Method and device for preview imaging of transparent pathological sample

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of pathological imaging, and discloses a method and device for preview imaging of a transparent pathological sample, the device comprises a light-emitting background plate, placing supports, a mounting support, a camera and an auxiliary light source, the placing supports are symmetrically arranged on the left side and the right side of the upper end of the light-emitting background plate. The flexible connection assembly accurately abuts against the slide to the edge of the tail end of the clamping groove, the slide is made to be tightly attached to the background plate, the light transmission path is optimized, a transparent sample and the background form a clear contour due to light refraction difference, the auxiliary light source obliquely irradiates to strengthen edge comparison, and the problem that traditional imaging contrast is insufficient is solved. The lever amplification effect is formed by utilizing the force arm difference, the sliding piece is pushed to drive the slide to move to the tail end of the clamping groove, the elastic thrust of the spring and the adsorption force of the magnetic block are overlapped, and the slide is abutted against and locked.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of pathological imaging, in particular to a method and device for preview imaging of transparent pathological samples. BACKGROUND

[0002] In digital pathological scanning, in order to ensure efficient scanning of pathological samples, it is usually necessary to accurately determine the sample area through preview images. For HE staining and positive IHC samples, traditional transmission or reflection imaging methods can clearly show the outline of the sample. However, for fluorescent and negative IHC samples, due to the optical properties of these samples, the traditional preview image often has low contrast, making it difficult to clearly define the scanning area. This lack of contrast makes it difficult for subsequent automatic recognition algorithms to accurately locate the sample area, thereby reducing scanning efficiency and accuracy. In the prior art, in order to avoid direct contact with the slide, the slide is clamped to the fixing frame by tweezers or clamping equipment for fixation, and the fixed position is inconsistent each time, requiring multiple, back-and-forth repositioning of the slide position, which is too inconvenient. Secondly, the existing technical solutions for positioning samples generally use a cross slide to push the fixed slide under the camera, and different sizes of slides need to be re-input and determined in the software after each fixation, and then the slide is pushed under the camera after the cross slide is returned to the coordinate origin. Under the demand of batch preview imaging, such operation method often wastes a lot of time and affects the actual operation efficiency. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application provides a method and device for preview imaging of transparent pathological samples, which overcomes the deficiencies described in the background art.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve its technical problems is: A device for preview imaging of transparent pathological samples, comprising a light-emitting background plate, a placing support, a mounting support, a camera and an auxiliary light source, the placing supports are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the upper end of the light-emitting background plate, and a fixing mechanism fixes a slide on the two placing supports, the camera and the auxiliary light source are fixed by the mounting support, the camera is located directly above the slide, and the auxiliary light source is arranged close to the camera. The adjacent surfaces of the two placing supports are respectively provided with clamping grooves, the fixing mechanism is arranged on the surface of the clamping groove, and the fixing mechanism is provided with a soft connection assembly, and the surface of each placing support close to the fixing mechanism is provided with a limiting protrusion, when the slide is installed on the surface of the placing support by the fixing mechanism, the soft connection assembly abuts against the end edge of the clamping groove, and the fixing mechanism is fixed by engaging with the limiting protrusion. The fixing mechanism comprises clamping strips, connecting rods and buckling fixing strips, the clamping strips and the buckling fixing strips are symmetrically arranged, the two buckling fixing strips are connected by the connecting rods, the surfaces of the two clamping strips are respectively provided with sliding grooves, and the two buckling fixing strips are slidably installed in the sliding grooves on the surfaces of the clamping strips by the soft connecting assemblies. The lower ends of the soft connecting assemblies extend out of the lower end surfaces of the clamping strips, the surfaces of the glass slides are provided with positioning grooves corresponding to the soft connecting assemblies, and the soft connecting assemblies are embedded in the positioning grooves to fix the glass slides.

[0005] In a preferred technical solution, the soft connecting assembly comprises a sliding piece arranged in each sliding groove and a spring, the sliding piece comprises a sliding block, a connecting rod and a clamping plate, the sliding block is slidably arranged in the sliding groove, the sliding block is rotationally connected to the buckling fixing strip through the connecting rod, the lower side of the clamping strip is provided with a strip-shaped groove, the clamping plate is arranged on the lower end side surface of the sliding block, and the clamping plate extends outwards through the strip-shaped groove and is embedded in the positioning groove. The spring is arranged on the front side and the rear side of the sliding block respectively, and the spring is pushed when the sliding block slides.

