Optical: systems and elements – Compound lens system – Microscope
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-04
2004-03-16
Nguyen, Thong (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Compound lens system
Microscope
C359S363000, C359S385000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06707604
ABSTRACT:
The disclosure of the following priority application is herein incorporated by reference: Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-106798 filed Apr. 5, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a confocal microscope system which comprises a confocal microscope, a controller, and a host computer.
2. Related Background Art
A first prior art will be described.
FIG. 3
is a view for showing a system configuration according to the prior art.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, a confocal microscope system
50
is substantially comprised of a confocal microscope
11
, a controller
51
, and a host computer
61
.
Inside this controller
51
, there is provided a scan control board
52
. This scan control board
52
outputs a scan signal to the confocal microscope
11
. The confocal microscope
11
moves an observation point on a sample for scanning in accordance with this scan signal so that image signals are successively generated. Note that in the present specification, the “board” is not limited to a single printed circuit board, but is used to include a device, a unit, and other means.
On the other hand, from the scan control board
52
, a sync. signal (a horizontal sync. signal, a vertical sync. signal, or a pixel clock) is outputted in synchronism with the scan signal.
In addition, an image capture board
63
is mounted on a PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus
62
inside the host computer
61
.
This image capture board
63
receives an image signal from the confocal microscope
11
, and a sync. signal from the scan control board
52
.
The image capture board
63
A/D converts the image signal in synchronism with this sync. signal to generate image data. The image capture board
63
successively transfers the generated image data to a memory
65
in the host computer
61
through the PCI bus
62
.
A CPU
64
inside the host computer
61
conducts image processing or image analysis for the image data in the memory
65
.
The CPU
64
also transfers the image data to a recording apparatus
67
through the PCI bus
62
, and thereafter, stores the image data in a file.
Further, the CPU
64
transfers this image data or a result of the image analysis to a video board (not shown) through the PCI bus
62
, and displays the image data or the result of the image analysis on a monitor
66
.
In addition, the CPU
64
conducts such processings as image processing, image analysis, image display, and image comparison, for the image file inside the recording apparatus
67
, simultaneously with an operation for fetching an image from the confocal microscope
11
.
A second prior art will be described below.
FIG. 4
is a view for showing the system configuration according to another prior art.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, a confocal microscope system
70
is substantially comprised of the confocal microscope
11
, a controller
71
, and a host computer
91
. A scan control board
73
and an image capture board
74
are mounted on a bus
72
of this controller
71
.
This scan control board
73
outputs a scan signal to the confocal microscope
11
. The confocal microscope
11
moves an observation point on the sample for scanning in accordance with the scan signal so that image signals are successively generated. This image signal is given to the image capture board
74
. On the other hand, the scan control board
72
gives a sync. signal to the image capture board
74
.
The image capture board
74
A/D converts the image signal in synchronism with this sync. signal to generate image data. The image capture board
74
successively transfers the generated image data to a memory
76
in the controller
71
through the bus
72
. A CPU
75
inside the controller
71
conducts image processing or image analysis for the image data in the memory
76
.
The CPU
75
also transfers this image data to a recording apparatus
80
through the bus
72
and a bus controller
79
, and thereafter, stores the image data in a file.
Further, the CPU
75
transfers this image data or a result of the image analysis to a video board
77
through the bus
72
, and displays the image data or the result of the image analysis on a monitor
78
.
In addition, the CPU
75
conducts such processings as image processing, image analysis, image display, and image comparison, for the image file in the recording apparatus
80
, simultaneously with an operation for fetching an image from the confocal microscope
11
.
Such various operations of the CPU
75
as described above are controlled from the host computer
91
side through an interface
81
, a monitor
92
for GUI (graphical user interface) operation and an input device
93
.
Note that, in the confocal microscope device
11
described above, in order to reduce the scanning time, image signals may sometimes be sampled during both the going and returning courses in the main scanning direction. In such a case, a processing for reversing the right and left direction of the returning course is required separately in the step of image capture or image processing.
Also, in the confocal microscope
11
described above, a sample may be scanned by using a plurality of detection light beams at the same time. In such a case, it is required to conduct image capture for each of the detection light beams. Observations in such case include a fluorescent observation for detecting fluorescent lights having a plurality of wavelengths by adding a plurality of fluorescent reagents to a sample.
Incidentally, in the confocal microscope, continuous phototaking of a sample is also conducted. In this case, the conventional image capture board conducts a capture processing of an image signal substantially on real time, and transfers a large amount of generated image data to a memory through a bus. Under these circumstances, the bus is occupied with the large amount of image data. In addition, the CPU suffers complicated control for the image capture processing. On the other hand, the user may sometimes give an instruction to conduct image processing or image display in the course of the capture processing of an image. In this case, the CPU tries to conduct the image processing simultaneously with the image capture. This state allows the image capture to be synchronous with the image processing.
An operation of the CPU is conspicuously disturbed by such occupation of the bus or complication of the CPU. As a result, there arise troubles such that image processing, image analysis, image display, image storage, or the like, for the image data which is temporarily stored in the memory is conspicuously delayed.
Also, when the bus use can not be adjusted on the CPU side and on the image capture board side, a load of the bus becomes excessive instantaneously, so that another trouble such as a failure in image capture (missing of image frame(s)) is also possible.
These troubles arise more conspicuously when, for example, sampling in the returning course and scanning with a plurality of light beams are conducted at the same time or one after another so that the number of image signals to be captured by the image capture board becomes larger.
Hitherto, in order to solve such problems, it is required to use a high-speed CPU or a special and high-performance image capture board. For this reason, the degree of freedom of the system configuration is inevitably low, so that the system configuration can not cover the wide computer environment (including the kind of the computer, a board to be used, and an OS) demanded by users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has its first object to provide a confocal microscope system which is capable of smoothly executing operations such as an image processing operation without using a high-speed CPU or a special and high-performance image capture board even in the course of an image capture.
In order to achieve the above first object, according to the present invention, there is provided a confocal microscope system comprising:
a) a confocal microscope;
b) a controller having:
an image capture unit for generating image data on the bas
Lavarias Arnel C.
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Nguyen Thong
Nikon Corporation
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