Control method and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides a control method and a computer program product. When the activity of the visible component is detected from the plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image, the image of the urine sample captured as the moving image is stored in the storage device, and when the activity of the visible component is not detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample captured as the moving image is stored in the storage device. In the present invention, images of a urine sample, which are captured as still images without capturing images of the urine sample as moving images, are stored in a storage device, said still images being obtained by capturing the urine sample along a time sequence by an imaging device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control method and a computer program product including a control program. Background Art

[0002] For example, J-STAGE-1, Vol. 66 (2017), pp. 18-50, Japan Association of Clinical Health Examination Technicians (Non-Patent Document 1) describes microscopic examination in which a clinical examination technician places a urine sample on a slide and visually observes the formed elements contained in the urine sample through a microscope.

[0003] In a urine sediment test performed by a clinical examination technician, for example, since the clinical examination technician visually checks whether there are bacteria in the urine sample using a microscope, it may take time to obtain the test result.

[0004] Therefore, for example, urine formed element analysis devices using cytometry or image processing are being developed.

[0005] The urine formed component analysis device using image processing captures images of formed components contained in a urine sample, identifies the shape and texture features of each formed component to analyze the type of formed components contained in the urine sample, and sends the captured image to an information device used by a clinical examination technician to confirm the analysis result.

[0006] Therefore, if moving images are captured for all urine samples from the beginning, the data volume of the moving images is larger than that of the still images, so the time required to transmit the captured images increases. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a control method of a urine formed component analysis device and a computer program product including a control program, wherein the urine formed component analysis device can reduce the amount of image data to be processed compared to a case where images of all urine samples are captured by moving images to investigate the presence or absence of bacteria.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to a control method of one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer performs the following processing: when the result of a predetermined inspection item in a urine qualitative inspection is that the activity of a formed component contained in a urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is photographed by a photographing device as a moving image, and the image of the urine sample photographed as a moving image is stored in a storage device; and when the activity of the formed component contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample photographed as a still image instead of being photographed as a moving image is stored in the storage device, wherein the plurality of still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as an inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0009] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a control program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a computer program product including a program for executing the following processing by a computer, the processing being: when the result of a predetermined inspection item in a urine qualitative inspection is that the movement of a formed component contained in a urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is photographed by a photographing device as a moving image, and the image of the urine sample photographed as a moving image is stored in a storage device, and when the movement of the formed component contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample is not photographed as a moving image but is stored in the storage device as a still image, wherein the plurality of still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as an inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, compared with the case where images of all urine samples are captured as moving images to investigate the presence or absence of bacteria, the data amount of images to be processed can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a medical information processing system.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the device structure of a urine formed element analyzer.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an example of a unit.

[0015] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of units on a board.

[0016] Figure 5 is a diagram showing other configuration examples of the units on a board.

[0017] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of a urine formed element analyzer.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of determination processing for determining the presence or absence of bacteria.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a still image.

[0020] Fig. 9 It is a diagram showing an example of difference in the positions of shaped components.

[0021] Fig.10This is a diagram showing an example of a stepped unit.

[0022] Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a determination process for determining the presence or absence of bacteria using a ladder unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the entire accompanying drawings, the same components and the same processes are given the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. For the convenience of description, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0024] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a medical information processing system 100 for urine sediment examination. Urine sediment examination is an examination in which the type of formed elements is determined based on the shape of the formed elements contained in the patient's urine sample, and various analyses are performed on the amount and concentration of the formed elements. In the urine sediment examination, the type of formed elements is determined, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, non-squamous cells, squamous cells, bacteria, crystals, yeast, transparent tubes, other tubes (also called pathological tubes), mucus threads, sperm, and white blood cell clusters.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown. The medical information processing system 100 includes a urine qualitative analysis device 1, a server 2, a urine formed component analysis device 3 and a user terminal 50, and the urine qualitative analysis device 1, the server 2, the urine formed component analysis device 3 and the user terminal 50 are respectively connected through a communication line 4. The connection form of the communication line 4 is not limited, and it can be wired or wireless. In addition, there is no limitation on the type of the communication line 4, and the communication line 4 can be, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network) and a WAN (Wide Area Network) and other lines.

[0026] In the case of urine sediment inspection, a urine qualitative inspection is performed in advance by the urine qualitative analysis device 1. The urine qualitative test refers to an inspection in which urine is applied to a test strip, for example, so as to determine whether a component to be measured is present in the urine sample, and to determine the concentration of the component to be measured in the urine sample. The test strip reacts with the component to be measured in the urine sample and changes color. The test is used to determine the concentration of the component to be measured in the urine sample. In the urine qualitative inspection, for example, the pH value of the urine sample, the specific gravity of the urine sample, the turbidity of the urine sample, and the presence and content of protein, sugar, ketone bodies, bilirubin, urobilinogen, occult blood reaction, nitrite and leukocytes in the urine sample are measured.

[0027] The urine qualitative analysis device 1 has a barcode reader (not shown), which matches the urine qualitative test result of the urine sample measured by the urine qualitative analysis device 1 with the sample ID of the urine sample, and sends the urine qualitative test result corresponding to the sample ID to the server 2 through the communication line 4. The barcode reader is used to read the sample ID of the urine sample as the measurement object from the barcode label attached to the side of the Spitz tube (not shown) containing the urine sample.

[0028] When the server 2 receives the urine qualitative test result corresponding to the sample ID from the urine qualitative analyzer 1, the server 2 stores the urine qualitative test result corresponding to the sample ID in the storage device.

[0029] The urine qualitative analysis device 1 does not necessarily need to store the urine qualitative test results in the server 2, but may store the urine qualitative test results in a storage device of the urine qualitative analysis device 1. In this case, the server 2 is not required in the medical information processing system 100.

