JP2003145470A - Device, method and program for controlling micro- manipulator operation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem of troublesome operation of micro-manipulator. SOLUTION: The micro-manipulator comprises a microphone 55 (a sound detecting means) to detect the sound signal including the operational command on the micro-manipulator, an operational command acquiring means to acquire the operational command on the micro-manipulator based on the sound signal detected by the microphone 55, and an operation control means to control the operation of the micro-manipulator based on the operational command acquired by the operational command acquiring means. Since the micro-manipulator can be operated by the sound without using any hand, the troublesome operation is eliminated, and the operability is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a micromanipulator operation control device, a micromanipulator operation control method, and a micromanipulator operation control program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, when injecting a DNA solution into a cell, a microneedle, which is a micromanipulator microdevice connected to a microinjector, is disposed on one of the left and right sides, and another micromanipulator microdevice is disposed on the other side. The micromanipulator in which the capturing needle is arranged is used. The user operates the device that moves the micro needle and the capture needle while visually observing the inside of the microscope field with both hands to move the micro needle and the capture needle separately, and also to operate the micro injector. In this case, injection is performed on a minute processed material such as cells placed in a container such as a petri dish. The micromanipulator is provided with a piezoelectric element that expands and contracts by a voltage pulse. The voltage manipulator expands and contracts the piezoelectric element, and the resulting impact force is transmitted to the micromanipulator microdevice. When making holes in cells etc. by the micromanipulator microdevice, it is necessary to change the condition of the voltage pulse given to the piezoelectric element according to the position of the micromanipulator microdevice so as not to destroy the cells etc. The operation is also done by hand.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional technique, the microinjector for the left and right micromanipulators is moved by the operation of both hands, and the condition of the voltage pulse applied to the piezoelectric element is changed by the operation of the hand by the microinjector. Also had to be operated by hand, and the operation was troublesome.
Also, a high degree of fingertip proficiency was required. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a micromanipulator operation control device, a micromanipulator operation control method, and a micromanipulator operation control program capable of improving operability.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 accepts an input of an operation command relating to a micromanipulator, and controls the operation of the micromanipulator based on the input operation command. A manipulator operation control device, a voice detecting means for detecting a voice signal including an operation instruction for the micromanipulator, and an operation for obtaining an operation instruction for the micromanipulator based on the voice signal detected by the voice detecting means. It is configured to include a command acquisition unit and an operation control unit that controls the operation of the micromanipulator based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition unit. That is, when the voice detection unit detects a voice signal including an operation command regarding the micromanipulator, the operation command acquisition unit acquires the operation command regarding the micromanipulator based on the detected voice signal. Then, the operation control means controls the operation of the micromanipulator based on the acquired operation command. Then, the micromanipulator can be operated by voice without using hands. Therefore,
The troublesome operation of the micromanipulator is eliminated,
Operability is improved.

The invention according to claim 2 is an example of a configuration in which the micromanipulator for transmitting the impact force generated by the piezoelectric effect to the micromanipulator microdevice is operated by voice. The micromanipulator is a micromanipulator microdevice, a voltage pulse generating means for generating a voltage pulse, and an impact force transmission for transmitting the impact force generated by the piezoelectric effect by inputting the voltage pulse to the micromanipulator microdevice. Means, the voice detection means detects a voice signal including an operation instruction as to whether or not to generate the voltage pulse, and the operation control means has the operation obtained by the operation instruction acquisition means. Based on the command, whether to generate the voltage pulse by the voltage pulse generating means is switched off. There is a configuration in which frogs.

That is, when the voice detection means detects a voice signal containing an operation instruction as to whether or not to generate a voltage pulse, the operation instruction acquisition means determines whether or not to generate a voltage pulse based on the detected voice signal. Get the operation command. Then, the operation control unit switches whether or not the voltage pulse generation unit generates the voltage pulse based on the acquired operation command. Therefore, it is possible to perform an operation of switching whether or not to generate a voltage pulse to be applied to the impact force transmission means by voice, and the troublesome operation is eliminated. The impact force transmitting means can have various configurations. For example, the impact force transmitting means has a piezoelectric element that expands and contracts by applying a voltage pulse, and the impact force generated by the piezoelectric element is generated by the micromanipulator. It may be configured to be transmitted to a microdevice for use. That is, since the piezoelectric element expands and contracts due to the piezoelectric effect when a voltage pulse is input, it is possible to generate an impact force transmitted to the micromanipulator microdevice by the piezoelectric element.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the micromanipulator, the micromanipulator microdevice, a voltage pulse generating means for generating a voltage pulse, and an impact force generated by a piezoelectric effect by inputting the voltage pulse. The micromanipulator for impact microscopic instrument and a shock force transmitting means for transmitting, and the voice detection means detects a voice signal including an operation command for changing the condition of the voltage pulse, the operation control means, The condition of the voltage pulse input to the impact force transmission unit is changed based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition unit. That is, the voice detection unit detects a voice signal including an operation command for changing the condition of the voltage pulse, and the operation control unit inputs it to the impact force transmission unit based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition unit. Change the voltage pulse conditions. Therefore, the operation of changing the condition of the voltage pulse applied to the impact force transmission means can be performed without using a hand.

Various conditions are conceivable for the voltage pulse. As an example of the structure, the invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the voice detecting means is provided with any one or combination of the frequency and the voltage of the voltage pulse. Of the voltage pulse input to the impact force transmission means based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. The configuration is such that one or a combination of frequency and voltage is changed. That is, it is possible to perform an operation of changing one or a combination of the frequency and the voltage of the voltage pulse applied to the impact force transmission means by voice.

Further, as in the invention according to claim 5, a plurality of conditions of the voltage pulse are set, and the voice detecting means outputs a voice signal including an operation command for selecting the condition of the voltage pulse. And the operation control means,
A configuration may be adopted in which any one of the plurality of set voltage pulse conditions is selected based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. That is, it is possible to select one of the voltage pulse conditions by voice,
Further, the operability is improved.

Further, as an example of a configuration in which a micromanipulator that executes drive control based on an input drive command is operated by voice, the invention according to claim 6 is that the micromanipulator is a micromanipulator. A micromanipulator for a manipulator, and a drive control means for executing a drive control for the micromanipulator for a micromanipulator based on the input drive command while receiving an input of a drive command for the micromanipulator for a micromanipulator, The voice detection means detects a voice signal including an operation command to move the micromanipulator microdevice so that the position is stored, the operation control means stores the position of the micromanipulator microdevice, The operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means Based on, relative to the drive control means so that the stored position as a configuration for executing the drive control of the micro device for the micromanipulator. That is, the voice detection means detects a voice signal including an operation command for moving the micromanipulator microdevice so as to be at the stored position, and the operation control means determines the operation command based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. Then, the drive control means is caused to execute the drive control of the micromanipulator microdevice so that the position becomes the stored position. Therefore, it is possible to perform an operation of moving the micromanipulator microdevice so as to reach the stored position without using a hand.

Further, the micromanipulator which receives an input of a drive command from the mouse to the micromanipulator microdevice movable in the XYZ triaxial directions and operates the micromanipulator based on the input drive command is operated by voice. As an example of a configuration for performing the above, the invention according to claim 7 is such that the micromanipulator is capable of operating and inputting a micromanipulator microdevice movable in three XYZ directions and a drive command for the XYZ axes. A mouse, and a drive control means for receiving drive command input to the micromanipulator microdevice from the mouse and executing drive control for the micromanipulator microdevice based on the input drive command, The voice detecting means is a driving finger on the mouse. Detects an audio signal including an operation command for selecting the axis for operating input, and the operation control means operates a drive command on the mouse based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. It is configured to select the axis to be input. That is, the voice detection means detects a voice signal including an operation command for selecting an axis for inputting a drive command to the mouse, and the operation control means, based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means, the mouse. Select the axis to input the drive command to. Therefore, it is possible to perform an operation of selecting an axis for inputting a drive command to the mouse without using a hand.
In addition, the selection of the XYZ axes may be one or two.

