CN116097083A

CN116097083A - Method for locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear and a cell image analyzer

Info

Publication number: CN116097083A
Application number: CN202080104241.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 罗玮; 邢圆; 叶波; 祁欢; 余珊; 陈巧妮; 叶燚
Original assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-08-31
Filing date: 2020-08-31
Publication date: 2023-05-09
Also published as: WO2022041210A1

Abstract

A method of locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear and a cell image analyzer are provided. The method comprises the following steps: the control device acquires a starting shooting position and a final shooting position of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear, wherein a connecting line of the starting shooting position and the final shooting position passes through the region of interest (101); the control device enables the image shooting device to move relatively to the blood smear, and enables the image shooting device to shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the initial shooting point until the final shooting position stops moving relatively and shooting (102); the control device determines a target position (103) of the region of interest based on the image features and the imaging position of the plurality of cell images. The analyzer is convenient for a user to locate the region of interest more quickly and accurately, and the scanning area of the region of interest can be increased according to the requirements of the user.

Description

Method for locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear and a cell image analyzer

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of medical detection, in particular to a method for positioning a region of interest of a blood membrane on a blood smear and a cell image analyzer.

Background

In the field of medical diagnosis, as the degree of automation of inspection laboratories increases, the need for automated detection increases.

The full-automatic blood cell digital image analysis system can automatically load and unload blood smears, complete the functions of cell positioning and shooting, cell identification, pre-classification and the like, greatly improves the detection speed and the cell image quality, and can replace the manual microscopic examination work to a certain extent. The existing blood cell digital image analysis system automatically scans the blood smear, which scans the body tail junction of the blood film, and the part is suitable for observing red blood cells and white blood cells. However, platelet aggregation, large abnormal cells, etc. may occur at other sites of the blood smear, and there is a risk of missed detection only at the junction of the body tails.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above technical problems or at least partially solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a method for positioning a region of interest of a blood membrane on a blood smear and a cell image analyzer, which are convenient for a user to position the region of interest faster and more accurately, and to increase the scanning area of the region of interest according to the user's needs.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a method of locating a region of interest of a blood membrane on a blood smear, the method comprising:

The control device acquires a starting shooting position and a final shooting position of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear, wherein a connecting line of the starting shooting position and the final shooting position passes through the region of interest;

the control device enables the image shooting device to move relative to the blood smear, and enables the image shooting device to shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the initial shooting point until the final shooting position stops the relative movement and shooting;

the control device determines the target position of the region of interest according to the image features and shooting positions of the plurality of cell images.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method of locating a region of interest of a blood membrane on a blood smear, the method comprising:

the control device acquires an initial shooting position and a preset moving direction of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear;

the control device enables the image shooting device to move relative to the blood smear, enables the image shooting device to shoot a cell image of the blood smear along the preset moving direction from the initial shooting point and analyzes the cell image;

When the control device judges that the change of the image characteristics of the current cell image relative to the image characteristics of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, the shooting position of the current cell image is determined as the target position of the region of interest.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method of locating a region of interest of a blood membrane on a blood smear, the method comprising:

the control device receives a mode selection instruction;

when the mode selection instruction received by the control device is a dynamic mode, determining the target position of the region of interest according to the method;

when the mode selection instruction received by the control device is a fixed mode, acquiring a target position of a fixed preset region of interest;

the control device controls the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively according to the target position of the region of interest so as to position the target position of the region of interest.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a cell image analyzer comprising:

an image photographing device having a camera and a lens group for photographing an image of cells in a blood film on a blood smear;

A smear moving device for relatively moving the image capturing device and the blood smear;

a control device communicatively connected to the image capturing device and the smear moving device and configured to:

acquiring a starting shooting position and a final shooting position of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear, wherein a connecting line of the starting shooting position and the final shooting position passes through an interested region of the blood smear;

controlling the smear moving device to enable the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively;

controlling the image shooting device to shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the initial shooting point until the final shooting position stops the actions of the smear moving device and the image shooting device;

and determining the target position of the region of interest according to the image characteristics and the shooting positions of the plurality of cell images.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a cell image analyzer comprising:

acquiring an initial shooting position and a preset moving direction of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear;

controlling the image shooting device to shoot a cell image of the blood smear from the initial shooting point and analyzing the cell image;

when it is judged that the change of the image features of the current cell image relative to the image features of the cell image photographed before or after the current cell image satisfies a preset condition, determining the photographing position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a cell image analyzer comprising:

a mode selection device for selecting a dynamic mode in which the target position of the region of interest can be dynamically confirmed according to different blood smears or a fixed mode in which the target position of the region of interest can be fixedly preset;

A control device communicatively connected to the image capturing device, the smear moving device, and the mode selecting device and configured to:

a mode selection result is obtained from the mode selection means,

when the dynamic mode is selected, implementing the method of any one of the claims,

when the fixed mode is selected, the target position of the fixed preset region of interest is acquired,

and controlling the smear moving device according to the target position of the region of interest so as to enable the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively to locate the target position of the region of interest.

In the embodiment of the invention, a plurality of cell images are firstly shot from a starting shooting position, then the target position of the region of interest is determined through the characteristics of the plurality of cell images and the shooting position, wherein the target position can be a blood membrane boundary, such as the long side edges of the two sides of the blood membrane or the tail edge of the blood membrane, so that the problem that the image shooting can not be automatically positioned to the long side edges or the tail edges of the two sides of the blood membrane in the prior art is solved, the region of interest can be positioned more quickly and accurately by a user, and the scanning area of the region of interest can be increased according to the requirement of the user.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings which are used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without inventive effort.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method of locating a region of interest according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a blood film according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 to 5 are schematic diagrams showing cell images according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an edge shooting path according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of the tail of the blood membrane according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a tail shooting path according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a shooting path according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams showing the structure of a cell image analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 14-16, 19-20 are schematic diagrams illustrating identifying a region of interest according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 17-18 and 21-22 are flowcharts illustrating a method for identifying a region of interest in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 24 and 25 are schematic views showing the structure of a smear preparation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 26 and 27 are schematic diagrams of the structure of a cell image analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

For the purposes of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present application based on the embodiments herein.

The embodiment of the invention provides a method for positioning a region of interest, which is applied to a cell image analyzer. At least one cell image of different shooting positions of the blood smear is acquired through an image acquisition device, whether a region of interest is found is judged through analyzing whether the at least one cell image meets preset conditions (for example, comparing features in the image with preset thresholds), and the position of the region of interest on the blood smear is determined so as to accurately shoot the region of interest later. That is, the embodiment of the invention can dynamically determine the position of the region of interest, particularly the position of the blood film boundary on the blood smear, for each blood smear to be measured, thereby enabling the image acquisition device to accurately photograph the region near the blood film boundary.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method of locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear according to an embodiment of the invention, the method comprising:

step 101, a control device acquires a starting shooting position and a final shooting position of an image shooting device for cell shooting of a blood smear, wherein a connecting line of the starting shooting position and the final shooting position passes through the region of interest;

102, the control device enables the image shooting device to move relative to the blood smear, and enables the image shooting device to shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the initial shooting point until the final shooting position stops the relative movement and shooting;

step 103, the control device determines the target position of the region of interest according to the image features and the shooting positions of the plurality of cell images.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the blood smear has thereon a blood film formed by, for example, coating a blood sample on a blank slide, the blood film being a film formed of blood coated on the blood smear. As shown in fig. 2, the blood smear is generally rectangular in shape and the blood film is smeared on the blood smear from the A1 end to the B1 end. The blood film may include a head portion, a body portion, and a tail portion, respectively shown in a dotted frame, in the application direction, that is, from the A1 to the B1 end as shown in fig. 2, during the application. There may be a gap between the edge of the blood film and the edge of the blood smear, such as a gap C1 between the long side edge of the blood film and the long side edge of the blood smear.

In the embodiment of the invention, the region of interest may be a blood membrane edge, or may be a blood membrane tail, or may be a blood membrane edge and a blood membrane tail.

