Patents by Inventor Yasuko Ishii

Yasuko Ishii has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9110288
    Abstract: A microscope includes: a light source configured to generate light for irradiating a specimen; a microscope main body which supports the light source and on which an accommodation unit that accommodates the specimen is placed; a plurality of optical units, each of which is detachably installed in the microscope main body, configured to arranged on an optical path of the light, and configured to change optical characteristics of the light incident thereon; an operation input unit that includes a plurality of input units configured to respectively receive inputs of drive signals for driving optical units to be controlled among the plurality of optical units; and a control unit configured to allocate optical units to be respectively driven with the drive signals by the plurality of input units according to the plurality of optical units installed in the microscope main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinsuke Kaneki, Yasuko Ishii, Kazuki Murata
  • Publication number: 20150043062
    Abstract: A microscope apparatus includes: a stage; one or more light sources that emit light for exciting a sample on the stage; one or more cube turrets that arrange fluorescent cubes selectively on an observation optical path; shutters arranged on an illumination optical path and configured to switch between irradiation of the sample with the light and blocking of the light; an input unit that receives inputs of operation instructions for the shutters; an operation controller that controls operations of the shutters; and a controller that acquires, from a storage unit, operation conditions of the shutters corresponding to the operation instructions, and outputs instruction signals to the operation controller based on the acquired operation conditions in order to change conditions of the plurality of shutters. One of the shutters, and the other of the shutters or the one or more cube turrets are arranged on a same illumination optical path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuko ISHII, Shinsuke KANEKI, Masaya ABE, Koji IMAZEKI
  • Publication number: 20140293411
    Abstract: A microscope includes: a light source configured to generate light for irradiating a specimen; a microscope main body which supports the light source and on which an accommodation unit that accommodates the specimen is placed; a plurality of optical units, each of which is detachably installed in the microscope main body, configured to arranged on an optical path of the light, and configured to change optical characteristics of the light incident thereon; an operation input unit that includes a plurality of input units configured to respectively receive inputs of drive signals for driving optical units to be controlled among the plurality of optical units; and a control unit configured to allocate optical units to be respectively driven with the drive signals by the plurality of input units according to the plurality of optical units installed in the microscope main body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinsuke KANEKI, Yasuko ISHII, Kazuki MURATA
  • Patent number: 8723942
    Abstract: A photomicroscopy system includes a microscope unit which outputs an enlarged image of a subject as a light flux, an image capturing unit which forms an image of the light flux output by the microscope unit and converts the formed image into digital data, a sensitivity changing unit which changes a sensitivity of the image capturing unit, and a computing unit which obtains an exposure time by using the digital data captured by the image capturing unit in a state where the sensitivity is increased to the high sensitivity after instructing the sensitivity changing unit to increase the sensitivity of the image capturing unit to the high sensitivity while calculating the exposure time for obtaining a suitable brightness by the image capturing unit, and sets the sensitivity of the image capturing unit to a low sensitivity after the exposure time is set in the image capturing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ueda, Takashi Yoneyama, Yasuko Ishii
  • Patent number: 8699129
    Abstract: A microscope system improves the operability of a user in performing a microscope observation. The microscope system attains the improvement by including: a microscope apparatus including a plurality of drive units; a display unit for displaying an operation screen for operation of the microscope apparatus; a pointing device for inputting by a pointer an operation instruction to the microscope apparatus on the operation screen; and a control unit for switching the drive units depending on the position of the pointer on the operation screen, and controlling the operation of the switched drive units depending on the operation of the pointing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Akihiko Yoshikawa, Izumi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 8466958
    Abstract: A microscope controller that performs operations for controlling operations of motorized units configuring a microscope system includes a touch panel unit that accepts an input made with an external physical contact and has a display function, a controlling unit for setting a display area as a functional area by assigning an image for operating the motorized unit to a certain display area on the touch panel unit and for generating a control instruction signal for controlling the motorized unit in accordance with a contact operation performed for the motorized unit corresponding to the functional area upon detection of an input made in the functional area, and a communication controlling unit for transmitting the control instruction signal to an external device that controls an operation of the motorized unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Izumi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 8339702
