JP6278601B2 - Microscope system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microscope system and a microscope system program, and more particularly, to a microscope system including an electric unit and a microscope system program including an electric unit.

  Along with the progress of electrification of microscope apparatuses, there are an increasing number of microscope systems in which movable parts such as stages and revolvers are configured as electric parts. In such a microscope system, a touch panel related technique has been improved in recent years, and a touch panel disposed on a display unit is becoming mainstream as an operation unit for instructing driving of the electric unit.

  By the way, when the touch panel is used as the operation unit, the electric stage is usually moved by a flick operation (an operation for tracing the screen) or a double tap operation (an operation for quickly tapping the same portion of the screen twice).

  However, it is not easy to move the stage by the movement amount intended by the operator by flicking. In addition, in the double tap operation, the stage can be moved so that the tapped position is at the center of the field of view, but the operator performs an operation in consideration of the area displayed within the field of view after the stage is moved. That is rare. Therefore, in the operation using the touch panel, a situation in which the sample to be observed or a part thereof (hereinafter referred to as an observation target) is easily moved out of the visual field range easily occurs, and the observation target is easily lost.

  In the above, the operation using the touch panel that is likely to lose sight of the observation target has been described above. However, the operation target using the joystick or the handle that has been conventionally used may be lost due to an erroneous operation.

  A technique related to such a problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Patent Document 1 discloses a microscope system that moves the stage in a state where the center position of the current observation visual field exists on the monitor.

JP 2010-169892 A

  However, since the microscope system disclosed in Patent Document 1 limits the movement of the stage so that the center position of the current observation field does not move outside the field range, the observation target is the center position of the current observation field. If it is deviated from the range, the observation target may move out of the visual field range.

In order to avoid such a situation, the user must move the stage in advance so that the observation object is located at the center of the observation field of view, which imposes a new work burden on the user. In addition, since the operation for the presetting is performed before the stage operation is restricted, there is a possibility that the observation target may be lost due to an erroneous operation.
In light of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can easily prevent observing an observation target.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microscope apparatus having an electric stage for arranging a sample, a display unit having a sample image display area for displaying an image of the sample acquired by the microscope apparatus, and the displayed image And receiving an input designating a part of the sample, an operation unit for displaying a mark at the position of the part designated by the input, and the mark displayed at the position of the part designated by the input A control device that controls the electric stage so that the electric stage can move within a range that does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit, and the control device enables and disables the limitation of the movement range of the electric stage by the mark. In response to switching, when the restriction is valid, the mark displayed at the position of the portion designated by the input is displayed on the display unit. Providing a microscope system for controlling the electric stage to the extent that does not move outside the image display area.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the microscope system according to the first aspect, wherein the operation unit is a touch panel arranged to overlap an image display region of the display unit.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the microscope system according to the first aspect or the second aspect , the electric unit further includes a magnification changing unit that changes an observation magnification. In conjunction with the observation magnification change by the magnification changing unit, the electric stage is controlled so that the mark displayed at the partial position designated by the input is included in the sample image display area of the display unit. A microscope system is provided.

A fourth aspect of the present invention, in the microscope system according to any one of the first aspect to third aspect, the operation unit, the sample on the image of the specimen displayed on the display unit Rutotomoni accept multiple input specifying a portion, respectively to display the mark on the position of a plurality of said portion specified by the input of said plurality of said control device, a plurality of said designated by the plurality of input Provided is a microscope system for controlling the electric stage within a range in which each mark displayed at a position of a part does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit.

A fifth aspect of the present invention, in the microscope system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further, an effective limitation of the moving range of the electric stage according to the marks in the control device A valid / invalid switching unit that switches between invalidation, the operation unit accepts a second input for the valid / invalid switching unit to switch between valid / invalid of the restriction, and the control device validates the restriction In such a case, there is provided a microscope system for controlling the electric stage in a range in which the mark displayed at the partial position designated by the input does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit .

