Microscope slide processing device, microscope slide processing method, and position determination device
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2026/006965
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2025-03-26
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-01
Smart Images
Figure JP2026006965_01102026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Slide glass processing apparatus, slide glass processing method, and position determination apparatus
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a slide glass processing apparatus that processes a slide glass on a stage, a slide glass processing method, and a position determination apparatus, and particularly relates to a technology for detecting the position of a slide glass on the stage by using an identification mark such as a barcode provided on the slide glass.
[0002] In a slide glass processing apparatus that processes a slide glass, the slide glass is loaded onto a slide manually or automatically by a slide glass conveyance mechanism, and processing is started. As an example of the slide glass processing apparatus, for example, in pathological inspection, an automatic staining apparatus that performs staining processing on a biological sample such as tissue or blood placed on a slide glass can be mentioned.
[0003] In such a slide glass processing apparatus, if the slide glass is placed at an incorrect position, a processing abnormality may occur in subsequent processing. For this reason, when starting processing of the slide glass, the position of the slide glass on the stage may be detected. The position of the slide glass can be detected, for example, by using a common optical proximity sensor as a non-contact detection sensor. Patent Document 1 describes that the holding position of a slide glass in a cassette is detected by a photoelectric sensor.
[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2021-99354
[0005] As in Patent Document 1, by using a photoelectric sensor or the like as a proximity sensor, the position of the slide glass on the stage (hereinafter also referred to as the placement position) can be detected. As proximity sensors, there are reflective sensors as described in Patent Document 1 and transmissive sensors. When either of these reflective or transmissive proximity sensors is used for detecting the position of a slide glass, it is necessary to select a sensor that matches the optical characteristics (reflectance and absorption wavelength) of the slide glass, which poses a problem that the selection work is complicated.
[0006] Furthermore, detecting the placement position of the microscope slide requires the use of multiple sensors to ensure sufficient spatial resolution. When using multiple sensors, the risk of sensor failure increases with the number of sensors used.
[0007] Furthermore, while using multiple sensors can improve the accuracy of detecting the position of the microscope slide, it may become cumbersome to adjust the detection position of the slide for each sensor. In other words, using multiple sensors may make it difficult to easily detect the placement position of the microscope slide.
[0008] Furthermore, the outer shape can also be detected by extracting the edges of the microscope slide using an optical camera. However, because microscope slides have high transparency, it may be necessary to devise an illumination system to obtain images with a sufficient contrast ratio for edge extraction. Therefore, it may be difficult to construct an inexpensive system for detecting the outer shape of a microscope slide.
[0009] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a technology that can appropriately detect the placement position of a microscope slide with a relatively simple configuration during the processing of a microscope slide.
[0010] One slide glass processing apparatus for solving the above problems is a slide glass processing apparatus that processes a slide glass placed on a placement area on a stage, comprising: a mark reading unit that optically reads an identification mark provided on the slide glass while the slide glass is placed on the stage; a glass position detection unit that detects the position of the slide glass on the stage based on the reading result by the mark reading unit; and a glass position determination unit that determines whether the position of the slide glass detected by the glass position detection unit is normal, and when the glass position determination unit determines that the position of the slide glass is normal, processing is performed on the slide glass.
[0011] According to this disclosure, a technology is available that can appropriately detect the placement position of a microscope slide during processing using a relatively simple configuration without the use of sensors. This, in turn, can suppress the occurrence of processing abnormalities in the microscope slide processing apparatus and improve the reliability of the microscope slide processing apparatus.
[0012] This is a top view showing the schematic configuration of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. This is a front view showing the schematic configuration of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. This is a schematic diagram illustrating the stage according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram illustrating the stage and slide glass according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a slide glass. This is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a position determination unit according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram showing an example of a table where combinations of identification marks are associated with types of slide glass. This is a diagram illustrating the dimensional information of a slide glass according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram showing an example where the placement position of the slide glass is normal. This is a diagram showing an example where the placement position of the slide glass is abnormal. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a slide glass processing method according to Embodiment 1. This is a front view showing a modified example of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram illustrating the stage and slide glass according to Embodiment 2. This is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a position determination unit according to Embodiment 2. This is a diagram illustrating the dimensional information and position information of the identification marks of a slide glass. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a registration process according to Embodiment 3. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a registration process according to Embodiment 3. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a registration process according to Embodiment 3. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a registration process according to Embodiment 3. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a registration process according to Embodiment 3. This is a top view showing the schematic configuration of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 4. This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the dimension acquisition process according to Embodiment 4. This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the dimension acquisition process according to Embodiment 4. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the dimension acquisition process according to Embodiment 4.
[0013] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, where necessary for convenience, the description will be divided into multiple sections or embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, these are not unrelated, and one may be a modification, detail, or supplementary explanation of part or all of the other.
[0014] Furthermore, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number of elements, numerical values, quantities, ranges, etc.), unless specifically indicated or clearly limited in principle to a particular number, it is not limited to that particular number, and may be greater than or less than that number.
[0015] Furthermore, in the following embodiments, it goes without saying that the components (including elemental steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential, except in cases where they are specifically indicated or where they are clearly essential in principle.
[0016] Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc., of components, unless otherwise specifically stated or when it is clearly not the case in principle, it shall include those that substantially approximate or resemble such shapes, etc. The same applies to the numerical values and ranges mentioned above.
[0017] Furthermore, in all the drawings used to illustrate the embodiments, the same reference numerals are generally used for identical components, and repeated explanations of such components are omitted. Note that hatching may be used even in plan views to improve clarity.
[0018] (Embodiment 1) <Overall Configuration of Slide Glass Processing Device> First, the overall configuration of the slide glass processing device according to Embodiment 1 will be explained using Figures 1 and 2. The slide glass processing device performs various processes on slide glasses. The slide glass processing device according to Embodiment 1 performs various processes on a sample placed on a slide glass, such as staining. The sample is, for example, a sample used in pathological examinations, and is a biological sample such as tissue or blood.
