WO2016163122A1

WO2016163122A1 - Stage apparatus and microscope

Info

Publication number: WO2016163122A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/001933
Authority: WO
Inventors: Masahiro Ando
Original assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2015-04-08
Filing date: 2016-04-06
Publication date: 2016-10-13

Abstract

A stage apparatus which includes a stage moving in a predetermined direction includes a conversion unit that mechanically converts an operation input of a user from an operation input unit into a driving force of moving the stage in the predetermined direction. The stage apparatus includes a transmission unit that transmits the operation input to the conversion unit by making the operation input unit and the conversion unit cooperate with each other, and a switching unit that switches between a state in which the operation input unit and the conversion unit are in cooperation with each other by the transmission unit, and a cooperation released state.

Description

STAGE APPARATUS AND MICROSCOPE

The present invention relates to a stage apparatus and, more particularly, to a stage apparatus applied to a microscope.

In general, in a microscopic examination or the like, a microscopic stage places a slide glass on which an observation target is placed and is moved such that the observation target portion comes to immediately below (observation field) of an objective lens. In a microscopic observation, there is a requirement to move a measurement part precisely each time by a microdistance. Because of such a requirement, a microscopic stage apparatus is formed by an XY stage so that it can move arbitrarily, such as in the X and Y directions. For that movement, a driving mechanism capable of a precise feed operation by a microdistance is installed.

The position of the XY stage can be managed by providing an encoder in a motor which drives the XY stage or reading a scale provided on the XY stage with a sensor. Therefore, it becomes also possible to move the XY stage automatically to an observation position (coordinate position) designated by an external computer or the like. By moving the XY stage automatically to the coordinate position externally designated as described above, the XY stage can be moved to a desired position immediately.

However, when a user wants to observe the periphery of the current observation position further after moving the XY stage automatically as described above, it is troublesome to move the XY stage by giving the coordinate position of a moving destination. Therefore, it is also required that the user can perform fine adjustment of an X-Y position manually while observing an image under a microscope. When moving the XY stage by mixing automatic driving and a manual operation as described above, an XY stage capable of switching between automatic driving movement and manual movement of the XY stage smoothly is needed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-231228 (to be referred to as literature 1 hereinafter) has proposed a configuration of moving a microscopic stage automatically and a configuration of storing coordinates. However, literature 1 gives no consideration of switching to a manual operation for performing a fine operation. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-508282 (to be referred to as literature 2 hereinafter) has proposed a configuration of moving an XY stage with a signal corresponding to a manual operation amount. However, literature 2 gives no consideration of switching between automatic movement and manual movement of the XY stage. As described above, proposals in literature 1 and literature 2 give no consideration of an automatic/manual switching mechanism. It is therefore impossible to smoothly deal with a case in which, for example, fine movement needs to be performed by the manual operation after moving the XY stage automatically. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-066518 (to be referred to as literature 3 hereinafter) has disclosed a manual operation by an operation knob and an operation by an electric motor. Literature 3 has also disclosed a method of switching between movement by the operation knob and movement while gripping a stage directly by performing a switching operation in an electromagnetic arrangement such as a solenoid with a release bar. However, roller switching in literature 3 is a method of locking a wire. It is therefore necessary to fix or release the wire with respect to the X stage and the Y stage, respectively, complicating a mechanism. In addition, pressing the wire itself by locking is not desirable for the wire having a stranded wire structure.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stage apparatus capable of switching whether to perform manual driving of a stage easily via an operation input unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stage apparatus which includes a stage moving in a predetermined direction, the apparatus comprising: conversion means for mechanically converting an operation input of a user from an operation input unit into a driving force of moving the stage in the predetermined direction; transmission means for transmitting the operation input to the conversion means by making the operation input unit and a conversion mechanism cooperate with each other; and switching means for switching between a state of cooperation by the transmission means and a released state of cooperation.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stage apparatus for a microscope comprising: a stage which places an observation target thereon; a base which supports the stage; and a moving mechanism which moves the stage in a predetermined moving direction along a surface of the stage with respect to the base, wherein the moving mechanism includes a stage driving wheel which is supported by one of the stages and the base, and moves the stage, a power wheel coupled to a driving member which generates a rotation driving force, a transmission wheel which couples the power wheel and the stage driving wheel to each other, and a transmission wheel movable mechanism which controls driving of the transmission wheel to a coupled state and an uncoupled state.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings).

Fig. 1 is a view showing the arrangement of a microscope system. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the outline of a stage according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3A is a schematic view showing a base stage, a Y stage, and an X stage which constitute the stage. Fig. 3B is a schematic view showing a base stage, a Y stage, and an X stage which constitute the stage. Fig. 3C is a schematic view showing a base stage, a Y stage, and an X stage which constitute the stage. Fig. 3D is a schematic view showing a base stage, a Y stage, and an X stage which constitute the stage. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing an automatic/manual switching unit according to the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a view showing the automatic/manual switching unit according to the first embodiment when viewed from below. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a wire unit according to the first embodiment. Fig. 7 is a bottom view showing the wire unit according to the first embodiment. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the outline of a stage according to the second embodiment. Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a switching unit according to the second embodiment. Fig. 10 is a view showing the switching unit according to the second embodiment when viewed from below. Fig. 11 is a schematic view showing the section of a lever portion according to the second embodiment. Fig. 12 is a view for explaining an arrangement in which an X switching roller and a Y switching roller are set to be coaxial with each other. Fig. 13A is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a stage according to the third embodiment. Fig. 13B is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a stage according to the third embodiment. Fig. 14 is a view showing a state in which a switching unit is incorporated into the stage according to the third embodiment. Fig. 15A is a view for explaining the switching unit according to the third embodiment. Fig. 15B is a view for explaining the switching unit according to the third embodiment. Fig. 16A is a view for explaining a switching operation of the switching unit according to the third embodiment. and Fig. 16B is a view for explaining a switching operation of the switching unit according to the third embodiment. and Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a driving circuit of a switching motor according to the third embodiment.

Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a view showing the basic arrangement of a position management microscope system (to be referred to as a microscope system 100 hereinafter) according to this embodiment. The microscope system 100 includes a microscope body 101, a microscope stage apparatus (to be referred to as a stage apparatus 200 hereinafter), an adapter unit 300 for mounting a camera, a digital camera 400, and a control unit 500. The control unit 500 includes a controller 501 and a display 502.

A microscope base stand 121 which constitutes the microscope body 101 is a rigid main body frame for attaching various structures of a microscope. An eyepiece base 122 is fixed to the microscope base stand 121 and connects an eyepiece barrel 123 (a binocular lens barrel in this example). A light source box 124 accommodates a light source (for example, a halogen lamp or an LED) for transmission observation and is attached to the microscope base stand 121. A Z knob 125 is a knob for moving a Z base 130 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). The Z base 130 includes a stage which moves in a predetermined direction and places thereon the stage apparatus 200 which provides a position management function. The stage apparatus 200 of this embodiment includes an XY stage which is parallel to a stage plane, and moves in the X direction and the Y direction perpendicular to each other. The Z base 130 is mounted on the microscope base stand 121 by a Z base moving mechanism 131 which moves the Z base 130 in the Z direction in accordance with rotation of the Z knob 125. Reference numeral 126 denotes an objective lens unit. A plurality of types of units corresponding to optical magnifications exist. A revolver 127 has a structure in which the plurality of types of objective lens units 126 can be attached. A desired objective lens unit can be selected for microscopic observation by rotating the revolver 127.

The stage apparatus 200 mounts a slide, and forms the XY stage which moves on the X-Y plane including the X direction and the Y direction. The stage apparatus 200 is connected to the controller 501 by, for example, a USB interface cable 112, moves a stage position in the X and Y directions in accordance with a moving instruction from the controller 501, and notifies the controller 501 of that stage position. The stage position can be moved by a manual operation using an X knob 201 and a Y knob 202. The stage apparatus 200 includes a stage base mounted on and fixed to the Z base 130, a Y stage which moves on the stage base in the Y direction, and an X stage which moves on the Y stage in the X direction, details of which will be described later. The adapter unit 300 is an adapter for mounting a camera which functions as a mounting unit configured to mount the digital camera 400 to the eyepiece base 122 via a lens base mount 128.

The digital camera 400 is detachably attached to the microscope body 101 via the adapter unit 300 and the lens base mount 128 while keeping a predetermined positional relationship with the eyepiece base 122. The digital camera 400 captures a microscope image obtained by the microscope body 101. The digital camera 400 aims at evidence recording. For example, the digital camera 400 is connected to the controller 501 via a USB interface cable 111 and captures an observation image under the microscope by an instruction from the controller 501. The captured observation image is displayed on the display 502 under the control of the controller 501. An image capturing function of the digital camera 400 includes a live image capturing function of performing a so-called live view operation of displaying an image sensor output on a monitor in real time and a still image capturing function. The live image capturing function is lower in resolution than the still image capturing function. The live image capturing function and the still image capturing function can transmit captured image (a moving image and a still image) to an external apparatus via a predetermined interface (a USB interface in this embodiment).

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall stage apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 only shows an X stage 220 and a Y stage 240 of the stage apparatus 200. However, a stage base 260 (Fig. 3D) is further provided in order to support the Y stage 240 to be movable in the Y direction with respect to the Z base 130. An observation target is placed on the X stage 220. A moving mechanism which moves the X stage 220 and the Y stage 240 in predetermined directions (the X direction and the Y direction) along the surfaces of those stages is provided on them. Each structure of the stage base 260, the Y stage 240, and the X stage 220 of the stage apparatus 200 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3.

Fig. 3A is a schematic view showing the upper side (viewed from an objective lens side) of the X stage 220. The X stage 220 has an X stage function of moving on the Y stage 240 in the X direction. Two X-axis cross roller guides 231 are disposed in parallel to the X-axis direction on the lower side of the X stage 220. X-axis cross roller guides 241 (Fig. 3B) are attached on the Y stage 240 so as to face the X-axis cross roller guides 231. Consequently, the Y stage 240 supports the X stage 220 slidably in the X direction. An X slider 232 is a moving object of an X-axis driving motor 242 (Fig. 3B) embedded in an opposite surface of the Y stage 240. The X-axis driving motor 242 drives the X stage 220 in the X-axis direction. That is, the X-axis driving motor 242 and the X slider 232 form, for example, a linear motor by an ultrasonic wave. The X-axis driving motor 242 and the X slider 232 convert an electrical signal into a driving force of moving the X stage 220 in the X direction. The X stage 220 moves in the X direction with respect to the Y stage 240.

Fig. 3B is a schematic view showing the upper side (viewed from the side of the X stage 220) of the Y stage 240. Fig. 3C is a schematic view showing the lower side (viewed from the side of the Z base 130) of the Y stage 240. In Fig. 3B, the X-axis cross roller guides 241 are paired with the X-axis cross roller guides 231 disposed on the lower side of the X stage 220 and support the X stage 220 slidably in the X-axis direction, as described above. The X-axis driving motor 242 moves the X stage 220 in the X direction via the X slider 232 of the X stage 220.

An X knob roller 1 interlocked with the X knob 201, an X switching roller 2, and an X first pulley 3 are arranged on the upper side of the Y stage 240. When the X knob roller 1 rotates by a rotation operation of the X knob 201, the X first pulley 3 rotates via the X switching roller 2. As shown in Fig. 3B, an X wire 13 is looped around the X first pulley 3, an X first intermediate pulley 20, an X second pulley 23, and an X second intermediate pulley 19. An X wire fixing unit 22 moves in the X direction in accordance with movement of the X wire 13 by rotating the X first pulley 3. As shown in Fig. 3A, the X wire fixing unit 22 is fixed to the lower side of the X stage 220, and thus the X stage 220 also moves in the X direction as the X wire fixing unit 22 moves in the X direction.

