JPH07117651B2 - Micro device moving device in micro manipulator - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a microdevice moving apparatus, and more particularly to a microdevice moving apparatus in a micromanipulator for operating a microdevice to process a minute object to be processed. .

[Prior Art] For example, a micromanipulator is used for microinjection into a cell or the like or for measuring an intracellular potential. In general micromanipulators, operate microdevices such as microneedles and micropipettes in the field of view of a microscope to perform predetermined processing on microscopic objects such as cells placed in containers such as petri dishes. It has become.

This type of micromanipulator has a drive unit to which a microdevice is attached, and an operating rod and a knob for an operator to instruct the operation of the drive unit. The drive device is electrically connected to the operating rod or knob via a hydraulic mechanism or electrically. Of the operating rods and knobs, the operating rods are used to move the small instruments in two horizontal directions (X and Y directions), and the knobs are used to move the small instruments in the vertical direction (Z direction). It

When it is desired to move the micro-device precisely, the micro-moving part of the driving device is driven by the manual operation of the operating rod or the knob to move the micro-device in the X, Y, and Z directions. Movement ratio at this time (the ratio of the actual movement of the microdevice to the movement of the operating stick)
Is set by the scale knob and is common to each of the X, Y, and Z directions.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

Since the micromanipulator requires minute movements of microdevices, the movement ratio must be kept small. However, in the conventional micromanipulator, the operation ratio is common to each of the X, Y, and Z directions, and if the operation ratio is reduced to perform a fine operation, the movable range of the microdevice in all directions is increased. It gets smaller. Therefore, for example, it is inconvenient when it is desired to cause the microdevice to perform a wide range of motion in one direction and a fine motion in another direction.

As a specific example, while holding cells with a microdevice,
It is inconvenient if the motion ratio is common in each of the X, Y, Z directions when you want to move the micro device in the up and down direction (Z direction) so that the micro device does not touch the dish etc. and move to the next work. Is.

An object of the present invention is to provide a micro instrument moving device capable of switching the state of the operation ratio and improving the operability of the micromanipulator.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

A micro instrument moving device in a micro manipulator according to the present invention is a micro instrument moving device in a micro manipulator for operating a micro instrument to process a minute object to be processed. As shown in FIG. 1, this microdevice moving apparatus has a first operation signal supply means, a second operation signal supply means, a signal conversion means, a first conversion ratio determination means, and a second conversion ratio determination means. A conversion state control means and a drive device.

The first operation signal supply means is means for issuing a first operation signal for instructing the movement of the microdevice in the first direction. The second operation signal supply means is a second operation signal supply means for issuing a second operation signal for instructing the movement of the microdevice in the second direction. The signal converting means receives the first and second operation signals from the first and second operation signal supplying means and converts a certain conversion state into first and second drive signals for driving the microdevice. Is. The first conversion ratio determining means is means for converting and determining the conversion ratio of the operation signal to the drive signal in the signal converting means into a state common to XYZ. The second conversion rate determining means is means for determining the conversion rate from the operation signal to the drive signal in the signal converting means to a state in which XY is common and only Z is different. The conversion state control unit is a unit that selects either the first conversion state or the second conversion state and controls the signal conversion unit. The drive device is a device that receives the first and second drive signals from the signal conversion means and drives the microdevice.

[Action]

In the micromanipulator moving device in the micromanipulator according to the present invention, the first operation signal supply means emits a first operation signal for instructing the movement of the microdevice in the first direction. Further, the second operation signal supply means emits a second operation signal for instructing the movement of the microdevice in the second direction. The signal conversion means receives the first and second operation signals from the first and second operation signal supply means, and converts the first and second drive signals for driving the microdevice in a certain conversion state.
Next, the driving device receives the first and second driving signals from the signal converting means and drives the micro device. Thereby, it is possible to operate the small instrument to perform processing on the minute object to be processed.

On the other hand, the first conversion ratio determining means determines the conversion ratio from the operation signal to the drive signal in the signal converting means to the first conversion state. Further, the second conversion rate determining means determines the conversion rate from the operation signal to the drive signal in the signal converting means to the second conversion state. The conversion state control means includes the first
Select either one of the conversion state and the second conversion state of
The signal conversion means is controlled based on this. As a result, the degree of freedom in setting the conversion ratio is increased, and the operability of the micromanipulator can be improved.