Further, as an example of a configuration in which a driving state of a micromanipulator microdevice is enlarged and a micromanipulator for displaying on a screen is operated by voice, the invention according to claim 8 is that the micromanipulator is , A micromanipulator microdevice, and drive control means for receiving drive command input to the micromanipulator microdevice and executing drive control for the micromanipulator microdevice based on the input drive command, and And a magnifying display means for enlarging and displaying a driving state of the micromanipulator microdevice using any one of the plurality of lenses having different magnifications, and the voice detecting means, Detects audio signals including operation commands for lens selection. However, the operation control means has a lens switching control means for executing drive control for switching a lens used in the magnified display means, and the plurality of operation control means based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. The lens to be used in the magnified display means is selected from the lenses of 1) by the lens switching control means. That is, the audio detection unit detects an audio signal including an operation command for selecting a lens, and the operation control unit uses a plurality of lenses for the magnified display unit based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition unit. The lens switching control means selects the lens to be activated. Therefore, it is possible to perform an operation of selecting a lens without using a hand.

The magnifying display means has a plurality of objective lenses having different magnifications, and uses any one of the plurality of objective lenses to magnify an image of the driving state of the micromanipulator microdevice. And a video camera for photographing the same image magnified by the microscope, and a display for displaying the image photographed by the video camera on the screen, and the voice detecting means gives an operation command for selecting the objective lens. The operation control means detects a voice signal including the lens, and the operation control means has a lens switching control means for executing drive control for switching the objective lens used in the magnifying display means, and the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. Based on the above, the objective lens to be used in the magnified display means is switched from the plurality of objective lenses to the same lens switching control means. It may be configured to select Te. That is, the operation of selecting the objective lens of the microscope can be performed by voice.

By the way, as in the invention according to claim 9, an operation command display means capable of displaying the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means may be provided. That is, since it is possible to confirm whether or not the operation command has been acquired, the operability is further improved. Here, the operation command display means can have various configurations, and for example, a display may be provided to display the operation command.

The operation command acquisition means is only required to be able to acquire the operation command for the micromanipulator based on the detected voice signal, and can have various configurations. As an example thereof, the invention according to claim 10 is provided with an operation command storage area for storing an operation command related to the micromanipulator, and the operation command acquisition means corresponds to a voice signal detected by the voice detection means. The operation instruction is acquired from the operation instruction storage area. That is, the operation instruction can be acquired by storing the operation instruction. Here, as in the invention according to claim 11, the operation command acquisition unit cannot acquire the operation command corresponding to the audio signal detected by the audio detection unit from the operation command storage area. At this time, the fact that the operation command cannot be acquired may be output to the outside. That is, since it is notified that the operation command cannot be acquired, the operability is further improved.

The voice detection means is only required to be able to detect a voice signal including an operation command regarding the micromanipulator, and various configurations are possible. As an example,
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the voice detection unit includes a microphone that inputs a voice including the operation command and converts the voice signal into a voice signal, and the operation command acquisition unit includes the voice signal converted by the microphone. The voice recognition means for converting into character data and the operation command extracting means for extracting the operation command from the character data converted by the voice recognition means are provided. That is, the voice signal can be detected by the microphone, and the voice recognition means converts the voice signal into character data to extract the operation command.

By the way, the method of operating the micromanipulator by voice does not necessarily have to be limited to a substantive device, and the invention exists in the procedure at the root. Therefore, the present invention can also be applied as a micromanipulator operation control method, and also in the invention according to claim 13, basically the same operation is performed, and the device configuration according to claim 2 to claim 12 is applied. It goes without saying that it is possible to adapt the method. Further, when trying to carry out the present invention, a computer may execute a predetermined program in the above apparatus.
Therefore, also in the invention according to claim 14, it is needless to say that basically the same operation is performed and the device configurations described in claims 2 to 12 can be made to correspond to the program.

Further, in carrying out the present invention,
In some cases, a medium recording the above program is distributed and causes a computer to execute the program. Therefore, a medium that receives an input of an operation command related to the micromanipulator and stores a micromanipulator operation control program that causes a computer to realize a function of controlling the operation of the micromanipulator based on the input operation command, and relates to the micromanipulator. With a voice detection function that detects a voice signal including an operation command, an operation command acquisition function that acquires an operation command related to the micromanipulator based on the voice signal detected by this voice detection function, and this operation command acquisition function Even with a medium recording a micromanipulator operation control program, which is characterized by realizing an operation control function for controlling the operation of the micromanipulator based on the obtained operation command, basically the same operation and Become. Of course, it goes without saying that it is possible to make the device configurations described in claims 2 to 12 correspond to the medium in which the program is recorded. Here, the recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium or a magneto-optical recording medium, and any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in exactly the same manner. In addition, the duplication stage of the primary duplication product, the secondary duplication product, and the like is completely equivalent and there is no question. Further, even when a part is software and a part is realized by hardware, the idea of the invention does not differ at all, and a part is stored on a recording medium and is appropriately changed as necessary. It may be in a form that can be read.

[0019]

As described above, claim 1 and claim 1
According to the invention of claim 3 and claim 14, the micromanipulator operation control device and the micromanipulator operation control method capable of operating the micromanipulator without using a hand and improving operability. And a micromanipulator operation control program can be provided. According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to perform an operation of switching whether or not to generate the voltage pulse applied to the impact force transmission means by voice, and it is possible to improve the operability. Further, according to the invention of claim 3, since the operation of changing the condition of the voltage pulse applied to the impact force transmission means by voice can be performed, the operability can be improved, and the invention of claim 4 According to this, a specific example thereof can be provided.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5,
Since any of the conditions of the voltage pulse can be selected by the voice, the operability can be further improved. Further, according to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to perform an operation of moving the micromanipulator microdevice so as to be at the stored position by voice, and according to the invention of claim 7, by voice. According to the invention of claim 8, it is possible to perform an operation of selecting a lens for operating input of a drive command to the mouse, and it is possible to perform an operation of selecting a lens by voice, which improves operability. it can.

Further, according to the invention of claim 9,
Since it is possible to confirm whether or not the operation command has been acquired, it is possible to further improve the operability. Further, according to the invention of claim 10, it is possible to provide a specific example of the operation command acquisition means, and according to the invention of claim 11, it is notified that the operation command could not be acquired. Therefore, the operability can be further improved. Further, according to the invention of claim 12, it is possible to provide a specific example of improving operability by using a general-purpose product.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in the following order. (1) Schematic configuration of the micromanipulator system: (2) Description of each part of the micromanipulator system: (3) Outline of operation of the present micromanipulator operation control device: (4) Operation when turning on / off voltage pulse generation: (5 ) Operation when changing the voltage pulse condition: (6) Operation when returning the pipette position: (7) Operation when selecting the axis for inputting the drive command: (8) The objective lens to be used Operation when selecting: (9) Operation when executing drive control:

(1) Schematic configuration of a micromanipulator system: FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a micromanipulator system to which a micromanipulator operation control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The micromanipulator system 100 includes, on a base 60, pipettes 11 and 21 which are micromanipulators for micromanipulators according to the present invention, a piezoelectric drive section 12 which is an impact force transmission means according to the present invention, a pipette mounting section 22, and a drive section 13. , 23,
Micro-injector 14, control unit 3
0, microscope 41, CC which is the video camera according to the present invention
A D camera 45 and a computer system 50 are provided.

