AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACQUIRING IMAGES OF ONE OR MORE CAPILLARIES IN A CAPILLARY BED - Patent application

Abstract

An automated system for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed includes a platform for receiving a body part of a subject, an imaging subsystem having a repositionable field of view and coupled to the platform for acquiring images of at least the capillary bed of the body part, and a controller communicatively coupled to the imaging subsystem for automatically repositioning the field of view of the imaging subsystem to different areas of the capillary bed and operating the imaging subsystem to acquire images of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed at each field of view within the capillary bed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Government Rights This invention was made with U.S. government support under Grant No. R44CA228920 awarded by the National Cancer Institute SBIR program and Grant No. U54HL143541 awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The U.S. government may have certain rights in the subject inventions.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of and priority under 35 U.S.C. sections 119, 120, 363, 365 and 37 CFR §§ 1.55 and 1.78 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 228,338, filed August 2, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to an automated system and method for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed. [Background technology]

[0004] For example, conventional systems and methods for analyzing blood cell dynamics in noninvasive blood measurements, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,629,997 and 5,729,963, which are incorporated herein by reference, teach how to perform white blood cell measurements from noninvasive images of capillaries. However, acquiring images such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,629,997 and 5,729,963 requires manual operation of the imaging system by a skilled technician who can determine the optimal location of the capillaries to be imaged and modify focus, illumination, exposure time, duty cycle, etc., to generate images of sufficient quality to successfully measure white blood cell count (WBC) and / or neutropenia and / or other blood parameters, including red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 9,984,277 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0139221 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 11,160,492 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] Robinson, D., Milanfar, P., Fast Local and Global Projection-Based Methods for Affine Motion Estimation, Journal of Mathematical Imaging and Vision 18, 35-54 (2003), https: / / doi.Org / 10.1023 / A:1021841127282 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] To make such measurements available to unmonitored patients in a clinical setting or at home, the above-described process performed by a trained technician needs to be automated. Therefore, there is a need for automated systems and methods to perform such measurements to determine WBC and / or neutropenia and / or other blood parameters without the need for trained technician intervention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect features an automated system for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed, the system including: a platform for receiving a body part of a subject; an imaging subsystem coupled to the platform having a repositionable field of view that acquires images of at least a capillary bed of the body part; and a controller communicatively coupled to the imaging subsystem that automatically repositions the field of view of the imaging subsystem to different areas of the capillary bed and, at each field of view within the capillary bed, operates the imaging subsystem to acquire images of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed.

[0009] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to process images of each of the above ranges and assign a location and confidence level of one or more high-quality capillaries in each of the above ranges. Information from each field of view may be stitched together by the controller to generate a distribution of capillary locations, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence across the hyper-field of view. The controller may be configured to process the distribution of capillary locations and confidence levels and determine the location and / or size of an optimal field of view for recording a set of high-quality capillary images or videos. The images may be stitched together by the controller across the hyper-field of view to generate a single image, and the controller may detect capillary locations, sizes, and confidence levels in the single image. The subject's body part may include one of the subject's fingers, toes, tongue, lips, gums, or earlobes. The body part may include a nailfold of a finger or toe. The location of the hyper-field capillary distribution plot may be obtained from a position below the center of the nailfold. The controller may be configured to automatically calibrate the imaging subsystem by setting the imaging subsystem to a predetermined starting position. The controller may be configured to automatically adjust the exposure time of the imaging subsystem. The controller may be configured to automatically adjust the gain of the imaging subsystem. The controller may be configured to automatically adjust the focus of the imaging subsystem. The controller may be configured to automatically ensure that the imaging subsystem is operating at a desired speed. The controller may be configured to automatically ensure that illumination of at least the capillary bed is within a predetermined illumination range. The controller may be configured to automatically ensure that the exposure time is within a predetermined exposure time range. The controller may be configured to automatically ensure that the imaging system gain is within a predetermined range. The controller may be configured to automatically ensure that the focusing is within a predetermined focusing range. The controller may be configured to control one or more light sources of the imaging system to emit light at one or more selected wavelengths or wavelength ranges. The controller may be configured to select one or more wavelengths or wavelength ranges based on image quality.The controller may activate or deactivate the imaging system based on the quality of the image of the capillary bed. The controller may activate the imaging system to acquire an image including one or more capillaries in the capillary bed for a time based on the number of optical absorption gaps (OAG) detected in the one or more capillaries. The controller communicatively coupled to the imaging subsystem may be configured to detect finger movement on the platform via the imaging subsystem.