[0030] In addition, among the inspection items of urine samples, there are some items that are difficult to analyze only by urine qualitative inspection, such as determining the presence or absence of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, enterococci, staphylococci and streptococci. Therefore, the clinical inspection technician sends the sample ID of the urine sample that has completed the urine qualitative inspection by the urine qualitative analysis device 1 from the urine qualitative analysis device 1 to the urine formed component analysis device 3 through the communication line 4, and entrusts the urine formed component analysis device 3 to perform urine sediment inspection.

[0031] The urine formed component analyzer 3 that receives the sample ID from the urine qualitative analyzer 1 adds the received sample ID to the urine qualitative test result acquisition request, and sends the urine qualitative test result acquisition request with the added sample ID to the server 2 via the communication line 4 to acquire the urine qualitative test result corresponding to the sample ID.

[0032] The server 2 that receives the urine qualitative test result acquisition request acquires the urine qualitative test result associated with the sample ID added to the urine qualitative test result acquisition request from the storage device, and transmits the acquired urine qualitative test result to the urine formed component analyzer 3 via the communication line 4 .

[0033] Therefore, the urine qualitative test result of the urine sample for which the urine sediment test is requested is transmitted to the urine formed component analyzer 3 .

[0034] In the urine formed component analysis device 3, an image of the urine sample is taken to determine the presence or absence of various formed components contained in the urine sample. As an example, an example of determining the presence or absence of bacteria will be described below. Note that "image" in this embodiment includes still images and moving images.

[0035] The urine formed component analyzer 3 transmits the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria to the user terminal 50 together with the image of the photographed urine sample.

[0036] The user terminal 50 is a terminal used by a clinical examination technician who specializes in classifying formed elements contained in a urine sample (hereinafter referred to as a "professional clinical examination technician"). The professional clinical examination technician refers to the image of the urine sample received from the urine formed element analysis device 3 and ultimately determines the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample. The user terminal 50 is an example of an external device.

[0037] like Figure 1 The urine formed component analysis device 3 is constituted by, for example, a computer 30. The computer 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 as an example of a processor, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, and an input / output interface (I / O) 34 connected to each other via a bus 35.

[0038] For example, a boot program (BIOS) for the CPU 31 to execute a boot process of the computer 30 is stored in the ROM 32. In addition, the RAM 33 is used as a temporary work area of ​​the CPU 31.

[0039] As the computer 30 constituting the urine formed element analysis device 3 , in addition to a personal computer (PC), a portable device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal may be used.

[0040] The CPU 31, the ROM 32, the RAM 33, and the I / O 34 constitute a control unit 26 (see Figure 6 ).

[0041] On the other hand, for example, a storage unit 36, a display unit 37, an operation unit 38, a communication unit 39, a photographing device 40, and an actuator 41 are connected to the I / O 34. Each of these units is mutually connected to the CPU 31 through the I / O 34.

[0042] The storage unit 36 ​​is an example of a storage device that retains stored information even when the power supplied to the storage unit 36 ​​is cut off, and for example, a semiconductor memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) can be used, but a hard disk can also be used. In addition, the storage unit 36 ​​may be a portable semiconductor memory detachably connected to the computer 30, such as a universal serial bus (USB) memory and a memory card.

[0043] The storage unit 36 ​​stores in advance control programs 36A and 36B read by the CPU 31 to determine the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample. In addition to the control programs 36A and 36B, the storage unit 36 ​​stores in advance various parameters that the CPU 31 refers to when controlling the urine formed element analyzer 3. The control programs 36A and 36B and the various parameters do not necessarily need to be stored in the storage unit 36, but may be stored in the ROM 32.

[0044] The display unit 37 as an example of a display device uses, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescent (EL) display, etc. The display unit 37 may include a touch panel integrally. The display unit 37 displays, for example, the result of a process performed according to an instruction received from a clinical examination technician, a notification of the process, etc.

[0045] The operation unit 38 is provided with devices for operation input, such as buttons, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a pointing device, etc. The clinical examination technician notifies the CPU 31 of the urine formed element analyzer 3 of instructions via the operation unit 38 .

[0046] The communication unit 39 is connected to the communication line 4 , and includes a communication protocol for performing data communication with the urine qualitative analysis device 1 , the server 2 , and the user terminal 50 .

[0047] The imaging device 40 includes an imaging lens and an imaging element provided on the optical axis of the imaging lens, and captures an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample. The imaging element is, for example, a CCD (charge coupled device).

[0048] The actuator 41 moves the imaging point of the urine sample by the imaging device 40. The operations of the imaging device 40 and the actuator 41 will be described in detail later.

[0049] Next, a method for analyzing a urine sample in the urine formed element analyzing device 3 will be described. Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of the urine formed element analysis device 3 . Figure 2 The Z axis in the figure represents the vertical direction (i.e., the direction of gravity), the X axis represents the direction orthogonal to the Z axis, and the Y axis represents the directions orthogonal to the X axis and the Z axis, respectively. That is, the X axis and the Y axis define the two-dimensional coordinates representing the position in the plane orthogonal to the Z axis (referred to as the "XY plane"), and the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis define the three-dimensional coordinates of the space where the urine formed component analyzer 3 is located.

[0050] The urine formed element analyzer 3 includes a board 6 , an imaging device 40 , a lens 8 , a reflector 9A, a reflector 9B, a light source 10 , and an actuator 41 . The board 6 is provided with a unit 5 for encapsulating a urine sample corresponding to a sample ID received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1 .

[0051] The unit 5 is composed of a transparent container formed of a synthetic resin such as acrylic, polycarbonate, and polyethylene terephthalate, so that the photographing device 40 can photograph an image of the formed components contained in the enclosed urine sample. Figure 3 As shown, inside the unit 5, there is a cavity 13 capable of encapsulating a urine sample, and when a clinical examination technician uses a pipette or the like to flow a urine sample from an inlet 11 provided in the unit 5, the urine sample reaches the cavity 13 through a flow path 14. In addition to the inlet 11, the unit 5 also has an outlet 12, and for example, a urine sample overflowing from the cavity 13 is discharged from the outlet 12 through the flow path 14. In addition, the unit 5 is "transparent" in that when an object behind the unit 5 or an object in the cavity 13 of the unit 5 is observed through the unit 5, the unit 5 has a degree of transparency that enables the shape of the object to be confirmed.