In the embodiment of the invention, a plurality of cell images are shot from the initial shooting position and the final shooting position, then the target position of the region of interest is determined through the characteristics of the plurality of cell images and the shooting position, and the target position can be the edge or the tail part, so that the problem that the boundary of the blood membrane, such as the position of the long edge or the tail edge on two sides of the blood membrane, can not be found in the prior art is solved, the region of interest can be positioned faster and more accurately by a user, and the scanning area of the region of interest can be increased according to the requirements of the user.

In the embodiment of the invention, when capturing a plurality of cell images, the image capturing device may capture images under different objective lenses, for example, capture cell images under an objective lens of not less than 40X (40 times), preferably, capture cell images under an objective lens of 100X (100 times).

In the embodiment of the present invention, in step 103, the control device makes the image capturing device capture a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from a start capturing point, including:

the control device enables the image shooting device to continuously shoot a plurality of cell images of different positions of the blood smear according to a preset image interval from the starting shooting point.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the preset image interval may be a time interval or may be a distance interval, and when the distance interval is adopted, a preferable scheme may be equal spacing. When the images are shot at equal intervals, the front frame of cell image and the rear frame of cell image can be continuous shooting which is connected, for example, the distance interval at the moment can be the visual field width or the visual field length of the imaging device; alternatively, it may be photographed at intervals of a certain pitch.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in step 103, the determining, by the control device, the target position of the region of interest according to the image features and the shooting positions of the plurality of cell images includes:

the control device sequentially analyzes the image characteristics of at least two cell images which are shot successively, particularly continuously shot successively, in the plurality of cell images;

if the change of the image characteristics of the at least two successively shot, in particular successively shot, cell images meets a first preset condition, the shooting position of one cell image of the at least two cell images is the target position of the region of interest.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in step 103, the image feature includes a cell area, and if the change of the image features of the at least two successively shot cell images satisfies a first preset condition, the shooting position of one cell image in the at least two cell images is a target position of the region of interest, including:

The control device identifies a cell area in the analyzed cell image according to the gray level or color difference of cells and the background in the analyzed cell image;

if the change of the cell area of the at least two cell images shot successively meets a second preset condition, the shooting position of the first shot or the last shot cell image in the at least two cell images is the target position of the region of interest.

In the embodiment of the invention, which frame of cell image is the target position of the region of interest is generally determined by the change of the image characteristics of at least two cell images which are photographed successively, in particular successively, for example, the change of the area of the cell region.

In the embodiment of the invention, the region of interest comprises a long edge of the blood membrane;

the method for capturing the image of the region of interest includes the steps of:

if the image feature of the first or last shot cell image of the at least two cell images shot sequentially indicates a partially blank cell area (as shown in fig. 4) corresponding to the first or last shot cell image, and the image feature of at least one remaining cell image indicates a fully blank area (as shown in fig. 3) or a fully cell area (as shown in fig. 5) corresponding to the remaining cell image, the shooting position of the first or last shot cell image is the target position of the long edge.

The method in this embodiment acquires the region of interest according to the image feature variation. If the partial blank partial cell region is changed from the full blank region or the full cell region or the partial blank partial cell region is changed from the full blank region or the full cell region, the partial blank partial cell region is the target position of the long side edge.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a control device analyzes image features of a cell image, including:

the control device identifies a cell area in the analyzed cell image according to the gray level or color difference of cells and a background in the cell image;

if the area of the cell image is smaller than the first threshold value, the cell image corresponds to a full blank area,

if the area of the cell image is larger than or equal to a first threshold value, the cell image corresponds to a part of blank cell area; and/or

If the area of the cell image is larger than a second threshold value, the cell image corresponds to a whole cell area,

and if the area of the cell image is smaller than or equal to a second threshold value, the cell image corresponds to a part of the blank cell area.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first threshold may be set to 0.01×the total area of the field of view (the whole image), that is, if the area of the cell image is less than 1% of the total area of the field of view, the cell image is considered to correspond to the full blank area; if the area of the cell area is greater than or equal to 1% of the total area of the field of view, then the cell image is considered to correspond to a partially blank partial cell area. The second threshold may be set to 0.70 x total area of the field of view, i.e. if the area of the cell area is greater than 70% of the total area of the field of view, then the cell image is considered to correspond to a whole cell area; the cell area is less than or equal to 0.70 x total area of the field of view, and the cell image corresponds to a partially blank partial cell area. It can be understood that, in actual use, since the blood film position is within the controllable range, the initial shooting point and the shooting direction can be generally determined, and the first threshold and the second threshold can be used alone as conditions for determining the partially blank partial cell area, the fully blank area or the fully cell area, for example, in the case of shooting from the middle position of the blood film to the outside of the long edge, only the change from the fully cell area to the partially blank partial cell area needs to be determined, that is, only the second threshold can be used for determining at this time; similarly, in the case of photographing from the outside of the long edge toward the middle position of the blood membrane, the judgment may be performed using only the first threshold. Of course, in other possible embodiments, the first threshold and the second threshold may be used together as conditions for determining the different regions, for example, when the area of the cell region of the cell image is between 1% and 70% of the total area of the field of view, the cell image may be considered to correspond to a partially blank cell region. For example, if there are multiple images of cells taken sequentially, the cell area ratio of the first image of cells is greater than 70% (i.e., in the whole cell area), and the cell area ratio of the last image of cells begins to be less than 1% (i.e., into the complete blank area), then the location of the image of cells taken before or after the last image of cells is the long edge.

It should be noted that, in consideration of the easy determination of the total area of the field of view or the area of the cell image of the imaging device, the first threshold value and/or the second threshold value may be expressed as a first area ratio threshold value, for example, the first threshold value may be 1% of the area ratio of the cell area to the total area of the field of view.

In the embodiment of the invention, the area can also be the number of pixel points, namely the area and the pixels can be converted, for example, one pixel in a cell image represents 0.05 micrometer, and then 100 micrometers is 2000 pixels; the percentage may also be the fixed number of pixels (i.e. the area size), or may be the interconversion, for example, the number of pixels in the whole image is 5000000, and the threshold is calculated according to the percentage 1% to be 50000.

As shown in fig. 3, 4 and 5, the cell image shown in fig. 3 is an image of a full-blank region, the cell image shown in fig. 4 is an image of a partial-blank partial cell region, and the cell image shown in fig. 5 is an image of a full-cell region. In the embodiment of the invention, the cell area is identified by the gray level or color difference of the cell and the background, and then the image characteristics of the cell image can be analyzed by setting the first threshold value and/or the second threshold value, namely whether the cell image corresponds to the full-blank area, the partial-blank partial cell area or the full-cell area can be analyzed.

Similarly, the control device may determine the target location of the region of interest by analyzing image features of a single cell image of the plurality of cell images. In one possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, if the image feature of any one of the cell images indicates a cell area corresponding to a blank portion of the cell image, the photographing position of the any one of the cell images is that the region of interest includes a long edge of the blood membrane. For example, by analyzing the image characteristics of a certain cell image by the method, when determining the cell area of the cell image corresponding to the blank part, the position of the cell image shot by the cell image is determined to be the long edge.

In another possible implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the long-side edge can be determined by analyzing any one of the plurality of captured cell images, for example, sequentially analyzing or analyzing the plurality of cell images in other order. Specifically, the control device analyzes the image characteristics of any one of the plurality of cell images and acquires the distribution information of the cell area of any one of the cell images; if the distribution information meets the preset distribution condition, determining the shooting position of any cell image as the target position of the long edge. Since the cell region may exhibit a distribution from the whole cell region to the partially blank partial cell region, or a distribution from the partially blank partial cell region to the fully blank region, or a distribution from the whole cell region to the partially blank partial cell region, or a distribution from the partially blank partial cell region to the fully blank region in the cell image taken at the target position of the long side edge, the target position of the long side edge may be determined using the above as a preset distribution condition.