A sixth aspect of the present invention, in the microscope system according to any one of the first aspect to fifth aspect, the operation section, the third to show or hide and the mark In response to an input, the control device provides a microscope system that displays or hides a mark displayed at the position of the portion according to a result of the third input .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microscope apparatus having an electric stage for disposing a sample, a display unit having a sample image display area for displaying an image of the sample acquired by the microscope apparatus, and the displayed image A microscope system program comprising: an operation unit that receives an input designating a part of the sample and displaying a mark at the position of the part designated by the input, the input accepted by the operation unit The electric stage is controlled so as to be movable within a range in which the mark displayed at a position of a part of the sample designated by the mark does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit, and the electric stage is moved by the mark. Displayed at the position of the part specified by the input when the restriction is valid in response to switching between valid and invalid range restrictions The mark is to provide a program for executing a process of controlling the electric stage on a computer within a range that does not move to the sample image display area outside of the display unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which can prevent easily observing an observation object can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the microscope system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the control apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the touchscreen of the operation display apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the range which the electric stage which concerns on Example 1 of this invention can move. It is a flowchart (the 1) of a process of the microscope system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart (the 2) of a process of the microscope system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the real visual field and visual field range of the microscope system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the marker limit regarding a X direction, the coordinate of a marker, and the coordinate of an electric stage. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of the microscope system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of the microscope system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention, and is a continuation of FIG. 8A. It is a figure for demonstrating the range which can move the electric stage which concerns on Example 1 of this invention when a some marker is set. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the observation magnification of the microscope system which concerns on Example 2 of this invention, and a visual field range. It is a figure for demonstrating control of the electric stage linked with the change of observation magnification of the microscope system which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the movement of the electric stage which concerns on Example 2 of this invention when a some marker is set.

First, the configuration of the microscope system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a microscope system 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the control device 20 included in the microscope system 100. Note that the XYZ coordinate system in FIG. 1 is a right-handed orthogonal coordinate system provided for convenience of direction reference.
A microscope system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a microscope device 10 to which an imaging device 11 is attached, a control device 20, and an operation display unit 30.

  The microscope apparatus 10 which is an upright microscope includes an epi-illumination light source 2 connected to the microscope apparatus 10 via an optical fiber 2 a, an electric stage 3 and an electric revolver 5 supported by the microscope body 1, and an electric revolver 5. A plurality of attached objective lenses (objective lens 4a objective lens 4b) and a zoom lens unit 6 are provided. The connection between the light source 2 and the microscope apparatus 10 may be a light projecting tube or the like instead of the optical fiber.

  The light source 2 includes, for example, a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an LD (Laser Diode). The light source 2 may be a lamp light source.

  The electric stage 3 is a stage on which the sample S is arranged, and includes a motor 3a and a motor 3b. By rotating these motors, the electric stage 3 moves in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the objective lens (here, the objective lens 4a) used for observation. Thereby, since the XY position of the objective lens with respect to the sample S changes, the range of the sample S imaged by the imaging device 11 changes, and the range of the sample S displayed on the operation display device 30 and observed by the user also changes. .

  The electric revolver 5 includes a motor 5a. As the motor 5a rotates, the electric revolver 5 switches the objective lens arranged on the optical path. Thereby, since the magnification of the objective lens used for observation changes, the electric revolver 5 is a magnification changing unit that changes the observation magnification. As the observation magnification is changed, the range of the sample S imaged by the imaging device 11 changes, and the range of the sample S displayed on the operation display device 30 and observed by the user also changes.

  The zoom lens unit 6 includes a zoom lens 6a and a motor 6b. As the motor 6b rotates, the zoom lens unit 6 changes the distance between the lenses constituting the zoom lens 6a. Thereby, since the magnification of the zoom lens 6a changes, the zoom lens unit 6 is a magnification changing unit that changes the observation magnification. As the observation magnification is changed, the range of the sample S imaged by the imaging device 11 changes, and the range of the sample S displayed on the operation display device 30 and observed by the user also changes.

  The electric stage 3, the electric revolver 5, and the zoom lens unit 6 are electric units that are electrically driven under the control of the control device 20. It is something to change. Note that the microscope apparatus 10 may include other electric units such as a focusing unit that changes the position of the objective lens with respect to the sample S in the Z direction in addition to the electric unit described above.

