WO2006098441A1

WO2006098441A1 - Slide glass cassette and cassette holder

Info

Publication number: WO2006098441A1
Application number: PCT/JP2006/305431
Authority: WO
Inventors: Naotaka Hakamata; Takuji Ikeda; Hiroshi Tanabe
Original assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
Priority date: 2005-03-17
Filing date: 2006-03-17
Publication date: 2006-09-21
Also published as: JP4850825B2; JPWO2006098441A1

Abstract

A slide glass cassette so that a plurality of slide glasses stored therein can be securely taken out one by one by an automatic take-out device and a cassette holder for the slide glass cassettes. The cassette holder comprises a holder part on which the slide glass cassette are installed and a support frame capable of holding the holder part in a plurality of different attitudes. Stopper members limiting the movement of the stored slide glasses are fitted to the slide glass cassette. The slide glass cassettes are installed on the holder part along positioning rails. The support frame holds the entire part of the holder part in a rotatable state about an axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the positioning rails in at least one of a first attitude in which the vertical direction of an installation surface for installing the support frame thereon matches the direction of the positioning rails and a second attitude in which the positioning rails are tilted by a prescribed angle relative to the vertical direction of the installation surface. By this structure, even if the holder part on which the slide glass cassettes are installed is abruptly changed from the second attitude to the first attitude relative to the support frame, the stored slide glasses are not abruptly jumped out from the insertion holes of the slide glass cassettes.

Description

Specification

Slide glass cassette and cassette holder

Technical field

The present invention relates to a slide glass cassette that stores a plurality of slide glasses stacked in a predetermined direction, and a cassette holder that holds the slide glass cassette in a detachable state.

Background art

[0002] As a slide glass cassette for storing a plurality of slide glasses, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a slide glass cassette having a structure in which a plurality of slide glasses are stacked in a predetermined direction. In addition, as a cassette holder to which such a slide glass cassette is mounted, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a plurality of slide glass cassettes in a first posture in which the vertical direction of the installation reference plane coincides with the stacking direction of the slide glasses (slide glass The slide glass cassette stands upright so that the take-out port is perpendicular to the installation reference plane) and the second orientation (the slide glass is tilted with respect to the vertical direction of the installation reference plane). An open / close door that can be held in any position is disclosed in which the slide glass cassette is tilted so that the take-out port faces upward.

Patent Document 1: JP 2000-66111 A

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11 83687

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0003] The inventors have found the following problems as a result of studying the prior art. That is, in the slide glass cassettes described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the slide glass cassette itself is tilted toward the slide glass outlet, the slide glass is stored and slides down from the outlet. there is a possibility. In addition, in the slide glass cassette described in Patent Document 2, the slide glass cassette held by the open / close door in the second posture so that the slide glass outlet is directed upwards rotates and stops in the first posture. At this time, there is a possibility that the stored slide glass will be taken out and the loca will jump out. Furthermore, it was described in Patent Document 2. A cassette holder consisting of an open / close door cannot position a slide glass cassette at a predetermined position.

[0004] From the above, it has been difficult to reliably remove a plurality of slide glasses one by one from the slide glass cassette held in the conventional cassette holder one by one with an automatic take-out device.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and stores a plurality of slide glasses that are stored in a stacked state along a predetermined direction by an automatic take-out device. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a slide glass cassette and a cassette holder having a structure for enabling reliable removal.

Means for solving the problem

[0006] A slide glass cassette according to the present invention has a structure for storing a plurality of slide glasses in a removable state, and specifically includes a housing and an opening provided in the housing. A plurality of guides and a plurality of stopper members. The housing has a space (storage space) for storing a plurality of slide glasses in a stacked state along the first direction. The opening functions as an insertion port and an extraction port for the slide glass, and allows the slide glass to be inserted into and removed from the housing space. The plurality of guides are provided to correspond to the plurality of slide glasses, respectively, and extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and are separated from each other by a predetermined distance along the first direction. Arranged on the inner wall of the housing. Each of these guides functions to define the storage position of the corresponding slide glass along the first direction by placing the corresponding slide glass inserted through the opening. The plurality of stopper members are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of guides, respectively, and each of the stopper members restricts the movement of the corresponding slide glass placed on the corresponding guide in the second direction. It has a restrictive structure.