The microscope 41 has an operation table 4 at the center of the main body.
The operation table 43 has a petri dish 44 on which an object to be treated such as cells is placed. Also,
The microscope 41 is provided with a plurality of objective lenses 42, which are the lenses according to the present invention, below the operation table 43.
Further, the lens switching mechanism 4 which is a lens switching control unit that rotationally drives the objective lens 42 to be used so as to be switched.
6 is also provided. In the present embodiment, the objective lens 42
A CCD camera 45 is arranged below. Therefore, it is possible to take an enlarged image of the driving state of the pipettes 11 and 21 on the petri dish 44 with the CCD camera 45 through the objective lens 42. Two stepping motors (not shown) are arranged on the operation table 43, and the operation table 43 can be driven in two axial directions of the horizontal plane (XY axis) based on the rotation operation of the stepping motor. The lens switching mechanism 46 is also provided with a stepping motor (not shown), and the lens switching mechanism 46 can rotationally drive the base on which the plurality of objective lenses 42 are attached based on the rotation operation of the stepping motor. The micromanipulator operation control device of the present invention comprises the control unit 30, the computer system 50, and the lens switching mechanism 46.

On both sides of the microscope 41, drive units 13 and 2 are provided.
3 are provided. On the right side of the microscope 41, the drive unit 1
3, the piezoelectric drive unit 12 is attached to the piezoelectric drive unit 1.
The right pipette 11 is attached to 2 as a minute needle. The piezoelectric drive unit 12 has a piezoelectric element and is connected to the control unit 30.
A voltage pulse is input from 0 to rapidly expand and contract the piezoelectric element, and the resulting impact force is transmitted to the right pipette 11. Further, the right pipette 11 is connected with a microinjector 14 for injecting a DNA solution or the like into an object to be treated such as cells. On the left side of the microscope 41, a pipette mounting portion 22 is mounted on the drive portion 23, and the left pipette 21 is mounted on the pipette mounting portion 22 as a capturing needle.

Each of the drive units 13 and 23 has three stepping motors (not shown) built therein. The stepping motors move the pipettes 11 and 21 into three directions, namely, a horizontal plane direction (XY axis) and a vertical direction (Z axis). It can be driven in the axial direction. At this time, the pipettes 11 and 21
Is movable in the XYZ axis directions in units of 1 μm or several tens of μm (fine movement or coarse movement) with respect to the main body of the microscope 41. The tips of the pipettes 11 and 21 extend toward the petri dish 44 placed on the operation table 43. Therefore, when the pipettes 11 and 21 are moved in the XYZ axis directions, the tip portions of the pipettes 11 and 21 move in the XYZ axis directions on the petri dish 44, so that microscopic objects such as cells contained in the petri dish 44 are treated. Processing is ready to be performed.

In the computer system 50, a display 52 as an output device is connected to a computer main body 51, and a keyboard 53 as an input device.
, A mouse 54, and a microphone 55 forming a voice detecting means are connected. With this mouse 54, the driving magnification of the pipettes 11 and 21 can be switched by switching between coarse and fine movements of the drive units 13 and 23 by clicking one of the left and right click button units 54a and 54b. There is. Also, the click button section 54
A predetermined selection screen is displayed on the display 52 by clicking a and 54b, and a desired selection can be performed from this selection screen. This system 1
In 00, the driving magnification of the pipettes 11 and 21 can be switched and desired selection can be performed from the selection screen also by voice-inputting an operation command to the microphone 55.

The computer main body 51 includes a control unit 30, a CCD camera 45, and a lens switching mechanism 46.
Are connected via a predetermined interface. The control unit 30 displays the operation table 43 described above in the X
XY the motor driver for operating the stepping motor driven in each Y-axis direction and the pipettes 11 and 21
A motor driver for operating a stepping motor driven in each Z-axis direction is built in. These motor drivers operate each of the connected stepping motors based on the drive command from the computer main body 51. Further, the control unit 30 can output a voltage pulse to the piezoelectric drive unit 12 based on a command from the computer main body 51.

(2) Description of each part of the micromanipulator system: FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing the configuration of the computer system 50 together with the configuration of some externally connected devices. In the computer main body 51, the system bus 51a includes a CPU 51b, a ROM 51c, and a RAM.
51d, CRT interface (CRT I / F) 51
f, input interface (input I / F) 51g, I /
The O boards 51h to 51j, the A / D converter 51k, etc. are connected. A hard disk 51e is also connected via a hard disk drive. And R
ROM5 while using AM51d as a work area
The CPU 51b controls the entire computer system 50 according to a program stored in the 1c or the hard disk 51e. The display 52 is a CRTI / F51f
Is connected to, and the driving states of the pipettes 11 and 21 and a predetermined selection screen can be displayed on the screen. Keyboard 53
The mouse 54 is connected to the input I / F 51g to enable operation input. Also, I / O boards 51h-5
1j includes a control unit 30 and a CCD, respectively.
A camera 45 and a lens switching mechanism 46 are connected. In addition, the A / D converter 51k includes a microphone 5
5 is connected.

Inside the mouse 54, XY within the plane is determined based on the rolling degree of a ball portion (not shown) rolling on the plane.
A left click detection unit 54 that detects the pressed state of the X direction detection unit 54c and the Y direction detection unit 54d that detect the movement in the axial direction and the left click button unit 54a and outputs the detection status.
e, a right click detection unit 54f that detects the pressed state of the right click button unit 54b and outputs the detection status. The mouse 54 has a built-in encoder (not shown). The encoder detects the rolling degree of the ball portion and outputs a rotary rolling pulse according to the rolling direction to the outside based on the detected rolling degree. At this time, a reference pulse, which serves as a reference when measuring the rolling degree, is output to the outside at the same time. The input I / F 51g of the computer main body is provided with a counter circuit and a phase detection circuit, counts the number of rotation rolling pulses and the reference pulse output from the mouse 54, and detects the phase difference. Then, depending on the function of the operating system (OS) installed in the computer main body 51, the mouse 54
It is possible to detect the operation contents of the ball portion and the click button portions 54a and 54b.

The microphone 55 is provided with a voice input section having a diaphragm vibrated by voice and fixed electrodes.
The voice input from the voice input unit is converted into a voice signal which is a voltage signal, and is output to the A / D converter 51k. In this system 100, the user is supposed to input a predetermined operation command into the microphone 55 by voice. Therefore, the microphone 55 outputs an audio signal including an operation command regarding the micromanipulator to the A / D converter 51k. Then, the A / D converter 51k converts the audio signal input from the microphone 55 into a digital audio signal. The microphone 55 can have various configurations, and a condenser type microphone, an electret microphone, or a dynamic microphone may be used.

In the computer main body 51, the system 1
A micromanipulator control program, which is an application for realizing the 00 function, is installed. When this control program is activated, an interface screen regarding the operation of the micromanipulator is displayed on the display 52, and the user can operate the system 100 through the screen. The control program acquires the digital audio signal input from the A / D converter 51k and the operation content of the mouse 54 via the OS, and appropriately outputs the stepping motor from the I / O board 51h based on the acquired operation content. To generate a control pulse for driving the piezoelectric actuator, or to generate a control signal for generating a voltage pulse to be supplied to the piezoelectric driving unit 12. These control pulses and control signals are input to the control unit 30 from the I / O board 51h.