  The microscope apparatus 10 further includes a half mirror 7 that is an optical path branching unit that branches the illumination optical path and the detection optical path, an illumination lens 8 that is disposed on the illumination optical path between the half mirror 7 and the light source 2, and the half mirror 7. And an imaging lens 9 disposed on a detection optical path between the imaging device 11 and the imaging device 11. The optical path branching means of the microscope apparatus 10 is not limited to the half mirror 7. Depending on the observation method, an arbitrary optical path branching unit such as a dichroic mirror or a polarization beam splitter may be provided instead of the half mirror 7.

  The imaging device 11 is a digital camera including an imaging element 11a such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). Note that the imaging device 11 may be configured using, for example, a photomultiplier (PMT).

  The control device 20 is a device that controls the operation of the entire microscope system 100, and includes an imaging device control unit 21 that controls the imaging device 11 and a microscope device control unit 22 that controls the electric unit of the microscope device 10. . Furthermore, the microscope apparatus control unit 22 includes an electric stage control unit 22 a that controls the electric stage 3 and a host control unit 22 b that controls electric units other than the electric stage 3. The host control unit 22b also plays a role of controlling the display of the operation display device 30.

  For example, the control device 20 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be a dedicated device. An example of the hardware configuration of the control device 20 is as shown in FIG. 2. The control device 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 23, a memory 24, an input / output I / F 25, an external storage device 26, and portable recording. A portable recording medium driving device 27 into which a medium 28 is inserted is provided, and these are connected to each other by a bus 29. Note that the control device 20 is not limited to this configuration.

  The CPU 23 executes a program and controls the operation of the control device 20. The memory 24 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is a memory that temporarily stores a program or data stored in the external storage device 26 or the portable recording medium 28 when the program is executed. The input / output I / F 25 is connected to the microscope apparatus 10, the imaging apparatus 11, and the operation display apparatus 30, and exchanges signals with these.

  The external storage device 26 is, for example, a hard disk storage device, and is mainly used for storing various data and programs. The portable recording medium driving device 27 accommodates a portable recording medium 28 such as an optical disk or a compact flash (registered trademark), and has a role of assisting the external storage device 26.

  The operation display device 30 includes a display unit 31 that displays an image of the sample S acquired by the microscope device 10 and an operation unit 32 that receives an input from a user of the microscope system 100. The display unit 31 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and the operation unit 32 is a touch panel that is disposed so as to overlap the image display area A1 of the liquid crystal display device that is the display unit 31, as shown in FIG.

  In the image display area A1, a sample display area A2 for displaying an image of the specimen S acquired by the microscope apparatus 10, and a control display area in which controls (buttons and the like) for changing various settings of the microscope system 100 are arranged. A3 is included. In FIG. 3, in the control display area A3, the button B1 for switching between enabling and disabling of the marker M, which will be described later, the button B2 for switching between displaying and hiding the marker M, and the zoom lens unit 6 are controlled to change the observation magnification. An example is shown in which buttons (button B3, button B4) for displaying are displayed.

  The microscope system 100 configured as described above receives an input designating a part (observation target) of the sample S to be observed on the image of the sample S displayed in the sample image display area A2, and is designated by the input. A marker M is displayed on the observed object. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the electric stage 3 is controlled by the microscope apparatus control unit 22 within a range in which the marker M does not move outside the sample image display area A2. FIG. 4 shows a range in which the electric stage 3 can move.

  As described above, in the microscope system 100, an image in which a part (observation target) of the sample S designated as a part to be observed by the microscope apparatus control unit 22 is displayed on the display unit 31 only by designating a part to be observed. The electric stage 3 is controlled so as to be included in. For this reason, it is possible to easily prevent a situation in which an observation target is lost due to a user's erroneous operation or the like.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the microscope system 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. 5A and 5B is performed by loading a program recorded in the external storage device 26 or the portable recording medium 28 into the memory 24 and executing it by the CPU 23. For example, the operation unit 32 It is started by the start instruction by the user using the above.

