JP6033165B2 - Measuring microscope apparatus and controller - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement microscope apparatus used for shape dimension measurement, and a controller of the measurement microscope apparatus.

Conventionally, various measurement microscopes have been widely used for measuring the shape and dimensions of objects to be measured such as mechanical parts and electrical parts. A general configuration of a conventional measurement microscope apparatus is shown in FIG.
The controller 154 controls the movement of the moving plate 151a of the XY stage on which the object to be measured is placed in the XY direction, and calculates the position of the XY stage in the XY direction from the signals detected by the scale 152 and the detector 153. . The display unit 155 displays the position information of the moving plate 151a of the XY stage obtained by the controller 154.

  The objective lens 156 can be moved in the Z direction perpendicular to the XY plane of the XY stage (the movable plate 151a) by a guide member (not shown in FIG. 5), and the object to be measured can be focused. Yes.

  In order to measure an object having a certain size with a measuring microscope, it is necessary to sequentially move the XY stage in the XY direction. For this reason, the XY stage includes a feed mechanism for moving the moving plate 151a of the XY stage in the XY direction, and a clutch mechanism for switching the driving force of the feed mechanism to the transmission / non-transmission state to the moving plate 151a of the XY stage. Is provided.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a handle 157 for finely adjusting the position of the XY stage is supported by a moving plate 151a of the XY stage so as to be rotatable in the handle axis direction. The handle 157 is installed so as to be able to mesh with the clutch 158.

  The clutch 158 is operated by means (not shown) in FIG. 5 to open and close. In the closed state, the clutch 158 and the handle 157 are engaged with each other, and when the handle 157 is rotated, the moving plate of the XY stage is passed through the clutch 158. 151a can move minutely.

  On the other hand, in the open state of the clutch 158, the moving plate 151a of the XY stage is supported only by the guide 159. Thereby, the moving plate 151a of the XY stage is in a free state with respect to the moving direction (XY direction), and the user can manually move the moving plate 151a greatly.

  The detector 153 moves following the movement of the moving plate 151a of the XY stage, and outputs the detected signal to the controller 154. The controller 154 calculates the position of the moving plate 151a based on a signal from the detector 153. However, when the clutch 158 is opened and the moving plate 151a of the XY stage is manually moved, the response speed of the detector 153 cannot follow the large movement of the XY stage 51, thereby moving the XY stage. The position of the plate 151a may not be detected correctly.

  For such a problem, a technique is disclosed that can detect an abnormality of the phase modulation signal and output accurate position information when the response speed of the detector is exceeded (for example, patents). Literature). According to this, in the scale signal dividing circuit, a plurality of scale signals having different sine wave phases are multiplied and added to obtain a phase modulation signal. Then, a phase shift is determined using this phase modulation signal, and from this, it is detected that an error has occurred in the phase modulation signal.

JP 2002-98554 A

  When the above-described known error detection technique is applied to a conventional measurement microscope apparatus, the user knows that an error has occurred when the XY stage is moved beyond the response speed of the detector. However, if an error actually occurs in the measurement microscope apparatus, it is necessary to repeat the measurement operation, and the measurement cannot be performed smoothly.

  An object of this invention is to provide the technique which enables it to measure smoothly by effectively preventing that the position detection error of the XY stage of a measurement microscope apparatus generate | occur | produces.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, an XY stage including a microscope main body, a detection unit that is attached to the upper surface of the base of the microscope main body and outputs a signal according to displacement in the X direction and the Y direction, and the detection unit outputs And a controller for calculating the position of the XY stage, and a measurement microscope apparatus for measuring an object to be measured, wherein the speed of the XY stage is determined using the signal output from the detection unit. The speed calculation unit to be obtained, the movement speed of the XY stage obtained by the speed calculation unit, and information indicating whether or not the movement speed of the XY stage is within a predetermined range allowed in the measurement of the object to be measured And a notification unit for reporting the above.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an XY stage including a microscope main body, a detection unit that is attached to an upper surface of the base of the microscope main body and outputs a signal according to displacement in the X direction and the Y direction, and the detection unit includes A controller that takes in the output signal and calculates the position of the XY stage, and controls a measurement microscope apparatus that measures the object to be measured, using the signal output from the detection unit, A speed calculation unit for determining the speed of the XY stage, the movement speed of the XY stage obtained by the speed calculation unit, and whether the movement speed of the XY stage is within a predetermined range permitted in the measurement of the object to be measured And a control unit that performs control so that information indicating whether or not is notified by the notification unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent occurrence of an XY stage position detection error in the measurement microscope apparatus, and thereby to perform measurement smoothly.

