JP2918663B2 - Display device in microscope visual field and microscope image processing device including the same - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device in a microscope field of view and a microscope image processing apparatus including the same, and in particular, displays images, patterns, characters, etc. in a field of view of an optical microscope or the like. The present invention relates to a display device within a visual field of a microscope having a function and a microscope image processing device including the display device.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some optical devices, such as an optical device, a camera, and an optical microscope, have a configuration in which a display unit is provided in a peripheral part in a visual field that an operator peeks, and information about photographing and inspection by a microscope is displayed. . These optical devices are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 37-3182, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 43-4118, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-134816.

In the optical device having the in-field display device, the display unit is incorporated so as not to obstruct the field of view of the optical system, and the display unit uses a blinking lamp, a part of an optical image, a meter hand, and the like. doing. With such a display device in the visual field, various information about the operation of the device is provided to a person who operates and observes the optical device. Also, the display information provided by the in-view display device is diversified.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional in-view display device, since the display unit is formed so as not to transmit light, the display unit is limited to a peripheral portion of the view so as not to obstruct the view. As a result, the display contents are limited to simple ones, and there is a problem that complicated and sophisticated character information and graphics for indicating an object in the visual field cannot be put in the visual field. Further, as a limited use for putting a pattern in a visual field, there is a case where a glass in which a cross line or a dimension line pattern is drawn is installed near an eyepiece of a microscope or an image forming position. However, such a display using a pattern printed on glass placed in the field of view has a disadvantage that the purpose of use is greatly restricted.

On the other hand, a specific optical application device is required to perform display in a visual field with a wider content and a higher function. An example will be described below in detail.

For example, a blood image automatic analyzer using a pattern recognition method is used for leukocyte classification, reticulocyte counting,
Used for red blood cell morphology tests. The percentage and number of blood cells,
Information such as the presence of abnormal spheres is important for disease diagnosis. In this device, an optical microscope image is input as an image by a TV image pickup device, and morphological features of blood cells are extracted using a pattern recognition technique, and identification processing is performed. Also, in this device, when there are blood cells that cannot be classified by the device mechanically (that is, unknown spheres, for example, broken blood cells, stained scum, blood cells contracted), or when abnormal spheres are present, The classification of unknown spheres and abnormal spheres is ultimately performed by a person using visual observation by a person. There are always several unknown or abnormal spheres in one specimen.

The procedure of reexamination and reinput of an unknown sphere or abnormal sphere in the automatic blood image analyzer is performed as follows. Determine the blood cell ID of the re-input target, reproduce the blood cell under the microscope, display the target blood image and the result determined by the device on the CRT display, and observe the target blood image displayed on the CRT. Alternatively, by directly observing the microscope, the name of the blood cell as a human judgment is input to the device. CRT images are inferior to microscope images in resolution and color reproduction, so microscopic observation is essential for blood cells that are difficult to determine.

In such a situation, a person needs to repeat the two operations of viewing the determination result by the device and the blood image on the CRT screen, and then observing the microscope. In some cases, the whole blood is reviewed, and the operability is not good.

In order to improve operability, data and information necessary for performing a series of operations in a microscope field of view and a display indicating a target blood cell are required. For that purpose, it is necessary for the blood sample to display an ID number, a blood cell number indicating which blood cell is being processed, a blood cell name determined by the present apparatus, and a blood cell name determined by the observer. . The judgment result of the person is for confirming the result input by the person. Further, in the visual field, it is necessary to display an image capturing range of the TV imaging device and a blood cell to be processed when there are a plurality of blood cells.

In addition, these displays need to be displayed when needed, otherwise disappear and the entire microscope field of view must not be obstructed by these displays. Further, when the magnification of the eyepiece is changed, it is better to change the size of the display characters and the like. This is because if the character display is located around the visual field, the eyes become tired due to the movement of the eyeball, and long-term work cannot be continued.