[0052] The unit 5 is arranged on the plate 6 so that the contact surface with the plate 6, that is, the lower surface of the unit 5, is parallel to the XY plane. The "parallel" in this embodiment also includes a state where the lower surface of the unit 5 and the XY plane do not intersect no matter where the two planes extend, that is, in addition to the completely parallel state, there is a case where there is an inclination to the extent that the two planes are considered to be parallel.

[0053] The shape of the unit 5 when viewed toward the XY plane is not limited, but in this embodiment, as an example, the unit 5 is rectangular. In this case, the X axis is set along one side of the unit 5, and the Y axis is set along the side orthogonal to the side of the unit along the X axis.

[0054] The length of the cell 5 in the Z-axis direction (hereinafter referred to as "the thickness of the cell 5") is the same at any point, and the thickness of the cell 5 is shorter than the lengths of the cell 5 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. That is, the cell 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0055] The light source 10 is disposed, for example, above the cell 5 in the Z-axis direction and facing the cell 5 , and irradiates light to the cell 5 so that the imaging device 40 can easily capture an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample.

[0056] The imaging device 40 captures the formed components contained in the urine sample enclosed in the unit 5. The imaging device 40 is disposed on the upper surface of the housing (not shown) of the urine formed component analysis device 3, for example, in such a manner that the imaging lens included in the imaging device 40 is directed downward in the Z-axis direction. In this case, since the optical axis 15 of the imaging device 40, that is, the optical axis of the imaging lens is also directed downward in the Z-axis direction, the mirror surface of the reflector 9B located on the extension line of the optical axis (see FIG. 1 ) is captured. Figure 2However, by adjusting the angle of the reflector 9A so that the cell 5 is reflected on the mirror surface of the reflector 9B, the formed components contained in the urine sample enclosed in the cell 5 can be photographed by the photographing device 40.

[0057] That is, the imaging device 40 images the cell 5 from bottom to top along the Z-axis direction from a position opposite to the lower surface of the cell 5. In other words, the imaging device 40 images the urine sample along the thickness direction of the cell 5. The direction of imaging the cell 5 from bottom to top along the Z-axis direction from a position opposite to the lower surface of the cell 5 is referred to as the "imaging direction of the imaging device 40".

[0058] The formed components contained in the urine sample enclosed in the cell 5 descend toward the lower surface of the cell 5 over time under the influence of gravity. Therefore, it is easier for the photographing device 40 to photograph the formed components contained in the urine sample than when the surface of the cell 5 is viewed from the top to the bottom of the cell 5 disposed on the plate 6 along the Z-axis direction, that is, when the cell 5 is photographed from the upper surface of the cell 5.

[0059] In addition, as the thickness of the cell 5 increases, formed components contained in the urine sample tend to be imaged in an overlapping state, and the focus adjustment range of the imaging device 40 increases, so the thickness of the cell 5 is preferably 1000 μm.

[0060] The lens 8 is arranged between the unit 5 and the reflector 9A so that the optical axis 15 of the lens 8 and the photographing device 40 intersect, that is, the optical axis of the lens 8 is consistent with the optical axis 15 of the photographing device 40, and the formed components contained in the urine sample are magnified to the magnification specified by the clinical examination technician. Therefore, the photographing device 40 can photograph the formed components included in the urine sample at the magnification specified by the clinical examination technician. Of course, in the case where the photographing device 40 has an image magnification and reduction function (i.e., a zoom function), the magnification and reduction function of the photographing device 40 can be used to photograph the formed components contained in the urine sample at the magnification specified by the clinical examination technician.

[0061] In addition, when the unit 5 is arranged on the plate 6 so as not to interfere with the photographing of the unit 5 by the photographing device 40, the lower surface of the plate 6 on which the unit 5 is mounted is made of a transparent material, like the unit 5. Figure 4 As shown, the unit 5 can be embedded in the hole 16A of the plate 6 made according to the shape of the unit 5, or as shown in Figure 5 As shown, the unit 5 can be arranged on the hole 16B that passes through the plate. In this case, the shape of the hole 16B is not limited.

[0062] In addition, Figure 2 In the device configuration example of the urine formed component analysis device 3 shown in FIG. 1 , an example is shown in which the imaging device 40 is arranged in a form in which the imaging lens is oriented downward in the Z-axis direction. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the camera device 40 may be arranged below the unit 5 so that the camera lens faces upward along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the reflectors 9A and 9B that bend the optical axis 15 are not required.

[0063] That is, the position of the photographing device 40 in the urine formed component analysis device 3 is not restricted, and no matter where the photographing device 40 is installed, the urine formed component analysis device 3 can photograph the formed components contained in the urine sample from the lower surface of the unit 5 by, for example, adjusting the position and number of reflectors 9A and 9B.

[0064] The actuator 41 is a driving source that independently moves the plate 6 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Specifically, the actuator 41 includes: a pulse motor that performs a rotational motion corresponding to the number of pulses to be applied; and a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the pulse motor into movement of the plate 6 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, such as a gear rack mechanism and a ball screw. The actuator 41 moves the plate 6 a distance corresponding to the number of pulses applied to the pulse motor. Therefore, by driving the actuator 41, the shooting point of the unit 5 can be moved along the XY plane while keeping the position of the shooting device 40 and the positions of the reflectors 9A, 9B fixed.

[0065] In addition, the photographing device 40 may be any type of device as long as it can select to photograph still images and moving images, and may use, for example, a digital camera, a smartphone built-in camera, a wearable device built-in camera, a computer 30 built-in camera, etc. In the urine formed component analysis device 3 according to the present embodiment, the formed components contained in the urine sample are photographed using the built-in camera of the smartphone.