For example, the first conversion state is a state in which the operation ratio is common to each direction of X, Y, and Z, and the second conversion state is a state in which the operation ratio in X and Y directions is common and the operation ratio in the Z direction is maximum. If so, workability can be improved by appropriately selecting one of these conversion states.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a micromanipulator adopting a moving device as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the micromanipulator includes a microscope 12 mounted on a base 11 and a moving device arranged on the side of the microscope 12.
13 and a control device 14 for controlling the operation of the moving device 13.

The microscope 12 has an operation console 15 at the center thereof,
A container 16 such as a petri dish containing the object to be processed is placed on the operation console 15.
Are to be placed. An objective lens 17 is arranged below the operation console 15, and a lower end portion of the objective lens 17 is connected to a television camera 18. The television camera 18 is electrically connected to the control device 14 and has an objective lens 17
The signal of the image obtained in step 3 is sent to the control device 14.

The moving device 13 is mounted on the base 11 and is electrically connected to the control device 14. Moving device 13
A lower part of the table is a table 20, and a coarse movement part 21 is mounted on the table 20. The coarse movement unit 21 can be moved in a unit of several tens of μm in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the table 20 by a step motor (not shown). Coarse part 21 microscope
A fine movement unit 22 is attached to the surface on the 12th side. Fine movement part 22
Is an electromagnetic method, which is horizontal and vertical (X, Y, Z directions)
It is designed to be able to perform movement in units of 1 μm. At the tip of the micro-instrument holder 23 provided at the end of the micro-moving part 22 on the microscope 12 side, the micro-instrument consisting of a microneedle, a micropipette, etc.
24 is installed. The tip end of the microdevice 24 is extended to the container 16 side.

The control device 14 includes a control unit 26 and a CRT 27.
And an operation box 28. The control unit 26 has a built-in power supply, a microcomputer, and the like, and can control the operation of the moving device 13 and the like. The CRT 27 displays an image of cells and the like obtained by the objective lens 17, and also displays operation procedures and questions to the operator. The operation box 28 is used by an operator to control the micromanipulator. The operation box 28 includes a key group 29 for setting various conditions, a coarse movement section operation key 30 for instructing movement of the coarse movement section 21 in the X, Y, and Z directions, and operation of a micromanipulator. A group of various lamps 31 for notifying the operator of the mode, a joystick 32 for instructing movement of the fine movement part 22 in the X and Y directions, and a Z-axis knob 33 for instructing movement of the fine movement part 22 in the Z direction. A scale knob 34 for designating an operating ratio, a stop button 35, and an XYZ / XY switch 36 are provided.

In the key group 29, other than the numeric keys, a lock Y key for designating to stop the movement of the micro instrument holder 23 in the Y-axis direction, and a lower limit in the Z direction of the micro instrument holder 23 are set.
BL key etc. are included. The joystick 32 and the Z-axis knob 33 are mainly composed of variable resistors, and their movements can be detected by changes in the resistance value. Further, the scale knob 34 is also mainly composed of a variable resistor, and the set value of the operating ratio is detected by the resistance value thereof. XYZ / XY switch 36 is XY
It can be switched to either the Z side or the XY side. Here, the XYZ side means a mode in which the operation ratio designated by the scale knob 34 is used in any of the X, Y, and Z axes. Also, XY
The side means a mode in which the motion ratio designated by the scale knob 34 is used in the X and Y axis directions and the maximum motion ratio is used in the Z axis direction. The operation ratio is a ratio of the movement amount of the joystick 32 and the rotation amount of the Z-axis knob 33 to the movement amount of the microdevice 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the microcomputer in the control unit 26 has a CPU 40. CPU40 has
A ROM 41 in which a control program and the like are stored, a RAM 42 for storing processing data and the like, an A / for the CRT 27 and the mobile device 13
D converter is connected. A joystick 32, a Z-axis knob 33, and a scale knob 34 are connected to the CPU 40 via an A / D converter 44, and a key group 29, a coarse movement section operation key 30, and an I / O port 45 are connected. A lamp group 31, a stop button 35 and an XYZ / XY switch 36 are connected.

