechanism 101 for tilting the lens barrel 130 with respect to the stage 121. The tilting mechanism 101 supports the upper part of the holding part 112 with respect to the lower part of the holding part 112 in a plane orthogonal to the Y direction. As a result, the tilting mechanism 101 can tilt the lens barrel 130 with respect to the stage 121 around the tilt center 130c. In FIG. 13B, the tilted lens barrel portion 130 is indicated by a dashed line.

When performing tilted observation, the stage 121 is moved in the Z direction so that the surface of the observation object S is located at substantially the same height as the tilt center 130c of the lens barrel 130. In this case, even when the lens barrel unit 130 is tilted, the eucentric relationship in which the field of view of the imaging unit 132 does not move is maintained, and the desired observation region of the observation object S is prevented from deviating from the field of view of the imaging unit 132. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 13B, the lens barrel section 130 includes a tilt sensor 133 in addition to the lens unit 131 and the image pickup section 132 described above. The tilt angle of the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a with respect to the Z direction (hereinafter referred to as the tilt angle of the lens barrel section 130) is detected by the tilt sensor 133, and an angle signal corresponding to the tilt angle is output from the control board 150 in FIG. Is output to. The control board 150 gives the angle signal output by the tilt sensor 133 to the arithmetic processing unit 900 via the cable 203 and the imaging control unit 820 of FIG. The arithmetic processing unit 900 calculates the tilt angle of the lens barrel unit 130 based on the angle signal. The tilt angle calculated by the arithmetic processing unit 900 can be displayed on the display unit 430 in FIG.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to selectively perform planar observation and tilt observation of the observation object S mounted on the mounting surface of the stage 121. At the time of planar observation, the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a becomes parallel to the Z direction. That is, the tilt angle of the lens barrel portion 130 becomes 0°. On the other hand, during tilted observation, the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a is tilted with respect to the Z direction.

(8) Effects In the console 500 described above, the thickness of the first portion 510 from the support surface SS is smaller than the thickness of the second portion 550 from the support surface SS, so the first portion 510 and the second portion 550 are common. The size of the console 500 is suppressed from being increased as compared with the case where the console 500 has the thickness. Further, the plurality of keys 520, 530, the joystick 540, and the dial 541 provided in the first portion 510 are not located above the upper end of the first portion 510. Therefore, the user can operate the plurality of keys 520, 530, the joystick 540, and the dial 541 with the forearm and wrist placed on the support surface SS. Therefore, the operability of the console 500 is improved and the fatigue of the user is reduced.

In addition, the user grips the dial portion 560 on the side of the second portion 550 with a finger, moves the finger up and down to rotate the dial portion 560, and thereby the relative distance of the lens barrel portion 130 to the stage 121. Can be adjusted. In this case, since the vertical movement of the finger and the relative vertical movement of the lens barrel portion 130 are interlocked, the user can intuitively operate the relative vertical movement of the lens barrel portion 130.

As a result, the user can operate the magnifying observation apparatus 1 intuitively, and the operability and compactness of the console 500 are improved.

Further, in the magnifying observation apparatus 1 described above, the base dial unit 115 provided on the stand unit 110 of the measuring head 100 and the dial unit 560 provided on the console 500 have basically the same configuration. Thereby, the user can intuitively operate the base dial unit 115 and the dial unit 560 with the same feeling when adjusting the relative distance of the lens barrel unit 130 to the stage 121.

(9) Other Embodiments (a) In the console 500 according to the above-described embodiment, the second portion 550 is integrally provided on one side portion of both side portions of the first portion 510 in the longitudinal direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The second portion 550 may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from one side portion and the other side portion of the first portion 510. In this case, the user can selectively attach the second portion 550 to one side and the other side of the first portion 510. Thereby, the convenience of the magnifying observation apparatus 1 is improved.

In this case, the correspondence between the rotating direction of the dial and the moving direction of the lens unit 131 is reversed between the case where the second portion 550 is attached to one side and the case where the second portion 550 is attached to the other side. It is preferable to set. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in operability due to a change in the mounting position of the second portion 550.

(B) In the above embodiment, the area 511B of the operation surface 511 of the console 500 is provided with an execution command key for autofocus processing, but the present invention is not limited to this. The execution command key for the autofocus process may be provided in the dial section 560 of the console 500.

Further, the execution command key for the autofocus process is not limited to the dial unit 560 and may be provided in the base dial unit 115 of the measuring head 100 or in the vicinity thereof. In this case, the user can operate the autofocus processing execution command key while tilting the lens barrel 130 with respect to the stage 121 during tilt observation. This allows the objective lens 131a to be easily focused on the observation object S in a short time during tilted observation.

(C) In the above-described embodiment, the lens barrel unit 130 moves along the optical axis A1 of the objective lens 131a based on the operation of the base dial unit 115 or the dial unit 560, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of moving the lens barrel section 130 in the Z direction based on the operation of the base dial section 115 or the dial section 560, the stage 121 may move in the Z direction based on the operation of the base dial section 115 or the dial section 560. ..

(D) In the console 500 according to the above-described embodiment, the plurality of keys 520 and 530 provided in the console 500 are composed of physical parts, but the present invention is not limited to this. The operation surface 511 of the console 500 may be provided with a display section including a liquid crystal display panel or an organic electroluminescence panel, and a touch panel provided so as to overlap the display section. In this case, the display unit and the touch panel may form a plurality of keys corresponding to the plurality of keys 520 and 530, respectively.

