Control method, and control program

Abstract

To reduce the amount of data of images to be processed.SOLUTION: An in-urine tangible component analyzer 3, when detecting the movement of a tangible component from a plurality of still images obtained by a photographing device 40 photographing a urine specimen along the time sequence, photographs moving images of the urine specimen and stores the photographed moving images of the urine specimen in a storage. When the movement of the tangible component is not detected from the photographed still images, the in-urine tangible component analyzer stores a photographed still image of the urine specimen in the storage without photographing moving images of the urine specimen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control method and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes a microscopic examination in which a clinical laboratory technician places a urine sample on a slide glass and visually examines formed elements contained in the urine sample under a microscope. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Medical Testing, Vol. 66 (2017) J-STAGE-1, p. 18-50, Japanese Association of Medical Technologists Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a urine sediment test performed by a clinical laboratory technician, the clinical laboratory technician visually inspects the urine sample using a microscope to check for bacteria, for example, and it may take some time to obtain the test results.

[0005] Therefore, development of urinary particle analyzers using, for example, cytometry or image processing methods is underway.

[0006] A urine sediment analyzer using image processing captures images of the sediments contained in a urine sample, recognizes the shape and texture characteristics of each sediment, and analyzes the types of sediments contained in the urine sample. The captured images may also be sent to an information device used by a clinical laboratory technician to confirm the analysis results.

[0007] Therefore, if video recording is performed for all urine samples from the beginning, the amount of data for a video is larger than that for a still image, and the time required to transmit the captured images is therefore long.

[0008] The present disclosure aims to provide a control method and control program for a urine sediment analyzer that can reduce the amount of image data to be processed compared to when images of all urine samples are taken as video to check for the presence or absence of bacteria. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a process in which, when movement of formed elements contained in a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell is detected from a plurality of still images taken in chronological order by an imaging device, a computer captures an image of the urine sample as a video using the imaging device and stores the image of the urine sample captured as a video in a storage device, and, when movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, a computer performs a process in which the image of the urine sample captured as a still image is stored in the storage device without capturing an image of the urine sample as a video.

[0010] Furthermore, in a control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when results of predetermined test items in a urine qualitative test satisfy predetermined conditions indicating the suspected presence of bacteria in urine, or when results of the test items do not satisfy the predetermined conditions and movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell is detected from a plurality of still images taken in chronological order by an imaging device, an image of the urine sample is captured as a video by the imaging device and the image of the urine sample captured as a video is stored in a storage device, and when results of the test items do not satisfy the predetermined conditions and movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images taken, a process is executed by a computer to store the image of the urine sample captured as a still image in the storage device without capturing an image of the urine sample as a video.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a control program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute a process of, when movement of formed elements contained in a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell is detected from a plurality of still images taken in chronological order by an imaging device, capturing an image of the urine sample as a video using the imaging device and storing the image of the urine sample captured as a video in a storage device, and, when movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, storing the image of the urine sample captured as a still image in the storage device without capturing an image of the urine sample as a video.

[0012] Furthermore, a control program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute a process of capturing an image of the urine sample as a video using an imaging device and storing the image of the urine sample captured as a video in a storage device when results of predetermined test items in a urine qualitative test satisfy predetermined conditions indicating the suspected presence of bacteria in the urine, or when results of the test items do not satisfy the predetermined conditions and movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell is detected from a plurality of still images captured in chronological order by an imaging device, and storing the image of the urine sample captured as a video in the storage device when results of the test items do not satisfy the predetermined conditions and movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images captured, without capturing an image of the urine sample as a video. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The present disclosure has the advantage of being able to reduce the amount of image data to be processed, compared to taking video images of all urine samples to check for the presence or absence of bacteria. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a medical information processing system. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of a urine sediment analyzer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cell. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of cell arrangement on a plate. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of cells on a plate. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a urine sediment analyzer. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a determination process for determining the presence or absence of bacteria. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a still image. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of differences in the positions of formed components. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a stepped cell. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a determination process for determining the presence or absence of bacteria using stepped cells. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components and processes are given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation, and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medical information processing system 100 for a urinary sediment test. A urinary sediment test is a test in which the type of formed element is identified from the shape and other properties of the formed element contained in a patient's urine sample, and various analyses are performed, such as the number and concentration of the formed elements. In a urinary sediment test, the types of formed elements, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, non-squamous epithelial cells, squamous epithelial cells, bacteria (also called "bacteria"), crystals, yeast, hyaline casts, other casts (also called pathological casts), mucus threads, sperm, and white blood cell clumps, are identified.

[0017] 1, the medical information processing system 100 includes a urine qualitative analyzer 1, a server 2, a urine sediment analyzer 3, and a user terminal 50, and the urine qualitative analyzer 1, the server 2, the urine sediment analyzer 3, and the user terminal 50 are each connected by a communication line 4. There are no restrictions on the connection form of the communication line 4, and it may be wired or wireless. There are also no restrictions on the type of the communication line 4, and the communication line 4 may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0018] When a urine sediment test is performed, a urine qualitative test is performed in advance by the urine qualitative analyzer 1. A urine qualitative test is a test in which urine is applied to a test paper called a Testape, which changes color in response to a component to be measured in the urine sample, and the color change is measured to determine whether or not the component to be measured is present in the urine sample and to measure the concentration of the component to be measured in the urine sample. In a urine qualitative test, for example, the pH of the urine sample, the specific gravity of the urine sample, and the turbidity of the urine sample, as well as the presence and content of protein, sugar, ketone bodies, bilirubin, urobilinogen, occult blood reaction, nitrite, and white blood cells in the urine sample are measured.

[0019] The qualitative urine analyzer 1 is equipped with a barcode reader (not shown) for reading the sample ID of the urine sample to be measured from a barcode label affixed to the side of a Spitz tube (not shown) in which the urine sample is placed, and associates the qualitative urine test results of the urine sample measured by the qualitative urine analyzer 1 with the sample ID of the urine sample, and transmits the qualitative urine test results with the associated sample ID to the server 2 via communication line 4.

