JPH0750255B2 - 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. .

[Conventional technology]

For example, a micromanipulator is used when microinjecting cells or the like and measuring the electric potential in cells. In a general micromanipulator, a micromachine such as a microneedle or a micropipette is operated under a microscope field to perform a predetermined treatment on a microscopic object to be treated such as a cell.

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. Further, the drive device has a fine movement part for moving the micro instrument precisely and a coarse movement part for moving the micro instrument in a wide range.
Of the operating rods and knobs, the operating rods are used when moving microdevices in two horizontal directions (X, Y directions), and the knobs are used when moving microdevices in vertical directions (Z direction). .

In this micromanipulator, when it is desired to move the microdevice precisely, the micromovement part of the driving device is driven by the manual operation of the operating rod or the knob to move the microdevice in the X, Y, and Z directions. In addition, when it is desired to move the microdevice largely, the coarse movement part of the drive device is moved.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

Since the micromanipulator requires precise movement of the microdevice, the ratio of the actual movement of the microdevice to the movement of the operating stick or the like must be kept small. However, if this ratio is reduced, the operable range of the small instrument due to the operating rod is reduced. For example, it becomes impossible to move the microdevice to the cells at the end of the field of view of the microscope only by operating the operating rod.

Therefore, in the conventional micromanipulator described above, the coarse movement part is used to move the microdevice largely. However, since the coarse movement part is not originally provided for the purpose of precise movement of the micro-instrument, when the micro-instrument is moved by the coarse movement part, the micro-instrument vibrates and the work can be performed smoothly. It may disappear. There is also a problem that the microdevice moves too much and it is difficult to move the microdevice to a desired position accurately.

On the other hand, in a micromanipulator, when performing microinjection into cells or measuring the electrical potential inside cells, when you want to move microneedles or micropipettes only in their axial direction (X direction) and insert them into cells There is. However, in the above-mentioned conventional micromanipulator, since it is configured to instruct the movement of the micro device in the X and Y directions by the operation rod, even if the operator intends to move the micro device only in the X direction by the operation rod, It also moves in the Y direction. Therefore, the conventional micromanipulator has a problem that it is difficult to perform accurate work.

An object of the present invention is to provide a microdevice moving apparatus capable of realizing a micromanipulator with improved operability that can solve the above-mentioned problems.

[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 micro instrument moving device includes an operation signal supplying means, a signal converting means, a drive stop commanding means, and a driving device.

The operation signal supply means is means for issuing an operation signal for instructing the movement of the microdevice. The signal conversion means is means for receiving an operation signal from the operation signal supply means and converting the operation signal into a drive signal for driving the microdevice. The drive stop instruction means is means for instructing the signal conversion means to convert only an operation signal in a certain direction out of the operation signals from the operation signal supply means into a drive signal. The drive device is a device that receives a drive signal from the signal conversion means and drives the microdevice.

[Action]

In the micromanipulator moving device for the micromanipulator according to the present invention, the operation signal supply means emits an operation signal for instructing the movement of the micromanipulator. Upon receiving this operation signal, the signal conversion means converts it into a drive signal for driving the microdevice. Then, the drive device receives the drive signal from the signal conversion means and drives the microdevice. By operating the microscopic instrument in this manner, the microscopic object is treated.

In this operation, the drive stop instruction means instructs the signal conversion means not to generate the drive signal regardless of the operation signal from the operation signal supply means.

Here, for example, when it is desired to move the microdevice over a wide range, signals other than the operation signal in a certain direction are ignored by the drive stop command means so that only the operation signal in that direction is converted into a drive signal. Command conversion means. With this, by repeating the operation of fetching only the operation signal in that direction among the operation signals from the operation signal supply means, the microdevice can be largely moved in the desired direction.

Further, for example, when it is desired to eliminate the movement of the microdevice in an unnecessary direction, the operation signal other than the operation signal in a certain direction is ignored, and only the operation signal in that direction is converted into a drive signal. The stop instructing means gives an instruction to the signal converting means. With this, the driving device drives the microdevice only in the direction, so that the microdevice does not move in an unnecessary direction, and accurate work can be performed.

As a result, the operability of the micromanipulator is improved.

〔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 moving unit 21 can move the pedestal 20 in units of several tens of μm in the vertical and horizontal directions 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, in addition to 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 signal of scale knob 34. 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 is Yes, and the processes of steps S4 to S12 are 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 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, for example, by hydraulic pressure.

(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
An XY lamp is provided so that the same processing as that of steps S14 to S19 can be performed in the X and Y directions. Also, lock XY between steps S4 and S5.
A step is provided to determine whether the flag is set, and if the determination at that step is Yes, then step S
Try to move to 8.

(D) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the downward movement of the microdevice 24 is limited by the processing of steps S20 to S27 has been shown, but the invention is not limited to this, and the microdevice 24 can be moved in the horizontal direction (X direction and 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 a desired 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 embodiment, two types of operating ratio states are provided and switched between them, but three or more types may be provided and switched between them.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the micromanipulator moving device for micromanipulators of the present invention, the drive stop commanding unit commands the signal converting unit not to generate the drive signal regardless of the operation signal from the operation signal supplying unit. If you want to move precisely in a wide range, or if you want to perform accurate work by eliminating the movement of microdevices in unnecessary directions, a microdevice moving device that can realize a micromanipulator with improved operability is provided. Obtainable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE 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, and FIG. 3 is an outline of a control unit. The block diagram, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 shown are flowcharts 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 operation signal supply issuing an operation signal for instructing movement of the microdevice. Means, a signal conversion means for receiving an operation signal from the operation signal supply means and converting the operation signal into a drive signal for driving the microdevice, and an operation in a certain direction among the operation signals from the operation signal supply means A micro equipped with a drive stop command means for instructing the signal conversion means to convert only a signal into a drive signal, and a drive device for receiving the drive signal from the signal conversion means and driving the microdevice. Microdevice moving device in manipulator.