JPH0695079B2 - Particle image analysis method in images - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for analyzing a test sample based on particle distribution image data of the test sample obtained by an analyzer or an imaging device.

[Prior Art] An X-ray microanalyzer is widely used for the analysis of the surface of steel or the like. Especially recently, the surface of steel or the like is two-dimensionally digitally scanned by an electron beam under computer control, and the backscattered electron detection signal obtained at that time is stored in a memory as a digital value for each pixel. Images are displayed based on the data. Usually, inclusion particles such as alumina clad are present in steel. The abundance of such particles per unit area is used to estimate the strength of steel and the like. By the way, for steel and the like, it is important to know the strength of the weakest part, so it is likely that the presence of the inclusion particles is the highest by observing the steel surface while changing the field of view using an optical microscope or the like. A visual field was selected, and the visual field was analyzed by the X-ray microanalyzer.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the past, as described above, the analysis visual field was selected visually, which may result in a wrong judgment. Therefore, it is not always necessary to select the visual field corresponding to the weakest part. I couldn't.

[Means for Solving the Problem] The present invention for that purpose acquires the particle distribution image data from the test sample by moving the field of view while maintaining the size of the field of view constant, and includes the particle distribution image data. Obtaining the total number or area of particle images, comparing the obtained total number or total with the total number or total area of the stored particle image, the obtained total number or the total number of the stored total or If it is larger than the total sum, the obtained total number or total sum is stored as a new maximum value, and the particle distribution image data is stored as new particle maximum presence image data corresponding to the new maximum value. If the total number or sum is smaller than the stored total number or sum, the stored total number or sum is continuously maintained as the maximum value, and the particles already stored It is characterized in that the process of continuously maintaining the distribution image data as the maximum particle presence image data is repeated.

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is for exemplifying an apparatus for carrying out the present invention, in which 1 is an electron gun, and an electron beam from the electron gun 1
The EB is finely focused by the focusing lens 3 and irradiated on the sample 4. The sample 4 is placed on a sample stage 5, and the sample stage 5 can be moved in the horizontal direction by a drive mechanism 6. Reference numeral 7 is a deflector, and a scanning signal is sent from the scanning circuit 8 to the deflector 7. Reference numeral 2 denotes a backscattered electron detector. The signal from the detector 2 is subjected to amplification and AD conversion processing in the backscattered electron detection circuit 9, and the first image memory 10
Sent to. A signal synchronized with scanning is sent from the scanning circuit 8 to the first image memory 10. Reference numeral 13 denotes a central processing unit having an attached memory 14. The central processing unit 13 is connected to the first image memory 10 and second and third image memories 11 and 12. Each of these image memories has 4 bits in the depth direction, and can store a particle image with sufficient gradation. Central processing unit 13
A sample stage control circuit 17 is also connected to the sample stage control circuit 17, and the sample stage control circuit 17 operates the drive mechanism 6 based on a signal from the central processing unit 13. A CRT 16 for displaying an analysis image and count value data is connected to the central processing unit 13 together with a console 15.

