Imaging method and imaging program

Abstract

According to the present invention, a urine formed element analyzing device: moves an imaging location of an imaging device along a movement surface that intersects the direction of gravity, the imaging device imaging, in the direction of gravity, a cell having a cavity part in which a urine specimen is sealed; at a plurality of imaging locations, acquires reference height information that indicates the position, in the direction of gravity within the cell, of formed elements contained in the urine specimen, when focusing on the formed elements, and, using coordinate values of two-dimensional coordinates provided within the movement surface, acquires reference imaging location information indicating the imaging location of the formed elements imaged by the imaging device; calculates the position of the formed elements at another imaging location different from the plurality of imaging locations, by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging location information at the plurality of imaging locations; and controls the imaging device to focus on the calculated position of the formed elements, and captures a sample image, which is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging location.

Description

Shooting method and shooting program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and program for imaging formed elements contained in a specimen.

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

[0003] <Non-Patent Document 1> Medical Testing, Vol. 66 (2017) J-STAGE-1, pp. 18-50, Japanese Association of Medical Technologists

[0004] When a urinary sediment test is performed using a testing device, instead of a clinical laboratory technician visually inspecting the formed elements contained in the urine sample using a microscope, the formed elements contained in the urine sample are photographed using an imaging device.

[0005] However, because the size of the particles is on the order of μm, it is difficult to focus the imaging device on the particles, and because it is not known where the particles are located, it is also difficult to focus at a preset subject distance before taking an image. Therefore, clinical laboratory technicians often repeatedly control the focus on the particles for each imaging location through trial and error.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide an imaging method and imaging program that can shorten the time required to photograph formed elements contained in a urine sample, compared to when images are taken while focusing on the formed elements contained in the urine sample at each imaging point in a cell containing the urine sample.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, an imaging method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a computer-implemented process in which an imaging device that images a cell containing a urine sample sealed in a hollow portion along the direction of gravity moves the imaging position of the imaging device along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity, and at multiple imaging positions, obtains reference height information indicating the position of the formed component in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed component contained in the urine sample, and reference imaging position information indicating the imaging position of the formed component by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane, calculates the position of the formed component at other imaging positions different from the multiple imaging positions by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging position information at the multiple imaging positions, and controls the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed component, thereby capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging position.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an imaging program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute a process of moving an imaging point of an imaging device that images a cell having a hollow portion containing a urine sample along the direction of gravity along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity, acquiring, at multiple imaging points, reference height information indicating the position of the formed element contained in the urine sample in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed element, and reference imaging point information indicating the imaging point of the formed element by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane, calculating the position of the formed element at another imaging point other than the multiple imaging points by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging point information at the multiple imaging points, and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed element, thereby capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging point.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the time required to photograph the formed elements compared to when images are taken while focusing on the formed elements contained in the urine sample at each photographing point of the cell in which the urine sample is sealed.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medical information processing system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of a urine particle analyzer. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a cell. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of cells on a plate. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of cells on a plate. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a urine particle analyzer. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing to capture particle components contained in a urine sample. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the imaging situation of particle components. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an imaging plane. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the imaging plane viewed along the Z-axis direction. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an imaging plane passing through reference points at each reference imaging point. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a modified example of processing to capture particle components contained in a urine sample. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of generating a panoramic image. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a panoramic image formed by the peripheral portion of an image.

[0011] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components and processes are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation, and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an example 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 contained in a patient's urine sample is identified based on the shape and other characteristics of the formed element, and various analyses are performed, such as the number and concentration of the formed element. In a urinary sediment test, the types of formed elements identified include, for example, red blood cells, white blood cells, non-squamous epithelial cells, squamous epithelial cells, bacteria (also known as "bacteria"), crystals, yeast, hyaline casts, other casts (also known as pathological casts), mucus threads, sperm, and white blood cell clumps.

[0013] 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, which are all connected to each other via a communication line 4. There are no restrictions on the connection type of the communication line 4, and it may be wired or wireless. There are also no restrictions on the type of communication line 4, and the communication line 4 may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0014] When a urinary sediment test is performed, a qualitative urine test is performed in advance using the qualitative urine analyzer 1. A qualitative urine test is a test that determines whether a target component is present in a urine sample by, for example, applying urine to a test strip called a "Testape," which changes color upon reaction with the target component in the urine sample, and measuring the color change. The qualitative urine test also measures the concentration of the target component in the urine sample. The qualitative urine test measures, for example, the pH, specific gravity, and turbidity of the urine sample, as well as the presence and content of protein, sugar, ketone bodies, bilirubin, urobilinogen, occult blood, nitrite, and white blood cells in the urine sample.

[0015] 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) containing the urine sample, 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 associated with the sample ID to the server 2 via the communication line 4.

[0016] When the server 2 receives the urine qualitative test results associated with the sample ID from the urine qualitative analyzer 1, the server 2 stores the urine qualitative test results associated with the sample ID in a storage device.

[0017] The urine qualitative analyzer 1 does not necessarily need to store the urine qualitative test results in the server 2, but may store them in a storage device of the urine qualitative analyzer 1. In this case, the server 2 is not necessary in the medical information processing system 100.

[0018] Among the test items for urine samples, there are some that are difficult to analyze using only a qualitative urine test, such as determining the presence or absence of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, enterococci, staphylococci, and streptococci. Therefore, the clinical laboratory technician transmits the sample ID of the urine sample that has been subjected to qualitative urine 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 photograph the sediments contained in the urine sample.

[0019] The urine sediment analyzer 3, which receives the sample ID from the urine qualitative analyzer 1, photographs the sediments contained in the urine sample and transmits the photographed image of the sediments to the user terminal 50. Note that the "image" in this embodiment is an example of a sample image obtained by photographing a urine sample, and may be either a still image or a video.