Two Y-axis cross roller guides 251 are disposed in parallel to the Y-axis on the lower side of the Y stage 240 (Fig. 3C). Y-axis cross roller guides 261 paired with the Y-axis cross roller guides 251 are attached on the stage base 260 (Fig. 3D). Consequently, the stage base 260 supports the Y stage 240 slidably in the Y direction. A Y slider 252 is a moving object of a Y-axis driving motor 262 (Fig. 3D) embedded in an opposite surface of the stage base 260. The Y-axis driving motor 262 drives the Y stage 240 in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis driving motor 262 and the Y slider 252 form, for example, a linear motor by an ultrasonic wave. The Y-axis driving motor 262 and the Y slider 252 convert an electrical signal into a driving force of moving the Y stage 240 in the Y direction. The Y stage 240 moves in the Y direction with respect to the stage base 260.

A Y knob roller 18 interlocked with rotation of the Y knob 202, a Y switching roller 17, and a Y first pulley 16 are arranged on the lower side of the Y stage 240. When the Y knob roller 18 rotates by rotating the Y knob 202, the Y first pulley 16 rotates via the Y switching roller 17. As shown in Fig. 3C, a Y wire 15 is looped around the Y first pulley 16 and a Y second pulley 33. A Y wire fixing unit 14 moves in the Y direction in accordance with movement of the Y wire 15 by rotating the Y first pulley 16. As shown in Fig. 3D, the Y wire fixing unit 14 is fixed to the upper side of the stage base 260, and thus the Y stage 240 moves in the X direction with respect to the stage base 260 as the Y wire fixing unit 14 moves in the X direction.

The stage base 260 will now be described with reference to Fig. 3D. Fig. 3D is a schematic view showing the upper side of the stage base 260 (viewing the stage base 260 from the side of the Y stage 240). The lower side of the stage base 260 is fixed to the Z base 130. The Y-axis cross roller guides 261 are paired with the Y-axis cross roller guides 251 disposed on the lower side of the Y stage 240 and support the Y stage 240 slidably in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis driving motor 262 is a motor for moving the Y stage 240 (Y slider 252) by electric power in the Y direction.

A switching unit 280 configured to switch between automatic movement and manual movement in the stage apparatus 200 of this embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2, 4, and 5. Note that Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the switching unit 280 shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is a view showing a state of the switching unit 280 viewed from the lower side. The switching unit 280 includes:
- a conversion mechanism that mechanically converts operation inputs of a user from the X knob 201 and the Y knob 202 serving as operation input units into driving forces of moving the XY stage in the X and Y directions;
- a transmission mechanism that transmits the operation inputs to the conversion mechanism by making the operation input units and the conversion mechanism cooperate with each other; and
- a switching mechanism that switches between a cooperated state by the transmission mechanism and a cooperation released state.

The X knob roller 1 serving as a power wheel rotates interlocked (synchronized) with the X knob 201 configured to move the XY stage manually in the X direction and serving as a driving member which generates a rotation driving force. The X switching roller 2 serving as a transmission wheel is a roller for switching between automatic movement and manual movement of the XY stage in the X direction, and forms the switching mechanism and the transmission mechanism described above. The X first pulley 3 serving as a stage driving wheel is a pulley, around which the X wire 13 is wound, for moving the X stage 220 in the X direction in manual movement and forms the above-described conversion mechanism. A press roller 3a having the diameter larger than the diameter of a roller portion wound with the X wire 13 and configured to be pressed against the X switching roller 2 is integrally formed in the X first pulley 3. A worm gear 9 is inserted under pressure on the rotating shaft of a switching motor 12. The worm gear 9 also rotates by rotating the rotating shaft of the switching motor 12. A gear 10 with a cam configured to switch between automatic movement and manual movement of the XY stage rotates by rotating the worm gear 9. A first lever 28 rotates and moves along the cam groove of the gear 10 with the cam with a lever fulcrum 11 as a rotation center.

Each of a first photosensor 24 and a second photosensor 25 detects the rotation position of the gear 10 with the cam by detecting a shielding plate 7 of the gear 10 with the cam. A cam pin 26 is provided so as to fit in the cam groove of the gear 10 with the cam. A charge spring 27 connects the first lever 28 and a second lever 29 with each other, and provides a force for pressing the X switching roller 2 against the X knob roller 1 and the press roller 3a of the X first pulley 3 in manual driving of the stage apparatus 200. The first lever 28 and the second lever 29 rotate about the lever fulcrum 11. A lock pin 30 provides a lock function of preventing the first lever 28 and the second lever 29 from rotating by a predetermined amount or more when they are pressed by the charge spring 27. The respective constituent elements (the first lever 28, the second lever 29, the switching motor 12, and the like) of the switching unit are placed on a base 31. The switching unit provides a transmission wheel movable mechanism which controls driving of the X switching roller 2 serving as the transmission wheel to a coupled state (a state in which the X switching roller 2 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and the press roller 3a) and an uncoupled state (a state in which the X switching roller 2 is spaced apart from the X knob roller 1 and the press roller 3a).

The Y knob roller 18 serving as a power wheel rotates interlocked (synchronized) with the Y knob 202 configured to move the XY stage manually in the Y direction. The Y switching roller 17 serving as a transmission wheel is a roller for switching between automatic movement and manual movement of the XY stage in the Y direction, and forms the switching mechanism and the transmission mechanism. The Y first pulley 16 serving as a stage driving wheel is a pulley, around which the Y wire 15 is wound, for moving the Y stage 240 in the Y direction in manual movement and forms the conversion mechanism. A press roller 16a having the diameter larger than the diameter of a roller portion wound with the Y wire 15 and configured to be pressed against the Y switching roller 17 is integrally formed in the Y first pulley 16. As will be described later, the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are mounted coaxially with the second lever 29, and move simultaneously by moving the second lever 29. Therefore, the above-described arrangement provides a transmission wheel movable mechanism which controls driving of the Y switching roller 17 to a coupled state and an uncoupled state (a state in which the Y switching roller 17 is pressed against the Y knob roller 18 and the press roller 16a, and a state in which the Y switching roller 17 is spaced apart from the Y knob roller 18 and the press roller 16a).