It is a block diagram of the measurement microscope apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the moving mechanism of an XY stage. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of a measurement microscope apparatus, and is the figure which showed the function of the controller contained in a measurement microscope apparatus with the block diagram. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display part. It is a block diagram of the conventional measurement microscope apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a measurement microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the measurement microscope apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the microscope main body 1 has an XY stage 2 on which a measurement object is placed on a base 10. The XY stage 2 is provided with handles 23a and 23b which are feed mechanisms for moving the stage 2 in the X and Y directions. Inside the XY stage 2, there are provided an X detector 22a and a Y detector 22b for each axis for detecting the movement amount of the XY stage 2, respectively. The X detector 22 a and the Y detector 22 b are detection sensors including encoders and the like, and output signals according to the displacement of the XY stage 2. When the X detector 22a and the Y detector 22b are not distinguished, they may be simply referred to as the detection unit 22.

  A Z stage 7 is provided above the XY stage 2. In the Z stage 7, vertical movement (in the Z-axis direction) is performed by guides such as a guide 6 provided on a column (hereinafter referred to as a column) 30 to which the observation unit 8 is attached.

  A support portion 35 configured in an inverted L shape is provided on the right side surface portion of the column 30 attached perpendicularly to the upper surface of the base 10 of the microscope body 1. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the support unit 35 includes a display unit 5 that displays measurement results of X, Y, and Z of the object to be measured, and a conversion unit that performs calculations based on signals output from the detector 22. A controller 4 having 44 or the like is incorporated. The controller 4 and the conversion unit 44 in the controller 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  According to the measurement microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment, the conversion unit 44 obtains the moving speed of the XY stage 2. In the measurement microscope apparatus, while the measurement object is being measured by using this, the user confirms that the moving speed of the XY stage 2 is within an allowable range for measuring the shape of the measurement object. Make it easy to check. With reference to FIG. 2, a specific configuration for obtaining the moving mechanism of the XY stage 2 and the moving speed of the XY stage 2 in the measurement microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a moving mechanism of the XY stage 2. FIG. 2 shows a moving mechanism of the XY stage 2 and a mechanism for detecting the position of the XY stage 2. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2 is the X direction, and the left-right direction of FIG. 2 is the Y direction. In FIG. 2, the movement mechanism in the X direction of the XY stage 2 is illustrated, but the same configuration is provided in the Y direction. In the following, the movement of the XY stage 2 and its position detection will be described taking the X direction as an example.

  The moving mechanism of the XY stage 2 includes a stage moving plate 25, a handle 23 (23a), a clutch 24, and a guide 26. The mechanism for detecting the position of the XY stage 2 includes the above-described detector 22 (22a) and the scale 21.

  The stage moving plate 25 can be switched between a state in which the driving force of the handle 23 serving as a feeding mechanism is transmitted to the stage moving plate 25 (transmission state) and a non-transmission state by opening and closing the clutch 24. . When the clutch 24 is in the closed state, the shaft of the clutch 24 and the shaft of the handle 23 are engaged with each other, and when the user operates the handle 23, the clutch 24 moves slightly in the X direction and the Y direction. When the clutch 24 is in the open state, the stage moving plate 25 is supported only by the guide 26 and is free in the moving direction. Thereby, when the clutch 24 is in the open state, the user can manually move the stage moving plate 25 largely.

  The detector 22 and the scale 21 that are the position detection mechanism of the XY stage 2 move relative to each other when the stage moving plate 25 moves. The detector 22 outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of displacement in the X direction and the Y direction when a predetermined position of the scale 21 is used as a reference by a known method such as a photoelectric method or an electromagnetic induction method.