[0010] Another aspect features a method for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed, the method including receiving a body part of a human subject, acquiring images of at least a capillary bed of the body part with repositionable fields of view, automatically repositioning the fields of view to different areas of the capillary bed, and acquiring images of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed in each field of view within the capillary bed.

[0011] In one embodiment, the method may include processing images from each of the ranges and assigning a location and confidence level of one or more high-quality capillaries in each of the ranges. Information from each field of view may be stitched together to generate a distribution of capillary locations, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence across the ultra-field of view. The method may include processing the distribution of capillary locations and confidence levels to determine the location and / or size of an optimal field of view for recording a set of high-quality capillary images. The images may be stitched together by a controller across the ultra-field of view to generate a single image, and capillary locations, sizes, and confidence levels may be detected in the single image. The ultra-field capillary distribution plot may be acquired from a position below the center of the nailfold. The method may include automatically calibrating imaging to a predetermined starting position. The method may include automatically adjusting exposure time. The method may include automatically adjusting imaging system gain. The method may include automatically adjusting focus. The method may include automatically ensuring imaging is at a desired speed. The method may include automatically ensuring illumination of at least the capillary bed within a predetermined illumination range. The method may include automatically ensuring an exposure time within a predetermined exposure time range. The method may include automatically ensuring an imaging system gain within a predetermined range. The method may include automatically ensuring focusing within a predetermined focusing range and then automatically emitting light at one or more selected wavelengths or wavelength ranges. The method may select one or more wavelengths or wavelength ranges based on image quality. The method may include activating or deactivating imaging based on the quality of the image in the capillary bed. The method may include acquiring an image of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed for a time based on the number of optical absorption gaps detected in the one or more capillaries. The method may include detecting movement of a finger during imaging.

[0012] The subject invention, however, need not achieve all of these objectives in other embodiments, and the claims herein should not be limited to structures or methods that are capable of achieving these objectives.

[0013] Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of an example of an automated system for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing in more detail the main components of the system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing in more detail the main components of the system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a capillary bed in a finger. [Figure 4] FIG. 2C illustrates an example of a controller shown in one or more of FIGS. 1-2B coupled to an x-axis motor and a y-axis motor coupled to a scanning mirror. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 shows an example of a repositionable field of view (FOV) that is repositioned to different areas of a capillary bed. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of information from two FOVs stitched together by a controller to generate a distribution of capillary location, capillary size, and confidence level of capillary presence across a super FOV. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 shows the distribution of super FOV, optimal FOV, capillary position size, and confidence level, as well as an example of a capillary within the optimal FOV to be analyzed. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of capillaries in multiple FOVs stitched together by a controller across a super FOV. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 shows an example of a prototype of the system shown in one or more of FIGS. 1-8, in which a finger is placed on a finger rest, images are stitched together by a controller across an ultra-FOV to generate a single image, and capillary location, size, and confidence level are detected in the single image. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for acquiring an image of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of automated wavelength selection for the systems and methods shown in one or more of FIGS. [Figure 12-1] 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of hand movement detection for the systems and methods shown in one or more of FIGS. 1-11. [Figure 12-2] 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of hand movement detection for the systems and methods shown in one or more of FIGS. 1-11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Aside from the preferred embodiment disclosed below, the present invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of parts set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Even if only one embodiment is described herein, the claims herein should not be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims herein should not be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence revealing an exclusion, limitation, or disclaimer.

