A method and apparatus for block control of a sectioning of a pathological tissue

Abstract

The application provides a method and device for embedding pathological tissue, and belongs to the technical field of medical instruments. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a first embedding wax block image; determining a corresponding embedding base mold contour area based on the first embedding wax block image and a preset contour extraction algorithm, so as to match a corresponding first trimming control parameter information group according to the embedding base mold contour area; determining a second embedding wax block image of the embedding wax block according to the embedding base mold contour area, and judging whether the second embedding wax block image meets a controllable trimming condition. If the controllable trimming condition is met, a first contour area value corresponding to the embedding wax block is determined, a cutter is controlled to trim the embedding wax block in cycles based on the first trimming control parameter information group, and a corresponding third embedding wax block image is obtained; based on a second contour area value in the third embedding wax block image, the first contour area value and a preset trimming threshold, it is determined whether the embedding wax block meets a trimming end condition, so as to obtain a trimmed embedding wax block.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, in particular to a sectioning control method and device for embedding pathological tissues. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the research and diagnosis process of histopathology, the preparation of tissue sections is a crucial step. Among them, the sectioning step of the embedded tissue is the key to ensure the quality of the section and the subsequent staining and observation effect, and can also prolong the service life of the sectioning blade. The traditional sectioning method mainly relies on manual operation, that is, the technician uses a knife to manually trim the embedded wax block to remove excess tissue and wax, making the sectioning surface flat and smooth.

[0003] However, the manual sectioning method has many shortcomings. First, because a large number of tissue samples need to be processed, the technician often needs to perform a large amount of repetitive mechanical operation, which not only consumes time and effort, but also easily leads to operational fatigue, thereby affecting the sectioning quality. Second, the quality of manual operation is uneven, and there are differences in technical level among different technicians, making it difficult to ensure that each sample can achieve an ideal sectioning effect. In addition, operational errors may occur during manual sectioning, such as cutting too deep causing tissue damage, or uneven cutting causing uneven section thickness, which can adversely affect the subsequent section quality and diagnosis results. At the same time, some existing automatic sectioning systems are not stable enough and lack intelligence, and it is still a distance to completely get rid of manual precise sectioning.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a sectioning control technical solution that can assist users to achieve automatic and precise sectioning of embedded pathological tissues. SUMMARY

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a sectioning control method and device for embedding pathological tissues, which solve the technical problem that the current sectioning of embedded pathological tissues relies too much on manual operation, the labor cost is high, and the sectioning quality and efficiency are difficult to guarantee, thereby affecting the subsequent sectioning effect of embedded pathological tissues.

[0006] In one aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a sectioning control method for embedding pathological tissues, which comprises:

[0007] obtaining a first embedded wax block image from an image acquisition device;

[0008] determining a corresponding embedding base mold contour region based on the first embedded wax block image and a preset contour extraction algorithm, to match a corresponding first sectioning control parameter information group according to the embedding base mold contour region;

[0009] determine a second wax block image of the embedding wax block according to the embedding base mold contour region, and determine whether the second wax block image meets a controllable trimming condition; the second wax block image is obtained by taking a picture after back lighting in a shooting direction of the image acquisition device; the controllable trimming condition includes evaluation standard information of one or more evaluation dimensions representing image quality;

[0010] In a case where the second wax block image meets the controllable trimming condition, determine a first contour area value corresponding to the embedding wax block, control a tool to perform a cycle trimming on the embedding wax block based on the first trimming control parameter information set, and obtain a third wax block image;

[0011] Determine whether the embedding wax block meets a trimming end condition based on a second contour area value in the third wax block image, the first contour area value, and a preset trimming threshold, to obtain a trimmed embedding wax block.

[0012] In an implementation manner of the application, before obtaining the first wax block image from the image acquisition device, the method further includes:

[0013] After receiving a embedding box ready signal, generate an automatic tool setting instruction to move the embedding box fixed clamp head to a predetermined position, and record the current position of the tool motor through an encoder to complete automatic tool setting; the embedding box ready signal is generated based on the embedding box being installed to the embedding box fixed clamp head.

[0014] In an implementation manner of the application, based on the first wax block image and a preset contour extraction algorithm, determine a corresponding embedding base mold contour region, specifically including:

[0015] Perform image processing on the first wax block image through the preset contour extraction algorithm to extract and draw the corresponding embedding base mold contour region; the preset contour extraction algorithm is a contour extraction algorithm based on edge detection in an OpenCV library; the image processing at least includes grayscale processing, contrast improvement, binary processing, edge detection, contour extraction, and contour drawing.

[0016] In an implementation manner of the application, match a corresponding first trimming control parameter information set according to the embedding base mold contour region, specifically including:

[0017] Determine a corresponding embedding base mold specification according to the area of the embedding base mold contour region; different embedding base mold specifications correspond to different area sizes.

[0018] The embedding bottom mold specification is matched with a preset control parameter comparison table to determine the first trimming control parameter information set according to a matching result; wherein the preset control parameter comparison table includes a corresponding relationship between different embedding bottom mold specifications and different trimming control parameter information sets; and the trimming control parameter information set at least includes the following control parameters: maximum trimming depth, feed amount, shooting interval trimming times, light intensity, and exposure time.

