JPH08327909A - Microscopic examination assisting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a microscopic examination assisting device which prevents the overlook of the inspection of sample and the overlapped inspection of sample. CONSTITUTION: A computer 6 determines the range of a sample 13 where a microscopic examination is currently executed by calculation from the X coordinate and Y coordinate of a stage 8 supplied from coordinate readers 8X and 8Y and the enlargement magnification of a microscope 9 supplied from a magnification reader 9M. An inspected region memory 7 stores the microscopically examined region of the sample 13. The computer 6 reads the microscopically examined region of the sample 13 out of this memory device 7, compares this region with the range currently under the microscopic examination and supplies the microscopically examined region and the range currently under the microscopic examination to an image compositing equipment 5 in a state of allowing the discrimination of both ranges. This image compositing equipment 5 outputs the microscopically examined region and the range currently under the microscopic examination supplied from the computer 6 and the composited image formed by compositing the entire image of the sample 13 transferred from the image memory device 4. This composited image is displayed on a monitor 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a speculum assisting apparatus which assists in inspecting a specimen having various shapes such as a biological specimen by a microscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a specimen is examined by a microscope, an observer observes the specimen with his / her eyes, memorizes the shape of the specimen, and examines a magnified image of the specimen.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional method, the observer memorized the shape of the whole specimen, the number of specimens on the slide glass, etc. by his / her head. There was a high risk of overlooking the examination of the above and duplicate examination of the same part of the specimen.

In particular, when a microscopic image is inspected at a remote place, the actual shape of the entire specimen cannot be grasped, so that there is a high possibility that the examination of the specimen will be overlooked or duplicate examination of the specimen will be performed.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a speculum assisting apparatus which prevents oversight of examination of specimens and duplicate examination of specimens.

[0006]

The speculum assisting apparatus of the present invention includes an image pickup means (for example, the image capturing apparatus 3 of the embodiment) for picking up an image of the entire specimen to be inspected, and the image pickup means. An image storage unit (for example, the image storage device 4 of the embodiment) that stores an entire sample image showing the entire sample;
Magnification output means (for example, the magnification magnification reader 9M of the magnification-magnification-readable microscope 9 of the embodiment) that outputs magnification information indicating the magnification of the microscope used for the speculum, and the coordinates of the stage on which the sample is placed. From the coordinate output means (for example, the X-axis coordinate reader 8X and the Y-axis coordinate reader 8Y in the embodiment), the magnification information output by the magnification output means, and the coordinates output by the coordinate output means. A calculating means (for example, the computer 6 of the embodiment) for obtaining a range to be inspected, and a mirrored area storage means (for example, a memory of the checked area of the embodiment) that stores a mirrored area of the sample. Device 7), the whole image of the specimen stored in the image storage means, the range of the present microscopic observation obtained by the computing means, and the microscopically stored area stored in the microscopically-stored area storage means. Image synthesizing means for outputting a synthesized image of the range (e.g., image synthesizing apparatus 5 in the embodiment)
And a display unit (for example, the monitor 10 of the embodiment) that displays the combined image output by the image combining unit.

In the microscopic assistance device of the present invention having the above structure, the image storage means stores the entire specimen image showing the entire specimen photographed by the image pickup means, and the calculation means is output from the magnification output means. From the magnification information indicating the magnification of the microscope used for the speculum and the coordinates of the stage on which the sample is placed, which is output from the coordinate output means, the range of the sample currently being examined is calculated. An image synthesizing unit that synthesizes the entire specimen image stored in the image storing unit, the range under the current speculum obtained by the calculating unit, and the microscopic region stored in the microscopic region storing unit. An image is output and this composite image is displayed. Therefore,
The observer can grasp the entire image of the specimen, the area currently under microscopic examination and the area under microscopic examination from the displayed composite image, so that oversight of the examination of the specimen or duplicate examination of the specimen can be performed. It will not be lost.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of a speculum assisting apparatus of the present invention. The whole range observing device 1 includes the entire specimen 13 on the slide glass 13G positioned by the reference positioning device 12 fixed on the transillumination device 11 (that is, the region 13A of 2/3 of the slide glass 13G (see FIG. 5). ) Can be observed.