[0020] The user terminal 50 is a terminal used by a clinical laboratory technician who specializes in classifying sediments 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 and classifies the sediments contained in the urine sample.

[0021] 1 , the urine 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.

[0022] The ROM 32 stores, for example, a boot program (Basic Input Output System: BIOS) that the CPU 31 uses to perform boot processing of the computer 30. The RAM 33 is used as a temporary work area for the CPU 31.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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 imaging device 40, and an actuator 41. These units are mutually connected to the CPU 31 via the I / O 34.

[0026] 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 implemented as 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.

[0027] The storage unit 36 ​​pre-stores imaging programs 36A and 36B that the CPU 31 reads to capture images of the sediments contained in the urine sample. In addition to the imaging programs 36A and 36B, the storage unit 36 ​​also pre-stores various parameters that the CPU 31 references when controlling the urine sediment analyzer 3. It should be noted that the imaging programs 36A and 36B and the various parameters do not necessarily need to be stored in the storage unit 36; they may be stored in the ROM 32.

[0028] The display unit 37 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. The display unit 37 may have an integrated touch panel. The display unit 37 displays, for example, the results of processing performed in accordance with instructions received from a clinical laboratory technician, captured images, and notifications regarding processing.

[0029] The operation unit 38 is provided with operation input devices such as buttons, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and a pointing device. The clinical laboratory technician issues instructions to the CPU 31 of the urine sediment analyzer 3 by operating the operation unit 38.

[0030] The communication unit 39 is connected to the communication line 4 and is provided with a communication protocol for mutual data communication with the urine qualitative analyzer 1 , the server 2 , and the user terminal 50 .

[0031] The imaging device 40 includes a photographing lens and an imaging element disposed on the optical axis of the photographing lens, and captures images of formed elements contained in the urine sample. The imaging element is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The image captured by the imaging device 40 may be either a grayscale image or a color image, but as an example, a color image is captured.

[0032] 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.

[0033] Next, the principle of photographing a urine sample in the urine particle analyzer 3 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of the urine particle analyzer 3. In Figure 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 directions perpendicular to the X and Z axes. That is, the X and Y axes define two-dimensional coordinates representing the position of 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. The distance along the Z axis is referred to as the "height."

[0034] 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.

[0035] The cell 5 is a transparent container made of a synthetic resin such as acrylic, polycarbonate, or polyethylene terephthalate so that an image of the formed elements contained in the enclosed urine sample can be captured by the imaging device 40.

[0036] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cell 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the cell 5 has a cavity 13 inside which a urine sample can be sealed. When a clinical laboratory technician uses a pipette or the like to introduce a urine sample into the cell 5 through an inlet 11 provided in the cell 5, the urine sample reaches the cavity 13 through a flow path 14. In addition to the inlet 11, the cell 5 has an outlet 12. For example, a urine sample that overflows after flowing into the cavity 13 is discharged from the outlet 12 via the flow path 14. Note that the cell 5 being "transparent" means that it 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 viewed through the cell 5.

[0037] 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 horizontal (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 the two surfaces are extended, that is, a completely parallel state, as well as a case in which the two surfaces are inclined to such an extent that they can be considered parallel.

[0038] There are no restrictions on the shape of the cell 5 when viewed toward the XY plane (when viewed from the Z direction), but in this embodiment, as an example, the cell 5 is a rectangular cell 5. 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 along the X axis.

[0039] The length of the cell 5 along the Z-axis direction, i.e., the height of the cell 5, is the same at any point, and the height of the cell 5 is shorter than the lengths of the cell 5 along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. In other words, the cell 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0040] The light source 10 is provided, for example, at a position along the Z-axis direction above the position of the cell 5 placed on the plate 6 and opposite the cell 5, and irradiates light toward the cell 5 so that the imaging device 40 can easily capture images of the formed components contained in the urine sample.

[0041] The image capturing device 40 captures images of the formed elements contained in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5. The image capturing device 40 is disposed on the top surface of the housing (not shown) of the urine particle analyzer 3, for example, with the photographing lens included in the image capturing device 40 facing 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 image captures the mirror surface of the mirror 9B, which is on an extension of the optical axis (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 of the formed elements contained in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5 can be captured by the image capturing device 40.

[0042] That is, the imaging device 40 images the cell 5 from bottom to top along the Z-axis direction from a position facing the underside of the cell 5. In other words, the imaging device 40 images the urine sample along the height direction of the cell 5.

[0043] Due to the influence of gravity, the formed elements contained in the urine specimen sealed in the cell 5 settle over time toward the bottom surface of the cell 5. Therefore, the imaging device 40 can more easily photograph the formed elements contained in the urine specimen compared to photographing the surface of the cell 5 that is visible when the cell 5 placed on the plate 6 is viewed from above and below along the Z-axis direction, i.e., the top surface of the cell 5.

[0044] In addition, the higher the height of 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 photographing device 40 will be, so it is preferable that the height of the cell 5 be 1000 μm.

[0045] The lens 8 is positioned 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, thereby magnifying the formed elements contained in the urine sample to a magnification specified by the clinical laboratory technician. Therefore, the imaging device 40 can photograph the formed elements contained in the urine sample at the magnification specified by the clinical laboratory technician. Naturally, if the imaging device 40 has an image enlargement / reduction function (so-called zoom function), the enlargement / reduction function of the imaging device 40 can be used to photograph the formed elements contained in the urine sample at the magnification specified by the clinical laboratory technician.

[0046] When the cell 5 is placed on the plate 6, the portion of the plate 6 on which the underside of the cell 5 rests is made of the same transparent material as the cell 5 so as not to interfere with the imaging of the cell 5 by the imaging device 40. As shown in Fig. 4, the cell 5 may be embedded in a hole 16A in the plate 6 that is made to match the shape of the cell 5, or as shown in Fig. 5, the cell 5 may be placed on a hole 16B that penetrates the plate. In this case, there are no restrictions on the shape of the hole 16B.