[0019] In an implementation manner of the present application, according to the embedding bottom mold contour region, a second embedding wax block image of the embedding wax block is determined, and it is judged whether the second embedding wax block image meets the controllable trimming condition, specifically including:

[0020] According to the first trimming control parameter information set, a back light shooting instruction is generated to enable a back light lighting device and make the image acquisition device shoot to obtain a corresponding initial second embedding wax block image;

[0021] According to the embedding bottom mold contour region, the initial second embedding wax block image is cropped to eliminate a pixel region outside the embedding bottom mold contour region in the initial second embedding wax block image to obtain the second embedding wax block image;

[0022] Parameter information of each evaluation dimension of the second embedding wax block image is determined; wherein each evaluation dimension at least includes a histogram distribution, a contrast, a noise, and an edge number;

[0023] Each parameter information is compared with each evaluation standard information corresponding to the controllable trimming condition respectively;

[0024] In a case that the comparison result is a standard meeting result, it is determined that the second embedding wax block image meets the controllable trimming condition;

[0025] In a case that the comparison result is a standard non-meeting result, according to a preset rule and each parameter information, an exposure time of the image acquisition device is updated, and the initial second embedding wax block image is re-shot and the cumulative exposure time updating times are accumulated until the second embedding wax block image meets the controllable trimming condition or the cumulative exposure time updating times are greater than a predetermined value.

[0026] In an implementation manner of the present application, the method further includes:

[0027] In a case that the cumulative exposure time updating times are greater than the predetermined value, the embedding bottom mold specification is matched with a preset trimming mode set to trim the embedding wax block according to a matched preset trimming mode; wherein each preset trimming mode has a corresponding relationship with each second trimming control parameter information set.

[0028] In an implementation form of the application, after the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable trimming condition, the method further comprises:

[0029] The number of tissues in the second embedded wax block image is determined by the preset contour extraction algorithm;

[0030] In the case where the number of tissues is multiple, the second trimming control parameter information set corresponding to the preset small tissue trimming mode is updated to the first trimming control parameter information set.

[0031] In an implementation form of the application, the image acquisition device is arranged above the embedded wax block, and the first embedded wax block image and the third embedded wax block image are obtained by front-lighting and then photographing along the photographing direction;

[0032] Based on the second contour area value in the third embedded wax block image and the first contour area value and a preset trimming threshold, it is determined whether the embedded wax block meets a trimming end condition, to obtain a trimmed embedded wax block, specifically comprising:

[0033] According to each third embedded wax block image corresponding to a cycle trimming process, a ratio of each second contour area value to the first contour area value is calculated, which is an exposed tissue contour ratio value; wherein the second contour area value corresponds to an exposed tissue part of the embedded wax block after trimming; and the first contour area value corresponds to an area of a projection region of the pathological tissue in the embedded wax block along the photographing direction;

[0034] Each exposed tissue contour ratio value is compared with the preset trimming threshold in turn;

[0035] In the case where the exposed tissue contour ratio value is greater than the preset trimming threshold, it is determined that the embedded wax block meets the trimming end condition and the cycle trimming is stopped, to obtain the trimmed embedded wax block.

[0036] In an implementation form of the application, the method further comprises:

[0037] Each exposed tissue contour ratio value corresponding to a preset continuous trimming number is determined, and each exposed tissue contour ratio value is added to an abnormality judgment ratio value sequence in time sequence;

[0038] In the case where the embedded wax block does not meet the trimming end condition and a ratio value change trend corresponding to the abnormality judgment ratio value sequence meets an abnormality alarm condition, a trimming alarm information is generated and the cutter is controlled to stop trimming, and the trimming alarm information is sent to a user interface; wherein the abnormality alarm condition is that the ratio value change trend is a non-increasing trend;

[0039] Or, in the case where the exposed tissue profile proportion value is greater than 1, the trimming alarm information is generated and the cutter is controlled to stop trimming, and the trimming alarm information is sent to the user interface.

[0040] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a trimming control device for embedding pathological tissue, the device comprising:

[0041] at least one processor; and a memory connected with the at least one processor in communication; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the trimming control method for embedding pathological tissue as described above.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following significant effects:

[0043] 1) The above technical solution provides a trimming control scheme that can assist users to achieve automatic and accurate trimming of embedded pathological tissue, without the need for technicians to actively perform trimming operations, reducing the dependence on manual operation, improving the automation and intelligence level of trimming, and ensuring the stability of trimming quality and trimming efficiency. Further, through the back-lighting processing, the trimming quality is further improved, and the trimming control parameter information group that can be configured and adjusted according to actual needs is used to improve the flexibility and controllability of trimming control.

[0044] 2) Compared with the traditional manual trimming method, the system also realizes more accurate control of key parameters such as feed amount, and this high-precision automatic operation not only greatly improves the standardization of tissue trimming; also effectively reduces the risk of over-trimming caused by human factors, ensuring the stability and reliability of trimming quality.