[0019] Therefore, the slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 may also be called a sample processing apparatus or an automated staining apparatus, and may constitute part of an inspection apparatus such as a pathology staining apparatus. Furthermore, in the following description, expressions to the effect of "performing a staining treatment on a slide glass" mean "performing a staining treatment on a sample on a slide glass."
[0020] Figure 1 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1, and Figure 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1.
[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 comprises a supply unit 10, a storage unit 20, a transport unit 30 as a transport mechanism, a staining unit 40, a control unit 50, a storage unit 60, and an operation unit 70.
[0022] The supply unit 10 stores the microscope slides 1 before staining, i.e., the microscope slides 1 to be supplied to the staining unit 40. Inside the supply unit 10, there is a tray 11 that can hold multiple microscope slides 1. The storage unit 20 houses the microscope slides 1 after staining, i.e., the microscope slides 1 that have been removed from the staining unit 40. Inside the storage unit 20, there is a tray 21 that can hold multiple microscope slides 1.
[0023] The transport unit 30 transports the slide glass 1 between the supply unit 10 and the storage unit 20 and the staining unit 40, etc. The transport unit 30 includes a grip portion 31 capable of gripping the slide glass 1. The transport unit 30 grips the slide glass 1 stored in the supply unit 10 with the grip portion 31 and transports the gripped slide glass 1. In this example, the transport unit 30 carries the slide glass 1 stored in the supply unit 10 to the staining unit 40. After the sample has been stained in the staining unit 40, the transport unit 30 grips the slide glass 1 on which the sample is placed with the grip portion 31 and carries the gripped slide glass 1 from the staining unit 40 to the storage unit 20.
[0024] The staining unit 40 performs a staining process on the sample on the slide glass 1 after it has been delivered from the supply unit 10. Examples of staining methods that can be used in the staining unit 40 include "HE staining," "immunohistochemical staining," and "in situ hybridization staining."
[0025] Inside the staining unit 40, for example, a rotatable disk 41 is provided, and multiple stages 42 are installed on the disk 41. Each stage 42 is configured to hold one microscope slide 1. Each stage 42 is provided with a temperature control mechanism (not shown), which allows the temperature of each stage 42 to be changed. In other words, the temperature of the microscope slide 1 (sample temperature) placed on the stage 42 can be adjusted.
[0026] As will be described in more detail later, the staining unit 40 is equipped with a position determination unit 400, which is a position determination device that determines whether the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 is normal or not, and performs a staining process on the sample placed on the slide glass 1 according to the determination result of the position determination unit 400.
[0027] The overall control unit (control device) 50 can be described as a computer system including various semiconductor devices such as a CPU, and comprehensively controls the entire slide glass processing apparatus 100. A storage unit (memory device) 60 and an operation unit (operating device) 70 are electrically connected to the overall control unit 50. The storage unit 60 is composed of, for example, flash memory or a hard disk, and stores various types of data. The operation unit (operating device) 70 is a device for an operator to issue commands to the control unit 50. This operation unit 70 includes an input device for the operator to input instructions, etc., and a display device consisting of a monitor, etc. The input device is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse. The operation unit 70 may be a touch panel equipped with the functions of both an input device and a display device.
[0028] <Staining Unit> Next, the stage 42 of the staining unit 40 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the stage, and Figure 4 is a plan view showing an example of the stage.
[0029] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each stage (also called a slide tray) 42 of the staining unit 40 has a pre-set placement area 200 on which a slide glass 1 is placed. In this example, multiple slide glass stoppers 43 are erected on the stage 42, and the area inside these multiple slide glass stoppers 43 is set as the placement area 200. In other words, multiple slide glass stoppers 43 are erected around the placement area 200 set on each stage 42. In this example, two slide glass stoppers 43 are provided at each of the four corners of the roughly rectangular placement area 200.
[0030] Here, the slide glass processing apparatus 100 needs to be able to accept a wide variety of slide glasses 1. For example, there may be dimensional differences between slide glasses 1 from different manufacturers. In other words, the slide glasses 1 that are put into the slide glass processing apparatus 100 may include multiple types with different dimensions. For this reason, the mounting area 200 is set up to accommodate these multiple types of slide glasses 1. Specifically, the size of the mounting area 200 is designed so that when multiple types of slide glasses 1 are placed in the mounting area, a gap of about 1 to 2 mm is formed between each slide glass 1 and each slide glass stopper 43.
[0031] The height of the slide glass stopper 43 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is about 1 mm or less. The cross-sectional shape of the slide glass stopper 43 is also not particularly limited, and for example, it may be circular as shown in Figure 3 or square as shown in Figure 4. Such a slide glass stopper 43 serves to restrict the movement of the slide glass 1 placed on the placement area 200, and also serves as a guide to guide the slide glass 1 into the placement area 200 when placing it.
[0032] Incidentally, the slide glass 1, which has been transported from the supply unit 10 to the staining unit 40 by the transport unit 30, is placed within the placement area 200 defined by the slide glass stopper 43 as described above. However, due to various factors, the slide glass 1 may be misaligned and placed on the stage 42 with the slide glass 1 protruding from the placement area 200. For example, the slide glass 1 may be placed on the stage 42 with it riding on top of the slide glass stopper 43. In such a state, where the slide glass 1 is not placed within the placement area 200, there is a risk that proper staining treatment cannot be performed on the sample on the slide glass 1. For this reason, the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment detects the position of the slide glass 1 placed on the stage 42 and determines whether the detected placement position of the slide glass 1 is normal or not.
