Recording medium having observation program recorded therein and observation apparatus

1. A non-transitory recording medium having an observation program recorded therein, the observation program configured to cause a computer to execute:

an entire image-pickup process of picking up an image of a sample by picking up an image of an entire container containing the sample and a solution;

a sample mass identification process of identifying a sample mass having a plurality of the samples gathering therein, from the image picked up in the entire image-pickup process;

a sample mass determination process of extracting shape information of the sample mass identified in the sample mass identification process, and determining a state of the sample mass based on the shape information;

a coordinate detection process of selecting a magnifying observation target sample mass from the sample masses identified in the sample mass identification process, and detecting coordinates of a center of the magnifying observation target sample mass, based on a determination result of the sample mass determination process; and

a magnifying image-pickup process of performing magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and picking up an image of the magnifying observation target sample mass.

2. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein

the sample mass determination process includes:

extracting a contour of the sample mass identified in the sample mass identification process, and detecting a circle or an ellipse from a figure of the extracted contour;

determining that the sample mass is in a predetermined state, when a plurality of the circles or the ellipses are detected and a distance between centers of two of the circles or the ellipses is equal to or smaller than a predetermined distance; and

not selecting the sample mass determined to be in the predetermined state in the sample mass determination process, as the magnifying observation target sample mass.

3. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein

the sample mass determination process includes:

extracting a contour of the sample mass identified in the sample mass identification process, and detecting a circle or an ellipse from a figure of the extracted contour;

determining that the sample mass is in a predetermined state, when a plurality of the circles or the ellipses are detected and a distance between centers of two of the circles or the ellipses is equal to or smaller than a predetermined distance; and

selecting the sample mass determined to be in the predetermined state in the sample mass determination process, as the magnifying observation target sample mass.

4. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 2 , wherein

the sample mass determination process includes determining that the sample mass is in the predetermined state, when a plurality of the circles or the ellipses are detected and a distance between centers of two of the circles or the ellipses is equal to or smaller than a predetermined distance and a difference in radii of the two of the circles or the ellipses is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

5. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 3 , wherein

the sample mass determination process includes determining that the sample mass is in the predetermined state, when a plurality of the circles or the ellipses are detected and a distance between centers of two of the circles or the ellipses is equal to or smaller than a predetermined distance and a difference in radii of the two of the circles or the ellipses is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

6. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein

the coordinate detection process includes selecting the magnifying observation target sample mass from the sample masses each having a size equal to or greater than a predetermined size, among the sample masses identified in the sample mass identification process, based on a determination result of the sample mass determination process.

7. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 6 , wherein

a time-measuring process of measuring time periods and days from start of observation of the sample is further executed; and

the sample mass identification process includes repeating identification of the sample mass in every predetermined time period relating to identification of the sample mass measured in the time-measuring process, and stopping the identification of the sample mass on condition that the predetermined number of days have elapsed.

8. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 1 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.

9. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 2 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.

10. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 3 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.

11. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 4 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.

12. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 5 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.

13. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 6 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.

14. An observation apparatus comprising:

a computer configured to execute an observation program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium according to claim 7 ;

a first image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the sample in the container by picking up an image of the entire container; and

a second image pickup unit configured to perform magnification with the coordinates detected in the coordinate detection process as a center of the magnification, and pick up an image of the sample in the container.