JP2020034732A - Magnifying observation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow for making full use of autofocus capability while avoiding collision of an objective lens with an object under observation.SOLUTION: A magnifying observation device provided herein is configured to: acquire a side-view image of an object 100 under observation including at least a top surface thereof; acquire position-related information of an objective lens 25 and the object 100 under observation; and search for a focal point of the objective lens using the position-related information and a magnified observation image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 21

Description

  The present invention relates to a magnifying observation apparatus that images an observation target and magnifies and displays the image on a display unit.

  For example, as a magnifying observation device that magnifies and displays a work such as a sample such as a minute object, an electronic component, or a workpiece, a two-dimensional arrangement is provided with an optical system that receives reflected light or transmitted light from the observed object The light receiving element receives light incident through the optical system, detects the amount of light received by each light receiving element, generates an image of the observation target, and enlarges and displays the image on the display. Is known. Such a magnifying observation apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1, and is sometimes called a digital microscope or the like in distinction from an optical microscope.

  The digital microscope disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a monitoring sensor for capturing a two-dimensional overview image of a sample, in addition to a microscope image sensor for capturing an image for magnifying observation of the sample. Based on the overview image acquired by this monitoring sensor, it is automatically checked whether or not the sample is correctly positioned on the sample stage, and the sample is moved in the X and Y directions until it reaches a desired observation position. The user can move or specify an area in the overview image, and select a desired observation magnification of the area.

JP 2014-216626 A

  By the way, focusing is indispensable when observing with a microscope, but with a digital microscope, an image of the observation target can be acquired from the amount of light received by each light receiving element. There is an advantage that the focus can be automatically adjusted by the method (1).

  When focusing, it is necessary to move the objective lens to change the distance to the observation target. At this time, if the objective lens is moved in the direction of approaching the observation object, the objective lens stops if it is in the middle of the way, but if the focus is not achieved, the tip of the objective lens is moved to the observation object. The objective lens moves until the collision occurs, and as a result, the objective lens and the observation target may be damaged. For this reason, in the conventional autofocusing of a digital microscope, it is common to move an objective lens at a position (initial position) where observation preparation is completed in a direction away from an observation target to focus.

  However, it is also conceivable that the initial position of the objective lens is farther from the observation target than the in-focus range. In this case, if the objective lens is moved away from the observation target, the focus cannot be adjusted. . That is, it is assumed that the autofocus function cannot be fully utilized.

  Here, in the digital microscope of Patent Document 1, the overview image is used only for checking the positioning of the sample, guiding the movement in the X and Y directions, selecting the magnification of the designated area, and the like. There is no idea of using the automatic focusing function, and as described above, a configuration in which a scene in which the function of the autofocus cannot be fully utilized is assumed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to fully utilize an autofocus function while avoiding a collision between an objective lens and an observation target. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an observation object is irradiated with illumination light, and an amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light from the observation object is detected and an image of the observation object is detected. In the magnifying observation apparatus that generates and displays a magnified observation, a base portion, a mounting portion supported by the base portion, and a mounting portion for mounting the observation target object, from the observation target object of the illumination light An objective lens on which reflected light or transmitted light is incident, and a driving unit that moves the mounting section or the objective lens in a direction approaching and moving away from each other, and the reflected light or transmitted light is transmitted through the objective lens. A first imaging unit for receiving the first image and receiving the first image, and facing the placement unit or the observation object, and having an optical axis different from the optical axis of the first imaging unit. At least above the observation object A second imaging unit for acquiring a second image including: and an image for acquiring positional relationship information of an upper end of the observation target based on the second image acquired by the second imaging unit A processing unit, controlling the driving unit based on the positional relationship information acquired by the image processing unit and the first image acquired by the first imaging unit, and adjusting a focal point of the objective lens. It is characterized by comprising an autofocus unit for searching, and a display unit capable of displaying the first image acquired by the first imaging unit.

  According to this configuration, the illumination light applied to the observation target placed on the mounting portion is reflected from the observation target and enters the objective lens. Further, when the observation target has a light-transmitting property and is illuminated by the transmission illumination, the transmitted light from the observation target enters the objective lens. The light that has entered the objective lens is received by the first imaging unit, and a first image is obtained.

  On the other hand, since the second imaging means provided separately from the first imaging means faces the mounting portion or the observation target, it is possible to acquire them as the second image. . Since the acquired second image includes the upper end of the observation target, the image processing unit can acquire positional relationship information of the upper end of the observation target based on the second image. . The autofocus unit can control the driving unit based on the positional relationship information of the upper end of the observation target to move the mounting unit or the objective lens in a direction toward or away from each other. This makes it possible to focus on the object while avoiding collision between the objective lens and the object to be observed, so that the focused first image is displayed on the display unit so that the observation object can be enlarged and observed. Become.

  In a second aspect, the autofocus unit is configured to control the drive unit in a direction that regulates movement of the mounting unit or the objective lens using the positional relationship information. It is characterized by having.

  That is, since the positional relationship information between the objective lens and the observation target is obtained in advance, even if the driving unit is controlled in a direction in which the mounting unit and the objective lens are brought closer to each other, the collision between the objective lens and the observation target may be performed. Can be avoided. Thereby, even when the position of the objective lens when the preparation for the observation is completed is farther from the observation target than the in-focus range, the focus can be adjusted by the autofocus.

  A third invention includes an edge extraction unit that performs an edge extraction process of extracting an upper surface of the observation target object included in the second image as an edge, wherein the image processing unit extracts the image by the edge extraction unit. The positional relationship information is obtained by using the obtained edge.

  According to this configuration, the second image includes the upper surface of the observation target, and the position of the upper surface of the observation target can be grasped by extracting the upper surface of the observation target as an edge. The positional relationship information between the objective lens and the upper surface of the observation target can be accurately obtained.

  In a fourth aspect, the magnifying observation apparatus includes a ring illumination and a coaxial epi-illumination, and the second imaging unit acquires the second image on which the edge extraction unit performs the edge extraction processing. Sometimes, the observation object is illuminated with the coaxial epi-illumination.

  According to this configuration, the difference in the reflectance of the observation surface can be observed with high contrast by the coaxial epi-illumination, and the ring illumination prevents light from returning on the observation surface or the coaxial epi-illumination with large irregularities. It can also illuminate brightly inclined surfaces. Therefore, the provision of a plurality of types of illumination means expands the corresponding range of the observation target.

  Here, in the case of ring illumination, if an image is picked up by the second image pickup unit having an optical axis different from the optical axis of the first image pickup unit, halation is likely to occur, and the edge extraction processing using the second image may be difficult. However, if the second image is acquired by illuminating with coaxial epi-illumination as in the present invention, halation is unlikely to occur, and edge extraction processing can be easily performed.

  In a fifth aspect, the second imaging means acquires the second image when the placement section is at the first position, and moves the placement section to the first position by the driving section. Acquiring the second image after moving from the second position to the second position, wherein the edge extracting unit includes the second image when the placement unit is at the first position, and the second position , The edge extraction processing is performed based on the second image.

  That is, since the optical axis of the second imaging unit is oriented in a different direction from the optical axis of the first imaging unit that acquires an image for magnifying observation, the second image includes the upper surface of the observation target. In addition, the background may be included, and the edge may be subjected to the edge extraction processing when the edge extraction unit performs the edge extraction processing. According to the present invention, the second image before the mounting portion moves and the second image after the mounting portion move are obtained. Therefore, the position of the background included in both images does not change, and the upper surface of the observation target is not changed. Is changed, and by obtaining such a change in the position by image processing, the background can be distinguished from the upper surface of the observation object. Therefore, the edge of the upper surface of the observation target is extracted accurately.

  In a sixth aspect, the second imaging means obtains a second image including a lower end of the objective lens, and the edge extraction unit obtains a second image of the objective lens included in the second image. An edge extraction process for extracting a lower end portion as an edge is performed to acquire positional relationship information between a lower end portion of the objective lens and an upper surface of the observation target.

  According to this configuration, since the position of the lower end of the objective lens can be grasped by extracting the lower end of the objective lens as an edge, the positional relationship information between the lower end of the objective lens and the upper surface of the observation target can be obtained. Can be obtained accurately.

  The objective lens may be a single objective lens or a state in which various attachments are attached to the objective lens body. The attachment includes, for example, a ring light. In particular, when the attachment is attached to the lower end of the objective lens body, the attachment may protrude downward from the lower end of the objective lens body, and may collide with the observation target. Since the position, that is, the lower end of the attachment, can be imaged and the position can be grasped by edge extraction, collision between the attachment and the observation target can be avoided.

  In a seventh aspect, the magnifying observation device includes a storage unit that stores information about a shape or a dimension of the objective lens in use, and stores information about a shape or a dimension of the objective lens stored in the storage unit. To obtain positional relationship information between the objective lens and the observation object.

  According to this configuration, the total length of the objective lens, the diameter of the lower end of the objective lens, and the like can be acquired based on the information on the shape or size of the objective lens stored in the storage unit. Thus, the position of the lower end portion of the objective lens in use and the size of the lower end portion can be specified, so that positional relationship information between the objective lens and the observation target can be accurately obtained.

  In an eighth aspect, the magnifying observation device includes a storage unit that stores information on a working distance of the objective lens in use, and the autofocus unit operates the objective lens stored in the storage unit. It is configured to search for the focal point of the objective lens using information on a distance.

  According to this configuration, by using information on the working distance (also referred to as a working distance) of the objective lens in use, the search range of the focus by the autofocus unit can be limited in advance, and the focus can be adjusted. The time required is short.

  In a ninth aspect, the autofocus unit is configured to focus the objective lens on the uppermost surface of the observation target.

  For example, there are a plurality of upper surfaces of an observation object, which may be horizontally separated from each other. In such a case, focusing on the uppermost surface of the observation object allows the observation of the lower end portion of the objective lens with the observation surface. Collision with the object can be avoided.

  A tenth invention is configured such that, when the search of the focus of the objective lens by the autofocus unit fails, the driving unit is stopped to end the search.

  For example, in the case of an observation object that is hard to focus, search for the focus of the objective lens may fail. In this case, the driving unit is stopped to avoid collision between the objective lens and the observation object. be able to.

  In an eleventh aspect, when the search of the focus of the objective lens by the autofocus unit fails, a display notifying that the search has failed is displayed on the display unit.

  According to this configuration, when the search for the focus of the objective lens has failed, the fact can be displayed on the display unit to notify the user or the like.

  In a twelfth aspect, the display unit is configured to display the second image acquired by the second imaging unit, and the magnifying observation device includes a focus of the objective lens by the autofocus unit. A search unit that receives a designation of a focus target position of the objective lens by the user on the second image when the search for the target has failed, and the autofocus unit includes the focus target received by the reception unit. The drive unit is controlled based on the position.

  According to this configuration, when the search for the focal point of the objective lens has failed, the user can specify the focusing target position on the second image. Since the second image includes the upper surface of the observation target, the user can accurately specify the focus target position so that the objective lens does not collide with the observation target.

  In a thirteenth aspect, the image processing unit may acquire positional relationship information between the objective lens and an upper end of the observation target based on the second image acquired by the second imaging unit. Features.

  In a fourteenth aspect, the position of the objective lens is such that the position of the second image acquired by the second imaging means and the position in the second image are close to each other by the mounting portion or the objective lens. This is characterized by being obtained by converting to a position in a direction away from the moving direction.

  A fifteenth invention is characterized in that the position of the objective lens can be obtained based on an encoder provided in a drive unit to which the objective lens is attached.

  According to the present invention, separately from the first imaging unit that receives reflected light or transmitted light from the observation target via the objective lens, the second imaging that acquires an image including at least the upper surface of the observation target By providing means, it is possible to execute autofocus after acquiring positional relationship information between the objective lens and the observation target, so that the autofocus function can be performed while avoiding collision between the objective lens and the observation target. It can be fully utilized.

