Observation device, observation method, and observation device control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11163145-B2
Application number	US-201916355958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2019
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

Before an observation region of an imaging optical system (14) reaches an observation position in the cultivation container (50), a vertical position of the cultivation container (50) at the observation position is precedently detected by an auto-focus displacement sensor. In a case where an objective lens is moved in an optical axis direction on the basis of the position, an error between the precedently detected vertical position of the stage (51) at the observation position and a vertical position of the stage (51) at a time point when the observation region of the imaging optical system (14) is scanned up to the observation position is acquired, and the objective lens is moved in the optical axis direction on the basis of the error.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An observation device comprising:
a stage on which a container in which an observation target is contained is placed;
an imaging optical lens system that includes an objective lens for forming an image of the observation target;
an imaging optical system driving actuator that moves the objective lens along an optical axis;
a horizontal driving actuator that moves the stage in a horizontal plane;
a scanning controller that controls the horizontal driving actuator to move the stage in a main scanning direction in the horizontal plane and in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, to scan each observation position in the container in an observation region of the imaging optical lens system;
a detector that includes at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors that precedently detect a vertical position of the container at an observation position before the observation region reaches the observation position in the container, through scanning in the main scanning direction in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system;
two first stage position measurement displacement sensors that are provided in parallel in the sub-scanning direction with the at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors being interposed therebetween at the same position as the position of the at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors in the main scanning direction;
an imaging optical system controller that controls an operation of the imaging optical system driving actuator at a time point the observation position is scanned in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system, on a basis of the vertical position of the container detected by the detector; and
a vertical direction error acquisition processor that acquires an error between a vertical position of the stage at a time point the vertical position of the container is precedently detected at the observation position by the at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors and a vertical position of the stage at a time point the observation region of the imaging optical lens system is scanned up to the observation position,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor acquires the vertical position of the stage at the position of the at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors, on a basis of vertical positions of the stage detected by the two first stage position measurement displacement sensors,
wherein the imaging optical system controller controls the operation of the imaging optical system driving actuator to move the objective lens along the optical axis on the basis of the vertical position of the container at the observation position that is precedently detected by the at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors and the error acquired by the vertical direction error acquisition processor, in scanning the observation position in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system.

2. The observation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the horizontal driving actuator moves the stage in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction while reciprocally moving the stage in the main scanning direction, and
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor acquires different errors between a case where the stage is moved forward and a case where the stage is reversely moved.

3. The observation device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the detector includes at least two auto-focus displacement sensors that are provided in parallel in the main scanning direction with the objective lens being interposed therebetween, and
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor acquires the vertical position of the stage at a scanning position in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system, on a basis of vertical positions of the stage detected by the at least two auto-focus displacement sensors.

4. The observation device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor includes a table in which each observation position in the container and the error at each observation position are associated with each other.

5. The observation device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
two second stage position measurement displacement sensors that are provided in parallel in the sub-scanning direction with the imaging optical lens system being interposed therebetween at the same position as the position of the imaging optical lens system in the main scanning direction,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor acquires a vertical position of the stage at a scanning position in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system, on a basis of vertical positions of the stage detected by the two second stage position measurement displacement sensors.

6. The observation device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor includes a table in which each observation position in the container and the error at each observation position are associated with each other.

7. The observation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes at least two auto-focus displacement sensors that are provided in parallel in the main scanning direction with the objective lens being interposed therebetween, and
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor acquires the vertical position of the stage at a scanning position in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system, on a basis of vertical positions of the stage detected by the at least two auto-focus displacement sensors.

8. The observation device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor includes a table in which each observation position in the container and the error at each observation position are associated with each other.

9. The observation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
two second stage position measurement displacement sensors that are provided in parallel in the sub-scanning direction with the imaging optical lens system being interposed therebetween at the same position as the position of the imaging optical lens system in the main scanning direction,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor acquires a vertical position of the stage at a scanning position in the observation region of the imaging optical lens system, on a basis of vertical positions of the stage detected by the two second stage position measurement displacement sensors.

10. The observation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the vertical direction error acquisition processor includes a table in which each observation position in the container and the error at each observation position are associated with each other.

11. The observation device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the table is updated at an interval of a predetermined time.

12. The observation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the imaging optical system driving actuator includes a piezoelectric element, and moves the objective lens along the optical axis using the piezoelectric element.

13. The observation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of a plurality of auto-focus displacement sensors is a laser displacement sensor.

14. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing an observation device control program that causes a computer to execute, with respect to the observation device according to claim 1 :
a step of moving a stage on whic

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Shiraishi Yasushi

Classifications

• G02B21/14 Primary

  affording illumination for phase-contrast observation · CPC title

• G02B7/28

  Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals · CPC title

• G02B21/245

  using auxiliary sources, detectors · CPC title

• G02B7/285 Primary

  including two or more different focus detection devices, e.g. both an active and a passive focus detecting device · CPC title

• G02B21/26 Primary

  Stages; Adjusting means therefor · CPC title