Scanner and method of using the scanner during a stain assessment
AssigneesThe Leeds Teaching Hospitals Nhs Trust, University of Leeds
InventorsDavid Brettle, Darren Treanor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A scanner for scanning a QA test slide as part of a stain QA method, and method of using the scanner are described. The scanner comprises a housing defining an interior of the scanner, a slide holder within the housing and configured to receive a QA test slide, a digital camera within the housing and arranged to capture an image of the QA test slide when located in the slide holder, and a light source within the housing and arranged to illuminate both a rear side and a front side of the QA test slide when located in the slide holder.
Claims24
A scanner for scanning a quality assurance (QA) test slide as part of a stain QA method, the scanner comprising:
- a housing defining an interior of the scanner;
- a slide holder within the housing and configured to receive a QA test slide having a rear face and an opposing front face that each extend between opposing side edges;
- a digital camera within the housing and arranged to capture an image of the QA test slide when the QA test slide is located in the slide holder;
- and
- a light source within the housing and arranged to illuminate the QA test slide when the QA test slide is located in the slide holder, the interior of the scanner diffusely reflecting light from the light source so that the light source illuminates both the rear face and the opposing front face of the QA test slide uniformly at the same time when the QA test slide is located in the slide holder.
A method of using a scanner to scan a quality assurance (QA) test slide during a stain QA method for a stain used for staining samples, comprising:
- inserting a QA test slide into a slide holder of the scanner, the scanner having housing, the housing having an interior surface with a concave curvature;
- the QA test slide having a rear face and an opposing front face, the QA test slide including on the front face a piece of biopolymer material that has been stained using the stain and a machine readable code;
- activating an annular light source so that light from the light source is received on and diffusely reflected from the interior surface of the housing so as to illuminate the rear face and the front face of the QA test slide at the same time;
- capturing an image of the piece of biopolymer material and the machine readable code using a digital camera;
- and
- removing the QA test slide from the scanner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.