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an automated system 10 for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed. The system 10 includes a platform 12 for receiving a body part of a subject. In one example, the platform 12 may be a finger rest, such as the finger rest 14 of FIGS. 2A and 2B , which in this example is disclosed as an ergonomic hand rest 16 (described in more detail below). The body part of the subject may include a finger, toe, tongue, lip, gum, or earlobe of a human subject. FIG. 1 shows an example of a top view of a finger 18 inserted into the platform 12. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a finger 18 whose capillary bed 36 is to be automatically imaged by the system 10.

[0017] 1-2B also includes an imaging subsystem 20 having an adjustable focus and repositionable field of view (FOV) that is coupled to the platform 12 and a controller 22 as shown. The imaging subsystem 20 acquires images of at least a capillary bed of the body part. The imaging subsystem 20 preferably includes one or more light emitting devices 24, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) or similar types of light emitting devices, one or more focusing lenses 26, one or more scanning mirrors 28, and an optical window 30 as shown.

[0018] System 10 also includes a controller 22 communicatively coupled to imaging subsystem 20, one or more focusing lenses 26, and one or more scanning mirrors 28. Controller 22 automatically repositions the FOV of imaging subsystem 20 to different regions of the capillary bed. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of controller 22 coupled to an X-axis motor 32 and a Y-axis motor 34, each preferably coupled to a scanning mirror 28 as shown. In this example, controller 22 automatically repositions repositionable FOV 28 to different regions or locations of the capillary bed, as illustrated by FOV1 and FOV2. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a repositionable FOV 28, e.g., FOV1-28 and FOV2-28, of a finger 18 repositioned to different regions of capillary bed 36 of FIG. 3. At each repositionable FOV 28 within capillary bed 36, controller 22 of FIGS. 1 and 2A operates imaging subsystem 20 to acquire images of one or more capillaries in capillary bed 36. In this example, the repositionable FOV 28 is preferably repositioned by the controller 22 to different areas of the capillary bed 36 of Figure 3 in the finger 18. In other examples, the repositionable FOV 28 may be repositioned by the controller 22 to different areas of the capillary bed in the toes, tongue, lips, gums, or earlobes of a human subject.

[0019] Controller 22 may be a processor, one or more processors, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), firmware, hardware and / or software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination of both hardware and software. Controller 22 preferably includes one or more programs stored in memory configured to be executed by the one or more processors. Computer program code for programs to carry out instructions or operations of controller 22 may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including, but not limited to, object-oriented programming languages, e.g., C++, Smalltalk, Java, etc., or conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language, assembly language, or similar programming languages.

[0020] Preferably, the controller 22 of Figures 1, 2A, and 4 processes the images in each region of the capillary bed and assigns a location and confidence level indicating the presence of one or more high-quality capillaries in each region. As disclosed herein, one or more high-quality capillaries preferably meet one or more desired characteristic requirements, for example, high-quality capillaries include one or more optical absorption gaps (OAGs), are substantially parallel to the imaging plane, have a width similar to that of white blood cells, are long enough to allow the passage of OAGs, have high-quality contrast, are in focus, are well illuminated, and blood flow is preferably not restricted. As such, high-quality capillaries as defined herein are preferably amenable to analysis and generate accurate blood measurements, including white blood cell count, and / or neutropenia classification, and / or any white blood cell subtypes and / or other blood parameters.

[0021] In one design, information from each of the above-mentioned FOVs is preferably stitched together by controller 22 to generate a distribution of capillary locations, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence across the super FOV. As defined herein, the super FOV is the geometric extent within which the imaging FOV is repositioned.