Fig. 6 is a view showing a looped state of the X wire 13 and the Y wire 15 for operating the XY stage manually. Fig. 7 is a view showing the lower side of Fig. 6. In Fig. 6, the X wire fixing unit 22 fixes the X wire 13 to the lower side of the X stage 220. The X first intermediate pulley 20, the X second intermediate pulley 19, and the X second pulley 23, respectively, are wound with the X wire 13 for moving the X stage 220 manually in the X direction. As shown in Fig. 6, the X wire 13 is looped around the X first pulley 3, the X second pulley 23, the X first intermediate pulley 20, and the X second intermediate pulley 19. When the X first pulley 3 rotates by rotating the X knob roller 1 in the state in which the X switching roller 2 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 (press roller 3a), the X wire 13 moves accordingly, moving the X wire fixing unit 22 in the X direction. As a result, the X stage 220 to which the X wire fixing unit 22 is fixed moves in the X direction. An X tension adjustment unit 21 is a lever for adjusting the tension of the X wire 13. The tension of the X wire 13 can be adjusted by moving the X tension adjustment unit 21 to the left side in Fig. 6.

Fig. 7 shows the looped state of the Y wire 15 for moving the Y stage 240 manually in the Y direction. The Y wire 15 is looped around the Y first pulley 16 and the Y second pulley 33, as shown in Fig. 7. When the Y first pulley 16 rotates by rotating the Y knob roller 18 in the state in which the Y switching roller 17 is pressed against the Y knob roller 18 and the Y first pulley 16 (press roller 16a), the Y wire 15 moves in the Y direction and the Y wire fixing unit 14 also moves in the Y direction. Since the Y wire fixing unit 14 is fixed to the stage base 260, the Y stage 240 moves in the Y direction with respect to the stage base 260 in accordance with movement of the Y wire fixing unit 14. A Y tension adjustment unit 32 adjusts the tension of the Y wire 15 for moving the Y stage 240. The tension of the Y wire 15 can be adjusted by moving the Y tension adjustment unit 32 to the upper side in Fig. 7.

A manual/automatic switching operation of the stage apparatus 200 according to this embodiment having the above-described arrangement will be described.

As described above, it is possible to move the X stage 220 manually in the X direction by transferring via the X switching roller 2 rotation of the X knob roller 1 which rotates interlocked with the X knob 201 to the X first pulley 3 and moving the X wire 13 by rotating the X first pulley 3. That is, a state capable of operating the X stage 220 manually in the X direction is set by pressing the X switching roller 2 against the X first pulley 3 and the X knob roller 1. By separating the X switching roller 2 from the X first pulley 3 and the X knob roller 1, the X knob 201 cannot move the X stage 220 but the X-axis driving motor 242 can drive the X stage 220.

Likewise, it is possible to move the Y stage 240 manually in the Y direction by transferring via the Y switching roller 17 rotation of the Y knob roller 18 which rotates interlocked with the Y knob 202 to the Y first pulley 16 and moving the Y wire 15 by rotating the Y first pulley 16. That is, a state capable of operating the Y stage 240 manually in the Y direction is set by pressing the Y switching roller 17 against the Y first pulley 16 and the Y knob roller 18. By separating the Y switching roller 17 from the Y first pulley 16 and the Y knob roller 18, the Y knob 202 cannot move the Y stage 240 but the Y-axis driving motor 262 can drive the Y stage 240.

As shown in Fig. 4, in the switching unit 280, the X first pulley 3 and the X knob roller 1 are connected with each other by pressing the X switching roller 2 in an A direction. This makes it possible to move the X stage 220 manually. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, in the switching unit 280, the Y first pulley 16 and the Y knob roller 18 are connected with each other by pressing the Y switching roller 17 in a B direction. This makes it possible to move the Y stage 240 manually. Note that the A direction shown in Fig. 5 and the B direction shown in Fig. 6 are the same direction, and are implemented by moving the second lever 29. An operation of the switching unit 280 will be described in more detail below.

The worm gear 9 inserted under pressure on a motor shaft rotates by rotating the switching motor 12 and the gear 10 with the cam meshed with the worm gear 9 rotates clockwise in Fig. 4 until it shields the second photosensor 25. The cam pin 26 meshed with the cam groove rotates clockwise by rotating the gear 10 with the cam, thereby rotating the first lever 28 and the second lever 29 clockwise (in the A direction). Consequently, the X switching roller 2 coupled to the second lever 29 is pressed against the press roller 3a of the X first pulley 3 and the X knob roller 1. The second lever 29 and the first lever 28 are connected with each other by the charge spring 27, with a constant tension, and rotated integrally by the lock pin 30.

The first lever 28 and the second lever 29 integrally rotate clockwise until the X switching roller 2 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 (press roller 3a). After the X switching roller 2 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 (press roller 3a), the first lever 28 continues to rotate and is separated from the lock pin 30. This applies, to the X switching roller 2, a tension by the charge spring 27 in a pressed direction (A direction). When the X knob roller 1 rotates by rotating the X knob 201 in this state, the X switching roller 2 pressed against this rotates, thereby rotating the X first pulley 3 (press roller 3a). The X wire 13 (X wire fixing unit 22) moves by rotating the X first pulley 3 and the X stage 220 moves in the X direction of Fig. 3A.

The X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 (Fig. 5) are arranged coaxially with the second lever 29, and rotate simultaneously. Therefore, by an operation of setting the above-described X switching roller 2 in a pressed state, the Y switching roller 17 also moves, and is set in a state in which it is pressed against the Y knob roller 18 and the Y first pulley 16 (press roller 16a) wound with the Y wire 15. Therefore, when the Y knob roller 18 rotates by rotating the Y knob 202 in this state, the Y switching roller 17 pressed against this rotates, thereby rotating the Y first pulley 16 (press roller 16a). The Y wire 15 (Y wire fixing unit 14) moves by rotating the Y first pulley 16 and the Y stage 240 moves in the Y direction.

Note that the Y knob 202 and the X knob 201 are structured to rotate independently of each other, the Y knob 202 and the Y knob roller 18 rotate integrally, and the X knob 201 and the X knob roller 1 are structured to rotate integrally.

