IP Library Granted Patent US 8,712,699
Granted Patent B2
US 8,712,699 · App. 12/466,048 · Granted Apr 29, 2014

Agglutination judgment method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,712,699
App. No.
12/466,048
Granted
Apr 29, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides an agglutination judgment method includes a first step of collecting data of a transmitted light intensity from each of measuring points included in a predetermined region of the reaction pattern, a second step of calculating a parameter representing the dispersion of a transmitted light intensity in the region, and a third step of judging the agglutination or non-agglutination by comparing the parameter thus calculated with a predetermined reference value.

Claims (15)

1. An agglutination judgment method of judging a type of a pattern using an apparatus, comprising:

obtaining an image of the pattern by a camera, the pattern being formed by particles in a liquid contained in a vessel, parts of the particles being gathered on a center region of a bottom of the vessel to form a first sub-pattern on the center region, remainders of the particles being distributed on a peripheral region of the bottom surrounding the center region to form second sub-patterns on the peripheral region, the peripheral region being divided from the center region by a boundary, each of the second sub-patterns having a smaller size than that of the first sub-pattern, and the apparatus comprising the camera, an image-processing circuit and a data-processing circuit;

processing the image by the image-processing circuit to obtain a distribution of transmitted light intensity for only the peripheral region on which the second sub-patterns are formed;

calculating a standard deviation for the distribution by the image-processing circuit; and

comparing the standard deviation with a predetermined reference value by the data-processing circuit;

wherein

the first sub-pattern is formed with aggregate constituted by two or more of the particles and each of the second sub-patterns is constituted by two or more of the particles in the agglutination pattern;

the first sub-pattern is formed with individual particles and each of the second sub-patterns is constituted by one of the particles in the non-agglutination pattern; and

the first sub-pattern is formed with individual particles and each of the second sub-patterns is constituted by two or more of the particles in the partial agglutination pattern.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

judging the pattern by the data-processing circuit, judging the pattern including judging the pattern as an agglutination pattern when the standard deviation is greater than the predetermined reference value, and judging the pattern as a non-agglutination pattern when the standard deviation is smaller than the predetermined reference value.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the particles are red blood cells.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:

judging the pattern by the data-processing circuit, judging the pattern including judging the pattern as an agglutination pattern when the standard deviation is greater than the predetermined reference value, and judging the pattern as a non-agglutination pattern when the standard deviation is smaller than the predetermined reference value.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein each of the second sub-patterns is constituted by two or more of the red blood cells in the agglutination pattern, and each of the second sub-patterns is constituted by one of the red blood cells in the non-agglutination pattern.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 13, 2010
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: BECKMAN COULTER, INC.
Reel/Frame 023778/0141 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2009
From: HAGA, TADASHI
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 023024/0579 →