(10) Correspondence between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiment Hereinafter, an example of the correspondence between each component of the claims and each part of the embodiment will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Not limited.

In the above-described embodiment, the observation object S is an example of the observation object, the stage 121 is an example of the stage, the lens barrel section 130 is an example of the imaging section, and the magnifying observation apparatus 1 is an example of the magnifying observation apparatus. The support surface SS is an example of a support surface, and the console 500 is an example of a console.

Further, the first portion 510 and the second portion 550 are examples of the main body portion, the first portion 510 is an example of the first portion, the second portion 550 is an example of the second portion, and the plurality of keys 520, 530 is an example of one or a plurality of keys and a key input unit, joystick 540 is an example of a movement operation unit, dial unit 560 is an example of a dial unit, operation surface 511 is an example of an operation surface, and The adjustment dial 560A is an example of the first dial member, and the fine adjustment dial 560B is an example of the second dial member.

Further, the stage drive unit 122 is an example of a moving unit, the focus drive unit 113 is an example of a relative distance changing unit, the control unit 410 is an example of a control unit, the stand unit 110 is an example of a base, and the base unit is a base. The dial unit 115 is an example of a base dial unit.

As each constituent element of the claims, various other elements having the configurations or functions described in the claims can be used.

The present invention can be effectively used for various magnifying observation devices.

1 Magnifying Observation Device 100 Measuring Head 101 Tilt Mechanism 110 Stand Part 111 Installation Part 112 Holding Part 113 Focus Drive Part 115 Base Dial Part 115A, 560A Coarse Adjustment Dial 115B, 560B Fine Adjustment Dial 116, 590 Rotation Receiving Part 120 Stage Device 121 Stage 122 stage drive part 130 lens barrel part 130c tilt center 131 lens unit 131a objective lens 132 imaging part 133 tilt sensor 140 light projecting part 150 control board 200 processing device 201 fiber unit 202, 203, 204 cable 210 housing 300 light generating part 310 Light source 320 Light-shielding unit 400 Control device 410 Control unit 420 Storage unit 430 Display unit 440 Operation unit 500 Console 510 First part 510N Front part 510F Rear part 511 Operation surface 511A, 511B, 511C area 520, 530 key 540 Joystick 541 Dial 5th dial Two parts 551 Dial support member 551A Support part 560 Dial part 560S Partition plate 561 First base member 561A Cylindrical part 561B Flange part 561C Substrate holding part 562 Substrate 563 Fine adjustment dial shaft 563A Head part 563B Shaft part 564 Bearing member 565 Second Base member 565H through hole 566A optical scale 566B, 571B reading sensor 567, 569 sliding member 568 first fixing member 570 second fixing member 571A magnetic scale 800 drive control unit 810 light projection control unit 820 imaging control unit 830 focus Control unit 840 Stage control unit 900 Arithmetic processing unit 910 Data generation unit 920 Focus determination unit 930 Condition setting unit 940 Direction determination unit 950 Conversion unit 960 Exclusive unit A1 Optical axis A10, A20 Rotation axis E1, E2 Encoder S Observed object SS Support surface SW screw

Claims (9)

In order to operate the magnifying observation apparatus including a stage having a mounting surface on which the observation target object is mounted, and an imaging unit that images the observation target object mounted on the mounting surface, the mounting is performed on the support surface. It is a console that can be installed and used,
A body portion having a first portion and a second portion,
A key input unit provided in the first portion and including one or a plurality of keys for instructing a process relating to imaging of an observation object by the imaging unit;
A movement operation unit provided in the first portion and for moving the stage in a plane parallel to the mounting surface;
A dial unit provided in the second portion for adjusting a relative vertical distance of the imaging unit with respect to the stage,
The second portion is provided on a side portion of the first portion,
The dial portion is provided on the side portion of the second portion so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis that faces the side of the second portion,
The console, wherein the thickness of the first portion from the support surface is less than the thickness of the second portion from the support surface. The console according to claim 1, wherein the first portion has a substantially flat shape. The first portion has an operation surface on which the key input portion and the movement operation portion are arranged, and a height of an upper end of the dial portion from the support surface is higher than a height of the operation surface from the support surface. The console according to claim 1 or 2, which is also large. The console according to claim 3, wherein the second portion is formed so as to bulge upward from the operation surface of the first portion. The first portion has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The console according to claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the dial portion is parallel to a long side of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The dial section is
A first dial member having a first diameter;
A second dial member having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter,
The console according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first and second dial members are rotatable around the rotation axis. 7. The console according to claim 6, wherein the first dial member and the second dial member are provided in this order from side to side of the second portion. A magnifying observation device for displaying an image obtained by imaging an observation object,
A stage having a mounting surface on which the observation object is mounted,
An imaging unit for imaging the observation object placed on the placement surface,
A moving unit that moves the stage in a plane parallel to the mounting surface,
A relative distance changing unit that changes a relative vertical distance of the imaging unit with respect to the stage;
A console according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
In response to an operation of the key input unit of the console, a process related to imaging by the imaging unit is executed, and the moving unit and the relative distance changing unit are controlled based on an operation of the moving operation unit and the dial unit. A magnifying observation device including a control unit. A base that supports the stage, the moving unit, the relative distance changing unit, and the imaging unit,
A base dial portion provided on a side portion of the base for adjusting a relative vertical distance of the imaging unit with respect to the stage,
9. The magnifying observation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the base dial portion is provided on the side portion of the base so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis that faces the side of the base.

Images