In view of the above problems and demands, it is an object of the present invention to be able to display sufficient information for improving operability in an appropriate arrangement in an observation field of view, and to display it at an appropriate timing as required. It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device in a visual field which has a display function which can be erased together with the display, and which does not cause fatigue of an observer's eyeball.

[Means for solving the problem]

A first microscope image processing apparatus according to the present invention is a microscope image processing apparatus for automatically analyzing particles, comprising: a sample stage on which a sample having particles is arranged; and an objective lens for enlarging the sample arranged on the stage. Imaging means for imaging the sample magnified by the objective lens, an identification unit for identifying the type of particles in the sample imaged by the imaging means, and a transparent electrode disposed at an imaging position of the objective lens. With the liquid crystal display means having, storing the result identified by the identification unit, controlling the movement of the sample stage, and reproducing the image of the particles obtained by the stored result is enlarged by the objective lens by the objective lens, A control means for displaying the reproduced particle identification result on the liquid crystal display means; and an observer viewing the particle identification result displayed by the liquid crystal display means. Input means for correcting,
The identification result corrected by the observer is stored by the control means and displayed on the liquid crystal display means.

In the second microscope image processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the first configuration, when another plurality of particles are present in the reproduced particle image, the control unit obtains the identification result. A display indicating the specified particles is performed.

In a third microscope image processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the first or second configuration, the sample is blood.

A first in-microscope display device according to the present invention includes an objective lens for enlarging a sample, an imaging unit for imaging the sample enlarged by the objective lens, and a type of particles in the sample imaged by the imaging unit. And a control unit for storing the result identified by the identifying unit and storing the result of the particle obtained by enlarging and reproducing the image of the particle obtained by the objective lens with the objective lens. A display device in a visual field of a microscope arranged at an image forming position of an objective lens, comprising: a liquid crystal display unit having a transparent electrode and a display unit for displaying a result of identification of particles reproduced by the objective lens; If the identification result of the particles displayed by the display means is reviewed and corrected by the observer, the corrected identification result is displayed on the display section of the liquid crystal display means. Is the fact characterized.

[Action]

In the display device in the field of view of the microscope according to the present invention, the crystal display unit is installed at the position of the image formed by the objective lens of the microscope so as to overlap the image, and the microscope image and the display content of the liquid crystal display pattern unit appear to overlap. It is configured as follows. In particular, since the entire field of view of the eyepiece can be used for displaying characters and patterns, it is not limited to the vicinity of the field of view unlike a conventional display device. Moreover, by turning on / off these displays, the display can be switched to be transparent,
In normal microscopic observation, the display is made transparent because there is no need to operate the liquid crystal display. When no display is required, the display pattern portion does not affect the display. In this case, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal is reduced by the canceling means for erasing the display, and the polarization direction of the liquid crystal is made to coincide with the polarization directions of the polarizing plates above and below the element. In this way, only the object image by the objective lens can be observed. With such a display device, data from the external additional device can be displayed, and the data can be confirmed without keeping an eye on the microscope eyepiece, thereby improving the operability of the device.

When the display device in the visual field of the microscope according to the present invention is applied to the above-described automatic blood image analyzer, the display pattern portion is actually processed by a pattern indicating an image capturing area by the TV imaging device, image processing. Display indicating the target blood cell, blood cell number, blood cell name determined by the device, blood cell name input by human pushing operation, and XY coordinates indicating the position of the displayed blood cell on the XY stage as needed I do.

In the microscope image processing apparatus according to the present invention, the liquid crystal display unit at the real image position by the objective lens and the analysis result of the microscope image analysis system are displayed on the display unit, and the means for reviewing the analysis result further includes an object image to be analyzed. It is possible to carry out review work etc. while watching. The reproduction of the target object image, the display of the image analysis data, and the display of the review input data can be viewed in an overlapping manner.

Leukocyte classification, reticulocyte processing,
When performing a blood image test such as a red blood cell morphology, operability can be improved.