It is the perspective view which looked at the observation part of the magnification observation device concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention from the front. It is a right view of the observation part of the magnification observation device concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a front view of the observation part of the magnification observation device concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a figure showing the whole composition of the magnification observation device concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing the schematic structure when the observation section of the magnification observation device is seen from the right side. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a state in which the stand is swung right and left. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a side view image pick-up part, a cylinder member, and a fixed bracket. FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interface displayed on a display unit. It is a block diagram of a magnification observation device. It is a flowchart which shows the work procedure of the user at the time of full automatic observation. It is a flow chart which shows a processing procedure of a magnification observation device at the time of full automatic observation. It is a figure showing the side view image displayed on the side view image display area. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example in which the upper surface of the observation target and the lower end of the objective lens are extracted and displayed as edges. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 showing an example of a side-view image in which a background portion is clearly reflected. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example of a side-view image in which a background portion is blurred. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 for explaining a method of determining a background portion. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example of a side-view image in which a background portion is masked. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example of a side view image including an objective lens to which an attachment is attached. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example of setting an upper limit and a lower limit during the combining process. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example of a side view image capturing unit that is located outside the field of view; FIG. 27 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 26 illustrating a state in which the revolver is rotated. It is a flowchart which shows the work procedure of the user at the time of semi-automatic observation. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the magnification observation apparatus at the time of semi-automatic observation. It is a figure showing an example of an observation object. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 showing an example in which a position designation pointer is displayed. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example in which an auxiliary display for assisting position designation is superimposed and displayed. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating an example in which an auxiliary display for assisting collision avoidance is superimposed and displayed. FIG. 34 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 33 in a state where the head portion is swung. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 for explaining a point of designating a focus position by a position designation pointer. FIG. 35B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 35A showing a state where a focus position is designated. FIG. 35B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 35A showing a state in which the objective lens has moved to a focus position. FIG. 35B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 35A in a state where the head portion is swung. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 showing an example in which a lower limit display line indicating a lower limit of position designation is displayed. It is a flowchart which shows the work procedure of a user at the time of manual observation. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the magnification observation apparatus at the time of manual observation. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 showing an example in which a guide display indicating the working distance of the objective lens is superimposed and displayed. FIG. 41 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 40 showing a state in which the objective lens has been moved downward. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20, showing an example in which the working distance of the objective lens is superimposed and displayed by numerical values. FIG. 43 is a view corresponding to FIG. 42 and illustrating a state where the objective lens has been moved downward. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 showing an example of an enlarged display. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 illustrating a case where an observation target is located outside the field of view of a side-view image capturing unit. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20 showing an example of a warning display. FIG. 21 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 20, illustrating an example in which the outline of the objective lens after switching is superimposed and displayed on a side-view image. FIG. 48 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 47 in a state where the head portion is swung. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an auxiliary window of a user interface and illustrating a display example of a navigation image. FIG. 49A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 49A showing a display example of a side view image. It is a figure showing an electronic part as an observation object. It is a figure explaining the state where a resistor is observed. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the resistor is out of focus due to the presence of the connector on the back. It is a figure showing the state where a resistor was focused by position designation. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the capacitor is out of focus because the capacitor is provided in the concave portion. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where a condenser is focused by a manual operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely an example in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

(Embodiment 1)
1 to 3 show the observation unit 1 of the magnifying observation apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the entire configuration of the magnifying observation apparatus A according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is there. The magnifying observation apparatus A enlarges and displays, for example, a sample such as a minute object, an electronic component, and a work such as a workpiece (hereinafter, referred to as an observation target) so that the user can view the appearance of the observation target. This is used when inspecting or measuring dimensions. The magnifying observation apparatus A can be simply called, for example, a microscope or a digital microscope. The observation target is not limited to the example described above, and various objects can be used as the observation target. Specifically, the observation target placed on the mounting unit 30 is irradiated with illumination light, and the amount of the reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light reflected from the observation target is detected to detect the image of the observation target. Is generated and displayed so as to be magnified.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the magnifying observation apparatus A includes an observation unit 1, a display unit 2, a controller unit 3, a mouse 4, a keyboard 6 shown only in FIG. 17, and a control unit 60. The observation unit 1 is a part that captures an image of the observation target, and is capable of capturing an image of the observation target by the enlarged observation image imaging unit 50 indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  The display unit 2 is a part that displays an image captured by the observation unit 1. The controller unit 3, the mouse 4, and the keyboard 6 are members for operating the magnifying observation apparatus A, and all of them may not be provided, and any one or two may be provided. The controller 3, the mouse 4, and the keyboard 6 only need to be able to operate the magnifying observation device A, and may be, for example, an input device of a touch panel type, a voice input device, or the like. In the case of a touch panel type input device, it can be integrated with the display unit 2 and can be configured to be able to detect an arbitrary position on the display screen displayed on the display unit 2. The controller unit 3, the mouse 4, and the keyboard 6 are receiving units that receive an input at an arbitrary position specified by the user on the image displayed on the display unit 2.

(Configuration of the observation unit 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the observation unit 1 includes a base unit 10, a stand unit 20 to which an objective lens 25 is attached, and a mounting unit 30. In the description of this embodiment, the front-back direction and the left-right direction of the observation unit 1 are defined as shown in FIGS. That is, the side facing the user is the front side of the observation unit 1, the opposite side is the rear side of the observation unit 1, the right side as viewed from the user is the right side of the observation unit 1, and the left side as viewed from the user. Is the left side of the observation unit 1. It should be noted that the definitions of the front-back direction and the left-right direction are for helping understanding of the description, and do not limit the actual use state, and any direction may be used as the front.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the X direction is the left-right direction of the observation unit 1, the Y direction is the front-back direction of the observation unit 1, the Z direction is the up-down direction of the observation unit 1, and the rotation is about an axis parallel to the Z axis. Is defined as the θ direction. The X direction and the Y direction are orthogonal to each other on the same horizontal plane. The Z axis is the direction of the normal perpendicular to this plane. The optical axis of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 is in the Z-axis direction.

  As will be described later in detail, the stand 20 can swing about the axis U shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with respect to the base 10 (see FIG. 6). The axis U is orthogonal to the optical axis of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50, extends in the front-rear direction of the observation unit 1, and is an axis parallel to the Y axis.

  The base unit 10 is a part for placing the observation unit 1 on a desk or the like without shaking, and constitutes a substantially lower half of the observation unit 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mounting portion 30 is provided on the base portion 10. The mounting portion 30 is supported by a portion on the front side from near the center in the front-rear direction of the base portion 10 and protrudes upward from the base portion 10. The mounting section 30 is a section for mounting an observation target, and in this embodiment, is configured by an electric mounting table. That is, the observation target can be movably supported in both the width direction (X direction) and the depth direction (Y direction) of the electric mounting table, and can rotate in the up-down direction (Z direction) and around the Z axis. The mounting table 31, the mounting table support unit 32, the mounting unit XY direction driving unit 82, the mounting unit Z direction driving unit 83, and the mounting unit θ direction driving unit 84 shown in FIG. And The mounting table 31 is formed such that its upper surface (also referred to as a mounting surface) extends substantially horizontally, and mounts an observation target on this upper surface. The mounting table 31 can also be called a stage. The observation target is placed on the mounting table 31 in a state of being opened to the atmosphere, that is, in a state of not being housed in a vacuum chamber or the like.

  The mounting table support unit 32 is a part that connects the mounting table 31 and the base unit 10, and includes a mounting unit XY direction driving unit 82, a mounting unit Z direction driving unit 83, a mounting unit θ direction driving unit 84, and the like. It is configured to be able to be accommodated. The placement unit XY-direction drive unit 82 and the placement unit Z-direction drive unit 83 convert the rotation of the output shaft of the stepping motor and an unillustrated actuator such as a stepping motor controlled by the control unit 60 into linear motion. A movement conversion mechanism is included, and the mounting table 31 is moved based on a drive pulse output from the control unit 60. The mounting table 31 is moved in a direction approaching the objective lens 25 (upward) and in a direction away from the objective lens 25 (downward) by the mounting section Z-direction drive section 83 and the objective lens Z-axis direction drive section 80. Can be done. By moving the mounting table 31 in the up-down direction by the mounting section Z-direction driving unit 83, the observation target mounted on the mounting table 31 also moves.

  The placement unit θ-direction drive unit 84 includes an actuator (not shown) such as a stepping motor controlled by the control unit 60. The placing section XY direction driving section 82 moves the placing table 31 in the X direction and the Y direction, and the placing section Z direction driving section 83 moves the placing table 31 in the Z direction. 84 rotates the mounting table 31 in the θ direction. The placement section θ-direction drive section 84 may be omitted. Further, for example, the mounting table 31 can be manually moved in the Z direction by the Z-axis direction operation dial 13 shown in FIG. 1 and the like. Although not shown, it can be manually moved in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a rear support portion 11 and a front support portion 12 are provided behind the mounting table 31 of the base portion 10 so as to protrude upward. The rear support portion 11 and the front support portion 12 are arranged at an interval in the front-rear direction. A circular rear bearing hole 11a is formed in the rear support portion 11 so as to penetrate the rear support portion 11 in the front-rear direction. A front bearing hole 12a is similarly formed in the front support portion 12, and the rear bearing hole 11a and the front bearing hole 12a are centered on the same axis U (shown in FIG. 2 and the like) and are concentric. Located on top.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the stand unit 20 includes a stand body 21 and a head unit 22, and forms a substantially upper half of the observation unit 1. The head portion 22 is attached to the stand body 21 so as to be able to move up and down, that is, to be movable in the Z-axis direction, by a guide member 21b extending vertically. The head section 22 is disposed so as to face the upper surface of the mounting table 31, and a plurality of objective lenses 25 can be attached to a lower portion of the head section 22, that is, a portion facing the upper surface of the mounting table 31. A simple revolver 26 is provided. The revolver 26 can be constituted by a conventionally known electric revolver, but may be a manual revolver.

  On the lower surface of the revolver 26, a plurality of lens mounting holes (not shown) are formed around the rotation axis of the revolver 26. Objective lenses 25 having different magnifications can be detachably attached to these lens attachment holes. Generally, the objective lenses 25 having different magnifications have different lengths and outer diameters. The reflected light reflected from the surface of the observation target placed on the mounting table 31 or the transmitted light transmitted through the observation target enters the objective lens 25 at the usable position. The optical axis of the objective lens 25 at the usable position is parallel to the Z axis.

  The objective lens 25 to which various attachments are attached can be detachably attached to the lens attachment hole of the revolver 26. The attachment includes, for example, a deflection attachment, a diffusion attachment, a ring illumination attachment, and the like, but is not limited thereto, and various attachments can be attached to the distal end of the objective lens 25. The ring illumination 87 may be provided in the head unit 22, and is controlled on and off by the control unit 60, and the brightness is also controlled. The ring illumination 87 is a non-coaxial epi-illumination arranged to surround the periphery of the objective lens 25, and illuminates the observation target 100 from around the optical axis of the objective lens 25.

  The head section 22 is provided with an electric revolver driving section 81 shown in FIG. The electric revolver driving unit 81 is a part that drives the revolver 26 to rotate around the rotation axis, includes an actuator (not shown) such as a stepping motor controlled by the control unit 60, and generates a driving pulse output from the control unit 60. Based on this, the revolver 26 is rotated. Thereby, the switching to the objective lens 25 selected by the user through the operation of the reception unit is automatically performed.

  The stand main body 21 or the head unit 22 is provided with an objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80 (shown in FIG. 17) for moving the head unit 22 in the Z direction. Since the objective lens 25 is attached to the head unit 22, the objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80 moves the objective lens 25 in a direction approaching the mounting table 31 and in a direction away from the mounting table 31. The objective lens Z-direction driving unit 80 includes an actuator (not shown) such as a stepping motor controlled by the control unit 60, and a motion conversion mechanism that converts the rotation of the output shaft of the stepping motor into a vertical linear motion. The head unit 22 is moved based on the drive pulse output from the control unit 60. By rotating the stepping motor of the objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80, the objective lens 25 moves up and down, whereby the relative distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31 can be changed. The objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80 has an accuracy capable of setting the change pitch of the relative distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31 to at least about 1 nm. Further, for example, the objective lens 25 can be manually moved in the Z direction by the Z-axis direction operation dial 23 shown in FIG.

  Although not shown, the head unit 22 includes a linear scale (linear encoder) that can detect a relative distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31. The linear scale is configured to be able to detect even a change in the relative distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31 of 1 nm. The detection result of the linear scale is output to the control unit 60.

  The head section 22 is provided with an enlarged observation image imaging section 50. The magnified observation image imaging unit 50 receives the reflected light reflected on the surface of the observation target placed on the mounting table 31 or the transmitted light transmitted through the observation target through the objective lens 25, and performs first reception. This is a first imaging unit for acquiring an image. The first image is also called an enlarged observation image for observing the observation target.

  The magnified observation image imaging unit 50 is provided in the head unit 22 so that its optical axis coincides with the optical axis of the objective lens 25, that is, parallel to the Z axis. The magnified observation image capturing unit 50 is configured by an image sensor such as a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) or a CCD (charge coupled device), and has a large number of light receiving elements arranged two-dimensionally. I have.