[0020] When the server 2 receives the urine qualitative test result associated with the sample ID from the urine qualitative analyzer 1, the server 2 stores the urine qualitative test result associated with the sample ID in a storage device.

[0021] The urine qualitative analyzer 1 does not necessarily need to store the urine qualitative test results in the server 2, and may store them in a storage device of the urine qualitative analyzer 1. In this case, the server 2 in the medical information processing system 100 is unnecessary.

[0022] Among the test items for urine samples, there are some that are difficult to analyze using only a urine qualitative test, such as determining the presence or absence of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. Therefore, the clinical laboratory technician transmits the sample ID of the urine sample that has undergone urine qualitative testing by the urine qualitative analyzer 1 from the urine qualitative analyzer 1 to the urine sediment analyzer 3 via communication line 4, and requests the urine sediment analyzer 3 to perform a urinary sediment test.

[0023] The urine sediment analyzer 3, which receives the sample ID from the urine qualitative analyzer 1, adds the received sample ID to a request to obtain qualitative urine test results in order to obtain the urine qualitative test results associated with the sample ID, and transmits the request to obtain qualitative urine test results with the sample ID added to it to the server 2 via the communication line 4.

[0024] When the server 2 receives a request to obtain qualitative urine test results, it obtains from the storage device the qualitative urine test results associated with the sample ID added to the request to obtain qualitative urine test results, and transmits the obtained qualitative urine test results to the urine sediment analyzer 3 via the communication line 4.

[0025] As a result, the results of the qualitative urine test of the urine sample for which a urinary sediment test has been requested are sent to the urine sediment analyzer 3.

[0026] The urine sediment analyzer 3 captures an image of the urine sample and determines the presence or absence of various types of sediments contained in the urine sample, but hereinafter, an example of determining the presence or absence of bacteria will be described. Note that, in this embodiment, "image" includes still images and moving images.

[0027] The urine sediment analyzer 3 transmits the result of the determination as to the presence or absence of bacteria to the user terminal 50 together with the captured image of the urine sample.

[0028] The user terminal 50 is a terminal used by a clinical laboratory technician who specializes in classifying sediment contained in urine samples (hereinafter referred to as a "specialized clinical laboratory technician"). The specialized clinical laboratory technician refers to the image of the urine sample received from the urine sediment analyzer 3 to make a final determination of the presence or absence of bacteria contained in the urine sample. The user terminal 50 is an example of an external device.

[0029] 1, the urinary sediment analyzer 3 is configured using, for example, a computer 30. The computer 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, which is an example of a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, and an input / output interface (I / O) 34, and the CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, and I / O 34 are interconnected by a bus 35.

[0030] The ROM 32 stores, for example, a boot program (Basic Input Output System: BIOS) for the CPU 31 to perform boot processing of the computer 30. The RAM 33 is used as a temporary working area for the CPU 31.

[0031] The computer 30 constituting the urine sediment analyzer 3 may be a personal computer (PC), or may be a portable device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal.

[0032] The CPU 31, the ROM 32, the RAM 33, and the I / O 34 constitute a control unit 26 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later.

[0033] On the other hand, the I / O 34 is connected to, for example, a storage unit 36, a display unit 37, an operation unit 38, a communication unit 39, an image capturing device 40, and an actuator 41. These units are mutually connected to the CPU 31 via the I / O 34.

[0034] The storage unit 36 ​​is an example of a storage device that maintains stored information even if the power supplied to the storage unit 36 ​​is cut off, and is, for example, a semiconductor memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), but a hard disk may also be used. The storage unit 36 ​​may also be a portable semiconductor memory that is detachable from the computer 30, such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card.

[0035] Control programs 36A, 36B that the CPU 31 reads to determine the presence or absence of bacteria in a urine sample are stored in advance in the storage unit 36. In addition to the control programs 36A, 36B, the storage unit 36 ​​also stores in advance various parameters that the CPU 31 refers to when controlling the urine sediment analyzer 3. It is not necessary to store the control programs 36A, 36B and the various parameters in the storage unit 36, and they may be stored in the ROM 32.

[0036] The display unit 37, which is an example of a display device, may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 37 may be integrated with a touch panel. The display unit 37 displays, for example, the results of processing executed according to instructions received from a clinical laboratory technician, and notifications regarding the processing.

[0037] The operation unit 38 is provided with devices for inputting operations, such as a button, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a pointing device, etc. A clinical laboratory technician notifies the CPU 31 of the urine sediment analyzer 3 of instructions by operating the operation unit 38.

[0038] The communication unit 39 is connected to the communication line 4, and has a communication protocol for performing data communication between the urine qualitative analyzer 1, the server 2, and the user terminal 50.

[0039] The photographing device 40 includes a photographing lens and an image sensor arranged on the optical axis of the photographing lens, and captures an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample. The image sensor is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).

[0040] The actuator 41 moves the photographing position of the urine sample by the photographing device 40. The operations of the photographing device 40 and the actuator 41 will be described in detail later.

[0041] Next, a method for analyzing a urine sample using the urine particle analyzer 3 will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of the urine particle analyzer 3. In Fig. 2, the Z axis represents the vertical direction (i.e., the direction of gravity), the X axis represents a direction perpendicular to the Z axis, and the Y axis represents a direction perpendicular to the X and Z axes. In other words, the X and Y axes define two-dimensional coordinates representing a position in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis (referred to as the "XY plane"), and the X, Y, and Z axes define three-dimensional coordinates of the space in which the urine particle analyzer 3 exists.

[0042] The urine sediment analyzer 3 includes a plate 6, an imaging device 40, a lens 8, a mirror 9A, a mirror 9B, a light source 10, and an actuator 41, and a cell 5 containing a urine sample corresponding to the sample ID received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1 is placed on the plate 6.

