Image acquiring apparatus, image acquiring method, and image acquiring program

Abstract

An image acquiring apparatus is made up of a macro image acquiring unit 20 used to acquire a macro image of each of a plurality of samples S, and a control unit 60 including a macro image acquisition control unit used to control a macro image acquiring operation and an image pickup condition setting unit used to set an image pickup condition for a micro image of the sample S with reference to the macro image. The control unit 60 includes a session managing unit used to define a session in accordance with a sample group consisting of the samples S and to manage a data group including data of the macro image and the image pickup condition as session data associated with the sample group for each session. According to this structure, it is possible to realize an image acquiring apparatus, an image acquiring method, and an image acquiring program capable of suitably managing image acquisition processing performed to acquire an image of each of a plurality of samples.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a structure of an embodiment of an image acquiring apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a structure of a microscope unit of the image acquiring apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a figure with schematic views showing a method for acquiring an image of a sample.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a method for setting a threshold to binarize a macro image.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a structure of a control unit of the image acquiring apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view explaining the production of sample data using a micro image.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an image acquiring method performed in a full-automatic mode.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an image acquiring method performed in a semi-automatic mode.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an image acquiring method performed in the semi-automatic mode.

FIG. 10 is a figure showing an example of interlocking control in a sample storage unit.

FIG. 11 is a figure showing an example of an operation screen used for session management and switching.

FIG. 12 is a figure showing an example of an operation screen used for session management and switching.

FIG. 13 is a figure showing an example of an operation screen used for session management and switching.

FIG. 14 is a figure showing an example of an operation screen used for session management and switching.

FIG. 15 is a figure showing an example of an operation screen used for session management and switching.

Claims

1. An image acquiring apparatus comprising: macro image acquiring means for acquiring a macro image of each of a plurality of samples; andcontrol means including macro image acquisition control means for controlling an operation to acquire the macro image by the macro image acquiring means, and image pickup condition setting means for setting an image pickup condition for a micro image of the sample with reference to the macro image, whereinthe control means includessession managing means for defining a session in accordance with a sample group consisting of the plurality of samples and managing a data group including data of the macro image and the image pickup condition for each of the samples as session data associated with the sample group for each session.

2. The image acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising micro image acquiring means for acquiring a micro image of the sample, wherein the control means includes micro image acquisition control means for controlling an operation to acquire the micro image by the micro image acquiring means, and the session managing means manages the data group including data of the macro image, the image pickup condition, and data of the micro image for each of the samples as the session data.

3. The image acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means includes session switching means for controlling switching between the sessions in a state in which the sample group and the session data are associated with each other for each session.

4. The image acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the session is paused or ended, the session switching means instructs the session managing means to keep the session data in this session.

5. The image acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when the sample group is set, the session switching means instructs the session managing means to perform switching to an existing session in which the session data has been kept or to a new session so as to be used as the session corresponding to this sample group.

6. The image acquiring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein sample storage means for storing the plurality of samples is provided with an interlock mechanism that prevents the sample storage means from being opened during execution of the session; andthe session switching means instructs the sample storage means to undo interlocking by the interlock mechanism when the session is paused or ended.

7. An image-acquiring method comprising: a macro image acquiring step of acquiring a macro image of each of a plurality of samples; anda control step including a macro image acquisition control step of controlling an operation to acquire the macro image by the macro image acquiring step, and an image pickup condition setting step of setting an image pickup condition for a micro image of the sample with reference to the macro image, whereinthe control step includesa session managing step of defining a session in accordance with a sample group consisting of the plurality of samples and managing a data group including data of the macro image and the image pickup condition for each of the samples as session data associated with the sample group for each session.

8. The image acquiring method according to claim 7, further comprising a micro image acquiring step of acquiring a micro image of the sample, wherein the control step includes a micro image acquisition control step of controlling an operation to acquire the micro image by the micro image acquiring step, andthe session managing step manages the data group including data of the macro image, the image pickup condition, and data of the micro image for each of the samples as the session data.

9. The image acquiring method according to claim 7, wherein the control step includes a session switching step of controlling switching between the sessions in a state in which the sample group and the session data are associated with each other for each session.

10. The image acquiring method according to claim 9, wherein, when the session is paused or ended, the session switching step instructs the session managing step to keep the session data in this session.

11. The image acquiring method according to claim 9, wherein, when the sample group is set, the session switching step instructs the session managing step to perform switching to an existing session in which the session data has been kept or to a new session so as to be used as the session corresponding to this sample group.

12. The image acquiring method according to claim 9, wherein sample storage means for storing the plurality of samples is provided with an interlock mechanism that prevents the sample storage means from being opened during execution of the session; andthe session switching step instructs the sample storage means to undo interlocking by the interlock mechanism when the session is paused or ended.

13. An image acquiring program that is applied to an image acquiring apparatus including macro image acquiring means for acquiring a macro image of each of a plurality of samples; the image acquiring program comprising: a control processing including a macro image acquisition control processing for controlling an operation to acquire the macro image by the macro image acquiring means, and an image pickup condition setting processing for setting an image pickup condition for a micro image of the sample with reference to the macro image, hereinthe control processing includesa session managing processing for defining a session in accordance with a sample group consisting of the plurality of samples and managing a data group including data of the macro image and the image pickup condition for each of the samples as session data associated with the sample group for each session; the control processing being executed by a computer.

14. The image acquiring program according to claim 13, wherein the image acquiring apparatus includes micro image acquiring means for acquiring a micro image of the sample, the control processing includes a micro image acquisition control processing for controlling an operation to acquire the micro image by the micro image acquiring means, andthe session managing processing manages the data group including data of the macro image, the image pickup condition, and data of the micro image for each of the samples as the session data.

15. The image acquiring program according to claim 13, wherein the control processing includes a session switching processing for controlling switching between the sessions in a state in which the sample group and the session data are associated with each other for each session.

16. The image acquiring program according to claim 15, wherein, when the session is paused or ended, the session switching processing instructs the session managing processing to keep the session data in this session.

17. The image acquiring program according to claim 15, wherein, when the sample group is set, the session switching processing instructs the session managing processing to perform switching to an existing session in which the session data has been kept or to a new session so as to be used as the session corresponding to this sample group.

18. The image acquiring program according to claim 15, wherein the image acquiring apparatus includes sample storage means for storing the plurality of samples, the sample storage means being provided with an interlock mechanism that prevents the sample storage means from being opened during execution of the session; andthe session switching processing instructs the sample storage means to undo interlocking by the interlock mechanism when the session is paused or ended.