JP2000340155A - Transmission type electron microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit mouse operation even when looking away from an operating image plane by enlarging the image plane occupying area of an operating image plane switch of a console image plane assigned by a cursor of a mouse. SOLUTION: The area of an image plane switch 8 remains the same, but the area of a composite area switch 3 is enlarged. Even when looking away from a console of a personal computer, the cursor tip of a mouse does not come off the composite area switch 3, and this facilitates the operation of the mouse. A switch part of the composite area switch 3 is trisected in low speed(LOW), medium speed(MID) and high speed(HIGH) to change the moving speed of an XY stage. An area switch 31 permits the simultaneous operation of direction instruction and high speed instruction to the XY stage. The composite area switch 3 can also be divided plurally in angles in a vector direction for vector movement. This constitution is ideal for remote operation of a device such as a transmission type electron microscope operated to observe by moving a sample set on the XY stage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is an invention in which a console screen of a personal computer or the like is applied to a product for operating the apparatus with a mouse or the like. In particular, objects other than the console screen of a personal computer or the like, for example, operating the console screen while viewing the processing object of the processing device,
The present invention relates to an operation screen most suitable for a device for operating an image such as an electron microscope while observing another CRT monitor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when a TV camera is mounted on a microscope and observation operation is performed on a monitor screen, there is an example in which a personal computer or the like is used to move a target to be observed of a sample to the center of a visual field. In such a case, the switch as shown in FIG. 1 has been displayed on the console screen of the personal computer, and the screen switch has been operated with a mouse or the like. However, when operating the switch while looking only at the PC screen, there is no special inconvenience.
When observing the monitor screen of a camera, the tip of the cursor is often separated from the screen switch, and erroneous operations often occur.

[0003]

The present invention relates to an operation screen for operating the apparatus from a console screen of a personal computer or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology that enables a plurality of possible mouse operations.

[0004]

The problem is that the operation switch on the personal computer screen is smaller than the mouse cursor. As shown in FIG. 2, even though the area on the console screen is almost the same, the operation area of the mouse cursor is reduced. The size can be increased, and an operation error can be prevented.
Furthermore, although the mouse operation of the normal screen switch involves only a single function operation, the area of the screen switch is enlarged and the switch section is divided, and a plurality of functions are assigned to each of them to simultaneously operate different functions. Provide possible technologies.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a so-called XY stage that can be driven in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and a device for moving a sample set on the stage and performing an observation operation with a TV camera or the like.

The configuration of the observation apparatus shown in FIG. 7 is a stage that can be moved in the plus and minus directions independently of the X and Y axes. That XY
The observation sample 12 is placed on the stage 11 and the TV camera 3
1 is a device that can attach an optical lens 32 to enlarge a part of the observation sample 12 on a TV screen monitor 33 and move the XY stage 11 to observe other parts of the observation sample 12.
The XY stage 11 includes an X-axis driving unit 13 and a Y-axis driving unit 15. The XY-axis driving units 13 and 15 are connected to an X-axis motor driver 14 and a Y-axis motor driver 16, respectively. Is the motor driver controller 1
7 is controlled.