[0043] The cell 5 is a transparent container made of synthetic resin such as acrylic, polycarbonate, and polyethylene terephthalate so that the imaging device 40 can capture an image of the formed elements contained in the enclosed urine sample. As shown in FIG. 3, the cell 5 has a cavity 13 in which a urine sample can be enclosed. When a clinical laboratory technician uses a pipette or the like to introduce a urine sample into the cell 5 from an inlet 11 provided in the cell 5, the urine sample reaches the cavity 13 through a flow path 14. The cell 5 has an outlet 12 in addition to the inlet 11. For example, a urine sample that overflows from the cavity 13 is discharged from the outlet 12 through the flow path 14. The cell 5 being "transparent" means that the cell 5 has a degree of transparency that allows the shape of an object behind the cell 5 or an object in the cavity 13 of the cell 5 to be confirmed when the object is viewed through the cell 5.

[0044] The cell 5 is placed on the plate 6 so that the lower surface of the cell 5, which is the contact surface with the plate 6, is parallel to the XY plane. In this embodiment, "parallel" refers to a state in which the lower surface of the cell 5 and the XY plane do not intersect no matter how far they are extended, that is, in addition to a completely parallel state, it also includes a case in which the two surfaces are inclined to such an extent that they can be considered parallel.

[0045] Although there are no restrictions on the shape of the cell 5 when viewed toward the XY plane, in this embodiment, as an example, the cell 5 is rectangular. In this case, the X axis is set along one side of the cell 5, and the Y axis is set along a side perpendicular to the side of the cell that is aligned with the X axis.

[0046] The length of cell 5 along the Z-axis direction (hereinafter referred to as "thickness of cell 5") is the same at any point, and the thickness of cell 5 is shorter than each of the lengths of cell 5 along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. In other words, cell 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0047] The light source 10 is provided, for example, at a position along the Z-axis direction above the position of the cell 5 and opposite the cell 5, and irradiates light toward the cell 5 so that the imaging device 40 can easily capture an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample.

[0048] The image capturing device 40 captures an image of the formed elements contained in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5. The image capturing device 40 is disposed on the upper surface of the housing (not shown) of the urine formed element analyzer 3, for example, in such a manner that the photographing lens included in the image capturing device 40 faces downward along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the optical axis 15 of the image capturing device 40, i.e., the optical axis of the photographing lens, also faces downward along the Z-axis direction, so that the mirror surface of the mirror 9B on the extension of the optical axis is captured (see FIG. 2). However, by adjusting the angle of the mirror 9A so that the cell 5 is reflected on the mirror surface of the mirror 9B, the image capturing device 40 can capture an image of the formed elements contained in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5.

[0049] That is, the imaging device 40 images the cell 5 from bottom to top along the Z-axis direction from a position facing the bottom 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 in which the imaging device 40 images the cell 5 from bottom to top along the Z-axis direction from a position facing the bottom surface of the cell 5 is referred to as the "imaging direction of the imaging device 40."

[0050] Formed elements contained in the urine sample sealed in cell 5 settle over time due to the effect of gravity toward the bottom surface of cell 5. Therefore, imaging device 40 can more easily capture images of formed elements contained in the urine sample compared to capturing an image of cell 5 from the surface of cell 5 that is visible when cell 5 arranged on plate 6 is viewed from above and below along the Z-axis direction, that is, from the top surface of cell 5.

[0051] In addition, the thicker the cell 5, the more likely it is that the formed elements contained in the urine sample will be photographed in an overlapping state, and the wider the focus adjustment range of the imaging device 40 will be, so it is preferable that the thickness of the cell 5 is 1000 μm.

[0052] The lens 8 is disposed midway between the cell 5 and the mirror 9A so that the lens 8 and the optical axis 15 of the imaging device 40 intersect, i.e., so that the optical axis of the lens 8 coincides with the optical axis 15 of the imaging device 40, and the formed elements contained in the urine sample are enlarged to a magnification designated by the clinical laboratory technician. Therefore, the imaging device 40 can photograph the formed elements contained in the urine sample at a magnification designated by the clinical laboratory technician. Naturally, if the imaging device 40 has an image enlargement / reduction function (so-called zoom function), the formed elements contained in the urine sample may be photographed at a magnification designated by the clinical laboratory technician using the enlargement / reduction function of the imaging device 40.

[0053] When the cell 5 is placed on the plate 6 so as not to interfere with the imaging of the cell 5 by the imaging device 40, the portion of the plate 6 on which the underside of the cell 5 is placed is made of the same transparent material as the cell 5. As shown in Fig. 4, the cell 5 may be embedded in a hole 16A of the plate 6 created to match the shape of the cell 5, or as shown in Fig. 5, the cell 5 may be placed on a hole 16B penetrating the plate. In this case, there are no restrictions on the shape of the hole 16B.

[0054] In the example of the device configuration of the urine sediment analyzer 3 shown in Fig. 2, the image capturing device 40 is disposed so that the photographing lens faces downward along the Z-axis direction. However, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the image capturing device 40 may be disposed under the cell 5 so that the photographing lens faces upward along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the mirrors 9A and 9B for bending the optical axis 15 are not necessary.

[0055] In other words, there are no restrictions on the position of the imaging device 40 in the urine sediment analyzer 3, and regardless of the position in which the imaging device 40 is attached, the urine sediment analyzer 3 can photograph the formed elements contained in the urine sample from the underside of the cell 5, for example, by adjusting the positions and number of mirrors 9A, 9B.

[0056] The actuator 41 is a driving source that moves the plate 6 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction independently. Specifically, the actuator 41 includes a pulse motor that performs a rotational motion according to the number of pulses applied, and a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the pulse motor into the movement of the plate 6 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, such as a rack-pinion mechanism and a ball screw. The actuator 41 moves the plate 6 by a distance according to the number of pulses applied to the pulse motor. Therefore, by driving the actuator 41, the imaging point of the cell 5 can be moved along the XY plane while the position of the imaging device 40 and the positions of the mirrors 9A and 9B are fixed.

[0057] The photographing device 40 may be any device capable of selecting between still and video photography, and may be, for example, a digital camera, a camera built into a smartphone, a camera built into a wearable device, or a camera built into the computer 30. In the urine sediment analyzer 3 according to this embodiment, images of the sediments contained in the urine sample are taken using a camera built into a smartphone.

[0058] Next, a description will be given of the functions of the urinary sediment analyzer 3. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the urinary sediment analyzer 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the urinary sediment analyzer 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.

