Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090237665 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A FOCAL POSITION OF AN IMAGING DEVICE ADAPTED TO IMAGE A BIOLOGIC SAMPLE - A method and apparatus for focusing a device for imaging a biologic sample is provided. A method aspect of the disclosure includes the steps of: 1) disposing lenslets within a field of a biologic sample, which lenslets have a height, and have a refractive index and which refractive index is different from that of the sample, wherein one or both of the imaging device and the sample are relatively locatable so a focal position of the imaging device can be moved along the height of the lenslets; 2) imaging at least a portion of the sample including a plurality of lenslets using transmittance at one or more predetermined wavelengths; 3) determining an average light transmittance intensity of the sample at the wavelengths; 4) determining an average light transmittance intensity of a region of each lenslet at the wavelengths; and 5) determining the focal position of the imaging device using the average light transmittance intensity of the sample and the average light transmittance intensity of the region of the lenslets. | 09-24-2009 |
20090238437 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE HEMATOCRIT OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for determining the hematocrit of a blood sample is provided that includes the steps of: 1) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by the interior surfaces of first and second panels and a height extending there between, wherein both panels are transparent, and the height is such that at least some of the red blood cells within the sample contact both interior surfaces of the panels and one or more lacunae within the quiescent sample extend between the interior surfaces; 2) imaging at least a portion of the quiescent sample, which sample portion contains the red blood cells and one or more lacunae to determine an optical density of the imaged portion of the sample on a per image unit basis; 3) selecting and averaging the optical density values of the image units aligned with the red blood cells contacting the interior surfaces, and assigning an upper boundary value of 100% to the average optical density value of those image units; 4) selecting the optical density values of the image units aligned with the one or more lacunae, and assigning a lower boundary value of 0% to the optical density values of those image units; and 5) determining the hematocrit of the sample by assigning relative values to the optical density value of each image of the imaged sample portion as a function of the upper and lower boundary values, and averaging the relative values. | 09-24-2009 |
20090238438 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RED BLOOD CELL INDICES OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for the determination of the red blood cell indices including the volume, and hemoglobin content and concentration for individual red blood cells, as well as red blood cell population statistics, including total number of red blood cells present in the sample, and mean values for each of the aforementioned indices within a substantially undiluted blood sample is provided. | 09-24-2009 |
20090238439 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND COUNTING PLATELETS INDIVIDUALLY AND IN AGGREGATE CLUMPS - A method for enumerating platelets within a blood sample is provided. The method includes the steps of: 1) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by a first panel and a second panel, both of which panels are transparent; 2) admixing a colorant with the sample, which colorant is operative to cause the platelets to fluoresce upon exposure to one or more predetermined first wavelengths of light; 3) illuminating at least a portion of the sample containing the platelets at the first wavelengths; 4) imaging the sample, including producing image signals indicative of fluorescent emissions from the platelets, which fluorescent emissions have an intensity; 5) identifying the platelets by their fluorescent emissions, using the image signals; 6) determining an average fluorescent emission intensity value for the individual platelets identified within the sample; 7) identifying clumps of platelets within the sample using one or more of their fluorescent emissions, area, shape, and granularity; and 8) enumerating platelets within each platelet clump using the average fluorescent emission intensity value determined for the individual platelets within the sample. | 09-24-2009 |
20090239257 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING INDIVIDUAL CELLS OR PARTICULATES USING FLUORESCENT QUENCHING AND/OR BLEACHING - A method for analyzing a blood sample is provided that includes the steps of: a) providing a blood sample having one or more first constituents and one or more second constituents, which second constituents are different from the first constituents; b) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by a first panel and a second panel, both of which panels are transparent; c) admixing a colorant with the sample, which colorant is operative to cause the first constituents and second constituents to fluoresce upon exposure to predetermined first wavelengths of light, and which colorant is operative to absorb light at one or more predetermined second wavelengths of light; d) illuminating at least a portion of the sample containing the first constituents and the second constituents at the first wavelengths and at the second wavelengths; e) imaging the at least a portion of the sample, including producing image signals indicative of fluorescent emissions from the first constituents and the second constituents and the optical density of the first constituents and the second constituents; f) determining a fluorescence value for each the first constituents and second constituents using the image signals; g) determining an optical density value for each of the first constituents and second constituents, which optical density is a function of the colorant absorbed by the constituents, using the image signals; and h) identifying the first constituents and the second constituents using the determined fluorescence and optical density values. | 09-24-2009 |
20090257632 | METHOD FOR MEASURING THE AREA OF A SAMPLE DISPOSED WITHIN AN ANALYSIS CHAMBER - A method for determining the area of an analysis chamber covered by a biologic fluid sample quiescently residing within the chamber is provided. The chamber has a first panel with an interior surface, and a second panel with an interior surface, both of which panels are transparent. The method includes the steps of: a) illuminating the sample residing within the analysis chamber at one or more wavelengths operable to highlight interfaces between the sample and air, and to highlight a constituent within the sample; b) imaging the sample along the one or more wavelengths, and producing image signals representative of the interaction of the one or more wavelengths with the sample; c) determining a location of at least one interface between the sample and air, using the image signals; d) determining a location of one or more constituents within the sample relative to the at least one sample-air interface using the image signals; and e) determining an area of the chamber containing the sample, using the location of the one or more constituents and the at least one sample-air interface. | 10-15-2009 |
20110059481 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RED BLOOD CELL INDICES OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for the determination of the red blood cell indices including the volume, and hemoglobin content and concentration for individual red blood cells, as well as red blood cell population statistics, including total number of red blood cells present in the sample, and mean values for each of the aforementioned indices within a substantially undiluted blood sample is provided. | 03-10-2011 |
20110149061 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING RETICULOCYTES WITHIN A BLOOD SAMPLE - A method and apparatus for identifying reticulocytes within a blood sample is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, and the chamber has a known or determinable height extending between the interior surfaces of panels, which height is such that at least one red blood cell, or an aggregate of red blood cells, within the sample contacts both of the interior surfaces; b) admixing a supravital dye with the sample, which dye is operable to cause reticulin to fluoresce when excited by light of one or more predetermined wavelengths; c) imaging the sample using light that includes the one or more predetermined wavelengths that cause reticulin to fluoresce; d) imaging the sample using light that is absorbed by hemoglobin to produce values of optical density on a per image unit basis; and e) identifying reticulocytes within the sample using the image of the sample created with light that causes the dyed reticulin to fluoresce, and using the per image unit optical density values. | 06-23-2011 |
20120147357 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND COUNTING PLATELETS INDIVIDUALLY AND IN AGGREGATE CLUMPS - A method for enumerating platelets within a blood sample is provided. The method includes the steps of: 1) depositing the sample into a sample container having an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, and an amount of colorant that platelets absorb and which fluoresces upon exposure to one or more predetermined first wavelengths of light; 2) imaging at least a portion of the sample disposed in the analysis chamber, including producing image signals indicative of fluorescent emissions from the platelets illuminated by first wavelengths of light; 3) identifying the platelets using the image signals; and 4) enumerating individual platelets and clumped platelets within the sample using one or more of fluorescent emissions, area, shape, and granularity. | 06-14-2012 |