Magnification Observation Device

• US 20130088586A1
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Original Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Inventors: Kang, Woobum, Inomata, Masahiro, Sekiya, Suguru
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/79
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/26 Stages; Adjusting means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/365 Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence

Abstract

Provided is a magnification observation device capable of easily moving an observation object in a desired direction even when a stage is rotated, and capable of preventing a desired region of the observation object from going outside an imaging region due to rotation of the stage. The observation object is placed on the placement surface of the stage. The observation object is imaged by an imaging unit, to acquire image data of the imaging region. Based on the image data acquired by the imaging unit, an image of the observation object is displayed by the display part as an observed image. The stage is moved relatively with respect to the imaging unit along an x_t-axis and a y_t-axis. In this case, moving amounts along the x_t-axis and the y_t-axis are controlled based on a rotational angle detected by a rotational angle detecting part.

Claims

1. A magnification observation device, comprising:

an imaging part that images an observation object, to acquire imaging data of an imaging region;

a display part that displays an image of the observation object as an observed image based on the image data acquired by the imaging part;

a stage that has a placement surface on which the observation object is placed, and is provided relatively rotatably with respect to the imaging part around a rotational axis substantially vertical to the placement surface, and movably along first and second axes intersecting with each other within a plane substantially parallel to the placement surface;

a rotational angle detecting part that detects a rotational angle of the stage;

a stage driving part that moves the stage relatively with respect to the imaging part along the first and second axes;

an instruction accepting part that accepts an instruction for a moving direction of the stage;

and a control part that provides the stage driving part with moving amounts of the stage along the first and second axes, to control movement of the stage, wherein

the first and second axes of the stage rotate around the rotational axis integrally with the stage, and

the control part is configured to control the moving amounts along the first and second axes to be provided to the stage driving part such that a moving direction of the observation object in the imaging region of the imaging part agrees with the direction accepted by the instruction accepting part, based on the rotational angle detected by the rotational angle detecting part.

2. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging region of the imaging part is provided with third and fourth axes intersecting with each other, and

the control part is configured to detect an angle difference between the first and second axes of the stage and the third and fourth axes of the imaging region during predetermined calibration, and the moving amounts of the stage along the first and second axes to be provided to the stage driving part is corrected based on the detected angle difference in normal time.

3. The magnification observation device according to claim 2, wherein the control part is configured to detect the angle difference between the first and second axes of the stage and the third and fourth axes of the imaging region based on the moving direction of the observed image in a case where the stage has been moved by the stage driving part.

4. The magnification observation device according to claim 2, wherein

a direction specifying part for specifying directions of the first and second axes is provided on the stage, and

the control part is configured to detect the angle difference between the first and second axes of the stage and the third and fourth axes of the imaging region based on an image of the direction specifying part included in the observed image.

5. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, wherein the display part displays a position specifying image indicating a position of the imaging region on the stage.

6. The magnification observation device according to claim 5, wherein

the position specifying image includes a first image representing a region wider than the imaging region on the stage and a second image corresponding to the imaging region, and

the control part rotates the first image relatively with respect to the second image based on the rotational angle detected by the rotational angle detecting part.

7. The magnification observation device according to claim 6, wherein

the imaging part is configured to be capable of imaging the region wider than the imaging region, and the display part displays the first image based on image data obtained upon imaging the wide region by the imaging part.

8. The magnification observation device according to claim 6, wherein the first image shows a diagram for specifying the region wider than the imaging region on the stage.

9. The magnification observation device according to claim 6, wherein the first image corresponds to a relatively movable range of the imaging region on the stage.

10. The magnification observation device according to claim 5, wherein

the instruction accepting part is configured to be capable of accepting designation of an arbitrary position in the position specifying image, and

the control part controls movement of the stage by the stage driving part such that the imaging region moves to a position on the stage which corresponds to the position designated by the instruction accepting part.

11. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, wherein the control part is configured to detect a moving amount of the observed image in the case where the stage has been moved, calculate a relation between the moving amount of the observed image and the moving amount of the stage based on the detected moving amount, and correct the moving amount to be provided to the stage driving part based on the calculated relation.