In addition, by having a plurality of display patterns and switching between them, one of the plurality of patterns or a combination of a plurality of patterns can be displayed, and the operation in the visual field of the microscope is improved.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a display device in a microscope visual field and a microscope image processing device according to the present invention, and particularly shows a configuration applied to an optical microscope of an automatic blood image analyzer. The apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 1 is roughly divided into four parts: an optical microscope section, a microscope control section, an image input system, and a blood cell identification determination section.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a blood smear-stained specimen set on an XY stage 2 of an optical microscope. The specimen 1 is magnified by an objective lens 3 and is imaged at a real image position 4. The XY stage 2 of the optical microscope is continuously moved in the X and Y directions to detect the white blood cells to be processed from the magnitude of the one-dimensional image output signal of the one-dimensional image sensor 10, and the detected white blood cells are then viewed by the microscope. And stop the XY stage 2. Next, using the output signal of the same one-dimensional image sensor 10, an image is correctly formed at the real image position 4 by the automatic focus adjustment controller 11. The image is also the beam splitter 5
Is adjusted so that an image is formed on the image pickup surface of the TV image pickup device 6.

With respect to the two-dimensional image data converted into the electric signal by the TV imaging device 6, the blood cell identification unit 7 performs a feature extraction necessary for the blood cell classification, and performs a blood cell classification process by a pattern recognition method from the extracted feature data. The control of the entire system is performed by the control unit 8. A CRT display 9, an input terminal unit 13, and an output device 14 are provided as a blood cell image display device and an input / output display device. When processing a certain number of blood cells,
The output device 14 outputs the classification identification result.

The optical microscope includes the objective lens 3 and the eyepiece 15 described above.
And three or four spectacle tubes, which are used for visual observation, TV image pickup system and one-dimensional image sensor system. The XY stage 2 is controlled by the XY stage control unit 12.

When the classification and identification processing of one blood sample is completed, the identification result is reviewed by the observer as follows. The identified blood cells are given the number of blood cells, the XY coordinates on the blood smear stained sample, and the classification result as a set of data,
These data are stored in the control unit 8. Then, based on these data, each blood cell image is reproduced on the field of view of the microscope, and then the observer looks at the blood cell image through the eyepiece 15, and inputs the identification result of the observer from the input terminal unit 13. Correct the identification result.

Next, the display section 17 within the visual field of the microscope will be described. The display unit 17 in the microscope visual field is constituted by a liquid crystal display element arranged at a real image position 4 where a blood cell image is formed by the objective lens 3. Before and after this liquid crystal display element, there is a transparent electrode, a glass substrate for liquid crystal, a polarizing plate outside thereof, and by applying an electric field to the transparent electrode, a change in the birefringence of the liquid crystal is caused.
The light transmittance of the electrode portion becomes opaque. The configuration of these liquid crystal display device elements themselves is already known, and will not be described in detail here. The display unit 17 within the visual field of the microscope constituted by the liquid crystal display element is driven by the liquid crystal display element driving unit 18.

2 and 3 show an example of the display contents of the display unit 17 within the microscope field of view. In FIG. 2, 20 represents white blood cells and 21 represents red blood cells. The image capturing range of the TV imaging device 6 is displayed as 22, and the part where the blood cell feature is actually extracted is indicated by a broken line area 23. In the display unit 17 within the microscope visual field, the blood cell number 24, the device identification result 25, the blood cell name 26 input from the input terminal unit 13 by the observer, and the sample number 27 are displayed at the upper position at the lower position of the image capturing range 22. Have been. The above display is displayed in the visual field of the microscope only when performing the visual judgment work by the observer, and is not displayed in other normal times. This can be performed by applying no voltage to the liquid crystal electrode. Since the electrode for liquid crystal display is made of a transparent electrode, the influence of this electrode pattern is small in ordinary microscopic observation. The blood cell number, the identification result, and the like are constituted by a dot display unit, and letters and numbers are displayed, respectively. FIG. 3 shows a specific display example of the blood cell number 24, the device identification result 25, and the input blood cell name 26. In the illustrated example, the 152th blood cell has an EOS (eosinophil) identification result.
And the observer's judgment indicates that it is a NEU (neutrophil). In this way, blood cells input by a person (observer) from the input terminal unit 13 are displayed in the field of view of the microscope, and input data can be confirmed without removing the eye from the eyepiece 15 of the microscope. When the identification result by the device and the judgment by the observer match, key-in is performed from the input terminal unit 13, and the process proceeds to the next process.