In order to switch from a manual operation to automatic driving, the switching motor 12 is rotated in a direction opposite to a direction in switching to the manual operation in Fig. 4. The worm gear 9 rotates by rotating the switching motor 12 and the gear 10 with the cam meshed with this rotates counterclockwise. When the shielding plate 7 of the gear 10 with the cam reaches the first photosensor 24, rotation stops. At this time, the first lever 28 in which the cam pin 26 is inserted under pressure and the second lever 29 rotate counterclockwise, and the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are separated from the X first pulley 3 and the Y first pulley 16 simultaneously, and are released from the pressed state. This cancels an interlocked state between the X first pulley 3 and the X knob roller 1 (Fig. 4), and an interlocked state between the Y first pulley 16 and the Y knob roller 18, thereby canceling the manual operation.

In automatic driving, the Y-axis driving motor 262 and the Y slider 252 move the Y stage 240 in the Y direction (the vertical direction in Fig. 3) with respect to the stage base 260, as described above with reference to Figs. 3C and 3D. The X-axis driving motor 242 and the X slider 232 move the X stage 220 in the X direction with respect to the Y stage 240.

According to the above-described structures, when operating the X stage manually, the X switching roller 2 couples the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 to each other such that they can be separated mechanically. In automatic driving of the X stage, the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 are separated from each other by moving the X switching roller 2. It is thus possible to selectively perform a moving method of the X stage automatically/manually. The same also applies to the Y stage. It is further possible to reduce an influence of slight movement at the time of switching caused by a variable element such as a motor vibration, a mechanical load variation, the frictional variation of a knob, or the decentering of each pulley.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the arrangement of switching between the manual operation and automatic driving by the switching motor 12 has been described. In the second embodiment, an arrangement of switching between a manual operation and automatic driving through a lever operation (manual operation) by a user will be described. A stage according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 8 to 11. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the stage according to the second embodiment. Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing a switching unit 280 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 10 is a view showing the lower side of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a view showing a lever portion in manual switching. The same components as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

A first lever 28a is coupled to an X switching roller 2 and a Y switching roller 17, and has the same function as that of the first lever 28 of the first embodiment. However, the first lever 28a has an operation portion for applying an operation force by which a user rotates a first lever 28 about a lever fulcrum 11. That is, while switching between the manual operation and automatic driving is performed by rotating the first lever 28 about the lever fulcrum 11 by driving the switching motor 12 in the first embodiment, switching between manual movement and automatic movement of an XY stage is performed by rotating the first lever 28a about the lever fulcrum 11 by causing the user to operate the operation portion of the first lever 28a in the second embodiment.

In Fig. 9, an X first pulley 3 and an X knob roller 1 are connected with each other by pressing the X switching roller 2 in an A direction. This makes it possible to move an X stage 220 in the X direction by operating an X knob 201 manually. The first lever 28a and a second lever 29 rotate clockwise (in the A direction) by pressing the first lever 28a manually in a C direction in Fig. 9. Consequently, the X switching roller 2 coupled to the second lever 29 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and a press roller 3a having the diameter larger than the diameter of a roller portion of the X first pulley 3 wound with a wire. The second lever 29 and the first lever 28a receive a tension constantly by a charge spring 27, and are rotated integrally by a lock pin 30. The first lever 28a and the second lever 29 integrally rotate clockwise until the X switching roller 2 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3. When the first lever 28a further rotates after the X switching roller 2 is pressed against the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3, the lock pin 30 and the first lever 28a are separated from each other, and a tension by the charge spring 27 in a pressed direction (A direction) is applied to the X switching roller 2.

The X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 (Fig. 10) are arranged coaxially on the second lever 29, and rotate simultaneously. Therefore, the Y switching roller 17 is pressed against a Y knob roller 18 and a press roller 16a having the diameter larger than the diameter of a roller portion of a Y first pulley 16 wound with a Y wire 15 by rotating the second lever 29 in a B direction shown in Fig. 10 (the same as the rotation in the A direction in Fig. 9).

When the X knob roller 1 rotates by rotating the X knob 201 in a pressed state of each switching roller as described above, the X switching roller 2 pressed against this rotates. When the X switching roller 2 rotates, the X first pulley 3 (press roller 3a) pressed against this rotates. An X wire fixing unit (not shown) on an X wire 13 moves in the X direction upon moving the X wire 13 by rotating the X first pulley 3 and an X stage 220 moves in the X direction with respect to a Y stage 240. When the Y knob roller 18 rotates by rotating a Y knob 202, the Y switching roller 17 pressed against this rotates. When the Y switching roller 17 rotates, the Y first pulley 16 (press roller 16a) pressed against this rotates. Upon moving the Y wire 15 by rotating the Y first pulley 16, a Y wire fixing unit 14 moves in the Y direction and the Y stage 240 moves in the Y direction with respect to a stage base 260. The X knob 201 and the Y knob 202 are structured to rotate independently of each other, the X knob 201 and the X knob roller 1 rotate integrally, and the Y knob 202 and the Y knob roller 18 rotate integrally.

A state in which the operation portion of the first lever 28a is pressed in a C direction of Fig. 9 needs to be maintained in order to maintain the pressed state of each switching roller described above. Therefore, a maintaining mechanism as shown in Fig. 11 is provided in this embodiment. That is, as shown in Fig. 11, a spring plate 35 is arranged on a base 31 and a ball portion 36 is pressed against a switching groove 37 provided in the operation portion of the first lever 28a. The ball portion 36 fits in the switching groove 37 in the C direction by pressing the first lever 28a in the C direction, switching the XY stage to a manual operation state.

In order to switch from the manual operation to automatic driving, the first lever 28a and the second lever 29 rotate counterclockwise by pressing the first lever 28a in a D direction of Fig. 11, and the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 rotate counterclockwise simultaneously. Consequently, the X switching roller 2 is separated from the X first pulley 3 and the X knob roller 1, and the Y switching roller 17 is separated from the Y first pulley 16 and the Y knob roller 18, thereby canceling the manual operation state of the XY stage. The ball portion 36 fits in the switching groove 37 of the first lever 28a in the D direction, maintaining an automatic driving state of the XY stage.