  The head section 22 is provided with coaxial epi-illumination 51 (shown in FIG. 17). The coaxial epi-illumination 51 is an illumination unit serving as a light source that illuminates the observation target via the objective lens 25, and illuminates the observation surface of the observation target such that the illumination optical path is located on the optical axis of the objective lens 25. . Although not shown, the coaxial epi-illumination 51 has a light emitter such as an LED, for example, and has a collector, a relay lens, a mirror, and a lens into which the light of the light emitter enters. After the light of the illuminant passes through the collector and the relay lens, the direction of the light is changed by the mirror and then enters the lens. The light emitted from the lens is converted by the half mirror toward the object to be observed, and then the light of the objective lens 25 is changed. It is irradiated on the observation optical axis to illuminate the observation target. The coaxial epi-illumination 51 is controlled by a control unit 60 described later to control ON, OFF, and ON light amounts. The coaxial epi-illumination 51 is suitable for observing a mirror surface or an observation surface close to the mirror surface, and has an advantage that a difference in reflectance of the observation surface can be observed with high contrast.

  Although not shown, the observation unit 1 includes a conventionally known transmitted illumination. The transmitted illumination is illumination used when the observation target has translucency, and is configured to irradiate light from below the mounting table 31 toward the observation target.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a rear mounting portion 27 and a front mounting portion 28 are provided at a lower portion of the stand body 21 so as to protrude downward. The rear mounting portion 27 and the front mounting portion 28 are arranged at an interval in the front-rear direction. The rear mounting portion 27 of the stand body 21 is disposed between the rear supporting portion 11 and the front supporting portion 12 of the base portion 10. The front mounting portion 28 of the stand body 21 is disposed in front of the front support portion 12 of the base portion 10. The swing shaft 40 is fixed to the rear mounting portion 27 so as not to rotate relatively. The swing shaft 40 is formed of a hollow shaft having a hollow inside, and protrudes forward and backward from the rear mounting portion 27, respectively. The axis of the swing shaft 40 is located on the shaft U (shown in FIG. 2 and the like). The front end of the swing shaft 40 is fixed to the front mounting portion 28 of the stand body 21. By fixing the front mounting portion 28 of the stand main body 21 to the front end of the pivot shaft 40, the front side of the heavy stand portion 20 can be supported and the stand portion 20 can be stabilized. Shaking can be suppressed.

  The swing shaft 40 is supported by the rear bearing 41 and the front bearing 42 so as to be rotatable around the axis U with respect to the base 10. The rear bearing 41 and the front bearing 42 can be configured by, for example, a cross roller bearing or the like. The outer ring member 41 a of the rear bearing 41 is fitted in a rear bearing hole 11 a of the rear support portion 11 of the base 10. The vicinity of the rear end of the swing shaft 40 is inserted into the inner ring member 41 b of the rear bearing 41, and the inner ring member 41 b is fixed to the swing shaft 40. A number of rollers 41c are provided between the outer ring member 41a and the inner ring member 41b so as to be rollable. The outer ring member 42 a of the front bearing 42 is fitted into a front bearing hole 12 a of the front support portion 12 of the base 10. The vicinity of the front end of the swing shaft 40 is inserted into the inner ring member 42 b of the front bearing 42, and the inner ring member 42 b is fixed to the swing shaft 40. A number of rollers 42c are provided between the outer ring member 42a and the inner ring member 42b so as to be rollable.

  That is, since the stand section 20 has the head section (supporting member) 22 that supports the objective lens 25 and the magnified observation image capturing section 50, the objective lens 25 and the magnified observation image capturing section 50 are attached to the stand section 20. Will be done. The stand unit 20 including the head unit 22 is supported by the base unit 10 so as to be able to swing around a swing axis 40 orthogonal to the optical axis of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50. As shown by the line, the stand unit 20 swings in the left-right direction of the observation unit 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a brake mechanism 43 is fixed to the base 10. The brake mechanism 43 is a mechanism for applying a braking force to the swing shaft 40 to disable rotation about the axis U. For example, a state in which a tightening force is applied to the swing shaft 40 and a state in which the tightening force is A conventionally well-known brake mechanism configured to be switchable between a non-operating state and a non-operating state can be used. Although not shown, the operation of the brake mechanism 43 can be performed by a user through an external lever operation. By operating the brake mechanism 43 so that the braking force is not applied, the swing shaft 40 becomes rotatable around the axis U. On the other hand, by operating the brake mechanism 43 so that the braking force is applied, the swing The shaft 40 can be stopped at an arbitrary rotation position, and this stopped state can be maintained. Note that a lever for operating the brake mechanism 43 is provided with a lock mechanism for preventing the brake from being accidentally released.

  A cylindrical member 44 is provided inside the swing shaft 40. The tubular member 44 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is arranged concentrically with the axis of the swing shaft 40, that is, the axis U, and extends in the same direction as the swing shaft 40. A fixing bracket 46 is fixed to the rear end of the tubular member 44. As shown in FIG. 7, the fixing bracket 46 is formed to be long in the up-down direction, and holes 46a for fastening and fixing are provided at upper and lower portions, respectively. A fastening member such as a screw or a bolt is inserted into each hole 46a, and the fixing bracket 46 is fixed to the rear support portion 11 of the base portion 10 by the fastening member.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the front end of the tubular member 44 is inserted into a through hole 28 a formed in the front mounting portion 28 of the stand body 21. A seal member 44a is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the cylindrical member 44 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 28a of the front mounting portion 28, and the front end of the cylindrical member 44 is provided via the seal member 44a. The portion is rotatably supported on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 28 a of the front mounting portion 28.

  Inside the cylindrical member 44, a side-view image capturing unit (second image capturing unit) 45 faces the mounting unit 30 or the observation target, and the optical axis (Z-axis and And a different optical axis (parallel to the Y axis). By increasing the diameter of the oscillating shaft 40, it is easy to secure the rigidity, so that swaying of the head portion 22 can be suppressed (vibration resistance can be improved). There is a concern that securing a space for installation may cause a problem, and it may be difficult to arrange the side-view image capturing unit 45 around the space, and another problem may occur. In this example, the swing shaft 40 is a hollow shaft, and the inside thereof can be used as an arrangement space for the side-view image pickup unit 45 and the cable 45b. Can be reduced.

  The side-view image pickup unit 45 is configured by an image sensor such as a CMOS or a CCD similarly to the magnified observation image pickup unit 50, and has a substrate 45a. The board 45a is fixed to the inside of the tubular member 44 so as to extend vertically. The side-view image pickup unit 45 is fixed to the front surface of the board 45a.

  A cable 45b for transmitting imaging data from the side-view image capturing unit 45 to the control unit 60 is provided. The cable 45 b extends from the side-view image capturing unit 45, passes through the inside of the tubular member 44, that is, the inside of the swing shaft 40, exits from the rear side, and is connected to the control unit 60. As in this embodiment, a bearing member or the like is often provided around the pivot shaft 40, and a space for disposing the side-view image capturing unit 45 is secured around the pivot shaft 40. However, by making the swinging shaft 40 a hollow shaft, the space inside the swinging shaft 40 can be effectively used to arrange the side-view image capturing unit 45, and the swinging shaft 40 The internal space can also be used as a space for disposing the cable 45b. As shown in FIG. 7, a closing plate 44b is provided at the front end of the tubular member 44 for closing portions other than the portion where the side-view image capturing unit 45 faces.

  The side-view image capturing unit 45 is provided near the swing shaft 40, and the optical axis of the side-view image capturing unit 45 is located above the upper surface of the mounting table 31 and above the axis U. I have. Accordingly, the observation object can be imaged in the depth direction of the mounting table 31 by the side-view image capturing unit 45, and the second image including at least the upper surface of the observation object mounted on the mounting table 31 is obtained. It becomes possible to do. Further, the second image including at least the lower end of the objective lens 25 can be acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45, and the lower end of the objective lens 25 observing the observation target and the mounting table 31 can be obtained. It is also possible to acquire a second image including the upper surface of the image and the observation object. When the plurality of objective lenses 25 are attached to the revolver 26, the second image including the plurality of objective lenses 25 can be acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45. The second image is also referred to as a side-view image because it is an image of the observation target and the mounting table 31 viewed from the side.

  Since the optical axis of the side-view image capturing unit 45 is located above the center of the swing shaft 40, the range in which the mounting table 31 is reflected in the side-view image during eucentric observation can be reduced. Details of the eucentric observation will be described later.

  Note that the optical axis of the side-view image capturing unit 45 and the swing shaft 40 may be provided such that their centers are substantially coincident with each other. In addition, the side-view image capturing unit 45 can be provided in the vicinity of the center of the swing shaft 40 in the radial direction.

  Since the side-view image capturing section 45 is provided so as to face the mounting table 31 from behind the mounting table 31, it is provided to capture the mounting table 31 from the side opposite to the user side. Become. The oscillating shaft 40 is provided on the base unit 10. Therefore, the side-view image capturing unit 45 is provided on a member that does not move when the objective lens 25 is driven by the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80. When the objective lens 25 is driven by the lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80, the side-view image capturing unit 45 does not move. Further, since the tubular member 44 is fixed to the base portion 10 by the fixing bracket 46, the tubular member 44 is a member that does not swing when the stand portion 20 swings, and serves as a non-swinging portion. Therefore, the side-view image capturing unit 45 is provided in the non-swinging unit. Therefore, the side-view image capturing unit 45 can acquire a side-view image including the mounting table 31 in a state where the relationship with the swing operation of the stand unit 20 is eliminated.

  In addition, a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the mounting position of the side-view image capturing unit 45 can be provided. The position adjustment mechanism can adjust the side-view image capturing unit 45 in the X direction, the Z direction, and the rotation direction around the axis U. It is preferable that the attachment position of the side-view image pickup unit 45 be performed before shipment from the factory.

  The focal length of the side-view image capturing unit 45 is set longer than the focal length of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50. The reason will be described later.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 8 shows the observation unit 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the base unit 10 is provided with the side-view image capturing unit 45, and the other parts are the same as the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same portions as 1 and the description is omitted, and different portions will be described.

  In the base part 10 of the second embodiment, an imaging part supporting part 49 as a non-swinging part is provided behind the mounting table 31 so as to protrude upward. A side-view image capturing unit 45 is attached to an upper portion of the image capturing unit support 49. Thereby, the side-view image capturing unit 45 can acquire the side-view image including the mounting table 31 in a state where the association with the swing operation of the stand unit 20 (the head unit 22) is eliminated. Further, in the first and second embodiments, the height of the side-view image capturing unit 45 can be always kept constant.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 9 shows the observation unit 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that a side-view image capturing unit 45 is provided in the head unit 22 and the side-view image capturing unit 45 can be moved in the same direction as the objective lens 25. Since the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment and the other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  In the head section 22 of the third embodiment, an imaging section support section 49 is provided behind the revolver 26 so as to protrude downward. A side-view image capturing unit 45 is attached to a lower portion of the image capturing unit support unit 49. Since the side-view image pickup unit 45 is attached to the head unit 22, the side-view image pickup unit 45 can be moved in conjunction with the vertical movement of the head unit 22, and the side-view image pickup unit 45 can be moved. Height can be changed. In the third embodiment, since the side-view image capturing unit 45, the objective lens 25, and the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 are attached to the head unit 22, their relative positional relationship does not change.

  In the third embodiment, the position of the side-view image capturing unit 45 can be set such that the focal position of the objective lens 25 falls within the visual field range of the side-view image capturing unit 45. It is preferable that the focal position of the objective lens 25 be located at the center of the field of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45. Further, the imaging section support section 49 may be provided on the stand body 21.

(Embodiment 4)
10 and 11 show the observation unit 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, one support portion 14 (shown in FIG. 11) is provided on the base portion 10 so as to protrude upward. The other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  A bearing hole 14a is formed in the support portion 14 so as to penetrate the support portion 14 in the front-rear direction, and outer ring members of the rear bearing 41 and the front bearing 42 are fitted into the bearing hole 14a. The rear side and the front side of the swing shaft 40 are formed so as to penetrate the rear mounting portion 27 and the front mounting portion 28 of the stand main body 21 in the front-rear direction, respectively, and the rear mounting portion 27 and the front mounting portion 28 are provided. It is fixed to. A side-view image pickup unit 45 is provided inside the swing shaft 40.