[0006] In a preferred technical solution, when the glass slide is fixed to the placing support by the fixing mechanism, the buckling fixing strip needs to be buckled to the limiting protrusion, and the buckling fixing strip is pressed downwards, so that the buckling fixing strip swings downwards with the connecting point of the buckling fixing strip and the connecting rod as the fulcrum, and the sliding piece and the glass slide fixed by the clamping plate are pushed towards the direction of the limiting protrusion. When the buckling fixing strip is buckled to the limiting protrusion and the glass slide is fixed, the horizontal height of the end of the buckling fixing strip away from the limiting protrusion is lower than the height of the connecting end of the connecting rod and the sliding block, and when the glass slide is fixed to the placing support by the fixing mechanism, the middle part of the connecting rod close to the clamping strip is arranged.

[0007] In a preferred technical solution, the lower sides of the two buckling fixing strips are respectively provided with magnetic blocks, so that the buckling fixing strips are attracted to the surfaces of the clamping strips by the magnetic blocks.

[0008] In a preferred technical solution, the lower side of the clamping strip is further provided with an outwardly protruding clamping strip, the clamping strip protrudes out of the lower end horizontal surface of the clamping strip, and a groove for fixing the glass slide is arranged between the clamping strip and the side surface of the clamping strip, and there is a gap between the glass slide and the groove when the glass slide is fixed in the groove.

[0009] A method for preview imaging of a transparent pathological sample based on the device for preview imaging of a transparent pathological sample, the method comprising the following steps: S1: placing the auxiliary light source with the transparent sample attached on the placing support, irradiating the transparent sample on the surface of the auxiliary light source by the light-emitting background plate and the camera respectively, and shooting the image of the transparent sample by the installation support; S2: upload the photographed transparent sample image to the labeling software through the mounting bracket, and distinguish the transparent sample from the background in the transparent sample image through manual labeling; S3: set the recognition model in the labeling software, recognize the image uploaded to the labeling software, and mark each transparent sample in the image.

[0010] A preferred technical solution: Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages: In the present application, in terms of imaging, the light-emitting background plate provides uniform transmitted light, the soft connection assembly precisely positions the slide to the end edge of the clamping groove, so that the slide is tightly attached to the background plate, the light transmission path is optimized, the transparent sample forms a clear contour with the background due to the difference in light refraction, the oblique illumination of the auxiliary light source enhances the edge contrast, solving the problem of insufficient contrast in traditional imaging, and when the snap-fit fixing strip swings around the connecting rod as the fulcrum, the lever magnification effect is formed by the difference in the force arm, the slide is pushed to the end of the clamping groove by the sliding member, and the elastic pushing force of the spring and the adsorption force of the magnetic block are superposed to tightly position and lock the slide; the end edge of the clamping groove and the limiting protrusion form a rigid reference, the clamping plate of the soft connection assembly is embedded in the slide positioning groove, and the limiting of the clamping strip and the groove ensures the consistency of the clamping position each time. This design replaces manual calibration with mechanical positioning, avoids slide shaking and position deviation, and improves the imaging stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and examples.

[0012] Figure 1 The overall diagram of the present application.

[0013] Figure 2 The Figure 1 exploded view.

[0014] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the fixing mechanism.

[0015] Figure 4 The Figure 3 schematic diagram.

[0016] Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the snap-fit of the snap-fit fixing strip and the limiting protrusion.

[0017] Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the internal structure of the clamping strip.

[0018] Figure 7 The Figure 6 enlarged schematic diagram at a in the middle.

[0019] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the structure of the strip-shaped groove.