In automatic driving, a Y-axis driving motor 262 and a Y slider 252 move the Y stage 240 in the Y direction (the vertical direction in the drawing) with respect to the stage base 260, as in the first embodiment. The X-axis driving motor 242 and the X slider 232 move the X stage 220 in the X direction with respect to the Y stage 240.

With the above-described structure, when operating the X stage manually, the X switching roller 2 couples the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 to each other such that they can be separated mechanically, as in the first embodiment. In automatic driving of the X stage, the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 are separated from each other by moving the X switching roller 2. It is thus possible to selectively perform a moving method of the X stage automatically/manually. The same also applies to the Y stage. It is further possible to simultaneously perform switching between automatic driving and the manual operation of the X stage and the Y stage by one lever operation.

As described above, according to the stage apparatus of each embodiment, it is possible to switch between automatic movement and manual movement of the XY stage easily, and to manually move the stage (observation position) more finely in observation.

The X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are arranged coaxially on the both sides of the second lever 29, and move simultaneously by moving the second lever 29. It is possible to suppress the vertical moment caused by a coaxial shift, and to reduce a mechanical distortion and vibration by arranging and laying out the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 vertically symmetrical with respect to the second lever 29, and by arranging them coaxially as described above. In addition, durability also increases. It is also possible to balance a force, and to reduce occurrence of unwanted resonance (natural vibration) caused by the second lever 29 and slight movement in switching by arranging the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 as described above. It is further possible to suppress fine stage movement in automatic/manual switching by arranging the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 coaxially. Switching between automatic driving and the manual operation in the XY stage can be performed simultaneously in the X and Y directions. It is therefore possible to prevent a fine shift in the XY stage from occurring in switching between automatic driving and the manual operation. In this case, it is preferable that each of the X knob roller 1 and the Y knob roller 18, and the X first pulley 3 and the Y first pulley 16 are arranged coaxially. The above-described effect can be obtained by arranging the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 coaxially. However, such a coaxial arrangement is merely an example of a preferred mode, and the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 may not always be coaxial with each other. However, an arrangement becomes complicated when the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are not coaxial with each other.

Fig. 12 shows an example of an arrangement obtained when the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are coaxial with each other. The X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are arranged coaxially with a roller shaft 40 fixed to the second lever 29, and the rollers include

bearings

39a and 39b, respectively. The

bearings

39a and 39b are fixed by

stop rings

41a and 41b, known as E type retaining rings or the like, so as to prevent them from dropping off the roller shaft. It is possible to reduce a load by including the bearings in the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 as described above. It is further preferable that automatic centering can be performed by a centering type bearing. It is possible, by including the bearings in the automatic/manual switching rollers serving as transmission wheels as described above, to reduce a rotation load and prevent a shift caused by fine movement in switching. It is also possible to suppress fine movement in switching by using an automatic centering bearing as the automatic/manual switching roller.

The wires can be removed from the pulleys by loosening the X tension adjustment unit 21 and the Y tension adjustment unit 32 described in the first embodiment. This facilitates installing operation portions (knobs) separated from each other. Wires are not clamped directly, causing no loss of a wire tension by a clamping portion. This makes it possible to perform tension adjustment accurately.

As described in the first and second embodiments, the X first pulley 3 is integrated with the press roller 3a having the diameter larger than the diameter of the portion wound with the X wire 13 and is pressed against the X switching roller 2 with its large diameter portion. Likewise, the Y first pulley 16 is integrated with the press roller 16a having the diameter larger than the diameter of the portion wound with the Y wire 15 and is pressed against the Y switching roller 17 with its large diameter portion. It is desirable that the transmission force of each pulley is larger than the sliding force (frictional force) of each wire. Since torque = frictional force x pulley radius, a pulley radius (each diameter of the

press rollers

3a and 16a) is made larger than a wire radius (the diameter of each portion wound with the wire) so as to exceed the stop force of each switching roller decided by the sliding force (frictional force) of each wire. With this arrangement, the relationship between the transmission force and the sliding force (frictional force) of each wire described above can be implemented easily at low cost without increasing components. In addition, contact portions of the press rollers can externally be observed, increasing the quality.

It is possible to suppress, by applying an electromagnetic brake to an automatic driving motor in automatic/manual switching, fine movement caused by the switching. For example, for the arrangement of the first embodiment, this can be implemented by controlling the electromagnetic brake to be released while the second photosensor 25 detects the shielding plate 7 and to be applied while the second photosensor 25 does not detect the shielding plate 7. For the arrangement of the second embodiment, a state of the electromagnetic brake can be changed by detecting whether the ball portion 36 is present in the switching groove 37 of the first lever 28a in the C direction of Fig. 11. That is, the electromagnetic brake is controlled to be released while the presence of the ball portion 36 in the switching groove 37 in the C direction is detected and to be applied while the presence of the ball portion 36 is not detected.

It is possible, by including the bearings in the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 which switch between an automatic state and a manual state, to reduce the rotation load and prevent the shift caused by fine movement in the switching. In particular, fine movement in switching can be suppressed more effectively by using the automatic centering bearings as those switching rollers.

Third Embodiment
In the third embodiment, an arrangement will be described in which downsizing of a switching unit is implemented by structuring a switching unit 280 to move an X switching roller 2 and a Y switching roller 17 linearly. The switching unit is fit into a stage by downsizing it as described above, making it possible to remove a protruding portion of the switching unit as in the first embodiment. If power fails or is shut down during automatic driving of the stage, an X stage and a Y stage may be set in a free state and move. To prevent this, in this embodiment, the switching unit is caused to switch to manual driving automatically at the time of power shutdown. The stage and the switching unit according to the third embodiment will be described below.