[0059] The photographing section 21 uses the photographing device 40 to photograph an image of the formed components contained in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5.

[0060] The detection unit 22 detects the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample from the image captured by the imaging unit 21.

[0061] The determination unit 23 determines whether or not the formed elements contained in the captured image are bacteria.

[0062] The UI section 24 notifies the control section 26, which will be described later, of instructions from the clinical laboratory technician received through the operation unit 38. The UI section 24 also displays on the display unit 37 images of formed elements contained in the urine sample photographed by the imaging section 21, the determination results for the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample, various information processed by the control section 26 in accordance with instructions received from the clinical laboratory technician, notifications regarding the processing, and the like.

[0063] The communication section 25 performs data communication between the urine qualitative analyzer 1, the server 2, and the user terminal 50 via the communication unit 39.

[0064] 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, so that the urine sediment analyzer 3 performs the operation instructed by the clinical laboratory technician.

[0065] Next, a detailed description will be given of the operation of the urine sediment analyzer 3. Figure 7 is a flow chart 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 sediment analyzer 3 when a sample ID of a urine sample is received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1. The CPU 31 of the urine sediment analyzer 3 reads a control program 36A stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and executes the determination process.

[0066] It is assumed that the server 2 stores in advance the urine qualitative test results associated with the sample IDs received by the urine sediment analyzer 3.

[0067] First, in step S10, the control unit 26 controls the communication unit 25 to transmit a urine qualitative test result request with the received sample ID added to the server 2. As a result, the urine sediment analyzer 3 receives the urine qualitative test result associated with the sample ID from the server 2 via the communication line 4.

[0068] In step S20, the control unit 26 determines whether the results of predetermined test items (hereinafter referred to as "designated test items") among the received urine qualitative test results satisfy the suspicion conditions that specify the conditions when the presence of bacteria in the urine is suspected.

[0069] The designated test items include, for example, the white blood cell content, which correlates with the presence or absence of bacteria, the nitrite content, and the turbidity of the urine sample. The turbidity of the urine sample is expressed by a value, and for example, the higher the value representing the turbidity, the more turbid the urine sample is.

[0070] It is known that if any one of the designated test items among the white blood cell content, the nitrite content, and the turbidity of the urine sample is higher than a predetermined reference value corresponding to the designated test item, there is a high possibility that the urine contains bacteria. Therefore, the suspicious condition is set to a condition that the value of any one of the designated test items among the white blood cell content, the nitrite content, and the turbidity of the urine sample is higher than the reference value of the designated test item, and is stored in advance in the memory unit 36.

[0071] The designated test item, the reference value, and the magnitude relationship between the designated test item and the reference value in the suspicious condition can be changed by a clinical laboratory technician. Therefore, the reference values ​​of the white blood cell content, the nitrite content, and the turbidity of the urine sample can be set to the contents generally determined in clinical tests, or can be set to other contents. For example, the content of formed elements other than white blood cells and nitrite may be set as the designated test item. A suspicious condition may be set such that the presence of bacteria in urine is suspected when the white blood cell content, the nitrite content, and the turbidity of the urine sample are all higher than the reference values, that is, when the white blood cell item, the nitrite item, and the turbidity item of the urine qualitative test are all positive. A suspicious condition may also be set such that the presence of bacteria in urine is suspected when "the previous value is positive for bacteria" or "when a doctor's instruction is given."

[0072] If the specified test item satisfies the suspicious conditions, there is a high probability that bacteria are present in the urine sample represented by the sample ID, so the process proceeds to step S50.

[0073] In step S50, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to capture a video of the urine sample enclosed in the cell 5, and stores the captured video of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36, before proceeding to step S60. By capturing a video image of the urine sample, the movements of formed elements contained in the urine sample are recorded.

[0074] The frame rate, which indicates the number of frame images per second that constitute a moving image, and the shooting time of the moving image are set, for example, by a clinical laboratory technician, and are stored in advance in the storage unit 36. The imaging unit 21 captures the moving image using the imaging device 40 in accordance with the set frame rate and shooting time. The frame rate and shooting time of the moving image can be changed by the clinical laboratory technician.

[0075] During shooting of the video, the positions of the cell 5, the plate 6, the imaging device 40, the mirror 9A, and the mirror 9B are not changed, and the imaging point of the cell 5 by the imaging device 40 is fixed.

[0076] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination process of step S20 that the designated test item does not satisfy the questionable conditions, the process proceeds to step S30.

[0077] When the designated test item does not satisfy the suspicious condition, there is a high probability that bacteria are not present in the urine sample represented by the sample ID, compared to when the designated test item satisfies the suspicious condition. Therefore, in step S30, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to capture multiple still images of the urine sample enclosed in the cell 5 in chronological order. The control unit 26 stores each still image of the captured urine sample in, for example, the memory unit 36.

[0078] As mentioned above, when the designated test items do not satisfy the doubtful conditions, the probability of bacteria being present in the urine sample is low compared to when the designated test items satisfy the doubtful conditions, making it difficult to recognize bacteria from an image of the urine sample. Therefore, the image of the urine sample is captured as a still image with a higher resolution than a video, making it easier to recognize the shape and position of formed elements contained in the urine sample.

[0079] The captured still images may be either grayscale images or color images. The capture interval of the still images is in accordance with the capture interval (e.g., 0.03 seconds) stored in the storage unit 36. The number of still images captured is also in accordance with the number of still images (e.g., 2) stored in the storage unit 36. The capture interval and number of still images can be changed by the clinical laboratory technician.

[0080] During the capture of still images, the positions of the cell 5, the plate 6, the imaging device 40, the mirror 9A, and the mirror 9B are not changed, and the imaging point of the cell 5 by the imaging device 40 is fixed.

[0081] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a still image obtained by photographing formed elements contained in a urine sample sealed in a cell 5. In Fig. 8, formed elements 20 represent bacteria.

