Abstract: Provided is a mobile body system including a traveling unit having an autonomous traveling function and a trolley unit having a housing portion for loading an object. A detection unit detects an amount of objects placed on the housing portion. A control unit determines an operation of the traveling unit based on the amount of objects detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: A product delivery system includes: a center server; a store server; a driver configured to be coupled with and decoupled from a carriage; and a terminal. A processor of the center server is configured to: acquire a scheduled loading time representing a completion time of loading of a product onto the carriage at the store, when order information on the product is output from the terminal to the store server; output, to the driver, an instruction for causing the driver to depart from a current position to the store in time for the scheduled loading time; and output, to the driver, an instruction for causing the driver coupled with the carriage to depart from the store to a delivery destination of the product, when acquiring, from the store server, a loading completion notification indicating that loading of the product onto the carriage has been completed at the store.

Abstract: An inverted microscope apparatus includes an immersion objective, an electric stage that moves at least in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the immersion objective, and a removal mechanism that removes an immersion liquid adhering to a bottom surface of a container placed on the electric stage. The removal mechanism is configured to scan the bottom surface using movement of the electric stage.

Abstract: An observation vessel includes a holding portion configured to hold an observation object and an accommodation portion at least partially formed of a transparent curved surface and configured to position the holding portion. The holding portion is configured to hold the observation object at a set position separated from the curved surface toward a center of curvature of the curved surface in a first state of being positioned at a first position by the accommodation portion.

Abstract: A microscope includes a movable stage supporting wells arranged in an array, a first imaging unit having a low-magnification objective lens, a second imaging unit having a high-magnification objective lens, a computer determining a representative position of a spheroid based on imaging data of the spheroid acquired by the first imaging unit, and a controller causing respective imaging units to sequentially acquire imaging data of the spheroid in each of the wells. The controller causes the first imaging unit to acquire imaging data for the spheroid in one of the wells, and then causes the stage to adjust the representative position to the optical axis of the high-magnification objective lens, and further causes the second imaging unit to acquire imaging data while causing the first imaging unit to acquire imaging data of the spheroid in another of the wells in synchronization with acquisition by the second imaging unit.

Abstract: Provided is a sample observation method including: bringing a gel-like transparent sample that encloses an observation target into contact with a transparent flat surface section of a substrate; and collecting light from the observation target by means of an objective lens via the substrate, in a state in which a pressing force is made to act in a direction in which the sample and the flat surface section relatively approach each other, until the contact area between the sample and the flat surface section comes to have a size allowing an effective light flux for the objective lens of a microscope to pass therethrough.

Abstract: An inverted microscope includes a stage supporting a bottom member; an immersion objective disposed facing vertically upward such that a distal end thereof faces a bottom face of the bottom member; an alignment unit moving the stage or the immersion objective in an optical-axis direction of the immersion objective; a liquid injecting unit injecting liquid between the bottom face and the distal end; and a controller controlling the liquid injecting unit, in a state where the bottom face and the distal end are disposed with a gap therebetween, to inject the liquid onto the distal end to form a droplet, and controlling the alignment unit to bring the bottom member and the immersion objective closer to each other to bring the droplet into contact with the bottom face, thereby forming a liquid column, and moving the stage and the immersion objective relative to each other while maintaining the liquid column.

Abstract: A light sheet microscope includes an objective, an illumination optical system, a first adjustor, a second adjustor and a controller. The illumination optical system irradiates sample with a light sheet from a direction that is different from an optical axis direction of the objective. The first adjustor adjusts a relative position between a light sheet plane on which the light sheet is formed and the objective in an optical axis direction of the objective. The second adjustor adjusts a relative position between the light sheet plane and the sample in an optical axis direction of the objective. The controller controls the first adjustor on the basis of light that is from the light sheet plane and that is detected via the objective when a relative position between the light sheet plane and the sample is changed by the second adjustor.

Abstract: An immersion liquid holder 2 is an immersion liquid holder that is used for an observation device 10 for observing sample S by using an immersion method, and includes a supporting member 2b configured to support an absorption member 3 that has absorbed an immersion liquid and a connection unit 2c configured to relatively fix the absorption member 3 that has absorbed the immersion liquid with respect to an optical system, which is an optical system included in the observation device 10, and to fix the absorption member 3 on an optical path of the optical system 1, by fixing the supporting member 2b to the observation device 10.

Abstract: A microscope apparatus 10 includes a detection optical system 12 that captures light from a sample S and an illumination optical system 11 that radiates an illumination light onto the sample S. The illumination optical system 11 includes a cylindrical lens 5 that has a power in a first-axis direction and does not have a power in a second-axis direction that is perpendicular to the first-axis direction, a cylindrical lens 6 that has a power in the second-axis direction and does not have a power in the first-axis direction, and a scanner 4 that scans the illumination light in a width direction. The illumination optical system 11 is configured such that the first-axis direction is the width direction described above, and the cylindrical lenses 5 and 6 are arranged posterior to the scanner 4.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light-field microscope including: an illumination optical system that radiates excitation light onto a sample; and a detection optical system including an objective lens that collects fluorescence generated in the sample as a result of the sample being irradiated with the excitation light by the illumination optical system, an image-acquisition element that acquires an image of the fluorescence collected by the objective lens, and a microlens array disposed between the image-acquisition element and the objective lens. The illumination optical system radiates a beam of the excitation light having a predetermined width in the optical-axis direction of the objective lens so as to include the focal plane of the objective lens onto the sample in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis.