[0022] Figure 6 shows the FOVs 1-28 and 28 N Information from FOV1-28 to FOV-28 is stitched together by controller 22 to generate a distribution of capillary locations, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence over FOV-40. N An example of FOVs 1-28 is shown in FIG. 1. In this example, the distribution of capillary positions, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence for FOVs 1-28 are shown in bounding boxes 42, 44, and 46, where x indicates the X coordinate, y indicates the Y coordinate, S indicates the capillary size (width and height), and C indicates the confidence level of the presence of high-quality capillaries. Similarly, for FOVs 1-28, N -28, FOV N The distribution of capillary location, capillary size, and confidence level of capillary presence relative to -28 is illustrated in bounding boxes 48, 50, 52, and 54, where x indicates the X coordinate, y indicates the Y coordinate, S indicates the capillary size (width and height), and C indicates the confidence level of the presence of high quality capillaries.

[0023] As illustrated in the examples in FIGS. 4 and 6, FOVs 1-28 and N Information from -28 is preferably stitched together by the controller 22 to generate a distribution of capillary locations, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence across the super FOV 40.

[0024] The controller 22 of Figures 1, 2A, and 4 preferably processes the distribution of capillary locations, sizes, and confidence levels described above to determine the location and / or size of an optimal field of view for recording a set of high-quality capillary images or videos. Figure 7 shows an example of the super FOV 40 described above with reference to Figures 4 and 6, as well as an example of an optimal field of view 60 for recording a set of high-quality capillaries 62 images or videos to be analyzed to determine WBC count and / or neutropenia and / or white blood cell type and / or other blood parameters. The distribution of capillary locations, capillary sizes, and confidence levels of capillary presence across the super FOV 40 in the bounding box described above with reference to Figure 6 is also shown schematically at 64 in Figure 7.

[0025] 7 for recording an image or video of a set of high-quality capillaries 62 may be determined by calculating the x and y coordinates of the optimal FOV 60 and the width and height of the optimal FOV 60 (x_opt, y_opt, w_opt, h_opt). To determine x_opt and y_opt, x_target and y_target are determined, where x_target is the weighted average of the x coordinates of the detected capillaries weighted by their confidence levels, and y_target is the weighted 95% percentile of the y coordinates of the detected capillaries, where the weights are the confidence levels of each corresponding capillary. Then, x_opt is equal to x_target, and y_opt is equal to y_target+0.25*h_FOV. In this example, w_opt is equal to w_FOV, and h_opt is equal to h_fov, where w_FOV and h_FOV are the width and height of the fixed field of view of the imaging system.

[0026] In one design, images may be stitched together by controller 22 of Figures 1, 2A and 4 across a super FOV to generate a single image, and controller 22 preferably detects capillary location, size and confidence level in the single image.

[0027] FIG. 8 illustrates a representation of an image of one or more capillaries 70 for FOVs 1-28, stitched together by controller 22 across a super FOV 80 as shown, and a representation of the FOVs 1-28. N 1 illustrates an example of a representation of an image of one or more capillaries 72 relative to the CT scan line 28. The controller 22 preferably detects capillary location, size, and confidence level in a single image. The optimal FOV is determined as described above with reference to one or more of FIGS. 1-7.

[0028] 9 shows an example of a prototype of system 10 in which a user places a finger on finger rest 14 of platform 12, and images are stitched together by controller 22 of FIGS. 1, 2A, and 4 over an extended FOV 80 to generate a single image 82, in which controller 22 preferably detects capillary location, size, and confidence level. An example of an optimal FOV is shown at 84.

[0029] In one example, the super FOV of the capillary distribution plot described above with reference to one or more of Figures 1-9 may be obtained from a central position of the nail fold, for example, as shown schematically at 100 in Figure 5.