Further, the XY stage 11 operates the screen switch 8 displayed on the screen of the console 19 of the personal computer 18 with the mouse 21 and allows the motor driver controller 17 to freely move both the XY axes in the plus and minus directions. Can be. Although there are many devices related to this, an electron microscope is a typical device among them.
In particular, observe the image of the electron microscope from a remote place away from the main unit, and the operator operates the desired sample position via the communication line as if the device is close to the user, and also views the electron microscope image in the same way. It is possible to observe via a communication line.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a conventional screen switch 8 displayed on the screen of the console 19. FIG. 6A shows XY-axis switches 23-1 to 23-1 for moving the XY stage 11 by operating switches 22.
Clicking this switch with the mouse 21 activates the motor driver controller 17 from the personal computer 18, and as described above, the XY stage 1
1 can be moved freely. Further, for example, the left button of the mouse 21 is operated at the time of step feed, and the right button is operated at the time of continuous feed. Furthermore, the observation sample 12 changes the moving speed of the XY stage 11 at a high frequency in order to move the visual field at high speed by the operator to observe or to enlarge and partially move the observation position to perform detailed observation of the target portion. Often do. In FIG. 6B, the user can operate the screen switch 9 to set a high speed, a medium speed, and a low speed. The actual speed setting operation is performed by setting the mode switch 23-1 to the mouse 2
It is possible to set a low speed movement by one operation and a middle speed movement by operating the mode switch 23-2. These screen switches 8, 9 and the like are normally operated by a computer, and are set in different colors between the operating state and the non-operating state of the switches to clearly indicate the operating state, and are changed to momentary when re-operated. Have been.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the screen switch 8 of the present invention. The area switch 1 is different from the conventional method shown in FIG.
Has a large area. This can be done by operating the area switch 1 (1-1 to 1-4) in the direction in which the user wants to move, for example, by moving the area switch 1-1 with the mouse 21 in order to move the area switch 1-1 in the plus direction. Actually, since the mouse 21 is operated while observing the TV screen monitor 33 shown in FIG. 6 when operating the mouse 21, there is a disadvantage that the tip of the cursor of the mouse 21 often separates from the screen operation switch. However, according to the present invention, although the area of the screen switch 8 is substantially the same as the area of the screen switch 8 of FIG. 1, the actual operation switch section (comparison between the operation switch 22-1 and the area switch 1-1) Has a feature that the tip of the cursor of the mouse 21 does not easily come off the area switch 1-1 even when the user takes his / her eyes away from the console 19 of the personal computer 18. In other words, it is shown that the mouse 21 can be easily operated even when the eyes are spoken from the screen switch 8 of the console 19.

FIG. 2 shows an application example of the present invention. FIG. 6 (b)
When the mouse 21 such as the XY stage 11 is operated as shown in FIG. 1, the XY stage 11 may be largely moved to select the visual field of the observation sample 12 in addition to the observation operation of the stage 11. It is often necessary to greatly change the moving speed such as 11. This operation means is changed by using the mode switch 23 of the screen switch 9 in FIG. 6B as described above, but it is not possible to use both the screen switches 8 and 9 while operating the mouse 21 while looking at the console 19. This is even more difficult because of the above-described operation in the XY-axis directions. For this purpose, the switch unit of the area switch 1 is divided into, for example, three parts, and each is divided into a low speed (LOW), a medium speed (MID.), And a high speed (HIG).
H), the moving operation of the XY stage 11 can simultaneously operate the direction instruction and the high-speed instruction with the area switch 3-1. As shown, it is needless to say that this screen switch can be used not only in the + X axis direction but also in the −X axis, + Y axis, and −Y axis.

FIG. 3 shows not only the simple directional operation of the example of FIG. 1 but also an example in which the movement operation, in which the operation of each axis was conventionally operated individually, can be simultaneously operated on the X and Y axes. The operation switch that enables simultaneous movement in the vector direction is shown. If the operation switch area 4 is divided into a plurality of angles θ in the vector direction, and the cursor of the mouse 21 is set within the area of each switch area 5, the vector can be moved. For example, if the range of the angle θ1 formed between the straight lines X1 and X2 is operated with the mouse 21, the XY stage 11 can be moved in the + X direction,
By manipulating the range of the angle θ2 between the straight lines Y1 and X1, XY
The vector can be moved in the (+ X, + Y) direction of the stage 11. That is, a great merit that two operations in the + X direction and the + Y direction can be executed by a single operation becomes possible. Here, the angle θ is determined by the function to be operated, and does not need to be a specific angle, and may be set to an angle that appropriately improves the usability for each operation function for each device. Further, the angle .theta. Is not a constant unique to each device but can be set to be easy for the user to use. For example, a method in which the angle .theta. Is opened to the user as a machine file is also possible.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the functions are further expanded so that the operation functions shown in FIG. 2 can be operated in the vector direction. Thereby, the three functions of the mouse 21 operation of FIG. 1 can be operated simultaneously.

