Microscope system

Abstract

A microscope system including: a storage unit storing two or more sheets of slide glasses to be subjected to a predetermined treatment; a stage holding only one sheet of slide glass to be subjected to the treatment; a supply arm by which one sheet of slide glass to be subjected to the treatment is picked up from the storage unit and supplied onto the stage; a discharge arm by which the slide glass mounted on the stage is picked up and discharged in the storage unit; a moving unit operable to move the supply arm and the discharge arm in an integral manner so as to bring the supply arm or the discharge arm into proximity to each of the storage unit and the stage; and a control unit operable to control the supply arm, the discharge arm and the moving unit.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A microscope system comprising:
 a storage unit capable of storing at least a first slide glass and a second slide glass;   a microscope including a stage capable of holding at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass;   a supply arm capable of transferring the first slide glass from the storage unit and supplying the first slide glass onto the stage;   a discharge arm capable of transferring the first slide glass from the stage and discharging the first slide glass into the storage unit; and   a control unit,   wherein the control unit is configured to control the supply arm and the discharge arm and is further configured to control transferring the second slide glass onto the stage by the supply arm after the first slide glass is transferred from the stage by the discharge arm.   
     
     
         3 . The microscope system according to  claim 2 , further comprising a moving unit configured to move the supply arm and the discharge arm in an integral manner so as to bring the supply arm and the discharge arm into proximity to each of the storage unit and the stage. 
     
     
         4 . The microscope system according to  claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the moving unit. 
     
     
         5 . The microscope system according to  claim 3 , wherein the moving unit includes a carriage moved with the supply arm and the discharge arm associated with a base. 
     
     
         6 . The microscope system according to  claim 5 , wherein the moving unit includes a fixed base section and a rotating section configured to rotate about a rotation axis relative to the base section, and wherein the carriage is configured to move in a direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis. 
     
     
         7 . The microscope system according to  claim 6 , wherein the storage unit has at least one storage device configured to store the at least first slide glass and second slide glass, and wherein the storage unit is arranged on a circumference of a circle having a center on the rotation axis associated with the base section. 
     
     
         8 . The microscope system according to  claim 2 , wherein the supply arm includes a supply fixed arm section having a supply holding space configured to hold at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass and a supply moving arm section having a supply holding unit configured to hold at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass. 
     
     
         9 . The microscope system according to  claim 8 , wherein the supply arm includes a supply guide capable of preventing at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass from falling off the supply arm. 
     
     
         10 . The microscope system according to  claim 9 , wherein the supply guide includes at least two supply guide sections. 
     
     
         11 . The microscope system according to  claim 8 , wherein the supply holding unit includes
 a supply fixed holding element fixed to the supply moving arm section,   a supply moving holding element configured to move in a direction based on the control unit, and   a hold spacing detection section that detects a hold spacing between the supply fixed holding element and the supply moving holding element in the direction.   
     
     
         12 . The microscope system according to  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass is within an allowable range, based on the hold spacing. 
     
     
         13 . The microscope system according to  claim 2 , the discharge arm further includes
 a discharge fixed arm section having a discharge holding space configured to hold the sheet of slide glasses, and   a discharge moving arm section having a discharge holding unit configured to hold the slide glass and to move in a moving direction relative to the discharge fixed arm section.   
     
     
         14 . The microscope system according to  claim 2 , wherein the discharge arm includes a discharge guide capable of preventing at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass from falling off the discharge arm. 
     
     
         15 . The microscope system according to  claim 14 , wherein the discharge guide further includes at least two discharge guide sections. 
     
     
         16 . A method for using a microscope system comprising:
 operating a supply arm capable of transferring at least one of a first slide glass and a second slide glass from a storage unit;   mounting the first slide glass onto a stage of a microscope;   transferring the second slide glass from the storage unit;   moving the supply arm and the discharge arm into proximity to the stage;   transferring the first slide glass from the stage;   mounting the second slide glass onto the stage;   moving the supply arm and the discharge arm into proximity to the storage unit; and   discharging the second slide glass into the storage unit.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising preventing at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass from falling off the supply arm. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising holding at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass in a supply holding space. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising holding at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass with a supply holding unit of the supply arm, and wherein the supply holding unit is configured to be moved in a direction associated with a supply fixed arm section of the supply arm. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein moving the supply arm and the discharge arm includes rotating the supply arm and the discharge arm about a rotation axis. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising holding at least one of the first slide glass and the second slide glass in a supply holding space fixed to a carriage.