[0045] 3) The system does not require manual direct participation during trimming, thereby significantly saving labor costs; this change not only reduces the workload of technicians, but also enables the pathology department to allocate more human resources to other key links that require manual judgment and decision-making, thereby promoting the overall work efficiency of the pathology department and providing faster and more accurate pathological diagnosis services for the hospital. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0046] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present application, constitute a part of the present application and illustrate the illustrative embodiments of the present application and their description serve to explain the present application, and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0047] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a trimming control method for embedding pathological tissue according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second embedding wax block image in a sectioning control method for embedding pathological tissues according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 3 Fig. 4 is another flowchart of a sectioning control method for embedding pathological tissues according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 4 Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a sectioning control device for embedding pathological tissues according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the present application will be described below in detail with reference to the embodiments of the present application and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0052] In the tissue sectioning process, hospitals will perform sectioning processing on the embedded tissues. This step is widely recognized, and 80% of hospitals tend to adopt a separate sectioning mode, and 50% of hospitals even specially arrange independent technicians to be responsible for sectioning work. The main purpose of sectioning is to realize the flattening of the tissue section and fully expose the tissue surface, so that the subsequent sectioning can accurately and completely capture the key tissue structure. At the same time, sectioning can effectively prolong the service life of the sectioning blade, reduce the increase in cost and reduction in efficiency caused by excessive wear of the blade. In addition, through sectioning, the overall work efficiency of the pathologists can be improved, so that they can more smoothly perform subsequent work; however, it is worth noting that the current manual sectioning work still has certain limitations. Since the sectioning process involves a large amount of repetitive mechanical operations, the work intensity is relatively large, and the technicians are prone to fatigue and distraction in long-term work, which may lead to non-standard operation, uneven sectioning quality, and other problems, which adversely affect the standardized management of the pathology department.

[0053] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a sectioning control method and device for embedding pathological tissues, to solve the technical problem that the current sectioning of embedded pathological tissues relies too much on manual work, the labor cost is high, and the sectioning quality and efficiency are difficult to guarantee, thereby affecting the subsequent embedding of pathological tissue sections. Thus, the burden of a large amount of repetitive mechanical operations faced by the pathologists in the sectioning process is reduced, and the standardization of sectioning and the overall standardization management level of the pathology department are improved.

[0054] The various embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] The embodiment of the present application provides a sectioning control method for embedding pathological tissues, as shown in the method can comprise steps S101-S105: Figure 1

[0056] S101, the microcontroller acquires the first embedding wax block image from the image acquisition device.

[0057] It should be noted that the microcontroller as the execution subject of the sectioning control method for embedding pathological tissues is only exemplary, and the execution subject is not limited to the microcontroller, and the present application does not make specific limitation. Wherein, the microcontroller can be integrated in the paraffin microtome, or can be external to the paraffin microtome, for example, the microcontroller is arranged in an external control terminal, and is connected with the paraffin microtome and the image acquisition device and controls the paraffin microtome to cut.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present application, before acquiring the first embedding wax block image from the image acquisition device, the method further comprises:

[0059] After receiving the embedding box ready signal, the automatic tool setting instruction is generated to move the embedding box fixed clamp head to the predetermined position, and the current position of the tool motor is recorded through the encoder to complete the automatic tool setting. Wherein, the embedding box ready signal is generated based on the embedding box being installed to the embedding box fixed clamp head.

[0060] ​In other words, before performing the trimming, the embedding box needs to be fixed on the machine chuck of the paraffin microtome, where the embedding box fixing step can be fixed by the user or by a mechanical arm, which is not specifically limited in the present application. The microcontroller can set a sensor on the machine chuck to detect whether the embedding box is fixed. If the embedding box is fixed on the machine chuck, an embedding box ready signal is generated, and an automatic tool setting command is generated. The paraffin microtome receives the automatic tool setting command and controls the embedding box fixing chuck to move slowly forward until it moves to a predetermined position, which can be set by the user in advance, which is not specifically limited in the present application. The predetermined position can be provided with a contact displacement sensor, which can send a signal to the microcontroller that the predetermined position has been reached after detecting that the embedding box fixing chuck touches. At this time, the microcontroller also records the current position of the tool motor (motor controlling the movement of the blade) through the encoder. The encoder is a device that can accurately measure the rotation angle or linear displacement, which is usually connected to the motor shaft to track the movement state of the motor in real time. By recording the position of the tool motor when the chuck touches the sensor, the microcontroller can calculate the accurate position of the tool (or other tools that need accurate positioning) relative to the workpiece (embedding box) as the tool setting information. This tool setting information is used to adjust the position of the tool to ensure that the tool can accurately contact the workpiece during subsequent processing. The accurate position is determined and adjusted to the right position, and the automatic tool setting process is completed.

[0061] If the automatic tool setting is completed within the preset time, the microcontroller can generate an alarm information to prompt a mechanical failure.

[0062] Subsequently, after the automatic tool setting is completed, the microcontroller can control the tool to trim the embedding wax block by a preset feed amount, for example, 50 microns, for a preset number of times. For example, the embedding wax block is trimmed by 0.1 millimeters (mm). The preset feed amount and the preset number of times of trimming can be adjusted by the user according to actual use, which is not specifically limited in the present application.

