JPS592061B2 - How to get started - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] There are different types of white blood cells: basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes, each of which is produced in different parts of the body and has different functions.

Therefore, by counting leukocytes in blood by type or understanding changes in individual types of leukocytes, it is possible to contribute to the diagnosis of diseases. The present invention is aimed at classifying, detecting, and counting eosinophils as part of the above-mentioned leukocyte test, and will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a sample consisting of a preparation containing blood cells, which is placed on a stage 2 that can be moved in the X direction. It is illuminated via a lens 6.

A projection microscope 7 is arranged above the sample 1, and this microscope T includes an objective lens 8, an eyepiece 9, and a reflector 10.
, and has a screen 11 on which an enlarged image of the sample 1 is projected. On the back surface of the screen 11, as shown in FIG.
are arranged in one line and combined. The other ends of these light guides are respectively coupled to light receiving elements 14a to 14n, and the light receiving signals of each element are supplied to AND circuits 15a to 15n, respectively. Reference numeral 16 denotes a time division circuit which sequentially generates time division pulses a to n at different times in synchronization with a clock pulse given as an input 17, and supplies these to AND circuits 15a to 15n, respectively, to each light receiving element 14a. ~14n
The received light signal is sampled in a time-division manner.

The sample outputs of these AND circuits 15a to 15n are
Combined onto a common output line 18, a series of sample scanning signals A is obtained. Further, the time division circuit 16 receives the time division signal a-
During the blank period after the occurrence of n, an X-direction drive pulse x is supplied to the X-direction drive mechanism 19 to move the sample stage 2 by a constant minute distance in the X-direction. Figure 3 shows red blood cells 21,
Basophils 22, eosinophils 23, other types of white blood cells 24
The optical image of , as well as the sample scanning signal A obtained by scanning these in the Y direction based on time division by AND circuits 15a to 15n are shown.

Comparing these various types of white blood cells, eosinophils 23 have multiple nuclei 23a, 23a, many granules 23b, and the wave height of the electrical signal of these granules is higher than that of basophils 23.
It can be seen that the electrical signal level of the cell part 23c excluding the granules 23b is higher than that of other blood cells. That is, if the electrical signal levels are defined as Vl, V2, V3, V4, V5, and V6 in descending order, the signal level of the cell portion of other types of leukocytes is approximately V1.
However, the signal level of the cell portion 23c of the eosinophil 23 greatly exceeds the signal level V2 of the red blood cell 21. In addition, the signal level V of the granules 22a of the basophil 22 and the nucleus of the white blood cell
6 exceeds V5, whereas the signal level of granules 23b of eosinophil 23 does not exceed V5. FIG. 4 shows a device for detecting the presence of eosinophils 23 based on the characteristics described above. 1st
The sample scanning signal A obtained by the illustrated sample scanning device 30 is applied to voltages V5 and V5 at comparators 31 and 32, respectively.
3 (see FIG. 3), and only those exceeding the comparison voltage are introduced into counters 33 and 34, respectively, and counted. The count values Na and Nb of both counters 33 and 34 are compared by a digital comparator 35, and the count value N of the counter 34 is
When b is sufficiently larger than the count value Na of the counter 33,
The comparison output is supplied to AND circuit 36. Further, a constant value N is set in the value setter 37, and the counter 3
The count value Na of 3 is compared with a set value N in the digital comparator 38, and if it is larger than this, the comparison output is supplied to the AND circuit 36. The AND circuit 36 is connected to the terminal 39
When both the digital comparators 35 and 38 have outputs in synchronization with the counting control signal given to the eosinophil counter 40 and the eosinophil display flip-flop 41, the AND output is supplied to the eosinophil counter 40 and the eosinophil display flip-flop 41. A reset signal is sent to the terminal 42 each time a test is completed for one blood cell, and the counters 33 and 34 and the flip-flop 41 are reset. Further, the counter 40 is set by a set signal supplied to the terminal 43 each time the test for one sample is completed. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the basophils 22 counted by the counter 33 exceeding the comparison voltage V5 of the comparator 31 are
granules 22a and the nuclei 23a, 24a of eosinophils 23 and other white blood cells 24, and the terminal 42
The value counted by the counter 33 until it is reset by the reset signal corresponds to the area of the granules 22a, 23a, and 24a in one white blood cell.

Further, a signal exceeding the comparison voltage V3 of the comparator 32 is an electric signal from any of the granules 22a of the basophils 22, all of the eosinophils 23, and the nuclei 24a of other white blood cells 24, and the signal exceeds the comparison voltage V3 of the counter 34. The numbers correspond to the areas of these parts. As can be seen from FIG. 3, only in the case of eosinophils 23, the count value Nb of the counter 34 is sufficiently larger than the count value Na of the counter 33, whereas in the case of other white blood cells, both counters are The count values Na and Nb of 33 and 34 become almost equal. Thus, digital comparator 35 produces an output when the blood cells being scanned are eosinophils. Further, since the set value N of the value setting device 37 is selected to be a value somewhat smaller than the minimum nuclear area of white blood cells, the digital comparator 38 outputs only when what is counted by the counter 33 is the nucleus of a white blood cell. will occur.

When the scanning for one blood cell is completed, the AND circuit 36
A counting control signal is supplied to.

When the blood cells are white blood cells other than basophils, an output is present in the digital comparator 38, and only when the blood cells are eosinophils, an output is present in the digital comparator 35. Therefore, if eosinophils are detected at the time when the counting control signal is applied, the AND circuit 36 produces an output and the counter 40 is set to "1".
At the same time, the flip-flop 41 is set to send out an eosinophil detection signal Q. When the processing of the detection signal Q is completed, a reset signal is applied to the terminal 42 to reset the counters 33, 34 and the flip-flop 41.
Move on to the next blood cell scan.

At the time when the test on one sample is completed, the count value of the counter 40 indicates the number of eosinophils present in the sample.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the number of eosinophils in a sample can be determined, the eosinophil detection signal Q can be used to automatically operate a testing device for the properties of the eosinophils, and furthermore, it is possible to It becomes possible to use the test signal Q to assist in classifying other types of white blood cells.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the sample scanning section in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the sample scanning section, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the appearance of various blood cells and their scanning signals, and FIG. 4 1 is a block diagram of an eosinophil selection portion in an embodiment of the present invention. 23... Eosinophils, 22 and 24... Other species leukocytes, V5... First voltage, V3...
...Second voltage, 31...First comparator, 32
...Second comparator, 33...First counter, 34...Second counter, 35...
...Third comparator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Each part of the blood sample divided into minute quantum shapes is
A device that detects the transmitted light beam for each quantum in the form of a pulse train while scanning two-dimensionally by high-speed scanning in the direction and low-speed scanning in the X direction that intersects this, and a device that exceeds the first voltage among the pulse trains A first comparator that only allows a pulse train to pass through, a second comparator that allows only those pulses exceeding a second voltage to pass out of the pulse train, and a second comparator that passes only pulses that exceed a second voltage from the pulse train; a third comparator that generates an eosinophilic leukocyte detection signal when the count value of the second counter sufficiently exceeds the count value of the first counter; The first voltage is selected to be at an intermediate level between the pulse height for detecting the nucleus of the white blood cell in the pulse train and the pulse height for detecting the cell part of the eosinophil leukocyte in the pulse train, and the second voltage is selected as the level between the pulse height for detecting the cell part of the eosinophil leukocyte in the pulse train. An eosinophilic leukocyte detection device characterized in that the wave height of the detection pulse is selected to be at an intermediate level between the wave height of the detection pulse of the cell parts of other leukocytes.