[0047] In the example of the device configuration of the urine sediment analyzer 3 shown in Figure 2, the image capturing device 40 is disposed so that the photographing lens faces downward along the Z-axis direction. However, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the image capturing device 40 may be disposed below the cell 5 so that the photographing lens faces upward along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the mirrors 9A and 9B that bend the optical axis 15 are not necessary.

[0048] In other words, there are no restrictions on the position of the imaging device 40 in the urine particle analyzer 3, and the imaging device 40 may be attached in any position. The urine particle analyzer 3 can capture images of the particles contained in the urine sample by adjusting the positions and number of mirrors 9A and 9B, for example.

[0049] The actuator 41 is a drive source that moves the plate 6 independently in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Specifically, the actuator 41 includes a pulse motor that performs rotational motion according to the number of pulses applied, and a conversion mechanism, such as a rack-and-pinion mechanism or a ball screw, that converts the rotational motion of the pulse motor into movement of the plate 6 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The actuator 41 moves the plate 6 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 remain fixed. In this way, since the imaging point of the imaging device 40 moves along the XY plane, the XY plane will hereinafter be referred to as the "movement plane."

[0050] The imaging device 40 may be any device that can select between capturing still images and video, 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 captured using a camera built into a smartphone.

[0051] Next, we will explain the functions of the urine sediment analyzer 3. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the urine sediment analyzer 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the urine sediment analyzer 3 includes an imaging unit 21, a driving unit 22, a calculation unit 23, a user interface (UI) unit 24, a communication unit 25, and a control unit 26.

[0052] The photographing unit 21 photographs an image of the formed elements contained in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5 using the photographing device 40. The image of the formed elements photographed by the photographing device 40 may be a still image or a video. When photographing the formed elements, the photographing unit 21 inputs a number of pulses corresponding to the target movement distance of the photographing lens to the pulse motor of the photographing device 40, which moves the photographing lens a distance corresponding to the number of pulses applied. This allows the photographing unit 21 to perform focus control, changing the position of the photographing lens to focus on the position of the subject. For example, in a space where a subject, such as a formed element of a urine sample sealed in the cell 5, exists, the coordinate value z of the Z coordinate of the position where the photographing device 40 is focused is called the "focus position."

[0053] When a material component is in focus, the position of the focus represents, for example, the height of the focused material component within cell 5. Therefore, height information representing the height of the material component is represented by the coordinate value z on the Z axis.

[0054] The driving unit 22 controls the actuator 41 to move the plate 6 along the moving surface to a specified position. When the plate 6 moves, the cells 5 arranged on the plate 6 also move. Therefore, the driving unit 22 moves the photographing point of the cells 5 by the photographing device 40. The photographing point information indicating the position of the photographing point of the photographing device 40, i.e., the moving surface coordinate value, is expressed as (x, y), for example, by the coordinate value x of the X coordinate on the moving surface and the coordinate value y of the Y coordinate.

[0055] The calculation unit 23 acquires the moving surface coordinate values ​​of each of at least three or more predetermined photographing points, and height information indicating the position of the tangible element within the cell 5 at each of the photographing points.

[0056] If the height information and the moving plane coordinate values ​​are known, the position of the focused tangible component within the cell 5 can be determined. Therefore, the calculation unit 23 generates an interpolation equation that represents a plane obtained by connecting the positions of the focused tangible components with straight lines.

[0057] The interpolation equation is an equation that uses, for example, moving surface coordinate values ​​as explanatory variables and height information as a target variable. That is, if the photographing point (i.e., moving surface coordinate values) of cell 5 taken by the photographing device 40 is known, height information at photographing points other than the at least three photographing points (hereinafter referred to as "reference photographing points") used to generate the interpolation equation can be calculated from the interpolation equation.

[0058] For convenience of explanation, a plane passing through the positions of the focused concrete elements at each reference imaging point is referred to as an “imaging plane.” In this embodiment, the imaging plane is generated as a flat surface, but it may also be a curved surface.

[0059] At imaging points other than the reference imaging point, the imaging unit 21 captures images of formed elements contained in the urine sample by focusing at the height of the imaging plane, as will be described in detail later. Hereinafter, imaging points other than the reference imaging point will be referred to as "interpolated imaging points."

[0060] The UI unit 24 notifies the control unit 26, which will be described later, of instructions from the clinical laboratory technician received through the operation unit 38. The UI unit 24 also displays on the display unit 37 images of formed elements contained in the urine sample captured by the imaging unit 21, various information processed by the control unit 26 in accordance with instructions received from the clinical laboratory technician, and notifications regarding the processing.

[0061] The communication section 25 performs data communication with the urine qualitative analyzer 1 , the server 2 , and the user terminal 50 via the communication unit 39 .

[0062] The control unit 26 controls the processing in the imaging unit 21, drive unit 22, calculation unit 23, UI unit 24, and communication unit 25, respectively, so that the urine sediment analyzer 3 performs the operations instructed by the clinical laboratory technician.

[0063] Next, a detailed description will be given of the operation of the urine sediment analyzer 3. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the imaging process of sediments contained in a urine sample, 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 an imaging program 36A stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and executes the imaging process.

[0064] In order to make it easier to photograph the formed elements contained in the urine sample, the control unit 26 performs the photographing process of the formed elements after the time during which the formed elements are thought to naturally settle in the cell 5 has elapsed.