[0063] After the automatic tool setting of the paraffin microtome is completed, the microcontroller will control the image acquisition device to acquire images of the embedding wax block to obtain a first embedding wax block image. The image acquisition device is arranged above the embedding wax block, and the first embedding wax block image and the third embedding wax block image are obtained by shooting along the light direction after light is shone. The upper side of the embedding wax block can be understood as the position where the tool is arranged, and when shooting the first embedding wax block image and the third embedding wax block image, light can be shone along the shooting direction, and blue light can be used for shining. The shooting image can be taken by using a default light intensity and exposure time. The specific light intensity and exposure time can be set by the user according to the actual use scene, which is not specifically limited in the present application. By shining and shooting, a clearer embedding wax block image can be obtained to identify the embedding base mold contour and the exposed tissue contour.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, the corresponding embedding bottom mold contour area is determined based on the first embedding wax block image and the preset contour extraction algorithm, and the specific steps include:

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, the corresponding embedding bottom mold contour area is determined based on the first embedding wax block image and the preset contour extraction algorithm, and the specific steps include:

[0066] The preset contour extraction algorithm is an edge detection-based contour extraction algorithm in the OpenCV library. The image processing at least includes grayscale processing, contrast improvement, binary processing, edge detection, contour extraction, and contour drawing.

[0067] That is, the microcontroller can use the edge detection-based contour extraction algorithm in the OpenCV library as the preset contour extraction algorithm, and can sequentially perform grayscale processing, contrast improvement processing, binary processing, edge detection, contour extraction, and contour drawing on the first embedding wax block image. The microcontroller also identifies the contour features (such as area, shape, and side length) and determines whether the contour is an embedding bottom mold contour, thereby obtaining the embedding bottom mold contour area. For example, if the contour shape is a regular square and the side length is 7 mm, the contour is an embedding bottom mold contour.

[0068] Further, the corresponding first section control parameter information set is matched according to the embedding bottom mold contour area, and the specific steps include:

[0069] The corresponding embedding bottom mold specification is determined according to the area of the embedding bottom mold contour area. Different embedding bottom mold specifications correspond to different area sizes. The embedding bottom mold specification is matched with a preset control parameter comparison table to determine the first section control parameter information set according to the matching result. The preset control parameter comparison table includes the corresponding relationship between different embedding bottom mold specifications and different section control parameter information sets. The section control parameter information set at least includes the following control parameters: maximum section depth, feed amount, shooting interval section frequency, light intensity, and exposure time.

[0070] In other words, the microcontroller pre-stores a preset control parameter correspondence table, which includes the correspondence between different embedding base mold specifications, such as 7mm*7mm, 15mm*15mm, and greater than 15mm*15mm, and different sectioning control parameter information sets. Different embedding base mold specifications are generally used to carry different sizes or different types of pathological tissues. The present application can set different default control parameter information sets, i.e., first sectioning control parameter information sets, for different embedding base mold specifications. The parameter values in different first sectioning control parameter information sets can be set by users or experts. The first sectioning control parameter information set includes the maximum sectioning depth, the feed amount, the number of sectioning times between image capturing, the illumination intensity, and the exposure time. The maximum sectioning depth can be understood as the maximum depth of the part of the embedding base mold that can be removed when the microcontroller controls the cutter to section with the corresponding feed amount. The feed amount can be understood as the thickness of the part cut by the cutter each time. The number of sectioning times between image capturing can be understood as the number of sectioning times between the capturing of two consecutive third embedding wax block images by the image acquisition device in the cyclic sectioning process, i.e., one third embedding wax block image is captured, and another third embedding wax block image is captured after n cuts, where n is a natural number. The illumination intensity can be understood as the ambient illumination intensity when the image acquisition device captures an image. The illumination intensity can be adjusted by the light controlled by the microcontroller. The exposure time can be understood as the exposure time when the image acquisition device captures an image.

[0071] Through the above scheme, the embedding base mold profile region containing at least the pathological tissue can be clearly identified, so as to control sectioning.

[0072] In S103, the microcontroller determines a second embedding wax block image of the embedding wax block according to the embedding base mold profile region, and determines whether the second embedding wax block image meets controllable sectioning conditions.

[0073] The second embedding wax block image is captured after back lighting. The controllable sectioning conditions include evaluation standard information of one or more evaluation dimensions representing image quality.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the second embedding wax block image of the embedding wax block is determined according to the embedding base mold profile region, and it is determined whether the second embedding wax block image meets controllable sectioning conditions. Specifically, the method includes the following steps:

[0075] According to the first retouching control parameter information set, a back light shooting instruction is generated to turn on the back light device and make the image acquisition device shoot to obtain a corresponding initial second embedding wax block image. According to the embedding base mold contour region, the initial second embedding wax block image is cropped to remove the pixel region outside the embedding base mold contour region in the initial second embedding wax block image, to obtain a second embedding wax block image. The parameter information of the second embedding wax block image in each evaluation dimension is determined. The evaluation dimensions at least include: histogram distribution, contrast, noise, and edge number. Each parameter information is compared with the evaluation standard information corresponding to the controllable retouching condition.

[0076] In the case of a standard-compliant comparison result, it is determined that the second embedding wax block image meets the controllable retouching condition.

[0077] In the case of a non-standard-compliant comparison result, the exposure time of the image acquisition device is updated according to the preset rule and the parameter information, and the initial second embedding wax block image is re-shot and the number of times of updating the exposure time is accumulated until the second embedding wax block image meets the controllable retouching condition or the number of times of updating the exposure time is greater than a predetermined value.