As described above, in the slide glass cassette according to the present invention, the stoppers corresponding to the movements of the slide glass stored in the housing in the second direction in a state of being stacked along the first direction, respectively. The structure is limited by the member. Therefore, even if the installation posture of the slide glass cassette changes suddenly, the movement of the stored slide glass is stopped by the stopper. It is effectively limited by the members, and as a result, the contained slide glasses (each placed on the corresponding guide) will not pop out inadvertently.

In the slide glass cassette according to the present invention, it is preferable that each of the plurality of guides includes a pair of rail members in order to stabilize the placement state of the slide glass. In this case, the corresponding stopper member among the plurality of stopper members should be at least one of the pair of rail members attached.

[0009] In the slide glass cassette according to the present invention, the restriction structure provided in each of the plurality of stopper members is such that when the corresponding slide glass is placed on the corresponding guide among the plurality of guides. Preferably, it includes a stepped portion constituting a contact surface facing at least a part of the side surface of the corresponding slide glass. In this case, in order to ensure that the slide glass can be placed and removed smoothly, and to prevent the slide glass from being stored in a stacked state, the corresponding slide should not exceed the thickness of the slide glass. It is preferable that the abutting surface is in contact with the glass.

[0010] It should be noted that the restriction structure provided in each of the plurality of stopper members is provided at the tip portion of the corresponding one of the stopper members, and the stopper member is attached so that the restriction structure at the tip is located outside the housing. It is preferable to have a shape protruding from the guide along the second direction through the opening. When the restricting structure is arranged at a position protruding from the opening of the slide glass cassette, the extraction end of each slide glass taken out from the opening can be protruded from the opening surface of the opening. . In this case, it is easy to manually insert and remove each slide glass.

On the other hand, the cassette holder according to the present invention holds the slide glass force set (the slide glass cassette according to the present invention) having the above-described structure in a detachable state. Specifically, the cassette holder according to the present invention includes a holder portion and a support frame that holds the holder portion in a state of being rotatable around a predetermined axis. The holder portion includes at least a guide surface, a placement surface, and a positioning rail. The guide surface is in contact with the back surface facing the opening of the slide glass cassette. The mounting surface is in contact with the bottom surface orthogonal to the back surface of the slide glass cassette, and holds the entire slide glass cassette. Further, a positioning rail (guide rail) is provided on the guide surface, and the slide glass along the direction parallel to the placement surface. Functions to limit cassette movement. The support frame holds the entire holder portion in a state of being rotatable around an axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the positioning rail provided on the guide surface extends. Specifically, the support frame holds the holder portion at least in a first posture in which the guide surface is perpendicular to the installation surface on which the support frame is installed, and the guide surface is against the installation surface. Hold the holder in a second position inclined at a predetermined angle.

In the mounting operation of the slide glass cassette, first, the holder portion is held in the second posture. At this time, the slide glass cassette is prepared on the upper side of the holder portion so that the back surface and the bottom surface of the slide glass cassette to be mounted are respectively opposed to the guide surface and the placement surface of the holder portion held in the second posture. Is done. Then, in a state where the back surface of the slide glass cassette and the guide surface are in contact with each other, the slide glass cassette is pushed toward the mounting surface along the guide rail on the guide surface. By such an operation, the slide glass cassette is mounted on the holder portion.

[0013] The cassette holder according to the present invention may further include a lock mechanism for holding the holder portion in the first posture with respect to the support frame. In this case, when each slide glass accommodated in the slide glass cassette is taken out by the automatic take-out device, interference between the automatic take-out device that moves toward the holder portion and the holder portion is effectively prevented.

[0014] Each embodiment according to the present invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. These examples are given for illustration only and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0015] Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. However, the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are presented for purposes of illustration only and are subject to various modifications and improvements within the spirit and scope of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

The invention's effect

[0016] In the slide glass cassette according to the present invention, a plurality of stopper members for restricting movement in the second direction of the plurality of slide glasses stored in a stacked state along the first direction are stored. It is provided corresponding to each slide glass. This structure Even if the holding position of the slide glass cassette changes suddenly, each slide glass will not pop out of its opening (slide glass outlet) force!