    Abstract: A microscope system improves the operability of a user in performing a microscope observation. The microscope system attains the improvement by including: a microscope apparatus including a plurality of drive units; a display unit for displaying an operation screen for operation of the microscope apparatus; a pointing device for inputting by a pointer an operation instruction to the microscope apparatus on the operation screen; and a control unit for switching the drive units depending on the position of the pointer on the operation screen, and controlling the operation of the switched drive units depending on the operation of the pointing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20120293864
    Abstract: A microscope system that is capable of changing a status of observation of a sample comprises an instruction unit for giving instruction for driving one or more optical members including an objective lens or for changing a relative position of the sample and the objective lens; and an image capturing unit for capturing an observed image of the sample as a still image or a live image. The microscope system changes an order for performing operations in accordance with the instruction from the instruction unit, the operations including an operation of driving the one or more optical members or changing the relative position; an operation of switching the illumination light for the sample from being cut-off or reduced to being applied; and an operation of switching the image displayed in a display unit from the still image to the live image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Kawanabe, Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Takashi Yoneyama
  • Patent number: 8284246
    Abstract: A microscope system which is capable of changing observation states by driving various optical members and which includes a history record unit for recording history data related to a microscope operation history, a selection unit for selecting one or more microscope operation items from among a plurality of microscope operation items, and a state reproduction unit for reproducing a microscope state on the basis of a microscope operation item(s) selected by the selection unit and on the basis of a microscope operation history related to history data recorded in the history record unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Takashi Yoneyama, Yasuko Ishii
  • Patent number: 8264768
    Abstract: A microscope system that is capable of changing a status of observation of a sample comprises an instruction unit for giving instruction for driving one or more optical members including an objective lens or for changing a relative position of the sample and the objective lens; and an image capturing unit for capturing an observed image of the sample as a still image or a live image. The microscope system changes an order for performing operations in accordance with the instruction from the instruction unit, the operations including an operation of driving the one or more optical members or changing the relative position; an operation of switching the illumination light for the sample from being cut-off or reduced to being applied; and an operation of switching the image displayed in a display unit from the still image to the live image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki Kawanabe, Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Takashi Yoneyama
  • Patent number: 8106943
    Abstract: A microscope image pickup system is one having a microscope apparatus enabled to change an observation state by driving one or more optical members, which comprises: an image pickup unit for picking up an image of an observation object; an image process unit for applying an image process to an image picked up by the image pickup unit; an input unit for inputting a process factor of the image process unit, wherein an observation state of the microscope apparatus and/or an image pickup condition of the image pickup unit are set up and an image is picked up so as to pick up an image of an image quality being equal to, or better than, that of an image to which an image process is applied on the basis of the process factor input from the input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20110267449
    Abstract: A microscope system improves the operability of a user in performing a microscope observation. The microscope system attains the improvement by including: a microscope apparatus including a plurality of drive units; a display unit for displaying an operation screen for operation of the microscope apparatus; a pointing device for inputting by a pointer an operation instruction to the microscope apparatus on the operation screen; and a control unit for switching the drive units depending on the position of the pointer on the operation screen, and controlling the operation of the switched drive units depending on the operation of the pointing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20110164314
    Abstract: A microscope system improves the operability of a user in performing a microscope observation. The microscope system attains the improvement by including: a microscope apparatus including a plurality of drive units; a display unit for displaying an operation screen for operation of the microscope apparatus; a pointing device for inputting by a pointer an operation instruction to the microscope apparatus on the operation screen; and a control unit for switching the drive units depending on the position of the pointer on the operation screen, and controlling the operation of the switched drive units depending on the operation of the pointing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Akihiko Yoshikawa, Izumi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 7929738
    Abstract: A microscope apparatus includes a capture unit for capturing a microscopic image of a specimen in a predetermined microscopy, a capture control unit controlling the capture unit and capturing a microscopic image about the same specimen with a plurality of predetermined resolutions, and a microscopy switch unit switching the microscopy. With the configuration, the capture control unit at least includes a first capture control unit allowing the capture unit to capture the specimen with a first resolution controlled in advance, a definition unit defining a plurality of small sections obtained by dividing a first microscopic image captured by the capture unit under control of the first capture control unit; and a second capture control unit allowing the capture unit to capture a portion corresponding to the small section of the specimen with a predetermined second resolution as a resolution higher than the first resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Takashi Yoneyama