[0066] Next, the function of the urine formed element analyzer 3 will be described. Figure 6 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the urine formed element analysis device 3. Figure 6 As shown, the urine formed element analysis device 3 includes an imaging unit 21 , a detection unit 22 , a determination unit 23 , a user interface (UI) unit 24 , a communication unit 25 , and a control unit 26 .

[0067] The imaging unit 21 uses the imaging device 40 to capture an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample enclosed in the cell 5 .

[0068] The detection unit 22 detects the movement of formed components included in the urine sample from the image captured by the imaging unit 21 .

[0069] The determination unit 23 determines whether the formed component included in the captured image is bacteria.

[0070] The UI unit 24 notifies the control unit 26 described later of the instruction received from the clinical technician via the operation unit 38. In addition, the UI unit 24 displays on the display unit 37 an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample captured by the imaging unit 21, the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample, various information processed by the control unit 26 according to the instruction received from the clinical technician, and notification of the processing.

[0071] The communication unit 25 performs data communication with the urine qualitative analyzer 1 , the server 2 , and the user terminal 50 via the communication unit 39 .

[0072] The control unit 26 controls the processing in the imaging unit 21 , the detection unit 22 , the determination unit 23 , the UI unit 24 , and the communication unit 25 , respectively, and the urine formed element analyzer 3 executes the operation instructed by the clinical test technician.

[0073] Next, the operation of the urine formed element analyzer 3 will be described in detail. Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a process for determining the presence or absence of bacteria executed by the CPU 31 of the urine formed component analyzer 3 when the sample ID of the urine sample is received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1. The CPU 31 of the urine formed component analyzer 3 reads the control program 36A stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and executes the determination process.

[0074] In addition, the server 2 stores in advance the urine qualitative test results associated with the sample IDs received by the urine formed component analyzer 3 .

[0075] First, in step S10, the control unit 26 controls the communication unit 25 to transmit a urine qualitative test result acquisition request to which the received sample ID is added to the server 2. Thus, the urine formed component analyzer 3 receives the urine qualitative test result associated with the sample ID from the server 2 via the communication line 4.

[0076] In step S20, the control unit 26 determines whether the results of predetermined test items (hereinafter referred to as "designated test items") in the received urine qualitative test results satisfy suspicion conditions defining conditions for when bacteria are suspected to exist in urine.

[0077] The designated inspection items include, for example, the leukocyte count, nitrite content, and urine turbidity, which are correlated with the presence of bacteria. The turbidity of the urine is represented by a value, and, for example, the higher the value representing the turbidity, the more turbid the urine is.

[0078] It is known that when any one of the designated inspection items among the white blood cell content, the nitrite content, and the urine sample turbidity is higher than the predetermined reference value corresponding to each designated inspection item, the possibility of bacteria in the urine is high. Therefore, in the suspicion condition, a condition that the value of any one of the designated inspection items among the white blood cell content, the nitrite content, and the urine sample turbidity is higher than the reference value of each designated inspection item is set and stored in the storage unit 36 ​​in advance.

[0079] Clinical laboratory technicians can change the designated test items, reference values, and the size relationship between the designated test items and the reference values ​​under the suspected conditions. Therefore, the reference values ​​of the leukocyte content, nitrite content, and urine sample turbidity can be set to the content usually determined in clinical examinations, or to the content other than this. In addition, for example, the content of formed components other than leukocytes and nitrites can be set as designated inspection items. In addition, when the leukocyte content, nitrite content, and urine sample turbidity are all higher than the reference value, that is, when the leukocyte item, nitrite item, and turbidity item of the urine qualitative test are all positive, the suspected condition of suspecting the presence of bacteria in the urine can be set. Furthermore, the suspected condition of suspecting the presence of bacteria in the urine can be set "when the bacteria are positive in the previous value" or "when there is a doctor's instruction".

[0080] When the designated inspection item satisfies the suspicion condition, the probability that bacteria exist in the urine sample indicated by the sample ID is high, and therefore the process moves to step S50.

[0081] In step S50, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to capture a moving image of the urine sample enclosed in the unit 5, stores the captured moving image of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36, and then moves to step S60. By capturing an image of the urine sample in a moving image, the movement of the formed components contained in the urine sample is recorded.

[0082] For example, a frame rate indicating the number of frame images per second constituting a moving image and a moving image shooting time are set by a clinical examination technician and stored in advance in the storage unit 36. The shooting unit 21 shoots the moving image according to the set frame rate and shooting time by the shooting device 40. The frame rate and the moving image shooting time can be changed by the clinical examination technician.

[0083] In addition, during the shooting of the moving image, the positions of the unit 5 , the plate 6 , the imaging device 40 , the reflective mirrors 9A and 9B are not changed, and the imaging point of the unit 5 by the imaging device 40 is fixed.

[0084] On the other hand, when it is determined in the determination process of step S20 that the designated inspection item does not satisfy the suspicion condition, the process proceeds to step S30.

[0085] When the designated inspection item does not satisfy the suspicion condition, the probability that bacteria do not exist in the urine sample represented by the sample ID is higher than when the designated inspection item satisfies the suspicion condition. Therefore, in step S30, the control unit 26 controls the photographing device 40 to photograph a plurality of still images of the urine sample enclosed in the unit 5 along a time sequence. The control unit 26 stores the photographed still images of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36.

[0086] As described above, when the designated inspection item does not satisfy the suspicion condition, the probability of bacteria existing in the urine sample is low compared to when the designated inspection item satisfies the suspicion condition. Therefore, it is difficult to identify bacteria from the image of the urine sample. Therefore, by capturing the image of the urine sample as a still image having a higher resolution than a moving image, the shape and position of the formed components contained in the urine sample can be easily identified.

[0087] The still image to be captured may be any image of a grayscale image or a color image. The shooting interval of the still image follows the shooting interval (e.g., 0.03 seconds) stored in the storage unit 36, for example. In addition, the number of still images captured also follows the number of images (e.g., two images) stored in the storage unit 36. The shooting interval and the number of images of the still image can be changed by the clinical examination technician.