[0082] In step S40, the control unit 26 controls the detection unit 22 to detect the movement of the formed elements contained in the urine sample from the multiple still images captured in time series. Specifically, the detection unit 22 recognizes the shapes of the formed elements contained in the two still images using a known contour extraction method or the like. Then, the detection unit 22 associates the same formed elements contained in the two still images based on the degree of similarity in the shapes of the formed elements, the degree of similarity in the sizes of the formed elements, and the positions of the formed elements in the still images, and obtains the difference in the positions of the formed elements contained in each still image for each formed element.

[0083] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the difference between the positions of the tangible components included in the still image shown in Fig. 8 and another still image captured at a different time from the still image shown in Fig. 8. The tangible component 20 in Fig. 9 represents the position of the tangible component 20 shown in Fig. 8, and the tangible component 20A represents the position of the tangible component after the movement of the tangible component 20 extracted from a still image other than the still image shown in Fig. 8. In this way, the difference between the positions of the tangible component 20 and the tangible component 20A is obtained.

[0084] If the difference in position between the sediment 20 and the sediment 20A is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the sediment is likely to be a bacterium, since movement of the sediment is observed. Therefore, in order to continuously photograph the sediment and record its movement, the process proceeds to step S50, where a video of the urine sample is taken. The threshold of the difference in the position of the sediment used to determine whether or not to photograph the video of the urine sample is set by, for example, a clinical laboratory technician, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 36. The threshold of the difference in the position of the sediment is changeable. The control unit 26 stores the photographed video of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36.

[0085] In addition, when the shooting interval between the two still images and the difference between the positions of the particles in the two still images are obtained, the moving speed of each particle is calculated. Therefore, instead of the difference between the positions of the particles, the detection unit 22 may recognize that the movement of the particle is detected when the moving speed of the particle is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. In this case, particles other than bacteria that do not move by themselves, such as red blood cells, may also move in the urine sample due to gravity, for example. However, if the particle is a microorganism such as bacteria, it may move at a speed faster than particles that do not move by themselves. Therefore, it is preferable to set the threshold value to be compared with the moving speed of the particle to be equal to or higher than the standard moving speed of bacteria, for example.

[0086] In addition, the threshold value to be compared with the difference in the positions of formed components is preferably set to a distance that takes into account, for example, the standard movement speed of bacteria.

[0087] In the determination process of step S40, when the difference between the positions of the material component 20 and the material component 20A is less than a predetermined threshold value, or after the process of step S50 ends, the process proceeds to step S60.

[0088] When a video of the urine sample is taken by the process of step S50, the movement of the formed components can be confirmed as a continuous movement. That is, the determination unit 23 can determine from the video whether or not a movement specific to bacteria is observed, which cannot be obtained from the difference in the movement speed and position of the formed components, such as the process of deformation of the shape of the formed components accompanying the movement, the rotational movement of the formed components on the spot, the movement path, and minute movement (also called "vibration") below the detection limit of the difference in position.

[0089] Therefore, in step S60, if the movement of the formed elements obtained from the video satisfies at least one bacterial condition that specifies at least one movement specific to bacteria present in a urine sample, such as a shape deformation process specific to bacteria, a rotation method specific to bacteria, a movement path specific to bacteria, and a vibration specific to bacteria, the judgment unit 23 judges that the urine sample contains bacteria, and proceeds to step S70.

[0090] For the movement path in the bacteria condition, information is set that indicates a specific way of movement of the bacteria. For example, if the bacteria moves while changing direction alternately from left to right, information indicating a zigzag path is set as the movement path in the bacteria condition.

[0091] In addition, the deformation process under the bacterial conditions is set with information that represents changes in the shape specific to bacteria that accompany movement, such as bacteria moving through urine by contracting their shape into a linear shape and then expanding into an elliptical shape in reaction.

[0092] On the other hand, the range of sizes that bacteria can have 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 that the size of the formed elements falls within a predetermined range that bacteria can have may be added to the bacteria condition.

[0093] The contents of the bacterial conditions can be changed by a clinical laboratory technician, and may be stored in advance in the memory unit 36, for example.

[0094] In step S70, the control unit 26 controls the UI unit 24 to display on the display unit 37 a positive result indicating that the urine sample represented by the sample ID contains bacteria.

[0095] On the other hand, if a video of the urine sample is not captured by the processing of step S50, i.e., if the movement of the particles cannot be detected in the judgment processing of step S40, and if the movement of the particles obtained from the video does not satisfy the bacterial condition, in step S60, the judgment unit 23 judges that the urine sample does not contain bacteria and proceeds to step S80.

[0096] In step S80, the control unit 26 controls the UI unit 24 to display on the display unit 37 a negative result, which indicates that the urine sample represented by the sample ID does not contain bacteria.

[0097] After displaying the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample in steps S70 and S80, in step S90, the control unit 26 controls the communication unit 25 to transmit 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 ends the determination process shown in Fig. 7. If both moving images and still images are captured of the urine sample, the control unit 26 transmits both the moving images and the still images to the user terminal 50.

[0098] This allows a specialized clinical laboratory technician to reassess the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample at the user terminal 50.

[0099] In addition, the control unit 26 may control the communication unit 25 to send the determination result of the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine sample and an image to the server 2 together with the sample ID, and associate the determination result and image with the urine qualitative test result in the server 2 that is associated with the same sample ID as the transmitted sample ID.

[0100] Furthermore, since an image of the urine sample is stored in the memory unit 36, the control unit 26 can also display an image of the urine sample associated with a specified sample ID on the display unit 37 in accordance with an instruction from the clinical laboratory technician given via the operation unit 38. This allows the clinical laboratory technician to later check whether the determination result for the presence or absence of bacteria was appropriate.

[0101] In this way, the urine sediment analyzer 3 does not capture video of the urine sample for all urine samples represented by the received sample ID, but captures video of the sediments contained in the urine sample only when the designated test item of the urine sample represented by the received sample ID satisfies the suspicious condition and when the movement of the sediments is detected from a still image of the urine sample. In other words, when the designated test item of the urine sample represented by the received sample ID does not satisfy the suspicious condition and the movement of the sediments is not detected from a still image of the urine sample, a still image of the urine sample is captured instead of a video.

