Microscopic-measurement apparatus

• US 7,954,069 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jasco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Jasco Corporation
• Inventors: Akao, Yoshiko, Yumoto, Masaaki, Koshoubu, Jun, Akao, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAO H
• Application Number:
  US12/117,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20080282197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744, 715/243, 715/230, 715/273, 715/700, 715/780, 715835-839, 715763-765, 715/715
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/365 Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence

Abstract

A microscopic-measurement apparatus capable of displaying, on a display device, an enlarged view of a particular part of a specimen placed on a movable stage and providing optical information of a desired portion includes an observation-image display section for displaying an enlarged view of a specific part of the specimen on the display device; a thumbnail-image display section for acquiring the enlarged image of the specific part as a thumbnail image when the enlarged observation image is specified and displaying the thumbnail image together with the enlarged image on the display device; a thumbnail-coordinate storage section for storing coordinate information of the specific part, where the thumbnail image is acquired, in association with the thumbnail image; and a thumbnail jump display section for causing the observation-image display section to display an enlarged image of the position of the thumbnail image by specifying the thumbnail image.

Claims

1. A microscopic-measurement apparatus capable of displaying, on a display device, an enlarged image of a particular part of a specimen placed on a movable stage and providing spectroscopic information of a desired portion, the microscopic-measurement apparatus comprising:

observation-image display means for displaying an enlarged image of a specific part of the specimen on the display device;

thumbnail-image display means for acquiring the enlarged image of the specific part as a thumbnail image when the enlarged image is specified and displaying the thumbnail image together with the enlarged image on the display device, said thumbnail-images indicating the specific parts where spectroscopic information will be obtained later;

thumbnail-coordinate storage means for storing coordinate information of the specific part, where the thumbnail image is acquired, in association with the thumbnail image;

thumbnail jump display means for causing the observation-image display means to display an enlarged image of the position of the thumbnail image by specifying the thumbnail image;

target-mark display means for displaying a target mark on the enlarged image displayed by the observation-image display means, the target mark being capable of being moved relative to the enlarged image;

optical-information acquisition position storage means for storing coordinates of the current target mark display position in response to an optical-information acquisition position instruction; and

optical-information acquisition means for acquiring optical spectroscopic information by moving the movable stage to the optical-information acquisition position in response to an optical-information acquisition instruction.

2. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail-image display means acquires a thumbnail image of the optical-information acquisition position and displays the thumbnail image on the display device.

3. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

map image display means for displaying, on the display device, a map image corresponding to an area where the specimen is placed on the movable stage; and

map jump display means for causing, in accordance with a position specified on the map image display means, the observation-image display means to display an enlarged image of the position.

4. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the map image display means displays the specific part, where the thumbnail image is acquired, on the map image.

5. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

z-direction contrast display means for displaying a contrast in the depth direction of the specimen placed on the movable stage; and

focus change means for changing the focus of the enlarged image in the depth direction to a depth position specified on the displayed contrast in the depth direction.

6. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when one thumbnail image is specified, the thumbnail jump display means reads coordinates corresponding to the specified thumbnail image from the thumbnail-coordinate storage means and moves the movable stage to display an observation image of the coordinates at the time when the thumbnail image is specified with a large magnification.

7. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical-information acquisition position storage means further storages coordinates of a plurality of target mark display positions and the thumbnail-image display means displays a plurality of target marks corresponding to the plurality of target mark display positions on the thumbnail images.

8. A microscopic-measurement apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the optical-information acquisition means moves the movable stage to positions corresponding to the plurality of target marks displayed on the thumbnail images and obtains spectroscopic information at the positions.