[0088] In the still image shooting, the positions of the unit 5 , the plate 6 , the imaging device 40 , the reflective mirrors 9A and 9B are not changed, and the imaging point of the unit 5 by the imaging device 40 is fixed.

[0089] Figure 8 1 is a diagram showing an example of a still image obtained by photographing the formed components contained in the urine sample enclosed in the unit 5. Figure 8 In the figure, formed element 20 represents bacteria.

[0090] In step S40, the control unit 26 controls the detection unit 22 to detect the movement of the formed components contained in the urine sample from the multiple still images taken along the time series. Specifically, the detection unit 22 recognizes the shapes of the formed components contained in the two still images by using a well-known contour extraction technology, etc. Then, the detection unit 22 matches the same formed components contained in the two still images with each other based on the similarity of the shapes of the formed components, the similarity of the sizes of the formed components, and the positions of the formed components in the still images, and obtains the difference between the positions of the formed components contained in each still image for each formed component.

[0091] Fig. 9 It is shown Figure 8 The still images shown and the Figure 8 The diagram shows an example of the difference in position of a shaped component included in another still image captured at a different time from the still image shown. Fig. 9 The tangible component 20 in Figure 8 The position of the formed component 20 shown, the formed component 20A represents the Figure 8 The position of the formed component 20 extracted from the still image different from the still image shown is obtained after the formed component 20 is moved. In this way, the position difference between the formed component 20 and the formed component 20A is obtained.

[0092] When the difference in position between the formed component 20 and the formed component 20A is greater than a predetermined threshold, activity is observed in the formed component, and therefore the formed component may be bacteria. Therefore, in order to continuously photograph the formed component and record the activity of the formed component, transfer to step S50 to photograph a moving image of the urine sample. For example, a threshold value of the difference in position of the formed component for determining whether to photograph a moving image of the urine sample is set by a clinical examination technician and is pre-stored in the storage unit 36. In addition, the threshold value of the difference in position of the formed component can be changed. The control unit 26 stores the photographed moving image of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36.

[0093] In addition, when the shooting interval of two still images and the difference of the positions of the formed components in the two still images are obtained, the moving speed of each formed component is calculated. Therefore, when the moving speed of the formed component is above a predetermined threshold value instead of the difference of the positions of the formed components, the detection unit 22 can be recognized as detecting the activity of the formed component. In this case, formed components other than bacteria that do not move on their own, such as red blood cells, can also move in the urine sample by, for example, gravity. However, when the formed component is a microorganism such as bacteria, it may move at a faster speed than the formed component that does not move on its own. Therefore, the threshold value compared with the moving speed of the formed component is preferably set to, for example, above the standard moving speed of bacteria.

[0094] Furthermore, it is preferable to set the threshold value for comparison with the difference in the position of the formed element to a distance that takes into account, for example, the standard moving speed of bacteria.

[0095] In the determination process of step S40 , when the difference between the positions of the formed component 20 and the formed component 20A is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, and after the process of step S50 is completed, the process proceeds to step S60 .

[0096] In the case where a moving image of the urine sample is captured by the process of step S50, the movement of the formed component can be confirmed as continuous movement. That is, the determination unit 23 can determine whether a unique activity of bacteria is observed from the moving image, such as a deformation process of the shape of the formed component accompanying the movement, a rotational movement of the formed component in place, a micro-activity (also called "vibration") below the detection limit of the difference between the moving path and the position, and an activity that cannot be obtained from the difference between the moving speed and the position of the formed component.

[0097] Therefore, in step S60, when the activity of the tangible component obtained from the motion image satisfies the bacterial condition, the determination unit 23 determines that the urine sample contains bacteria, and transfers to step S70. The bacterial condition stipulates at least one bacterial-specific shape deformation process, bacterial-specific rotation method, bacterial-specific movement path and bacterial-specific vibration, which are bacterial-specific activities existing in the urine sample.

[0098] In addition, information indicating a unique movement pattern of bacteria is set in the movement path under the bacteria condition. For example, when bacteria move while changing directions alternately left and right, information indicating a zigzag path is set as the movement path under the bacteria condition.

[0099] In the deformation process under bacterial conditions, information is set indicating a unique bacterial shape change accompanying movement, such as, for example, in the case of bacteria, a reaction force that causes the shape to contract linearly and then expand to an elliptical shape moves in urine.

[0100] On the other hand, the range of sizes that bacteria can achieve is limited. In other words, bacteria can be distinguished from other types of formed elements, such as red blood cells, based on differences in size. Therefore, a condition can be added to the bacterial conditions that the size of the formed element is included in a predetermined range that the bacteria can achieve.

[0101] The content of the bacterial condition can be changed by a clinical examination technician, and can be stored in advance in the storage unit 36, for example.

[0102] In step S70 , the control unit 26 controls the UI unit 24 to display on the display unit 37 a positive determination indicating that bacteria are contained in the urine sample indicated by the sample ID.

[0103] On the other hand, when no moving image of the urine sample is captured through the processing of step S50, that is, when the activity of the formed components is not detected in the determination processing of step S40, and when the activity of the formed components obtained from the moving image does not satisfy the bacterial condition, in step S60, the determination unit 23 determines that the urine sample does not contain bacteria and transfers to step S80.

[0104] In step S80 , the control unit 26 controls the UI unit 24 to display on the display unit 37 a negative determination indicating that the urine sample indicated by the sample ID does not contain bacteria.

[0105] After the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample is displayed in step S70 and step S80, in step S90, the control unit 26 controls the communication unit 25 to send the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample and the captured image together with the sample ID to the user terminal 50, and the process ends. Figure 7When both a moving image and a still image are captured for the urine sample, the control unit 26 transmits both the moving image and the still image to the user terminal 50 .