In a specific implementation manner, the control device can obtain at least two secondary cell images by dividing any cell image in the plurality of cell images, and analyze the image characteristics of the two secondary cell images; if the image features of the two secondary cell images respectively represent one corresponding full-blank area, the other corresponding partial-blank partial cell area or the full cell area in the two secondary cell images; or if the image features of the two secondary cell images respectively represent one corresponding whole cell area, the other corresponding partial blank partial cell area or the whole blank area in the two secondary cell images; the photographing position of any one of the cell images is determined as the target position of the long side edge.

For example, at least one dividing line may be preset in any one of the plurality of cell images, so as to obtain at least two cell images secondary from the any one cell image. Preferably, the dividing line is preferably a straight line parallel to the edge direction of the blood smear; the dividing line may be defined in the middle of any of the cell images. Calculating the areas of the cell areas in the at least two divided secondary cell images respectively, and considering that the secondary cell images correspond to the full blank areas when the areas of the cell areas in the secondary cell images are smaller than a first threshold, for example, the first threshold is 1% of the total area of the secondary cell images; when the area of the cell area of the secondary cell image is greater than a predetermined threshold, for example, the predetermined threshold is 50% of the total area of the secondary cell image (of course, the predetermined threshold may be the same as the first threshold or the second threshold), the secondary cell image may be considered to correspond to a partially blank partial cell area or a whole cell area. Thus, if the image features of the two secondary cell images respectively represent one corresponding full-blank region, the other corresponding partial-blank partial cell region or the full-cell region in the two secondary cell images, the imaging position of either cell image is determined to be the target position of the long edge.

Similarly, the first threshold and/or the second threshold may be used to determine the corresponding fully blank region, partially blank partial cell region, or fully cell region of the secondary cell image. Thus, if the image features of the two secondary cell images respectively represent one corresponding whole cell region, the other corresponding partially blank partial cell region or the whole blank region in the two secondary cell images; the photographing position of any one of the cell images is determined as the target position of the long side edge. As in the previous embodiments, the first and second thresholds may be fixed values or may be determined by a predetermined proportion of the total area of the secondary cell image occupied by the cell region.

When the image features of a single cell image of the plurality of cell images captured by the imaging device are used to determine the target position of the region of interest, the distance between the two cell images captured before and after is smaller than the field width or the field length of the imaging device in order to avoid missed detection. In particular, the distance interval may match the position of the dividing line, the first threshold, the second threshold or a predetermined threshold. For example, when the dividing line is defined in the middle, the distance between two consecutive images may be preferably selected to be 50% of the width of the field of view of the cell image.

In the embodiment of the invention, the initial shooting position and the final shooting position are respectively positioned at two sides of one long edge of the blood membrane, or the initial shooting position and the final shooting position are respectively positioned outside the long edges at two sides of the blood membrane. The blood film comprises a head part, a body part and a tail part along the smearing direction on the blood smear, and the long edge is the long edge of the head part or the body part.

Referring to fig. 2, the initial photographing position and the final photographing position may be located at both sides of one long side edge of the blood film as shown by D1, E1, or may be located at both sides of the other long side edge of the blood film as shown by H1, F1, or may be located outside the long side edges of both sides of the blood film as shown by D1, F1, respectively.

Referring to fig. 2, the start photographing position and the final photographing position may be preferably located outside the two long side edges of the blood membrane body as shown in G1, F1, or may be located outside the two long side edges of the blood membrane head as shown in D1, I1.

The positions shown in fig. 2 are merely illustrative, and D1, F1, G1, I1 may be any position shown as C1 between the long side edge of the blood film and the long side edge of the blood sheet, and E1, H1 may be any position within the blood film. The above-described start shooting position and final shooting position may also be interchanged.

In one example, the region of interest is a long side edge of a blood film, such as the upper edge of the blood film shown in fig. 2. The initial shooting position and the final shooting position are E1 and D1 respectively, namely the control device enables the image shooting device to continuously shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the point E1 according to a preset image interval until the point D1. Then, the control device analyzes the image characteristics of at least two cell images successively shot in succession among the plurality of cell images shot successively. If one of the at least two successively shot cell images is a partially blank partial cell area (as shown in fig. 4) and at least one other cell image is a fully blank area (as shown in fig. 3), the shooting position of the first shot cell image is the target position of the long edge; or if one of the at least two successively shot cell images is a partially blank partial cell area (as shown in fig. 4) and at least one of the other cell images is a whole cell area (as shown in fig. 5), the shooting position of the last shot cell image is the target position of the long edge. It can also be said that, as shown in fig. 14, the edges can be found from the blank positions on both sides toward the middle, and a plurality of images 1400 are taken in the direction perpendicular to the long side edges of the blood sheet (as shown by the arrow direction in the figure), first passing through the completely blank region, then the edge region with blank cells, and then completely entering the cell region. According to the initial shooting position, the image position (the number of images) of the edge area and the interval distance between the adjacent images, the actual distance from the shooting starting point to the edge position is determined, and then the actual position of the long edge is determined. The location of image 1401 in fig. 14 is an actual location of the long edge.

In another example, edges may be found from the middle to the side edges, as shown in fig. 15, a series of images 1500 are taken along the direction perpendicular to the long edge of the blood sheet (as shown by the arrow in fig. 15), first the full cell area, then the edge area with cells in the blank, and then the full entry into the blank area; according to the initial shooting position, the image position (the number of images) of the edge area and the interval distance between the adjacent images, the actual distance from the shooting starting point to the edge position is determined, and then the actual position of the long edge is determined. In fig. 15, the image 1501 is an actual location where the long edge is located. In yet another example, the region of interest is two long side edges of the blood film, such as the blood film upper edge and the blood film lower edge shown in fig. 2. The initial shooting position and the final shooting position are F1 and G1 respectively, namely the control device enables the image shooting device to continuously shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the point F1 according to a preset image interval until the point G1. Then, the control device analyzes the image characteristics of at least two cell images successively shot in succession among the plurality of cell images shot successively. If the at least two successively imaged cell images are changed from the partially blank partial cell region (as shown in fig. 4) to the fully blank partial cell region (as shown in fig. 3) or from the fully blank partial cell region (as shown in fig. 5) to the partially blank partial cell region (as shown in fig. 4), the imaged position of the cell image having the partially blank partial cell region is the target position of the long edge of the blood membrane. That is, a series of images 1600 may be taken directly from one side blank position to the other side blank position, as shown in fig. 16, in a direction perpendicular to the long side edge of the blood sheet (as shown by the arrow direction in fig. 16), and then positioned to the edge positions on both sides. According to the image position (the number of images) of the edge area and the interval distance between the adjacent images, the actual distance from the shooting starting point to the edge position is determined, and the actual position of the edge is further determined. In fig. 16, the image 1601 is an actual position where the long edge is located.

As shown in fig. 17, in an embodiment of the present invention, after determining the target position of the region of interest, the method further includes:

step 1710, the control device determines a first target shooting position according to the target position of the long edge;

at step 1720, the control device causes the image capture device to move relative to the blood smear to position the image capture device to the first target capture position;

in step 1730, the control device causes the image capturing device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively from the first target capturing position along an edge capturing path toward the tail portion, so that the image capturing device captures a plurality of first target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the edge shooting path towards the tail may be a path parallel to the blood smear edge or parallel to the smearing direction. At the time of photographing, photographing may be performed at time intervals or at distance intervals as in the above-described embodiment.

In the embodiment of the invention, whether the blood smear is abnormal can be judged according to the target image, and the method further comprises the step of outputting a plurality of first target cell images of the long edge of the blood film by the control device, for example, outputting the first target cell images to the display device, so that a user can judge whether the blood smear has abnormal white blood cells, abnormal platelet aggregation and the like according to the first target cell images.

Alternatively or additionally, the control device may also automatically determine whether there is an abnormality in the blood smear from the target image, i.e. the method further comprises:

the control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or blood platelet aggregation exists in the blood smear according to a plurality of first target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.