[0102] Therefore, the amount of data of images of urine samples processed by the urine sediment analyzer 3 is reduced compared to the case where videos are taken for all urine samples represented by the sample IDs received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1. This makes it possible to shorten the transmission time of images sent from the urine sediment analyzer 3 to the user terminal 50 compared to the case where videos are taken for all urine samples and sent to the user terminal 50.

[0103] Furthermore, by reducing the amount of data of the urine sample image, the amount of calculations required for the determination process and the amount of storage required for the image can be reduced, thereby reducing the performance and storage capacity of resources such as the CPU 31 and RAM 33 required for the urine sediment analyzer 3. This contributes to reducing the cost of the urine sediment analyzer 3.

[0104] <Modification of cell shape> In the urine sediment analyzer 3 described above, a urine sample is enclosed in a rectangular parallelepiped cell 5 and an image of the urine sample is taken, for example as shown in Fig. 2. However, the shape of the cell 5 does not necessarily have to be a rectangular parallelepiped. In the following, a determination process for determining the presence or absence of bacteria using a cell 5A having a shape different from the rectangular parallelepiped cell 5 will be described.

[0105] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a cell 5A for enclosing a urine sample. As shown in Fig. 10, the cell 5A has a stepped shape in which the thickness of the cell 5A along the imaging direction is different between region A and region B. The thickness D2 of the cell 5A in region B, which is an example of the second thickness, is thinner than the thickness D1 of the cell 5A in region A, which is an example of the first thickness. Therefore, for ease of processing, the inlet 11 and the outlet 12 are each provided in region A of the cell 5A.

[0106] When a urine sample is enclosed in cell 5A, the thickness D2 of cell 5A in region B is thinner than the thickness D1 of cell 5A in region A. Therefore, if the areas of region A and region B in the XY plane are the same, the number of formed components contained in region B will be smaller than the number of formed components contained in region A. If the number of formed components contained in region B is smaller than the number of formed components contained in region A, the probability that the formed components will appear to overlap when region B is viewed from the shooting direction will be lower than the probability that the formed components will appear to overlap when region A is viewed from the shooting direction. In other words, it is easier to capture the entire shape of each formed component by photographing the formed components contained in region B than by photographing the formed components contained in region A.

[0107] If the entire shape of the formed elements can be captured without overlapping, it is easier to determine whether or not bacteria are present in a urine sample, rather than when the bacteria are hidden behind larger formed elements or when only part of the bacterial shape can be seen.

[0108] If the thickness D2 of the cells 5A in region B is set to 1 / 5 or less of the thickness D1 of the cells 5A in region A, the number of formed components contained in region B will be significantly smaller than the number of formed components contained in region A. Furthermore, the thickness D2 of the cells 5A in region B is preferably 1 / 10 or less of the thickness D1 of the cells 5A in region A. For example, if the thickness D1 of the cells 5A in region A is 1000 μm, the thickness D2 of the cells 5A in region B will be 200 μm or less, preferably 100 μm or less.

[0109] On the other hand, the lower limit of thickness D2 of cell 5A in region B is 100 μm or more. If thickness D2 of cell 5A in region B is less than 100 μm, the urine sample will not easily enter region B of cell 5A from region A due to the influence of surface tension, and manufacturing cell 5A itself will be difficult.

[0110] Hereinafter, when simply written as "area A," it refers to area A of cell 5A, and when simply written as "area B," it refers to area B of cell 5A.

[0111] Next, the process of determining the presence or absence of bacteria using the cell 5A will be described. Fig. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of the process of determining the presence or absence of bacteria using the cell 5A in which a urine sample is sealed, which is executed by the CPU 31 of the urine sediment analyzer 3 when a sample ID of the urine sample is received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1. The CPU 31 of the urine sediment analyzer 3 reads the control program 36B stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and executes the determination process shown in Fig. 11.

[0112] The determination process shown in Fig. 11 differs from the determination process shown in Fig. 7 in that steps S25 and S45 are added, and other steps are the same as those in the determination process shown in Fig. 7. Therefore, hereinafter, the determination process shown in Fig. 11 will be described mainly with reference to the steps S25 and S45.

[0113] If the judgment process in step S20 determines that the designated test item does not satisfy the questionable conditions, the process proceeds to step S25.

[0114] In step S25, the control unit 26 controls the actuator 41 to move the plate 6 so that the imaging device 40 captures images of formed elements contained in the region A. By the processing of step S25, the imaging position of the imaging device 40 moves to the region A. The arrow 27A shown in FIG. 10 indicates an example of the imaging position of the imaging device 40 after the processing of step S25 is executed.

[0115] In step S30, the control unit 26 controls the imaging unit 21 to capture multiple still images of the urine sample contained in area A in chronological order. That is, in step S40, the detection unit 22 detects the movement of the sediment using the still images of the sediment in the urine sample contained in area A. The control unit 26 stores the captured still images of the urine sample in, for example, the storage unit 36.

[0116] If the judgment process of step S40 determines that there is movement in the sediments photographed in area A, and if the judgment process of step S20 determines that the designated test item satisfies the doubtful conditions, the process proceeds to step S45.

[0117] In step S45, the control unit 26 controls the actuator 41 to move the plate 6 so that the imaging device 40 captures images of the formed elements contained in the region B. The arrow 27B shown in Fig. 10 indicates an example of the imaging position of the imaging device 40 after the processing of step S45 is executed.

[0118] In step S50, the control unit 26 controls the imaging unit 21 to capture a moving image of the urine sample contained in area B. The control unit 26 stores the captured moving image of the urine sample in the storage unit 36, for example.

[0119] In this way, with the urine sediment analyzer 3 that performs a urinary sediment test using the cell 5A, when taking a still image of the urine sample, the imaging position of the imaging device 40 is moved to area A. Also, when there is a high probability that bacteria are present, the imaging position of the imaging device 40 is moved to area B where there are fewer formed elements than in area A. In other words, when the designated test item in the urine qualitative test result does not satisfy the doubtful condition, the urine sediment analyzer 3 detects the movement of the formed elements using a still image taken of area A, and when the movement of the formed elements is detected from the still image, the movement of the formed elements is recorded using a video taken of area B where there are fewer formed elements than in area A.