[0017] Further, the cassette holder according to the present invention includes a structure for fixing the holding position of the holder portion to which the slide glass cassette is mounted. Specifically, the holder portion is held by the support frame so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the guide rail that enables the positioning of the slide glass cassette. Therefore, even when the slide glass cassette is mounted on the holder part, each slide glass is reliably taken out one by one by the automatic take-out device.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a microscope image pickup apparatus to which an embodiment of a slide glass cassette and a cassette holder according to the present invention is applied.

[Fig. 2] is a perspective view showing the configuration of the slide glass transport unit (automatic take-out device) and the slide glass storage unit (including the cassette holder) shown in Fig. 1, in which the holder portion in the cassette holder is inclined. Shows the state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the slide glass transport unit and the slide glass storage unit shown in FIG. 1, and shows a state where the slide glass transport unit is moved to the front of the slide glass storage unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 2 from the back side of the holder unit.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration of an X-axis stage of the slide glass conveyance unit shown in FIG.

[FIG. 6] is a partial perspective view corresponding to FIG. 5 showing a state in which the drawer node shown in FIG. 5 has advanced.

FIG. 7 is a partial side view showing the configuration of the X-axis stage shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the entire slide glass cassette shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the bottom surface of the slide glass cassette shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the back surface of the slide glass cassette shown in FIG.

[FIG. 11] is a perspective view showing a main structure of the slide glass cassette shown in FIG. [FIG. 12] is a perspective view of the slide glass cassette showing the end structure of the slide glass housed in the slide glass cassette shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the main structure of the holder part to which the slide glass cassette shown in FIG. 8 is attached.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a state in which the slide glass cassette shown in FIG. 8 is tilted rearward.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which the slide glass cassette shown in FIG. 14 is tilted forward.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view for explaining an operation of mounting the slide glass cassette on the holder portion shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

[0019] 1 ··· Slide glass storage (including cassette holder), 11 ··· Support frame, 12 ··· Holder, 1 2Α1 ··· Placement surface, 12Β1 ··· Guide surface, 12 ガイド 2 · ··· Guide rail, 13 ··· Slide glass cassette, 13Ε ··· Stopper member, 13F… Guide (rail member), 13G ··· Restricted structure (step), 14 ··· Open / close door, 14Α 15 ··· Locking mechanism, 2 ·················································································· Stage 3 ··· Slide glass placement section 4 ··· Slide glass imaging section SG ··· Slide glass.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a slide glass cassette and a cassette holder according to the present invention are applied as a part of a microscope image pickup apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the description of the drawings, the same portions and the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In the following description, the apparatus configuration will be described on the assumption that the upper and lower parts of the drawing correspond to the upper and lower parts of the apparatus, respectively.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a microscope image pickup apparatus to which one embodiment of a slide glass cassette and a cassette holder according to the present invention is applied.

The microscopic image capturing device shown in FIG. 1 is a device that captures a microscopic image of a tissue sample (tissue section) enclosed in a slide glass (preparation), and includes a slide glass storage unit 1 and an automatic extraction device. Slide glass transport unit 2, slide glass mounting unit 3, The id glass imaging unit 4 is provided at least. The slide glass storage unit 1 has a structure for storing a plurality of slide glasses. The slide glass transport unit 2 transports the slide glasses taken out from the slide glass storage unit 1 one by one as an automatic take-out device. The slide glass placing section 3 has an XY table on which the slide glass transported by the slide glass transport section 2 is placed and moves the placed slide glass by a small amount. The slide glass imaging unit 4 captures a microscope image of a tissue sample of the slide glass that is scanned and moved by the slide glass mounting unit 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slide glass storage unit 1 includes a support frame 11, a holder unit 12, and a slide glass cassette 13. Note that at least the support frame 11 and the holder portion 12 constitute a cassette holder. The holder 12 is held by the support frame 11 so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis AX in the direction indicated by the arrow S1, and the support frame 11 is slid so that the slide glass outlet is directed upward. While holding the holder unit 12 in a tilted position (second position shown in FIG. 2), the slide glass cassette 13 stands upright so that the slide glass outlet is positioned vertically ( The holder 12 is held in the first posture shown in FIG. Between the first posture and the second posture, the holder portion 12 rotates at a constant rotation speed about the horizontal axis AX.

As shown in FIG. 4, an opening / closing door 14 that covers the outer surface of the holder portion 12 is fixed to the outer surface side of the holder portion 12. A push mark M for releasing the catcher is provided at the center of the upper surface of the opening / closing door 14. A detachable catcher that engages both is disposed between a predetermined portion on the inner surface of the opening / closing door 14 corresponding to the push mark M and the support frame 11.