As shown in fig. 18, in an embodiment of the present invention, the control device makes the image capturing device capture a plurality of first target cell images, and the method further includes:

step 1810, the control device determines a second target shooting position of the long edge according to the target position of the long edge, wherein the second target shooting position is different from the first target shooting position;

step 1820, the control device moving the image capturing device and the blood smear relative to each other to position the image capturing device to the second target capturing position;

in step 1830, the control device further moves the image capturing device and the blood smear relative to each other from the second target capturing position in parallel with the edge capturing path, so that the image capturing device captures a plurality of second target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the second target capturing position is further away from the long edge of the blood coating in a direction perpendicular to the long edge of the blood coating (or perpendicular to the coating direction) than the first target capturing position, and a line connecting the first target capturing position and the second target capturing position may be perpendicular to the coating direction (or may not be perpendicular to the long edge of the blood coating).

In an embodiment of the present invention, after the image capturing device captures a plurality of second target cell images of the long edge of the blood membrane, the method further includes:

judging whether the shooting areas of the plurality of first target images and the plurality of second target cell images are larger than or equal to a preset area;

if the area is larger than or equal to the preset area, stopping shooting;

if the area is smaller than the preset area, the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively in parallel with the edge shooting path from the third target shooting position according to the third target shooting position of the long edge, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of third target cell images of the long edge of the blood film, wherein the third target shooting position is different from the second target shooting position.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an edge shooting path according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the first target shooting position may be A2 point, and the edge shooting path may be A2-B2 path. The second target photographing position may be a C2 point and the corresponding edge photographing path may be C2-D2. The second target photographing position may be a D2 point and the corresponding edge photographing path may be D2-C2.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned edge shooting paths, for example, E2-F2 in fig. 6, may be repeated multiple times until the area of the shot cell picture reaches a preset area, or the total shooting path number of shooting is preset, and then shooting is performed. The purpose is to obtain more information of the edge cells so as to judge abnormality, such as platelet aggregation, and the like more accurately, and in addition, the problem of irregular blood film caused by irregular smearing or other reasons can be fully considered, so that a user can position the region of interest more quickly and accurately, and the scanning area of the region of interest can be increased according to the requirement of the user.

In the embodiment of the invention, whether the blood smear is abnormal can be judged according to the target image, and the method further comprises the step of outputting a plurality of first target cell images and a plurality of second target cell images and optionally a third target cell image of the long edge of the blood film by the control device, for example, outputting the first target cell images and the second target cell images and optionally the third target cell images to a display device, so that a user can judge whether the blood smear has abnormal white blood cells, abnormal platelet aggregation and the like according to the first target cell images and the second target cell images and optionally the third target cell images.

Alternatively or additionally, the control device may also automatically determine whether there is an abnormality in the blood smear from the target image, i.e. the method further comprises: the control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or platelets are aggregated in the blood smear according to a plurality of first target cell images and a plurality of second target images and optionally a plurality of third target images of the long edge of the blood film.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the region of interest further includes a tail portion of the blood membrane, and the tail portion of the blood membrane can be identified while the long edge of the blood membrane is photographed, more precisely, the tail edge is found, and the method further includes:

the control device sequentially analyzes image characteristics of at least two first target cell images shot in sequence in the plurality of first target cell images;

if the change of the image characteristics of the at least two first target cell images shot in sequence indicates that the tail characteristics or tail edge characteristics of the red blood cells with small cell areas are gathered, the shooting position of the last shot first target cell image in the at least two first target cell images is the target position of the tail.

As shown in fig. 6, during image capturing of the long edge, it is possible to capture the tail, for example, the second half of C2-D2, or the second half of F2-E2.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the change of the image features of the at least two first target cell images captured successively indicates that tail features of aggregation of red blood cells and/or small cell areas appear, including:

the numerical characteristic of the red blood cell aggregation of the last shot first target cell image in the at least two first target cell images shot in sequence is larger than a third threshold value and/or the area of the cell area is smaller than a fourth threshold value, and the numerical characteristic of the red blood cell aggregation of the rest at least one first target cell image is smaller than or equal to the third threshold value and/or the area of the cell area is larger than or equal to the fourth threshold value.

That is, when a change in the image characteristics of at least two first target cell images taken before and after indicates that cells, for example, red blood cells, are aggregated, and the total area of the cell area is reduced below a set threshold, it can be considered that the trailing portion or trailing edge of interest is reached.

The numerical characteristic of the red blood cell clusters may be a proportion of the red blood cell clusters, or may be a number of the red blood cell clusters, or may be an area size.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the third threshold may be 0.5 x the area of the cell area, the fourth threshold may be 0.25 x the total area of the field of view (the area of the entire image), i.e., the area of the cell area is less than 25% of the total area of the field of view in the cell image, and/or the ratio of the area of the aggregated cells to the area of the cell area exceeds 50% of the threshold, the trailing edge is considered to be reached. The aggregation is judged in such a manner that the size of the connected domain of the cell mass exceeds a certain threshold, for example 200 square micrometers.

The third threshold value and the fourth threshold value may be converted into a third area ratio threshold value and a fourth area ratio threshold value. For example, the third threshold may be a 50% area ratio threshold of the area of aggregated cells to the area of the cell region, and the fourth threshold may be a 25% area ratio threshold of the area of the cell region to the total area of the field of view.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the area and the pixels are convertible, and will not be described herein.

Fig. 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of the tail portion of the blood membrane according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the tail portion relatively close to the blood membrane body portion, and fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the tail edge close to the blank area. As shown in fig. 7 and 8, cells, particularly erythrocytes, are aggregated in the tail region, and the cell region is small, and the aggregation of cells is indicated by a dotted line box in fig. 7 and 8.

In the embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises the following steps:

the control device determines a tail shooting path according to the target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fourth target cell images on the tail shooting path.

The tail photographing path is similar to the edge photographing path described above, and may be E3-F3 parallel to the long side edge of the blood coating, as shown in fig. 9, or may be G3-H3 perpendicular to the long side edge of the blood coating. The preferred tail imaging path is perpendicular to the long edge of the blood sheet and will not be described in detail herein.

Similarly, in the embodiment of the invention, whether the blood smear is abnormal can be determined according to the target image of the tail part, and the control device can output a plurality of first target cell images, a plurality of second target cell images and a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail part of the blood film, for example, to a display device, so that a user can determine whether the blood smear has abnormal white blood cells, abnormal platelet aggregation and the like according to the first target cell images, the second target cell images and the fourth target cell images.

the control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or blood platelet aggregation exists in the blood smear according to the first target cell images, the second target cell images and the fourth target cell images.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, the tail position, more precisely, the tail edge position is found when the edge region is photographed, and the embodiment of the present invention may also directly find the tail or the tail edge position.

That is, in an embodiment of the present invention, the region of interest includes a tail of the blood film;

the control device determines a target position of a region of interest according to image features and shooting positions of a plurality of cell images, and comprises the following steps:

if the change of the image characteristics of the at least two successively shot cell images indicates that the tail characteristics of the red blood cells aggregated into clusters and/or small cell areas appear, the shooting position of the cell image shot first or shot last in the at least two cell images is the first target position of the tail.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the initial shooting position and the final shooting position are respectively located outside two side edges of the tail of the blood membrane, such as A3, B3, or B3, A3 in fig. 9; or is or are

The initial photographing position is located in the tail of the blood film, and the final photographing position is located behind the tail in the smearing direction, as shown in C3, D3 of fig. 9; or alternatively

The initial photographing position is located behind the tail in the painting direction, and the final photographing position is located in the tail of the blood film, as shown by D3 and C3 in fig. 9.

In particular, how to determine the tail characteristics of the small cell area and/or the aggregated red blood cells indicated by the change of the image characteristics of at least two cell images photographed in sequence is not described herein.

In addition, the position of the tail edge can also be judged by the change of the area size of the cell area of at least two cell images which are photographed in sequence. For example, when the image capturing device continuously captures a plurality of cell images from the middle of the tail outward in the application direction, if a change in these cell images indicates that the total area of the cell areas starts to be smaller than a set threshold, it is considered that the tail portion or tail edge of interest is reached. For example, when the area of the cell region in the cell image starts to be smaller than 5% of the area of the entire image, it can be considered that the cell region in the cell image is small and belongs to the tail edge portion.