[0033] <Slide Glass> As shown in Figure 4, the slide glass 1 fed from the supply unit 10 to the staining unit 40 is provided with multiple (four in this example) identification marks 250. More specifically, a label 260 with multiple identification marks 250 is attached to the slide glass 1. These multiple identification marks 250 are for identifying the slide glass 1. In Embodiment 1, the identification marks 250 identify the type of slide glass 1, and are provided in different combinations for each type of slide glass 1.
[0034] The multiple identification marks 250 provided on a single microscope slide 1 may all be the same shape and size, or they may all be different shapes and sizes. For example, the microscope slide 1 shown in Figure 4 has two rectangular identification marks 251 and two circular identification marks 252, each provided at one of the four corners of the microscope slide 1.
[0035] The number of identification marks 250 provided on a single slide glass 1 is not particularly limited and does not necessarily have to be four. Also, the positions of the identification marks 250 on the slide glass 1 do not necessarily have to be at the four corners of the slide glass 1. However, it is preferable that the identification marks 250 be provided in an area of the slide glass 1 where no sample or other material is applied. For example, as shown in Figure 5, if the slide glass 1 has a writing area 1a which is an area where no sample or other material is applied, it is preferable that each identification mark 250 be provided within this writing area 1a. The writing area 1a is generally a space used for writing the name of the sample or other material, or for attaching a label or the like with the name of the sample printed on it.
[0036] The staining unit 40 reads the identification marks 250 provided on the slide glass 1 and detects the placement position of the slide glass 1 from the reading result. The slide glass processing device 100 then performs processing on the slide glass 1 if the detected position of the slide glass 1 is normal. For example, the staining unit 40 performs staining processing on the sample on the slide glass 1 if the position of the slide glass 1 is within the placement area 200.
[0037] <Position Determination Unit> The staining unit 40 according to Embodiment 1 includes a position determination unit 400 that determines whether the position of the slide glass 1 is normal or not, as described above. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the position determination unit included in the staining unit according to Embodiment 1.
[0038] As shown in Figure 6, the position determination unit 400 comprises an imaging unit 401 having an image processing engine 401a, one or more lights 402 driven by a lighting driver 402a, an input / output interface (input / output I / F) 403 for external devices, and a controller 404 as a position determination control unit. Communication between these devices is performed by a data bus 405. The position determination unit 400 is also electrically connected to the overall control unit 50, the storage unit 60, and the operation unit 70, although these are not shown in the figures.
[0039] The imaging unit 401 is equipped with a camera and other components and takes images of the slide glass 1 while it is placed on the stage 42. The illumination 402 is turned on towards the slide glass 1 as needed when the imaging unit 401 takes images of the slide glass 1.
[0040] The controller 404 reads the identification marks 250 on the slide glass 1 based on the imaging results from the imaging unit 401, and detects the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 from the reading results. The controller 404 also determines whether the slide glass 1 is placed in the appropriate position on the stage 42. Note that the controller 404 does not necessarily have to be provided by a position determination unit 400; for example, the overall control unit 50 may function as the controller 404.
[0041] In this example, the controller 404 includes a mark reading unit 4041, a glass position detection unit 4042, and a glass position determination unit 4043. The mark reading unit 4041 optically reads the identification marks 250 provided on the slide glass 1 while the slide glass 1 is placed on the stage 42. The mark reading unit 4041, for example, operates the imaging unit 401 at a predetermined timing to image the slide glass 1 and reads the identification marks 250 from the imaging result. For this reason, it can be said that the mark reading unit 4041 is configured to include the imaging unit 401. Alternatively, the reading of the identification marks 250 may be performed by the image processing engine 401a. In this case, the mark reading unit 4041 appropriately obtains the reading result of the identification marks 250 from the image processing engine 401a.
[0042] The glass position detection unit 4042 detects the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 based on the reading result obtained by the mark reading unit 4041. Here, the reading result obtained by the mark reading unit 4041 includes information such as the position, number, and type (size, shape) of the identification mark 250 provided on the slide glass 1. On the other hand, registration information including position information (for example, position coordinates) of the placement area 200, dimension information of each slide glass 1, position information of the identification mark 250 on the slide glass 1, and the like is stored in advance in the storage unit 60. Furthermore, as the registration information, the storage unit 60 stores, for each type of slide glass 1, information such as the outer dimensions of the slide glass 1 and the relative position of the identification mark 250 with respect to the slide glass 1 (the position of the identification mark 250 on the slide glass 1). Then, the glass position detection unit 4042 detects the position of the slide glass 1 based on such registration information and the reading result obtained by the mark reading unit 4041.
[0043] The registration information stored in the storage unit 60 includes, as an example, information in which a combination of identification marks 250 provided on the slide glass 1 is associated with the type of the slide glass 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a table in which combinations of the respective identification marks 250 and types of the slide glass 1 are associated with each other is stored as the registration information in the storage unit 60. In this table, the type ("A", "B" or "C") of each identification mark 250 provided at the four corners ("upper left", "upper right", "lower left", "lower right") of the slide glass 1 is associated with the type ("Type 1", "Type 2" or "Type 3") of the slide glass 1.
[0044] Therefore, the glass position detection unit 4042 can identify the type of the slide glass 1 from the reading result of the mark reading unit 4041 by referring to such a table. Further, the glass position detection unit 4042 can call the dimension information of the slide glass 1, the position information of the identification mark 250 and the like from the storage unit 60 according to the type of the slide glass 1, and identify the position of the slide glass 1 based on the called information.
[0045] Figure 8 illustrates the dimensional information of the slide glass and the position information of the identification marks according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 8, the registered information stored in the storage unit 60 includes, for example, the dimensional information of the slide glass 1, such as the total length L1 and total width W1 of the slide glass 1. The registered information also includes, for example, the position information of the identification marks 250, such as the distances D1 and D2 between the centers of each identification mark 250, and the distances D3 and D4 from the edge of the slide glass 1 to the center of the identification mark 250. Therefore, the glass position detection unit 4042 can detect the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 by referring to the registered information stored in the storage unit 60, for example, by obtaining the center coordinates of each identification mark 250 from the reading results of the mark reading unit 4041. At this time, the glass position detection unit 4042 can also detect the rotation angle of the slide glass 1 from the center coordinates of the four identification marks 250.