A lock mechanism 15 is provided between the lower part of the opening / closing door 14 and the lower part of the support frame 11 to hold the holder part 12 in the first posture shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lock mechanism 15 includes an electromagnetic plunger 15A installed on the upper surface of the lower frame 11A of the support frame 11, and a door 14 at a position corresponding to the electromagnetic plunger 15A. And an engagement piece 15 B provided at the lower part of the frame. The engagement piece 15B is formed with a notch 15B1 for engaging the plunger pin 15A1 of the electromagnetic plunger 15A.

[0026] Such a locking mechanism 15 has a first posture in which the holder portion 12 is shown in FIG. Then, when held by the support frame 11, the plunger pin 15A1 of the electromagnetic plunger 15A fits into the notch 15B1 of the engagement piece 15B, thereby maintaining the first posture of the holder portion 12 (see FIG. 4).

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slide glass transport unit 2 as an automatic take-out device is disposed on the front side of the slide glass storage unit 1 and extends in the left and right Y-axis directions. A stage 21, a Z-axis stage 22 extending in the Z-axis direction above the Y-axis stage 21, and an X-axis stage 23 extending from the Z-axis stage 22 in the front and rear X-axis directions.

[0028] The Y-axis stage 21 controls the position of the Z-axis stage 22 in the Y-axis direction by a ball screw mechanism driven by a stepping motor. Further, the Z-axis stage 22 controls the position of the X-axis stage 23 in the Z-axis direction by a belt conveyance mechanism 22A driven by a stepping motor. The X-axis stage 23 controls the position of the moving base 23B in the X-axis direction by the belt conveyance mechanism 23A driven by the stepping motor.

[0029] An L-shaped engagement plate 22B protruding in the Y-axis direction from below the X-axis stage 23 is attached to the lower part of the Z-axis stage 22. Correspondingly, an L-shaped engagement plate 14A slide-engaged with an engagement plate 22B that moves in the Y-axis direction together with the Z-axis stage 22 is provided at the lower part of the open / close door 14 fixed to the holder portion 12. It is attached. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the Z-axis stage 22 is moved to the front side of the slide glass storage unit 1, the door 14 and the holder unit 12 are held by the support frame 11 in the first posture.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the X-axis stage 23 is attached with a drawer hand 23C and a positioning guide 23D. The drawer node 23C sequentially pulls out the slide glasses SG one by one from each slide glass cassette 13 in the slide glass storage unit 1, and transports the pulled slide glasses SG placed thereon. The positioning guide 23D prevents the slide glass SG pulled out from the slide glass cassette 13 by the drawer hand 23C from being displaced from both side forces S in the pull-out direction.

[0031] The drawer node 23C has a distal end portion facing the slide glass storage portion 1 and a proximal end portion (the other end positioned in the direction opposite to the distal end) fixed to the moving base 23B. The arch I, No. 2 3C moves relative to the slide glass storage part 1 when the position of the moving base 23B is controlled in the X-axis direction. And at the tip of the drawer slot 23C, it protrudes by bending upward 23C1 is formed, and when the bow I cut-out node 23C is inserted into the slide glass cassette 13, the rear end of the slide glass SG containing this projection 23C1 (the back of the slide glass force set 13) Side). By providing the projection 23C1 in this way, the slide glass SG is taken out from the slide glass cassette 13 in accordance with the movement of the drawer node 23C.

On the other hand, the positioning guide 23D has a pair of guide rails 23D1 extending in the X-axis direction so as to support both sides of the slide glass SG along the pull-out direction of the slide glass SG. In these guide rails 23D1, a taper introduction portion 23D2 is formed in the portion that receives the drawer end portion of the slide glass SG, and the interval between the guide rails 23D1 is increased in a taper shape toward the slide glass storage portion 1 side. .

[0033] A slide glass detection sensor 23E, an origin position detection sensor 23F, and a forward limit sensor 23G are attached to the X-axis stage 23. The slide glass detection sensor 23E includes a reflected light photosensor for detecting the presence or absence of the slide glass cassette 13 and the slide glass SG. The origin position detection sensor 23F includes a transmitted light type photosensor for stopping the drawer node 23C at the origin return position. The forward limit sensor 23G includes a transmitted light photosensor for regulating an overrun of the forward movement of the drawer hand 23C.

