Scanning microscope and specimen image obtaining method in which adjacent data obtaining points are not consecutively obtained

A scanning microscope comprising:

• light source means for projecting laser light;
• application means for converging and applying the laser light individually onto data obtaining points on a continuous biological specimen;
• data obtaining order deciding means for deciding a data obtaining order such that spatially adjacent data obtaining points are not consecutive in the data obtaining order;
• scanning means for optically scanning the laser light in a two-dimensional plane of the specimen in accordance with the data obtaining order;
• detection means for detecting detection light from the data obtaining points, respectively;
• storage means for preserving luminance information on the detection light detected by the detection means in association with positional information on the data obtaining points, respectively;
• and
• image formation means for forming a two-dimensional image based on the stored associated luminance and positional information,
• wherein the data obtaining order deciding means is configured to randomly decide the data obtaining order and check whether the data obtaining order includes sequential two points that are spatially adjacent, and wherein when it is determined that the data obtaining order includes the sequential two points that are spatially adjacent, the data obtaining order deciding means replaces one of the sequential two points with another point.

A specimen image obtaining method comprising:

• converging and applying laser light individually onto data obtaining points on a continuous biological specimen;
• deciding a data obtaining order in which spatially adjacent data obtaining points are not consecutive;
• optically scanning the laser light in a two-dimensional plane of the specimen in accordance with the data obtaining order;
• detecting detection light from the data obtaining points, respectively;
• storing luminance information on the detection light detected from the data obtaining points in association with positional information on the data obtaining points, respectively;
• and
• forming a two-dimensional image based on the stored associated luminance and positional information,
• wherein the data obtaining order is decided randomly and it is checked whether the data obtaining order includes sequential two points that are spatially adjacent, and wherein when it is determined that the data obtaining order includes the sequential two points that are spatially adjacent, one of the sequential two points is replaced with another point.

A scanning microscope comprising:

• a light source unit that projects laser light;
• an optical system that converges and applies the laser light onto data obtaining points on a continuous biological specimen which contains a compound that causes a photochemical reaction;
• a data obtaining order deciding unit that decides a data obtaining order of the data obtaining points such that a second data obtaining point, where data is obtained time-sequentially next to a first data obtaining point, is located away from the first data obtaining point by a distance such that the second data obtaining point is not affected by the photochemical reaction caused by the application of the laser light to the first data obtaining point;
• a scanning unit that scans the laser light optically on a two-dimensional plane of the specimen in accordance with the data obtaining order;
• a detector that detects detection light from the data obtaining points;
• a storage unit that stores luminance information on the detection light detected by the detector in association with positional information on the data obtaining points;
• and
• an image formation unit that forms a two-dimensional image based on the association of the luminance information with the positional information,
• wherein the data obtaining order deciding unit is configured to randomly decide the data obtaining order and check whether the data obtaining order includes sequential two points that are spatially adjacent, and wherein when it is determined that the data obtaining order includes the sequential two points that are spatially adjacent, the data obtaining order deciding unit replaces one of the sequential two points with another point.