[0106] Thus, in the user terminal 50 , the professional clinical test technician re-determines the presence or absence of bacteria contained in the urine sample.

[0107] In addition, the control unit 26 can control the communication unit 25 to send the determination result and image of the presence of bacteria in the urine sample together with the sample ID to the server 2, and associate the determination result and image with the urine qualitative test result in the server 2 corresponding to the sample ID same as the sent sample ID.

[0108] Furthermore, since the image of the urine sample is stored in the storage unit 36, the control unit 26 can display the image of the urine sample corresponding to the designated sample ID on the display unit 37 according to the instruction of the clinical technician via the operation unit 38. Therefore, the clinical technician can later confirm whether the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria is reasonable.

[0109] As described above, the urine formed component analysis device 3 does not capture moving images of urine samples for all urine samples indicated by the accepted sample IDs, but captures moving images of formed components contained in the urine sample only when the designated inspection item of the urine sample indicated by the accepted sample ID satisfies the suspicion condition and when the movement of formed components is detected from the still image of the urine sample. That is, when the designated inspection item of the urine sample indicated by the accepted sample ID does not satisfy the suspicion condition and the movement of formed components is not detected from the still image of the urine sample, a still image of the urine sample is captured instead of a moving image.

[0110] Therefore, the amount of data of the image of the urine sample processed by the urine formed component analyzer 3 is reduced compared to the case where moving images are captured for all urine samples indicated by the sample IDs received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1. Thus, compared to the case where moving images of all urine samples are captured and transmitted to the user terminal 50, the transmission time of the image transmitted by the urine formed component analyzer 3 to the user terminal 50 can be shortened.

[0111] Furthermore, since the amount of image calculation and image storage in the determination process can be reduced by reducing the amount of data of the urine sample image, the performance and storage capacity of the resources of the CPU 31 and the RAM 33 required for the urine formed component analysis device 3 can be reduced. Therefore, this contributes to a reduction in the cost of the urine formed component analysis device 3.

[0112] <Modification of the shape of the unit>

[0113] In the urine formed component analysis device 3 described above, for example Figure 2As shown, a urine sample is enclosed in a rectangular cell 5 and an image of the urine sample is captured. However, the shape of the cell 5 is not necessarily a rectangular cell. Hereinafter, a determination process for determining the presence or absence of bacteria using a cell 5A having a shape different from the rectangular cell 5 will be described.

[0114] Fig.10 : is a diagram showing an example of the shape of the unit 5A for packaging a urine sample. Fig.10 As shown, the cell 5A has a stepped shape in which the thickness of the cell 5A in the shooting direction is different in the region A and the region B. The thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B as an example of the second thickness is smaller than the thickness D1 of the cell 5A in the region A as an example of the first thickness. Therefore, for ease of handling, the inlet 11 and the outlet 12 are respectively provided in the region A of the cell 5A.

[0115] When the urine sample is encapsulated in the cell 5A, the thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B is smaller than the thickness D1 of the cell 5A in the region A. Therefore, if the areas of the regions A and B on the XY plane are the same, the number of formed components contained in the region B is smaller than the number of formed components contained in the region A. If the number of formed components contained in the region B is smaller than the number of formed components contained in the region A, the probability that the formed components appear to overlap with each other when the region B is observed from the photographing direction is lower than the probability that the formed components appear to overlap with each other when the region A is observed from the photographing direction. That is, when the formed components contained in the region B are photographed, it is easier to photograph the entire shape of each formed component than when the formed components contained in the region A are photographed.

[0116] If the entire shape of the formed components can be photographed without overlapping each other, it is easier to determine the presence or absence of bacteria contained in the urine sample than in a situation where bacteria are hidden behind a large formed component or only a portion of the bacterial shape can be confirmed.

[0117] In addition, when the thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B is 1 / 5 or less of the thickness D1 of the cell 5A in the region A, the amount of formed components contained in the region B is significantly smaller than the amount of formed components contained in the region A. Further, the thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B is preferably 1 / 10 or less of the thickness D1 of the cell 5A in the region A. For example, if the thickness D1 of the cell 5A in the region A is 1000 μm, the thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B is 200 μm or less, preferably 100 μm or less.

[0118] On the other hand, the lower limit of the thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B is 100 μm or more. When the thickness D2 of the cell 5A in the region B is less than 100 μm, the urine sample has difficulty entering the region B from the region A of the cell 5A due to the influence of surface tension, and the manufacture of the cell 5A itself becomes difficult.

[0119] Hereinafter, when simply described as “area A”, it refers to area A of the cell 5A, and when simply described as “area B”, it refers to area B of the cell 5A.

[0120] Next, the process of determining the presence or absence of bacteria using the unit 5A will be described. Fig.11 The flowchart is a flowchart showing an example of a process of determining the presence or absence of bacteria by using the unit 5A encapsulating the urine sample, which is executed by the CPU 31 of the urine formed component analyzer 3 when the sample ID of the urine sample is received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1. The CPU 31 of the urine formed component analyzer 3 reads the control program 36B stored in the storage unit 36, executes Fig.11 The determination process shown.

[0121] Fig.11 The decision process shown in Figure 7 The difference between the determination process shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is that step S25 and step S45 are added, and the other processes are the same as those shown in FIG. Figure 7 Therefore, the following description will focus on the processing of step S25 and step S45. Fig.11 The determination process shown.

[0122] When it is determined in the determination process of step S20 that the designated inspection item does not satisfy the suspicion condition, the process proceeds to step S25.

[0123] In step S25 , the control unit 26 controls the actuator 41 to move the plate 6 so that the imaging device 40 images the formed components included in the region A. The imaging point of the imaging device 40 moves to the region A through the process of step S25 . Fig.10 An arrow 27A in φ represents an example of a photographing point of the photographing device 40 after the process of step S25 is performed.