[0030] 2A and 2B illustrate a prototype example of system 10 configured as an ergonomic hand rest 16. System 10 preferably includes a base 110 including a convex hand support 112 with a centrally located, downwardly directed, removable finger rest or tube 14 for receiving a human subject's finger or other body part, including one of the subject's fingers, toes, tongue, lips, gums, or earlobe, as shown. System 10 also preferably includes a ramp 118 that extends upwardly over the disposable finger rest or tube insert 14 and terminates at a display screen 114 in FIG. 2B. Ramped portion 118 also preferably includes an imaging subsystem 20, illustrated in one or more of FIGS. 1-2B. In this example, base 110 also preferably includes a controller 22, a power supply board 130 in FIG. 2B, and an input / output board 132.

[0031] In one example, convex hand support 112 slopes upward from base 110 and extends downward to intersection 120 between base 110 and sloped portion 118. In one example, the intersection is rounded as shown. In one example, convex hand support 112 may include interchangeable pads to accommodate various hand sizes. Additional details of at least the finger rest 14 illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0129994, filed on Oct. 1, 2009, by one of the present inventors, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0032] The imaging subsystem 20 preferably acquires and processes one or more high-quality capillary images and / or videos of the capillary bed of the finger in the removable finger rest or tube insert 14 to determine blood measurements including white blood cell (WBC) count and / or neutropenia classification and / or WBC type and / or other blood parameters.

[0033] An example of a method for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed includes receiving a body part of a human subject, step 90 of Figure 10. The method also includes acquiring images of at least a capillary bed of the body part with a repositionable field of view (FOV) at step 92. The method also includes automatically repositioning the FOV to different areas of the capillary bed at step 94. The method also includes acquiring images of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed at each FOV within the capillary bed.

[0034] In one design, the controller 22 of FIGS. 1, 2A, and 4 preferably automatically calibrates the imaging subsystem 20 by setting the imaging subsystem 20 to a predetermined starting position. The controller 22 may also automatically adjust the exposure time of the imaging subsystem 20, automatically adjust the focus of the imaging subsystem 20, and / or ensure that the imaging subsystem 20 is operating at a desired speed, e.g., frames per second. The controller 22 may automatically ensure that illumination of one or more capillary beds is within a predetermined illumination range, automatically ensure that exposure time is within a predetermined exposure time, and / or automatically ensure that focusing is within a predetermined focusing range. The controller 22 also preferably controls one or more light sources 24 of FIG. 1 of the imaging subsystem 20 to emit light at one or more selected wavelengths or wavelength ranges. Preferably, the controller 22 selects one or more wavelengths or wavelength ranges based on image quality.

[0035] The system 10 and method described above with reference to one or more of Figures 1-10 preferably includes software or computer code that provides for wavelength selection, preferably on a measurement-by-measurement basis, to select optimal wavelengths for imaging quality. Wavelength selection is preferably determined during a setup phase prior to each measurement. Wavelength selection preferably determines optimal wavelengths by evaluating an imaging quality metric using each available wavelength. Wavelengths with larger metric values ​​are then selected.

[0036] Wavelength selection preferably maximizes acquisition success across a wide range of skin characteristics, including, among other things, pigmentation levels across the Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype Scale and focal pigmentation such as freckles. Without the automated wavelength selection procedure provided by system 10, wavelength selection would need to be performed manually by a trained technician. Minimizing cost and maximizing ease of use of system 10 for both patients and care teams are important objectives.

[0037] In one example, the controller 22 is preferably configured to automatically select the appropriate wavelength. Such an automated procedure additionally ensures that the correct methodology is preferably followed. In one example, the wavelength selection performed by the controller 22 preferably includes performing a setup procedure using illumination with a spectral content in a similar range, e.g., approximately 540-580 nm illumination (wavelength range 1). After the automatic exposure and automatic gain have stabilized in the final FOV of interest, one frame is captured using wavelength range 1 (step 100 of FIG. 11 ). The illumination is preferably switched to an approximate range, e.g., approximately 405-430 nm illumination (wavelength range 2). After the automatic exposure and automatic gain have stabilized, one frame is captured using wavelength range 2. In each frame, capillaries are detected using an object detection routine to identify the capillaries, create bounding boxes around them, and attribute capillary confidence values ​​(step 102). Capillaries that exceed a given classification confidence threshold are then evaluated for imaging contrast by running a contrast algorithm on the image regions identified by the capillary bounding boxes. A single metric for each capillary is created by taking the product of the capillary confidence and the capillary contrast. A single score for each wavelength of the FOV is then preferably obtained by summing the capillary scores, step 104. The range with the highest metric value is identified and switched to the associated illumination regime, step 106. After the auto-exposure and auto-gain have stabilized, the setup procedure is completed. See Figure 11.

