Microscope-use component and microscope system constituted by the microscope-use component

A method for obtaining relative connection relationship information between microscope-use components which constitute a microscope apparatus and which are mutually connectable, each of the microscope-use components comprising:

• a communication interface which enables communication with a control device of the microscope apparatus by a prescribed communication system,
• a detection unit for detecting first other component information related to a first other component from the first other component which is a connectable first other microscope-use component,
• a detection interface for the detection unit,
• a first connector which comprises the communication interface and the detection interface and which is connectable to the first other component, wherein the first connector is connectable to a predetermined connector of the first other component, thereby enabling the communication interface to be connected to a communication interface of the first other component, and the detection interface to be connected to a predetermined interface in the first other component corresponding to the detection interface, and
• a control unit,
• wherein the communication interfaces are mutually connected when connectors of the microscope-use components are mutually connected, and
• wherein said method comprises:
• obtaining the first other component information from the first other component by way of the detection interface and the detection unit;
• and
• transmitting, to the control device of the microscope apparatus by the control unit by way of the communication interface, the obtained first other component information and present component information that is related to a present microscope-use component itself;
• wherein the relative connection relationship information comprises information identifying which microscope-use component is connected to a front stage of which microscope-use component, and the relative connection relationship information is obtained by the control device of the microscope apparatus based on the first other component information transmittable from each of the microscope-use components and the present component information.

A microscope apparatus, comprising:

• plural mutually connectable microscope-use components;
• and
• a control device for controlling each of the microscope-use components,
• wherein each of the microscope-use components comprises:
• a communication interface which enables communication with the control device by a prescribed communication system,
• a detection unit for detecting first other component information that is related to a first other component from the first other component which is a connectable first other microscope-use component;
• a detection interface for the detection unit;
• a first connector which comprises the communication interface and the detection interface, and which is connectable to the first other component, wherein the first connector is connectable to a predetermined connector of the first other component, thereby enabling the communication interface to be connected to a communication interface of the first other component, and the detection interface to be connected to a predetermined interface in the first other component corresponding to the detection interface;
• and
• a control unit for transmitting, to the control device by way of the communication interface, the first other component information obtained by the detection unit and present component information that is related to a present microscope-use component itself.