Magnification observation device, magnification observation method, and magnification observation program

• US 9,007,452 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Original Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Inventors: Kang, Woobum
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M
• Application Number:
  US13/558,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20130050464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 348/79, 348/80, 348/229.1, 348/222, 359/387, 359/381, 359/368, 359/363
• US Class Current: 348/79
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/025 with variable magnification variable magnification G02B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/26 Stages; Adjusting means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/362 Mechanical details, e.g. mountings for the camera or image sensor, housings G02B21/364 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/367 providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison

Abstract

Provided are a magnification observation device, a magnification observation method, and a magnification observation program in which connected image data can be efficiently obtained in a short period of time when re-imaging an object to obtain the connected image data corresponding to a plurality of unit regions. A plurality of unit regions on a surface of an observation object are imaged, and a plurality of pieces of image data respectively corresponding to the plurality of unit regions are generated. An image of the object including the plurality of unit regions is displayed as a region presentation image. When any of the plurality of unit regions is selected by a selection instruction from a user, the selected unit region is re-imaged, to generate image data corresponding to the selected unit region as re-imaged data.

Claims

1. A magnification observation device which images an object to display an image of the object, the device comprising:

an imaging portion configured to respectively image a plurality of unit regions of an object to generate a plurality of pieces of image data respectively corresponding to the plurality of unit regions;

a display portion configured to display an image based on the plurality of pieces of image data;

an accepting portion configured to accept an selection instruction representing an area on the image displayed by the display portion to re-image a unit region of an object to regenerate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region;

a positional information generating portion configured to generate a positional information representing a respective positions of the plurality of unit regions; and

a memory configured to store the plurality of pieces of image data generated by the imaging portion associated with the positional information generated by the positional information generating portion,

a control portion configured to control the imaging portion to perform a re-imaging which is to re-image a unit region of an object corresponding to the selection instruction and the position information stored in the memory to generate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region, and to control the display portion to display an image based on the plurality of pieces of image data partially replaced with the piece of image data generated by the re-imaging.

2. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, further comprising

a memory configured to store the plurality of pieces of image data generated by the imaging portion,

a connecting portion configured to connect the plurality of pieces of image data stored in the memory to generate connected image data, and

wherein the display portion displays a connected image based on the connected image data as the image based on the plurality of pieces of image data.

3. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, wherein, when the selection instruction is accepted by the accepting part, the control part replaces the image data corresponding to the selected unit region among the image data corresponding to the plurality of unit regions stored in the storage part with the image data generated by the re-imaging.

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

the accepting portion configured to further accept an adjustment instruction for adjusting an imaging condition of the imaging portion, and

when the selection instruction is accepted by the accepting portion, the control portion controls the imaging portion so as to perform the re-imaging on the imaging condition adjusted in accordance with the adjustment instruction to generate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region.

5. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, further comprising

a connecting portion configured to sequentially connect the generated image data to previously generated image data corresponding to another unit region, and

wherein the display portion sequentially displays a connected image based on the sequentially connected image data as the image based on the plurality of pieces of image data.

6. The magnification observation device according to claim 5,

wherein, when the selection instruction is accepted by the accepting portion, the control part controls the connected portion so as to suspend the connection of the image data.

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

the imaging portion images the object at a first magnification and a second magnification lower than the first magnification, and respectively images the plurality of unit regions at the first magnification to generate a plurality of pieces of image data corresponding to the plurality of unit regions, and

the display portion displays images based on image data generated by imaging at the second magnification by the imaging portion as the image based on the plurality of pieces of image data.

8. The magnification observation device according to claim 1, further comprising

a determination portion configured to determine whether or not the image of each unit region satisfies the preset condition based on the image data corresponding to each unit region, wherein

the control portion controls the display portion so as to display an indicator on the image based on the plurality of pieces of image data, the indicator for identifying an image of unit region having been determined by the determination portion not to satisfy the preset condition.

9. A magnification observation method for imaging an object to display an image of the object, the method comprising the steps of:

respectively imaging a plurality of unit regions of an object to generate a plurality of pieces of image data respectively corresponding to the plurality of unit regions;

generating positional information representing respective positions of the plurality of unit regions,

storing in memory the plurality of pieces of image data generated by the imaging associated with the positional information,

displaying an image based on the plurality of pieces of image data;

accepting an selection instruction representing an area on the image in a displayed state to re-image a unit region of an object to regenerate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region;

re-imaging a unit region of an object corresponding to the selection instruction and the positional information to generate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region; and

displaying an image based on the plurality of pieces of image data partially replaced with the piece of image data generated in the re-imaging state.

10. A magnification observation program that is present on a non-transitory computer-readable memory causing a processing apparatus to execute a process of imaging an object to display an image of the object, the program comprising the processes of:

respectively imaging a plurality of unit regions of an object to generate a plurality of pieces of image data respectively corresponding to the plurality of unit regions;

generating positional information representing respective positions of the plurality of unit regions,

storing in memory the plurality of pieces of image data generated by the imaging associated with the positional information,

displaying an image based on the plurality of pieces of image data;

accepting an selection instruction representing an area on the image in a displayed state to re-image a unit region of an object to regenerate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region;

re-imaging a unit region of an object corresponding to the selection instruction and the positional information to generate a piece of image data corresponding to the unit region; and

displaying an image based on the plurality of pieces of image data partially replaced with the piece of image data generated in the re-imaging state.