[0078] That is, after the microcontroller determines the embedding base mold contour region, the light intensity and the exposure time in the first retouching control parameter information set are used to shoot the embedding base mold by back light shooting using the image acquisition device to obtain an initial second embedding wax block image. The microcontroller can control the front light device to be turned off and the back light device below the embedding wax block to be turned on, so as to perform back light shooting from the back of the embedding wax block, and thus the initial second embedding wax block image is obtained by the image acquisition device. Then, the microcontroller can also crop the initial second embedding wax block image by using the embedding base mold contour region to retain the pixel region corresponding to the embedding base mold contour region in the initial second embedding wax block image, to obtain a second embedding wax block image. Since the second embedding wax block image is obtained by back light shooting, the wax is transparent and the pathological tissue is generally not transparent, so the pathological tissue contour can be more intuitively and clearly displayed on the second embedding wax block image.

[0079] Subsequently, the microcontroller will extract the parameter information of the second embedded wax block image according to the evaluation dimensions, including at least the histogram distribution information, the contrast, the noise, and the edge number. The microcontroller will call the evaluation standard information in the controllable trimming conditions stored in advance and compare it with the extracted parameter information. Specifically, if the waveform of the histogram is too biased to the left, i.e., the dark area, it means that the overall image is too dark, which may be underexposed; if the waveform is too biased to the right, i.e., the bright area, it means that the overall image is too bright, which may be overexposed; the ideal histogram waveform should cover the entire brightness range and the waveform distribution should be uniform, which indicates that the image is moderately exposed and the details are rich; the evaluation standard information of the histogram distribution of the present application can include the designated waveform distribution standard, and when the histogram distribution in the parameter information meets the waveform distribution standard, the evaluation dimension meets the standard. The evaluation standard information of the contrast can be set to a contrast standard interval, and when the contrast is in the contrast standard interval, the corresponding evaluation dimension meets the standard. The evaluation standard information of the noise can be a noise standard interval, and when the noise is in the noise standard interval, the corresponding evaluation dimension meets the standard. The evaluation standard information of the edge number can be an edge number threshold, and when the edge number is greater than the edge number threshold, the edge number evaluation dimension meets the standard.

[0080] When all the evaluation dimensions meet the standard, the microcontroller determines that the comparison result meets the standard and judges that the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable trimming conditions. When the comparison result does not meet the standard, the microcontroller can adjust the exposure time according to the preset rule and the gap between each parameter information and the standard of the corresponding evaluation dimension information, and re-shoot the initial second embedded wax block image. The preset rule includes the correspondence between the gap and the exposure time adjustment step, such as judging that it is overexposed and the overexposure degree is high (the histogram distribution is biased to the right and the number of pixel points with right bias distribution accounts for more than 70%), the exposure time is reduced by 5 milliseconds, such as judging that it is overexposed and the overexposure degree is low (such as the histogram distribution is biased to the right and the number of pixel points with right bias distribution accounts for more than 50% and less than 70%), the exposure time is reduced by 3 milliseconds, such as judging that it is underexposed, the exposure time is extended by 3 milliseconds. If the number of times of adjusting the exposure time reaches a predetermined value, the controllable trimming conditions are still not met, at which time the updating of the exposure time is stopped. The predetermined value can be set by the user according to the actual use scene, which is not limited in the present application.

[0081] More specifically, in the case where the number of times of cumulative updating of the exposure time is greater than the predetermined value, the embedded mold specification is matched with the preset trimming mode set to trim the embedded wax block according to the matched preset trimming mode. Each preset trimming mode has a corresponding relationship with the preset second trimming control parameter information group.

[0082] In other words, when the number of times of updating the exposure time is too much, the cause of not meeting the controllable slicing condition can be that the pathological tissue is affected by special pathological tissues, such as fat, connective tissue, and the like. At this time, the microcontroller can match the preset slicing mode set for the special pathological tissue block set by the user, and the preset slicing mode set can be divided according to large and small tissues. Meanwhile, the threshold slicing mode has a corresponding preset second slicing control parameter group, and the microcontroller can perform slicing processing on the embedded wax block according to the control parameters in the second slicing control parameter group.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present application, after the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable slicing condition, the method further comprises:

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, the first contour area value can also be the area value of the minimum rectangle containing the projection area of the pathological tissue of the embedded wax block, as shown in FIG. 6. The entire image field of view is the second embedded wax block image, and the area of the required image field of view part is the first contour area value.

[0085] In another embodiment of the present application, the second contour acquisition method: the first contour area value of the present application can also be the area value of the minimum rectangle containing the projection area of the pathological tissue of the embedded wax block, as shown in FIG. 6. The entire image field of view is the second embedded wax block image, and the area of the required image field of view part is the first contour area value. Figure 2

[0086] The above-mentioned control of the knife on the embedded wax block based on the first slicing control parameter information group and the acquisition of the corresponding third embedded wax block image specifically include:

[0087] The microcontroller controls the knife to continuously cut the embedded wax block according to the control parameters in the first slicing control parameter information group, so as to perform cyclic slicing, and simultaneously uses the image acquisition device to capture the third embedded wax block image according to the shooting interval slicing times, for example, capturing one third embedded wax block image after slicing 3 times. The third embedded wax block image is an embedded wax block image captured by closing the backlight and opening the frontlight. The frontlight can make the third embedded wax block image more clearly display the surface pixel points of the embedded wax block.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, after the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable slicing condition, the method further comprises:

[0089] ​The number of tissues in the second embedding wax block image is determined by the preset contour extraction algorithm. In the case of multiple tissue numbers, the second sectioning control parameter information set corresponding to the preset small tissue sectioning mode is updated to the first sectioning control parameter information set.