[0038] The controller 22 may or may not activate the imaging subsystem 20 based on the quality of the image in the capillary bed. The controller 22 may activate the imaging subsystem 20 to acquire images of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed for a time period based on the number of OAGs detected in the one or more capillaries.

[0039] The user of system 10 is required to hold their hand and fingers still in finger rest 14 of Figures 2A-2B while being measured. Some users may find it difficult to follow this instruction and may remove their hand and fingers prematurely or move their hand and fingers in finger rest 14 during the measurement. Excessive finger movement may result in suboptimal analysis performed by system 10, so it is recommended that the user repeat the measurement without any movement.

[0040] To address this issue, a controller 22, communicatively coupled to the imaging subsystem 20, preferably uses the imaging subsystem 20 to detect finger movement within the finger rest 14. The controller 22 preferably includes software or computer code configured as the finger movement detector module 150 of FIG. 1 that is capable of detecting problematic finger movement. Finger movement detection is preferably used at the end of every measurement to determine whether the previous measurement needs to be repeated due to excessive finger movement. The finger movement detector module 150 preferably operates by evaluating movement between pairs of video frames from a measurement. If the measured movement exceeds an acceptable threshold, an error is generated.

[0041] An example finger movement detector module 150 includes the steps of: 1) estimating high-frequency movement between all consecutive video frames in the measurement video; 2) estimating low-frequency movement between video frames spaced 1 second apart in the measurement video; 3) issuing an error if any of the movement estimates exceed a threshold; and 4) estimating movement using Robinson's motion estimation algorithm. See, for example, "Robinson's Motion Estimation Algorithm," in "Annotated Hand and Finger Movement Detector Modules," incorporated herein by reference. See FIG. 12.

[0042] Although particular features of the invention may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is merely for convenience, as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words "comprise," "comprising," "having," and "having," as used herein, should be interpreted broadly and inclusively and are not limited to any physical interconnections. Moreover, any embodiment disclosed in the subject application should not be taken as the only possible embodiment. Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the following claims.

[0043] Additionally, any amendment filed during prosecution of a patent application for this patent is not a abandonment of any claim element presented in the application as filed; one of ordinary skill in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft claims that would literally encompass all possible equivalents; many equivalents are unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what, if anything, should be abandoned; the rationale underlying the amendment may have only a tenuous relationship to many equivalents; and / or there are many other reasons why an applicant cannot be expected to describe some insubstantial substitute for any claim element being amended. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10. Automation Systems 12 Platform 14 Finger rest 16 Hand Placement 18 fingers 20 Imaging Subsystem 22 Controller 24 Light-emitting devices 26 focusing lens 28 Scanning mirror 28 Repositionable FOV 30 Optical window 32 X-axis motor 34 Y-axis motor 36 Capillary bed 40 super FOV 60 Optimal FOV 70 Capillaries 72 Capillaries 80 super FOV 82 Single Images 84 Optimal FOV 100 Nailfold 110 Base 112 Convex hand support 114 Display screen 118 Slope 120 Intersection 130 Power supply board 132 Input / Output Board 150 Finger Movement Detector Module