Here, the slide glass cassette 13 of the slide glass storage unit 1 shown in FIG. 2 has a structure in which, for example, three housings 13A are connected vertically as shown in FIG. Each casing 13A is formed in a vertically long box shape from an appropriate synthetic resin material. Such a slide glass cassette 13 stores slide glasses SG inserted, for example, 10 sheets from the front opening of each housing 13A in a sequentially stacked state.

[0035] A handle 13B screwed in the vicinity of the opening of the housing 13A is disposed on the upper surface of the housing 13A located at the uppermost part constituting the upper surface of the slide glass cassette 13. As shown in FIG. 7, the handle 13B is formed with a detection surface 13B1 substantially coinciding with the end surface of the slide glass SG extraction end. The detection surface 13B1 is formed by the slide glass detection sensor 23E. Detected.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, a positioning hole 13C is formed in the central portion of the bottom surface of the housing 13A that is positioned at the lowermost part constituting the bottom surface of the slide glass cassette 13. And As shown in FIG. 10, on the back of each housing 13A that forms the back of the slide glass cassette 13, the tip of the drawer node 23C of the X-axis stage 23 shown in FIG. Each 13D is formed.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the rectangular inner walls inserted from the openings as shown in FIG. 12 are formed on the left and right inner walls of each housing 13A constituting the slide glass cassette 13. A pair of rail members 13F is arranged as a guide for supporting both sides of the slide glass SG. By placing the slide glass SG on these rail members 13F, the storage position of each slide glass SG is defined.

[0038] Each rail member 13F is arranged on the inner wall on the left side of housing 13A in a state of being separated from each other by a predetermined distance along the stacking direction of slide glass SG. Similarly, the rail members 13F are also arranged on the inner wall on the right side of the housing 13A in a state of being separated from each other by a predetermined distance along the stacking direction of the slide glasses SG. As shown in FIG. 11, in one of the pair of rail members 13F, a stopper member having a restricting structure 13G for restricting movement in the take-out direction of the slide glass SG at the front end thereof. 13E is provided. In particular, the restricting structure 13G of the stopper member 13E has a contact surface that faces only the left corner of the take-out end of the corresponding slide glass SG provided with the barcode area BC (see FIG. 12) of the corresponding slide glass SG. The step part comprised by these is included.

[0039] Each stopper member 13E has an L shape so as to receive a corner portion of the slide glass SG, and the upper step is preferably a dimension equal to or less than the thickness of one slide glass SG. That's right. The stopper member 13F has a shape in which the opening surface force of the opening of the housing 13A protrudes toward the front side. On the other hand, the end on the near side of each rail member 13F is located near the opening surface of the opening of the housing 13A.

On the other hand, the holder portion 12 (which constitutes a part of the cassette holder) in the slide glass storage portion 1 shown in FIG. 2 is in a state where the slide glass cassette 13 shown in FIG. 8 is detachable. It has a structure to be attached. Further, the support frame 11 holds the slide glass cassette 13 in at least one of the above-described first and second postures. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the holder portion 12 has a bottom plate portion 12A, a back plate portion 12B, left and right side plate portions 12C, 12C, and is configured in a body-like shape with the front and top surfaces open. Have. [0041] The upper surface of the bottom plate portion 12A is a mounting surface 12A1 on which, for example, seven slide glass cassettes 13 are mounted in a state of being horizontally disposed. In addition, a plurality of positioning protrusions 12A2 that fit into the positioning holes 13C on the bottom surface of each slide glass cassette 13 are formed on the mounting surface 12A1. Further, the front surface of the back plate portion 12B that is continuous with the placement surface 12A1 is a guide surface 12B1 that supports the back surface of each slide glass cassette 13. The guide surface 12B1 is provided with a plurality of positioning guide rails 12B2 that support the left and right side surfaces on the back side of each slide glass cassette 13.

[0042] Here, the upper part of the slide glass cassette 13 inserted between the plurality of guide rails 12B2 is detachably attached to the back plate part 12B. Engagement grooves 12B3 facing the left and right side surfaces are formed. Correspondingly, the uppermost casing 13A constituting the upper part of the slide glass cassette 13 shown in FIG. 8 is formed with engagement pieces 13H projecting in the lateral direction on the rear side and in the lateral direction. Yes. The lower part of the engagement piece 13H has a wedge shape so as to engage with the engagement groove 12B3 without loosening (see FIG. 11).