  In the fourth embodiment, when the stand unit 20 is swung, the side-view image pickup unit 45 rotates together with the swing shaft 40, but the side-view image pickup unit 45 is located near the axis U. Therefore, the amount of displacement due to the swing of the stand unit 20 is smaller than when the stand unit 20 is located far from the axis U. Therefore, the side-view image capturing unit 45 is provided so as to acquire the side-view image including the mounting table 31 in a state where the relationship with the swing operation of the stand unit 20 is reduced.

(Embodiment 5)
12 and 13 show the observation unit 1 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, one support portion 15 (shown in FIG. 13) is provided on the base portion 10 so as to protrude upward. Except for the parts described below, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof will be omitted, and different parts will be described.

  A cylindrical member 15a is fixed to the support portion 15 so as to protrude forward. The axis of the cylindrical member 15a is located on the axis U. A bearing hole 20a is formed in the stand portion 20 so as to penetrate the stand portion 20 in the front-rear direction, and outer ring members of a rear bearing 41 and a front bearing 42 are fitted into the bearing hole 20a. The cylindrical member 15 a is inserted into the inner ring member of the rear bearing 41 and the front bearing 42. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the stand 20 swings around the cylindrical member 15a. The swing axis of the fifth embodiment is a virtual axis, which is the axis U. A side-view image capturing unit 45 is provided inside the cylindrical member 15a. In the case of the fifth embodiment, the side-view image capturing unit 45 can acquire the side-view image including the mounting table 31 in a state where the relationship with the swing operation of the stand unit 20 is eliminated.

(Embodiment 6)
14 and 15 show the observation unit 1 according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. In the sixth embodiment, an arc-shaped rail member 17 is provided on the base portion 10. Except for the parts described below, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof will be omitted, and different parts will be described.

  The base unit 10 has an arcuate rail member 17 having a predetermined radius centered on a virtual axis extending in a direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the optical axis of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 so as to protrude upward. Is provided. This virtual axis is the swing axis. In addition, the base unit 10 is provided with an imaging unit support unit 16 to which the side-view image imaging unit 45 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a movable member 29 is attached to the rail member 17. The movable member 29 is engaged with the rail member 17 so as to move in the direction in which the rail member 17 extends, but not to move in the direction away from the rail member 17. Since the objective lens 25 and the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 are attached to the movable member 29, the movable member 29 corresponds to a support member. When the movable member 29 moves along the rail member 17, the movable member 29 swings around the virtual axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50, and the objective lens 25 Swings. Also in the case of the sixth embodiment, the side-view image capturing unit 45 can acquire the side-view image including the mounting table 31 in a state where the relationship with the swing operation of the stand unit 20 is eliminated.

  The configuration described below is common to the first to sixth embodiments.

(Eucentric mechanism)
The observation unit 1 is configured to perform eucentric observation. That is, in the magnifying observation apparatus A, an apparatus-specific three-dimensional coordinate system defined by three axes parallel to the X, Y, and Z directions is defined. The storage unit 89 further stores coordinates of an intersection position described later in the three-dimensional coordinate system of the magnifying observation apparatus A. The coordinate information of the intersection position may be stored in the storage unit 89 before shipment of the magnifying observation apparatus A from the factory. Further, the coordinate information of the intersection position stored in the storage unit 89 may be updateable by a user of the magnifying observation apparatus A.

  The optical axis of the objective lens 25 intersects the axis U. When the objective lens 25 swings about the axis U, the angle of the optical axis with respect to the upper surface of the mounting table 31 changes while the intersection position between the optical axis of the objective lens 25 and the axis U is kept constant. As described above, when the user swings the objective lens 25 about the axis U by the head unit 22, for example, when the observation target portion of the observation target object is at the above-mentioned intersection position, the objective lens 25 Even if is inclined, the eucentric relationship in which the center of the visual field of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 does not move from the same observation target portion is maintained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the observation target portion of the observation target from deviating from the visual field of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 (the visual field of the objective lens 25).

(Configuration of the display unit 2)
The display unit 2 has a display screen 2a capable of color display, such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL panel, and is supplied with power from the outside. A touch operation panel (an example of a receiving unit) may be incorporated in the display screen 2a. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an example in which the control unit 60 is incorporated in the display unit 2 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control unit 60 may be incorporated in the observation unit 1. Alternatively, the display unit 2, the observation unit 1, and the controller unit 3 may be configured as an external unit separate from the controller unit 3. The display unit 2 and the observation unit 1 are connected by a cable 5 so that signals can be transmitted and received. The cable 5 also includes a cable 45b (shown in FIG. 5) for transmitting image data obtained by the side-view image capturing unit 45. The power supply to the observation unit 1 may be performed by a cable 5 or a power cable (not shown).

(Configuration of the controller unit 3)
The controller unit 3 is connected to the control unit 60, and is different from a general keyboard and mouse. The controller unit 3 operates the observation unit 1, inputs and selects various information, selects an image, selects an area, specifies an area, This is a dedicated operation device capable of performing designation and the like. As shown in FIG. 17, the mouse 4 and the keyboard 6 are also connected to the control unit 60. The mouse 4 and the keyboard 6 are conventionally known devices for computer operation.

  In addition to the above-described devices and devices, a device for performing operations and controls, a printer, a computer for performing various other processes, a storage device, a peripheral device, and the like can also be connected to the magnifying observation device A. The connection in this case may be, for example, a serial connection such as IEEE 1394, RS-232x, RS-422, or USB, a parallel connection, or an electrical or magnetic connection via a network such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, or 1000BASE-T. And optical connection methods. In addition to the wired connection, IEEE802. Wireless connection using radio waves such as wireless LAN such as x, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared rays, optical communication, or the like may be used. Further, as a storage medium used for a storage device for exchanging data and storing various settings, for example, various memory cards, magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, hard disks, and the like can be used. Note that the magnifying observation apparatus A can also be referred to as a magnifying observation system combining the various units, devices, and devices described above.

(Configuration of the control unit 60)
The control unit 60 is a unit that controls various units of the magnifying observation apparatus A and performs various calculations and processes, and can be configured with a CPU, an MPU, a system LSI, a DSP, dedicated hardware, and the like. As shown in FIG. 17, the control unit 60 includes an image processing unit 61, an edge extraction unit 62, an autofocus unit 63, a display control unit 64, a background influence reduction unit 65, a position index calculation unit 66, a synthesis processing unit 67, A leveling unit 68 is provided. Each unit constituting the control unit 60 is a unit capable of realizing various functions as described later, but these may be realized by a logic circuit, or realized by executing software. Or a combination thereof. Each part constituting the control unit 60 may be partly built in the observation unit 1 and another part may be built in the display unit 2, or may be partly built in the controller unit 3. Is also good.

  The display control unit 64 generates a user interface 70 as shown in FIG. 16 and controls the display unit 2 so that the user interface is displayed on the display screen 2a of the display unit 2. The user interface 70 includes a magnified observation image display area 70a for displaying an image acquired by the magnified observation image capturing unit 50, and a side-view image display area 70b for displaying an image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45. are doing. One of the size of the enlarged observation image display area 70a and the size of the side view image display area 70b may be smaller or the same. In this example, the display control unit 64 displays the enlarged observation image larger than the side-view image.

  The side-view image displayed in the side-view image display area 70b includes at least the upper surface of the mounting table 31, the observation target 100, and the objective lens 25, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. In other words, the angle of view of the optical system (lens) of the side-view image pickup unit 45 and the angle of view of the side-view image pickup unit 45 include at least the upper surface of the mounting table 31, the observation target 100, and the objective lens 25. The distance from the observation target 100 or the like is set. Only the lower end of the objective lens 25 may be in the field of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45.

  The control unit 60 is configured to be able to display, on the display unit 2, a schematic view of the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 located outside the field of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45. . This example is shown in FIG. In FIG. 26, the portion without black ink is the field of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45, which is the side-view image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45. The portion with light black in FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram. The objective lens 25A exists outside the field of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45, and this portion is a portion drawn using information on the shape or size of the objective lens 25A stored in the storage unit 89. Regarding the revolver 26 as well, information on the shape or dimensions may be stored in the storage unit 89, and by doing so, it can be displayed as a schematic diagram.

  FIG. 45 illustrates a case where the observation target object 100 is located outside the field of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45. In this case, the distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31 may be displayed. I can do it.

  As shown in FIG. 27, the indicator 91 indicating the upper surface of the observation target 100 can be displayed on the display unit 2. The upper surface of the observation target 100 can be obtained by an edge extraction unit 62 described later. When the revolver 26 is rotated to switch the objective lens 25, it can be seen that the switched objective lens 25A touches the index 91 indicating the upper surface of the observation target 100 during the switching operation. This indicates that the objective lens 25A collides with the observation target 100 before switching to the objective lens 25A. By displaying the index 91 on the display unit 2, it is possible to avoid collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 when the revolver 26 is rotated.

  As a method for avoiding collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100, for example, as shown in FIG. 33, the highest part of the observation target 100 is obtained by edge extraction or the like, and upward from that part. The attention area 93 may be set in such a manner that the attention area 93 is superimposed on the side-view image. Thus, for example, when the user designates a position, a portion where the objective lens 25 is likely to collide can be recognized in advance, so that collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation object 100 can be avoided. it can. The attention area 93 is a part indicated by light black in FIG. Examples of the display mode of the attention area 93 include coloring, hatching, and the like, but are not limited thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 34, when the head unit 22 is swung, the attention area 93 is also inclined in accordance with the swing angle of the head unit 22.

(Configuration of Edge Extraction Unit 62)
The edge extraction unit 62 is configured to perform an edge extraction process of extracting an upper surface of the observation target 100 included in the side-view image as an edge. The edge can be defined in a broad sense as a contour or an outline of the observation target 100. In this example, a case where the upper surface of the observation target 100 when viewed from the side is extracted as an edge will be described. The edge extraction processing itself can use a conventionally known method.For example, the pixel value of each pixel on the image is obtained, and the region where the change of the pixel value on the image is equal to or larger than the threshold value for edge detection is obtained. If there is, the boundary is extracted as an edge. When the upper surface of the observation target object 100 is extracted as an edge, the display control unit 64 controls the display unit 2 to display the edge with the observation target object edge display line 71a as shown in FIG. The observation object edge display line 71a can be composed of, for example, a bold line, a dashed line, a line of a conspicuous color such as red or yellow, but is not limited thereto. Good. When there are a plurality of observation object edge display lines 71a, only the uppermost observation object edge display line 71a may be displayed.

  The edge extracting unit 62 also extracts the lower end of the objective lens 25 included in the side view image as an edge by the above-described method. When the lower end of the objective lens 25 is extracted as an edge, the display control unit 64 controls the display unit 2 so that the edge is displayed by the objective lens edge display line 71b as shown in FIG. The objective lens edge display line 71b can be configured similarly to the observation object edge display line 71a. The display forms of the objective lens edge display line 71b and the observation object edge display line 71a may be different or the same.

  The control unit 60 is configured to perform illumination control for illuminating the observation target object 100 with the coaxial incident illumination 51 when the side-view image capturing unit 45 acquires the side-view image on which the edge extraction unit 62 performs the edge extraction process. Have been. For example, if the observation target 100 is illuminated by the ring illumination 87 before the side-view image capturing unit 45 acquires the side-view image on which the edge extraction process is performed, the ring illumination 87 is turned off and the coaxial incident illumination is turned off. After turning on 51, the side-view image capturing unit 45 acquires a side-view image for edge extraction processing. That is, since the ring illumination 87 irradiates light from the periphery of the observation target object 100, the reflection component of the light becomes strong in the side-view image, and the portion causing halation increases, and there is a possibility that the edge extraction processing becomes difficult. The illumination may be turned off to turn off the illumination, extract the edge with ambient light, and perform autofocus. With the coaxial epi-illumination 51, halation hardly occurs in the side-view image, and the edge extraction processing becomes easy.

(Background influence reduction means)
As shown in FIG. 22A, the side-view image on which the edge extraction processing is performed may include a background portion (indicated by reference numeral 72). That is, the side-view image capturing unit 45 faces the mounting table 31 and the observation target 100, and the mounting table 31 and the observation target 100 occupy in the side-view image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45. The area is a part of the side-view image, and the remaining part of the side-view image is located farther than the observation target 100 (farther than the front end of the mounting table 31) as shown by reference numeral 72 in FIG. (A certain background object) may be reflected, and this becomes the background portion of the side-view image. The background portion may include objects, people, and the like. If the background portion is clearly reflected in the side-view image, it becomes difficult to distinguish the mounting table 31 from the background, the observation object 100 from the background, and the objective lens 25 from the background. It may be difficult to grasp the mounting table 31, the observation object 100, and the objective lens 25. In particular, when performing an edge extraction process using a side-view image in which the background portion is clearly reflected, the outline of the background object 72 may be extracted, and the edge of the observation target object 100 or the objective lens 25 may be extracted. It becomes difficult to extract.