[0120] The method for determining the presence or absence of bacteria in the urine particle analyzer 3 can be used to test particles not only in urine but also in blood, cells, body fluids, etc. It can also be used to determine the presence or absence of microorganisms other than bacteria, such as protozoa.

[0121] Although one embodiment of the urine sediment analyzer 3 has been described above, the disclosed embodiment of the urine sediment analyzer 3 is merely an example, and the embodiment of the urine sediment analyzer 3 is not limited to the scope of the embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and the modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure. For example, there are cases where a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell is photographed without performing a urine qualitative test. In this case, when the movement of the sediments contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images photographed in a time series, the image of the urine sample may be photographed as a video by the photographing device, and the image of the urine sample photographed as a video may be stored in a storage device. On the other hand, when the movement of the sediments contained in the urine sample is not detected from a plurality of still images, the image of the urine sample photographed as a still image may be stored in a storage device without photographing the image of the urine sample as a video. Even when photographing the urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell without performing a urine qualitative test, the same processing can be performed as in the case where the results of the designated test items in the urine qualitative test, as shown in the embodiment, satisfy the suspicious conditions that indicate the presence of bacteria in the urine, or where the results of the designated test items do not satisfy the suspicious conditions and the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from multiple still images taken in chronological order by an imaging device of the urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell.

[0122] For example, the internal processing order in the determination processing shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 11 may be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0123] In the above embodiment, the determination process is implemented by software as an example. However, the same process as the flowcharts of the determination process shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 11 may be implemented by hardware. In this case, the process can be performed at a higher speed than when the determination process is implemented by software.

[0124] In the above embodiment, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense, including a general-purpose processor (e.g., CPU 31) and a dedicated processor (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0125] The operations of the processor in the above embodiment may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0126] In the above embodiment, an example has been 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 can also be provided in a form recorded on a storage medium readable by the computer 30.

[0127] For example, the control programs 36A and 36B may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a Blu-ray disk. The control programs 36A and 36B may also be provided in a form recorded on a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card. The storage unit 36, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blu-ray disk, USB memory, and memory card are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0128] Furthermore, the urinary particle analyzer 3 may download the control programs 36A, 36B from a file server or the like (not shown) connected to the communication line 4 through the communication unit 39, and store the downloaded control programs 36A, 36B in the memory unit 36 ​​of the urinary particle analyzer 3. In this case, the CPU 31 of the urinary particle analyzer 3 reads the control programs 36A, 36B downloaded from the file server or the like from the memory unit 36 ​​and executes the determination process.

[0129] The following are notes related to this disclosure.

[0130] (Appendix 1) When the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample sealed in a cell, the imaging device captures a video image of the urine sample, and the video image of the urine sample is stored in a storage device. A control method in which, if no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images, a computer executes a process of storing an image of the urine sample captured as a still image in the storage device without capturing an image of the urine sample as a video.

[0131] (Appendix 2) The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is transmitted to an external device via a communication line. 2. The control method according to claim 1.

[0132] (Appendix 3) The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is displayed on a display device. 2. The control method according to claim 1.

[0133] (Appendix 4) A urine sample is enclosed in the cell having different thicknesses, the thicknesses being composed of a first thickness and a second thickness that is thinner than the first thickness, along the imaging direction of the imaging device, and an image of the urine sample is captured by the imaging device. The control method according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3.

[0134] (Appendix 5) The urine sample is enclosed in the cell manufactured so that the second thickness is 1 / 5 or less of the first thickness and is 100 μm or more. 5. The control method according to claim 4.

[0135] (Appendix 6) When the result of a predetermined test item in a urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that indicates the suspected presence of bacteria in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell, an image of the urine sample is taken as a video by the imaging device, and the image of the urine sample taken as a video is stored in a storage device, A control method in which, if the results of the test items do not satisfy the predetermined conditions and no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images taken, a computer executes a process of storing an image of the urine sample taken as a still image in the storage device without taking a video image of the urine sample.

[0136] (Appendix 7) The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is transmitted to an external device via a communication line. 7. The control method according to claim 6.

[0137] (Appendix 8) The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is displayed on a display device. 7. The control method according to claim 6.

[0138] (Appendix 9) The test items include at least one of the following: urinary nitrite content, urinary white blood cell content, and urinary turbidity; 7. The control method according to claim 6.

[0139] (Appendix 10) A urine sample is enclosed in the cell having different thicknesses, the thicknesses being composed of a first thickness and a second thickness that is thinner than the first thickness, along the imaging direction of the imaging device, and an image of the urine sample is captured by the imaging device. The control method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 6 to 9.

[0140] (Appendix 11) If the result of the test item satisfies the predetermined condition, a video image of the urine sample included in the region of the cell where the thickness of the cell is the second thickness is taken, If the result of the predetermined test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition, a still image of the urine sample contained in the region of the cell where the cell thickness is the first thickness is taken, and if a movement of a formed element contained in the urine sample is detected from the still images, a video image of the urine sample contained in the region of the cell where the cell thickness is the second thickness is taken. 11. The control method of claim 10.

[0141] (Appendix 12) The urine sample is enclosed in the cell manufactured so that the second thickness is 1 / 5 or less of the first thickness and is 100 μm or more. 12. The control method according to claim 10 or 11.

[0142] (Appendix 13) On the computer, When the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample sealed in a cell, the imaging device captures a video image of the urine sample, and the video image of the urine sample is stored in a storage device. A control program for executing a process of storing an image of the urine sample captured as a still image in the storage device, without capturing a video image of the urine sample, when no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images.

[0143] (Appendix 14) On the computer, When the result of a predetermined test item in a urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that indicates the suspected presence of bacteria in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell, an image of the urine sample is taken as a video by the imaging device, and the image of the urine sample taken as a video is stored in a storage device, A control program for executing a process of storing an image of the urine sample taken as a still image in the storage device, without capturing a video image of the urine sample, in the case where the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images taken.