[0124] In step S30, the control unit 26 controls the imaging unit 21 to capture a plurality of still images of the urine sample contained in the region A in time series. That is, in step S40, the detection unit 22 detects the movement of the formed components using the still images of the formed components of the urine sample contained in the region A. The control unit 26 stores the captured still images of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36.

[0125] If the determination process of step S40 shows that there is a moving tangible component among the tangible components imaged in the area A, and if the determination process of step S20 shows that the designated inspection item satisfies the suspicion condition, the process proceeds to step S45 .

[0126] In step S45 , the control unit 26 controls the actuator 41 to move the plate 6 so that the imaging device 40 images the formed components included in the region B. Fig.10 An arrow 27B in φ represents an example of the photographing point of the photographing device 40 after the process of step S45 is performed.

[0127] In step S50 , the control unit 26 controls the imaging unit 21 to image the moving image of the urine sample included in the region B. The control unit 26 stores the imaged moving image of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36 ​​.

[0128] As described above, according to the urine formed component analysis device 3 that performs urine sediment examination using the unit 5A, when a still image of a urine sample is captured, the capturing point of the capturing device 40 is moved to the region A. Furthermore, in the case where the probability of the presence of bacteria is high, the capturing point of the capturing device 40 is moved to the region B where the formed components are less present than in the region A. That is, when the designated inspection item in the urine qualitative inspection result does not satisfy the suspicion condition, the urine formed component analysis device 3 detects the movement of the formed components using the still image captured in the region A, and when the movement of the formed components is detected from the still image, the moving image captured in the region B where the number of formed components present is less than that in the region A is used to record the movement of the formed components.

[0129] The method for determining the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine formed component analysis device 3 can be used not only for urine but also for the examination of formed components such as blood, cells, body fluids, etc. In addition, it can also be used to determine the presence or absence of microorganisms other than bacteria, such as protozoa.

[0130] In the above, an embodiment of the urine formed component analysis device 3 is described using an embodiment, but the disclosed method of the urine formed component analysis device 3 is only an example, and the method of the urine formed component analysis device 3 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiment, and the method with these modifications or improvements is also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. For example, there is a case where a urine sample of the inspection object enclosed in a unit is photographed without performing a urine qualitative test. In this case, when the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample can be detected from a plurality of still images photographed along a time sequence, the image of the urine sample is photographed as a moving image by the photographing device, and the image of the urine sample photographed as a moving image is stored in a storage device.

[0131] For example, without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, the Figure 7 and Fig.11 The internal processing sequence in the determination process is shown.

[0132] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, as an example, the method of implementing the determination process by software is described. However, it is also possible to implement the determination process by hardware. Figure 7 and Fig.11 In this case, the processing speed is higher than that of the case where the determination process is realized by software.

[0133] In the above implementation, the processor refers to a broad processor, including a general-purpose processor (such as CPU31), a special-purpose processor (such as GPU: graphics processing unit, ASIC: application-specific integrated circuit, FPGA: field programmable gate array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0134] The actions of the processors in the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor but also by a plurality of processors located at physically separate locations in cooperation. In addition, the order of the actions of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments and may be changed appropriately.

[0135] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the control programs 36A and 36B are pre-stored in the storage unit 36. However, the storage destination of the control programs 36A and 36B is not limited to the storage unit 36. The control programs 36A and 36B of the present disclosure may also be provided in a form recorded in a storage medium readable by the computer 30.

[0136] For example, the control programs 36A and 36B may be provided in a form recorded in an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and a Blu-ray Disc. In addition, the control programs 36A and 36B may be provided in a form recorded in a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB memory and a memory card. The storage unit 36, the CD-ROM, the DVD-ROM, the Blu-ray Disc, the USB memory, and the memory card are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0137] Furthermore, the urine formed component analysis device 3 can download the control programs 36A and 36B from a file server or the like (not shown) connected to the communication line 4 via the communication unit 39, and store the downloaded control programs 36A and 36B in the storage unit 36 ​​of the urine formed component analysis device 3. In this case, the CPU 31 of the urine formed component analysis device 3 reads the control programs 36A and 36B downloaded from the file server or the like from the storage unit 36, and executes the determination process.

[0138] The following are supplementary explanations based on the present disclosure.

[0139] (Appendix 1)

[0140] A control method for executing the following processing by a computer: when the movement of a formed component contained in a urine sample as an inspection object enclosed in a unit is detected from a plurality of still images obtained by photographing the urine sample as an inspection object enclosed in a unit by a photographing device in time series, photographing the image of the urine sample as a moving image by the photographing device, storing the image of the urine sample photographed as the moving image in a storage device,

[0141] When the movement of the formed components included in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in a storage device.

[0142] (Appendix 1.1)

[0143] According to the control method described in Appendix 1, the following processing is performed by a computer:

[0144] When the result of a predetermined test item in the urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that bacteria are suspected to be present in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and movement of formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, the image of the urine sample captured as a moving image is stored in a storage device, and

[0145] In a case where the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device, wherein the multiple still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0146] (Appendix 2)

[0147] The control method according to Appendix 1, wherein:

[0148] The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is transmitted to an external device through a communication line.

[0149] (Appendix 3)

[0150] The control method according to Appendix 1, wherein:

[0151] An image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is displayed on a display device.

[0152] (Appendix 4)

[0153] The control method according to Appendix 1, wherein:

[0154] The test items include at least one of a nitrite content in urine, a leukocyte content in urine, and a turbidity of urine.

[0155] (Appendix 5)

[0156] A control method according to any one of Appendixes 1 to 4, wherein:

[0157] The unit packages the urine sample with different thicknesses, wherein the thickness of the photographing device along the photographing direction is composed of a first thickness and a second thickness, and the image of the urine sample is photographed by the photographing device, wherein the second thickness is thinner than the first thickness.