Using the device having such a configuration, the central processing unit 13 sets i, which will be described later, to an initial value 1 in accordance with a pre-assembled program, and then executes steps in the flowchart of FIG.
Sample stage 5 to obtain the first field of view, as shown in 18
Is stepped by a predetermined amount. Therefore, as shown in step 19 of FIG. 1, the scanning circuit 8 sends a scanning signal to the deflector 7 to two-dimensionally scan the sample 4 with the electron beam EB.
The original image data S1 (x, y) based on the detection signal obtained by this scanning is stored in the first memory 10. Therefore,
As shown in step 20 in FIG. 1, the central processing unit 13 reads out the original image data S1 (x, y), compares it with a preset reference level L1 and binarizes it, and then, in FIG. The particle distribution image data α1 (x, y) corresponding to the image shown is
It is stored in the memory 11 of. Note that x and y are parameters representing the position of each pixel. Next, as shown in step 20 of FIG. 1, the number of particles is counted based on the particle distribution image data α1 (x, y) corresponding to the first visual field stored in the second image memory 11. To do. The counting of the number of particles uses a known method of counting the number of particles while performing a labeling process by painting each particle image with different values. Particle distribution image data αi (x,
y) and count the number of particles by Ni,
When the maximum value among the values from 1 to Ni is represented by Mi, the data representing Ni thus counted is obtained in step 20.
Is stored in the attached memory 14 at. Next, as shown in step 21 of FIG. 1, the central processing unit 13 compares Ni with Mi-1 stored in the attached memory 14 to determine whether Ni is larger than Mi-1. In the processing for the first field of view, the actual value of M0 does not exist, so M0
Is set to 0. Ni> Mi in this judgment
If it is -1, that is, if YES is determined in step 21, the process proceeds to step 22 and Ni is stored in the attached memory 14 as Mi and αi (x, y) is a particle in the ith field of view. The maximum existing image data M (x, y) is stored in the third image memory 12. That is, for example, the particle distribution image data αi (x, y) of the i-th field of view is shown in FIG. 3 (b).
The field of view with the largest number of particles among the fields of view from the 1st to the (i-1) th field corresponds to the particle distribution image data αj (x, y) shown in FIG. 3 (c). If it is, Ni is larger than Mi-1 = Nj.
Is stored in the attached memory 14 as αi (x, y)
Are stored in the third image memory 12 as new M (x, y) instead of αj (x, y). If NO in step 21, the process directly goes from step 21 to step 23. In step 23, it is determined whether or not the image data corresponding to the visual field currently being processed is the nth visual field, which is the final visual field. If it is not the final visual field, step 18
Return to step 18 and repeat the process after step 18. When the processing for the final field of view is completed by performing such a series of processing, the image data M (x, of the field of view in which the number of particles is the largest in each field of view in the third image memory 12).
y) will be stored. Therefore, the image data M (x, y) from the third image memory 12 is read out, and this data is variously processed to further analyze the particle image in this image.

The above-described embodiment is only a part of the embodiment of the present invention, and can be modified and implemented.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the number of particles is counted based on the particle distribution image data in order to determine the visual field in which the maximum amount of particles are present. However, the total area of particles within one visual field is calculated. You may do it.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied when processing the image data obtained by the X-ray microanalyzer. However, for example, based on the blood cell distribution image data for a plurality of visual fields acquired by an optical microscope,
The present invention can be similarly applied to the case of automatically determining the blood cell distribution image corresponding to the visual field having the largest blood cell volume.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the visual field on the test sample in which most inclusion particles exist can be automatically selected, and the particle distribution image data corresponding to the selected visual field can be automatically selected. Since it is possible to analyze inclusion particles existing in the field of view based on the above, for example, if the particle distribution image data of steel or the like is obtained in the field of view of a unit area, the strength inspection of steel or the like can be performed with high accuracy. It can be done in a short time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of an apparatus for carrying out the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the flow chart of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the image data which changes along. 1: electron gun, 2: backscattered electron detector 3: focusing lens, 4: sample 5: sample stage, 6: drive mechanism 7: deflector, 8: scanning circuit 9: backscattered electron detection circuit 10, 11, 12: image Memory 13: Central processing unit 14: Sample stage control circuit 15: Operator console, 16: CRT 17: Sample stage control circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A particle size distribution image data is acquired from a test sample by shifting the field of view while maintaining a constant size of the field of view, and the total number or total area of particle images included in the particle size distribution image data is calculated, The obtained total number or total is compared with the total number or area of stored particle images, and if the obtained total number or total is greater than the stored total number or total, the obtained total number or While storing the total as a new maximum value, the particle distribution image data corresponding to the new maximum value is stored as new particle maximum presence image data, the total number obtained or the total number stored the total or If it is smaller than the total sum, the stored total number or total sum is continuously maintained as the maximum value, and the already stored particle distribution image data is continuously stored as the maximum particle presence image. Particle image analyzer method in an image in which and repeating the process to maintain the data.