[0020] In the picture: 1. Illuminated background board; 2. Placement bracket; 3. Fixing mechanism; 4. Mounting bracket; 5. Camera; 6. Auxiliary light source; Limiting protrusion 21, slot 22; Clamping bar 31, connecting rod 32, fastening and fixing bar 33, sliding component 34; 311, spring 312, groove 313; Magnetic block 331; Sliding block 341, connecting rod 342, clamping plate 343; Glass slide 100, positioning groove 101. Detailed Implementation

[0021] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the present invention proposes a method and apparatus for previewing imaging of transparent pathological samples, including a luminescent background plate 1, a placement bracket 2, a mounting bracket 4, a camera 5, and an auxiliary light source 6. The placement brackets 2 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the upper end of the luminescent background plate 1, and the fixing mechanism 3 fixes a glass slide 100 to the two placement brackets 2. The camera 5 and the auxiliary light source 6 are both fixed by the mounting bracket 4. The camera 5 is located directly above the glass slide 100, and the auxiliary light source 6 is set close to the camera 5. Two placement brackets 2 are provided with slots 22 on adjacent surfaces. The fixing mechanism 3 abuts against the surface of the slots 22 and is provided with a flexible connecting component inside the fixing mechanism 3. Each placement bracket 2 is provided with a limiting protrusion 21 near the fixing mechanism 3. When the glass slide 100 is installed on the surface of the placement bracket 2 through the fixing mechanism 3, the flexible connecting component abuts the glass slide 100 against the end edge of the slot 22, and the fixing mechanism 3 is engaged and fixed with the limiting protrusion 21. In actual use, the glass slide 100 is clamped and positioned mainly by the flexible connecting component inside the fixing mechanism 3 to ensure that the glass slide remains stable during the shooting process and avoids image blurring or distortion due to vibration or displacement.

[0022] Furthermore, the fixing mechanism 3 includes a clamping bar 31, a connecting rod 32, and a fastening fixing bar 33. The clamping bar 31 and the fastening fixing bar 33 are symmetrically arranged, and the two fastening fixing bars 33 are connected by the connecting rod 32. The surfaces of the two clamping bars 31 are provided with sliding grooves, and the two fastening fixing bars 33 are slidably installed in the sliding grooves provided on the surfaces of the clamping bars 31 through a flexible connection assembly. The lower end of the soft connection assembly extends out of the lower end surface of the clamping strip 31, and the surface of the glass sheet 100 is provided with a positioning groove 101 at the corresponding position of the soft connection assembly. The soft connection assembly is embedded in the positioning groove 101 to fix the glass sheet 100. In addition, the lower side of the clamping strip 31 is also provided with an outwardly protruding clamping strip 311, and the clamping strip 311 protrudes out of the lower end horizontal surface of the clamping strip 31. A recess for fixing the glass sheet 100 is provided between the clamping strip 311 and the side surface of the clamping strip 31. When the glass sheet 100 is fixed in the recess, there is a gap between the glass sheet 100 and the recess. The clamping process of the glass sheet 100 by the clamping strip 31 will be described below: When it is necessary to install the glass sheet 100, first align the two side edges of the glass sheet 100 with the recess on the lower side of the clamping strip 31, and slowly press down so that the glass sheet 100 is embedded in the recess. At this time, the gap between the glass sheet 100 and the recess provides space for subsequent adjustment. Then, the position of the clamping and fixing strip 33 in the sliding groove is adjusted. When the clamping and fixing strip 33 is clamped on the limiting protrusion 21, the soft connection assembly will move towards the limiting protrusion 21 along with the movement of the clamping and fixing strip 33, thereby pushing the glass sheet 100 closer to the end edge of the clamping groove 22.

[0023] It should be explained that the clamping and fixing strip 33 is slidably installed in the sliding groove on the surface of the clamping strip 31 through the soft connection assembly. The sliding groove precisely guides the movement of the clamping and fixing strip 33. When the operator pushes the clamping strip 31 or the clamping and fixing strip 33, the soft connection assembly can only move along the length direction (i.e. horizontal direction) of the clamping groove 22 under the constraint of the sliding groove, ensuring that the movement path of the soft connection assembly is fixed and unique, thereby providing a basis for accurate positioning of the glass sheet.