Next, the operation of the micromanipulator related to the control of the control unit 26 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

The main switch (not shown) of the micromanipulator
When turned on, the program starts. In step S1, a lock Y flag and a BL flag described later are cleared,
The lower limit value is set to the limit value, and the initial setting such as turning off each lamp of the lamp group 31 is performed. Here, the lower limit value is a downward limit value of the microdevice 24 in a state where there is no special designation in the movement range.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not there is a key input from the key group 29 and the operation key 30. If there is no key input, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the stop button
It is determined whether or not 35 is pressed, that is, whether or not it is in the ON state. If the stop button 35 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, the joystick 32, Z-axis knob 33,
Input the scale or 34 signals. In step S5,
The drive signal in the X direction is calculated based on the input signal and output to the moving device 13. In the moving device 13, in response to the output, the fine movement unit 22 moves in the X direction by the designated amount. Step
In S6, it is determined whether or not the lock Y flag is set. If the lock Y flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the drive signal in the Y direction is calculated based on the signal input in step S4, and the moving device is moved.
Output to 13. In the moving device 13, in response to the output, the fine movement unit 22 moves in the Y direction by the designated amount. When the process of step S7 is completed, the process proceeds to step S8. Step
If the lock Y flag is set in S6, the process proceeds to step S8 without performing the process of step S7. That is, even if the operation signal in the Y-axis direction is input in step S4, the microdevice 24 is not driven in the Y-axis direction if the lock Y flag is set in step S6.

In step S8, it is determined whether the XYZ / XY switch 36 is arranged on the XYZ side or the XY side. When the XYZ side mode is designated by the XYZ / XY switch 36, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the drive signal in the Z direction is calculated by the coefficient according to the scale knob 34, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S8, XY
If the side mode is designated, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the coefficient of the operation ratio is maximized to calculate the Z direction drive signal, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the drive signal in the Z direction exceeds the limit value. If the drive signal in the Z direction does not exceed the limit value, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, Z calculated in step S9 or step S11
The drive signal of the direction is output to the moving device 13. In the moving device 13, in response to the output, the fine movement unit 22 moves in the Z direction by the designated amount. On the other hand, if the drive signal in the Z direction exceeds the limit value in step S10, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the drive signal in the Z direction is set to the limit value, and then the above-mentioned processing is performed in step S12.

When the processing in step S12 ends, the process returns to step S2.

In this way, the step of controlling the microdevice 24 in the Z direction
In the processing from S8 to S13, since the processing from step S8 to step S11 is adopted, the state of the operation ratio can be switched, and the operability of the micromanipulator is improved. That is, when fine movement of the microdevice 24 is required in any of the X, Y, and Z axes, precise movement can be performed based on the setting by the scale knob 34. Further, for example, when holding the cells by the microdevice 24 and moving the microdevice in the up-down direction (Z direction) so that the microdevice 24 does not touch the container 16 or the like and move to the next operation, X Therefore, the operation ratios in the Y direction are common, and the operation ratios in the Z direction can be switched with one touch so as to be the maximum. This improves the operability of the micromanipulator.

Next, when the stop button 35 is pressed, that is, when it is turned on, the determination in step S3 becomes Yes, and step S4
Therefore, the process of step S12 is not performed. That is, while the operator is pressing the stop button 35, no matter how the joystick 32 or the Z-axis knob 33 is operated,
The microdevice 24 is not driven. This function can be used as follows. For example, when it is desired to move the microdevice 24 over a wide range, control is performed by turning ON / OFF the stop button 35 so that only the operation signal in a certain direction is ignored and only the operation signal in that direction is converted into a drive signal. can do. More specifically, for example, the case shown in FIG. 6A can be considered. FIG. 6A is a microscope field image projected on CRT27, and it is assumed that the cells to be processed are in the upper right corner. Here, the movable range of the fine movement part 22 of the microdevice 24 is a two-dot chain line a.
In the case of the inside, in the normal drive by the fine movement part 22, the microdevice 24
Cannot be moved to the desired cell position. Therefore, first, the joystick 32 is operated to bring the microdevice 24 closest to the cell within the range a. In this case, the normal driving process of the microdevice 24 is performed based on the processes from step S4 to step S13. Then the stop button
Turn on 35, and then move joystick 32 in the opposite direction. In this case, steps S4 to S13
Therefore, the microdevice 24 is not driven regardless of the movement of the joystick 32. By moving the joystick 32 in the opposite direction, the range a
Is shifted to the desired cell side. By repeating this operation, as shown in FIG. 6B, the microdevice 24
A desired cell can be put in the movable range a by the fine movement part 22. As described above, according to this embodiment, the microdevice 24 can be moved to, for example, the cell at the end of the microscope visual field only by operating the joystick 32. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the coarse movement part 21 to move the microdevice 24 largely, and the work can be performed smoothly and precisely.