2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are a front view, a plan view and a side view showing one structural example of the reference positioning device 12 of FIG. 5 and 6 are a plan view and a side view showing an example of the slide glass 13G for the sample 13 of FIG. The front reference surface 12F, the right reference surface 12R, and the bottom reference surface 12B of the reference positioning device 12 are the reference front surface 13F and the reference right end surface 13 of the sample slide glass 13G, respectively.
It corresponds to R and the reference bottom surface 13B.

The image capturing device 3 comprises a television camera device 36 attached to a column 11P of the transillumination device 11 so as to be disposed above the reference positioning device 12, that is, the sample slide glass 13G. The television camera device 36 has a macro lens 34 and a CCD 35. The image capturing device 3 is a slide glass 13G.
The area 13A, ie, the entire specimen 13 is photographed. An image showing the entire photographed specimen 13 is stored in the image storage device 4.

The coordinate readable stage 8 has a positioning member 8P for positioning the sample slide glass 13G. The right reference plane 8R and the front reference plane 8F of the positioning member 8P are the right reference plane 12R of the reference positioning device 12.
And the front reference plane 12F, respectively. Also,
The coordinate-readable stage 8 is an X-axis coordinate reader 8
It has an X and Y axis coordinate reader 8Y. The X-axis coordinate reader 8X and the Y-axis coordinate reader 8Y read the X-coordinate and the Y-coordinate of the stage 8, respectively, and supply the read coordinate values to the computer 6. As described above, the right reference surface 8R and the front reference surface 8F of the positioning member 8P of the stage 8 are the right reference surface 12R and the front reference surface 12 of the reference positioning device 12 for the image capturing device 3.
Since they respectively correspond to F, the current position of the stage 8 with respect to the entire sample 13 can be known by reading the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the stage 8.

The coordinate readable stage 8 is attached to a magnification readable microscope 9. The magnifying magnification readable microscope 9 includes a coordinate readable stage 8
It is for examining the specimen 13 on the specimen slide glass 13G positioned at, and has a magnification reader 9M. The magnification of the microscope 9 read by the magnification reader 9M is supplied to the computer 6.

The computer 6 has an X-axis coordinate reader 8
The X and Y coordinates of the stage 8 supplied from the X and Y axis coordinate reader 8Y, and the magnification reader 9
From the magnifying power of the microscope 9 supplied from M, the range of the specimen 13 that is currently being examined is calculated.

The inspected area storage device 7 stores the area of the specimen 13 that has been inspected. The computer 6 reads the area of the specimen 13 that has been examined from the examined area storage device 7, compares the area with the area of the specimen that is currently calculated, and compares the area of the specimen 13 with the area that has already been examined. Both are supplied to the image synthesizing device 5 in such a manner that they can be distinguished from the range. The computer 6 also reads the entire image of the sample 13 from the image storage device 4 and transfers it to the image composition device 5. The image synthesizing device 5 outputs a synthetic image obtained by synthesizing the microscopically completed region supplied from the computer 6 and the range currently under microscopic examination, and the entire image of the sample 13 transferred from the image storage device 4. The monitor 10 displays the composite image output by the image composition device 5.

FIG. 7 shows an operation example of the embodiment shown in FIG. The operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. First, the observer views the slide glass 1 on which the specimen 13 is placed.
3G is mounted on the positioning device 12 (step S1), and the whole image of the sample 13 is photographed by the television camera device 36 (step S2). The entire image of the sample 13 taken is stored in the image storage device 4.