[0046] In this example, information such as the dimensions of the slide glass 1 and the relative position of the identification mark 250 to the slide glass 1 are pre-stored as registered information in the storage unit 60, and the glass position detection unit 4042 retrieves the necessary information from the storage unit 60. However, not all of this information needs to be stored in the storage unit 60 as registered information. For example, the dimensions of the slide glass 1 can be calculated by the glass position detection unit 4042 based on the reading results of the mark reading unit 4041.
[0047] The glass position determination unit 4043 determines whether the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42, as detected by the glass position detection unit 4042, is normal. For example, the glass position determination unit 4043 compares the position information of the slide glass 1 (the area on which the slide glass 1 is placed) detected by the glass position detection unit 4042 with the position information of the placement area 200 stored in the storage unit 60 to determine whether the entire slide glass 1 is located inside the placement area 200.
[0048] Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the entire slide glass 1 is located within the placement area 200, the glass position determination unit 4043 determines that the slide glass 1 is appropriately placed on the stage 42, that is, the loading state of the slide glass 1 into the placement area 200 is normal. When the glass position determination unit 4043 determines that the position of the slide glass 1 is normal, the staining unit 40 executes staining processing on the sample on the slide glass 1 as subsequent processing.
[0049] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the slide glass 1 is placed protruding from the placement area 200, the glass position determination unit 4043 determines that the slide glass 1 is not appropriately placed on the stage 42, that is, the loading state of the slide glass 1 into the placement area 200 is abnormal. When the glass position determination unit 4043 determines that the position of the slide glass 1 is abnormal, the staining unit 40 stops the staining processing on the sample on the slide glass 1, and as subsequent processing, notifies the operator of the abnormal state via, for example, a display device of the operation unit 70. This makes it possible to suppress processing abnormalities of the slide glass 1. For example, damage to the sample on the slide glass 1 can be prevented beforehand.
[0050] <Position Determination Processing Procedure> Next, the position determination processing procedure for the slide glass 1 will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 10, when the position determination processing for the slide glass 1 is started, first in step S01, the slide glass 1 having the identification mark 250 placed on the stage 42 is imaged by the imaging unit 401. Next, in step S02, the identification mark 250 on the slide glass 1 is read based on the imaging result of the imaging unit 401. As a reading result of the identification mark 250, for example, position information of the identification mark 250 can be obtained. In step S03, dimension information and the like of the slide glass 1 are called out as needed from registration information stored in the storage unit 60. Next, in step S04, the position of the slide glass 1 is detected as described above based on the reading result of the identification mark 250 and the registration information called out from the storage unit 60.
[0051] Subsequently, in step S05, it is determined whether the position of the slide glass 1 is within the placement area 200. For example, it is determined whether the position coordinates of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 are within the range of coordinates that define the placement area 200. If the position coordinates of the slide glass 1 are within the range of coordinates that define the placement area 200 (step S05: Yes), the process proceeds to step S06, and it is determined that the position of the slide glass 1 is normal. In other words, it is determined that the loading state of the slide glass 1 is normal. In this case, the subsequent process is to perform a staining process by the staining unit 40.
[0052] On the other hand, if in step S05 the position of the slide glass 1 is not within the mounting area 200, that is, if the position of the slide glass 1 has reached outside the mounting area 200 (step S05: No), the process proceeds to step S07, and it is determined that the loading state of the slide glass 1 is abnormal. For example, if the slide glass 1 is protruding from the mounting area 200 of the stage 42, or if the slide glass 1 is riding on the slide glass stopper 43, it is determined that the loading state of the slide glass 1 is abnormal. In this case, as a subsequent process, the staining process by the staining unit 40 is not performed, and the operator is notified of the abnormal condition.
[0053] As described above, the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 allows for the appropriate detection of the placement position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 with a relatively simple configuration. For example, it is possible to easily determine whether the placement position of the slide glass 1 is normal without using sensors. Furthermore, it is possible to easily detect the position of the slide glass 1 compared to detecting the position of the slide glass 1 from the edge position of the slide glass extracted using, for example, an optical camera.
[0054] Furthermore, according to the slide glass processing apparatus 100 of Embodiment 1, by determining whether the position of the slide glass 1 is normal, it is possible to prevent abnormalities from occurring in subsequent processing of the slide glass. For example, if the slide glass 1 is in a state where it is riding on the slide glass stopper 43, there is a risk that it will not be able to maintain close contact with the temperature control mechanism provided on the stage 42. Also, depending on the inclination of the slide glass 1 relative to the stage 42, there is a risk that reagents may spill. As a result of these factors, staining defects may ultimately occur. According to the slide processing apparatus 100 of Embodiment 1, the occurrence of such defects can be suppressed, and the reliability of the slide glass processing apparatus 100 can be improved.
[0055] In this embodiment, the imaging unit 401 of the position determination unit 400 of the staining unit 40 is used to image the slide glass 1, but the imaging unit 401 does not necessarily have to be provided by the staining unit 40. The imaging unit 401 may be provided, for example, on the grip portion 31 of the transport unit 30, as shown in Figure 11. In this case, when the slide glass 1 is transported onto the stage 42 of the staining unit 40 by the transport unit 30, the imaging unit 401 images the slide glass 1, and the mark reading unit 4041 reads the identification mark 250 from the image result. Even in this case, the placement position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 can be appropriately detected with a relatively simple configuration.
[0056] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 is a modified form of the position determination unit provided in the staining unit, and the other configurations are the same as in Embodiment 1. In Embodiment 2, the parts that differ from Embodiment 1 will be described, and explanations that overlap with Embodiment 1 will be omitted.
