US 5,449,622 AGranted

Method and apparatus for analyzing stained particles

OwnerRyohei Yabe, Shinichi Sakuraba +2inventors

InventorsRyohei Yabe, Shinichi Sakuraba, Masaaki Kurimura, Yasuaki Kojima

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Abstract

In a stained particle analyzing method and apparatus for staining a test sample containing suspended particles, shooting an image of the stained sample, and classifying the particles and computing the density from the shot image of the sample, the sample, which may not be analyzed precisely, is detected before the start of an image analyzing process. Only the sample, which will be analyzed precisely, is stained and subjected to the image analysis. Color information of the sample before the staining is detected and stored. Color information of an image of the sample shot after the staining is compensated based on the color information of the sample detected before the staining. The sort and density of the particles are classified and computed on the basis of the image after the color compensation.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A stained particle analyzing method for staining a test sample of urine taken from a living body and containing suspended particles, shooting an image of said sample after staining, and classifying said particles and computing the concentration of said particles from the shot image of said sample, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a light having a plurality of wavelengths through a test sample of urine before staining, and detecting the transmitted light;
computing analysis enable/unable decision data, including at least a turbidity of said sample, on the basis of said transmitted light;
computing first color information of said sample prior to staining on the basis of said transmitted light;
comparing said analysis enable/unable decision data with a predetermined decision reference value, and determining whether said sample is capable of analysis or not;
staining said sample and shooting an image of said sample only when said sample has been determined to be capable of analysis;
computing color compensating information for said image based upon said first color information;
and
classifying particles and computing the concentration of said particles on the basis of the area, length and the shape of said image of said sample and said color compensating information.

5 more elements

A stained particle analyzing apparatus for staining a test sample of urine taken from a living body and containing suspended particles, classifying said particles in said sample, and computing the concentration of said particles, said apparatus comprising:

a light source for emitting a light having a plurality of wavelengths to said sample;
light detecting means for receiving said light passed through said sample, and detecting said sample information from the detected light;
a flow cell through which said sample is passed;
liquid feeding means for staining said sample and introducing said sample to pass through said flow cell;
image shooting means for shooting an image of said sample in said flow cell;
data analyzing means for computing analysis enable/unable decision data for said sample, for computing first color information of said sample prior to staining based on said sample information from said light detecting means, for computing color compensation information after staining based upon said first color information, and for classifying particles and computing the concentration based on the area, length and the shape of the image of said sample and said color compensation information;
means for determining whether said sample is capable of analysis on the basis of the analysis enable/unable decision data computed by said data analyzing means;
and
controlling means for controlling operation of said liquid feeding means so that only test samples of urine determined to be capable of analysis by said means for determining is stained and passed through said flow cell.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.