Next, the observer places the slide glass 13G on which the sample 13 is placed on the stage 8 and positions the glass 13G by the positioning member 8P (step S).
3) Observe the sample 13 with the microscope 9. At this time, the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the stage 8 are supplied to the computer 6 from the X axis coordinate reader 8X and the Y axis coordinate reader 8Y, and the enlargement magnification of the microscope 9 is supplied to the computer 6 from the magnification reader 9M. It is supplied (step S4). In response, the computer 6
The range of the sample 13 that is currently being examined is calculated (step S5).

Next, the computer 6 reads the microscopically-finished area of the sample 13 from the inspected-area storage device 7 (step S6), compares the area with the presently-obtained area under the microscopic operation, and performs the microscopic inspection. The completed area and the area currently under the microscope can be distinguished from each other, and both are supplied to the image synthesizing device 5 (step S7). The computer 6 also reads the entire image of the sample 13 from the image storage device 4 and transfers it to the image composition device 5. The image synthesizer 5 is a computer 6
The microscopically-provided area and the area currently under microscopic observation supplied from the device, and the specimen 13 transferred from the image storage device 4.
To create a composite image that combines the entire image of the
8). The monitor 10 displays the composite image output by the image composition device 5 (step S9).

FIG. 8 shows a display example of the monitor 10 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, on the overall image 80 of the specimen 13, on the monitor 10, an area 82 currently being inspected and an inspected area 84 are displayed in different colors. When the coordinates of the stage 8 and the magnification of the microscope change,
In response to this, the display of the area 82 currently being inspected and the inspected area 84 is changed. Therefore, the observer can surely grasp the positions of the area currently inspected and the inspected area with respect to the entire image of the sample 13, and thus the inspection of the sample is not overlooked and the duplicate inspection of the sample is not performed. .

Although the television camera device 36 is used as the whole image capturing device 3 in the above embodiment, a film scanner device may be used instead.

[0020]

According to the speculum assisting apparatus of the present invention, the image storing means stores the whole specimen image showing the whole specimen photographed by the image pickup means, and the calculating means magnifying power information indicating the magnifying power of the microscope. And the coordinates of the stage on which the sample is placed, the range of the sample currently being viewed is calculated, and the image synthesizing unit is calculated by the calculating unit and the entire image of the sample stored in the image storing unit. Since the composite image obtained by synthesizing the range under the current speculum and the microscopic region stored in the microscopic region storage means is output and displayed, the observer can see the whole image of the specimen, Since the area currently under microscopic examination and the area under microscopic examination can be grasped from the displayed composite image, it is possible to avoid overlooking the examination of the specimen and performing duplicate examination of the specimen.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a speculum assisting apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration example of a reference positioning device 12 of FIG.

3 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a reference positioning device 12 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration example of the reference positioning device 12 of FIG.

5 is a plan view showing an example of the sample slide glass 13G of FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a side view showing an example of the sample slide glass 13G of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the embodiment of FIG.

8 is a diagram showing a display example of the monitor 10 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Full Range Observation Device 3 Image Capture Device 4 Image Storage Device 5 Image Synthesis Device 6 Computer 7 Inspected Area Storage Device 8 Coordinate Readable Stage 8X X Axis Coordinate Reader 8Y Y Axis Coordinate Reader 9 Magnification Readable Microscope 9M Magnification Reader 10 Monitor 12 Reference positioning device 13 Sample 13G Slide glass for sample

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup means for photographing the entire specimen to be inspected, an image storage means for storing an entire specimen image showing the entire specimen photographed by the image pickup means, and a microscope used for the speculum. From the magnification output means for outputting magnification information indicating the magnification, the coordinate output means for outputting the coordinates of the stage on which the sample is arranged, the magnification information output by the magnification output means and the coordinates output by the coordinate output means. An arithmetic means for calculating a range of the specimen currently being microscopically analyzed, a microscopic area storing means for storing a microscopically-examined area of the specimen, and the entire specimen stored in the image storage means Image combining means for outputting a composite image obtained by combining the image, the range currently under microscopic determination obtained by the computing means, and the microscopically completed area stored in the microscopically completed area storage means; And a display unit for displaying a combined image output from the image combining unit.