  In a state in which the stage moving plate 25 can be largely moved while the clutch 24 is in an open state, there may be a situation in which the stage moving plate 25 is moved at a speed exceeding the response speed of the detector 22 by the user. According to the measurement microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment, the user can easily recognize that the moving speed of the XY stage 2 is within an allowable range where no measurement error occurs, so that the moving speed of the XY stage 2 is displayed on the display unit. 5 is displayed. The moving speed of the XY stage 2 is calculated by the controller 4 of the measurement microscope apparatus based on a signal output from the detector 22 provided also in the conventional measurement microscope apparatus.

Next, a method for obtaining the moving speed of the XY stage 2 in the measurement microscope apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the measurement microscope apparatus, and is a diagram showing the function of the controller 4 included in the measurement microscope apparatus in a block diagram. In FIG. 3, the configuration for obtaining the moving speed of the XY stage 2 in the measurement microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment is mainly described.

  In the configuration of the measurement microscope apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the base 10, the XY stage 2, and the display unit 5 are as described with reference to FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the XY stage 2 on the base 10 is arranged at a position facing the objective lens 3, and the position and moving speed of the XY stage 2 obtained by the controller 4 are displayed on the display unit 5. The display unit 5 may be configured to be built in the microscope main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 5 may be realized by another device connected to the microscope body 1 via the controller 4.

The controller 4 in FIG. 3 includes a calculation unit 41, a CPU 42, a timer 43, and a conversion unit 44.
The CPU 42 controls the operation of each unit in the controller 4.

  The calculation unit 41 takes in the signal detected by the detector 22 in FIG. 2 and calculates the position of the XY stage 2. As a technique for obtaining the position of the XY stage 2 from the signal detected by the detector 22, a known technique is used.

  The conversion unit 44 calculates the moving speed of the XY stage 2 from the signal detected by the detector 22. At this time, the conversion unit 44 obtains the moving speed of the XY stage 2 using information input from the timer 43. There are two possible methods for the conversion unit 44 to obtain the moving speed of the XY stage 2 using the input from the timer 43.

  In the first method, the timer 43 counts the movement start time and end time when the XY stage 2 moves a predetermined amount. In this case, the conversion unit 44 receives notification from the timer 43 at the timing when the measurement of the moving speed of the XY stage 2 starts and ends. The conversion unit 44 obtains the movement distance of the XY stage 2 from the start timing notified from the timer 43 to the end timing from the signal input from the detector 22, and obtains the obtained movement distance and the measurement start to end. The moving speed is calculated from the time.

  In the second method, the timer 43 measures a predetermined time. In this case, the timer 43 starts measuring time at the timing instructed by the conversion unit 44, and notifies the conversion unit 44 when a predetermined time has elapsed. The conversion unit 44 obtains the movement distance of the XY stage 2 from the time when the timer 43 is instructed to start measurement to the time when the notification is received from the timer 43 from the signal input from the detector 22. The moving speed is calculated from the predetermined time measured by the timer 43.

  The conversion unit 44 notifies the CPU 42 of the moving speed of the XY stage 2 obtained by the above method. The CPU 42 performs control to display the moving speed of the XY stage 2 received from the conversion unit 44 on the display unit 5. The CPU 42 makes it easy for the user to grasp whether or not the movement speed of the XY stage 2 obtained by the conversion unit 44 is within the allowable range of measurement of the measurement microscope apparatus. On the other hand, how much it is may be displayed on the display unit 5. The allowable range is determined by, for example, the measurement accuracy of the measurement microscope apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example on the display unit 5.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the display unit 5 obtains a position display unit 51 that displays a relative position from a predetermined reference position such as the origin of the XY stage 2 and a measurement start position, and a conversion unit 44. And a speed display unit 52 that displays the moving speed of the XY stage 2.