[0057] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 2, showing a slide glass placed on a stage. As shown in Figure 12, in Embodiment 2 as well, the slide glass 1 transported onto the stage 42 is placed on a placement area 200 provided on the stage 42. Here, the slide glass 1 processed by the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 2 is provided with an identification mark 250A, which is a planar code including a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code. As an example, the slide glass 1 is provided with an identification mark 250A, which is a so-called barcode (one-dimensional code). More specifically, a label 260 with the barcode identification mark 250A is attached to the slide glass 1. This label 260 is attached to the name portion 1a of the slide glass 1.
[0058] The identification mark 250A, which is a planar code, contains information about the sample placed on the slide glass 1 (sample information), and therefore can be said to identify the slide glass 1. The position determination unit 400 according to Embodiment 2 is configured to detect the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 by reading the identification mark 250A, which is a planar code.
[0059] Figure 13 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a position determination unit according to Embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 13, the position determination unit 400A according to Embodiment 2 comprises an imaging unit 401A, an input / output interface 403, and a controller 404A. Communication between these devices is performed by a data bus 405.
[0060] The imaging unit 401A consists of a code reader (also called a barcode reader) that reads planar codes (barcodes in this example). An existing barcode reader (BCR) can be used as the imaging unit 401A. Barcode readers are generally equipped with illumination so that they can reliably read barcodes even in dark fields of view. For this reason, the position determination unit 400A according to Embodiment 2 does not have an illumination unit independent of the imaging unit 401A, but an illumination unit independent of the imaging unit 401A may be provided if necessary.
[0061] The mark reading unit 4041A of the controller 404A optically reads the identification mark 250A, which is a barcode, provided on the slide glass 1 while the slide glass 1 is placed on the stage 42. Specifically, the mark reading unit 4041A activates the imaging unit 401 at a predetermined timing to read the identification mark 250A, which is a barcode, and acquires the reading result as appropriate. At this time, the imaging unit 401A, which is a barcode reader, reads the information within the identification mark 250A, which is a barcode, on the slide glass 1, and at the same time acquires the position (range) of the identification mark 250A on the slide glass 1.
[0062] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating the dimensional information of the slide glass and the position information of the identification mark according to Embodiment 2. When the imaging unit 401A is composed of a barcode reader equipped with an image sensor such as a general CCD, as shown in Figure 14 as an example, the coordinate information of the four vertices 253a, 253b, 253c, and 253d of the identification mark (barcode) 250A is treated as one coordinate for each pixel in the image sensor. As a result, the mark reading unit 4041A can obtain the position (range) of the identification mark 250A from the position coordinates (vertex coordinates) of these vertices 253a, 253b, 253c, and 253d.
[0063] Furthermore, if the imaging unit 401A is configured as, for example, a laser barcode reader, the rotating mirror that reflects the laser light source is swept in two orthogonal directions (for example, the X and Y directions in the figure) by an actuator, thereby determining the position coordinates of the four vertices 253a, 253b, 253c, and 253d of the identification mark 250A from the intensity of the laser reflected light. This allows the mark reading unit 4041A to acquire the position of the identification mark 250A.
[0064] The glass position detection unit 4042A detects the placement position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 based on the reading result by the mark reading unit 4041A. The registered information stored in the storage unit 60 includes, as explained in Embodiment 1, information such as the total length L1 and total width W1 of the slide glass 1.
[0065] Furthermore, the total length L1 and total width W1 of the slide glass 1 can also be expressed as the distance between the four vertices 1001a, 1001b, 1001c, and 1001d of the slide glass 1. In addition, the registration information includes the position information of the identification mark 250A, along with the dimensional information of the slide glass 1. The position information of the identification mark 250A includes, for example, the total length L2 and total width W2 of the identification mark 250A, as well as the distances D5, D6 from the edge of the slide glass 1 to the identification mark 250A, as shown in Figure 14.
[0066] Therefore, the glass position detection unit 4042A can detect the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 based on the reading result of the mark reading unit 4041 and the registered information stored in the storage unit 60.
[0067] The glass position determination unit 4043A then determines whether the position of the slide glass 1 (the area on which the slide glass 1 is placed), as detected by the glass position detection unit 4042A, is in an appropriate position on the stage 42. In other words, the glass position determination unit 4043A determines whether the position of the slide glass 1 is normal, depending on whether the entire slide glass 1 is located within the placement area 200.
[0068] If the glass position determination unit 4043A determines that the position of the slide glass 1 is normal, the staining unit 40 performs a staining process on the sample on the slide glass 1 as a subsequent process. On the other hand, if the glass position determination unit 4043A determines that the position of the slide glass 1 is abnormal, the staining unit 40 stops the staining process on the sample on the slide glass 1 and, as a subsequent process, notifies the operator of the abnormal condition, for example, via the display device of the operation unit 70.
[0069] The slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to this second embodiment also allows for the appropriate detection of the position of the slide glass 1 on the stage 42 with a relatively simple configuration. For example, it is possible to easily determine whether the position of the slide glass 1 is normal without using sensors. Furthermore, it is possible to easily detect the position of the slide glass 1 compared to detecting the position of the slide glass 1 from the edge position of the slide glass extracted using, for example, an optical camera.
[0070] Furthermore, the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 2 can also prevent abnormalities from occurring during subsequent processing of the slide glass 1 by determining whether the position of the slide glass 1 is normal. This increases the reliability of the slide glass processing apparatus 100.
[0071] In Embodiment 2, the information within the identification mark (planar code) 250A on the slide glass 1 is read by the imaging unit 401A, which is a code reader, and at the same time, the position of the identification mark 250A is obtained from the position coordinates of the vertex of the identification mark 250A. However, the position information of the identification mark 250A may be included in the information within the planar code, which is the identification mark 250A. In this case, the glass position detection unit 4042A can detect the position of the slide glass using the data recorded in the identification mark 250A, which is the planar code.