  First, the control device 20 calculates the visual field range from the number of visual fields and the observation magnification (step S1). Specifically, the actual visual field FOV is calculated by dividing the number of visual fields by the observation magnification (here, the magnification of the objective lens 4a × the magnification of the zoom lens 6a), and the width of the observation visual field in the X direction and the Y direction are calculated. The width of is calculated. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the visual field range defined by the four coordinates (Xmax, Ymax), (Xmax, Ymin), (Xmin, Ymax), (Xmin, Ymin) is calculated. As shown in FIG. 6, the width of the observation visual field in the X direction and the width in the Y direction is FOV / √2 when the aspect ratio of the sample image display area A2 is 1: 1. Similarly, even if the aspect ratio of the sample image display area A2 is other ratio, the width in the X direction and the width in the Y direction of the observation field can be calculated by simple calculation. Parameters such as the number of fields of view, the magnification of the objective lens 4a, and the magnification of the zoom lens 6 are stored in the memory 24 in advance.

  Next, the control device 20 monitors the input of an instruction from the user through the operation unit 32 (step S3), and determines whether or not the operation unit 32 has detected the input (step S5). If the input is not detected by the operation unit 32, the monitoring is continued. If the input is detected, the content of the instruction based on the detected input is determined (step S7).

  For example, when it is determined that the input received by the operation unit 32 is generated when the user touches the sample image display area A2 in FIG. 3, the control device 20 indicates that the input instruction is the marker M. It is determined that the position is specified. When it is determined that the input received by the operation unit 32 is generated when the user touches the button B1 in FIG. 3, the control device 20 determines that the input instruction is an electric stage by the marker M. 3 is determined to be an instruction to switch between enabling and disabling the function (hereinafter referred to as a marker function) for limiting the movement range 3. When it is determined that the input received by the operation unit 32 is generated when the user touches the button B2 in FIG. 3, the control device 20 displays the indication of the marker M ( It is determined that the instruction is to switch between (visualization) and non-display (non-visualization). Furthermore, when it is determined that the input received by the operation unit 32 is generated by the user flicking the sample image display area A2 in FIG. 3, the control device 20 indicates that the input instruction is an electric stage. 3 is determined to be a movement.

  If it is determined in step S7 that the instruction is the designation of the position of the marker M, the control device 20 acquires the designated position (step S11) and displays the marker M at the designated position (step S13). ). In step S11, the designated position, that is, the coordinate corresponding to the pixel of the touch panel that has detected the contact is stored as the coordinate (Xp, Yp) of the marker M.

  Next, the control device 20 calculates a marker limit (step S15). Here, the marker limit is the X coordinate or Y coordinate of the electric stage 3 when the marker M displayed at the position specified in step S11 is positioned at the end of the field of view range of the microscope system 100. Specifically, LXmax and LXmin which are X coordinates of the electric stage 3 when the marker M is positioned at the left end and the right end of the visual field range (sample image display area A2), and the marker M is the visual field range (sample image display area A2). ) Is a total of four coordinates, LYmax and LYmin, which are Y coordinates of the electric stage 3 when located at the lower end and the upper end.

The marker limit is calculated by the following equation using the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of the marker M, the coordinates (Xq, Yq) of the current electric stage 3, and the four coordinates defining the visual field range.
LXmax = Xq + (Xmax-Xp) (1)
LXmin = Xq− (Xp−Xmin) (2)
LYmax = Yq + (Ymax−Yp) (3)
LYmin = Yq− (Yp−Ymin) (4)
7 illustrates the relationship among the marker limit, the coordinates of the marker M, and the coordinates of the electric stage 3 in the X direction.

  Thereafter, the control device 20 updates the setting of the microscope system 100 (step S17) and ends the process. In step S17, the control device 20 causes the memory 24 to store the coordinates of the marker M calculated in step S11 and the marker limit calculated in step S15.

  If it is determined in step S7 that the instruction is to enable the marker function, the control device 20 reads the coordinates of the marker M stored in the memory 24 and acquires the position of the marker M (step S21). The marker M is displayed at the position (step S23). Thereafter, the control device 20 updates the setting of the microscope system 100 (step S25) and ends the process. In step S25, the parameter Mval indicating whether or not the marker function is valid is updated to a value indicating the valid state.

  If it is determined in step S7 that the instruction is invalidation of the marker function, the control device 20 stops displaying the marker M (step S31). Thereafter, the control device 20 updates the setting of the microscope system 100 (step S33) and ends the process. In step S33, the parameter Mval is updated to a value indicating an invalid state.