[0065] In step S10, the control unit 26 moves, for example, the plate 6 along the X-axis and Y-axis to the limit point where it cannot be moved any further. The coordinate values ​​of the movement plane of the plate 6 at the limit point are set to the origin of the movement plane, i.e., (x, y) = (0, 0). The control unit 26 controls the drive unit 22 to move the plate 6 along the movement plane so that the intersection of the optical axis 15 of the imaging device 40 and the movement plane, i.e., the imaging point of the imaging device 40, falls within the range of the bottom surface of the cell 5. For ease of explanation, the destination imaging point is referred to as the "nth imaging point." n is a value representing the order of movement to the imaging point and is expressed as an integer greater than or equal to 1. Each time the imaging point is changed, the control unit 26 adds 1 to n to identify the imaging point. The nth imaging point becomes the reference imaging point.

[0066] The moving plane coordinate value of the nth photographing point is stored in advance in the storage unit 36. The control unit 26 acquires the moving plane coordinate value of the nth photographing point from the storage unit 36 ​​and moves the plate 6 along the moving plane so that the photographing point of the photographing device 40 moves to the nth photographing point. Specifically, the control unit 26 controls the drive unit 22 to apply pulses to the actuator 41 equal to the X coordinate value, thereby moving the plate 6 in the X-axis direction from the origin. The control unit 26 also controls the drive unit 22 to apply pulses to the actuator 41 equal to the Y coordinate value, thereby moving the plate 6 in the Y-axis direction from the origin. In this way, the moving plane coordinate value of the nth photographing point is expressed as a coordinate value representing the distance from the origin of the moving plane along the X and Y axes. As a result, the plate 6 moves to the nth photographing point. The moving plane coordinate value of the nth photographing point is particularly referred to as the "reference moving plane coordinate value." The reference moving plane coordinate value is an example of reference photographing point information.

[0067] After moving the plate 6 to the nth photographing position, the control unit 26 controls the photographing device 40 to move the position of the focal point of the photographing device 40 to the limit point where it cannot be lowered any further downward, that is, in the direction from the top surface to the bottom surface of the cell 5. The height at the limit point is set as the origin of the Z axis, i.e., z=0.

[0068] In addition, if the height at the position of the lower surface of cell 5 is known in advance, control unit 26 may focus the imaging device 40 at the height of the lower surface of cell 5 and set the height corresponding to the position of the lower surface of cell 5 as the origin of the Z axis.

[0069] That is, the control unit 26 aligns the position of the focal point at the nth photographing point with the origin of the Z axis.

[0070] In step S30, the control unit 26 determines whether the imaging device 40 is focused on the sediment in the urine sample sealed in the cell 5. Specifically, the control unit 26 converts the image captured by the imaging device 40 to grayscale, performs a convolution operation on the captured image using a 3 pixel x 3 pixel Laplacian kernel, and calculates the variance of the calculation result. Since the variance obtained from a focused image tends to be large, the control unit 26 may determine that the sediment is in focus at the current focus position when the variance calculated from the image is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the sediment is not in focus, the process proceeds to step S40.

[0071] In step S40, the control unit 26 determines whether the position of the focal point of the imaging device 40 has been moved to the limit point where it cannot be raised any further upward, that is, in the direction from the bottom surface to the top surface of the cell 5. If the position of the focal point has not been moved upward to the limit point, the process proceeds to step S50.

[0072] Since the tangible element is not in focus at the current focal position, in step S50, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to move the focal position upward from the bottom surface of the cell 5 toward the top surface. Specifically, the control unit 26 moves the focal position to a position corresponding to the coordinate value z plus "1". That is, the control unit 26 applies one pulse to the pulse motor provided in the imaging device 40 to move the focal position upward. If a tangible element exists at the new focal position, the tangible element will be in focus.

[0073] Therefore, the process proceeds to step S30, where the control unit 26 repeatedly determines whether or not the material element is in focus. That is, the control unit 26 moves the position of the focus upward by one coordinate value at a time until the image capturing device 40 is in focus on the material element. Note that the amount of movement of the position of the focus is not limited to one coordinate value at a time, and may be, for example, two coordinate values ​​at a time.

[0074] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination process of step S30 that the focus is on a material component, the process proceeds to step S60.

[0075] In step S60, the control unit 26 acquires the coordinate value z when it is determined that the component is in focus as height information of the component at the nth photographing point, i.e., reference height information. In other words, the coordinate value z can be said to be the number of pulses applied to the pulse motor of the photographing device 40 required to move the photographing lens of the photographing device 40 from a position where the focus is on the origin to a position where the focus is on the component.

[0076] In step S70, the control unit 26 associates the reference movement plane coordinate values ​​acquired in step S10 with the reference height information acquired in step S60 for the image captured with the focus set on the height represented by the reference height information of the nth imaging point. The control unit 26 stores the association between the reference movement plane coordinate values ​​and the reference height information in, for example, the storage unit 36.

[0077] In step S80, the control unit 26 determines whether images of the sediment have been captured at a predetermined number of imaging points. As already described, the predetermined number of imaging points is set to at least three.

[0078] If images of the tangible components have not been taken at the specified number of photographing locations, the process proceeds to step S10, and the processing of steps S10 to S80 is repeatedly executed to take the specified number of images of the tangible components at the nth photographing location.

[0079] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a photographing situation when, for example, images of a tangible component are photographed at three reference photographing points. In FIG. 8, arrow 17A represents the first photographing point, arrow 17B represents the second photographing point, and arrow 17C represents the third photographing point. Furthermore, heights z1, z2, and z3 represent the reference height information at the first photographing point, the second photographing point, and the third photographing point, respectively, when the position of the bottom surface of cell 5 is the origin of the Z axis.

[0080] Note that, if it is determined in the determination process of step S40 that the focal position of the image capture device 40 has been moved upward to the limit point, this means that there are no tangible elements above the nth image capture point to which the image capture device 40 was moved in step S10. Therefore, even in this case, the process proceeds to step S10, and the image capture point of the image capture device 40 is moved. If the determination process of step S40 is positive and the process proceeds to step S10, an image in focus on tangible elements was not captured at the nth image capture point before the image capture point was moved. Therefore, if the determination process of step S40 is positive and the process proceeds to step S10, the control unit 26 does not add 1 to the value of n in step S10, but instead processes the next image capture point as the nth image capture point having the same value of n as the previous image capture point.