  • Publication number: 20110013010
    Abstract: A microscope controller that performs operations for controlling operations of motorized units configuring a microscope system includes a touch panel unit that accepts an input made with an external physical contact and has a display function, a controlling unit for setting a display area as a functional area by assigning an image for operating the motorized unit to a certain display area on the touch panel unit and for generating a control instruction signal for controlling the motorized unit in accordance with a contact operation performed for the motorized unit corresponding to the functional area upon detection of an input made in the functional area, and a communication controlling unit for transmitting the control instruction signal to an external device that controls an operation of the motorized unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Izumi Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20100214403
    Abstract: A photomicroscopy system includes a microscope unit which outputs an enlarged image of a subject as a light flux, an image capturing unit which forms an image of the light flux output by the microscope unit and converts the formed image into digital data, a sensitivity changing unit which changes a sensitivity of the image capturing unit, and a computing unit which obtains an exposure time by using the digital data captured by the image capturing unit in a state where the sensitivity is increased to the high sensitivity after instructing the sensitivity changing unit to increase the sensitivity of the image capturing unit to the high sensitivity while calculating the exposure time for obtaining a suitable brightness by the image capturing unit, and sets the sensitivity of the image capturing unit to a low sensitivity after the exposure time is set in the image capturing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi UEDA, Takashi Yoneyama, Yasuko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20090185035
    Abstract: A microscope system which is capable of changing observation states by driving various optical members and which includes a history record unit for recording history data related to a microscope operation history, a selection unit for selecting one or more microscope operation items from among a plurality of microscope operation items, and a state reproduction unit for reproducing a microscope state on the basis of a microscope operation item(s) selected by the selection unit and on the basis of a microscope operation history related to history data recorded in the history record unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya SHIROTA, Takashi Yoneyama, Yasuko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20080304147
    Abstract: A microscope system that is capable of changing a status of observation of a sample comprises an instruction unit for giving instruction for driving one or more optical members including an objective lens or for changing a relative position of the sample and the objective lens; and an image capturing unit for capturing an observed image of the sample as a still image or a live image. The microscope system changes an order for performing operations in accordance with the instruction from the instruction unit, the operations including an operation of driving the one or more optical members or changing the relative position; an operation of switching the illumination light for the sample from being cut-off or reduced to being applied; and an operation of switching the image displayed in a display unit from the still image to the live image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Applicant: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki KAWANABE, Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Takashi Yoneyama
  • Publication number: 20080055406
    Abstract: A microscope image pickup system is one having a microscope apparatus enabled to change an observation state by driving one or more optical members, which comprises: an image pickup unit for picking up an image of an observation object; an image process unit for applying an image process to an image picked up by the image pickup unit; an input unit for inputting a process factor of the image process unit, wherein an observation state of the microscope apparatus and/or an image pickup condition of the image pickup unit are set up and an image is picked up so as to pick up an image of an image quality being equal to, or better than, that of an image to which an image process is applied on the basis of the process factor input from the input unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventor: Yasuko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20070081231
    Abstract: A microscope apparatus includes a capture unit for capturing a microscopic image of a specimen in a predetermined microscopy, a capture control unit controlling the capture unit and capturing a microscopic image about the same specimen with a plurality of predetermined resolutions, and a microscopy switch unit switching the microscopy. With the configuration, the capture control unit at least includes a first capture control unit allowing the capture unit to capture the specimen with a first resolution controlled in advance, a definition unit defining a plurality of small sections obtained by dividing a first microscopic image captured by the capture unit under control of the first capture control unit; and a second capture control unit allowing the capture unit to capture a portion corresponding to the small section of the specimen with a predetermined second resolution as a resolution higher than the first resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirota, Yasuko Ishii, Takashi Yoneyama