In one example, as shown in FIG. 19, multiple cell images 1900 may be taken from the body to the tail in a direction parallel to the long side edge of the blood smear (in the direction of the arrow as shown) until a small number of cells are found, a large number of voids are present, and/or a tail region where red blood cells aggregate. According to the image position (the number of images) of the tail area and the interval distance between the adjacent images, the actual distance from the shooting starting point to the tail position is determined, and then the actual position of the tail edge is determined. In addition, since the trailing edge is generally curved, a plurality of lines of imaging paths in the direction of the arrow may be selected for cell image imaging, and a plurality of positions of the trailing edge may be determined so that the trailing region can be imaged more completely later. The start point and the end point of each line of photographing path may be preset and stored in the memory of the control device. The image 1901 in fig. 19 is an actual position where the tail is located.

In another example, as shown in fig. 20, multiple images 2000 of cells may be acquired from one side to the other side (as indicated by the arrow) along the edge perpendicular to the long side of the blood sheet, from which the image positions of the upper and lower trailing edges are found. According to the image position (the number of images) of the tail area and the interval distance between the adjacent images, the actual distance from the shooting starting point to the tail position is determined, and then the actual position of the tail edge is determined. In addition, as well, since the trailing edge is generally curved, a plurality of rows of imaging paths in the direction of the arrow may be selected for cell image imaging, and a plurality of positions of the trailing edge may be determined so that the trailing region can be imaged more completely later. The start point and the end point of each column of shooting paths can be preset and stored in a memory of the control device; or the start point and the end point of the first-column photographing path may be preset and stored in the memory of the control device, and the start point and the end point of the next photographing path may be determined according to the last detected trailing edge position. In fig. 20,

images

2001 and 2002 are both tail regions.

In an embodiment of the present invention, after determining the target position of the tail, the method further includes:

the control device determines a first tail shooting path according to a first target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the first tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail on the first tail shooting path.

In the embodiment of the invention, the shooting path can be adjusted to continuously shoot the tail after searching the tail edge position while shooting along the first tail path and searching the other tail edge position again. The specific method comprises the following steps:

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the first tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail on the first tail shooting path;

the control device sequentially analyzes the image characteristics of at least two fourth target cell images shot in sequence in the fourth target cell images,

if the change of the image characteristics of the at least two fourth target cell images shot in sequence indicates that the tail characteristics of red blood cells gathering and/or small cell areas appear, the shooting position of the fourth target cell image shot first or last in the at least two fourth target cell images is the second target position of the tail;

The control device determines a second tail shooting path parallel to or perpendicular to the first tail shooting path according to a second target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the second tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fifth target cell images of the tail on the second tail shooting path.

As shown in fig. 10, the first tail photographing path may be A4-B4, where A4 is located outside the tail edge of the blood membrane, B4 is located in the tail of the blood membrane, and B4 corresponds to the tail in the image features of the photographed cell image. The second target position is B4, the second shooting path takes B4 as a starting point, the second shooting path can be B4-C4, the C4 point is positioned outside the tail part, and the tail edge of the blood film can be obtained in the shooting process along the B4-C4. After the trailing edge is obtained, it can be moved to point D4 and then continue along path D4-E4 looking for the trailing edge and taking the trailing picture.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 10, the first tail photographing path may be a path parallel to the long side edge of the blood sheet.

the control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or platelet aggregation exists in the blood smear according to a plurality of fourth target cell images and/or a plurality of fifth target cell images of the tail.

In the embodiment of the invention, the connecting line of the initial shooting position and the final shooting position is perpendicular to the edge of the blood smear.

when the control device judges that the platelet aggregation abnormality exists in the blood smear, the platelet number of the blood smear is estimated according to at least one cell image of the long edge of the blood film and/or at least one cell image of the tail of the blood film.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a method for counting target cells includes:

the cell image analysis device acquires a cell image of a blood sample, wherein the blood sample is derived from a blood sample to be tested;

the cell image analysis device automatically identifies the number of target cells and the number of reference cells in the cell image;

the cell image analysis device acquires the number of the reference cells in the blood sample to be detected, and calculates the number of the target cells in the blood sample to be detected based on the number of the target cells and the number of the reference cells in the cell image and the number of the reference cells in the blood sample to be detected.

The target cells may be platelets, red blood cells, white blood cells, or the like. For more specific methods of target cell statistics, reference is made to application No. PCT/CN 2019/123029.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of cell pictures are taken first and then analyzed, and in fact, the embodiment of the present invention may be analyzed while taking the pictures, as follows.

As shown in fig. 21, in an embodiment of the present invention, the method includes:

step 2110, the control device acquires a starting shooting position and a preset moving direction of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear;

step 2120, the control device enables the image shooting device to move relative to the blood smear, enables the image shooting device to shoot a cell image of the blood smear along the preset moving direction from the initial shooting point and analyzes the cell image;

in step 2130, when the control device determines that the change of the image feature of the current cell image with respect to the image feature of the cell image captured before or after the current cell image satisfies a third preset condition, determining the capturing position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the control device determines that the change of the image feature of the current cell image relative to the image feature of the cell image captured before or after the current cell image satisfies a third preset condition, determining the capturing position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest includes:

and if the area change of the cell area of the current cell image relative to the cell area of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, determining the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest.

In the embodiment of the invention, the region of interest is the long edge of the blood membrane;

the control device determines that the change of the image feature of the current cell image relative to the image feature of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, and determines the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest, including:

and if the image features of the current cell image represent the partial blank partial cell area corresponding to the current cell image and the image features of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image represent the full blank area or the full cell area corresponding to the cell image shot before or after the current cell image, determining the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the long edge of the blood membrane.

the control device determines a first target shooting position according to the target position of the long edge;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively so as to position the image shooting device to the first target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively along a preset edge shooting path from the first target shooting position, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of first target cell images of the long edge of the blood film on the edge shooting path.

In an embodiment of the present invention, after capturing a plurality of first target cell images, the method includes:

the control device determines a second target shooting position according to the target position of the long edge, wherein the second target shooting position is different from the first target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively so as to position the image shooting device to the second target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively from the second target shooting position in parallel with the edge shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of second target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.

In the embodiment of the invention, the region of interest is the tail of the blood membrane;

and if the change of the image characteristics of the current cell image relative to the image characteristics of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image shows that the tail characteristics of the red blood cells gathering and/or small cell area appear, determining the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the tail.

the control device determines a first tail shooting path according to the target position of the tail;

The control device determines a second tail shooting path according to the target position of the tail;

In this embodiment, the starting position and the ending position of the shooting path, the analysis process of the cell image, the analysis of the cell abnormality after shooting the region of interest, and the like may be referred to the schemes in other embodiments of the present invention, and will not be described herein.

In the embodiment of the invention, real-time shooting and real-time analysis can be performed, the shooting path can be adjusted in real time according to the analysis result, the region of interest can be positioned relatively rapidly, and the positioning efficiency is improved.

As shown in fig. 22, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for locating a region of interest, where the method includes:

step 2210, the control device receives a mode selection instruction;

step 2220, when the mode selection instruction received by the control device is a dynamic mode, determining a target position of the region of interest according to the method of the above embodiment;

Step 2230, when the mode selection instruction received by the control device is a fixed mode, obtaining a target position of a fixed preset region of interest;

in step 2240, the control device controls the image capturing device and the blood smear to move relatively according to the target position of the region of interest, so as to locate the target position of the region of interest.

