# US 2018/0025211 A1 · Cell tracking correction method, cell tracking correction device, and storage medium which stores non-transitory computer-readable cell tracking correction program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025211 A1 - Document ID: US20180025211A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/721,408 - Filed: 2017-09-29 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-08 - Assignees: Olympus Corporation - Applicants: Olympus Corporation - Inventors: Hideya ARAGAKI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025211A1 ## CPC - G02B 21/36: arranged for photographic purposes or projection purposes (G02B21/18 takes precedence){or digital imaging or video purposes including associated control and data processing arrangements (image data processing per se G06T)} - C12M 1/00: Apparatus for enzymology or microbiology - G01B 11/00: Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques - G01N 15/1433: using image recognition - G02B 21/34: Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides - G02B 21/367: {providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison} - G06F 3/0486: Drag-and-drop - G06T 7/248: {involving reference images or patches} - G06T 7/74: {involving reference images or patches} - G06V 20/693: {Acquisition} - C12M 41/36: {of biomass, e.g. colony counters or by turbidity measurements (electrooptical investigation of individual particles G01N15/14, flow cytometers G01N15/1404)} - G01N 2015/1006: {for cytology} - G06T 2200/24: involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] - G06T 2207/10016: Video; Image sequence - G06T 2207/10056: Microscopic image - G06T 2207/10064: Fluorescence image - G06T 2207/20101: Interactive definition of point of interest, landmark or seed - G06T 2207/30024: Cell structures in vitro; Tissue sections in vitro - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - C12M: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; {APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS} - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A processor of a cell tracking correction apparatus is configured to perform processes comprising: estimating a position of at least one cell in images acquired by time-lapse photography, and tracking the position of the cell; generating nearby area images of a nearby area including the cell from the images of photography time points of the time-lapse photography, based on the tracked position of the cell at each of the photography time points of the time-lapse photography; displaying the nearby area images on a display; accepting, via a user interface, an input of a correction amount for correcting the position of the cell with respect to one of the nearby area images displayed on the display unit; and correcting the tracked position of the cell corresponding to the nearby area image, in accordance with the correction amount. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cell tracking correction method comprising: estimating a position of at least one cell in a plurality of images acquired by time-lapse photography, and tracking the position of the cell; generating a plurality of nearby area images of a nearby area including the cell from the images of photography time points of the time-lapse photography, based on the tracked position of the cell at each of the photography time points of the time-lapse photography; displaying the plurality of nearby area images on a display unit; accepting, via a user interface, an input of a correction amount for correcting the position of the cell with respect to one of the plurality of nearby area images displayed on the display unit; and correcting the tracked position of the cell corresponding to the nearby area image, in accordance with the correction amount. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cell tracking correction method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nearby area images are arranged and displayed in a time series on the display unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cell tracking correction method of claim 2, wherein at least one image of the plurality of images acquired by the time-lapse photography, and the plurality of nearby area images, are displayed on the display unit, and the plurality of nearby area images and the image are linked. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cell tracking correction method of claim 1, wherein the input of the correction amount is an input of a movement amount for moving the cell, of which the position in the nearby area image is shifted relative to a position of a central part of the nearby area image, such that the cell corresponds to the central part of the nearby area image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The cell tracking correction method of claim 4, wherein the input of the movement amount is executed by a drag-and-drop operation of dragging the cell in the nearby area image, moving the cell to the central part of the nearby area image, and dropping the cell. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The cell tracking correction method of claim 4, wherein, in accordance with the correction of the position of the cell, the correction of the positions of the cell in the plurality of nearby area images, which are generated from images acquired after a time point of acquisition of the image that is a basis of the nearby area image to be corrected the position of the cell, is executed based on the movement amount that is input. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The cell tracking correction method of claim 4, wherein, in accordance with the correction of the position of the cell, the correction of the positions of the cell in the plurality of nearby area images, which are generated from images acquired before a time point of acquisition of the image that is a basis of the nearby area image to be corrected the position of the cell, is executed based on the movement amount that is input. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cell tracking correction method of claim 1, further comprising re-tracking the position of the cell, based on the corrected position of the cell. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The cell tracking correction method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a feature amount of the cell at each of time points from the image, based on the position of the cell. ### Claim 10 A cell tracking correction apparatus comprising: a display configured to display images; a user interface configured to accept an input from a user; and a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to perform processes comprising: estimating a position of at least one cell in a plurality of images acquired by time-lapse photography, and tracking the position of the cell; generating a plurality of nearby area images of a nearby area including the cell from the images of photography time points of the time-lapse photography, based on the tracked position of the cell at each of the photography time points of the time-lapse photography; displaying the plurality of nearby area images on the display; accepting, via the user interface, an input of a correction amount for correcting the position of the cell with respect to one of the plurality of nearby area images displayed on the display unit; and correcting the tracked position of the cell corresponding to the nearby area image, in accordance with the correction amount. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of nearby area images are arranged and displayed in a time series on the display. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one image of the plurality of images acquired by the time-lapse photography, and the plurality of nearby area images, are displayed on the display, and the plurality of nearby area images and the image are linked. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 10, wherein the correcting the tracked position of the cell includes correcting the position of the cell of which the position in the nearby area image is shifted relative to a position of a central part of the nearby area image, such that the cell corresponds to the central part of the nearby area image. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 13, wherein the correcting the tracked position of the cell includes correcting the position of the cell by a drag-and-drop operation of dragging the cell in the nearby area image, moving the cell to the central part of the nearby area image, and dropping the cell. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 13, wherein, in accordance with the correction of the position of the cell, the correcting the tracked position of the cell includes correcting the positions of the cell in the plurality of nearby area images, which are generated from images acquired after a time point of acquisition of the image that is a basis of the nearby area image to be corrected the position of the cell, is executed based on the correction amount that is input. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 15, wherein, in accordance with the correction of the position of the cell, the correcting the tracked position of the cell includes correcting the positions of the cell in the plurality of nearby area images, which are generated from images acquired before a time point of acquisition of the image that is a basis of the nearby area image to be corrected the position of the cell, is executed based on the correction amount that is input. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 10, wherein the estimating and tracking the position of the cell including re-tracks the position of the cell, based on the corrected position of the cell. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The cell tracking correction apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a process comprising calculating a feature amount of the cell at each of time points from the image, based on the position of the cell. ### Claim 19 A storage medium, which non-transitory stores a computer-readable cell tracking correction program, causing a computer to realize: a cell tracking processing function of estimating a position of at least one cell in a plurality of images acquired by time-lapse photography, and tracking the position of the cell; a nearby area image generation function of generating a plurality of nearby area images of a nearby area including the cell from the images of photography time points of the time-lapse photography, based on the tracked position of the cell at each of the photography time points of the time-lapse photography; a display function of displaying the plurality of nearby area images on a display unit; a user interface function of accepting an input of a correction amount for correcting the position of the cell with respect to one of the plurality of nearby area images displayed on the display unit; and a position shift correction function of correcting the tracked position of the cell corresponding to the nearby area image, in accordance with the correction amount.