Figs. 13A and 13B are perspective views showing an overall stage apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment. Fig. 13A shows a state in which a Y stage 240 which moves on a stage base 260 in the Y direction is arranged. As compared with the stage (Fig. 2) of the first embodiment, it is found that the switching unit is housed inside the Y stage 240. Fig. 13B shows a state in which an X stage 220 which moves on the Y stage 240 in the X direction is arranged. A preparation as an observation target by a microscope is placed on the X stage 220. An observation position on the preparation can be moved in the two-dimensional direction by moving the X stage 220 and the Y stage 240.

The same components as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. For example, in manual driving, the X switching roller 2 which rotates interlocked with an X knob 201 is pressed against an X knob roller 1 and a press roller 3a of an X first pulley 3, transferring rotation of the X knob 201 to the X first pulley 3. As a result, an X wire 13 moves in accordance with rotation of the X knob 201, moving the X stage 220 on the Y stage 240 in the X direction. With the same arrangement, the Y stage 240 moves on the X stage 220 in the Y direction (details of which will be described later with reference to Fig. 14) when a user rotates the Y knob 202. Note that in automatic driving, an X-axis driving motor 242 and a Y-axis driving motor 262 (Figs. 3B and 3D) move the X stage 220 and the Y stage 240 in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, as in the first embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a view showing the vicinity of the switching unit of the Y stage 240 when viewed from the side of the stage base 260 and showing a state in which the switching unit 280 is housed in the Y stage 240. The switching unit 280 moves the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 in a direction denoted by reference numeral 1401. This makes it possible to switch between pressed/unpressed states against the X knob roller 1 and the X first pulley 3 (press roller 3a) of the X switching roller 2, and pressed/unpressed states against a Y knob roller 18 and a Y first pulley 16 (press roller 16a) of the Y switching roller 17. In a state in which the Y switching roller 17 interlocked with rotation of the Y knob 202 is pressed against the Y knob roller 18 and the press roller 16a, rotation of the Y knob 202 is transferred to the Y first pulley 16. As a result, a Y wire 15 is moved, moving the Y stage 240 on the stage base 260 in the X direction.

Figs. 15A and 15B are perspective views showing the switching unit 280 according to the third embodiment. A worm gear 9 is inserted under pressure in the shaft of a switching motor 12 arranged on a base 31 and rotates by rotating the shaft of the switching motor 12. A gear 49 is meshed with the worm gear 9 and a rack gear 40 provided on a second base 42b is meshed with the gear 49. Therefore, when rotation of the worm gear 9 is transferred to the rack gear 40 via rotation of the gear 49, the second base 42b moves on the base 31 in directions of

arrows

1501 and 1502 in accordance with a rotation direction of the worm gear 9. The directions of the

arrows

1501 and 1502 match the direction 1401, and are parallel to the axial direction of the shaft of the switching motor 12. Note that the second base 42b moves in the direction of the arrow 1502 by rotating the switching motor 12 in the forward direction, and moves in the direction of the arrow 1501 by rotating the switching motor 12 in the backward direction. The X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are provided on a first base 42a, and move in the directions of the

arrows

1501 and 1502 as the second base 42b moves. As described above, the stage apparatus 200 is set in a manual operation state by moving the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 in the direction of the arrow 1502, and is set in an automatic driving state by moving them in the direction of the arrow 1501.

Reflection sensors

38a and 38b detect the position of the second base 42b. The reflection sensor 38a detects that the second base 42b is in the manual driving state. The reflection sensor 38b detects that the second base 42b is in the automatic driving state. A leaf switch 44 shuts down power to the switching motor 12 when switching from the automatic driving state to the manual driving state at the time of power shutdown. A charge spring 27 sets the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 in the above-described pressed state in automatic driving. Guide rails 43 guide movement, in the directions of the

arrows

1501 and 1502, of the first base 42a where the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are provided, and the second base 42b where the rack gear 40 is provided.

Fig. 15A shows a pressure-bonded state of the rollers and Fig. 15B shows a pressure-unbonded state of the rollers. In Fig. 15B, when the switching motor 12 rotates, the worm gear 9 rotates, the gear 49 meshed with the worm gear 9 rotates, and the rack gear 40 meshed with the gear 49 moves in the direction of the arrow 1502. This moves the second base 42b integrated with the rack gear 40 moves in the direction of the arrow 1502. The second base 42b is meshed with the first base 42a positioned above, as shown in Fig. 16A. When the second base 42b moves rightward in FIG. 16A (that is, in the direction of the arrow 1502 of Fig. 15A) from the state (pressed state) in Fig. 16A, the first base also moves rightward by the biasing force of the charge spring 27. Then, the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 fixed to the first base 42a are set in the pressed state with the X knob roller 1 and the press roller 3a, and with the Y knob roller 18 and the press roller 16a, respectively. In this pressed state, the charge spring 27 applies a predetermined pressure-bonding force to the first base 42a. The second base 42b further moves rightward in Fig. 16A and stops when the reflection sensor 38a detects the second base 42b. The pressed state shown in Fig. 16B (Fig. 15A) is thus obtained, enabling manual driving of the X and Y stages.

The switching motor 12 undergoes reverse driving in order to switch from the pressed state (manual driving) of Fig. 15A (Fig. 16B) to the unpressed state (automatic driving). This rotates the worm gear 9 reversely, moving the rack gear 40 in the direction of the arrow 1501 in Fig. 15A (leftward in Fig. 16B). When the second base 42b moves in the direction of the arrow 1501, the second base 42b and the first base 42a are meshed with each other, and the first base 42a moves in the direction of the arrow 1501 (leftward in Fig. 16B) with movement of the second base 42b. Thus, the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are set in the unpressed state. When the reflection sensor 38b detects the second base 42b, the switching motor 12 stops moving (Fig. 16A). The charge spring 27 is stretched a bit more in this unpressed state than in the pressed state. The first base 42a is in a position of the unpressed state by the meshed second base 42b with a force stronger than the force of the charge spring 27. The X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are maintained in the unpressed state, that is, the automatic driving state of the stage.

As described above, the pressed state and the unpressed state of the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are switched by forward rotation and reverse rotation of the switching motor 12, implementing switching between manual driving and automatic driving.