The invention also provides a method for positioning the region of interest, which can be selected according to the default setting of the system or the two modes of setting, analyzing after shooting and analyzing while shooting.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a cell image analyzer, as shown in fig. 11, comprising:

an image photographing device 1110 having a camera and a lens group and for photographing an image of cells in a blood sample coated on a blood smear;

a smear moving device 1120 for relatively moving the image capturing device and the blood smear;

a control device 1130 communicatively coupled to the image capture device and the smear mobile device and configured to:

The embodiment of the invention also provides a cell image analyzer, referring to fig. 11, comprising:

an image photographing device 1110 having a camera and a lens group for photographing an image of cells in a blood sample coated on a blood smear;

The cell image analyzer of the present invention is configured to perform the above method.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a cell image analyzer, as shown in fig. 12, comprising:

an image photographing device 1210 having a camera and a lens group for photographing an image of cells in a blood sample coated on a blood smear;

a smear moving means 1220 for relatively moving the image photographing means and the blood smear;

mode selection means 1230 for selecting a dynamic mode in which the target position of the region of interest can be dynamically confirmed according to different blood smears or a fixed mode in which the target position of the region of interest can be fixedly preset;

control means 1240 communicatively connected to said image capturing means, said smear moving means and said mode selecting means and configured for:

A mode selection result is obtained from the mode selection means,

when the dynamic mode is selected, the method described above is implemented,

The embodiment of the invention also provides computer equipment, which comprises a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein the processor realizes the steps of the method when executing the computer program.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a computer readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which computer program, when being executed by a processor, provides the steps of the above method.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a sample analysis system. As shown in fig. 23, the sample analysis system 100 includes a blood analyzer 110, a smear preparation apparatus 120, a cell image analysis apparatus 130, and a control apparatus 140.

The blood analyzer 110 is used for performing blood routine detection on a sample to be detected, the smear preparation device 120 is used for preparing smears of the sample to be detected, the cell image analysis device 130 is used for performing image shooting and analysis on cells in the smears, and the control device 140 is in communication connection with the blood analyzer 110, the smear preparation device 120 and the cell image analysis device 130.

The sample analysis system 100 further includes a first transfer rail 150 for transporting the rack 10 in which the plurality of test tubes 11 loaded with the sample to be measured can be placed from the blood analyzer 110 to the smear preparation apparatus 120, and a second transfer rail 160 for transporting the slide basket 20 in which the plurality of prepared smears 21 can be loaded from the smear preparation apparatus 120 to the cell image analysis apparatus 130.

The control device 140 is electrically connected to the first and second transfer rails 150 and 160 and controls the operation thereof.

The sample analysis system 100 further includes feeding

mechanisms

170 and 180 provided corresponding to the blood analyzer 110 and the smear preparation apparatus 120, respectively, each of the feeding

mechanisms

170 and 180 including a

loading buffer

171 and 181, a feeding

detection zone

172 and 183, and an

unloading buffer

173 and 183.

When the sample to be tested on the test tube rack 10 needs to be transported to the blood analyzer 110 for detection, the test tube rack 10 is transported from the first transmission track 150 to the loading buffer 171, then transported from the loading buffer 171 to the feeding detection area 172 for detection by the blood analyzer 110, after detection, unloaded from the feeding detection area 172 to the unloading buffer 173, and finally from the unloading buffer 173 to the first transmission track 150.

Similarly, when the sample to be tested on the test tube rack 10 needs to be subjected to microscopic examination, the test tube rack 10 needs to be conveyed to the smear preparation device 120 to prepare a smear, the test tube rack 10 is firstly conveyed from the first transmission track 150 to the loading buffer area 181, then conveyed from the loading buffer area 181 to the feeding detection area 182 to prepare a smear by the smear preparation device 120, and after smear preparation is finished, the smear is unloaded from the feeding detection area 182 to the unloading buffer area 183, and finally enters the first transmission track 150 from the unloading buffer area 183. The smear preparation apparatus 120 stores the prepared smear in the slide basket 20, and conveys the slide basket 20 storing the smear to be measured to the cell image analysis apparatus 130 through the second conveying rail 160, and the cell image analysis apparatus 130 performs image photographing and analysis of cells in a sample on the smear to be measured.

The sample analysis system 100 further includes a display device (not shown) for displaying the result of the sample detection, and may be provided on the blood analyzer 110, the smear preparation device 120, the cell image analysis device 130, or the control device 140, or may be provided otherwise.

Fig. 24 and 25 show schematic structural views of a smear preparation apparatus 120, and the smear preparation apparatus 120 can be used for smear preparation of samples of blood, body fluids, and the like. The smear preparation apparatus includes a sampling mechanism 121 for drawing a sample, a slide loading mechanism 122 for moving a slide to a working line, a sampling mechanism 123 for loading a sample to a slide, a pushing mechanism 124 for trowelling a sample on a slide, a drying mechanism (not shown) for drying a blood film on a slide, and a staining mechanism 125 for staining a slide.

When the sampling mechanism 121 extracts a sample, the sample is first mixed and then sucked by a sampling device (e.g., a sampling needle 1211) in the sampling mechanism 121, and the suction may be a puncture suction (the sampling container has a cover through which the sampling device passes) or an open suction (the sampling container is open and the sampling device directly sucks the sample from the open portion) depending on the sample container. Blood sample information detection can be performed to obtain information and alignment information, if necessary. In some embodiments, the micro-sampling mechanism 126 is further included, and the micro-sampling mechanism 126 can directly move the test tube placed by the operator towards the direction of the sampling device, or the sampling device can also move towards the direction of the test tube placed by the operator. In other implementations, the micro sample injection mechanism 126 may also move the test tube directly toward the direction of the sample injection mechanism 123, or the sample injection mechanism 123 may also move toward the direction of the test tube placed by the operator, and sample loading is performed after the sample is directly sucked by the sample injection mechanism 123 (e.g. a drip needle), so that the need for blood sample is reduced because the need for blood sampling by the sample injection mechanism 121 is eliminated, thereby realizing micro and preferential sample injection. When sampling is complete, blood is ready to be dropped onto the slide via the sampling mechanism 123.

Accordingly, the slide loading mechanism 122 extracts the slide and loads the slide into a corresponding position for a blood drip operation. In some embodiments, after the slide extraction operation is completed, slide side-to-side detection and slide cleaning operations may also be performed, followed by slide reloading. The loaded slide can print related information and simultaneously carry out operations such as slide positive and negative detection.

The blood dropping needle of the sampling mechanism 123 drops the sample onto the slide, and then performs a pushing operation, and the blood is pushed onto the slide into a blood film shape by the pushing mechanism 124. In general, after the completion of the slide pushing operation, the blood film on the slide can be dried to stabilize the form. In some embodiments, the slide may be driven to flip before the blood film is dried to meet the corresponding needs. In some embodiments, the dried blood smear may also be subjected to a drying test to determine the effect of blood film drying. In some embodiments, the dried blood smear may also be subjected to a blood film development test to determine whether the blood film is developed and whether the developed state is satisfactory. After the slide is pushed, the slide (blood smear) may be stained (by staining mechanism 125) or output directly (e.g., placed into slide basket 20 for output)

As shown in fig. 26 and 27, the cell image analysis device 130 (also the osteoblast image analyzer 130) includes at least an imaging device 131, a smear moving device 132, and an image analysis device 133, the imaging device 131 including a camera 1312 and a lens group 1311 and being used for photographing cells in a sample smeared on a smear, the smear moving device 132 being used for moving the smear relative to the imaging device 131 so that the imaging device 131 photographs cell images of a specific area of the smear, and the image analysis device 133 being used for analyzing the cell images of the smear.

As shown in fig. 27, the lens group 1311 may include a first objective lens and a second objective lens. The first objective lens may be, for example, a 10-fold objective lens, and the second objective lens may be, for example, a 100-fold objective lens. The lens group 1311 may further include a third objective lens, which may be, for example, a 40-fold objective lens. Lens group 1311 may also include an eyepiece.

The cell image analysis device 130 further includes an identification device 134, a slide clamping device 135, and a smear recovery device 136. The identification device 134 is used for identifying the identity information of the smear, the slide clamping device 135 is used for clamping the smear from the identification device 134 to the smear moving device 132 for detection, and the smear recycling device 136 is used for placing the detected smear.