Next, when any one of the keys of the key group 29 is pressed, the determination in step S2 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S14 in FIG.

Here, for example, when it is desired to prevent the movement of the microdevice 24 in the Y-axis direction (when the lock Y mode is desired), the lock Y key is pressed. If the input key is the lock Y key, the process proceeds from step S14 to step S15. In step S15, it is determined whether or not the lock Y flag is set. If it is not in the lock Y state, the determination is No and the process moves to step S16. Lock Y in step S16
After the flag is set and the lock Y lamp of the lamp group 31 is turned on in step S17, the process returns to step S2. Since the lock Y flag is set in step S16, the process goes to the lock Y mode. The operator is informed that the lock Y mode has been entered by turning on the lock Y lamp. In the lock Y mode, the determination in step S6 is Yes in the processing from step S4 to step S13. That is, even if the operation signal in the Y-axis direction is input in step S4, the microdevice 24 is not driven in the Y-axis direction if the lock Y flag is set in step S6. This allows, for example, micro-injection into cells or measurement of intracellular potentials by using micro-devices.
When it is desired to move 24 only in the axial direction (X direction) and insert it into the cell, the microdevice 24 can be moved exactly in the X direction, and accurate work can be performed easily. As a result, the operability of the micromanipulator is improved.

To release the lock Y mode, press the lock Y key of the key group 29 again. As a result, the program goes through step S2, step S14, step S15, and then step S18.
Move to. The lock Y flag is cleared in step S18, the lock Y lamps of the lamp group 31 are turned off in step S19, and the process returns to step S2.

Next, in order to solve the problem that the microdevice 24 comes into contact with the container 16 and breaks due to carelessness when moving the microdevice in the Z-axis direction, it is desired to limit the downward movement of the microdevice 24. In that case (if you want to set to BL mode), do as follows.

First, the Z-axis knob 33 is operated to lower the microdevice 24 and bring it close to the container 16 to a desired degree. The process at this time is performed according to steps S4 to S13. Next, press the BL key of the key group 29. Program step
The process moves from S2 and step S14 to step S20.

In step S20, it is determined whether the BL key has been pressed, that is, whether the BL signal has been input. Since the determination in step S20 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S21. Step
In S21, it is determined whether or not the BL flag is set. If not in BL mode, the determination is no and the process moves to step S22. In step S22, the BL flag is set, and then in step S23, the BL lamps of the lamp group 31 are turned on. Then, in step S24, the current microdevice 24
After setting the position of Z in the Z direction as the limit value, step S2
Return to. Since the BL flag was set in step S22,
Subsequent processing becomes BL mode. The operator is informed that the BL mode has been entered by lighting the BL lamp. In the BL mode, in the processing from step S4 to step S13, the judgment criterion in step S10 becomes the value set in step S24. That is, even if an operation signal in the Z-axis direction is input in step S4, step S24
The microdevice 24 is not driven below the position set by. This solves the problem that the microdevice 24 is broken by coming into contact with the bottom of the container such as the container 16 due to carelessness when moving the microdevice in the Z direction. Therefore, the operability of the micromanipulator can be improved.

To cancel the BL mode, press the BL key of key group 29 again. As a result, the program goes through step S2, step S14, step S20, step S21, and then step S25.
Move to. The BL flag is cleared in step S25, and the BL lamps of the lamp group 31 are turned off in step S26. In step S27, the limit value in the Z-axis direction is set to the lowermost end, and the process returns to step S2.

In this BL mode, for example, DNA attached to cells attached to the container 16
It can also be used effectively when injecting etc. That is, the processing from step S22 to step S24 may be performed at the position where the microdevice 24 is first inserted into the cell. After that, the container 16 is moved in the X and Y directions to determine the cells to be treated, the Z-axis knob 33 is rotated, and the microdevice 24 is appropriately lowered. Therefore, the injection work can be performed easily.