Further, the control program incorporates a voice recognition program for converting the voice signal converted by the microphone 55 into character data. The voice signal detected by the microphone 55 exhibits a change in frequency distribution that differs depending on the words that the user has input by voice. The voice recognition program realizes a process of replacing a change in frequency distribution of the voice signal with character data by using a predetermined conversion table. As the voice recognition program, various commercially available voice recognition programs can be adopted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the hard disk 51e. As shown in the figure, the hard disk 51
The control program and the OS are stored in e, and an operation command storage area 51e1 is provided.
In this operation command storage area, an operation command table T1 storing operation commands relating to the micromanipulator is stored. In the operation command table T1 of this embodiment,
Main commands and subcommands are stored in association with each other. The main commands are “pulse”, which means whether to generate a voltage pulse, “shushu” which means changing the frequency of the voltage pulse, “denatsu” which means changing the voltage of the voltage pulse, and pipettes 11 and 21. , Which means to control the position of ",""jiku," which means to select the axis for inputting drive commands, pipettes 11 and 2.
1 means to select the drive magnification, 1 means to select an object to be driven, "tie show" means to execute drive control of the selected pipette, means to select the objective lens 42 to be used "Lens,"
"Shuryyou", which means to end the micromanipulator control program, and the like are stored. And
Different sub-commands are provided corresponding to these main commands. For example, as the sub-command corresponding to the main command “pulse”, “ON”, which means to supply the voltage pulse to the piezoelectric drive unit 12, There is an "off" meaning to stop the supply. That is, the operation command according to the present invention is composed of a main command and a corresponding subcommand. Note that there is a main command such as the main command “SHURYO” that does not have a corresponding sub-command. Here, there are various formats of the operation command stored in the operation command storage area, and for example, a list format in which the main command and the subcommand such as “pulse on” and “pulse off” are integrated can be used.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control unit 30 and the electrical system of the peripheral equipment. In reality, the piezoelectric drive unit 12 is attached to the drive unit 13, but these are shown separately for the sake of clarity. The control pulse input from the I / O board 51h is input to the motor controller 38.
The motor controller 38 includes a right pipette drive unit 38a in which each XYZ axis motor driver is built, and each X
A left pipette drive unit 38b containing a YZ axis motor driver and a petri dish drive unit 38c containing each XY axis motor driver are connected. The motor controller 38 generates and outputs a drive pulse based on the control pulse input from the computer main body 51 to each of the drive units 38a to 38c.

Drive units 13 and 23 are connected to both pipette drive units 38a and 38b, respectively. Drive unit 1
3 includes stepping motors R-Mx, R-My, and R-Mz for driving in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis directions, respectively. The drive unit 23 drives the stepping motors L-Mx, L-My, and X-axis drive units for driving in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis directions, respectively.
It is equipped with L-Mz. Stepping motors C-Mx and C-My for driving the petri dish 44 in the X and Y axis directions are connected to the petri dish drive unit 38c. Each of the drive units 38a to 38c includes a motor controller 3
The drive control of the stepping motor is realized by generating a drive current based on the drive pulse input from 8 and driving each stepping motor based on the drive current. The motor controller 38, the drive units 38a and 38b, the drive units 13 and 23, and the computer system 50 constitute drive control means.

On the other hand, the I / O board 5 of the computer body
The control signal input from 1h is input to the pulse generation circuit 35 which is a voltage pulse generation means. The piezoelectric element 12a in the piezoelectric drive unit 12 is connected to the pulse generation circuit 35 by a pair of lead wires. A predetermined DC power supply is connected to the pulse generation circuit 35, and receives power supply from the DC power supply and generates a voltage pulse to be supplied to the piezoelectric element 12a. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic block configuration of the pulse generation circuit 35. In the figure, a pulse generation circuit 35 includes a control circuit 35a, a VCO (Voltage Co
ntroled Oscillator) 35b, switching circuit 35
c, an amplifier circuit 35d and the like.

The control circuit 35a includes the VCO 35b,
The switching circuit 35c and the amplifier circuit 35d are connected. The control circuit 35a of the present embodiment is a CP (not shown).
U, ROM, RAM, timer circuit, microcomputer 35a1 incorporating I / O port, etc., and D / A converter 35a
2, 35c3. The amplifier circuit 35d is
It is connected to the D / A converter 35a2. Also, V
The CO 35b is connected to the D / A converter 35a2. Then, the control circuit 35a uses the I / O board 51h.
A control signal is input from the device to perform predetermined control on these circuits. Specifically, it outputs a power on / off signal for turning on / off power supply to these circuits to a predetermined switching transistor based on an input control signal, or outputs a frequency control signal to the VCO 35b. , Outputs a signal for turning on / off the switching element to the switching circuit 35c, and outputs the signal to the amplifier circuit 35d.
The voltage is output to be changeable.

The VCO 35b is a voltage controlled oscillator circuit which is composed of a Schmitt trigger circuit, a frequency divider circuit and the like, and generates a pulse having a frequency corresponding to the voltage of the frequency control signal from the D / A converter 35a3. Further, the pulse width of the generated pulse can be adjusted by changing the capacity of the variable capacitor provided inside the circuit. VC
A frequency control signal is input from the control circuit 35a to the O35b, and the VCO 35b generates a pulse having a frequency according to the voltage of the input frequency control signal. Further, the built-in frequency dividing circuit performs frequency division of the frequency of the pulse to a set frequency dividing ratio, for example, 1 / n of 2 and outputs the frequency to the switching circuit 35c. The frequency dividing circuit can switch the frequency dividing ratio by a frequency dividing ratio switching signal from the control circuit 35a.

The amplifier circuit 35d is a D / A converter 35.
It is connected between a2 and the switching circuit 35c. The microcomputer 35a1 has a built-in CPU, ROM, RA
M, a timer circuit, etc. perform a process of generating a voltage to be output to the amplifier circuit 35d.
Outputs the voltage input from the D / A converter 35a2 to the switching circuit 35c by amplifying the voltage with a predetermined amplification factor. Pulse from VCO 35b and amplifier circuit 35d
And the output voltage from the switching circuit 35c
Includes a plurality of switch elements 35c1 (for example, switching transistors). The switch element 35c
1 is conductive when the pulse from the VCO 35b is at a high level to supply the output voltage from the amplifier circuit 35d to the piezoelectric element 12a, and is cut off when the pulse is at a low level to become the amplifier circuit. The output voltage from 35d is cut off. Therefore, the voltage output from the switching circuit 35c becomes a pulse, and the voltage pulse of the output voltage of the amplifier circuit 35d is supplied to the piezoelectric element 12a. The signal from the control circuit 35a for turning on and off the switch element also includes the plurality of switch elements 35c1.
Input to another switch element inside and supply voltage pulse /
Switching off can be switched.

The voltage of the frequency control signal input to the VCO 35b and the voltage input to the switching circuit 35c are also output to the computer main body 51 via the control circuit 35a. Board 51
The A / D converter 51h1 provided in h can perform digital conversion, and the computer main body 51 can read the voltage value of the frequency control signal and the voltage value of the voltage pulse supplied to the piezoelectric element 12a. Also, the above-mentioned V
CO 35b, switching circuit 35c, amplifier circuit 35d
Can apply various circuits that have been conventionally used. Of course, the pulse generation circuit 35 can have various modes. For example, it is also possible to use the oscillation signal of the crystal oscillation circuit or use a predetermined AC signal waveform to generate the voltage pulse.

In FIG. 6, the piezoelectric drive unit 12 to which the voltage pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit 35 is input is connected to the right pipette 1.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the first embodiment and a drive unit 13 as viewed from the front. Note that these parts are arranged on the right side of the microscope 41. The piezoelectric driving unit 12 is the piezoelectric element 1
2a, a pair of spiral springs 12b and 12b, a piezoelectric element mounting member 12c, and a pipette mounting member 12d.
The piezoelectric drive unit 12 is attached to the drive unit 13 on the front side of the drive unit 13 by a piezoelectric element attachment member 12c. The pipette mounting member 12d has a clip 12d1 for holding the pipette.
The right pipette 11 can be clamped and attached to the piezoelectric drive unit 12 by means of 1. The piezoelectric element 12a has a right end supported by the piezoelectric element mounting member 12c and a left end mounted on the pipette mounting member 12d. In addition, the spiral spring 12
b and 12b are also interposed between the piezoelectric element mounting member 12c and the pipette mounting member 12d, the right end is mounted to the piezoelectric element mounting member 12c, and the left end is the pipette mounting member 1
It is attached to 2d. Same spiral spring 12b, 1
2b is the pipette mounting member 12d and the piezoelectric element mounting member 1
It is urged to pull it to the 2c side.