[0043] In order to capture a microscope image of a tissue sample or the like using the microscope image capturing apparatus configured as described above, first, a plurality of slide glasses SG in which a tissue sample to be imaged is enclosed are sealed. prepare. The plurality of slide glasses SG are manually stored in the slide glass storage portion 1 shown in FIG. That is, the plurality of slide glasses SG are stacked in a state where they are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the slide glass cassette 13 shown in FIG. 8 (stored in the housing 13A). Thus, the slide glass cassette 13 storing the plurality of slide glasses SG is mounted in parallel on the holder portion 12 shown in FIG.

[0044] When the slide glass SG is stored in the slide glass cassette 13, the bar code area BC on the take-out end side of the slide glass SG shown in FIG. The slide glass SG is inserted into each housing 13A of the slide glass cassette 13 through the opening from the front end. Then, both sides of the slide glass SG are placed on rail members 13F disposed on the left and right inner walls of each housing 13A.

[0045] When the plurality of slide glasses SG are thus placed on the rail members 13F, the slide glass cassette 13 is once tilted rearward as shown in Fig. 14 and then shown in Fig. 15. As described above, the slide glass cassette 13 is tilted forward toward the opening on the front side. During this series of operations, each slide glass SG slides on each rail member 13F. By this storing operation, the left corner of the take-out end of each slide glass SG on the barcode area BC side corresponds to the restriction structure 13G (included in the stopper member 13E) formed on the front end of the rail member 13F. (See Figure 12). With this structure, each slide glass SG is securely stored in the slide glass cassette 13 regardless of the orientation of the stored slide glass cassette 13.

Here, the stopper member 13E that restricts the movement of each slide glass SG accommodated in the slide glass cassette 13 has a step that is equal to or less than the thickness of one slide glass SG. For this reason, the extra slide glass SG mistakenly placed on the regular slide glass SG will also slide down the opening force of the slide glass cassette 13 when the slide glass cassette 13 is tilted forward as shown in FIG. Then discharged. Therefore, the plurality of slide glasses SG are stacked on the slide glass cassette 13 while being separated from each other by a predetermined distance (a plurality of slide glasses SG are securely stored one by one).

[0047] Since each stopper member 13E is located on the front side from the opening surface of the opening of the slide glass cassette 13, the take-out end of the corresponding slide glass SG engaged with each stopper member 13E is The opening force of the slide glass cassette 13 also protrudes toward the front side and is easy to pick. Therefore, when taking out each used slide glass SG from the slide glass cassette 13, the slide glass SG can be easily extracted by grasping the vicinity of the right corner of the take-out end where the opening force of the slide glass cassette 13 also protrudes. .

[0048] When each slide glass cassette 13 in which a plurality of slide glasses SG are securely stored is attached to the holder portion 12 constituting a part of the cassette holder, first, the opening / closing door 14 shown in FIG. Push mark M part is pressed and the catcher is released. As a result, the holder 12 is tilted together with the open / close door 14 as shown in FIG. At that time, the holder portion 12 is held so that the center of gravity portion thereof is rotatable about the horizontal axis AX with respect to the support frame 11. Therefore, the holder part 12 is gently tilted at a constant rotation speed. Thereafter, the slide glass cassettes 13 are sequentially mounted at predetermined positions of the tilted holder 12 (see FIG. 16).

[0049] To attach the slide glass cassette 13 to the holder portion 12, as shown in FIG. 13, the rear and bottom surfaces of the slide glass cassette 13 are placed on the guide surface 12B1 of the holder portion 12 and the mounting surface. A slide glass cassette 13 is prepared above the holder portion 12 so as to face the placement surface 12A1. Then, the slide glass cassette 13 is pushed toward the mounting surface 12 A1 of the holder portion 12 with the left and right side surfaces on the back side of the slide glass cassette 13 aligned with the guide rails 12B2 on the guide surface 12B1.