In the position display unit 51, the position coordinate of the XY stage 2 obtained from the signal detected by the detector 22 is displayed by the calculation unit 41 of FIG.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, the speed display unit 52 displays a bar indicating the current moving speed with respect to the allowable moving speed Th. As a form of the speed display unit 52, for example, a moving speed and an allowable speed thereof may be numerically displayed in addition to those illustrated in FIG.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, whether the speed display unit 52 is provided with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) of different colors such as red and green, and the movement speed of the XY stage 2 exceeds the allowable range Th. Depending on whether or not, the display color of the bar may be changed. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, among the movement speeds in the X direction and the Y direction displayed on the speed display unit 52, the movement speed in the X direction is within the allowable range Th, but the allowable range is in the Y direction. Is over. In this case, the bar in the X direction whose movement speed is within the allowable range Th is displayed in green, and the bar in the Y direction exceeding the allowable range Th is displayed in red or the like. In this way, by emphasizing that the moving speed exceeds the allowable range Th, it is possible for the user to easily understand that the moving speed of the XY stage 2 exceeds the allowable range.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, a configuration is shown in which the user is notified whether or not the actual moving speed of the XY stage 2 exceeds the allowable speed Th determined from the measurement accuracy of the measurement microscope apparatus. However, it is not limited to this. For example, when 90 percent of the permissible speed is exceeded, the user can be notified.

Moreover, about the installation position of LED, it is not limited to the position of the display part 5 of FIG. 1, For example, it can also be set as the structure provided in the controller 4 grade | etc.,.
In addition to the configuration in which the moving speed of the XY stage 2 is converted from the scale 21 and the detector 22 as in the above-described embodiment, for example, a speed sensor or an acceleration sensor is provided, and these sensors are used to configure the XY stage 2. It is good also as a structure which detects a moving speed.

  Furthermore, when the moving speed of the XY stage 2 is out of the allowable range, the display unit 5 may be configured to display that effect. For example, a configuration such as a buzzer is provided in the measurement microscope apparatus, and when the moving speed of the XY stage 2 exceeds an allowable range, the user of the measurement microscope apparatus is notified by a warning sound or the like It is good. The sound may be changed depending on whether the moving speed of the XY stage 2 is within the allowable range or exceeds the allowable range.

  As described above, according to the measurement microscope apparatus according to the present embodiment, the moving speed of the XY stage 2 on which the object to be measured is placed is obtained, and the obtained moving speed of the XY stage 2 and its allowable range are displayed on the display unit 5. Notifications are displayed. This makes it easy for the user of the measuring microscope apparatus to recognize the moving speed of the XY stage 2 and its allowable range. By making it easier for the user to recognize the movement speed of the XY stage 2 and its allowable range, it is possible to effectively prevent a measurement error from occurring due to the movement speed of the XY stage 2 exceeding the allowable range of measurement. Yes. Thereby, it becomes possible to perform a measurement smoothly.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined. It goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microscope main body 2 XY stage 3 Objective lens 4 Controller 5 Display part 6 Guide 7 Z stage 8 Observation part 10 Base 21 Scale 22, 22a, 22b Detector 23, 23a, 23b Handle 24 Clutch 25 Stage moving plate 26 Guide 41 Calculation part 42 CPU
43 Timer 44 Conversion part

Claims (3)

An XY stage having a microscope main body, a detector attached to the upper surface of the base of the microscope main body and outputting a signal in accordance with displacement in the X direction and the Y direction, and a signal output from the detector; A measuring microscope apparatus having a controller for calculating a position and measuring an object to be measured,
Using the signal output from the detection unit, a speed calculation unit for determining the speed of the XY stage;
An informing unit for informing the moving speed of the XY stage obtained by the speed calculating unit and information indicating whether the moving speed of the XY stage is within a predetermined range allowed in the measurement of the object to be measured. When,
A measuring microscope apparatus comprising: The XY stage further includes a scale,
The measurement microscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit outputs a signal corresponding to a displacement amount in an X direction and a Y direction when a predetermined position of the scale is used as a reference. An XY stage having a microscope main body, a detector attached to the upper surface of the base of the microscope main body and outputting a signal in accordance with displacement in the X direction and the Y direction, and a signal output from the detector; A controller for calculating a position, and a controller for controlling a measurement microscope apparatus for measuring an object to be measured,
Using the signal output from the detection unit, a speed calculation unit for determining the speed of the XY stage;
In the notification unit, the movement speed of the XY stage obtained by the speed calculation unit and information indicating whether or not the movement speed of the XY stage is within a predetermined range allowed in the measurement of the object to be measured. A control unit that performs control to notify,
The controller characterized by having.

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