[0081] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination process of step S80 that images of the secular components have been taken at the specified number of photographing points, the process proceeds to step S90.

[0082] In step S90, the control unit 26 controls the calculation unit 23 to generate n positions represented by combinations of the reference movement plane coordinate values ​​and the reference height information at the nth shooting point, i.e., a plane having n reference points as vertices. Hereinafter, the plane having n reference points as vertices will be referred to as the "shooting plane 18."

[0083] The calculation unit 23 connects each reference point with, for example, a straight line, and generates a plane having the straight lines connecting the reference points as sides by linear interpolation with respect to the reference points. As already described, the calculation unit 23 represents the plane by an interpolation equation having the movement plane coordinate values ​​as explanatory variables and the height information as a target variable.

[0084] 9 is a diagram showing an example of the photographing plane 18 generated from the example photographing situation shown in FIG. 8. When there are three reference photographing points, the photographing plane 18 is formed by a triangle generated by connecting the reference points at each reference photographing point as shown in FIG. 9. The photographing plane 18 is a surface that contacts the tangible element at each reference photographing point. Therefore, the probability that a tangible element exists at a photographing point other than each reference photographing point, i.e., at an interpolated photographing point, at a position on the photographing plane 18 that intersects with the optical axis 15 of the photographing device 40 is higher than the probability that a tangible element exists at a position at a different height from the position of the photographing plane 18.

[0085] Therefore, at the interpolated photographing point, the control unit 26 does not need to search for a position where the focus is on the tangible element by shifting the focal position upward as in the case of the reference photographing point, but rather can focus on the position of the photographing plane 18 that intersects with the optical axis 15 and photograph the image.

[0086] Therefore, in step S100, the control unit 26 controls the drive unit 22 to move the plate 6 along the moving plane, thereby moving the image capturing point of the image capturing device 40 to the interpolated image capturing point. The control unit 26 acquires the moving plane coordinate values ​​of the destination interpolated image capturing point. The arrow 17D in Fig. 9 indicates the destination interpolated image capturing point. The interpolated image capturing point is set within the range of the projection plane obtained by projecting the image capturing plane 18 onto the moving plane.

[0087] In step S110, the calculation unit 23 substitutes the moving plane coordinate values ​​at the destination interpolated shooting point into the interpolation equation for the shooting plane 18 generated in step S90, and calculates the position of the shooting plane 18 at the destination interpolated shooting point.

[0088] In step S120, the control unit 26 controls the image capturing device 40 to focus the image capturing device 40 on the position of the image capturing plane 18 calculated in step S110.

[0089] In step S130, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to capture an image. As a result, an image is captured at the height where the most formed elements are thought to be present at the destination interpolated imaging point. For ease of explanation, an image captured with the focus set on the position of the imaging plane 18 may be referred to as an "imaging plane image."

[0090] In step S140, the control unit 26 determines whether or not an instruction to end imaging of formed elements has been received from the clinical laboratory technician via the operation unit 38. If the instruction to end imaging has not been received, the process proceeds to step S100, where the control unit 26 moves the imaging point of the imaging device 40 to the next interpolated imaging point instructed by the clinical laboratory technician, and captures an image focused on the imaging plane 18 at the new interpolated imaging point.

[0091] On the other hand, if an instruction to end imaging has been received, the process proceeds to step S150. In step S150, the control unit 26 associates the images of the urine sample captured at each imaging point with the movement plane coordinate values ​​and height information at the imaging point and the sample ID received from the urine qualitative analyzer 1, and stores them in the storage unit 36, and the imaging process shown in FIG.

[0092] After the photographing process is completed, the control unit 26 controls the communication unit 25 to send the photographed image to the user terminal 50 via the communication unit 39. This allows the specialized clinical laboratory technician to classify the sediments contained in the urine sample using the user terminal 50. Meanwhile, since the image of the urine sample is stored in the memory unit 36, the clinical laboratory technician can later check the image photographed by the urine sediment analyzer 3.

[0093] When setting the reference photographing points in step S10, it is preferable to set each reference photographing point so that the range of the photographing surface 18 when viewed along the Z-axis direction includes the center of the cell 5. The range of the photographing surface 18 when viewed along the Z-axis direction refers to the range of the projection plane obtained by projecting the photographing surface 18 onto the moving plane. The center of the cell 5 refers to an area within a predetermined range from the center point of the cavity 13 of the cell 5 when viewed along the Z-axis direction, and is an area that does not contact the boundary of the cavity 13.

[0094] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the imaging plane 18 viewed along the Z-axis direction. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the center of the cell 5 is included within the imaging plane 18. Formed elements contained in a urine sample are more likely to collect in the center of the cell 5 than in other locations. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, it is preferable to set the reference imaging point so that the imaging plane 18 when viewed along the Z-axis direction includes the center of the cell 5. In this case, compared to when the reference imaging point is set so that the imaging plane 18 when viewed along the Z-axis direction does not include the center of the cell 5, the probability that formed elements will be included in the image captured at the interpolated imaging point is higher.

[0095] 7, a triangle is generated by connecting the reference points at each reference shooting point as shown in Fig. 9 to generate the shooting plane 18, but the method of generating the shooting plane 18 is not limited to this. For example, the calculation unit 23 may perform linear interpolation on the reference points to generate a plane that passes through each reference point as the shooting plane 18A.

