Claims
- 1. A microscope control system which obtains a microscope image of an observation target sample by controlling a microscope having at least two object lenses, comprising:
an object lens information record unit recording object lens information associating the object lenses with numerical aperture of the object lenses; an object lens selection information obtaining unit obtaining selection information about the object lenses selected to obtain the microscope image; an object lens numerical aperture obtaining unit obtaining the numerical aperture of the selected object lens from the object lens information record unit according to the selection information; a focal point moving interval determination unit determining a moving interval per moving operation of optical-axis-direction moving of a position of a focal point of the microscope based on the numerical aperture of the object lens obtained by the object lens numerical aperture obtaining unit and a wavelength of light for observation of the sample; a focal point moving range determination unit determining a range of motion when optical-axis-direction moving of the position of the focal point is made on the sample based on an estimated value of a thickness of the sample; a focal point moving control unit controlling the microscope such that the position of the focal point relative to z sample position can be sequentially moved in an optical axis direction depending on the moving interval and the range of motion; and a microscope image obtaining control unit controlling the microscope such that the microscope image can be sequentially obtained each time and after the position of the focal point relative to the sample position is moved by the focal point moving control unit at the moving intervals.
- 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a designation unit designating an optional portion of the microscope image obtained by the control of the microscope image obtaining control unit; a brightness information obtaining unit obtaining information about brightness of the portion; and a microscope image addition unit adding a plurality of microscope images obtained by the microscope when the position of the focal point relative to the sample position is the same if the brightness is smaller than a predetermined value.
- 3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising
a moving picture conversion unit converting the microscope images which are a plurality of still images obtained in the different positions of the focal point at the moving intervals by the control of the microscope image obtaining control unit into one piece of moving picture data.
- 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein
the focal point moving control unit can be configured to control the microscope such that a central point of the range of motion matches the position of the focal point about the sample obtained as a result of performing a autofocus setting capability of the microscope when the movement of the position of the focal point is controlled.
- 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein
the focal point moving control unit can also be configured to control the microscope such that an upper limit of the range of the focal point on the sample obtained as a result of executing the autofocus setting capability of the microscope can match the upper limit of the range of motion, or a lower limit of the range of the focal point on the sample obtained as a result of executing the autofocus setting capability of the microscope can match the lower limit of the range of motion when the movement of the position of the focal point is controlled.
- 6. The system according to claim 2, wherein
when the information about the brightness of each of the primary colors of light is obtained as the information about the brightness of the portion, the brightness information obtaining unit is assumed to define the highest brightness value as the information about the brightness of the portion.
- 7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a requesting terminal having a microscope; and an observing terminal designating the control of the microscope wherein:
the requesting terminal can comprise a requesting line connection unit for connecting the requesting terminal to a communications line, and transmitting image information representing the microscope image obtained by the microscope provided for the requesting terminal to the observing terminal; and the observing terminal can include an observing line connection unit for connecting the observing terminal to the communications line, transmitting request information about a request to start designation of control of the microscope provided for the requesting terminal to the requesting terminal, and receiving the image information transmitted by the requesting line connection unit.
- 8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising
a storage unit storing image information representing the microscope images sequentially obtained by the control of the microscope image obtaining control unit.
- 9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:
a server terminal having the storage unit; and a client terminal obtaining the image information stored in the storage unit, wherein
the server terminal can include a server terminal line connection unit for connecting the server terminal to the communications line, and transmitting the image information stored in the storage unit to the client terminal; and the client terminal can include a client terminal line connection unit for connecting the client terminal to the communications line, transmitting a request to transmit the image information stored in the storage unit of the server terminal to the server terminal, and receiving the image information transmitted by the server terminal line connection unit.
- 10. A microscope control apparatus which controls a microscope for obtaining a microscope image of a sample which is a target to be observed, comprising:
a focal point moving interval determination unit determining an optical-axis-direction moving interval of a focal point of the microscope based on a numerical aperture of an object lens used in the microscope for obtaining a microscope image and a wavelength of light used in observing the sample by the microscope; and a focal point moving control unit controlling the microscope such that a position of a focal point of the microscope can be sequentially moved in an optical axis direction relative to the sample position at a moving interval determined by the focal point moving interval determination unit.
- 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising
a microscope image obtaining control unit controlling the microscope such that the microscope image can be sequentially obtained each time and after the position of the focal point relative to the sample position is moved by the focal point moving control unit at the moving intervals.
- 12. A method for controlling a microscope for obtaining a microscope image of a sample which is a target to be observed, comprising:
determining an optical-axis-direction moving interval of a focal point of the microscope based on a numerical aperture of an object lens used in the microscope for obtaining the microscope image and a wavelength of light used in observing the sample by the microscope; and controlling the microscope such that a position of the focal point of the microscope can be sequentially moved in an optical axis direction relative to the sample position at the determine moving interval.
- 13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising
controlling the microscope such that the microscope image can be sequentially obtained each time and after the position of the focal point relative to the sample position is moved by the control at the moving intervals.
- 14. A computer-readable storage medium recording a program used to direct a computer to control a microscope for obtaining a microscope image of a sample which is a target to be observed, wherein the program comprising
determining an optical-axis-direction moving interval of a focal point of the microscope based on a numerical aperture of an object lens used in the microscope for obtaining the microscope image and a wavelength of light used in observing the sample by the microscope; and controlling the microscope such that a position of the focal point of the microscope can be sequentially moved in an optical axis direction relative to the sample position at the determine moving interval.
- 15. The medium according to claim 14, wherein the program further comprising
controlling the microscope such that the microscope image can be sequentially obtained each time and after the position of the focal point relative to the sample position is moved by the control at the moving intervals.
- 16. A microscope control apparatus which controls a microscope for obtaining a microscope image of a sample which is a target to be observed, comprising:
focal point moving interval determination means for determining an optical-axis-direction moving interval of a focal point of the microscope based on a numerical aperture of an object lens used in the microscope for obtaining a microscope image and a wavelength of light used in observing the sample by the microscope; and focal point moving control means for controlling the microscope such that a position of a focal point of the microscope can be sequentially moved in an optical axis direction relative to the sample position at a moving interval determined by the focal point moving interval determination means.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2001-056095 |
Mar 2001 |
JP |
|
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP02/01797, filed Feb. 27, 2002, which was not published under PCT Article 21(2) in English.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/JP02/01797 |
Feb 2002 |
US |
Child |
10464583 |
Jun 2003 |
US |