[0090] That is, the microcontroller can also identify the number of tissues in the second embedding wax block image through the preset contour extraction algorithm, which can be obtained by identifying the number of contour regions, and one sectioned contour region corresponds to one pathological tissue. When the number of tissues is multiple (more than 1), it may be caused by placing multiple small tissues in one embedding box at this time. The identified embedding base mold specification is not the embedding base mold specification corresponding to the small tissue, such as the embedding base mold specification corresponding to the small tissue is 7mm*7mm, and the embedding base mold specification at this time is 15mm*15mm. The microcontroller updates the second sectioning control parameter information set corresponding to the threshold small tissue sectioning mode to the first sectioning control parameter information set, so as to section the small tissue. At this time, the second embedding wax block image contains a first sub-contour area value of multiple sectioned projection regions, and the multiple first sub-contour area values constitute the first contour area value, and in addition, the second contour area value is also composed of multiple second sub-contour area values.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, whether the embedding wax block meets the sectioning end condition is determined based on the second contour area value and the first contour area value in the third embedding wax block image and the preset sectioning threshold, to obtain the sectioned embedding wax block, and specifically includes:

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, whether the embedding wax block meets the sectioning end condition is determined based on the second contour area value and the first contour area value in the third embedding wax block image and the preset sectioning threshold, to obtain the sectioned embedding wax block, and specifically includes:

[0093] According to each third embedding wax block image corresponding to the cyclic sectioning process, the ratio of each second contour area value to the first contour area value is calculated, which is the exposed tissue contour ratio. The second contour area value corresponds to the exposed tissue part after sectioning the embedding wax block. The first contour area value corresponds to the projection area of the pathological tissue in the embedding wax block along the shooting direction. The exposed tissue contour ratios are compared with the preset sectioning threshold in sequence. In the case that the exposed tissue contour ratio is greater than the preset sectioning threshold, it is determined that the embedding wax block meets the sectioning end condition and the cyclic sectioning is stopped, and the sectioned embedding wax block is obtained.

[0094] That is, the application can identify the contour of the exposed tissue part through the third wax block image, and the exposed tissue contour can be a graph of irregular tissue edges (corresponding to the first contour acquisition mode) or a minimum rectangle containing the exposed tissue edges (corresponding to the second contour acquisition mode). The specific mode depends on whether the first contour acquisition mode or the second contour acquisition mode is selected, which can be selected by the user, and the application does not make specific limitations.

[0095] Subsequently, the microcontroller calculates the ratio of the second contour area value to the first contour area value to obtain the exposed tissue contour ratio value. If the exposed tissue contour ratio value is greater than the preset sectioning threshold, the microcontroller determines that the wax block has met the sectioning end condition and stops the loop sectioning to obtain the sectioned wax block. The preset sectioning threshold is set by the user according to the actual use scene, for example, set to 0.8.

[0096] In addition, the microcontroller also determines the exposed tissue contour ratio values corresponding to the preset continuous sectioning times during the above-mentioned loop sectioning process, and adds the exposed tissue contour ratio values to the abnormal judgment ratio value sequence in chronological order.

[0097] In the case where the wax block does not meet the sectioning end condition and the change trend of the ratio value corresponding to the abnormal judgment ratio value sequence meets the abnormal alarm condition, a sectioning alarm information is generated and the knife is controlled to stop sectioning, and the sectioning alarm information is sent to the user interface. The abnormal alarm condition is that the change trend of the ratio value is a non-increasing trend.

[0098] Alternatively, in the case where the exposed tissue contour ratio value is greater than 1, a sectioning alarm information is generated and the knife is controlled to stop sectioning, and the sectioning alarm information is sent to the user interface.

[0099] In addition, when the loop sectioning reaches the maximum sectioning depth, the sectioning will also be stopped, and a sectioning alarm information is generated.

[0100] In other words, the above provides an abnormal processing mode, and the abnormal alarm condition that the change trend of the ratio value is a non-increasing trend can be understood as that each exposed tissue contour ratio value in the abnormal judgment ratio value sequence remains unchanged or becomes smaller and smaller. The sectioning alarm information can be a picture or text information, and the application does not make specific limitations. The user interface can be a display screen connected with the microcontroller, or a user terminal such as a user's mobile phone, computer or other equipment, and the application does not make specific limitations.