If it is determined in step S7 that the instruction is visualization of the marker M, the control device 20 reads the coordinates of the marker M stored in the memory 24 and acquires the position of the marker M (step S41). The marker M is displayed at the position (step S43). Thereafter, the process ends.
If it is determined in step S7 that the instruction is to make the marker M invisible, the control device 20 stops displaying the marker M (step S51) and ends the process.

  If it is determined in step S7 that the instruction is to move the electric stage 3, the control device 20 calculates the movement amount of the electric stage 3 instructed by the user from the input detected by the operation unit 32 (step S61). . Further, based on the current coordinates (Xq, Yq) of the electric stage 3 and the movement amount calculated in step S61, the position of the electric stage 3 when the electric stage 3 is moved in accordance with an instruction from the user (hereinafter, the expected movement position). (Step S62). The scheduled movement position is acquired as the coordinates (Xr, Yr) calculated based on the current coordinates (Xq, Yq) of the electric stage 3 and the movement amount.

When the coordinates (Xr, Yr) of the planned movement position are acquired, the control device 20 determines whether or not the marker function is valid from the value of the parameter Mval (step S63). If the marker function is invalid, the control device 20 controls the electric stage 3 to move the electric stage 3 to the planned movement position (step S65). On the other hand, if the marker function is valid, the control device 20 further determines whether or not the planned movement position calculated in step S62 is within the movable range (step S64). Specifically, it is determined whether or not the coordinates (Xr, Yr) of the planned movement position satisfy the following expression.
LXmin ≦ Xr ≦ LXmax (5)
LYmin ≦ Yr ≦ LYmax (6)

  When determining that the planned movement position is within the movable range, the control device 20 controls the electric stage 3 to move the electric stage 3 to the planned movement position (step S65). On the other hand, if it is determined that the scheduled movement position is outside the movable range, the electric stage 3 is controlled to move the electric stage 3 to the marker limit (step S66). Note that the processing from step S64 to step S66 is performed separately for each of the X direction and the Y direction.

  When the movement of the electric stage 3 in step S65 or step S66 ends, the control device 20 considers that the observation target moves together with the electric stage 3, and the coordinates (Xp, Yp) is calculated and the display position of the marker M is updated (step S67).

  Thereafter, the control device 20 updates the setting of the microscope system 100 (step S68) and ends the process. In step S68, the control device 20 stores the current coordinates of the electric stage 3 moved in step S65 or step S66 and the coordinates of the marker M calculated in step S67 in the memory 24.

  As shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the marker limit calculation process may be performed when an instruction to specify the position of the marker M is input from the user because the marker limit is managed in absolute coordinates. There is no need to do this when the electric stage 3 is moved. In consideration of the fact that the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of the marker M and the coordinates (Xq, Yq) of the electric stage 3 are moved by the same amount due to the movement of the electric stage 3, the above equations (1) to (4) ).

  Hereinafter, the role sharing in the control device 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. 8A and 8B show the microscope system 100 when the user inputs an instruction to the microscope system 100 in the order of enabling the marker function, changing the marker position, moving the stage, and disabling the marker function. It is a sequence diagram showing operation.

  First, when the operation unit 32 receives an input for instructing the activation of the marker function from the user (step S101), the host control unit 22b acquires the position of the marker M from the memory 24 (step S102), and the display unit 31. The marker M is displayed on (Step S103). Thereafter, the host control unit 22b transmits a notification that the marker function has been activated to the electric stage control unit 22a (step S104), and the electric stage control unit 22a that has received the notification updates the setting (step S105).

  Next, when the operation unit 32 receives an input for instructing the change of the position of the marker M from the user (step S201), the host control unit 22b acquires the position designated by the user (step S202) and is designated. The display of the marker M is updated on the display unit 31 so that the marker M is displayed at the selected position (step S203). Thereafter, the host control unit 22b calculates a marker limit (step S204). The position of the marker M and the calculated marker limit are notified to the electric stage control unit 22a (step S205), and the electric stage control unit 22a receiving this updates the setting (step S206).