[0024] Further, the soft connection assembly includes a sliding member 34 and a spring 312 arranged in each sliding groove. The sliding member 34 includes a sliding block 341, a connecting rod 342, and a clamping plate 343. The sliding block 341 is slidably arranged in the sliding groove, and the sliding block 341 is rotatably connected to the clamping and fixing strip 33 through the connecting rod 342. The lower side of the clamping strip 31 is provided with a strip-shaped groove 313, and the clamping plate 343 is arranged on the lower end side surface of the sliding block 341 and extends outwardly through the strip-shaped groove 313 and is embedded in the positioning groove 101. The spring 312 is arranged on the front and rear sides of the sliding block 341 respectively, and the sliding block 341 pushes the corresponding spring 312 when it slides. In addition, when the glass sheet 100 is fixed to the placing support 2 by the fixing mechanism 3, the clamping and fixing strip 33 needs to be clamped on the limiting protrusion 21, and the clamping and fixing strip 33 is pressed downwardly, so that the clamping and fixing strip 33 swings downwardly with the connecting point between the clamping and fixing strip 33 and the connecting rod 342 as the fulcrum, and the sliding member 34 and the glass sheet 100 fixed by the clamping plate 343 are pushed towards the direction of the limiting protrusion 21.

[0025] When the fastening and fixing strip 33 is fastened to the limiting protrusion 21 and the glass slide 100 is fixed, the horizontal height of the end of the fastening and fixing strip 33 away from the limiting protrusion 21 is lower than the height of the connection end between the connecting rod 342 and the sliding block 341. Furthermore, when the glass slide 100 is fixed to the placement bracket 2 by the fixing mechanism 3, the connecting rod 32 is positioned near the middle of the clamping strip 31, and the height of the end of the fastening and fixing strip 33 away from the limiting protrusion 21 (the force-applying end) is lower than the height of the connection end between the connecting rod 342 and the sliding block 341 (the force-receiving end). Essentially, this creates a lever amplification effect through the difference in lever arm length. Using the rotational connection point between the fastening and fixing strip 33 and the connecting rod 342 as the fulcrum, when the force-applying end moves downward, the force-receiving end (the connecting rod connection point) will generate a larger horizontal displacement. When the fastening and fixing strip 33 is fastened in place, the geometric state of the force-applying end is lower than that of the connecting rod end, so that the entire fixing mechanism 3 forms a stable triangular support structure. At this time, the sliding block 341 is balanced by the horizontal thrust from the fastening and fixing strip 33 and the reverse elastic force of the spring 312, ensuring that the glass slide 100 is rigidly pressed against the end edge of the slot 22 and cannot be loosened by external force.

[0026] Furthermore, each of the two fastening and fixing strips 33 is provided with a magnetic block 331 on its lower side, which is used to attract the fastening and fixing strip 33 to the surface of the clamping strip 31 through the magnetic block 331.

[0027] Furthermore, based on the above, this invention also proposes a method for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples. Based on the aforementioned apparatus for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples, the method includes the following steps: S1: Place the auxiliary light source 6 with the transparent sample attached on the placement bracket 2, and illuminate the transparent sample on the surface of the auxiliary light source 6 through the light-emitting background plate 1 and the camera 5 respectively, and take an image of the transparent sample using the mounting bracket 4. S2: The captured transparent sample image is uploaded to the annotation software via the mounting bracket 4, and the transparent sample in the transparent sample image is distinguished from the background by manual annotation; S3: By setting up a recognition model in the annotation software, the image uploaded to the annotation software is recognized, and each transparent sample in the image is marked separately.

[0028] In the present application, in the imaging aspect, the light-emitting background plate 1 provides uniform transmitted light, the soft connection assembly precisely abuts the slide 100 to the end edge of the clamping groove 22, so that the slide 100 closely abuts the background plate, the light transmission path is optimized, the transparent sample forms a clear profile with the background due to the difference in light refraction, the auxiliary light source 6 obliquely irradiates to strengthen the edge contrast, the problem of insufficient contrast in traditional imaging is solved, and when the buckling fixing strip 33 swings with the connecting rod 342 as the fulcrum, the lever amplification effect is formed by using the difference in the length of the force arm, the slide is pushed to the end of the clamping groove by the sliding part 34, the elastic pushing force of the spring 312 and the adsorption force of the magnetic block 331 are superposed, the slide is abutted and locked, the end edge of the clamping groove 22 and the limiting block 21 constitute a rigid reference, the clamping plate 343 of the soft connection assembly is embedded in the slide positioning groove 101, and the limiting of the clamping strip 311 and the groove is matched, so that the position is consistent every time. The design replaces manual calibration with mechanical positioning, avoids slide shaking and position deviation, and improves the imaging stability.