[0101] Figure 3 Another flowchart of a sectioning control method for embedding pathological tissues provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in FIG. 4, which includes the following steps: Figure 3

[0102] ​S301, clamping in place, automatic tool setting; S302, whether automatic tool setting is completed, if not, executing S303, if yes, executing S304; S303, alarm: mechanical failure; S304, trimming the organization by 0.1mm; S305, top light, default parameters for shooting; S306, increasing the contrast of the picture, judging the embedding base mold specification, confirming the field of view range (the size of the organization); S307, obtaining the embedding base mold specification: less than 15mm*15mm type base mold, 15mm*15mm to 24mm*24 type base mold, greater than 24mm*24mm type base mold; S308, according to the embedding base mold specification, the various default parameters required for the next step (the maximum sectioning depth, the amount of tool advancement, the shooting interval sectioning times, the light intensity and exposure time when shooting by default) can be confirmed; S309, using the default parameters to take the corresponding field of view range photo; S3010, judging whether the picture quality meets the controllable sectioning conditions; if not, executing S3011, if yes, executing S3013; S3011, judging whether the exposure time is changed more than 3 times when shooting, if yes, executing S3012, if not, executing S3010; S3012, converting to the preset sectioning mode according to the size of the organization; S3013, judging whether it is one organization in the fixed field of view, if not, executing S3014, if yes, executing S3015; S3014, setting the sectioning parameters to the preset small organization (less than 15*15mm base film) mode; S3015, confirming the first outline area value under the field of view range; S3016, shooting the third embedding wax block image; S3017, cyclically determining the exposed organization contour proportion value until the preset sectioning threshold or the maximum sectioning thickness is reached.

[0103] Through the above technical solution, a sectioning control scheme capable of assisting users to realize automatic and accurate sectioning of embedded pathological tissues is provided, without the need for technical personnel to actively perform sectioning operations, reducing the dependence on manual operation, while improving the sectioning automation and intelligent level, ensuring the stability of sectioning quality and sectioning efficiency. Through back light processing, the sectioning quality is further improved, and the sectioning control parameter information group which can be configured and adjusted according to actual needs is used, improving the flexibility and controllability of sectioning control.

[0104] In addition, compared with the traditional manual sectioning method, the system also realizes more accurate control of key parameters such as tool advancement, which not only greatly improves the standardization of tissue sectioning; but also effectively reduces the risk of over-sectioning caused by human factors, ensuring the stability and reliability of sectioning quality.

[0105] The system does not need manual direct participation in the process of sectioning, thereby significantly saving the labor cost; this change not only reduces the work burden of technicians, but also enables the pathology department to invest more human resources into other key links requiring manual judgment and decision-making, thereby promoting the overall work efficiency of the pathology department and providing the hospital with faster and more accurate pathological diagnosis services.

[0106] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of a sectioning control device for embedding pathological tissue provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1, the device comprises:

[0107] at least one processor, and a memory connected to the at least one processor in communication. The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to:

[0108] obtain a first embedding wax block image from an image acquisition device. Based on the first embedding wax block image and a preset contour extraction algorithm, determine a corresponding embedding base mold contour region, so as to match a corresponding first sectioning control parameter information set according to the embedding base mold contour region. Determine a second embedding wax block image of the embedding wax block according to the embedding base mold contour region, and determine whether the second embedding wax block image meets a controllable sectioning condition. The second embedding wax block image is obtained by shooting after inverse light illumination along the shooting direction of the image acquisition device. The controllable sectioning condition comprises evaluation standard information of one or more evaluation dimensions representing image quality. In the case where the second embedding wax block image meets the controllable sectioning condition, determine a first contour area value corresponding to the embedding wax block, so as to control the knife to perform cyclic sectioning on the embedding wax block based on the first sectioning control parameter information set, and obtain a corresponding third embedding wax block image. Based on the second contour area value in the third embedding wax block image, the first contour area value, and a preset sectioning threshold, determine whether the embedding wax block meets a sectioning end condition, so as to obtain a sectioned embedding wax block.

[0109] Each of the embodiments in the present application is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment mainly describes the difference from other embodiments. In particular, for the device embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the part of the method embodiment.

[0110] The device and the method provided by the embodiments of the present application are one-to-one correspondence, so the device also has the similar beneficial technical effects as the method. Since the beneficial technical effects of the method have been described in detail above, the beneficial technical effects of the device will not be described here.

[0111] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but can also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by "comprises a... " does not, without more constraints, exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

[0112] The above description is merely illustrative of the application, and not restrictive. Various modifications and changes can become apparent to those skilled in the art. Incorporating any modification, equivalent substitution, improvement, etc. within the spirit and principle of the application, shall be included in the scope of the claims of the application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues, characterized in that, The method includes: Acquire the first image of the embedded wax block from the image acquisition device; Based on the first embedded wax block image and the preset contour extraction algorithm, the corresponding embedded base mold contour region is determined, so as to match the corresponding first retouching control parameter information group according to the embedded base mold contour region. Based on the outline region of the embedded base mold, a second embedded wax block image is determined, and it is determined whether the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable retouching conditions; wherein, the second embedded wax block image is obtained by shooting with backlighting along the shooting direction of the image acquisition device; the controllable retouching conditions include evaluation standard information of one or more evaluation dimensions characterizing image quality; When the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable retouching conditions, the first contour area value corresponding to the embedded wax block is determined, so as to control the tool to perform cyclic retouching on the embedded wax block based on the first retouching control parameter information group, and obtain the corresponding third embedded wax block image. Based on the area values ​​of the second contour and the first contour in the third embedded wax block image, and the preset retouching threshold, it is determined whether the embedded wax block meets the retouching end condition, so as to obtain the retouched embedded wax block. Specifically, the first trimming control parameter information group, matched according to the contour region of the embedded bottom mold, includes: The corresponding embedding mold specifications are determined based on the area of ​​the outline region of the embedding mold; wherein different embedding mold specifications correspond to different area regions. The embedding mold specifications are matched with a preset control parameter lookup table to determine the first retouching control parameter information group based on the matching results; wherein, the preset control parameter lookup table includes the correspondence between different embedding mold specifications and different retouching control parameter information groups; the retouching control parameter information group includes at least the following control parameters: maximum retouching depth, feed rate, number of retouching attempts at shooting interval, light intensity, and exposure time.