As described above, the observer can check the blood cell identification result, re-enter, and judge the progress of the work based on the blood cell number without taking his eyes off the eyepiece 15 of the microscope. In this case, the display on the visual field can be erased, and in this case, the microscope observation can be performed without being affected by the display pattern. In addition, since the various displays described above can be realized on the microscope visual field, the movement of the eyes in the visual field is reduced, and the eyestrain can be reduced. When there are a plurality of processing targets in the field of view of the TV imaging device 6, the control unit 8 can instruct which blood cells are currently being processed, and based on this instruction, the blood cells are displayed. Displaying the mark can increase the accuracy of the observer's judgment. As a method of displaying the mark, it is preferable to display the pattern of the portion 23 where the characteristic of the blood cell is extracted. However, in order to not complicate the configuration of the liquid crystal display electrode and the liquid crystal driving unit, a simple dot or cursor shape is used. The display format is also sufficient.

In an optical microscope type having a binocular eyepiece, a sufficient function can be exhibited by setting the display pattern on one of the eyepieces.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. When the liquid crystal display pattern becomes complicated, the wiring between the liquid crystal display element drive unit 18 and the display unit 17 within the microscope field of view becomes more complicated, and it is not advisable to separately configure the display unit and the drive unit inside and outside the microscope. Therefore, FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which a display unit 17 and a driving unit 18 are integrated in a lens barrel 16 of the microscope. In FIG. 4, the display data and the display control signal from the control unit 8 are converted into a serial signal by a signal conversion unit 31, and based on the signal, an ON / OFF signal is generated by blinking of the LED element 32. Drive unit by optical fiber 33
An optical signal is input to 18. FIG. 5 shows the detailed configuration of the drive unit, and the optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber 33 is
Is reconverted into an electric signal, and is configured to control the display drive circuit 35. The driving power supply is a built-in power supply 36.

According to the above configuration, the display unit 17 within the microscope field of view and the liquid crystal display element driving unit 18 are electrically insulated from other components,
As a result, electrical connection is not required and an independent structure is provided, so that removal, replacement, and adjustment of the display unit 17 are facilitated. As a result, it can be used with the same feeling as a mask pattern including a dimension line conventionally used.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, while performing the blood cell review process, as shown in FIG. 6, the portions other than the image capturing range 22 and the number / character display portions 24, 25, 26, and 27 by the TV imaging device 6 are displayed. By making it opaque (shown by a shaded portion), visual observation by an observer can be concentrated on the image capturing range 22. In addition, in the binocular optical microscope, in order to install the above-described display patterns one by one on each eyepiece, there is a problem that the position and rotation of each pattern cannot be adjusted sufficiently. By displaying a regular pattern on the other eyepiece and displaying a display pattern consisting of only the above-described simple mask portion on the other eyepiece, the complexity of adjustment can be eliminated.

For the in-view display device according to the present invention, several other modified embodiments as described below can be considered.

The XY coordinates indicating the current position of the microscope XY stage 2 can be displayed on the display screen of the first embodiment. According to this configuration, the current position can be reproduced when necessary. The XY coordinates can be obtained from the number of drive pulses of the XY stage, reading from a rotary encoder, and the like.

If the image obtained by the optical microscope is dark and the liquid crystal display cannot be viewed with a sufficiently high contrast, the auxiliary light source in the lens barrel can be turned on so that the display unit can be viewed. In such a configuration, the contrast of the microscope image deteriorates. Therefore, it is preferable to turn off the auxiliary light source when it is not necessary to look at the display unit.

Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments has been described mainly with respect to an example of application to an automatic blood image analyzer, but the present invention is also applicable to an optical microscope and other optical devices including the same. Further, a plurality of patterns, a scale line, a dimension line, a means for switching a dimension value and the like as necessary, and a means for changing the dimension line and the dimension value when the objective lens magnification is changed are provided, so that a microscope image can be obtained. Dimension measurement becomes easy.

Similarly, even when the magnification of the eyepiece is changed, a pattern that is convenient for the measurement can be selected by providing a display unit that can subdivide or coarsen the dimension line or the like.

The above configuration can be easily realized by providing the liquid crystal display element driving section 18 with switching means for selecting and switching at least one of the plurality of display patterns of the display pattern section.

When the size of a pattern or a character is changed by setting the magnification, especially for a character, the size of the liquid crystal electrode or the number of dots is increased or decreased.

〔The invention's effect〕

As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited.

(1) In an optical device provided with an optical microscope portion, an optical image and a display pattern for displaying various information can be viewed in an overlapping manner in a visual field of the optical microscope.

(2) The display portion, which was conventionally limited to the peripheral portion of the visual field of the microscope, is greatly enlarged, and any portion of the entire visual field can be used for the display pattern.

(3) Necessary information is displayed in the visual field of the microscope without taking your eyes off, so that operability, processing speed, and manual input data can be confirmed.

(4) Depending on the change of the objective or eyepiece magnification,
Since the function of changing the display pattern can be added, the application range of microscopic observation is expanded.

(5) According to the above (2) and (3), it is possible to improve the accuracy and workability of the visual review work by a human in the automatic blood image analyzer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment in which a display device in a microscope field of view and an image processing device according to the present invention are applied to an optical microscope part of an automatic blood image analyzer, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of display information in an enlarged manner, FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the display device within the visual field of the microscope according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the device, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another display mode of the visual field of the microscope. [Explanation of Signs] 1 ... Blood smear stained specimen 2 ... Optical microscope XY stage 3 ... Objective lens 4 ... Real image position (imaging position) 5 ... Beam splitter 6 ... TV imaging device 7 ... Blood cell Identification unit 8 Control unit 13 Input terminal unit 15 Eyepiece unit 17 Display unit within microscope field of view (liquid crystal display unit) 18 Liquid crystal display element drive unit 24, 25, 26, 27 Display pattern Department

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A microscope image processing apparatus for automatically analyzing particles, comprising: a sample stage on which a sample having particles is arranged; an objective lens for enlarging the sample arranged on the stage; Imaging means for imaging the sample; an identification unit for identifying the type of particles in the sample imaged by the imaging means; a liquid crystal display means arranged at an image forming position of the objective lens and having a transparent electrode; The result identified by the unit is stored, and the movement of the sample stage is controlled, and the image of the particle obtained by the stored result is enlarged and reproduced by the objective lens, and the identification result of the reproduced particle is reproduced. Control means for displaying on the liquid crystal display means, and input means for an observer to review and correct the identification result of the particles displayed by the liquid crystal display means A microscope image processing apparatus, comprising: (a) and (b), wherein the identification result corrected by the observer is stored by the control unit and displayed on a liquid crystal display unit. 2. The microscope image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of other particles are present in the reproduced image of the particles, the control unit controls the particles having the identification result obtained. A microscope image processing apparatus that performs a display for instructing the user. 3. The microscope image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sample is blood. 4. An objective lens for enlarging a sample, imaging means for imaging the sample magnified by the objective lens, an identification unit for identifying the type of particles in the sample imaged by the imaging means, Control means for storing the result identified by the section and enlarging and reproducing the image of the particles obtained by the stored result with the objective lens, and arranged at an image forming position of the objective lens of the microscope image processing apparatus. A display device for displaying the identification result of the particles reproduced by the objective lens, comprising: a transparent electrode; and a liquid crystal display unit having a display unit for displaying a result of the identification of the particles reproduced by the objective lens, wherein the identification of the particles displayed by the liquid crystal display unit is performed. When the result is reviewed and corrected by an observer, the corrected identification result is displayed on a display unit of the liquid crystal display means. Within the field display device.