The cell image analysis apparatus 130 further includes a basket loading device 137 for loading a basket loaded with a smear to be measured, and the slide clamping device 135 is further configured to clamp the slide to be measured in the basket loaded on the basket loading device 137 to the identification device 134 for identification information identification. The slide basket loading device 137 is connected to the first transfer rail 160 so that the smear prepared by the smear preparation device 120 can be transferred to the cell image analysis device 130.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 13, a schematic structural diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The control device 30 includes at least: the processing component 31, RAM112, ROM113, communication interface 34, memory 36 and I/O interface 35, wherein the processing component 31, RAM32, ROM33, communication interface 34, memory 36 and I/O interface 35 communicate via bus 37.

The processing component may be a CPU, GPU or other chip with computing capabilities.

The memory 36 stores various computer programs such as an operating system and application programs for execution by the processor element 31 and data necessary for execution of the computer programs. In addition, during the positioning of the region of interest, data stored locally may be stored in the memory 36, if desired.

The I/O interface 35 is constituted by a serial interface such as USB, IEEE1394, or RS-232C, a parallel interface such as SCSI, IDE, or IEEE1284, and an analog signal interface composed of a D/a converter, an a/D converter, and the like. An input device consisting of a keyboard, mouse, touch screen or other control buttons is connected to the I/O interface 35, and a user can directly input data to the control device 30 using the input device. In addition, the I/O interface 35 may be connected to a display having a display function, for example: a liquid crystal screen, a touch screen, an LED display screen, or the like, the control device 30 may output the processed data as image display data to a display for display, for example, a first target cell image, a second target cell image, a third target cell image, a fourth target cell image, a fifth target cell image, or the like.

The communication interface 34 is an interface that may be any communication protocol known to date. The communication interface 34 communicates with the outside through a network. The control device 30 may communicate data with any device connected via the network via the communication interface 34 in a communication protocol.

It should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The features mentioned above in the description, in the drawings and in the claims may be combined with one another at will, as long as they are significant and do not contradict one another within the present invention. The features and advantages described for the method according to the invention are applicable in a corresponding manner to the cell image analyzer according to the invention and vice versa.

The foregoing is only a specific embodiment of the invention to enable those skilled in the art to understand or practice the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

A method of locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear, the method comprising:

the control device acquires a starting shooting position and a final shooting position of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear, wherein a connecting line of the starting shooting position and the final shooting position passes through the region of interest;

The control device enables the image shooting device to move relative to the blood smear, and enables the image shooting device to shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the initial shooting point until the final shooting position stops the relative movement and shooting;

the control device determines the target position of the region of interest according to the image features and shooting positions of the plurality of cell images.
The method of claim 1, wherein the control means causes the image capture means to capture a plurality of images of cells at different locations of the blood smear from a starting capture point, comprising:

the control device enables the image shooting device to continuously shoot a plurality of cell images of different positions of the blood smear according to a preset image interval from the starting shooting point.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device determines the target position of the region of interest based on the image features and the photographing positions of the plurality of cell images, comprising:

the control device sequentially analyzes the image characteristics of at least two cell images which are sequentially shot in the plurality of cell images;

If the change of the image characteristics of the at least two successively shot cell images meets a first preset condition, the shooting position of one cell image in the at least two cell images is the target position of the region of interest.
The method of claim 3, wherein the image feature includes a cell region, and the change in the image feature of the at least two sequentially captured cell images satisfies a first preset condition, and the capturing position of one of the at least two cell images is a target position of the region of interest, including:

the control device identifies a cell area in the analyzed cell image according to the gray level or color difference of cells and the background in the analyzed cell image;

if the change of the cell area of the at least two cell images shot successively meets a second preset condition, the shooting position of the first shot or the last shot cell image in the at least two cell images is the target position of the region of interest.
The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the region of interest comprises a long-side edge of the blood film;

the method for capturing the image of the region of interest includes the steps of:

If the image feature of the first or last shot cell image of the at least two cell images shot sequentially represents a partial blank partial cell area corresponding to the first or last shot cell image, and the image feature of at least one rest cell image represents a full blank area or full cell area corresponding to the rest cell image, the shooting position of the first or last shot cell image is the target position of the long edge.
The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest comprises a long-side edge of the blood film; the control device determines a target position of a region of interest according to image features and shooting positions of a plurality of cell images, and comprises the following steps:

the control device analyzes the image characteristics of any cell image in the plurality of cell images;

if the image features of any cell image represent the cell area corresponding to the blank part of the cell image, the shooting position of any cell image is the target position of the region of interest.
The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest comprises a long-side edge of the blood film; the control device determines a target position of a region of interest according to image features and shooting positions of a plurality of cell images, and comprises the following steps:

The control device analyzes the image characteristics of any one of the plurality of cell images and acquires the distribution information of the cell area of any one of the cell images;

if the distribution information meets the preset distribution condition, determining the shooting position of any cell image as the target position of the long edge.
The method of claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the controlling means analyzes image features of the cell image, comprising:

the control device identifies a cell area in the analyzed cell image according to the gray level or color difference of cells and a background in the cell image;

if the area of the cell image is smaller than a first threshold, the cell image corresponds to a full blank area, and if the area of the cell image is larger than or equal to the first threshold, the cell image corresponds to a partial blank part of the cell area; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

and if the area of the cell image is smaller than or equal to the second threshold, the cell image corresponds to a part of the blank cell area.
The method of claim 8, wherein the starting and final capture locations are located on either side of one long side edge of the blood film, respectively, or the starting and final capture locations are located outside of the long side edges on either side of the blood film, respectively.
The method of claim 9, wherein the blood film comprises a head, a body, and a tail on the blood smear in a smear direction, the long side edge being a long side edge of the head or body.
The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the blood film comprises a head, a body, and a tail on the blood smear in a smear direction, the method further comprising:

the control device determines a first target shooting position of the long edge according to the target position of the long edge;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively so as to position the image shooting device to the first target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continuously move relatively from the first target shooting position along an edge shooting path towards the tail part, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of first target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.
The method of claim 11, wherein the control device causes the image capture device to capture a plurality of first target cell images, the method further comprising:

the control device determines a second target shooting position of the long edge according to the target position of the long edge, wherein the second target shooting position is different from the first target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively so as to position the image shooting device to the second target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively from the second target shooting position in parallel with the edge shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of second target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.
The method of claim 12, wherein after the causing the image capture device to capture a plurality of second target cell images of the long side edge of the blood film, the method further comprises:

judging whether the shooting areas of the plurality of first target images and the plurality of second target cell images are larger than or equal to a preset area;

If the area is larger than or equal to the preset area, stopping shooting;

if the area is smaller than the preset area, the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively in parallel with the edge shooting path from the third target shooting position according to the third target shooting position of the long edge, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of third target cell images of the long edge of the blood film, wherein the third target shooting position is different from the second target shooting position.
The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device outputs a plurality of first target cell images and/or a plurality of second target images and/or a plurality of third target cell images of the long edge of the blood membrane; and/or

The control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or blood platelet aggregation exists in the blood smear according to a plurality of first target cell images and/or a plurality of second target images and/or a plurality of third target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.
The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the region of interest further comprises a tail of the blood membrane, the method further comprising:

The control device sequentially analyzes image characteristics of at least two first target cell images shot in sequence in the plurality of first target cell images;

if the change of the image characteristics of the at least two first target cell images shot in sequence indicates that the tail characteristics of the red blood cells aggregated into clusters and/or small cell areas appear, the shooting position of the last shot first target cell image in the at least two first target cell images is the target position of the tail.
The method of claim 15, wherein a change in the image characteristics of the at least two first target cell images taken sequentially indicates the appearance of a tail characteristic of red blood cell aggregation and/or small cell area, comprising:

the numerical characteristic of the red blood cell aggregation of the last shot first target cell image in the at least two first target cell images shot in sequence is larger than a third threshold value and/or the area of the cell area is smaller than a fourth threshold value, and the numerical characteristic of the red blood cell aggregation of the rest at least one first target cell image is smaller than or equal to the third threshold value and/or the area of the cell area is larger than or equal to the fourth threshold value.
The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein the method further comprises:

The control device determines a tail shooting path according to the target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fourth target cell images on the tail shooting path.
The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device outputs a plurality of first target cell images and/or a plurality of second target images of the long edge of the blood membrane and/or a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail part; and/or

The control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or blood platelet aggregation exists in the blood smear according to the plurality of first target cell images at the long edge and/or the plurality of second target cell images and/or the plurality of fourth target cell images at the tail.
The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the blood film comprises a head portion, a body portion, and a tail portion in a coating direction on a blood smear, and the region of interest comprises a tail portion of the blood film;

the control device determines a target position of a region of interest according to image features and shooting positions of a plurality of cell images, and comprises the following steps:

If the change of the image characteristics of the at least two successively shot cell images indicates that the tail characteristics of the red blood cells aggregated into clusters and/or small cell areas appear, the shooting position of the cell image shot first or shot last in the at least two cell images is the first target position of the tail.
The method of claim 19, wherein the starting and final capture locations are located beyond two side edges of the tail of the blood film, respectively; or alternatively

The initial shooting position is located in the tail of the blood film, and the final shooting position is located behind the tail along the smearing direction; or alternatively

The initial photographing position is located behind the tail in the application direction, and the final photographing position is located in the tail of the blood film.
The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein a change in the image characteristics of the at least two images of cells taken sequentially indicates the appearance of a tail characteristic of red blood cell aggregation and/or small cell areas, comprising:

the numerical characteristic of the red blood cell aggregation of the cell image which is firstly shot or finally shot in the at least two cell images which are shot successively is larger than a third threshold value and/or the area of the cell area is smaller than a fourth threshold value, and the numerical characteristic of the red blood cell aggregation of at least one other cell image is smaller than or equal to the third threshold value and/or the area of the cell area is larger than or equal to the fourth threshold value.
The method of any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device determines a first tail shooting path according to a first target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the first tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail on the first tail shooting path.
The method of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device outputs a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail part; and/or the control device judges whether abnormal white blood cells and/or platelet aggregation exists in the blood smear according to a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail part.
The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein the line connecting the initial photographing position and the final photographing position is perpendicular to the edge of the blood smear.
The method of claim 14 or 18 or 23, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device estimates the platelet count of the blood smear according to at least one target cell image of the long edge of the blood film and/or at least one target cell image of the tail of the blood film.
A method of locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear, the method comprising:

the control device acquires an initial shooting position and a preset moving direction of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear;

the control device enables the image shooting device to move relative to the blood smear, enables the image shooting device to shoot a cell image of the blood smear along the preset moving direction from the initial shooting point and analyzes the cell image;

when the control device judges that the change of the image characteristics of the current cell image relative to the image characteristics of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, the shooting position of the current cell image is determined as the target position of the region of interest.
The method according to claim 16, wherein the control device determines that the change in the image characteristics of the current cell image with respect to the image characteristics of the cell image photographed before or after the current cell image satisfies a third preset condition, and determines the photographing position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest, including:

The control device identifies a cell area in the analyzed cell image according to the gray level or color difference of cells and the background in the analyzed cell image;

and if the area change of the cell area of the current cell image relative to the cell area of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, determining the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest.
The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein the region of interest is a long-side edge of the blood film;

the control device determines that the change of the image feature of the current cell image relative to the image feature of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, and determines the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest, including:

if the image features of the current cell image represent the cell region corresponding to the partial blank region of the current cell image and the image features of the cell image photographed before or after the current cell image represent the cell image corresponding to the full blank region or the full cell region photographed before or after the current cell image, determining the photographing position of the current cell image as the target position of the long edge of the blood membrane.
The method of any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device determines a first target shooting position according to the target position of the long edge;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively so as to position the image shooting device to the first target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively along a preset edge shooting path from the first target shooting position, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of first target cell images of the long edge of the blood film on the edge shooting path.
The method of claim 29, wherein after the image capturing device captures the plurality of first target cell images, the method comprises:

the control device determines a second target shooting position according to the target position of the long edge, wherein the second target shooting position is different from the first target shooting position;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively so as to position the image shooting device to the second target shooting position;

The control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to continue to move relatively from the second target shooting position in parallel with the edge shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of second target cell images of the long edge of the blood film.
The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein the blood film comprises a head portion, a body portion, and a tail portion in a coating direction on a blood smear, the region of interest being the tail portion of the blood film;

the control device determines that the change of the image feature of the current cell image relative to the image feature of the cell image shot before or after the current cell image meets a third preset condition, and determines the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest, including:

if the change of the image characteristics of the current cell image relative to the image characteristics of the cell image taken before or after the current cell image indicates the occurrence of red blood cell aggregation and/or

And determining the shooting position of the current cell image as the target position of the tail part by using tail features with small cell areas.
The method of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

The control device determines a first tail shooting path according to the target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the first tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fourth target cell images of the tail on the first tail shooting path.
The method of claim 32, wherein the method further comprises:

the control device determines a second tail shooting path according to the target position of the tail;

the control device enables the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively along the second tail shooting path, so that the image shooting device shoots a plurality of fifth target cell images of the tail on the second tail shooting path.
A method of locating a region of interest of a blood film on a blood smear, the method comprising:

the control device receives a mode selection instruction;

determining a target position of the region of interest according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 33 when the mode selection instruction received by the control means is a dynamic mode;

When the mode selection instruction received by the control device is a fixed mode, acquiring a target position of a fixed preset region of interest;

the control device determines a shooting path of the region of interest according to the target position of the region of interest.
A cell image analyzer, comprising:

an image photographing device having a camera and a lens group for photographing an image of cells in a blood film on a blood smear;

a smear moving device for relatively moving the image capturing device and the blood smear;

a control device communicatively connected to the image capturing device and the smear moving device and configured to:

acquiring a starting shooting position and a final shooting position of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear, wherein a connecting line of the starting shooting position and the final shooting position passes through an interested region of the blood smear;

controlling the smear moving device to enable the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively;

controlling the image shooting device to shoot a plurality of cell images at different positions of the blood smear from the initial shooting point until the final shooting position stops the actions of the smear moving device and the image shooting device;

And determining the target position of the region of interest according to the image characteristics and the shooting positions of the plurality of cell images.
The cell image analyzer of claim 35, wherein the control device is further configured to implement the method of any one of claims 2 to 34.
A cell image analyzer, comprising:

an image photographing device having a camera and a lens group for photographing an image of cells in a blood film on a blood smear;

a smear moving device for relatively moving the image capturing device and the blood smear;

a control device communicatively connected to the image capturing device and the smear moving device and configured to:

acquiring an initial shooting position and a preset moving direction of the image shooting device for cell shooting of the blood smear;

controlling the smear moving device to enable the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively;

controlling the image shooting device to shoot a cell image of the blood smear from the initial shooting point and analyzing the cell image;

when it is judged that the change of the image features of the current cell image relative to the image features of the cell image photographed before or after the current cell image satisfies a preset condition, determining the photographing position of the current cell image as the target position of the region of interest.
The cell image analyzer of claim 37, wherein the control device is further configured to implement the method of any one of claims 26 to 33.
A cell image analyzer, comprising:

an image photographing device having a camera and a lens group for photographing an image of cells in a blood film on a blood smear;

a smear moving device for relatively moving the image capturing device and the blood smear;

a mode selection device for selecting a dynamic mode in which the target position of the region of interest can be dynamically confirmed according to different blood smears or a fixed mode in which the target position of the region of interest can be fixedly preset;

a control device communicatively connected to the image capturing device, the smear moving device, and the mode selecting device and configured to:

a mode selection result is obtained from the mode selection means,

when the dynamic mode is selected, the method of any one of claims 1 to 33 is performed,

when the fixed mode is selected, the target position of the fixed preset region of interest is acquired,

And controlling the smear moving device according to the target position of the region of interest so as to enable the image shooting device and the blood smear to move relatively to locate the target position of the region of interest.