  In the present example, the influence of the background portion, which is a portion of the side-view image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45, whose distance from the side-view image capturing unit 45 is larger than the distance to the observation target 100, is reduced. Background effect reduction means is provided. “Reducing the influence of the background portion” means that the background portion is blurred so that the mounting table 31 can be easily distinguished from the background, the observation object 100 can be distinguished from the background, and the objective lens 25 can be easily distinguished from the background. And a method of masking the background portion, and a method of blurring the background portion so that edges cannot be extracted in the background portion. "Blur the background part so that edges cannot be extracted" can be set based on the threshold value for edge detection, and the change in pixel value in the background part is less than the threshold value for edge detection. It is to make a change.

  As an example of the background influence reducing unit, a depth of field setting unit that sets the depth of field of the side-view image capturing unit 45 can be given. By setting the depth of field of the side-view image capturing unit 45, a side-view image in which the background portion is more blurred than the mounting table 41 or the observation target 100 can be acquired. By blurring the background portion, the influence of the background portion can be reduced. The depth-of-field setting means may be, for example, an aperture, an angle of view (focal length) of a lens included in the side-view image capturing unit 45, and the like. It is also possible to set an appropriate aperture and an angle of view by experiment. By setting the focal length of the visual image capturing unit 45 to be longer than the focal length of the magnified observation image capturing unit 50, a side-view image in which the background portion is blurred compared to the mounting table 41 or the observation target 100 is obtained. Can be.

  The depth of field of the side-view image pickup unit 45 can be arbitrarily set depending on the aperture, the angle of view of the lens, and the like. In this example, the end of the mounting table 31 on the side close to the side-view image pickup unit 45 Between the mounting table 31 and the end farthest from the side-view image capturing unit 45. The end of the mounting table 31 on the side close to the side-view image capturing unit 45 is the front end of the mounting table 31, and the end of the mounting table 31 farthest from the side-view image capturing unit 45 is The rear end of the table 31. By setting the depth of field in this manner, as shown in FIG. 22B, the observation target 100 and the objective lens 25 placed on the placement table 31 are focused, and the side-view image in which the background object 72 is blurred Can be obtained. As a result, the observation target object 100 and the objective lens 25 become outstanding side-view images.

  The depth of field of the side-view image capturing unit 45 is such that the end of the mounting table 31 that is focused on the optical axis of the objective lens 25 and that is farther from the stand unit 20 (the front end of the mounting table 31). Can be set to obtain a blurred side-view image.

  As another example of the background influence reducing unit, there is an example configured by a background influence reducing unit 65 shown in FIG. The background influence reducing unit 65 includes a background determining unit 65a that determines a background portion of the side-view image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45. The background determination unit 65a drives the mounting table 31 in the vertical direction by the mounting unit Z-direction drive unit 83 during imaging by the side-view image capturing unit 45, and determines that a part that does not move in the side-view image is a background portion. It is configured as follows. Further, before the mounting table 31 is moved by the mounting section Z-direction driving section 83, before the movement image captured by the side-view image capturing section 45 and after the mounting table 31 is moved by the mounting section Z-direction driving section 83, The post-movement image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45 may be subjected to image processing, and a portion that does not move in both images may be determined to be a background portion.

  In FIG. 23A, before the mounting table 31 is driven in the vertical direction by the mounting unit Z-direction driving unit 83 is shown by a solid line, and after the mounting table 31 is driven by the mounting unit Z-direction driving unit 83 in the upward direction. Is indicated by a virtual line. As shown in this figure, when the mounting table 31 is driven, the mounting table 31 and the observation target 100 move, and the background object 72 does not move. Utilizing this, an image before driving and an image after driving are subjected to image processing to extract a non-moving portion, and this portion is determined as a background portion. That is, the side view image is acquired when the mounting table 31 is at the first position, and after the mounting table 31 is moved from the first position to the second position by the mounting unit Z-direction driving unit 83, the side view image is obtained. The side-view image capturing unit 45 can be configured so as to obtain the following.

  As a method of determining the background portion, the mounting table 31 may be driven in the Y direction by the mounting section XY direction drive unit 82 in addition to driving the mounting table 31 in the Z direction. In addition, by driving the objective lens 25 in the vertical direction by the objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80, it is possible to avoid the objective lens 25 being determined as a background portion.

  The background determination unit 65a may be configured to change the illumination of the observation target 100 during imaging by the side-view image capturing unit 45 and determine the background portion based on the brightness of each unit of the side-view image. Good. The ring illumination 87 and the coaxial epi-illumination 51 illuminate the observation target 100, and the light of the ring illumination 87 and the co-axial epi-illumination 51 hardly reaches the background object 72. When the lighting state of the ring illumination 87 and the coaxial incident illumination 51 is switched during the imaging by the side-view image capturing unit 45, the brightness of the observation target 100 in the side-view image changes greatly, while the brightness of the background object 72 is Since there is almost no change, this can be detected by image processing, and a portion of the side-view image where the change in brightness is less than a predetermined value can be determined as a background portion. The switching of the lighting state of the ring illumination 87 and the coaxial incident illumination 51 may be switching between ON and OFF, or may be a change in brightness.

  The background influence reduction unit 65 is configured to reduce the influence of the background part by performing image processing on the background part determined by the background determination unit 65a. For example, as shown in FIG. 23B, a mask process for masking a background portion in the side view image can be performed. The mask process is a process of hiding the background portion, and may be completely hidden or may be hidden so that the background object 72 is displayed thinly. The mask process may be, for example, a process of giving a light color to the background portion or a process of reducing the contrast of the background portion. Further, the background influence reducing unit 65 may perform a process of blurring the background portion.

  The image in which the influence of the background portion has been reduced as described above is displayed on the display unit 2 together with the enlarged observation image, as shown in FIG.

(Configuration of Objective Lens 25)
FIG. 24 shows an example of a side view image including the objective lens 25 to which the attachment 25a is attached. When the attachment 25a is attached to the lower end of the objective lens 25, the distance from the mounting table 31 and the distance from the observation target 100 are reduced accordingly.

  The attachment 25a may be provided with an identification means. Examples of the identification means include a barcode, a two-dimensional code, and an IC chip. When a code such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code is given, it is preferable to display the code on a side of the attachment 25a facing the side-view image capturing unit 45 so that the image can be captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45. . In the case of an IC chip, it is preferable that a contact is provided at a contact portion of the revolver 26 with the attachment, and the identification information of the attachment 25a is obtained through the contact.

  The control unit 60 can determine the type of the attachment 25a by detecting a code from the image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45 and performing a decoding process using a conventionally known method. By determining the type of the attachment 25a, the outer diameter and the vertical dimension of the attachment 25a can be grasped, and the position of the lower end portion and the position of the outer peripheral surface of the attachment 25a can be calculated.

  Similarly, a code, an IC chip, or the like can be provided to the objective lens 25. In this case as well, the type of the objective lens 25, that is, the length and the outer diameter (outer shape) of the objective lens 25, can be grasped by the controller 60 in the same manner.

  In this case, the storage unit 89 shown in FIG. 17 stores information on the type, shape, dimensions, and the like of the objective lens 25 in association with each other, and corresponds to the type of the objective lens 25 grasped by the control unit 60. Information on the shape and dimensions can be read from the storage unit 89 and grasped. The attachment 25a can be stored in the storage unit 89 in the same manner.

  Further, the storage unit 89 may store the type of the objective lens 25 and information on the working distance (working distance: WD) in association with each other. Thereby, the control section 60 can read the information on the working distance corresponding to the type of the objective lens 25 grasped, and grasp the working distance of the objective lens 25 in use.

(Configuration of Image Processing Unit 61)
The image processing unit 61 illustrated in FIG. 17 is configured to acquire positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 based on the side view image acquired by the side view image capturing unit 45. Specifically, positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 can be acquired using the edge extracted by the edge extraction unit 62. For example, as shown in FIG. The vertical distance between the located observation object edge display line 71a and the lower end of the objective lens edge display line 71b is acquired as positional relationship information. As a method of calculating the distance, for example, there is a method of multiplying the actual dimension per pixel of the side view image by the number of pixels between the observation object edge display line 71a and the objective lens edge display line 71b.

  The image processing unit 61 can also be configured to acquire positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 using information on the shape or size of the objective lens 25 stored in the storage unit 89. As described above, the control unit 60 can grasp the shape and dimensions of the objective lens 25, and can grasp the shape and dimensions of the attachment 25 when the attachment 25a is mounted. Accordingly, the distance between the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the upper surface of the observation target 100 and the distance between the lower end of the attachment 25a and the upper surface of the observation target 100 can be calculated without performing the edge extraction of the objective lens 25. Can be.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 21, by grasping the outer diameter of the objective lens 25, an outer diameter display line 73 indicating the outer diameter of the objective lens 25 can be displayed as a vertical line. When the objective lens 25 swings, the outer diameter indicating line 73 may be inclined so as to correspond to the swing angle.

  In addition, since the side-view image pickup unit 45 is provided on the side opposite to the user side, a layout that does not obstruct the user can be achieved. However, the side-view image pickup unit 45 from the side opposite to the user side. Is displayed on the display unit 2 as it is, so that the left and right relationship is opposite to that when viewed from the user side. The image processing unit 61 is configured to invert the image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45 from side to side and display the image on the display unit 2. Thus, the left-right direction of the side-view image can be matched with that seen from the user side.

(Configuration of the auto focus unit 63)
The autofocus unit 63 is configured to control the objective lens Z based on the positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 acquired by the image processing unit 61 and the magnified observation image acquired by the magnified observation image capturing unit 50. By controlling the axial driving unit 80, the objective lens 25 is moved up and down to search for the focal point of the objective lens 25. For example, the objective lens 25 is moved up and down by the objective lens Z-axis direction drive unit 80 using the same algorithm as the well-known phase difference autofocus and contrast AF until the observation object 100 is focused. The focus may be adjusted by moving the mounting table 31 up and down by the mounting section Z-direction drive unit 83.

  At the time of focusing, since the positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 is obtained in advance, the objective lens 25 approaches the observation target 100 within a range where the objective lens 25 does not collide with the observation target 100. As a result, the objective lens Z-axis direction drive unit 80 can be controlled. Even with such control, the collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 can be avoided, so that the position of the objective lens 25 when the preparation for observation is completed is larger than the range in which the observation target 100 is in focus. Even when the camera is far from the camera, focus can be achieved by autofocus.

  The autofocus unit 63 can search for the focal point of the objective lens 25 using the information on the working distance of the objective lens 25 stored in the storage unit 89. Although the working distance of the objective lens 25 greatly varies depending on the magnification of the objective lens 25, information on the working distance of the objective lens 25 is read from the storage unit 89, and the observation target 100 exists near the working distance of the objective lens 25. As described above, by controlling the objective lens Z-axis direction drive unit 80, focusing by autofocus is quickly and accurately performed. At this time, it is preferable that the focus of the objective lens 25 is adjusted to the uppermost surface of the observation object 100. Thereby, the collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 can be avoided beforehand.

  For example, the search of the focus of the objective lens 25 by the autofocus unit 63 may fail due to a reason such as low contrast. When the search of the focus of the objective lens 25 by the autofocus unit 63 has failed, the control unit 60 stops the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80 and ends the search. Thereby, the collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 can be avoided beforehand. Further, when the search of the focus of the objective lens 25 by the autofocus unit 63 fails, a display notifying that the search has failed may be displayed on the display unit 2. The display for notifying that the search has failed includes, for example, a message indicating that the search has failed, a mark, and the like, but is not limited thereto. When the search of the focus of the objective lens 25 by the autofocus unit 63 fails, the fact that the search has failed may be notified by voice.

  Further, the autofocus unit 63 controls the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80 based on only the magnified observation image acquired by the magnified observation image imaging unit 50, and moves the objective lens 25 in the vertical direction to You may search for 25 focal points.