When any other key of the key group 29 is pressed, the program proceeds from step S2 to step S28 through steps S14 and S20, and the processing corresponding to that key is performed. Further, by pressing the coarse movement portion operation key 30, the coarse movement portion 21 is driven in the X, Y, Z directions.

[Other Examples]

(A) In the description of the above embodiments, the micromanipulator having one moving device 13 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the micromanipulator has one or more pairs of moving devices 13. Good.

(B) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the fine movement unit 22 is driven by electromagnetic force, but the configuration is not limited to this, and it may be configured to be driven by hydraulic pressure, for example.

(C) In the above-mentioned embodiment, X,
The Y-direction and Z-axis knob 33 are used to control the Z-direction, but the Z-axis knob 33 is omitted and the joystick 32 is used.
The Z direction may be controlled by rotating the.

In this case, not only the lock Y mode but also the lock XY mode for locking both X and Y axes may be adopted. To achieve this, for example, Lock XY flag, Lock XY
A lamp is provided so that the same processing as that in steps S14 to S19 can be performed in the X and Y directions. Also, lock XY between steps S4 and S5.
A step for determining whether or not the flag is set is provided, and if the determination in that step is Yes, step S8
To move to.

(D) In the above embodiment, the downward movement of the microdevice 24 is limited by the processing of steps S20 to S27. However, the structure is not limited to this. A configuration in which movement in the Y direction) is also restricted can be similarly realized.

(E) In the above embodiment, the operating ratio can be switched between the mode common to the X, Y and Z axes and the mode common to only the X and Y axes. However, the mode of switching is not limited to this. Absent.

For example, if the operating ratio is the maximum value common to the X, Y, and Z axes,
Only the X and Y axes may be switched between the states in which the set operation ratio is set in the scale knob 34. Further, it may be possible to switch between a state in which the operation ratio is the maximum value for the X, Y, and Z axes in common and a state in which the operation ratio is the set operation ratio in the scale knob 34 for the X, Y, and Z axes in common. Good.

(F) In the above embodiment, one scale knob 34 is used to determine the operation ratio, but another knob may be provided. In this case, for example, the operation ratio in the Z-axis direction may be switched to the maximum value instead of being switched to the maximum value. Further, all the knobs may be common to the X, Y, and Z axes, and switching may be performed between the setting values of the operation ratio by the knobs.

(G) In the above-described embodiment, two types of operating ratio states are provided and switched between them. However, at least two types are sufficient for carrying out the present invention, and three or more types are provided and switched between them. Good.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the micromanipulator microdevice moving apparatus of the present invention, since the first conversion ratio determining unit, the second conversion ratio determining unit, and the conversion state control unit are provided, it is possible to switch the state of the operating ratio. , A microdevice moving device capable of improving the operability of a micromanipulator is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a micromanipulator adopting an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control unit, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of this embodiment, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are front views showing an example of the field of view of the microscope. 12 …… Microscopic operation device, 13 …… Movement device, 14 …… Control device, 24 …… Microdevice, 26 …… Control unit, 31
…… Lamp group, 32 …… joystick, 33 …… Z axis knob, 34 …… scale knob, 35 …… stop button,
36 …… XYZ / XY switch, 40 …… CPU.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A micromanipulator moving device in a micromanipulator for operating a microdevice to process a microscopic object to be processed, the XY operation signal for commanding movement of the microdevice in XY directions. And a second operation signal supply means for issuing a Z operation signal for instructing the movement of the microdevice in the Z direction, and XY from the first and second operation signal supply means. And Z operation signals, and signal conversion means for converting the XY and Z drive signals for driving the microdevice in a certain conversion state, and a conversion ratio from the operation signals to the drive signals in the signal conversion means is common to XYZ. A first conversion ratio determining means for converting and determining to a state, and a second converting ratio for determining a conversion ratio from the operation signal to the drive signal in the signal converting means to a state in which XY is common and only Z is different.
Conversion rate determining means, conversion state control means for controlling the signal conversion means by selecting one of the first conversion rate and the second conversion rate, and XY and Z from the signal conversion means. A microdevice moving device in a micromanipulator, comprising: a drive device that receives a drive signal and drives the microdevice.