Method and apparatus for measuring blood constituent counts
OwnerStephen C. Wardlawinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Blood constituents such as red cells, white cells, and platelets are centrifuged into layers in a capillary tube and the true extent of one or more of the layers is measured photometrically. Each layer to be measured is optically scanned by a sequence of scanning operations with the actual extent of each layer traverse being recorded in a computer. After each layer has been completely circumferentially scanned and each traverse recorded, the computer determines the true average axial dimension for each layer and computes, through prior input, the actual constituent count for each constituent layer.
Claims23
An optical scanning apparatus for measuring blood cell counts in a centrifuged sample of anticoagulated whole blood contained in a transparent tube wherein the blood cell types are separated into different layers in the tube, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) means for supporting the tube;
- (b) a source of light operable to illuminate the blood cell layers in the tube;
- (c) photosensor means focused on the illuminated blood cell layers in the tube and operable to scan the cell layers to detect differing light intensities characteristic of the different cell types in the layers of cells;
- (d) means for causing relative movement between the tube and said photosensor means for enabling said photosensor means to scan the layers of blood cells at all different locations circumferentially of the tube;
- (e) converter means operably connected to said photosensor means for converting analog signals from said photosensor means to digital form;
- and
- (f) computer means operably connected to said converter means for receiving and storing digital signals from said converter means, said computer means further being operable to utilize the signals received to calculate the average axial dimension of each layer of cells scanned to determine from previously inputted data the true cell counts for each layer of cells scanned.
A method for measuring blood cell counts in a centrifuged sample of anticoagulated whole blood contained in a transparent tube wherein the blood cell types are separated into different layers in the tube, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) illuminating the cell layers to be measured with a light which produces differing light intensity characteristics in the different cell types being measured;
- (b) scanning the entire outer circumferential surface of each cell layer being measured with a photosensor which detects differing light intensity characteristics produced by illumination of the different cell types being measured and which photosensor produces an analog output which varies in proportion to the different intensities of light detected in the cell layers;
- (c) converting said analog output to digital output;
- (d) receiving and storing said digital output in a computer and thereafter computer analyzing said stored digital output to compute an average axial dimension for each layer of cells scanned and determining in said computer the true cell counts for each layer of cells scanned from the computed average axial dimension and additional previously inputted data stored in said computer.
A method for measuring blood cell counts in a centrifugal sample of anticoagulated whole blood contained in a transparent tube wherein the blood cell types are separated into different layers in the tube, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a light source;
- (b) focusing light emitted from said light source on an area corresponding to the outside surface of the tube portion containing the cell layers being measured;
- (c) scanning the entire outer circumferential surface of each cell layer being measured with a photosensor which detects differing light intensity characteristics produced by illumination of the different cell types being measured and which photosensor produces an analog output which varies in proportion to the different intensities of light detected in the cell layers;
- (d) providing a computer having stored in its memory data concerning the available volume in the tube in which the cell layers being measured reside and data concerning the respective sizes of the various cell types being measured;
- (e) converting said analog output to digital output;
- (f) receiving and storing said digital output in said computer and thereafter computer analyzing said stored digital output to compute an average axial dimension for each layer of cells scanned and determining in said computer the true cell counts for each layer of cells scanned from combining the computed average axial dimension with the available volume memory data and the respective cell size memory data;
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- (g) providing a visual indication of computed true cell counts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.