(Reception section)
The controller unit 3, the mouse 4, and the keyboard 6 are receiving units that receive designation of an arbitrary position by the user in the side-view image displayed on the display unit 2. The control unit 60 is configured to control the magnifying observation apparatus A based on the position received by the receiving unit. For example, the objective lens 25 is controlled so that the objective lens 25 is focused on the position received by the receiving unit. Further, the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80 can be controlled such that the objective lens 25 moves to the position received by the receiving unit.

  In addition, by operating the controller unit 3, the mouse 4, and the keyboard 6, when the search of the focus of the objective lens 25 by the autofocus unit 63 fails, the focus target position of the objective lens 25 by the user on the side-view image. Can also be accepted. That is, when the search of the focal point of the objective lens 25 by the autofocus unit 63 fails, the receiving unit receives the designation of the position by the user. The position received by the receiving unit can be specified on the coordinates in the real space. For example, the coordinate system 1 is a coordinate in a real space, the coordinate system 2 is a coordinate of a pixel of an image sensor of the side-view image capturing unit 45, and the coordinate system 3 in the side-view image displayed on the display unit 2. By associating the coordinates with the three coordinates, the position accepted by the accepting unit can be specified.

  The autofocus unit 63 controls the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80 based on the focusing target position received by the receiving unit. The objective lens 25 is moved up and down by controlling the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80 so that the focus of the objective lens 25 moves to the focusing target position.

  The objective lens 25 may be moved after receiving the designation of the focus target position in the receiving unit, or the objective lens 25 may be moved before receiving the designation of the user's position by the receiving unit. That is, before receiving the designation of the position of the user by the receiving unit, the positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 acquired by the image processing unit 61 and the enlargement acquired by the enlarged observation image imaging unit 50 It is also possible to configure so that the focus of the objective lens 25 is searched by controlling the objective lens Z-axis direction drive unit 80 based on the observation image.

  As the control in which the designation of the position in the receiving unit is reflected, for example, the observation target 100 is placed on the mounting table 31 so that the position received by the receiving unit is within the field of view of the enlarged observation image capturing unit 50. The control for moving in the width direction and the depth direction is also included. When the user specifies the position of, for example, the right end of the side-view image displayed on the display unit 2, the control unit controls the mounting unit XY-direction drive unit 82 so that the specified position is located near the center of the side-view image. The unit 60 controls. As a result, it is possible to specify a part to be observed and to observe the specified part.

  In addition, by setting the angle of view of the side-view image capturing unit 45, the plurality of objective lenses 25 attached to the revolver 26 can be included in the side-view image. In this case, if the user specifies a position corresponding to one objective lens 25 among the plurality of objective lenses 25 on the side-view image at the reception unit, the position specification is received. The control unit 60 controls the electric revolver driving unit 81 so that observation by the objective lens 25 at the position received by the receiving unit is enabled. Accordingly, the electric revolver driving unit 81 rotates the revolver 26 until the objective lens 25 at the position received by the receiving unit comes to the observable position.

  When the position is specified, the display control unit 64 causes the display unit 2 to display a guide display for guiding the user to specify the position so as to overlap the side view image. The guide display may be a display relating to the working distance of the objective lens 25. For example, as shown by reference numeral 76 in FIG. 40, the working distance of the objective lens 25 can be displayed as a guide by a graphic. The guide display 76 has a triangular shape having a lower vertex, and the lower vertex is a portion indicating the working distance. As shown in FIG. 42, a guide display in which the working distance (lens WD) of the objective lens 25 is indicated by a numerical value may be used. In this case, the distance between the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the upper surface of the observation target 100 may be displayed on the side-view image.

  Further, the guide display may be in a form in which the edge extracted by the edge extraction unit 62 is displayed as the upper surface of the observation target object 100. For example, the observation object edge display line 71a shown in FIG. 21 may be used as a guide display. This makes it easier for the user to recognize the upper surface of the observation target 100 on the display unit 2.

  The receiving unit is configured to receive the specification of the outer shape of the observation target object 100 in the side-view image displayed on the display unit 2, that is, the position corresponding to the outline. Accordingly, the position specified by the user in the side-view image can be used as the outer shape of the observation target 100, so that it can be used for control such as avoiding collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100, for example. Can be.

  The receiving unit is configured to receive designation of a position corresponding to the lower end of the objective lens 25 in the side view image displayed on the display unit 2. Thus, the position specified by the user in the side-view image can be used as the lower end of the objective lens 25, and can be used for control such as avoiding collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100, for example. Can be.

  The accepting unit is configured to be operable with the position designation pointer 77 displayed in the side view image shown in FIG. 31 or FIG. 32, and to accept designation of an arbitrary position of the side view image by the position designation pointer 77. Is configured. The shape and color of the position designation pointer 77 are not particularly limited. The position designation auxiliary line 77a can be displayed together with the position designation pointer 77. The position designation auxiliary line 77a moves up and down in conjunction with the position designation pointer 77. Further, as shown in FIG. 34, when the head unit 22 is swung, the position designation auxiliary line 77a is inclined so as to correspond to the swing of the head unit 22.

(Configuration of the synthesis processing unit 67)
The synthesis processing unit 67 illustrated in FIG. 17 is a depth synthesis process that generates an enlarged observation image focused on the entire portion of a predetermined range in the height direction of the observation target 100 positioned within the field of view of the enlarged observation image imaging unit 50. Is the part that performs When the height difference of the predetermined range in the height direction of the observation target object 100 exceeds the depth of field of the objective lens 25, the depth composite image is captured separately by the enlarged observation image imaging unit 50 with different height directions. This is an image obtained by extracting only the focused portion from the image and combining the extracted portions. A well-known depth synthesis process may be performed to generate a depth synthesis image. In the depth synthesis process, the objective lens 25 is moved in the Z direction (height direction) by the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80. Meanwhile, a plurality of still images (pre-synthesis images) are imaged by the magnified observation image imaging unit 50 and the in-focus area is synthesized to synthesize an image for magnified observation that is in focus over a wide area of the screen. I do. In this case, several tens to several hundreds of still images are used depending on the range in the Z direction, the moving pitch in the Z direction, and the like.

  The control unit 60 controls the combination processing unit 67 so as to perform the depth combination processing using the position received by the reception unit as the upper limit or the lower limit of the predetermined range. As a pre-stage of the synthesizing process, the receiving unit can receive designation of a position corresponding to at least one of the upper limit and the lower limit of the predetermined range in the side-view image. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the upper limit of the predetermined range can be specified by a broken line 78, and the lower limit of the predetermined range can be specified by a broken line 79. The broken lines 78 and 79 can be moved separately in the vertical direction by the user's operation of the controller unit 3 and the mouse 4, whereby the upper and lower limits of the predetermined range can be set arbitrarily. The “connected region” in FIG. 25 is a range in which the depth combining process is performed.

(Configuration of Position Index Calculation Unit 66)
The position index calculating unit 66 calculates the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 in the optical axis direction of the objective lens 25 or the objective lens 25 based on the side-view image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45. This is a part for calculating an index relating to a distance between the mounting table 31 and the upper surface of the mounting table 31. The index can be displayed on the display unit 2 and can be superimposed on the side-view image. The superimposed display is to display an index superimposed on an image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45. When the head unit 22 swings (tilts), the index tilts in accordance with the swing angle.

  The index may be an index relating to the working distance of the objective lens 25 or an index relating to the focal position. An index relating to the working distance of the objective lens 25 can be displayed on the display unit 2 as a guide display 76 shown in FIGS. Since the lower vertex in the guide display 76 indicates the focus position, the guide display 76 can be regarded as an index relating to the focus position.

  The index can be an index relating to the movement limit position of the objective lens 25 in the optical axis direction of the objective lens 25. As shown in FIG. 31, since the lower end of the objective lens 25 cannot be lowered below the upper surface of the observation target 100, the movement limit position of the objective lens 25 is the upper surface of the observation target 100. The upper surface of the observation target 100 can be displayed on the side-view image as an edge display line 90 by the edge extraction processing. The edge display line 90 is an index indicating the downward movement limit position of the objective lens 25, and the index at this time indicates the observation target 100 existing at the movement limit position of the objective lens 25. Note that an index indicating the upper limit of the movement of the objective lens 25 may be displayed. The upward movement limit position of the objective lens 25 is determined by the length of the objective lens 25, the structure of the objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80, and the like.

  The control unit 60 controls the objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80 to move the objective lens 25 only to the movement limit position when the reception unit receives the designation of the position of the portion exceeding the movement limit. As shown in FIG. 31, the movement limit is displayed as an edge display line 90. However, it is conceivable that the user specifies a position of a portion closer to the upper surface of the mounting table 31 than the edge display line 90. When the position is specified, the objective lens 25 collides with the observation target 100. In order to avoid this, when the position designation as shown in FIG. 31 is performed, the position designation is ignored, or even if the position designation is performed, it is reflected in the control of the objective lens Z-direction drive unit 80. By preventing the collision, the collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 is avoided. For the same reason, the receiving unit may be configured not to receive the designation of the position of the portion exceeding the movement limit. When the position of the portion exceeding the movement limit is specified, a warning display may be displayed on the display unit 2.

  The index can be at least one of the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 and the distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31. The position of the lower end of the objective lens 25 can be obtained based on image processing such as edge extraction or the like and the dimensional information stored in the storage unit 89. The position of the upper surface of the observation target 100 can be obtained by edge extraction or the like. Can be obtained based on the above image processing. Based on the position of the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the position of the upper surface of the observation target 100, as shown in FIG. 42, the distance between the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the upper surface of the observation target 100 can be calculated. it can. Similarly, the distance between the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the upper surface of the mounting table 31 can be calculated.

  The index may include the outline of the objective lens 25. The outline of the objective lens 25 can be obtained based on, for example, image processing such as edge extraction and the shape information and dimensional information stored in the storage unit 89. As shown in FIG. 47, the outline of the objective lens 25A after rotating the revolver 26 can be displayed in a side-view image by a broken line. Thus, after switching the objective lens 25 to the objective lens 25A, it is possible to confirm in advance whether the switched objective lens 25A collides with the observation target 100. That is, when the objective lens 25 observing the observation target 100 is switched to another objective lens 25A, the position index calculation unit 66 causes the display unit 2 to display the outline of the other objective lens 25A. Thereby, it is configured that a collision can be avoided.

  FIG. 48 shows a state in which the head unit 22 swings. When the head unit 22 swings, the display of the switched objective lens 25A is tilted to correspond to the swing angle. The user can easily check the objective lens 25A after the switching.

  When the objective lens 25 observing the observation object 100 is switched to another objective lens 25A, the locus of the movement of the other objective lens 25A can be displayed on the display unit 2. When the objective lens 25 is switched, the objective lens 25 moves around the rotation center line of the revolver 26. Therefore, the movement locus of the objective lens 25 is determined based on the shape information and the dimensional information stored in the storage unit 89. It can be calculated and displayed on the side-view image.

  The index may include at least one of a line indicating the upper surface of the observation target 100 and a line indicating the upper surface of the mounting table 31. The lines indicating the upper surface of the observation target 100 are, for example, the observation target edge display line 71a shown in FIG. 21 and the edge display line 90 shown in FIG. A line indicating the upper surface of the mounting table 31 is a mounting table display line 91 illustrated in FIG.

  Further, the position index calculation unit 66 obtains at least one of the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 and the distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31, and the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. It is configured to determine whether or not the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, and to display a warning on the display unit 2 when it is determined that the distance is equal to or shorter than the predetermined distance. As shown in FIG. 46, when the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 is shorter than the working distance of the objective lens 25, even if the objective lens 25 is further lowered, focusing does not occur. Since it is conceivable that the objective lens 25 collides with the observation target object 100, a warning display (warning message display) and a warning display (caution message display) indicating "Be careful of collision" are performed. The warning display and the caution display may be not only characters, but also marks or colors, or voice. Further, when the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 approach each other by a predetermined amount or more, the color of the side view screen may be changed, or a warning display indicating that the approach has been made may be performed. The color of the side view screen may be changed according to the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100.

  Further, the position index calculating unit 66 is configured to calculate an index related to a downward movement limit position of the objective lens 25 when the combining processing unit 67 causes the magnified observation image imaging unit 50 to acquire a plurality of images before combining. Have been. It is necessary to set the range of the depth synthesis by the synthesis processing unit 67 so that the objective lens 25 does not collide with the observation target 100. In this setting, an index relating to the downward movement limit position of the objective lens 25 is used. By doing so, collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 can be avoided.