[0072] (Embodiment 3) Embodiments 1 and 2 described an example in which the dimensional information of the mounting area (also called the input area) 200 set on the stage (also called the slide glass tray) 42 is known. In other words, Embodiments 1 and 2 described an example in which the dimensional information of the mounting area 200 is pre-stored in the storage unit 60 as registered information. Embodiment 3 is an example in which, when the dimensional information of the mounting area 200 is not stored in the storage unit 60 as registered information, a registration process (initial setting) is performed in which the dimensions of the mounting area 200 are appropriately measured and registered in the storage unit 60 as registered information.
[0073] Figures 15A to 15D illustrate an example of the registration process according to Embodiment 3, and Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the registration process according to Embodiment 3. In the registration process according to Embodiment 3, as shown in Figures 15A to 15D, the dimensions of the mounting area 200 are determined using the alignment slide glass 1A.
[0074] Similar to Embodiment 2, a label 260 with an identification mark 250A, which is a barcode, is attached to the alignment slide glass 1A. The dimensions of the alignment slide glass 1A, including its external dimensions and the position and size of the identification mark, are measured in advance, and the measurement results are stored in the storage unit 60, for example, as dimensional information of the alignment slide glass 1A. In other words, the external dimensions and dimensional information such as the position and size of the identification mark 250A are known in advance for the alignment slide glass 1A.
[0075] Furthermore, the identification mark 250A provided on the alignment slide glass A1 does not necessarily have to be a barcode; it may be another planar code such as a two-dimensional barcode, or of course, a code other than a planar code.
[0076] When the registration process of Embodiment 3 is started, as shown in Figure 16, first in step S011, the positions of each vertex 253 of the identification mark 250A on the alignment slide glass 1A are obtained. More specifically, at the four corners of the roughly rectangular mounting area 200 on the stage 42, with the alignment slide glass 1A pressed against the slide glass stopper 43, the position coordinates of each vertex 253 of the identification mark 250A are read.
[0077] In this example, as shown in Figures 15A to 15D, the alignment slide glass 1A is pressed against the slide glass stopper 43, and the alignment slide glass 1A is imaged. Based on the image results, the position coordinates of the four vertices 253 of the identification mark (barcode) 250A are detected. The alignment slide glass 1A is pressed against the slide glass stopper 43 (43a, 43b, 43c, 43d) in the four corners of the mounting area 200 in the upper right, lower right, upper left, and lower left of the figure, i.e., the four vertices 201 (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d) of the mounting area 200. In this state, the alignment slide glass 1A is imaged, and the position coordinates of the four vertices 253 (253a, 253b, 253c, 253d) of the identification mark (barcode) 250A are detected from the image results.
[0078] Next, in step S012, the dimensions of the mounting area 200 are determined based on the position of the vertex 253 of the detected identification mark 250A. More specifically, the dimensions of the mounting area 200 are determined by calculating them using the four vertices 253a, 253b, 253c, and 253d whose position coordinates were detected as a reference, and using the dimensions of the alignment slide glass 1A, which are known in advance, and the relative positional relationship of the identification mark 250A with respect to the alignment slide glass 1A.
[0079] For example, as shown in Figure 15A, with the alignment slide glass 1A pressed against the slide glass stopper 43a, the position coordinates of the vertex 253a of the identification mark 250A are detected. Using the detected vertex 253a as a reference, the position coordinates of the vertex 1001a of the alignment slide glass 1A are calculated. The position coordinates of the vertex 1001a of this slide glass 1 correspond to the position coordinates of the vertex 201a of the mounting area 200. In other words, the position coordinates of the vertex 201a of the mounting area 200 are calculated from the position coordinates of the vertex 253a of the identification mark 250A. Similarly, as shown in Figures 15B to 15D, the position coordinates of the vertices 253b to 253d of the identification mark 250A are detected, and the position coordinates of the vertices 201b to 201d of the mounting area 200 are calculated from the detected position coordinates of the vertices 253b to 253d.
[0080] The dimensions of the mounting area 200 calculated in this way are then registered as registration information in the storage unit 60, for example, in step S013. Subsequently, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the slide glass 1 is in a normal state based on the position information of the detected identification mark 250 and the registration information in the storage unit 60.
[0081] In this embodiment, an example was described in which the dimensional information of the mounting area 200 is registered as an initial setting of the slide glass processing device 100. However, this registration process can be performed at any time. The registration process may be performed, for example, to calibrate the dimensional information of the mounting area 200.
[0082] (Embodiment 4) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the dimensional information of the slide glass 1 processed by the slide glass processing apparatus 100 and the relative position information of the identification mark 250 (250A) on the slide glass 1 are known. In other words, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the dimensional information of the slide glass 1 and the relative position information of the identification mark 250 on the slide glass 1 are each stored in the storage unit 60 as registered information.
[0083] Embodiment 4 is an example in which the dimensional information of the slide glass 1 processed by the slide glass processing apparatus 100 and the relative position information of the identification mark 250 (250A) on the slide glass 1 are not stored in the storage unit 60 as registered information. Embodiment 4 is an example in which, before the slide glass 1 is brought into the staining unit 40, the dimensions of the slide glass 1 and the relative position information of the identification mark 250 (250A) on the slide glass 1 are acquired and registered in the storage unit 60 as registered information. In this example, the slide glass 1 is assumed to be provided with an identification mark 250A which is a barcode (planar code), similar to Embodiment 2. Of course, the slide glass 1 may be provided with an identification mark 250 other than a barcode.
[0084] Figure 17 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a slide glass processing apparatus according to Embodiment 4. Figures 18A and 18B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of a dimension acquisition process according to Embodiment 4.