The piezoelectric element 12a is an element that expands and contracts according to the same voltage due to a piezoelectric effect, which is also called a piezo effect, when a voltage is applied. When a voltage pulse is input, the voltage pulse is rapidly expanded and contracted to generate an impact force. In order to generate the same impact force, a pair of lead wires (not shown) are connected to the piezoelectric element 12a, and the same pair of lead wires are connected to the pulse generating circuit 35 through the inside of the piezoelectric element mounting member 12c and the driving unit 13. Has been done. Note that one of the lead wires is connected to the switch element 35c1 and the other is connected to the ground. Here, the switch element 35c
When the voltage of the voltage pulse input from 1 increases, the generated impact force increases. Further, as the frequency of the voltage pulse increases, the frequency of the impact force generated increases. Then, the generated impact force is applied to the pipette mounting member 12
It is transmitted to the right pipette 11 via d. In this embodiment, the pipette mounting portion 22 arranged on the left side of the microscope 41.
No piezoelectric element is provided in the. Of course, it is also possible to provide the pipette mounting portion 22 with a piezoelectric element and transmit the impact force to the left pipette 21. Needless to say, the left and right arrangements may be changed, the piezoelectric drive section may be attached to the left drive section 23, and the pipette mounting section may be attached to the right drive section 13.

Computer main body I / O board 51i
Is an image input board to which a CCD camera 45 is connected. The CCD camera 45 has an optical lens system, CCD image pickup devices arranged in a matrix, an A / D converter, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a control circuit, a communication I / O, etc., and the CPU writes in the ROM. The image on the petri dish 44 is converted into digital image data according to the program, and the image data is output to the I / O board 51i via the communication I / O.

A lens switching mechanism 46 is connected to the I / O board 51j. This lens switching mechanism 46
Is a drive unit 46a with a built-in motor driver
And a stepping motor 46b connected to the drive unit 46a. The control pulse input from the I / O board 51i is input to the drive unit 46a. The drive unit 46a generates a drive current based on the input control pulse, and drives the stepping motor 46b based on the drive current to switch the objective lens 42 to be used.
The base of is driven to rotate. The objective lens 42 of the present embodiment is composed of four types of objective lenses, and any one of the objective lenses can be selected by rotating a rotatably mounted base mounted with the lens switching mechanism 46. Is. That is, the microscope 41 can magnify the image of the driving state of the pipettes 11 and 21 using the selected objective lens. Here, the four types of objective lenses have different magnifications.
It is a lens for 0x, 20x, and 40x. Then, since the CCD camera 45 acquires an enlarged image of the driving state of the tip end portions of the pipettes 11 and 21 via the selected objective lens, the computer main body 51 obtains image data from the CCD camera 45 to obtain the pipette 11. , 21
The display 52 displays an enlarged screen of the drive state of.

(3) Outline of operation of the present micromanipulator operation control device: The operation of the present micromanipulator operation control device will be described below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the micromanipulator control program in the computer main body 51. When the control program is started, various initial settings are made (step S
100). At that time, the RAM 51d stores frequency data, voltage data, lens magnification data, pipettes 11 and 2 which will be described later.
An initial value is substituted by providing a region for storing the current position of each XYZ of 1 and an axis for inputting a drive command to the mouse 54. Since the image of the driving state of the pipettes 11 and 21 magnified by the microscope 41 is captured by the CCD camera 45, the I / O board 51 is
Image data from the CCD camera 45 is obtained via i (step S105). Then, the display 52 displays the voice input screen shown in FIG. 8 (step S11).
0). At that time, based on the obtained image data, an enlarged image of the driving state of the pipettes 11 and 21 is displayed on the image display column 91a, the lens magnification data is read and displayed in the lens magnification display column 91b, and the main command Is displayed in the command selection field 91c. That is, the processes of steps S105 to S110 form an enlarged display unit together with the microscope 41, the CCD camera 45, and the display 52.

In the command selection field 91c, one of the main commands can be selected and input by operating the mouse 54, but the main command can be selected by voice input to the microphone 55. In step S115, it is determined whether a voice signal is detected. When the main command and the sub command are input to the microphone 55 by voice, the microphone 55 converts the voice including the operation instruction into a voice signal.
That is, it is possible to detect a voice signal including an operation command regarding the micromanipulator. In this case, the process proceeds to step S120, the same voice signal is obtained as a digital signal via the A / D converter 51k, and converted into character data by referring to a predetermined conversion table stored in the hard disk 51e by the voice recognition program. That is, the process of step S120 constitutes a voice recognition means. On the other hand, if no audio signal is detected, step S
The processing of 115 is repeated.

Next, it is determined whether or not there is an operation command in the converted character data (step S125). This determination process can be performed by referring to the operation command table T1 stored in the hard disk 51e and determining whether or not the main command and the corresponding subcommand are included in the character data. When there is an operation command in the character data, the process proceeds to step S135, and the operation command including the main command and the corresponding subcommand is extracted from the converted character data. That is, the process of step S135 constitutes an operation command extracting means. Then, the extracted operation instruction is displayed in the operation instruction display field 91d of the voice input screen (step S140). That is, the process of step S140 constitutes the operation command display means together with the display 52. As a result, it is possible to confirm whether or not the operation command has been acquired, so that the operability is improved. In step S140, the extracted operation command may be output by voice in the voice output circuit of the computer main body 51. Then, it is judged whether or not the extracted main command is "shurei" (step S145), and if it is "shurei", this flow is ended, and if it is not "shurei", processing by operation command is performed. (Step S150), the process returns to step S105. The details of the operation command-specific processing in step S150 will be described later, but the main command “pulse”, “shuhasu”,
Pulse command processing, frequency command processing, voltage command processing, position command processing, axis command processing, lens command processing, drive corresponding to "Denatsu", "ichi", "jiku", "lens", and "kudou" Command processing is performed.

If there is no operation command in the character data in step S125, an error is displayed in the operation command display field 91d (step S130), and step S105.
Return to. This error may be that the operation command could not be acquired, and various information can be adopted,
For example, it is possible to say "the operation command was not input". That is, the process of step S130 is
When the operation command corresponding to the detected voice signal cannot be acquired from the operation command storage area, the operation command acquisition unit is configured to output that fact to the outside. As a result, the fact that the operation instruction could not be obtained is notified, and the operability is further improved. It should be noted that in step S130, the sound output circuit of the computer main body 51 may output a sound meaning an error. In this way, steps S120 to S135
The process (1) constitutes an operation command acquisition unit that acquires an operation command regarding the micromanipulator based on the detected voice signal. Then, the process of step S150 constitutes an operation control unit that controls the operation of the micromanipulator based on the acquired operation command.

(4) Operation for turning on / off the voltage pulse generation: FIG. 9 shows the pulse command processing performed in step S150 when the main command "pulse" is input by voice. First, it is determined whether the subcommand is "on" or "off" (step S20).
2). When it is “on”, the pulse generation circuit 35 of the control unit is connected to the pulse generation circuit 35 of the control unit via the I / O board 51h.
A control signal for turning on the voltage pulse output is output (step S204), and this flow ends. On the other hand, when the subcommand is "OFF", a control signal for turning off the voltage pulse output is output to the pulse generation circuit 35 (step S206), and this flow ends.

In the pulse generation circuit 35, the control circuit 35a
Receives the control signal and causes the microcomputer 35a1 to start the interrupt processing shown in FIG. The microcomputer 35a1 is
When the interrupt process is started, it is determined whether or not a control signal for turning on the voltage pulse output is input (step S300). When the control signal is input, a high-level signal that turns on the switch element 35c1 of the switching circuit is output (step S305), and the interrupt process ends. Then, the switching element 35c1 becomes conductive, and the pulse generating circuit 35 causes the control circuit 35a to operate.
A voltage pulse having a frequency corresponding to the voltage of the frequency control signal from is used as an output voltage from the amplifier circuit 35d to generate a voltage pulse. Then, the same voltage pulse is supplied to the piezoelectric element 12a of the piezoelectric drive section, an impact force is generated from the piezoelectric element 12a, and is transmitted to the right pipette 11.