  Further, when the operation unit 32 receives an input for instructing the movement of the electric stage 3 from the user (step S301), the host control unit 22b instructs the electric stage control unit 22a to move the electric stage 3 (step S302). . Upon receiving the instruction, the electric stage control unit 22a calculates the expected movement position of the electric stage 3 when moved according to the instruction (step S303), and performs limit determination to determine whether or not to move the electric stage 3 to the expected movement position. This is performed (step S304). This limit determination corresponds to the processing in step S63 and step S64 in FIG. 5B. Thereafter, the electric stage control unit 22a moves the electric stage 3 based on the determination result (step S305), and notifies the host control unit 22b of the position of the electric stage 3 after the movement (step S306). Receiving the notification of the position of the electric stage 3, the host control unit 22b calculates the position of the marker after the movement of the electric stage 3, and updates the display of the marker M (step S307). Further, the position of the marker M is notified to the electric stage control unit 22a (step S308). In response to this, the electric stage control unit 22a updates the setting (step S309).

  Finally, when the operation unit 32 receives an input for instructing the invalidation of the marker function from the user (step S401), the host control unit 22b hides the marker M (step S402). Thereafter, a notification that the marker function has been invalidated is transmitted to the electric stage control unit 22a (step S403), and the electric stage control unit 22a receiving the notification updates the setting (step S404).

  According to the microscope system 100 operating as described above, the microscope apparatus control unit 22 controls the electric stage 3 in a range in which the marker M set at the position of the observation target does not move outside the visual field range (sample image display area A2). Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent a situation in which an observation target is lost due to a user's erroneous operation or the like.

  In the microscope system 100, since the marker M can be set by designating an arbitrary position of the image of the sample S, setting of the observation target is extremely easy. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a user from losing sight of an observation target due to a user's erroneous operation or the like without imposing an excessive work burden on the user.

  In the microscope system 100, the button B1 shown in FIG. 3 can be easily switched between a state where the marker function is enabled and a state where the marker function is disabled. For this reason, for example, when performing an operation of moving the observation visual field significantly, such as screening, the marker function is temporarily disabled, and then the marker function is enabled again when observing the observation object in detail. Usage is also possible.

  In the microscope system 100, the display and non-display of the marker M can be easily switched by the button B2 shown in FIG. For this reason, when it is difficult to observe the observation object because the marker M overlaps the observation object, the marker M can be hidden by a simple operation.

  Note that the microscope system 100 according to the present embodiment can be variously modified. For example, in the microscope system 100 according to the present embodiment, a touch panel is illustrated as the operation unit 32, but the operation unit 32 is not limited to the touch panel. The operation unit 32 may be a joystick, a handle, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. In this case, it is possible to easily prevent the observation target from being lost due to a user's erroneous operation or the like. In the present embodiment, whether or not the movable range is determined in relation to the marker limit is determined. However, in addition to the marker limit, the structural limit of the electric stage 3 is considered and whether or not the movable range is determined. You may judge. In the present embodiment, an example in which the observation target is designated by a point has been shown. However, the observation target may be designated by an area, and in that case, an area having an arbitrary shape may be designated.

  Furthermore, the microscope system 100 according to the present embodiment may accept a plurality of inputs in which the operation unit 32 designates a part of the sample S on the image of the sample S displayed in the sample image display area A2, thereby As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of markers (marker M1, marker M2, marker M3) may be displayed on the image. Further, the button B2 and the button B3 may be provided for each marker in the control display area A3.

  In this case, the control device 20 calculates a marker limit for each marker, and determines a marker limit (hereinafter referred to as a total marker limit) for all of the plurality of markers from the plurality of marker limits. Specifically, the total marker limits LXmin and LYmin are determined to be the largest value among the plurality of marker limits LXmin and LYmin, and the total marker limits LXmax and LYmax are the LXmax and LYmax of the plurality of marker limits. Decide on the smallest value.

  By controlling the electric stage 3 using such a comprehensive marker limit, as shown in FIG. 9, the control device 20 has all the markers (that is, a plurality of observation targets specified by a plurality of inputs) The electric stage 3 can be controlled so as to be included in the image of the sample S. Therefore, it is possible to perform observation without losing sight of a plurality of observation objects as one by mistake. Further, by setting a plurality of markers so as to surround the observation target, the same effect as when the observation target is designated as a region can be obtained.

  When the observation magnification is increased by changing the magnification of the objective lens by switching the objective lens or by changing the zoom magnification by driving the zoom lens unit 6, the real field of view FOV is reduced, so that the visual field range is also reduced. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, even if the marker M is included in the visual field range R1 before the change of the observation magnification, the marker M is included in the visual field range R2 after the change of the observation magnification. There may not be.