Claims

1. 1. An automated system for acquiring images of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed, comprising: a platform for receiving a body part of a subject; an imaging subsystem having a repositionable field of view coupled to the platform for acquiring images of at least a capillary bed of the body part; a controller, to automatically reposition the field of view of the imaging subsystem to different areas of the capillary bed; and at each field of view within the capillary bed, operating the imaging subsystem to acquire an image of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed; and processing the image for each range and assigning a location and confidence level of one or more high quality capillaries in each range; communicatively coupled to the imaging subsystem; a controller, wherein information from each field of view is stitched together by said controller to generate a distribution of capillary location, capillary size, and confidence level of capillary presence across the hyper-field of view; An automation system comprising:

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to process the distribution of capillary locations and the distribution of confidence levels to determine a location and / or size of an optimal field of view for recording a set of high quality capillary images or videos.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the images are stitched together by the controller over a hyper-field of view to generate a single image, and the controller detects capillary location, size, and confidence level in the single image.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the location of the hyperfield capillary distribution plot is obtained from a position below the center of the nail fold.

5. The controller calibrating the imaging subsystem by setting the imaging subsystem to a predetermined starting position; automatically adjusting the exposure time of the imaging subsystem; automatically adjusting the gain of the imaging subsystem; automatically adjusting the focus of the imaging subsystem; automatically ensuring that the imaging subsystem is operating at a desired speed; automatically ensuring that illumination of at least the capillary bed is within a predetermined illumination range; automatically ensuring that the exposure time is within a predetermined exposure time range; Automatically ensuring that the imaging system gain is within a predetermined range; or Automatically ensure that focus is within a predetermined focus range; The system of claim 1 , configured to automatically process at least one of:

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control one or more light sources of an imaging system to emit light at one or more selected wavelengths or wavelength ranges.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to select one or more wavelengths or wavelength ranges based on image quality.

8. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operates the imaging system to acquire an image including one or more capillaries in the capillary bed for a time based on the number of optical absorption gaps (OAGs) detected in one or more capillaries.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a controller communicatively coupled to the imaging subsystem is configured to detect finger movement on the platform with the imaging subsystem.

10. 1. A method for obtaining an image of one or more capillaries in a capillary bed, comprising: receiving a body part of a human subject; acquiring an image of at least a capillary bed of said body part with a repositionable field of view; automatically repositioning the field of view to a different area of ​​the capillary bed; acquiring, for each field of view within the capillary bed, an image of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed; processing the image for each range and assigning a location and confidence level for one or more high quality capillaries in each range; Including, The information from each field of view is stitched together to generate a distribution of capillary location, capillary size, and confidence level of capillary presence across the hyper-field of view.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising processing the image of each region and assigning a location and confidence level of one or more high quality capillaries in each region.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein information from each field of view is stitched together to generate a distribution of capillary location, capillary size, and confidence level of capillary presence across the hyper-field of view.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising processing the distribution of capillary locations and the distribution of confidence levels to determine a location and / or size of an optimal field of view for recording a set of high quality capillary images.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the controller stitches the images together over a hyper-field of view to generate a single image and detects capillary location, size, and confidence level in the single image.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the hyperfield capillary distribution plot is obtained from a position below the center of the nail fold.

16. automatically calibrating the image to a predetermined starting position; automatically adjusting the exposure time; automatically adjusting the imaging system gain; automatically adjusting the focus; automatically ensuring that imaging is at a desired rate; automatically ensuring that illumination of at least said capillary bed is within a predetermined illumination range; automatically ensuring that the exposure time is within a predetermined exposure time range; automatically ensuring that the imaging system gain is within a predetermined range; or automatically ensuring that focusing is within a predetermined focusing range, and then automatically emitting light at one or more selected wavelengths or wavelength ranges; The method of claim 10 , further comprising at least one of:

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein selecting the one or more wavelengths or wavelength ranges is based on image quality.

18. 11. The method of claim 10, comprising acquiring images of one or more capillaries in the capillary bed for a time period based on the number of optical absorption gaps detected in the one or more capillaries.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting finger movement during imaging.

Images