If the condition is not satisfied in step S300, it is determined whether or not a control signal for turning off the voltage pulse output is input (step S310). When the control signal is input, a low-level signal that turns off the switch element 35c1 of the switching circuit is output (step S315), and the interrupt process ends. Then, the switching element 35c1 is turned off, and the voltage pulse is not generated from the pulse generation circuit 35. as a result,
No impact force is generated from the piezoelectric element 12a. If the condition is not satisfied in step S310, the process proceeds to step S320, which will be described in detail later. As described above, since it is possible to perform an operation of switching whether to generate the voltage pulse to be applied to the piezoelectric drive unit 12 by voice without using a hand, it is possible to eliminate the troublesome operation and improve the operability. You can

(5) Operation when changing the condition of the voltage pulse: FIG. 11 shows the frequency command processing performed in step S150 when the main command "shuhsu" is input by voice. First, the frequency data is read from the RAM 51d (step S402). The frequency data can be, for example, an integer value in 10 steps of 1 to 10, and the frequency is increased so that the frequency of the generated voltage pulse increases.

Next, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "up" (step S404). When the condition is satisfied, 1 is added to the frequency data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S406), and the process proceeds to step S422. When the frequency data exceeds the upper limit value, the frequency data is set as the upper limit value. When the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "down" (step S408). When the condition is met,
1 is subtracted from the frequency data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S410), and the process proceeds to step S422. When the frequency data is less than the lower limit value, the frequency data is set as the lower limit value. When the condition is not met, the subcommand is "Large"
It is determined whether or not it is a “die” that means (step S412). When the condition is satisfied, the frequency data has a predetermined value F1.
(For example, 10) is substituted and stored in the RAM 51d (step S414), and the process proceeds to step S422. When the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "chu" meaning "medium" (step S416). When the condition is satisfied, a predetermined value F2 (for example, 6) smaller than F1 is assigned to the frequency data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S
418), and proceeds to step S422. When the condition is not met, the subcommand is "show", which means "small".
A predetermined value F3 smaller than F2 (for example,
2) is substituted and stored in the RAM 51d (step S42).
0), and proceeds to step S422. That is, a plurality of frequencies of the voltage pulse are set, and any one of the plurality of frequencies set by voice can be selected. Step S
At 422, a control signal for generating a voltage pulse having a frequency corresponding to the frequency data is output to the pulse generation circuit 35 of the control unit via the I / O board 51h, and this flow ends.

In the pulse generation circuit 35, the control circuit 35a
Receives the control signal and causes the microcomputer 35a1 to start the interrupt processing shown in FIG. The microcomputer 35a1
Starts the interrupt process, steps S300, S
Since the condition is not satisfied in 310, it is determined whether or not the frequency is changed, that is, whether or not the control signal for generating the voltage pulse having the frequency according to the frequency data is input (step S320). When the control signal is input, the digital voltage value corresponding to the voltage of the frequency control signal output to the VCO 35b is converted into the D / A converter 35.
Write to a3 (step S325), and terminate the interrupt process. The ROM in the microcomputer 35a1 stores a correspondence table in which the input control signal and the voltage value of the frequency control signal are associated with each other, and the microcomputer 35a1 refers to the correspondence table to obtain the voltage value. Of course, the voltage value may be calculated using a predetermined conversion formula without using the correspondence table. Alternatively, the data of the correspondence table may be obtained from the computer main body 51 and stored in the RAM in the microcomputer 35a1, and the voltage value may be acquired by referring to the correspondence table stored in the RAM.

Then, the D / A converter 35a3 outputs a frequency control signal corresponding to the frequency data,
The VCO 35b receives the frequency control signal, generates a pulse having a frequency corresponding to the voltage of the frequency control signal, and outputs the pulse to the switching circuit 35c. Switching circuit 3
5c supplies the output voltage from the amplifier circuit 35d to the piezoelectric element 12a of the piezoelectric drive unit by turning on the switch element when the pulse input from the VCO 35b is at high level, and the pulse is at low level. At a certain time, the switch element is turned off to cut off the output voltage from the amplifier circuit 35d. As a result, a voltage pulse supplied to the piezoelectric element 12a is generated. As shown in FIG. 12, the switching circuit 35c outputs a voltage pulse having a frequency corresponding to the frequency data stored in the RAM 51d to the piezoelectric element 12a as an output voltage corresponding to the voltage data stored in the RAM 51d. To do. The voltage pulse on the right side of the drawing shows the case where the frequency data is large, and the voltage pulse on the lower side of the drawing shows the case where the voltage data is large. Then, an impact force is generated from the piezoelectric element 12a and the right pipette 1
Transmitted to 1.

FIG. 13 shows the voltage command processing performed in step S150 when the main command "Denatsu" is input by voice. First, voltage data is read from the RAM 51d (step S502). The voltage data is
For example, it can be an integer value of 10 steps from 1 to 10,
The larger the value, the larger the voltage pulse voltage generated. Next, it is determined whether the subcommand is "up" (step S504). When the condition is satisfied, 1 is added to the voltage data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S506), and the process proceeds to step S522.
When the voltage data exceeds the upper limit value, the voltage data is set as the upper limit value. When the condition is not met, the subcommand is "down"
Or not (step S508). When the condition is satisfied, 1 is subtracted from the voltage data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S510), and the process proceeds to step S522. When the voltage data is below the lower limit value, the voltage data is set to the lower limit value. When the condition is not met, the subcommand is "die"
Or not (step S512). When the condition is satisfied, a predetermined value V1 (for example, 10) is assigned to the voltage data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S514), and the process proceeds to step S522. When the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "Chu" (step S51).
6). When the condition is satisfied, a predetermined value V2 (for example, 6) smaller than V1 is assigned to the voltage data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S518), and the process proceeds to step S522. When the condition is not satisfied, the subcommand is “show”, so a predetermined value V3 (for example, 2) smaller than V2 is assigned to the voltage data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S520), and the process proceeds to step S522. That is, a plurality of voltages of the voltage pulse are set, and any of the plurality of voltages set by voice can be selected. In step S522,
A control signal for generating a voltage pulse having a voltage according to the voltage data is output to the pulse generation circuit 35 via the I / O board 51h, and this flow ends.

In the pulse generation circuit 35, the control circuit 35a
Receives the control signal and causes the microcomputer 35a1 to start the interrupt processing shown in FIG. The microcomputer 35a1
Starts the interrupt process, steps S300, S
Since the conditions are not satisfied in 310 and S320, it is determined whether or not the voltage is changed, that is, whether or not the control signal for generating the voltage pulse of the voltage according to the voltage data is input (step S330). When the control signal is input, the digital voltage value corresponding to the voltage output to the amplifier circuit 35d is written to the D / A converter 35a2 (step S335), and the interrupt process ends.
The ROM in the microcomputer 35a1 stores a correspondence table in which the control signal input and the voltage value of the voltage output to the amplifier circuit 35d are associated with each other.
1 acquires the voltage value by referring to the same correspondence table. Of course, the voltage value may be calculated using a predetermined conversion formula without using the correspondence table. Alternatively, the data of the correspondence table may be obtained from the computer main body 51 and stored in the RAM in the microcomputer 35a1, and the voltage value may be acquired by referring to the correspondence table stored in the RAM.