[0158] (Appendix 6)

[0159] The control method according to Appendix 5, wherein:

[0160] When the result of the predetermined examination item satisfies the predetermined condition, an image of the urine sample included in a region of the cell where the thickness of the cell becomes the second thickness is captured as a moving image,

[0161] When the result of the predetermined inspection item does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the image of the urine sample contained in the area of ​​the unit where the thickness of the unit becomes the first thickness is captured as a still image; and when the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images, the image of the urine sample contained in the area of ​​the unit where the thickness of the unit becomes the second thickness is captured as a moving image.

[0162] (Appendix 7)

[0163] The control method according to Appendix 5 or Appendix 6, wherein:

[0164] The urine sample is enclosed in a cell manufactured so that the second thickness is 1 / 5 or less of the first thickness and 100 μm or more.

[0165] (Appendix 8)

[0166] A control program for executing the following processing by a computer:

[0167] In the case where the result of the predetermined inspection item in the urine qualitative inspection is that the movement of the formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from the plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, the image of the urine sample captured as the moving image is stored in a storage device, and

[0168] In a case where the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device, wherein the multiple still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0169] (Appendix 8.1)

[0170] The control program according to Appendix 8, wherein the computer is used to execute the following processing:

[0171] When the result of a predetermined test item in the urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that bacteria are suspected to be present in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and movement of formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, the image of the urine sample captured as a moving image is stored in a storage device, and

[0172] In a case where the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device, wherein the multiple still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0173] (Appendix 9)

[0174] A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer in a manner to perform a determination process, wherein:

[0175] The determination process includes:

[0176] In the case where the result of the predetermined inspection item in the urine qualitative inspection is that the movement of the formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from the plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, the image of the urine sample captured as the moving image is stored in a storage device, and

[0177] In a case where the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device, wherein the multiple still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0178] (Appendix 9.1)

[0179] A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer in a manner to perform a determination process, wherein:

[0180] The determination process includes:

[0181] When the result of a predetermined test item in the urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that bacteria are suspected to be present in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and movement of formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, the image of the urine sample captured as a moving image is stored in a storage device, and

[0182] In a case where the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device, wherein the multiple still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object encapsulated in a unit along a time sequence.

[0183] According to Appendix 1, Appendix 1.1, Appendix 8, Appendix 8.1, Appendix 9, and Appendix 9.1, the following effect can be achieved: the amount of image data to be processed can be reduced compared to the case where all urine samples are imaged as moving images to investigate the presence of bacteria.

[0184] According to Appendix 2, the following effect is obtained: the determination of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample can be confirmed even on the external device side.

[0185] According to Appendix 3, the following effect is obtained: the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample can be confirmed later.

[0186] According to Appendix 4, the effect of being able to more accurately determine the presence of bacteria is obtained compared to the case where the presence of bacteria is determined based on test items other than the nitrite content in urine, the leukocyte content in urine, and the turbidity of urine.

[0187] According to Appendix 5, the following effect is obtained: depending on the use of the image to be captured, it can be selected whether to capture the image of the urine sample in the region having the first thickness or in the region having the second thickness.

[0188] According to Appendix 6, there is obtained an effect that a moving image with less overlapping shaped components can be captured compared to capturing a moving image in a region of a cell having the first thickness.

[0189] According to Appendix 7, the following effect is obtained: the amount of formed components contained in the region of the cell having the second thickness can be smaller than the amount of formed components contained in the region of the cell having the first thickness.

Claims

1. A control method, wherein a computer performs the following processing: When the movement of the formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, and the image of the urine sample captured as a moving image is stored in a storage device, wherein: The plurality of still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object enclosed in the unit in time sequence, and When the movement of the formed components included in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The following processing is performed by the computer: In a case where the result of a predetermined inspection item in the urine qualitative inspection satisfies a predetermined condition for suspecting the presence of bacteria in the urine, or in a case where the result of the inspection item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the movement of a formed component contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is photographed as a moving image by a photographing device, and the image of the urine sample photographed as a moving image is stored in a storage device, wherein the plurality of still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as an inspection object enclosed in a unit along a time sequence, and When the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images captured when the result of the examination item does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is transmitted to an external device through a communication line.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: An image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is displayed on a display device.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The test items include at least one of a nitrite content in urine, a leukocyte content in urine, and a turbidity of urine.

6. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The urine sample is enclosed in the unit whose thickness along the photographing direction of the photographing device has different thicknesses consisting of a first thickness and a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is thinner than the first thickness, and an image of the urine sample is photographed by the photographing device.

7. The control method according to claim 6, wherein: When the result of the inspection item satisfies the predetermined condition, an image of the urine sample included in a region of the cell where the thickness of the cell becomes the second thickness is captured as a moving image, When the result of the inspection item does not satisfy the predetermined condition, an image of the urine sample contained in the area of ​​the unit where the thickness of the unit becomes the first thickness is captured as a still image; and when the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images, an image of the urine sample contained in the area of ​​the unit where the thickness of the unit becomes the second thickness is captured as a moving image.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: The urine sample is enclosed in the cell manufactured so that the second thickness is not more than 1 / 5 of the first thickness and not less than 100 μm.

9. A computer program product, comprising a control program, the control program being used for executing the following processing by a computer: When the movement of the formed components contained in the urine sample is detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample is captured as a moving image by a photographing device, and the image of the urine sample captured as a moving image is stored in a storage device, wherein: The plurality of still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as the inspection object enclosed in the unit in time sequence, and When the movement of the formed components included in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein: The processing performed by the computer includes: In a case where the result of a predetermined inspection item in the urine qualitative inspection satisfies a predetermined condition for suspecting the presence of bacteria in the urine, or in a case where the result of the inspection item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the movement of a formed component contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images, an image of the urine sample is photographed as a moving image by a photographing device, and the image of the urine sample photographed as a moving image is stored in a storage device, wherein the plurality of still images are obtained by the photographing device photographing the urine sample as an inspection object enclosed in a unit along a time sequence, and When the activity of the formed components contained in the urine sample is not detected from the multiple still images captured when the result of the examination item does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the image of the urine sample captured as a still image instead of a moving image is stored in the storage device.

Images