(Display control unit 64)
The display control unit 64 shown in FIG. 17 controls the display unit 2 as described above, and also changes the display magnification of the side-view image in accordance with the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 and displays the display unit 2. Is configured to be displayed. Specifically, the closer the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 is, the larger the display magnification of the side-view image, that is, the enlarged image is displayed. For example, when the objective lens 25 has a high magnification, the working distance is several mm or less as shown in FIG. 43, and the distance between the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 is different from the side view image. It may be difficult to understand. In such a case, by increasing the display magnification of the side-view image, the lower end portion of the objective lens 25 and the observation object 100 are enlarged and displayed on the display unit 2 as shown in FIG. The distance between the lower end of the objective lens 25 and the observation object 100 can be easily grasped. The display magnification of the side view image may be increased stepwise, or may be increased almost steplessly. The change of the display magnification of the side view image may be performed in conjunction with a change in the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100, or may be manually performed by a user.

  Further, in this example, since the head unit 22 can be swung, the side-view image pickup unit 45 may pick up an image of the observation target 100 or the objective lens 25 with the head unit 22 swung. The display control unit 64 can display the side-view image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45 with the head unit 22 swinging on the display unit 2 simultaneously with the image captured by the magnified observation image capturing unit 50.

(Configuration of the leveling unit 68)
The leveling unit 68 illustrated in FIG. 17 is a unit that performs image processing such that the mounting table 31 in the side view image is substantially horizontal when the head unit 22 swings. That is, when the side-view image capturing unit 45 acquires the side-view image, the side-view image capturing unit 45 is moved along the axis U with the swing of the head unit 22 as in Embodiment 4 illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, for example. When displaced around, the mounting table 31 inclines in accordance with the swing angle of the head unit 22 in the acquired side-view image. In this case, the side-view image is displayed on the display unit 2 after image processing for rotating the mounting table 31 so as to be substantially horizontal in the leveling unit 68, and is thus displayed on the display unit 2. When observing from different angles, the side-view image can be an image with less discomfort.

  The leveling unit 68 performs image processing for rotating the side-view image so that the mounting table 31 is substantially horizontal, and performs trimming processing so as to form a substantially rectangular image that is long in the horizontal direction including the mounting table 31. It can also be configured to perform The substantially rectangular image that is long in the horizontal direction is an image as shown in FIG. 16, and is an image substantially similar in shape to the display area of the general display unit 2.

  The leveling unit 68 may be a unit that performs image processing as described above, or the structure itself in which the side-view image capturing unit 45 is attached so as not to be displaced as in the first to third, fifth, and sixth embodiments. It may be. In the first to third, fifth, and sixth embodiments, since the side-view image capturing unit 45 is not displaced, even if the objective lens 25 swings, the horizontal direction of the side-view image capturing unit 45 before swing is maintained in a horizontal state. Will be done.

(Fully automatic observation)
Next, a case in which fully automatic observation is performed by the magnifying observation apparatus A will be described. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 18, first, the user sets the observation target 100 on the mounting table 31 in step SA1. Then, the enlarged observation image acquired by the enlarged observation image capturing unit 50 is displayed in the enlarged observation image display area 70a by the user interface 70 as shown in FIG. The image is displayed in the side view image display area 70b. In step SA2, the user looks at the enlarged observation image displayed in the enlarged observation image display area 70a. In step SA3, it is determined whether or not the magnified observation image displayed in the magnified observation image display area 70a is an in-focus image. If it is an in-focus image, the flow advances to step SA5 to perform observation. Do. If the image is not in focus, the flow advances to step SA4 to perform an observation start operation. The observation start operation can be performed by the controller unit 3, the mouse 4, the keyboard 6, and the like, and may be, for example, an operation of clicking an observation start button or the like displayed on the user interface 70 shown in FIG.

  When the observation start operation is performed, the process proceeds to the flowchart in FIG. Before entering the processing of the flowchart, as pre-processing, coordinates in the real space, coordinates at pixels of the image sensor of the side-view image capturing unit 45, and coordinates in the side-view image displayed on the display unit 2 Are associated with each other. The pre-processing may be performed before focusing, or may be performed before or after shipment of the magnifying observation apparatus A at any time.

  Proceeding to step SB1 in the flowchart of FIG. 19, the vertical Z position and lens information are acquired. The vertical Z position refers to the position of the objective lens 25 and the position of the mounting table 31. The lens information is information on the type, shape, dimensions, etc. of the objective lens 25 stored in the storage unit 89.

  After that, the process proceeds to Step SB2 to acquire calibration data and perform a calibration process. In step SB3, a side-view image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45 is acquired. It is an image as shown in FIG. At Step SB4, an edge extraction process is performed. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 21, the observation object edge display line 71a and the objective lens edge display line 71b can be displayed.

  Proceeding to step SB5, the current position of the objective lens 25 is grasped. This can be obtained by a linear scale or by the position of the objective lens edge display line 71b. In step SB5, the upper surface height (Z coordinate) of the observation target object 100 is grasped. This can be obtained from the position of the observation object edge display line 71a. Further, in step SB5, the current focusing position of the objective lens 25 is grasped. This can be obtained by the working distance of the objective lens 25.

  Proceeding to step SB6, focus condition calculation processing is performed. In this step, how to move the objective lens 25 in order to focus on the upper surface of the observation object 100 is calculated. Since the distance from the objective lens 25 to the upper surface of the observation target 100 and the working distance of the objective lens 25 are known, the moving direction and the moving distance of the objective lens 25 for focusing on the upper surface of the observation target 100 are known. Can be calculated.

  At Step SB7, a collision condition calculation process is performed. In this step, a collision condition is calculated to determine how to move the objective lens 25 to collide with the observation target 100 or the mounting table 31. Since the positional relationship between the distance from the objective lens 25 to the upper surface of the observation target object 100 and the upper surface of the observation target object 100 below the objective lens 25 is known, the collision with the observation target object 100 and the mounting table 31 occurs. Condition can be calculated.

  Step SB8 is a step performed before moving the objective lens 25. In this step SB8, when the objective lens 25 is moved as calculated in step SB6, it is determined whether or not the collision condition calculated in step SB7 is met. judge. When it is determined as YES in step SB8 and there is a possibility that the objective lens 25 collides with the observation target 100 or the mounting table 31, the process proceeds to step SB10, and a warning message is superimposed and displayed on the side-view image. The warning message is, for example, "Be careful of collision" shown in FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to a later-described flowchart of semi-automatic observation or manual observation.

  On the other hand, if NO is determined in step SB8 and there is no possibility that the objective lens 25 will collide with the observation target 100 or the mounting table 31, the process proceeds to step SB9, and the objective lens 25 is moved to the focus position. At this time, the focus position may be searched by the auto focus unit 63 and the focus value may be displayed on the display unit 2.

  The autofocus function (autofocus function) at the time of the fully automatic observation described above can be performed after an operation that may cause a defocus. The operation that may cause defocusing includes, for example, moving the mounting table 31 in the X direction or the Y direction, rotating the mounting table 31, swinging the head unit 22, switching the objective lens 25. And the like. In addition, a timer imaging mode for imaging at predetermined time intervals can be incorporated in the control unit 60. In this case, focusing can be performed by an autofocus function before imaging. In addition, it is recognized that the observation target 100 is placed on the mounting table 31 based on the side view image, and after the observation target 100 is mounted on the mounting table 31, the focus is automatically adjusted by an autofocus function. Can be.

(Semi-automatic observation)
Next, a case where semi-automatic observation is performed by the magnifying observation apparatus A will be described. Steps SC1 to SC4 in the flowchart in FIG. 28 are the same as steps SA1 to SA4 in the flowchart in FIG. Step SC9 in the flowchart in FIG. 28 is the same as step SA5 in the flowchart in FIG.

  If it is determined in step SC3 that the image is not in focus, the process proceeds to step SC4, and the user looks at the side-view image. Thereafter, the user proceeds to step SC5, and designates a focus position. For example, in the case of the observation target object 100 including the first portion 101 and the second portion 102 as shown in FIG. 30, a side-view image viewed from the direction of arrow B is displayed as shown in FIG. 31. When the edge extraction is performed in the fully automatic observation, an attempt is made to focus on the position of the edge display line 90 on the uppermost surface. Therefore, when the surface 101a in FIG. 30 is to be observed, the surface 101a in the enlarged observation image is not focused. . In the semi-automatic observation, as shown in FIG. 31, the focus position can be arbitrarily designated by the position designation pointer 77.

  That is, steps SD1 to SD5 in the flowchart in FIG. 29 are the same as steps SB1 to SB5 in the flowchart in FIG. 19. After going through steps SD1 to SD5 and proceeding to step SD6, an auxiliary display for assisting position designation is provided. Is superimposed on the side-view image. The auxiliary display includes the position specifying pointer 77 and the position specifying auxiliary line 77a in FIG. 31, the light black display in FIG. 32, and the like.

  Thereafter, the flow advances to step SD7 to perform an input receiving process for receiving a focus position designated by the user. After accepting the in-focus position specified by the user, the process proceeds to step SD8 to calculate coordinates when the objective lens 25 is moved to the in-focus position specified by the user. Steps SD9 to SD11 are the same processing and determination as steps SB6 to SB8 in the flowchart of FIG. Step SD13 is the same process as step SB10 in the flowchart in FIG. 19, and step SD12 is the same process as step SB9 in the flowchart in FIG.

  The specification of the focus position by the user will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 35A, 35B, and 35C. In FIG. 35A, a position designation pointer 77 and a position designation auxiliary line 77a are displayed, and a straight line C indicating the optical axis of the objective lens 25 is also displayed. As shown in FIG. 35B, when the user moves down the position designation pointer 77, the position designation auxiliary line 77a also moves down. Thereafter, when the position designation pointer 77 and the position designation assistance line 77a reach the height that the user wants to designate as the focus position, the position designation operation (button operation of the mouse 4, etc.) is performed. Thus, the input of the focus position specified by the user is completed.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 35C, the objective lens 25 moves so that the focus position of the objective lens 25 becomes the focus position specified by the user.

  FIG. 36 shows a state in which the head unit 22 swings. When the head unit 22 swings, the position designation auxiliary line 77a is inclined so as to correspond to the swing angle. Can be easily performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 37, a lower limit display line 95 indicating the lower limit of the position designation may be displayed on the side-view image. For example, the uppermost surface of the observation target object 100 is extracted as an edge by an edge extraction process, and the lower limit display line 95 can be generated using the edge as a lower limit for position designation. The lower limit display line 95 may be input by the user.

  When the process proceeds to semi-automatic observation in the flowchart shown in FIG. 19, the process of step SD6 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 29 is performed.

  On the other hand, by going through step SC5 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 28, it is possible to focus on the position designated by the user as described above, so the process proceeds to step SC6 to view the image for enlarged observation. In step SC7, it is determined whether or not the magnified observation image displayed in the magnified observation image display area 70a is an in-focus image. If it is an in-focus image, the flow advances to step SC9 to perform observation. Do. If the image is not in focus, the flow advances to step SC9 to perform various superimposed displays (superimposed display on the side-view image) and a warning display. The superimposed display includes, for example, a guide display (indicated by reference numeral 76 in FIG. 40) indicating the working distance of the objective lens 25, and the like.

(Manual observation)
Next, a case where manual observation is performed by the magnifying observation apparatus A will be described. Steps SE1 to SE3 in the flowchart in FIG. 38 are the same as steps SA1 to SA3 in the flowchart in FIG. In step SE4, the user looks at the side-view image. A guide display 76 as a position index shown in FIG. 40 and a distance and the like shown in FIG. 42 are superimposed and displayed on the side-view image.

  In step SE5, the user moves the objective lens 25. Then, the process proceeds to Step SE6. In step SE6, the in-focus position is adjusted while looking at the enlarged observation image. At this time, the objective lens 25 can be moved while looking at the side-view image as shown in FIGS. 41 and 43. You can know the approximate position. That is, at the time of manual operation, it is possible to focus while viewing both the enlarged observation image and the side-view image.

  When the focusing is completed in step SE7, the flow advances to step SE8 to view the enlarged observation image. In step SE9, it is determined whether or not the magnified observation image displayed in the magnified observation image display area 70a is an in-focus image. If it is an in-focus image, the flow advances to step SE11 to perform observation. Do. If the image is not in focus, the process advances to step SE10 to perform various superimposed displays (superimposed display on the side-view image) and a warning display. The superimposed display includes, for example, a guide display (indicated by reference numeral 76 in FIG. 40) indicating the working distance of the objective lens 25, and the like.