Then, the voltage corresponding to the above voltage data is output from the D / A converter 35a2, and the amplifier circuit 35 is output.
d amplifies the same voltage and outputs it to the switching circuit 35c. The switching circuit 35c outputs the voltage pulse of the frequency according to the frequency data to the piezoelectric element 12a as the output voltage from the amplifier circuit 35d by the above-mentioned operation. Then, an impact force is generated from the piezoelectric element 12a and is transmitted to the right pipette 11. in this way,
Since it is possible to perform an operation of changing the condition of the voltage pulse such as the frequency or voltage of the voltage pulse given to the piezoelectric drive unit 12 by voice without using a hand, the troublesome operation is eliminated and the operability is improved. You can In this embodiment, both the frequency and voltage of the voltage pulse can be changed by voice, but only one of them may be changed by voice. Further, the frequency of the voltage pulse and the voltage may be changed at the same time in association with each other. In this case, for example, in the computer main body 51, the voltage pulse condition data is stored in the RAM 51.
It may be stored in d, the frequency data and the voltage data are calculated based on the condition data, and the control signal is output to the pulse generation circuit 35. Then, in the pulse generation circuit 35, the microcomputer 35a1 shown in FIG.
In the interrupt process of step S301, the determination process of step S330 may be performed after the end of step S325.

(6) Operation when returning the position of the pipette: FIG. 14 shows the position command processing performed in step S150 when the main command "Ichi" is input by voice. First, it is determined whether the subcommand is "kioku" or "fluffy" (step S602).
When it is "kioku", each XYZ of the pipettes 11 and 21
The present position is stored as a return position in a predetermined return position storage area in the RAM 51d (step S604), and this flow ends. On the other hand, when the subcommand is "blister", the stored return position is read (step S60).
6). The current position of each XYZ of the pipettes 11 and 21 is also read from the RAM 51d, and the moving direction and the moving amount of the pipettes 11 and 21 are calculated based on the difference between the return position and the current position (step S608). After that, a control pulse is output to the motor controller 38 of the control unit based on the calculated moving direction and moving amount of the pipettes 11 and 21 (step S610), and the present flow ends. The motor controller 38 generates a drive pulse based on the control pulse, and drives the drive units 38a, 3a.
8b to the motor driver, and the motor driver outputs a drive current to the stepping motor based on the drive pulse. As a result, the stepping motor is driven, and drive control of the pipettes 11 and 21 is performed so that the stored positions are reached.

That is, the commands "ichi" and "fluffy"
Is an operation command to move the pipette to the stored position.
Move to the memorized position by voice inputting "Kioku". In this way, since the operation of moving the pipette to the stored position by voice can be performed without using a hand, the inconvenience of the operation can be eliminated and the operability can be improved.

(7) Operation when selecting an axis for inputting a drive command: FIG. 15 shows the axis command processing performed in step S150 when the main command "Jiku" is input by voice. First, it is determined whether the subcommand is "X" (step S702). When the condition is satisfied, only the X axis is selected as the axis for inputting the drive command to the mouse 54 (step S704), and the process proceeds to step S710. When the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "Y" (step S706). When the condition is satisfied, only the Y axis is selected as the axis for inputting the drive command to the mouse 54 (step S708), and the process proceeds to step S710. After that, although illustration of the flow is omitted, the subcommands are “Z”, “XWY”,
Whether or not it is "X-ZET" or "WY-ZET" is determined, and when the conditions are satisfied, as the axes for inputting drive commands to the mouse 54, only the Z-axis, the X-axis and Y-axis, the X-axis and Z-axis, respectively. The Y axis and the Z axis are selected, and the process proceeds to step S710.

In step S710, RA is selected for the selected axis.
It is stored in a predetermined area in M51d, and this flow ends.
That is, as the axes for inputting the drive command to the mouse 54, only the X axis, the Y axis, the Z axis only, the X axis and the Y axis,
Either the X axis and the Z axis or the Y axis and the Z axis can be selected.
With the above flow, it is possible to select the axis for inputting the drive command to the mouse 54 based on the operation command acquired from the audio signal, and to the pipettes 11 and 21 about the axis selected by the drive command processing described later. Drive control is executed. In this way, without using hands,
Since it is possible to perform an operation of selecting an axis for inputting a drive command to the mouse by voice, the troublesome operation is eliminated and the operability can be improved.

(8) Operation when selecting an objective lens to be used: FIG. 16 shows the lens command processing performed in step S150 when the main command "lens" is input by voice. First, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "Yon" (step S802). When the condition is satisfied, 4 is assigned to the lens magnification data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S804), and the process proceeds to step S816.
When the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "juu" (step S806). When the condition is satisfied, 10 is assigned to the lens magnification data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S808), and the process proceeds to step S816. When the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the subcommand is "Nijiu" (step S810). When the condition is satisfied, 20 is substituted for the lens magnification data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S812), and the process proceeds to step S816. When the condition is not met,
Since the subcommand is "Yongju", 40 is substituted for the lens magnification data and stored in the RAM 51d (step S814), and the process proceeds to step S816.

In step S816, the I / O board 51
A control pulse corresponding to the lens magnification data is output to the drive unit 46a of the lens switching mechanism 46 via j.
This flow ends. The drive unit 46a outputs a drive current to the stepping motor 46b based on the control pulse. Thereby, the stepping motor 46b
Is driven, and rotational drive control is performed on the base of the objective lens 42 so as to switch the objective lens to be used by the microscope 41 from the plurality of objective lenses 42. In this way, since it is possible to perform an operation of selecting the objective lens by voice without using a hand, it is possible to eliminate the troublesome operation and improve the operability.

(9) Operation when drive control is executed:
FIG. 17 shows the drive command processing performed in step S150 when the main command “Kudo” is input by voice. This flow is for the right pipette 11 or the left pipette 2
Although the process of executing the drive control of No. 1 is shown, the process of executing the drive control of the petri dish 44 is also substantially the same as the flow of FIG. There is no subcommand corresponding to the main command "Kudo", and "Kudo" is an independent operation command. First, an initial drive command is output to the motor controller 38 so that each stepping motor moving speed of the drive unit 38a or the drive unit 38b to be driven is set to 0.
The stepping motors are reset and the stepping motors are brought into a drivable state (step S902). Next, RAM5
The lens magnification data from 1d and the axis for inputting the drive command to the mouse 54 are read (step S904).

After that, the operation input of the mouse 54 is accepted on the screen of FIG. 8 in which an enlarged image of the driving state of the pipette is displayed. First, the current value of the mouse 54 is acquired and the initial position is memorized (step S906),
It is determined whether the rotation rolling pulse is input (step S908). If the mouse 54 is not operated, the rotation rolling pulse is not input, and thus the determination process of step S908 is repeated. When the mouse is operated, the rotary rolling pulse is input, so the condition is satisfied, and the rotary rolling pulse and the reference pulse are input (step S910). This process is performed until the rotation rolling pulse and the reference pulse are not input for a predetermined time or longer. Next, the moving direction, the moving amount, and the moving speed of the pipette are calculated based on these inputted pulses, the lens magnification data, and the axis for inputting the drive command to the mouse 54 (step S912). At this time, the movement amount of the mouse 54 is multiplied by the lens magnification data and a predetermined movement amount correction coefficient to calculate the movement amount of the pipette, and the lens magnification data and the predetermined movement amount are calculated with respect to the moving speed of the mouse 54. The moving speed of the pipette is calculated by multiplying by the speed correction coefficient.

Then, a control pulse is output to the motor controller 38 based on the calculated moving direction, moving amount, and moving speed of the pipette (step S914), and this flow ends. The motor controller 38 generates a drive pulse based on the control pulse and outputs the drive pulse to the motor driver of the drive unit that is the drive target, and the motor driver outputs a drive current to the stepping motor based on the drive pulse. . As a result, the stepping motor corresponding to the selected axis in the selected drive target is driven, and drive control according to the operation of the mouse 54 is realized. Then, the pipette moves by a moving amount proportional to the reciprocal of the magnification of the objective lens, and moves at a moving speed proportional to the reciprocal of the magnification of the objective lens. As a result, the pipette can be moved at a moving speed suitable for the magnification of the objective lens, which facilitates the operation of the micromanipulator. At that time, since the moving speed of the pipette on the display screen is the same as the mouse operation, the moving of the pipette is easy. As described above, since the operation for starting the drive control for the pipette can be performed by voice without using a hand, the troublesome operation is eliminated and the operability can be improved.