Then, in the slide glass cassette 13, a positioning hole 13 C (see FIG. 9) formed on the bottom surface thereof is fitted into the positioning protrusion 12 A 2 provided on the mounting surface 12 A 1 of the holder portion 12. At the same time, the engagement pieces 13H formed on the left and right side surfaces on the upper back side of the slide glass cassette 13 are engaged with the engagement grooves 12B3 formed on the upper portion of the guide rail 12B2 of the holder portion 12. Thus, the slide glass cassette 13 is securely mounted in a state where it is accurately positioned at a predetermined position of the holder portion 12. At this time, the bottom surface of the slide glass cassette 13 is supported by the mounting surface 12A1 of the holder portion 12.

[0051] When all the mounting operations of the slide glass cassette 13 to the holder unit 12 are completed, the holder unit 12 returns to the standing posture (first posture shown in FIG. 3) together with the door 14 as shown in FIG. The holder 12 is held in an upright posture by a catcher provided between the opening / closing door 14 and the support frame 11. Here, the holder portion 12 is held by the support frame 11 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis AX passing through the center of gravity of the holder portion 12, so that the holder portion 12 is tilted (see FIG. 2). The return movement from the 2 position) to the standing position (the 1st position shown in Fig. 3) is realized with a light force.

[0052] Thus, when the holder portion 12 returns while tilting posture force is also rotated to the standing posture, each slide glass SG housed in the slide glass cassette 13 is arranged for each rail member 13F of the slide glass cassette 13. The movement of the stopper member 13E is restricted by the restriction structure 13G. Therefore, the stored slide glass SG does not jump out of the slide glass cassette 13 inadvertently.

[0053] When the holder portion 12 returns together with the open / close door 14 while rotating in an upright position, the plunger pin 15A1 of the electromagnetic plunger 15A of the lock mechanism 15 is moved to the notch 15B1 of the engagement piece 15B as shown in FIG. The holder 12 is maintained in the standing posture. Accordingly, the Z-axis stage 22 of the slide glass transport unit 2 shown in FIG. 2 can move to the front side of the slide glass storage unit 1 without interfering with the slide glass storage unit 1. [0054] When the Z-axis stage 22 moves to the front side of the slide glass storage unit 1 along the Y-axis direction of the Y-axis stage 21, the engagement plate 22 板 provided at the lower part of the vertical axis stage 22 opens and closes. It is slidably engaged with an engagement plate 14A provided at the lower part of 14. This prevents the opening / closing door 14 and the holder 12 from being tilted. In this manner, the slide glass transport unit 2 can take out the slide glasses SG one by one from each slide glass cassette 13 of the slide glass storage unit 1 by the drawer node 23C provided on the X-axis stage 23.

Here, the slide glass transport unit 2 as an automatic take-out device controls the position of the vertical stage 22 in the vertical direction along with the X-axis stage 23 and also controls the position of the X-axis stage 23 in the vertical direction. To control. As a result, the presence or absence of each slide glass SG stored in the slide glass cassette 13 and the slide glass cassette 13 is detected by the slide glass detection sensor 23Ε which also has a reflected light photosensor force provided on the X-axis stage 23 shown in FIG. Detected.

That is, the slide glass transport unit 2 raises the X-axis stage 23 to the position facing the upper part of the slide glass cassette 13 in the radial direction, and detects the handle 13B fixed to the upper part of the slide glass cassette 13 The reflected light from surface 13B1 is detected by slide glass detection sensor 23mm. By this operation, the slide glass transport unit 2 detects the presence or absence of the slide glass cassette 13. When the presence of the slide glass cassette 13 is detected, the slide glass transport unit 2 lowers the X-axis stage 23 by a predetermined pitch in the vertical axis direction, and slides the reflected light having the end face force at the take-out end of each slide glass SG. Glass detection sensor Detects with 23mm. By this operation, the presence or absence of the slide glass SG is detected.

[0057] When the presence of the slide glass SG is detected, the slide glass transport section 2 stops the X-axis stage 23 at a height position where the drawer node 23C can be inserted below the slide glass SG. Then, the slide glass transport unit 2 controls the position in the X-axis direction of the moving table 23Β of the X-axis stage 23 to advance the drawer node 23C to a predetermined advance position. At that time, the slide glass SG is placed on the drawer node 23C by slightly raising the X-axis stage 23 in the axial direction. Subsequently, the drawer node 23C is retracted to a predetermined home position by controlling the position of the moving base 23Β. When the drawer node 23C moves backward, the end surface of the slide glass SG placed on the drawer node 23C comes into contact with the projection 23C1 at the tip of the drawer node 23C, and the slide glass SG aligns with the positioning guide. Pulled on 23D.