The stage apparatus 200 of this embodiment automatically changes to the unpressed state (the state in Fig. 15B) when a power supply is shut down in the automatic driving state. In this case, the switching motor 12 is driven by power supplied by a power supply unit (a capacitor is used in this embodiment) different from the shutdown power supply described above. Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the circuit arrangement for implementing such control. When a power supply 1701 supplies a power supply voltage, a CPU 1702 is activated to set a switch unit 1704 and a switch unit 1705 in the ON state. In the

switch units

1704 and 1705,

first switches

1704a and 1705a are set in the closed state, and

second switches

1704b and 1705b are set in the open state in the ON state. Therefore, a first driver 1703 is energized and the CPU 1702 controls driving of the switching motor 12 by using the first driver 1703. During this time, no power supply voltage is supplied to a second driver 1706 but a capacitor 1707 is charged. The CPU 1702 controls activation/deactivation and forward rotation/backward rotation of the first driver 1703. However, the second driver 1706 rotates the switching motor 12 in the reverse direction whenever power is supplied.

A voltage detection unit 1708 resets the CPU 1702 upon detecting a drop in the power supply voltage supplied by the power supply 1701. When the CPU 1702 is set in a reset state, the

switch units

1704 and 1705 are set in the OFF state. As a result, the

first switches

1704a and 1705a are set in the open state, and the

second switches

1704b and 1705b are set in the closed state, supplying the power from the charged capacitor 1707 to the second driver 1706. The second driver 1706 rotates the switching motor 12 reversely upon receiving power supply. Therefore, when the

second switches

1704b and 1705b are set in the closed state, the second driver 1706 rotates the switching motor 12 reversely by the power accumulated in the capacitor 1707, and sets the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 in the unpressed state. The leaf switch 44 is set in the OFF state when reached by the second base 42b, shutting down power supply to the switching motor 12 and stopping the switching motor 12. Thus, the switching unit 280 can automatically change the stage apparatus 200 to the manual driving state even if power is shut down suddenly during automatic driving. Note that the CPU 1702 may be a stage CPU or a CPU of a controller 501. In the above-described embodiment, the capacitor 1707 is used for power supply at the time of power shutdown. However, the present invention is not limited to this and an arrangement using, for example, a battery is also possible. Furthermore, switching between the ON state and the OFF state of the

switch units

1704 and 1705 is performed via the CPU 1702. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the

switch units

1704 and 1705 may change to the OFF state in accordance with a detection signal of a voltage drop by the voltage detection unit 1708.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the axial direction of the shaft of the switching motor 12, and moving directions of the X switching roller 2 and the Y switching roller 17 are arranged to be parallel to each other, implementing the downsized switching unit 280. When power is shut down suddenly due to a power failure or the like in a general stage, the stage apparatus 200 driven automatically may be set in the free state. To cope with this, in the third embodiment, automatic switching from automatic driving to manual driving can be performed by detecting power shutdown (for example, the voltage drop) and driving the switching motor 12 with the capacitor or the like. This makes it possible to prevent the stage apparatus 200 from being set in the free state.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily switch between whether to perform manual driving of the stage via operation input units.

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a 'non-transitory computer-readable storage medium') to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)?), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2015-079617 filed April 8, 2015 and 2016-044767 filed March 8, 2016 which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in its their entirety.

Claims

A stage apparatus which includes a stage moving in a predetermined direction, the apparatus comprising:
conversion means for mechanically converting an operation input of a user from an operation input unit into a driving force of moving the stage in the predetermined direction;
transmission means for transmitting the operation input to the conversion means by making the operation input unit and a conversion mechanism cooperate with each other; and
switching means for switching between a state of cooperation by the transmission means and a released state of cooperation.
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation input is a rotation, and
the conversion means converts the rotation into movement of a wire in the predetermined direction.
The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first roller which rotates interlocked with the operation input,
wherein the conversion means includes a pulley wound with the wire for converting rotation of the first roller into movement of the wire, and
the transmission means includes a second roller which is pressed against the first roller and transfers rotation of the first roller to the pulley.
The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switching means performs switching between a state in which the second roller is pressed against the first roller and a state in which the second roller is spaced apart from the first roller.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the switching means performs the switching by a driving force of a motor.
The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the switching means performs the switching by a user operation to a lever coupled to the second roller.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the pulley includes a press roller having a diameter larger than a diameter of a portion wound with the wire, and the second roller is pressed against the press roller.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the second roller includes an automatic centering bearing.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the predetermined direction includes an X direction and a Y direction parallel to a plane of the stage and perpendicular to each other, and
the first roller, the pulley, and the second roller are provided in the X direction and the Y direction.
The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the switching means switches between the state of cooperation and the released state of cooperation simultaneously in the X direction and the Y direction.
The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second roller for the X direction and the second roller for the Y direction are arranged coaxially in the switching means.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising moving means for converting an electrical signal into the driving force of moving the stage and moving the stage in the predetermined direction.
The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the moving means applies an electromagnetic brake when the switching means switches between the state of cooperation by the transmission means and the released state of cooperation, and releases the electromagnetic brake in the state of cooperation.
The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising change means for changing, when a power supply is shut down, the transmission means to the state of cooperation by driving the motor with power supplied by power supply means different from the power supply.
The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the power supply means is a capacitor charged with power supplied by the power supply.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 14, and 15, wherein an axial direction of a shaft of the motor and a moving direction of the transmission means by driving the motor are parallel to each other.
A microscope comprising a stage apparatus defined in any one of claims 1 to 16.
A stage apparatus for a microscope comprising:
a stage which places an observation target thereon;
a base which supports the stage; and
a moving mechanism which moves the stage in a predetermined moving direction along a surface of the stage with respect to the base,
wherein the moving mechanism includes
a stage driving wheel which is supported by one of the stages and the base, and moves the stage,
a power wheel coupled to a driving member which generates a rotation driving force,
a transmission wheel which couples the power wheel and the stage driving wheel to each other, and
a transmission wheel movable mechanism which controls driving of the transmission wheel to a coupled state and an uncoupled state.