The micromanipulator operation control device of the present invention does not have to have all of the above-mentioned various operation commands, and may be configured to have only one of the operation commands. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the computer system is used to configure the micromanipulator operation control device of the present invention, but a configuration without a computer system is also possible. In this case, for example, the control unit may be provided with a control circuit having a microcomputer or the like, and the control circuit may control the entire micromanipulator. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a micromanipulator operation control device capable of improving operability in various modes. Of course, the present invention is also effective as an operation control method for a micromanipulator, an operation control program, and a medium recording the program.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a micromanipulator system to which a micromanipulator operation control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing a configuration of a computer system together with a configuration of a part of devices externally connected.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a hard disk.

FIG. 4 is a block configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric system of a control unit and peripheral devices.

FIG. 5 is a block configuration diagram showing a schematic block configuration of a pulse generation circuit.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the piezoelectric drive unit from the front side together with the right pipette and the drive unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the micromanipulator operation control device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display screen example of a voice input screen.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing pulse command processing.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing performed by a microcomputer.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing frequency command processing.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing frequencies and voltages of voltage pulses generated from a pulse generation circuit.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing voltage command processing.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing position command processing.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing axis command processing.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing lens command processing.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing drive command processing.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 21 ... Pipette 12 ... Piezo drive 12a ... Piezoelectric element 13, 23 ... Drive unit 14 ... Microinjector 22 ... Pipette mounting part 30 ... Control unit 35 ... Pulse generation circuit 38 ... Motor controller 41 ... Microscope 42 ... Objective lens 43 ... Operation table 44 ... Petri dish 45 ... CCD camera 46 ... Lens switching mechanism 50 ... Computer system 51 ... Computer body 51e1 ... Operation command storage area 52 ... Display 53 ... Keyboard 54 ... Mouse 55 ... Microphone 100 ... Micromanipulator system T1 ... Operation command table

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kenichi Kudo             5-15-16 Sugamo, Toshima-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Katsuaki Oishi             Suruga Seiki 549-1 Shichitsu Shinya, Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture             Within the corporation F-term (reference) 2H044 HC01                 3C007 AS35 BS30 KS39 KT01 KT15                       MT01 XG06                 4B029 AA09 AA23 BB20 HA09

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A micromanipulator operation control device that receives an operation command related to a micromanipulator and controls the operation of the micromanipulator based on the input operation command, the audio signal including the operation command related to the micromanipulator. Based on the operation command acquired by this operation command acquisition unit, the operation command acquisition unit that acquires the operation command related to the micromanipulator based on the audio signal detected by this audio detection unit And an operation control means for controlling the operation of the micromanipulator. 2. The micromanipulator comprises: a micromanipulator for micromanipulator; a voltage pulse generating means for generating a voltage pulse; and an impact force generated by a piezoelectric effect by inputting the voltage pulse to the micromanipulator for micromanipulator. And an impact force transmitting means for transmitting the voice signal, wherein the voice detecting means detects a voice signal including an operation instruction as to whether or not to generate the voltage pulse, and the operation control means controls the operation instruction acquiring means. The micromanipulator operation control device according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to generate the voltage pulse is switched by the voltage pulse generating means based on the operation command acquired by the operation. 3. The micromanipulator comprises: a micromanipulator microdevice, a voltage pulse generating means for generating a voltage pulse, and an impact force generated by a piezoelectric effect by inputting the voltage pulse to the micromanipulator microdevice. And a shock force transmitting means for transmitting the sound signal, the voice detecting means detects a voice signal including an operation command for changing the condition of the voltage pulse, and the operation control means is acquired by the operation command acquiring means. The micromanipulator operation control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the condition of the voltage pulse input to the impact force transmission means is changed based on the operation command. 4. The voice detecting means detects a voice signal including an operation instruction for changing one or a combination of the frequency and the voltage of the voltage pulse, and the operation controlling means is the operation instruction acquiring means. The micromanipulator operation control device according to claim 3, wherein any one or a combination of a frequency and a voltage of the voltage pulse input to the impact force transmission means is changed based on the acquired operation command. . 5. A plurality of conditions of the voltage pulse are set, the voice detecting means detects a voice signal including an operation command for selecting the condition of the voltage pulse, and the operation controlling means is 5. Any one of the set conditions of the plurality of voltage pulses is selected based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition unit. Micromanipulator operation control device. 6. The micromanipulator includes a micromanipulator microdevice, a drive command input to the micromanipulator microdevice, and drive control of the micromanipulator microdevice based on the input drive command. Drive control means for executing the, the voice detection means detects a voice signal including an operation command to move the micromanipulator microdevice so as to be a stored position, the operation control means, The position of the micromanipulator microdevice is stored, and based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition unit, the micromanipulator microdevice is driven with respect to the drive control unit so as to reach the stored position. 6. The control according to claim 1, wherein the control is executed. Micromanipulator operation control device according to any Re. 7. The micromanipulator is XYZ.
The micromanipulator microdevice that can be moved in the three axis directions, the mouse that can input the drive command for the XYZ axes, and the drive command input to the micromanipulator microdevice from the mouse. Drive control means for executing drive control for the micromanipulator microdevice based on the drive command, the voice detection means, the operation command for selecting the axis to input the drive command to the mouse. The operation control means selects the axis for inputting a drive command to the mouse based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means by detecting a voice signal including the audio signal. The micromanipulator operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The micromanipulator includes a micromanipulator microdevice, and a drive control for the micromanipulator microdevice based on a drive command received by receiving an input of a drive command for the micromanipulator microdevice. And a magnifying display means for magnifying the driving state of the micromanipulator for the micromanipulator by using any one of the plurality of lenses and having a plurality of lenses having different magnifications. The audio detection means detects an audio signal including an operation command for selecting the lens, and the operation control means includes a lens switching control means for executing drive control for switching a lens used in the magnified display means. Based on the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means Micromanipulator operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that selecting a lens for use in the enlarged display means from the plurality of lenses at the same lens switching control means. 9. The micromanipulator according to claim 1, further comprising operation command display means capable of displaying the operation command acquired by the operation command acquisition means. Operation control device. 10. An operation command storage area for storing an operation command related to the micromanipulator is provided, and the operation command acquisition means stores the operation command corresponding to the voice signal detected by the voice detection means. The micromanipulator operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the micromanipulator operation control device is acquired from a region. 11. The operation command acquisition means acquires the operation command when the operation command corresponding to the audio signal detected by the audio detection means cannot be acquired from the operation command storage area. 11. The micromanipulator operation control device according to claim 10, wherein the fact that the operation cannot be performed is output to the outside. 12. The voice detecting means includes a microphone for inputting a voice including the operation instruction and converting the voice into a voice signal, and the operation instruction acquiring means converts the voice signal converted by the microphone into character data. The voice recognition means for converting, and the operation command extraction means for extracting the operation command from the character data converted by the voice recognition means are provided, according to any one of claims 1 to 11. Micromanipulator operation control device. 13. A micromanipulator operation control method for receiving an input of an operation command regarding a micromanipulator, and controlling the operation of the micromanipulator based on the input operation command, wherein a voice signal including an operation command regarding the micromanipulator is transmitted. A voice detection step of detecting, an operation instruction acquisition step of acquiring an operation instruction regarding the micromanipulator based on the audio signal detected in the voice detection step, and an operation instruction acquired in the operation instruction acquisition step And an operation control step of controlling the operation of the micromanipulator described above. 14. A micromanipulator operation control program for causing a computer to realize the function of receiving an operation command input for a micromanipulator and controlling the operation of the micromanipulator based on the input operation command, the operation relating to the micromanipulator. A voice detection function that detects a voice signal containing a command, an operation command acquisition function that acquires an operation command related to the micromanipulator based on the voice signal detected by this voice detection function, and an operation command acquisition function A micromanipulator operation control program, which realizes an operation control function for controlling the operation of the micromanipulator based on the received operation command.