FIG. 5A is different from the above-described example in that XY
The means for instructing movement in the vector direction from the current position of the stage 11 (the center of the screen monitor 34 in FIG. 7) is shown. Set the operation switch area 4 to the angle θ (this angle can be set finely or roughly as necessary as the angle θ described above).
The example of the operation screen in which the movement instruction is performed by designating the A coordinate in a certain direction (calculating the relative position movement amount from the center of the screen to the position of the coordinate and performing the movement process) by dividing into a plurality of directions is shown. This can be performed by inputting an image to the console 19 of the personal computer 18 and operating with the screen switch 8, but further (b)
As shown in (1), an image processing device 34 is added to the TV screen monitor 33 simultaneously with the observation sample image, a coordinate indicator 35 capable of indicating a target is provided, and a cursor is simultaneously displayed as a target instruction on the image of the observation sample 12 to move the coordinate position. It becomes possible by instructing. Both of these technologies are currently capable of being easily executed, as individual functions are provided with a superimpose function for characters and the like to an image processing apparatus and a video input terminal added to a personal computer.

[0014]

The effect of the present invention is that the screen switch can be operated even when the user looks away from the screen of a personal computer or the like, and that only a single instruction operation can be performed by mouse operation. Can be made possible. In particular, the present invention can exert the effect of the present invention at the time of so-called remote operation of operating the main unit from a remote place.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing the arrangement and structure of operation switches for executing a moving operation on an XY stage or the like by a console screen switch of a personal computer or the like according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structural example of a screen switch capable of simultaneously executing a movement and a speed change operation in an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of an operable screen switch when moving in a vector direction in an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a structural example of a screen switch capable of simultaneously executing movement in a vector direction and speed change operation in an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a structural example of a screen switch for a sample moving operation in an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a conventional personal computer.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an observation device operated by a personal computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 area switch 3 composite area switch 4 operation switch area 5 vector area switch 6
Compound vector area switch 7 directional area switch 8 screen switch 9 screen switch 11 XY stage 12 observation sample 13 X-axis drive unit 14 X
Axis motor driver, 15 Y-axis drive section, 16 Y-axis motor driver, 17 Motor driver controller, 18
... PC, 19 ... Console ... 20 ... PC Keyboard ... 21 ... Mouse ... 22 ... Screen Switch ... 23 ... Screen Switch, 31 ... TV Camera ... 32 ... Optical Lens ... 33
... TV screen monitor 34 ... Image processing device 35 ... Coordinate indicator

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenichi Mechin, 882-Momo, Oaza-shi, Hitachinaka-city, Ibaraki Pref.Hitachi, Ltd.Measurement Division, Hitachi, Ltd. Within Systems (72) Inventor Seiwa Yoshida 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka F-term (reference) 2G001 AA03 BA07 CA03 GA04 GA06 GA13 JA07 JA16 JA20 PA11 PA12 5C033 SS10 5E501 AA30 AC37 BA02 BA03 BA05 CB09 CC06 EA05 FA03

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An operation panel, such as operation knobs and switches, provided in a conventional apparatus, is replaced with a screen switch controlled by a program on a console screen of a personal computer, a workstation, or the like. In a device that assigns a control function such as a movement command, and instructs the switch to operate or move the device by mouse operation or the like, the screen area occupied by the switch designated by the mouse cursor is increased, and the operation screen switch An operation screen switch and an operation device using the switch as an operation panel, wherein a mouse operation can be easily performed even when the user takes his / her eyes off. 2. The operation function according to claim 1, wherein the area occupied by the switch is divided into a plurality of areas, and a movement control instruction and a movement direction designation can be performed at the same time as a sample movement command. An operation screen switch having a feature of enabling a plurality of simultaneous operations and improving the operability thereof, and an operation device using the switch as an operation terminal. 3. An operation screen switch and a switch, characterized in that, in a remote operation in which an operation place and a main unit are operated at a distance from each other, a claim 1 or 2 is applied to enhance operability and improve usability. Remote control device system with an operation terminal.