[0029] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and therefore cannot limit the scope of the present application. Equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the present application and the content of the specification should still be within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A device for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples, characterized in that, The device includes a luminous background panel, placement brackets, mounting brackets, a camera, and an auxiliary light source. The placement brackets are symmetrically arranged on the upper left and right sides of the luminous background panel, and a fixing mechanism fixes a glass slide to the two placement brackets. The camera and the auxiliary light source are both fixed by the mounting brackets. The camera is located directly above the glass slide, and the auxiliary light source is positioned close to the camera. The adjacent surfaces of the two placement brackets are respectively provided with slots, the fixing mechanism abuts against the surface of the slots, and the fixing mechanism is provided with a flexible connection component. Each placement bracket is provided with a limiting protrusion on the surface near the fixing mechanism. When the glass slide is installed onto the surface of the placement bracket through the fixing mechanism, the flexible connection component abuts the glass slide against the end edge of the slot, and the fixing mechanism and the limiting protrusion are engaged and fixed. The fixing mechanism includes clamping bars, connecting rods, and fastening fixing bars. The clamping bars and fastening fixing bars are symmetrically arranged, and the two fastening fixing bars are connected by the connecting rods. The surfaces of the two clamping bars are provided with sliding grooves, and the two fastening fixing bars are slidably installed in the sliding grooves provided on the surfaces of the clamping bars through flexible connecting components. The lower end of the flexible connection component extends out to the lower end face of the clamping strip, and a positioning groove is provided on the surface of the glass slide corresponding to the flexible connection component. The flexible connection component is embedded in the positioning groove to fix the glass slide.

2. The device for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible connection assembly includes a sliding element and a spring disposed in each slide groove. The sliding element includes a sliding block, a connecting rod, and a locking plate. The sliding block is slidably disposed in the slide groove and is rotatably connected to the fastening and fixing strip through the connecting rod. The clamping strip has a strip-shaped groove on its lower side. The locking plate is disposed on the lower side of the sliding block and extends outward through the strip-shaped groove and is embedded in the positioning groove. The springs are respectively located on the front and rear sides of the sliding block, and push the corresponding springs when the sliding block slides.

3. The device for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples according to claim 2, characterized in that, When fixing the glass slide to the placement bracket by the fixing mechanism, the fastening fixing strip must first be fastened to the limiting protrusion, and the fastening fixing strip is pressed down so that the fastening fixing strip swings down with its connection point with the connecting rod as the fulcrum, and the sliding part and the glass slide fixed by the clamping plate are pushed towards the limiting protrusion. When the fastening and fixing strip is fastened to the limiting protrusion and the glass slide is fixed, the horizontal height of the end of the fastening and fixing strip away from the limiting protrusion is lower than the height of the connection end of the connecting rod and the sliding block. When the glass slide is fixed to the placement bracket by the fixing mechanism, the connecting rod is set close to the middle of the clamping strip.

4. The device for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both of the fastening strips are provided with magnetic blocks on their lower sides, which are used to attract the fastening strips to the surface of the clamping strips.

5. The device for previewing and imaging transparent pathological samples according to claim 4, characterized in that, The clamping bar is also provided with an outwardly protruding retaining strip on its lower side, and the retaining strip protrudes from the lower horizontal plane of the clamping bar. A groove for fixing the glass slide is provided between the retaining strip and the side of the clamping bar. When the glass slide is fixed in the groove, there is a gap between the glass slide and the groove.

6. A method for previewing imaging of transparent pathological samples, based on the apparatus for previewing imaging of transparent medical case samples according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: S1: Place the auxiliary light source with the transparent sample attached on the mounting bracket, and illuminate the transparent sample on the surface of the auxiliary light source through the light-emitting background plate and the camera respectively, and take an image of the transparent sample using the mounting bracket. S2: Upload the captured transparent sample image to the annotation software using the mounting bracket, and manually annotate to distinguish the transparent sample from the background in the transparent sample image; S3: By setting up a recognition model in the annotation software, the image uploaded to the annotation software is recognized, and each transparent sample in the image is marked separately.

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