[0096] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an imaging plane 18A that extends the peripheral portion of the imaging plane 18 shown in Fig. 9 and passes through the reference points at the respective reference imaging points. When the imaging plane 18A shown in Fig. 11 is generated in step S90 of Fig. 7, the control unit 26 moves the interpolated imaging point within the range of the projection plane obtained by projecting the imaging plane 18A onto the movement plane in step S100 of Fig. 7.

[0097] The specified number of reference photographing points may be two. In this case, in step S90 of FIG. 7 , a photographing line (not shown) connecting the two reference photographing points is generated by interpolating the reference points of the two reference photographing points with a straight line, rather than the photographing plane 18. When the photographing line is generated, the control unit 26 moves the photographing point of the photographing device 40 along the photographing line in step S100 of FIG. 7 . In step S110 of FIG. 7 , the calculation unit 23 substitutes the movement plane coordinate values ​​at the destination interpolated photographing point into the interpolation equation representing the photographing line, and calculates the position of the photographing line at the destination interpolated photographing point. Therefore, the control unit 26 photographs an image focused on the position of the photographing line.

[0098] In addition, in the photographing process shown in Figure 7, the photographing surface 18 is represented by a plane, but the reference points at each reference photographing point may be interpolated using, for example, Lagrange interpolation or spline interpolation, and the photographing surface 18 may be represented by a combination of planes or a curved surface.

[0099] In this way, the urine sediment analyzer 3 according to this embodiment searches for a reference point where the sediments are in focus while changing the focal position from the bottom surface of the cell 5 upward only at the reference imaging point, and interpolates between the reference points to generate the imaging plane 18. On the other hand, the urine sediment analyzer 3 captures an image at the interpolated imaging point by initially aligning the focal point of the imaging device 40 with the position of the imaging plane 18. Therefore, the time required to capture an image of a urine sample can be reduced compared to when images are captured while searching for the height of the cell 5 at which the urine sediments are present.

[0100] 7, the image captured at the interpolated imaging point is an image focused on the imaging plane 18, i.e., an imaging plane image, but the imaging plane image does not necessarily show the formed elements. The sedimentation rate of the formed elements depends on the size of the formed elements. For example, crystals settle quickly, but red blood cells have a slower sedimentation rate than crystals, and bacteria tend to float in the urine sample without settling. Therefore, the height at which the formed elements exist may vary depending on the type of formed element.

[0101] Hereinafter, a description will be given of the photographing process for photographing images focused at a plurality of heights with the position of the photographing surface 18 as a reference.

[0102] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the imaging process of sediments contained in a urine sample, 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 imaging program 36B stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and executes the imaging process.

[0103] The photographing process shown in Fig. 12 differs from the photographing process shown in Fig. 7 in that steps S132 to S138 have been added, but the other processes are the same as those in the photographing process shown in Fig. 7. Therefore, hereinafter, the photographing process shown in Fig. 12 will be described, focusing on the processes in steps S132 to S138.

[0104] After capturing an image of the photographed surface in step S130 of FIG. 12, the process proceeds to step S132.

[0105] In step S132, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to focus the imaging device 40 at a position moved upward by Δh along the Z axis direction from the position of the imaging plane 18 calculated in step S110. That is, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to focus the imaging device 40 at a position equal to +Δh, which is the position of the imaging plane 18 at the interpolated imaging point. The distance Δh is a value that is stored in advance in the storage unit 36, for example, and can be changed by a clinical laboratory technician.

[0106] In step S134, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to capture an image in which the imaging device 40 is focused at the position +Δh of the imaging surface 18, i.e., an upper image. This makes it easier to capture particles that settle more slowly or floating particles than those captured at the reference imaging point, compared to when only an image of the imaging surface is captured at the interpolated imaging point.

[0107] In step S136, the control unit 26 controls the image capturing device 40 to focus the image capturing device 40 at a position moved by Δh downward along the Z axis direction from the position of the image capturing plane 18 calculated in step S110. In other words, the control unit 26 controls the image capturing device 40 to focus the image capturing device 40 at the position −Δh of the image capturing plane 18 at the interpolated image capturing point.

[0108] In step S138, the control unit 26 controls the imaging device 40 to capture an image, i.e., a lower image, with the imaging device 40 focused on the position −Δh of the imaging surface 18. This makes it easier to capture formed components that have a faster rate of settling than formed components photographed at the reference imaging point, compared to when only an image of the imaging surface is photographed at the interpolated imaging point.

[0109] In addition, when the images taken at the interpolated shooting points are stored in the memory unit 36 ​​by the processing of step S150, the control unit 26 stores the images taken at each interpolated shooting point in the memory unit 36 ​​so that the shooting surface image, the upper image, and the lower image can be distinguished.

[0110] In this way, the urine sediment analyzer 3 captures an image of the imaging surface, an upper image, and a lower image at each interpolated imaging point by focusing the imaging device 40 on the position of the imaging surface 18 and on positions shifted by Δh upward and downward from the imaging surface 18. Therefore, compared to the imaging process shown in FIG. 7, it may be possible to capture a larger number of sediments.

[0111] In the above description, the upper and lower images were captured by focusing the imaging device 40 at a position ±Δh at the position of the imaging plane 18. However, images may also be captured by focusing the imaging device 40 at a position ±kΔh at the position of the imaging plane 18. The index k is an integer greater than or equal to 1. That is, the urine sediment analyzer 3 may capture multiple upper and lower images at the same interpolated imaging point. Furthermore, the urine sediment analyzer 3 may not necessarily capture the same number of upper and lower images; for example, one lower image and two upper images. Furthermore, the urine sediment analyzer 3 may capture only one of the upper and lower images, for example.

[0112] Furthermore, the urine sediment analyzer 3 may capture at least one of an upper image and a lower image in addition to the image of the photographed surface at the reference photographing point.

