Micromanipulator system with multi-direction control joy stick and precision control means

Abstract

A micromanipulator system has a microscope, a micromanipulator for three-dimensionally manipulating a fine instrument in the field of the microscope, an image pick-up device for picking up an image within the microscope field, reference position setting device for setting a reference position of the micromanipulator along a height direction, a detecting device for detecting a height position of a tip portion of the manipulator as positional information measured from the reference position along the height direction, and a display device for combining the image of the image pick-up device with the positional information detected by the detecting device to display the combined image thereon. A joystick effects movement in each axial direction of the micromanipulators allows for precise positioning of a fine instrument positioned on the micromanipulator. The system also has an angle setting device for setting the movement angle with respect to specimens in a petri dish disposed on a portion of the micromanipulator system. The joy stick includes a manipulating lever which is swingable in an arbitrary direction with the center of a base. X- and Y-axial direction detectors detect the inclined angle and the neutral position of the manipulating lever. A position control signal or a speed control signal is output based on detection result of the detectors. The micromanipulator system includes a stepper motor driven at microsteps, and other elements which enable control at arbitrary angles, which improves operability. The micromanipulator is configured to be driven at a constant frequency with variable speed, and under continuous speed control, without employing a high frequency oscillator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.