  Details at the time of manual observation will be described. Steps SF1 to SF4 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 39 are the same processes as steps SB1 to SB4 in the flowchart shown in FIG. In step SF5, a position index such as a working distance of the objective lens 25 is calculated. In step SF6, the position index calculated in step SF5 and the side-view image are combined to create display data. This may be performed by the display control unit 64 or the control unit 60.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step SF7, where the enlarged observation image and the side-view image are displayed on the display unit 2. In step SF8, a guide display for guiding the user to specify the position is displayed on the display unit 2 so as to overlap the side view image. Step SF9 is a step performed by the user, and moves the objective lens 25.

  In step SF10, the control unit 60 acquires the position information of the objective lens 25 in the Z direction in real time based on the output of the linear scale. In step SF11, the position index is updated and displayed on the display unit 2 so as to correspond to the update of the position information of the objective lens 25 in the Z direction. For example, when the objective lens 25 moves from the position shown in FIG. 40 to the position shown in FIG. 41, the guide display 76 which also functions as a position indicator moves from the position shown in FIG. 40 to the position shown in FIG. The position is updated at a predetermined timing. Similarly, when the objective lens 25 moves from the position shown in FIG. 42 to the position shown in FIG. 43, the value indicating the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 is updated at a predetermined timing.

  In Step SF12, it is determined whether or not the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance can be, for example, less than the working distance of the objective lens 25, and is a distance at which the object cannot be focused even if the working distance is further increased. That is, in step SF12, it is possible to determine whether the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 are not too close.

  If NO is determined in step SF12, there is no possibility that the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 collide with each other. On the other hand, if YES is determined in step SF12, there is a possibility that the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100 may collide with each other. Therefore, the process proceeds to step SF13, and the display is switched to perform a warning display.

(Eucentric observation)
After the objective lens 25 is in focus, the objective lens 25 is moved by the objective lens Z-axis direction driving unit 80 and the mounting table 31 is moved by the mounting unit Z-direction driving unit 83 while maintaining the in-focus state. The observation target portion of the observation target object 100 is arranged at a position where eucentric observation is possible. Accordingly, even if the head unit 22 is swung, the observation target portion of the observation target object 100 does not deviate from the field of view of the magnified observation image imaging unit 50, and eucentric observation becomes possible.

(Example of display format)
FIGS. 49A and 49B are display examples displayed on the user interface 70 shown in FIG. 16, and show an auxiliary window 70c. In the auxiliary window 70c, the navigation image and the side-view image can be selectively displayed. The navigation image is an image obtained by capturing the observation target object 100 from above, and is an image in a range wider than the field of view of the objective lens 25. The navigation image can be obtained by moving the mounting table 31 in the X direction and the Y direction by the mounting section XY direction driving unit 82 and connecting the captured images each time. The side view image of the auxiliary window 70c illustrated in FIG. 49B is an image acquired by the above-described side view image capturing unit 45. Before taking an image, the focus can be automatically adjusted by an autofocus function.

  The navigation image is displayed by selecting the navigation image tab 70d at the top of the auxiliary window 70c, and the side-view image is displayed by selecting the side-view image tab 70e. By operating the "close" button 70f, the auxiliary window 70c can be closed. The auxiliary window 70c can be displayed by providing a display button (not shown) on the user interface 70 and detecting the operation of this button.

(Image storage)
The side-view image acquired by the side-view image capturing unit 45 and the magnifying observation image acquired by the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 are configured to be stored in the storage unit 89. When the user performs an image storage operation, the side-view image acquired by imaging the same observation target object 100 and the magnified observation image are stored in the storage unit 89 in association with each other. The storage unit 89 can also store the observation date and time, the name of the observation target object 100, and the like in association with the image.

(Example of observation using magnifying observation apparatus A)
Next, a specific observation example using the magnifying observation apparatus A will be described. FIG. 50 is a perspective view of the observation target 100 used in this example, specifically, an electronic component. The observation target 100 has a substrate 103, a resistor 104, a connector 105, and a capacitor 106. The resistor 104 and the connector 105 are provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the substrate 103. On the other hand, the capacitor 106 is provided in a concave portion 103a formed in the substrate 103, and is not visible from the side.

  It is assumed that the observation target 100 is set on the mounting table 31 such that the side-view image capturing unit 45 is located on the side of the observation target 100. The observation order is the order of the resistor 104 and the capacitor 106.

  First, as shown in FIG. 51A, when the mounting table 31 is moved by the mounting unit XY direction driving unit 82 so that the resistor 104 enters the field of view of the objective lens 25, as described in the column of fully automatic observation, Since the focus of the objective lens 25 is automatically focused on the upper surface of the resistor 104, the observation of the resistor 104 becomes possible. Reference numeral 76 denotes a guide display indicating the working distance of the objective lens 25.

  When the resistors 104 are observed in order, as shown in FIG. 51B, the connector 105 appears after the resistors 104 in the side view image. In this case, since the upper surface of the connector 105 is higher than the upper surface of the resistor 104, the focus of the objective lens 25 is focused on the upper surface of the connector 105 in the fully automatic observation, and the observation of the resistor 104 becomes impossible. In this case, as described in the section of semi-automatic observation, by specifying the focal position as the upper surface of the resistor 104 or by specifying the upper surface of the substrate 103 as the lower limit of the focus search, the focus of the objective lens 25 becomes Fits on top of This allows the resistor 104 to be observed even when the connector 105 is present on the back as shown in FIG. 51C.

  When the mounting table 31 is further moved by the mounting unit XY direction driving unit 82 and the capacitor 106 is to be observed as shown in FIG. 51D, the top surface of the resistor 104 is designated as the focal position, and Since the upper surface is designated as the lower limit of the focus search, the condenser 106 located below the upper surface is not focused. Further, since the concave portion 103a cannot be confirmed in the side-view image, it is difficult to specify the position by semi-automation.

  In such a case, manual observation is performed. That is, for example, by superimposing and displaying the working distance of the objective lens 25 on the side-view image with reference numeral 76, the objective lens 25 can be manually moved while predicting the in-focus position. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 51E, it is possible to easily observe even a part that cannot be seen from the side.

(Operation and effect of the embodiment)
As described above, according to the magnifying observation apparatus A according to this embodiment, apart from the magnified observation image capturing unit 50 that receives the reflected light or the transmitted light from the observation target object 100 via the objective lens 25, Since the side-view image capturing unit 45 for acquiring an image including at least the upper surface of the observation target 100 is provided, and after the positional relationship information between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 is acquired, autofocus can be performed. In addition, the autofocus function can be fully utilized while avoiding collision between the objective lens 25 and the observation target object 100.

  In addition, the user can specify an arbitrary position in the side-view image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45, and controls the magnifying observation apparatus A based on the position specification. The reflected enlarged observation image can be easily obtained.

  In addition, based on the side-view image captured by the side-view image capturing unit 45, an index related to the distance between the objective lens 25 and the observation target 100 or the distance between the objective lens 25 and the mounting table 31. Can be calculated and displayed on the display unit 2, so that the operation performed by the user himself during observation can be supported, and work can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, when the side-view image capturing unit 45 acquires a side-view image, the influence of the background can be reduced, and the mounting table 31 and the observation target object 100 can be easily grasped.

  Further, since the eucentric mechanism is provided, the observation target 100 can be observed from a plurality of different angles. Further, a side-view image including the mounting table 31 can be acquired separately from the magnifying observation image and displayed on the display unit 2.

The embodiments described above are merely examples in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. Furthermore, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the magnifying observation apparatus according to the present invention can be used, for example, when magnifying and observing a workpiece such as a sample such as a minute object, an electronic component, or a workpiece.

1 observation unit 2 display unit 3 controller unit (reception unit)
4 mice (reception desk)
6 keyboard (reception desk)
Reference Signs List 10 Base unit 25 Objective lens 26 Revolver 30 Mounting unit 31 Mounting table 40 Swing axis 45 Side-view image pickup unit 45b Cable 50 Magnified observation image pickup unit (first imaging unit)
51 Coaxial epi-illumination 60 Control unit 61 Image processing unit 62 Edge extraction unit 63 Autofocus unit 64 Display control unit 65 Background influence reduction unit 65a Background determination unit 66 Position index calculation unit 67 Synthesis processing unit 68 Leveling unit 80 Objective lens Z axis Direction drive unit 83 Mounting unit Z direction drive unit 87 Ring illumination 89 Storage unit 100 Observation target A Magnifying observation device U Axis

Claims (15)

Magnifying observation that irradiates the observation object with illumination light, detects the amount of reflected light or transmitted light of the illumination light from the observation object, generates an image of the observation object, and displays the image so that it can be magnified. In the device,
A base part,
A mounting portion supported by the base portion, for mounting the observation target,
An objective lens on which reflected light or transmitted light from the observation object of the illumination light is incident,
A driving unit for moving the mounting unit or the objective lens in a direction approaching and moving away from each other,
A first imaging unit configured to receive the reflected light or the transmitted light via the objective lens and obtain a first image;
The second image, which is provided so as to face the mounting portion or the observation object and has an optical axis different from the optical axis of the first imaging unit, and includes at least an upper end of the observation object. Second imaging means for acquiring;
An image processing unit that acquires positional relationship information of an upper end of the observation target based on the second image acquired by the second imaging unit;
An autofocus that controls the driving unit based on the positional relationship information acquired by the image processing unit and the first image acquired by the first imaging unit and searches for a focus of the objective lens; Department and
A display unit capable of displaying the first image acquired by the first imaging unit. The magnifying observation device according to claim 1,
The magnifying observation apparatus, wherein the autofocus unit is configured to control the driving unit in a direction that restricts movement of the mounting unit or the objective lens using the positional relationship information. The magnifying observation device according to claim 1 or 2,
An edge extraction unit that performs an edge extraction process of extracting an upper end of the observation target included in the second image as an edge,
The magnification observation device, wherein the image processing unit acquires the positional relationship information using an edge extracted by the edge extraction unit. The magnifying observation device according to claim 3,
The magnifying observation device includes a ring illumination and a coaxial epi-illumination, and when the second imaging unit acquires the second image on which the edge extraction unit performs the edge extraction processing, the coaxial epi-illumination is used. A magnifying observation device that illuminates the observation target with illumination. The magnifying observation device according to claim 3 or 4,
The second imaging unit acquires the second image when the placement unit is at the first position, and moves the placement unit from the first position to the second position by the driving unit. Acquiring said second image after moving,
The edge extraction unit performs an edge extraction process based on the second image when the placement unit is at the first position and the second image when the placement unit is at the second position. Observation device configured as described above. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The second imaging unit acquires a second image including a lower end of the objective lens,
The edge extraction unit performs an edge extraction process of extracting a lower end of the objective lens included in the second image as an edge, and performs a positional relationship between a lower end of the objective lens and an upper surface of the observation target. A magnifying observation device that acquires information. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The magnification observation device includes a storage unit that stores information on a shape or a size of the objective lens in use,
An enlarged observation apparatus configured to acquire information on a positional relationship between the objective lens and the observation target using information on the shape or dimension of the objective lens stored in the storage unit. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The magnification observation device includes a storage unit that stores information about a working distance of the objective lens in use,
The magnifying observation apparatus, wherein the autofocus unit is configured to search for a focus of the objective lens using information on a working distance of the objective lens stored in the storage unit. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The magnifying observation apparatus, wherein the autofocus unit is configured to focus a focus of the objective lens on an uppermost surface of the observation target. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A magnifying observation apparatus configured to stop the drive unit and terminate the search when the search of the focus of the objective lens by the autofocus unit fails. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A magnifying observation apparatus configured to display, when the search of the focus of the objective lens by the autofocus unit has failed, a display notifying that the search has failed on the display unit. The magnification observation device according to claim 10 or 11,
The display unit is configured to display the second image acquired by the second imaging unit,
The magnifying observation apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives designation of a focus target position of the objective lens by the user on the second image when the search of the focus of the objective lens by the autofocus unit has failed,
The magnification observation device, wherein the autofocus unit controls the driving unit based on the focus target position received by the reception unit. The magnification observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The magnifying observation apparatus, wherein the image processing unit acquires positional relationship information between the objective lens and an upper end of the observation target based on the second image acquired by the second imaging unit. The magnifying observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The position of the objective lens is
A second image obtained by the second imaging means;
An enlarged observation device obtained by converting a position in the second image into a position in a direction in which the mounting portion or the objective lens approaches and moves away from the objective lens. The magnification observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
A magnifying observation apparatus in which the position of the objective lens is obtained based on an encoder provided in a drive unit to which the objective lens is attached.