  In the microscope system according to the present embodiment, when the marker M moves out of the visual field range due to the change in the observation magnification, the control device 20 moves the marker M in the visual field range (that is, the sample image) in conjunction with the change in the observation magnification. The point in which the electric stage 3 is controlled so as to be included in the image of the sample S displayed in the display area A2 is different from the microscope system 100 according to the first embodiment. Since the other points are the same as those of the microscope system 100 according to the first embodiment, the same components are referred to by the same reference numerals.

  Note that the control device 20 interlocks with the change in the observation magnification so that the marker M is included in the visual field range R21 after the magnification change by the minimum movement of the electric stage 3, as shown in FIG. The electric stage 3 may be controlled.

In the case of such control, when the marker M is positioned in the −Y direction of the visual field range R21 after the magnification change, the coordinates (Xq ′, Yq ′) of the electric stage 3 after the movement are the electric motors before the movement. Using the coordinates (Xq, Yq) of the stage 3, the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of the marker M, and the minimum value Ymin2 of the Y coordinate of the visual field range R21 after the magnification change, the calculation is performed as follows.
Xq ′ = Xq (7)
Yq ′ = Yq + (Ymin2−Yp) (8)

When the marker M is positioned in the + Y direction of the visual field range R21 after the magnification change, the coordinates (Xq ′, Yq ′) of the electric stage 3 after the movement are set to the maximum value Ymax2 of the Y coordinate of the visual field range R21 after the magnification change. And is calculated as follows.
Xq ′ = Xq (7)
Yq ′ = Yq + (Ymax2−Yp) (9)

  Even when the marker M is positioned in the + X direction or the −X direction of the field-of-view range R21 after the magnification change, the coordinates (Xq ′, Yq ′) of the electric stage 3 after the movement can be calculated using the same concept. it can.

Further, the control device 20 controls the electric stage 3 so that the marker M is positioned at the center of the visual field range R22 after the magnification change, as shown in FIG. 11B, in conjunction with the change of the observation magnification. Also good. In this case, the coordinates (Xq ′, Yq ′) of the electric stage 3 after movement are the coordinates (Xq, Yq) of the electric stage 3 before movement, the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of the marker M, and the center of the current visual field range. Using the coordinates of O (X0, Y0), calculation is performed as follows.
Xq ′ = Xq + (X0−Xp) (10)
Yq ′ = Yq + (Y0−Yp) (11)

  In the microscope system according to the present embodiment that operates as described above, when the user operates the electric stage 3, the marker M set at the position to be observed is the field of view as in the microscope system 100 according to the first embodiment. The microscope apparatus control unit 22 controls the electric stage 3 within a range that does not move outside the range (sample image display area A2). For this reason, according to the microscope system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily prevent a situation in which an observation target is lost due to a user's erroneous operation or the like.

  Further, in the microscope system according to the present embodiment, unlike the microscope system 100 according to the first embodiment, the microscope apparatus is controlled so that the marker M does not move out of the visual field range even when the user changes the observation magnification. The unit 22 controls the electric stage 3. In many cases, the user does not grasp which part of the visual field range is enlarged and displayed by changing the observation magnification. Therefore, according to the microscope system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to more reliably prevent a situation in which the observation target is lost due to a user's erroneous operation or the like as compared with the microscope system 100 according to the first embodiment.

  The microscope system according to the present embodiment can be variously modified in the same manner as the microscope system 100 according to the first embodiment, and the operation unit 32 specifies a plurality of inputs for specifying a part of the sample S on the image of the sample S. This also applies to the point that the user may accept.

  However, in the microscope system according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, even when all of the plurality of markers (marker M1, marker M2, marker M3) are within the visual field range R1 before the magnification change, In some cases, not all the markers fit within the visual field range (the visual field range R31, the visual field range R32, and the visual field range R33) after the magnification change, regardless of how the electric stage 3 is controlled.