Abstract: A microscope includes a movable stage supporting wells arranged in an array, a first imaging unit having a low-magnification objective lens, a second imaging unit having a high-magnification objective lens, a computer determining a representative position of a spheroid based on imaging data of the spheroid acquired by the first imaging unit, and a controller causing respective imaging units to sequentially acquire imaging data of the spheroid in each of the wells. The controller causes the first imaging unit to acquire imaging data for the spheroid in one of the wells, and then causes the stage to adjust the representative position to the optical axis of the high-magnification objective lens, and further causes the second imaging unit to acquire imaging data while causing the first imaging unit to acquire imaging data of the spheroid in another of the wells in synchronization with acquisition by the second imaging unit.

Abstract: An inverted microscope includes a stage supporting a bottom member; an immersion objective disposed facing vertically upward such that a distal end thereof faces a bottom face of the bottom member; an alignment unit moving the stage or the immersion objective in an optical-axis direction of the immersion objective; a liquid injecting unit injecting liquid between the bottom face and the distal end; and a controller controlling the liquid injecting unit, in a state where the bottom face and the distal end are disposed with a gap therebetween, to inject the liquid onto the distal end to form a droplet, and controlling the alignment unit to bring the bottom member and the immersion objective closer to each other to bring the droplet into contact with the bottom face, thereby forming a liquid column, and moving the stage and the immersion objective relative to each other while maintaining the liquid column.

Abstract: Provided is a microscope including: a chamber storing a solution in which a cuvette accommodating a solution together with a sample is immersed and that has an index of refraction identical to that of the solution; an immersion objective lens being placed outside the chamber and collecting light from the sample; a camera acquiring an image of the light collected by the lens; a targeting section moving the lens in a direction along a detection light axis thereof; and a movable stage supporting the cuvette in the chamber so as to be movable in at least a direction along the detection light axis. Each of the cuvette and the chamber has a transparent section that can transmit light coming from the sample. The lens is placed so as to face the transparent section of the cuvette with the transparent section of the chamber interposed therebetween.

Abstract: Provided is a sample observation method including: bringing a gel-like transparent sample that encloses an observation target into contact with a transparent flat surface section of a substrate; and collecting light from the observation target by means of an objective lens via the substrate, in a state in which a pressing force is made to act in a direction in which the sample and the flat surface section relatively approach each other, until the contact area between the sample and the flat surface section comes to have a size allowing an effective light flux for the objective lens of a microscope to pass therethrough.

Abstract: A light sheet microscope includes an objective, an illumination optical system, a correction device, an image pickup device, a first adjustor, a second adjustor and a controller. The controller performs a first focus process and a spherical aberration correction process. The first focus process is a process in which the first adjustor is controlled on the basis of light that is from the light sheet plane and that is detected via the objective so that the light sheet plane and a focal plane become closer when a relative position between the light sheet plane and a sample has been changed. The spherical aberration correction process is a process in which the correction device is controlled so that an evaluation value of the image obtained by the image pickup device becomes greater when the first adjustor has changed the relative position between the light sheet plane and the objective.

Abstract: A microscope device 100 includes: a sample container holder 7 that is capable of housing a plurality of sample containers 9 and that is supported so as to be attachable, each of the sample containers 9 housing a sample S and a first immersion medium and including a transparent section that transmits light; an illumination optical system 1 that emits illumination light to the sample S via the transparent section; a detection optical system 2 that detects light from the sample S via the transparent section; and a movement mechanism 16 that relatively moves the sample container holder 7, the detection optical system 2, and the illumination optical system 1 in a gravity direction. The sample container holder 7 houses the plurality of sample containers S in the gravity direction.

Abstract: A light sheet microscope includes a light source configured to output light, a plurality of optical fibers configured to guide the light that is from the light source, a plurality of illumination optical systems configured to respectively emit beams of the light guided from the plurality of optical fibers toward a sample as light sheets in a plurality of different directions on a same plane, and a light switching device that is provided between the light source and the plurality of optical fibers and that is configured to switch an optical fiber that the light output from the light source enters, from among the plurality of optical fibers.

Abstract: Provided is a microscope system including a motor-driven stage on which is mounted a culture vessel containing one or more cell clusters, each including cells having a target molecule labeled with a fluorescent or luminescent chemical; a low-magnification-image acquiring unit that acquires low-magnification images of the cell clusters in the culture vessel mounted on the stage; a detecting unit that detects the position of each cell cluster in the culture vessel by analyzing the acquired low-magnification images; and a high-magnification-image acquiring unit that, after the detected position is aligned with the optical axis of an objective lens, acquires slice images of fluorescence or luminescence emitted from the cells forming the cell cluster at a higher magnification than the low-magnification-image acquiring unit at intervals along the optical axis while the stage and/or the lens is moved to change stepwise the distance between the lens and the cell cluster.