[0144] (Appendix 15) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer to execute a determination process, The determination process is a step of, when a movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample sealed in a cell, capturing an image of the urine sample as a video by the imaging device and storing the image of the urine sample taken as a video in a storage device, and, when a movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images, storing the image of the urine sample taken as a still image in the storage device without capturing the image of the urine sample as a video. Non-transitory storage media including:

[0145] (Appendix 16) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer to execute a determination process, The determination process is a step of capturing an image of the urine sample as a video using the imaging device and storing the image of the urine sample captured as a video in a storage device when the result of a predetermined test item in the urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that indicates the suspected presence of bacteria in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and a movement of a formed element contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images captured in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell, and storing the image of the urine sample captured as a video in the storage device when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and a movement of a formed element contained in the urine sample is not detected from the plurality of still images captured. Non-transitory storage media including:

[0146] According to Supplementary Note 1, Supplementary Note 6, and Supplementary Note 13 to Supplementary Note 16, the amount of image data to be processed can be reduced compared to the case where images of all urine samples are taken as video to check for the presence or absence of bacteria. This has the effect of:

[0147] According to Supplementary Note 2 and Supplementary Note 7, there is an advantage that the presence or absence of bacteria in a urine sample can be confirmed also on the external device side.

[0148] According to Supplementary Note 3 and Supplementary Note 8, there is an effect that the result of the determination of the presence or absence of bacteria in a urine sample can be confirmed later.

[0149] According to Supplementary Note 4 and Supplementary Note 10, it is possible to select whether to capture an image of the urine sample in an area having a first thickness or in an area having a second thickness depending on the purpose of the image to be captured.

[0150] According to Supplementary Note 5 and Supplementary Note 12, it is possible to obtain an effect that a video of tangible components with less overlap can be captured than when a video is captured in the region of the cell having the first thickness.

[0151] According to Appendix 9, the effect of being able to determine the presence or absence of bacteria with higher accuracy compared to determining the presence or absence of bacteria based on test items other than the content of nitrite in urine, the content of white blood cells in urine, and urine turbidity is achieved.

[0152] According to Addendum 11, the number of tangible elements contained in the area of ​​the cell having the second thickness can be made smaller than the number of tangible elements contained in the area of ​​the cell having the first thickness. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1 Urine qualitative analyzer 2 Server 3 Urine formed component analyzer 4. Communication lines 5, 5A cell 6 Plate 8 Lenses 9A, 9B mirrors 10 light source 11 Inlet 12 Outlet 13 Cavity 14 Flow Path 15 Optical axis 16A, 16B hole 20, 20A Formed component 21 Photography Department 22 Detection unit 23 Judgment section 24 UI section 25 Communications Department 26 Control Unit 27A, 27B Arrows 30 Computers 31 CPU 32 ROM 33 RAM 34 I / O 35 Bus 36 Storage Unit 36A, 36B control program 37 Display unit 38 Operation Unit 39 Communication Unit 40 Imaging Equipment 41 Actuator 50 User terminals 100 Medical Information Processing System

Claims

1. When the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample sealed in a cell, the imaging device captures a video image of the urine sample, and the video image of the urine sample is stored in a storage device. A control method in which, if no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images, a computer executes a process of storing an image of the urine sample captured as a still image in the storage device without capturing an image of the urine sample as a video.

2. The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is transmitted to an external device via a communication line. The control method according to claim 1 .

3. The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is displayed on a display device. The control method according to claim 1 .

4. A urine sample is enclosed in the cell having different thicknesses, the thicknesses being composed of a first thickness and a second thickness that is thinner than the first thickness, along the imaging direction of the imaging device, and an image of the urine sample is captured by the imaging device. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The urine sample is enclosed in the cell manufactured so that the second thickness is 1 / 5 or less of the first thickness and is 100 μm or more. The control method according to claim 4.

6. When the result of a predetermined test item in a urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that indicates the suspected presence of bacteria in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell, an image of the urine sample is taken as a video by the imaging device, and the image of the urine sample taken as a video is stored in a storage device, A control method in which, if the results of the test items do not satisfy the predetermined conditions and no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images taken, a computer executes a process of storing an image of the urine sample taken as a still image in the storage device without taking a video image of the urine sample.

7. The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is transmitted to an external device via a communication line. The control method according to claim 6.

8. The image of the urine sample stored in the storage device is displayed on a display device. The control method according to claim 6.

9. The test items include at least one of the following: urinary nitrite content, urinary white blood cell content, and urinary turbidity; The control method according to claim 6.

10. A urine sample is enclosed in the cell having different thicknesses, the thicknesses being composed of a first thickness and a second thickness that is thinner than the first thickness, along the imaging direction of the imaging device, and an image of the urine sample is captured by the imaging device. The control method according to any one of claims 6 to 9.

11. If the result of the test item satisfies the predetermined condition, a video image of the urine sample included in the region of the cell where the thickness of the cell is the second thickness is taken, If the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition, a still image of the urine sample contained in the region of the cell where the cell thickness is the first thickness is taken, and if a movement of a formed element contained in the urine sample is detected from the still images, a video image of the urine sample contained in the region of the cell where the cell thickness is the second thickness is taken. The control method according to claim 10.

12. The urine sample is enclosed in the cell manufactured so that the second thickness is 1 / 5 or less of the first thickness and is 100 μm or more. The control method according to claim 11.

13. On the computer, When the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample sealed in a cell, the imaging device captures a video image of the urine sample, and the video image of the urine sample is stored in a storage device. A control program for executing a process of storing an image of the urine sample captured as a still image in the storage device, without capturing a video image of the urine sample, when no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images.

14. On the computer, When the result of a predetermined test item in a urine qualitative test satisfies a predetermined condition that indicates the suspected presence of bacteria in the urine, or when the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from a plurality of still images taken in time series by an imaging device of a urine sample to be tested sealed in a cell, an image of the urine sample is taken as a video by the imaging device, and the image of the urine sample taken as a video is stored in a storage device, A control program for executing a process of storing an image of the urine sample taken as a still image in the storage device, without capturing a video image of the urine sample, in the case where the result of the test item does not satisfy the predetermined condition and no movement of formed elements contained in the urine sample is detected from the multiple still images taken.

Images