[0113] <Image synthesis> The urine sediment analyzer 3 may transmit the images taken at each of the reference and interpolated shooting points directly to the user terminal 50, or may generate a panoramic image from the captured images and transmit the panoramic image of the urine sample to the user terminal 50.

[0114] The control unit 26 refers to the moving plane coordinate values ​​and height information of the shooting points associated with the images, and acquires multiple images taken at adjacent shooting points from the storage unit 36. Adjacent shooting points are shooting points that have the shortest distance calculated from the moving plane coordinate values ​​associated with the images.

[0115] The control unit 26 removes overlapping portions of the acquired images from images taken at adjacent locations and joins the remaining portions to generate a panoramic image of the urine sample that captures a wider range than the capture range of each image. Because the panoramic image provides a wider range that can be confirmed, the accuracy of classifying formed elements is improved compared to when classifying formed elements by referring to images taken at each capture location.

[0116] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a panoramic image generated by the urine sediment analyzer 3. Images 20 in Fig. 13 represent images captured at each of the imaging points.

[0117] In the example shown in FIG. 13, overlapping portions 27 of six images, from image 20-1 to image 20-6, which were taken at adjacent locations, are removed, and the remaining image portions are joined together to generate a single panoramic image 20A.

[0118] 12, the control unit 26 generates a panoramic image using images of the same type taken at adjacent shooting locations. The image types include, for example, a shooting surface image, a bottom image, and a top image.

[0119] Since the optical axis of the image capturing device 40 passes through the center of the image, the peripheral portions of the image are less in focus than the central portion of the image. Therefore, it is preferable that the control unit 26 controls the capturing points so that each of the images constituting the panoramic image includes the central portion of the image.

[0120] On the other hand, Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of a panoramic image formed from the peripheral portions of images. In the example shown in Figure 14, an overlapping portion 27 between images 20-1 and 20-2, which were taken at adjacent locations, extends to the central portions of each of images 20-1 and 20-2. Therefore, a panoramic image 20A generated by joining the remaining image portions after removing the overlapping portion 27 is formed from the peripheral portions of images 20-1 and 20-2. As a result, the shapes of the tangible elements contained in the panoramic image 20A shown in Figure 14 are blurred compared to a panoramic image formed from images including the central portions of the same images 20-1 and 20-2, making it difficult to classify the tangible elements.

[0121] Needless to say, the method for photographing particles contained in a urine sample using the urine particle analyzer 3 described above can also be used to photograph particles not only in urine but also in blood, cells, body fluids, etc.

[0122] While one form of the urine particle analyzer 3 has been described above using the embodiment, the disclosed form of the urine particle analyzer 3 is merely an example, and the form of the urine particle analyzer 3 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Various changes and improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and forms incorporating such changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure.

[0123] For example, the internal processing order in the photographing process shown in FIGS. 7 and 12 may be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0124] In the above embodiment, the photographing process is implemented by software. However, the photographing process equivalent to the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 and 12 may be implemented by hardware. In this case, the photographing process can be performed at a higher speed than when the photographing process is implemented by software.

[0125] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes 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.).

[0126] The processor operations in the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0127] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the photography programs 36A and 36B are pre-stored in the storage unit 36. However, the storage destination of the photography programs 36A and 36B is not limited to the storage unit 36. The photography 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.

[0128] For example, the photography programs 36A and 36B may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a Blu-ray disc. The photography 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 disc, USB memory, and memory card are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0129] Furthermore, the urine particle analyzer 3 may download the imaging programs 36A and 36B from a file server or the like (not shown) connected to the communication line 4 via the communication unit 39, and store the downloaded imaging programs 36A and 36B in the storage unit 36 ​​of the urine particle analyzer 3. In this case, the CPU 31 of the urine particle analyzer 3 reads the imaging programs 36A and 36B downloaded from the file server or the like from the storage unit 36 ​​and executes the imaging process. Note that the present disclosure can also be applied to programs and program products.

[0130] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-186985, filed on October 31, 2023, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

[0131] The following are notes related to this disclosure.

[0132] (Supplementary Note 1) An imaging method in which a computer executes a process of: moving an imaging point of an imaging device that images a cell in the direction of gravity, the cell having a hollow portion containing a urine sample sealed therein, along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity; obtaining, at a plurality of imaging points, reference height information indicating the position of the formed element contained in the urine sample in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed element; and obtaining reference imaging point information indicating the imaging point of the formed element by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane; calculating the position of the formed element at another imaging point different from the plurality of imaging points by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging point information at the plurality of imaging points; and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed element, thereby capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging point.

[0133] (Supplementary Note 2) The photographing method according to Supplementary Note 1, comprising: setting at least three photographing points as the plurality of photographing points; generating a photographing surface that is obtained by calculating the position of the formed element at another photographing point different from the plurality of photographing points by interpolation using the reference height information at the plurality of photographing points and the reference photographing point information, and that contacts the formed element at the position indicated by the reference height information photographed at the plurality of photographing points; and controlling the photographing device so that the focus is on the position of the photographing surface represented by the intersection of a straight line passing through the other photographing points in the direction of gravity and the generated photographing surface, thereby photographing the specimen image at the other photographing points.

[0134] (Supplementary Note 3) The photographing method described in Supplementary Note 2, wherein the photographing device is controlled to shift the position of the focus at each of the other photographing points by a predetermined distance along the direction of gravity from the position of the photographing surface corresponding to each of the other photographing points, and at each of the other photographing points, the sample image focused on the position of the photographing surface and the sample image focused on a position shifted by the predetermined distance along the direction of gravity from the photographing surface are photographed.

[0135] (Supplementary Note 4) The photographing method according to Supplementary Note 2 or Supplementary Note 3, wherein the plurality of photographing points are set so that a center of the cell is included inside the photographing plane when viewed along the direction of gravity.