  In such a case, it is desirable to actively use switching between enabling and disabling the marker function. For example, the visual field range R31, the visual field range R32, and the visual field range R33 are performed by switching operations in the order of enabling only the marker function of the marker M1, enabling only the marker function of the marker M2, and enabling only the marker function of the marker M3. The visual field range can be switched in the order. Thereby, compared with the case where the electric field 3 is operated and the visual field range is switched, the visual field range can be switched at high speed and easily.

  In addition, each Example mentioned above showed the specific example in order to make an understanding of invention easy, and this invention is not limited to these Examples. The microscope system according to each embodiment can be variously modified and changed without departing from the concept of the present invention defined by the claims.

  For example, in any of the above-described embodiments, the control device 20 controls the electric stage 3 so that the marker M is included in the image (view range), but the marker M is included in the image (view range). In this way, the control device 20 may control the electric parts (electric revolver 5 and zoom lens part 6) other than the electric stage 3.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microscope main body 2 Light source 2a Optical fiber 3 Electric stage 3a, 3b, 5a, 6b Motor 4a, 4b Objective lens 5 Electric revolver 6 Zoom lens part 6a Zoom lens 7 Half mirror 8 Illumination lens 9 Imaging lens 10 Microscope apparatus 11 Imaging apparatus 11a Imaging device 20 Control device 21 Imaging device control unit 22 Microscope device control unit 22a Electric stage control unit 22b Host control unit 23 CPU
24 Memory 25 Input / output I / F
26 External storage device 27 Portable recording medium drive device 28 Portable recording medium 29 Bus 30 Operation display device 31 Display unit 32 Operation unit 100 Microscope system S Sample A1 Image display region A2 Sample image display region A3 Control display regions M, M1, M2, M3 Markers B1, B2, B3, B4 Buttons R, R1, R2, R21, R22, R31, R32, R33 Field of view

Claims (7)

A microscope apparatus having an electric stage for placing a sample;
A display unit having a sample image display area for displaying an image of the sample acquired by the microscope apparatus;
An operation unit that receives an input for designating a part of the sample on the displayed image, and displays a mark at the position of the part designated by the input;
A control device that controls the electric stage to be movable within a range in which the mark displayed at the position of the part designated by the input does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit ,
The control device displays the mark displayed at the position of the portion designated by the input when the restriction is valid in response to switching between valid and invalid of the movement range restriction of the electric stage by the mark. The microscope system , wherein the motorized stage is controlled within a range that does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit . The microscope system according to claim 1, wherein
The microscope system according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is a touch panel arranged to overlap an image display area of the display unit. The microscope system according to claim 1 or 2,
Furthermore, it has a magnification change unit that changes the observation magnification,
The control device is configured so that the mark displayed at the position of the part designated by the input is included in the sample image display area of the display unit in conjunction with the change of the observation magnification by the magnification changing unit. A microscope system characterized by controlling the electric stage. The microscope system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The operation unit receives a plurality of inputs for designating a part of the sample on the sample image displayed on the display unit, and marks each of the positions of the plurality of the parts designated by the plurality of inputs. Display
The control device controls the electric stage within a range in which the marks displayed at the plurality of partial positions designated by the plurality of inputs do not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit. A featured microscope system. The microscope system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Furthermore, an effective / invalid switching unit that switches between valid and invalid of the restriction of the movement range of the electric stage by the mark in the control device,
The operation unit receives a second input for the valid / invalid switching unit to switch between valid and invalid of the restriction,
The control device controls the electric stage within a range in which the mark displayed at the partial position designated by the input does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit when the restriction is valid. A microscope system characterized by: The microscope system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The operation unit receives a third input for switching between display and non-display of the mark,
The control device displays or hides a mark displayed at the partial position according to a result of the third input. A microscope apparatus having an electric stage for placing a sample, a display unit having a sample image display area for displaying an image of the sample acquired by the microscope apparatus, and an input for designating a part of the sample on the displayed image And an operation unit that displays a mark at the position of the part specified by the input, and a program of a microscope system comprising:
The electric stage is controlled to be movable in a range in which the mark displayed at a position of a part of the sample designated by the input received by the operation unit does not move outside the sample image display area of the display unit , The mark displayed at the position of the portion designated by the input when the restriction is valid in response to the valid / invalid switching of the restriction on the movement range of the electric stage by the mark. A program for causing a computer to execute a process of controlling the electric stage within a range that does not move outside the sample image display area .