[0085] As shown in Figure 17, the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 4 processes slide glass 1 which is provided with an identification mark 250A, which is a barcode, similar to Embodiment 2 and the like, and comprises a supply unit 10, a storage unit 20, a transport unit 30, a staining unit 40, a control unit 50, a storage unit 60, an operation unit 70, and further comprises a dimension acquisition unit 80 as a dimension acquisition unit.
[0086] In Embodiment 4, the slide glass 1 is fed into the slide glass processing device 100 without the dimensional information of the slide glass 1 and the relative position information of the identification mark 250A being stored as registered information in the storage unit 60. That is, the dimensions of the slide glass 1 stored in the supply unit 10 and the relative position information of the identification mark 250A are not stored as registered information in the storage unit 60.
[0087] Therefore, the microscope slides 1 stored in the supply unit 10 are first transported to the dimension acquisition unit 80 by the transport unit 30. In the dimension acquisition unit 80, the dimensions of each microscope slide 1 and the relative position of the identification mark 250 are acquired and registered as registration information in the storage unit 60. After that, the microscope slides 1 are transported to the staining unit 40 by the transport unit 30. In other words, the processing by the dimension acquisition unit 80 is performed before the microscope slides 1 are transported to the staining unit 40.
[0088] The dimension acquisition unit 80 comprises a mounting table 81 on which the slide glass 1 is placed, and a slide glass holding mechanism 82 positioned on the mounting table 81 to grip the slide glass 1. The slide glass holding mechanism 82 has a pair of holding members 83 and 84 that contact the outer circumference of the slide glass 1. The slide glass 1, transported onto the mounting table 81, is placed in the space between the pair of holding members 83 and 84 and is held on the mounting table 81 while being held between these holding members 83 and 84.
[0089] In this example, as shown in Figures 18A and 18B, the pair of retaining members 83 and 84 are positioned to contact a pair of diagonally opposite vertices 1001 (vertices 1001a and 1001d in this example) of the four vertices 1001 of the slide glass 1.
[0090] Furthermore, one of the pressing members 83 and 84 (pressing member 83 in this example) is fixed on the mounting base 81, while the other (pressing member 84 in this example) is configured to move along the surface of the mounting base 81. Although not shown in the illustration, pressing member 84 is connected to a drive device such as a motor, and is movable by this drive device.
[0091] Furthermore, the dimension acquisition unit 80 includes a movement amount detection unit 85 for detecting the amount of movement of the pressing member 84, and a mark reading unit 86 for optically reading the identification mark 250A provided on the slide glass 1. The configuration of the movement amount detection unit 85 is not particularly limited. For example, the movement amount detection unit 85 is configured to include a sensor for reading the amount of movement of the pressing member 84. Examples of this sensor include a rotary encoder attached to a motor as a drive device, and a linear encoder attached to the slide mechanism of the pressing member 84. The mark reading unit 86 has the same configuration as the mark reading unit 4041A including the imaging unit 401 described in Embodiment 2, so its description is omitted here.
[0092] Then, the dimension acquisition unit 80 acquires the dimensions of the slide glass 1 by performing calculations based on the detection results of the movement amount detection unit 85, and acquires the relative position of the identification mark 250A to the slide glass 1 by performing calculations based on the reading results of the mark reading unit 86. The acquired information on the dimensions of the slide glass 1 and the relative position of the identification mark 250A is registered as registration information in the storage unit 60.
[0093] <Dimension Acquisition Processing Procedure> Next, an example of the dimension acquisition processing procedure in the dimension acquisition unit 80 will be further explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 19. When processing of the slide glass 1 in the slide glass processing apparatus 100 is started, as shown in Figure 19, first, in step S021, the slide glass 1 is transported from the supply unit 10 to the dimension acquisition unit 80 by the transport unit 30. At this time, as shown in Figure 18A, the slide glass 1 is placed in the space between the retaining members 83 and 84. For this reason, it is preferable that the retaining members 83 and 84 be positioned as far apart as possible when the slide glass 1 is transported to the dimension acquisition unit 80.
[0094] Once the glass slide 1 is placed on the mounting base 81, in step S022, the glass slide holding mechanism 82 performs a pressing operation on the glass slide 1. In this example, the pressing member 84 is moved toward the pressing member 83, so that the glass slide 1 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing members 83 and 84, as shown in Figure 18B. This holds the glass slide 1 on the mounting base 81.
[0095] Next, in step S023, the amount of movement of the pressing member 84 during the pressing operation is obtained. In this example, while the pressing member 84 is being moved by the pressing operation, the amount of movement of the pressing member 84 is detected by the movement amount detection unit 85. In step S023, the amount of movement of the pressing member 84 detected by the movement amount detection unit 85 is obtained. Then, in step S024, the total length L1 and total width W1 of the slide glass 1 are calculated based on the amount of movement of the pressing member 84.
[0096] Next, in step S025, with the slide glass 1 held by the retaining members 83 and 84, the mark reading unit 86 reads the identification mark 250A. At this time, as explained in Embodiment 2, the position coordinates of the four vertices of the identification mark 250A are obtained.
[0097] In the next step, S026, the total length L1 and total width W1 of the slide glass 1 calculated in step S024, and the position coordinates of each vertex of the identification mark 250A obtained in step S025, can be combined to calculate the total width W2 and total length L2 of the identification mark 250 (step S026). Furthermore, distances D5, D6, etc., from the edge of the slide glass 1 to the identification mark 250A can also be obtained (see Figure 14).
[0098] Furthermore, the dimensions of the slide glass 1 and the relative position of the identification mark 250A obtained in this manner are registered as registration information in the storage unit 60, for example, along with the data (identification information) recorded in the identification mark 250A, which is a barcode (step S027). The dimension acquisition process in the dimension acquisition unit 80 is then completed. After that, as in the embodiment described above, the slide glass 1 is transported to the staining unit 40, and the staining process on the sample on the slide glass 1 is performed as appropriate.