Thereafter, the slide glass transport unit 2 controls the position of the Z-axis stage 22 in the Y-axis direction, and also controls the position of the X-axis stage 23 in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the slide glass SG placed on the drawer node 23 C is conveyed to the slide glass placement section 3 shown in FIG. Then, the drawer node 23C is advanced to a predetermined forward position by controlling the position in the X-axis direction of the movable table 23B of the X-axis stage 23. At this time, the X-axis stage 23 is slightly lowered in the Z-axis direction so that the slide glass SG on the drawer node 23C is placed on the XY table of the slide glass placement section 3.

[0059] Here, in the slide glass cassette 13 and the holder unit 12 of one embodiment applied as a part of the microscope image pickup apparatus, a plurality of slide glasses SG are laminated on the slide glass cassette 13 as described above. Each of the slide glass cassettes 13 is securely mounted in the holder 12 in a state where the slide glass cassette 13 is accurately positioned at a predetermined position. Therefore, the slide glass transport unit 2 as an automatic takeout device can reliably take out the slide glasses SG one by one from each slide glass cassette 13 of the slide glass storage unit 1.

Note that the slide glass cassette and cassette holder according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the rail member having the stopper member shown in FIG. 11 and the rail member without the stopper member may be arranged opposite to each other on the left and right. Also, instead of the rail members arranged on the right side of the opening in FIG. 11, a stopper member may be arranged on the right side of the opening.

From the above description of the present invention, it is apparent that the present invention can be variously modified. Such modifications cannot be construed as departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all obvious modifications to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. Industrial applicability

The slide glass cassette and the cassette holder according to the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for automatically storing and managing a large amount of specimens used in, for example, a microscope image capturing apparatus or the like as an inspection apparatus for cell analysis or the like. is there.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A casing having a space for storing a plurality of slide glasses in a state of being stacked in a first direction, on a slide glass cassette storing the plurality of slide glasses in a removable state;

An opening provided in the housing that enables insertion and removal of the plurality of slide glasses from the housing space of the housing;

The casing is provided so as to correspond to each of the plurality of slide glasses, and extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and is separated from each other by a predetermined distance along the first direction. A plurality of guides disposed on the inner wall of the first slide, each of which has a corresponding slide glass inserted through the opening, and the corresponding slide glass is stored along the first direction. A plurality of guides defining

A plurality of stopper members provided to correspond to each of the plurality of guides, each having a restricting structure for restricting movement of the slide glass placed on the corresponding guide in the second direction. And a stopper glass member, and a slide glass force set.

[2] In the slide glass cassette according to claim 1,

Each of the plurality of guides includes a pair of rail members, and the corresponding stopper member among the plurality of stopper members is attached to at least one of the pair of rail members.

[3] In the slide glass cassette according to claim 1 or 2,

Each of the limiting structures provided on the plurality of stopper members is in contact with at least a part of a side surface of the corresponding slide glass when the corresponding slide glass is placed on the corresponding guide among the plurality of guides. The step part which comprises a surface is included.

[4] In the slide glass cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

Each of the restriction structures provided on the plurality of stopper members is provided at the tip portion of the corresponding stopper member, and the corresponding stopper member is attached so that the restriction structure at the tip is located outside the housing. Through the opening from the corresponding guide And has a shape protruding along the second direction.

[5] A cassette holder that holds the slide glass cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in a detachable state, and

A guide surface on which a back surface facing the opening of the slide glass cassette is abutted; a bottom surface orthogonal to the back surface of the slide glass cassette; and a mounting surface that holds the entire slide glass force set; A holder part provided with positioning rails for restricting movement of the slide glass cassette along a direction parallel to the mounting surface; and

A support frame that holds the entire holder portion in a rotatable state about an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the positioning rail extends, at least with respect to the installation surface on which the support frame is installed Holding the holder portion in a first posture in which the guide surface is vertical, and a support frame holding the holder portion in a second posture in which the guide surface is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the installation surface. Cassette holder with.

[6] The cassette holder according to claim 5,

A locking mechanism for holding the holder portion in the first posture with respect to the support frame;