2. The method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before acquiring the first image of the embedded wax block from the image acquisition device, the method further includes: Upon receiving the embedding box ready signal, an automatic tool setting command is generated to move the embedding box chuck to a predetermined position, and the current position of the tool motor is recorded by an encoder to complete the automatic tool setting; wherein, the embedding box ready signal is generated based on the embedding box being installed in the embedding box chuck.

3. The method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the first embedded wax block image and the preset contour extraction algorithm, the corresponding embedded base mold contour region is determined, specifically including: The first embedded wax block image is processed using the preset contour extraction algorithm to extract and draw the corresponding embedded base mold contour region; wherein, the preset contour extraction algorithm is an edge detection-based contour extraction algorithm in the OpenCV library; the image processing includes at least grayscale processing, contrast enhancement, binarization, edge detection, contour extraction, and contour drawing.

4. The method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the outline region of the embedded base mold, a second embedded wax block image is determined, and it is determined whether the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable retouching conditions, specifically including: Based on the first retouching control parameter information group, a backlight shooting command is generated to activate the backlight lighting device and enable the image acquisition device to capture the corresponding initial second embedded wax block image. Based on the embedded base mold outline region, the initial second embedded wax block image is cropped to remove pixel regions outside the embedded base mold outline region in the initial second embedded wax block image, thereby obtaining the second embedded wax block image; Determine the parameter information of the second embedded wax block image in each of the evaluation dimensions; wherein each of the evaluation dimensions includes at least: histogram distribution, contrast, noise, and number of edges; Each parameter information is compared with the evaluation criteria information corresponding to the controllable repair conditions; If the comparison result meets the standard, it is determined that the second embedded wax block image satisfies the controllable retouching conditions; If the comparison result does not meet the standard, the exposure time of the image acquisition device is updated according to the preset rules and the parameter information, and the initial second embedded wax block image is re-captured and the cumulative number of exposure time updates is increased until the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable retouching conditions or the cumulative number of exposure time updates is greater than a predetermined value.

5. The method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the cumulative number of exposure times exceeds a predetermined value, the embedding mold specifications are matched with a set of preset retouching modes to retouch the embedded wax block according to the matched preset retouching modes; wherein, each preset retouching mode corresponds to a preset set of second retouching control parameter information.

6. The method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 5, characterized in that, After the second embedded wax block image meets the controllable retouching conditions, the method further includes: The amount of tissue in the second embedded wax block image is determined by the preset contour extraction algorithm. When there are multiple tissues, the second retouching control parameter information group corresponding to the preset small tissue retouching mode is updated to the first retouching control parameter information group.

7. The method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 1, characterized in that, The image acquisition device is positioned above the embedded wax block, and the first and third embedded wax block images are obtained by shooting with front lighting along the shooting direction; Based on the area values ​​of the second contour and the first contour in the third embedded wax block image, and a preset retouching threshold, it is determined whether the embedded wax block meets the retouching end condition to obtain a retouched embedded wax block, specifically including: Based on each of the third embedded paraffin block images corresponding to the cyclic retouching process, the ratio of the second contour area value to the first contour area value is calculated respectively, which is the exposed tissue contour ratio value; wherein, the second contour area value corresponds to the exposed tissue portion after the embedded paraffin block is retouched; the first contour area value corresponds to the projection area of ​​the pathological tissue in the embedded paraffin block projected along the shooting direction; The proportion of each exposed tissue outline is compared sequentially with the preset retouching threshold. If the proportion of the exposed tissue outline is greater than the preset retouching threshold, the embedded wax block is determined to meet the retouching end condition and the retouching cycle is stopped, thus obtaining the retouched embedded wax block.

8. A method for controlling the trimming of embedded pathological tissues according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determine the proportion value of each exposed tissue contour corresponding to the preset number of consecutive retouching steps, and add each of the exposed tissue contour proportion values ​​to the anomaly judgment proportion value sequence in chronological order; If the embedded wax block does not meet the repair end condition and the change trend of the percentage value corresponding to the abnormal judgment percentage value sequence meets the abnormal alarm condition, a repair alarm message is generated and the tool is controlled to stop repairing, and the repair alarm message is sent to the user interface; wherein, the abnormal alarm condition is that the change trend of the percentage value is a non-increasing trend. Alternatively, if the percentage of the exposed tissue outline is greater than 1, generate the trimming alarm information and control the tool to stop trimming, and send the trimming alarm information to the user interface.

9. A slide preparation control device for embedding pathological tissue, characterized in that, The device includes: At least one processor; and, A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enables the at least one processor to perform a slide preparation control method for embedding pathological tissue as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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