[0136] (Supplementary Note 5) The imaging method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein overlapping portions included in each of the sample images captured at adjacent imaging locations are removed and the remaining portions are joined together to generate a panoramic image of the urine sample that captures a range wider than the imaging range of the image captured by the imaging device.

[0137] (Supplementary Note 6) The imaging method according to Supplementary Note 5, wherein the imaging position of the imaging device is controlled so that the remaining portion includes a central portion of the sample image.

[0138] (Supplementary Note 7) An imaging program for causing a computer to execute a process of: moving an imaging position of an imaging device that images a cell having a hollow portion containing a urine sample along the direction of gravity, along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity; acquiring, at a plurality of imaging positions, reference height information indicating the position of the formed element contained in the urine sample in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed element; and reference imaging position information indicating the imaging position of the formed element by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane; calculating the position of the formed element at another imaging position different from the plurality of imaging positions by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging position information at the plurality of imaging positions; and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed element, thereby capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging position.

[0139] (Supplementary Note 8) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer to perform an imaging process, the imaging process including: an acquisition step of moving an imaging position of an imaging device that images a cell having a hollow portion containing a urine sample in the direction of gravity along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity, and acquiring, at a plurality of imaging positions, reference height information indicating the position of the formed element contained in the urine sample in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed element, and reference imaging position information indicating the imaging position of the formed element by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane; a calculation step of calculating the position of the formed element at another imaging position different from the plurality of imaging positions by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging position information at the plurality of imaging positions; and an imaging step of controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed element, and capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging position.

[0140] (Supplementary Note 9) A computer program product including an imaging program that causes a computer to execute the following process: moving an imaging point of an imaging device that images a cell in a hollow portion of which a urine sample is sealed along the direction of gravity, along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity; obtaining, at a plurality of imaging points, reference height information that indicates the position of the formed element contained in the urine sample in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed element; and reference imaging point information that indicates the imaging point of the formed element by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane; calculating the position of the formed element at another imaging point different from the plurality of imaging points by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging point information at the plurality of imaging points; and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed element, thereby capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging point.

[0141] According to Supplementary Notes 1, 7, 8, and 9, the effect is that the time required to photograph the formed elements can be shortened compared to when images are taken while focusing on the formed elements contained in the urine sample at each photographing point of the cell in which the urine sample is sealed.

[0142] According to Supplementary Note 2, there is an effect that the photographing point can be moved within the range of the generated photographing plane.

[0143] According to Supplementary Note 3, there is an advantage that more formed elements can be photographed compared to when only the position of the photographing surface is photographed.

[0144] According to Appendix 4, compared to when multiple shooting points are set so that the shooting surface does not include the center of cell 5, the effect is that the probability that images taken at other shooting points will contain tangible elements is higher.

[0145] According to Supplementary Note 5, the accuracy of classifying the sediment contained in the urine sample is improved compared to when classifying the sediment by referring to images taken at each shooting location.

[0146] According to Supplementary Note 6, the accuracy of classifying the sediments contained in the urine sample is improved compared to when classifying the sediments by referring to a panoramic image constructed from the peripheral portion of the image.

Claims

1. An imaging method in which a computer executes a process of: moving an imaging position of an imaging device that images a cell in which a urine sample is sealed in a hollow portion along the direction of gravity, along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity; obtaining, at a plurality of imaging positions, reference height information indicating the position of the formed component in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed component contained in the urine sample, and reference imaging position information indicating the imaging position of the formed component by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane; calculating the position of the formed component at another imaging position different from the plurality of imaging positions by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging position information at the plurality of imaging positions; and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed component, to capture a sample image, which is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging position.

2. The imaging method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: setting at least three imaging points as the plurality of imaging points; generating an imaging surface that is obtained by calculating the position of the formed element at another imaging point different from the plurality of imaging points by interpolation using the reference height information at the plurality of imaging points and the reference imaging point information, and that contacts the formed element at the position indicated by the reference height information photographed at the plurality of imaging points; and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the position of the imaging surface represented by the intersection of a straight line passing through the other imaging points in the direction of gravity and the generated imaging surface, thereby photographing the sample image at the other imaging points.

3. The imaging method described in claim 2, further comprising controlling the imaging device so as to shift the position of the focal point at each of the other imaging locations by a predetermined distance in the direction of gravity from the position of the imaging surface corresponding to each of the other imaging locations, and capturing, at each of the other imaging locations, the specimen image focused on the position of the imaging surface, and the specimen image focused on a position shifted by the predetermined distance from the imaging surface in the direction of gravity.

4. The photographing method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of photographing points are set so that the center of the cell is included inside the photographing surface when viewed along the direction of gravity.

5. The imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising removing overlapping portions contained in each of the sample images taken at adjacent imaging locations and joining the remaining portions to generate a panoramic image of the urine sample that captures a wider range than the imaging range of the image of the imaging device.

6. The imaging method according to claim 5, further comprising controlling the imaging position of the imaging device so that the remaining portion includes a central portion of the sample image.

7. An imaging program for causing a computer to execute a process of moving an imaging position of an imaging device that images a cell with a urine sample sealed in a hollow portion in the direction of gravity along a moving plane that intersects with the direction of gravity, acquiring, at a plurality of imaging positions, reference height information indicating the position of the formed component in the direction of gravity within the cell when the focus is on the formed component contained in the urine sample, and reference imaging position information indicating the imaging position of the formed component by the imaging device using coordinate values ​​of two-dimensional coordinates set within the moving plane, calculating the position of the formed component at another imaging position different from the plurality of imaging positions by interpolation using the reference height information and the reference imaging position information at the plurality of imaging positions, and controlling the imaging device so that the focus is on the calculated position of the formed component, thereby capturing a sample image that is an image of the urine sample at the other imaging position.

Images