[0099] As described above, in the slide glass processing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 4, the dimensions of various types of slide glass 1 with dimensional differences and the relative positions of the identification marks 250A can be acquired by the dimension acquisition unit 80. Therefore, when the slide glass 1 is transported to the next location and the next process is carried out, it is possible to more easily determine whether or not the slide glass 1 is in a normal state when it is loaded.
[0100] Furthermore, the dimensions of the slide glass 1 and the relative position of the identification mark 250 (250A) only need to be measured once in the slide glass processing device 100. For example, even if the slide glass 1 is sequentially transported to multiple locations within the slide glass processing device 100, by reading the dimension information of the slide glass 1 that has already been measured, it becomes easy to determine whether the slide glass 1 is in the correct position at any location.
[0101] Furthermore, the dimension acquisition process in the dimension acquisition unit 80 may be performed for all slides 1 fed into the slide glass processing device 100, but it may also be performed as appropriate, for example, when the type of slide 1 being fed in changes.
[0102] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and includes various modifications. The present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described above. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.
[0103] In the embodiments described above, a slide glass processing apparatus equipped with a position determination device for determining the position of the slide glass was described, and which performs staining on a sample placed on the slide glass. However, the slide glass processing apparatus is not limited to one that performs staining. The present invention is applicable not only to slide glass processing apparatuses that perform staining, but also to those that perform various processes on slide glass. The position determination device according to the present invention can be applied to slide glass processing apparatuses that perform various processes on slide glass.
[0104] 1: Slide glass, 10: Supply unit, 20: Storage unit, 30: Transport unit, 40: Staining unit, 41: Disc, 42: Stage, 43: Slide glass stopper, 50: Overall control unit, 60: Memory unit, 70: Operation unit, 80: Dimension acquisition unit, 81: Mounting platform, 82: Slide glass holding mechanism, 83, 84: Holding member, 85: Movement amount detection unit, 86: Mark reading unit, 200: Mounting area, 250, 250A: Identification mark, 260: Label, 400: Position determination unit, 401: Imaging unit, 402: Illumination, 403: Input / output interface, 404: Controller
Claims
1. A slide glass processing apparatus for processing a slide glass placed on a placement area on a stage, comprising: an imaging unit for imaging the slide glass placed on the stage; a mark reading unit for optically reading an identification mark provided on the slide glass from the imaging result of the imaging unit; a glass position detection unit for detecting the position of the slide glass on the stage based on the reading result of the mark reading unit; and a glass position determination unit for determining whether the position of the slide glass detected by the glass position detection unit is normal, wherein the slide glass processing apparatus executes processing on the slide glass when the glass position determination unit determines that the position of the slide glass is normal.
2. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the glass position determination unit determines whether the position of the slide glass is within the aforementioned placement area, and determines that the position of the slide glass is normal if the position of the slide glass is within the aforementioned placement area.
3. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification mark is a planar code including a one-dimensional code and a two-dimensional code, and the imaging unit is composed of a code reader for reading the planar code.
4. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mark reading unit reads the planar code and reads the vertex coordinates of the planar code, and the glass position detection unit detects the position of the slide glass based on the vertex coordinates of the planar code read by the mark reading unit.
5. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the glass position detection unit detects the position of the slide glass using data recorded in the planar code.
6. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a transport mechanism for transporting the slide glass onto the stage, the imaging unit provided on the transport mechanism, and the mark reading unit reading the identification mark when the slide glass is transported to the stage by the transport mechanism.
7. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a storage unit that stores registration information including dimensional information of the slide glass, position information of the identification mark on the slide glass, and position information of the aforementioned placement area, wherein the glass position detection unit detects the position of the slide glass based on the reading result by the mark reading unit and the registration information.
8. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the registration information includes information relating a combination of the identification marks provided on the slide glass to the type of slide glass.
9. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dimension acquisition unit that acquires the dimensions of the slide glass and the relative position of the identification mark, wherein the glass position detection unit detects the position of the slide glass based on the reading result by the mark reading unit and the acquisition result by the dimension acquisition unit.
10. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the dimension acquisition unit comprises a pair of pressing members, at least one of which is movably provided and which contacts the outer circumference of the slide glass to hold the slide glass, and the dimension of the slide glass is acquired based on the amount of movement of the pressing members.
11. A slide glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slide glass processing apparatus performs a staining treatment on a sample on the slide glass as a treatment on the slide glass.
12. A method for processing a slide glass placed on a placement area on a stage, comprising: a mark reading step of optically reading an identification mark provided on the slide glass while the slide glass is placed on the stage; a glass position detection step of detecting the position of the slide glass on the stage based on the reading result of the mark reading step; and a glass position determination step of determining whether the position of the slide glass detected by the glass position detection step is normal, wherein if the glass position determination step determines that the position of the slide glass is normal, processing is performed on the slide glass.
13. A slide glass processing method according to claim 12, wherein the glass position determination step determines whether the position of the slide glass is within the aforementioned placement area, and if the position of the slide glass is within the aforementioned placement area, it is determined that the position of the slide glass is normal.
14. A slide glass processing method according to claim 12, comprising an area position acquisition step of acquiring positional information of the aforementioned placement area before the mark reading step, wherein the area position acquisition step includes: a first step of placing the alignment slide glass on which the identification mark is provided in the aforementioned placement area and optically reading the identification mark on the alignment slide glass; a second step of detecting the position of the alignment slide glass based on the reading result in the first step; and a third step of acquiring positional information of the aforementioned placement area based on the detection result in the second step.
15. A position determination device for determining the position of a slide glass placed on a placement area on a stage, comprising: a mark reading unit that optically reads an identification mark provided on the slide glass while the slide glass is placed on the stage; a glass position detection unit that detects the position of the slide glass on the stage based on the reading result by the mark reading unit; and a glass position determination unit that determines whether the position of the slide glass detected by the glass position detection unit is normal.